Chapter 359 The enemies of the sword saint are gathering in Edo [6100 words]
After listening to a book friend's suggestion, I have changed the bonus for the "Imperial Trial Match" mentioned in Chapter 357 to be larger, to 100 taels.
As long as you long press a chapter, it will display "Reload or not". After reloading the chapter, you will be able to see the new content of the chapter that has been changed.
*******
*******
After realizing that they seemed to be affecting others in receiving or returning the Onagari hand, Ogata and Omachi hurriedly left from the "Onagari hand collection point".
But before leaving this "female hand collection point", Ogata pursed his lips towards the magnificent mansion behind his uncle:
"Excuse me - is this room behind you the Shirobei Club?"
"That's right." The uncle nodded, with a touch of pride on his face, "This house is the Shirobei Club. If you encounter any trouble in Yoshiwara, just come to the club and we will help.
your."
"Of course - the things we can help with are limited to matters within Yoshiwara."
"Okay." Ogata said casually, "I will do it."
After looking up and down at the Shirobei club in front of him, Ogata thought to himself:
——It’s really the same as what I heard from the wife today... The Shirobei Club is located next to the gate. After passing through the Yoshiwara gate, you can see the Shirobei Club on the right...
——Huh? What is that?
Just as Ogata was looking at the headquarters of the Shirobei Club in front of him, he suddenly noticed a large eye-catching paper posted next to the door of the club.
There are densely packed words written on the paper.
Ogata's curiosity was aroused and he quickly walked towards the piece of paper.
Atachi followed Ogata to the piece of paper. After taking a look at the piece of paper, his face immediately showed an expression as if he had eaten a fly:
"There are so many difficult kanji characters...what are they written on them?" Atachi poked Ogata beside him with his elbow.
"That's right...you can't read Chinese characters..." Ogata smiled bitterly and began to read the text written on the paper line by line.
The person responsible for writing on this piece of paper should have practiced calligraphy, and the handwriting should be neat and pleasing to the eye.
In order to take care of those who are not highly educated, the person responsible for writing seems to have deliberately reduced the frequency of use of Chinese characters.
The ratio of kanji to kana among the words on the entire paper is about 4:6.
However, although the number of Chinese characters has been deliberately reduced to take care of those who are not highly educated, it is still too difficult for people like Atachi who really know nothing about Chinese characters to read.
After quickly reading what was written on this piece of paper, Ogata explained to Atachi:
"The contents written on this paper can be condensed into one sentence: Their Shirobei Club is recruiting new people. They hope that people who are qualified for the paperwork or have good skills can actively sign up."
"It looks like the conditions are pretty good. The wages are paid every day, and the daily wages are 6 cents of silver."
This model of "salary settlement on the same day and daily wages paid" was very common in ancient Japan.
Many jobs use this payment model.
For example, when a section of city wall or a large house needs to be renovated, a group of people will be temporarily recruited to do hard work, and the wages will be settled on the same day.
Many people who couldn't find any serious jobs - such as the ronin who escaped from the feudal clan - relied on jobs like this that allowed them to get paid on the same day.
Now during the Kanzheng period, the daily salary of an ordinary craftsman was about three to four cents of silver.
The wages offered by the Shirobei Club are 6 cents of silver per day, which is considered a very conscientious wage.
When Ogata had just finished explaining to Omachi what was written on the paper, the uncle on the side who was responsible for distributing the nagari hand handed the nagari hand to the woman in front of him and said to Ogata:
"We have already recruited enough people who are responsible for the paperwork. We are just short of people with good skills."
"If you are interested in working in our Shirobei club, remember to sign up as soon as possible."
"Are you short of people here now?" Ating asked.
"That's right." The uncle smiled bitterly, "It's not because of the imperial trial that attracted many ronin from other places. As a result, our Yoshiwara now has many more guests, and we don't have enough manpower."
"In short, if you are interested in working with us, please sign up as soon as possible."
"Okay." Ogata said casually, "I will do it."
After retracting his gaze from looking at the "recruitment advertisement," Ogata and Omachi left the "Onagari hand collection point" side by side.
A wide avenue connected the main gate of Yoshihara, and Ogata and Amachi walked along this avenue toward the depths of Yoshiwara.
Both sides of the avenue are lined with tourist houses with various signs.
Red lighting lanterns are hung outside each tourist house.
The red light emitted by the red lanterns enveloped the entire Yoshihara, making Yoshihara as bright as day. At the same time, this red light also added an aura of elegance to Yoshihara.
The atmosphere in Yoshihara is almost exactly the same as what Ogata felt in Shimabara, Kyoto.
The style of every tourist house in Yoshiwara is also very similar to the style of the tourist house in Shimabara.
There is a wooden, grid-like fence on the first floor of each tourist house.
The wandering girls in each wandering girl's house sit behind these grid-shaped wooden fences, just like the products displayed behind the display windows, allowing passing customers to freely choose the girls they like.
Although Yoshiwara and Shimabara are similar in every aspect, there is a huge difference in scale between them. The size gap between Yoshiwara and Shimabara is overwhelming.
Yoshihara is said to have three thousand wandering girls, but Ogata doesn't know whether there are really so many wandering girls.
In terms of management model, Yoshihara's management is stricter and more formal than Shimabara's.
Yoshiwara has an independent organization called "Shirobei Club" for management, but Shimahara does not.
"It's so bright..." Amachi muttered as he looked around, "How many candles and lamp oil does Yoshiwara spend per night..."
"Yoshiwara is, after all, the 'city that never sleeps in Edo.'" Ogata responded casually.
"I don't know if I have a chance to take a look at Yoshihara's oiran." Amachi said, "I heard that women who can be oiran must be extremely beautiful. I would like to see how beautiful they are."
"How can it be so easy to meet an oiran?" Ogata shrugged and said helplessly.
The two of them have not forgotten why they came to Yoshihara.
Ogata casually grabbed a young man who was strolling along the street with neither hasty nor slow steps. It was obvious from a glance that he must be very idle, and asked him where the "Sakuramon House" was.
This young man spoke with a skilled Edo accent and should be a native of Edo. After hearing Ogata asking where Yoshihara was, he enthusiastically told Ogata how to get there.
The road was not difficult, and Ogata remembered the route immediately.
While heading to the Sakuramon House along the route indicated by the young man, Ogata also paid attention to his surroundings and listened to the conversations of the people around him, trying to glean some interesting information from the conversations of the people around him.
The people walking on the road are basically men who come to have fun, but there are also some women.
Naturally, the women who come to Yoshiwara do not come here to have fun, but to do business. Therefore, the women walking on the streets of Yoshiwara are basically in a hurry and do not look sideways.
Although Ogata had intended to listen to the conversations of the people around him, it was a pity that after listening for a long time, he did not hear any interesting information.
Listening back and forth, what I heard was basically a conversation like this:
"Hey, you came to Yoshiwara again? Didn't you just come last night?"
"You just had dinner last night, aren't you going to eat tonight?"
…
"I recommend a girl to you, Chufeng from Kadoya. Her feet and mouth are amazing."
"Hoho~~ Then I'm going to give it a try!"
…
"I just heard that a customer ordered Meiwu's Fengchi Taifu."
"Really? Then won't we be able to see 'Oiran Daozhong' later?"
…
What I heard was all these conversations that were present and absent.
At the same time, the delicate sounds coming from the wandering girls' houses on both sides of the street disturbed Ogata all the time.
The wandering girls sitting inside the wooden fence on the first floor of each wandering girl's house would extend their hands out of the fence from time to time, either to tease the people standing outside the fence, or to solicit customers for themselves.
"Sir, this is the first time I see you."
"Sir, do you want to come and play with us?"
Conversations similar to this kept coming to Ogata's ears.
With Atachi right next to him, Ogata didn't dare to reply to these wandering girls, nor did he dare to look at these wandering girls.
In addition to these wandering girls, Ogata will also be harassed by those soliciting customers.
In front of almost every tourist house, there is one or even several solicitors.
These people who are responsible for soliciting customers are called "jiansefan".
When they see men passing by their store, they will greet them enthusiastically and tell them how good the service in their store is and how great their girls are.
Basically, those responsible for being a showman are men.
The principle is also very simple - only men have enough strength to pull men.
Ogata had witnessed several Misebans with warm smiles on their faces pulling some hesitant people into their stores semi-forcefully who didn't know which store to go to.
Of course, these kenseban only dared to pull in civilians who did not have swords on their waists. Almost no kenseban would have any physical contact with samurai.
The reason why I try not to have physical contact with the samurai is to avoid encountering the kind of lunatic who likes to shout, "Ah, you dare to touch my sword, you have defiled the soul of the samurai, watch me kill you."
However - even though they won't force samurai to enter the store, when they see a samurai passing by their store, they will still greet the samurai enthusiastically and introduce how great their store is.
How awesome.
Ogata no longer remembers how many Misebans he has met since he entered Yoshihara. The number is too numerous to count.
Even Ogata felt a little annoyed by being disturbed by these visits again and again.
"Those people soliciting customers are so annoying..." Ating said unhappily.
"Yeah." Ogata nodded with deep sympathy, "It's really annoying..."
Just when Ogata was thinking about whether there was any way to stop these world-watching fans from disturbing him anymore——
"Go away! Go away, everyone!"
A series of shouts suddenly broke out from the crowd in front.
The crowd in front was not dense, and Ogata was taller than most of the people around him, so Ogata only looked forward and saw clearly what was going on in front of him:
A bald man was running towards him with a panicked expression.
The bald man shouted "get out of my way" and pushed away all the people who were blocking him in a very rough manner, causing everyone to scream and scold.
Just when Ogata was thinking about what was going on with this bald man who was in a panic, loud shouts from behind this guy told Ogata the answer:
"Hurry! Catch him! He is a thief!"
Behind this bald man who was in a panic was followed by several people.
These people were all wearing the haori of the Shirobei Club. They were holding wooden sticks in their hands. While chasing the bald head, they kept shouting, informing the people around them of the identity of the bald head, and asking the people around them to work together.
Catch the thief.
——It turns out to be a thief...
After secretly saying this in his heart, Ogata turned his gaze and stared at the bald man who was rushing straight towards him. He handed the large box of steamed buns he was carrying in his right hand to his left hand and slowly
Raise your right hand and reach for Da Shi Tian on your waist.
After all, he was just catching a thief, so Ogata only planned to use the back of the knife to fight against the enemy, and use the back of the knife to stop the thief and knock him unconscious.
As soon as Ogata put his right hand on the handle of Da Shiten's sword, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a petite figure suddenly emerge from behind the bald man.
I saw this petite figure running up to the eaves of the girl's house at a very fast speed, then crossing the crowd under the eaves along the eaves, reaching in front of the bald head and jumping.
When this petite figure jumped down from the eaves, it landed precisely in front of the bald head, landing between Ogata and the bald head.
Looking at the petite figure that suddenly appeared in front of him, Ogata raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He knew this man.
It was during today's day that I had a chance encounter with Kusen Hide, which is known as "Yoshiwara Doshin".
Unexpectedly, someone could actually get ahead of the bald man in front of him by walking on the eaves. His face was full of panic. Although he had tried hard to slow down, his body still continued to rush forward by relying on inertia.
Just like that, he rushed into Gua Sheng's best attack range.
After the bald head came into his attack range, Guasheng quickly drew out the wooden knife from his waist and aimed at the bald head's neck to make a horizontal slash.
The wooden knife hit the bald head accurately on the neck, knocking the bald head directly to the ground.
After Guasheng knocked the bald man over, the officers from the Shirobei Club who had been chasing the bald man finally caught up.
"Tie this guy up and take him to the club." Gua Sheng ordered the officials. "And - search this guy's body and dig out all the money bags that this guy stole."
"Yes!" The officers responded in unison, then swarmed up and suppressed the bald man. While tying the guy up with a hemp rope, they groped up and down his body.
In a short time, three money bags of different styles were taken out from the bald man's body.
With all the evidence in hand, the bald man with his head drooped and a bloodless face, like a defeated rooster, allowed the officers of the Shirobei Club beside him to escort him to the club.
Guasheng did not follow her companions back to the club.
Instead, he put the wooden sword in his hand back to his waist, took a deep breath, and then slowly turned around.
As soon as she turned around, she saw Ogata and Omachi standing behind her.
Looking at Ogata and the two, a look of surprise appeared on Gua Sheng's face.
"What a coincidence." The surprised look only appeared on Guasheng for a moment, and then turned into a faint smile, "We meet again."
"Yeah." Ogata agreed with a smile, "It's indeed a coincidence."
"Look at you guys like this. You came here to Yoshiwara for something, right? Do you need my help?"
"You can see this?" Amachi asked in surprise.
"I am an old man who has been working in Yoshihara for a long time." Gua Sheng said with a smile, "I can tell at a glance which people are here to have fun and who are here to do business."
"Your eyes are very poisonous." Ogata raised the large box of steamed buns in his hand, "We are here to deliver steamed buns to a tea house."
"Are you sending steamed buns...which one are you going to?"
"Sakuramonya." Ogata answered.
"Sakuramon House...it's a bit far away."
After saying that, Gua Sheng turned around and raised his hands towards Ogata and Atachi.
"Come with me, I will take you to Sakuramon House."
"Ah, that's not necessary." Ogata said quickly, "We asked for directions just now and we know how to get to Sakuramon House."
"It's okay." Gua Sheng waved his hand proudly, "You just helped me at noon today, so it's only right that I help you with this small favor."
"Anyway, I'm just patrolling Yoshihara aimlessly."
"Taking you to Sakuramon House doesn't hinder my work."
"Just think of it as patrolling the road from here to Sakuramon House."
"Besides - if you have me leading the way, there will be many benefits."
"For example: No thief will dare to approach you."
"At the same time, you won't be harassed by those annoying world fans."
"Then I'll trouble you." As soon as Gua Sheng finished speaking, Oufang said with a serious face.
…
…
Under the guidance of Ogata and Amachi Yuguao, when heading to Sakuramon House——
Edo, Yoshiwara, Shirobei Club.
Shirobei Club has three floors.
In a secret room on the third floor, three people were sitting on the tatami.
2 old men and 1 young girl.
"It's been so long, Genichi."
One of the old men said in a passionate tone to the other old man in front of him.
"When was the last time we met...? I've even forgotten."
"I forgot too. I just remember that you didn't have that little black hair on your head at that time."
The only girl in the room was Lin, who accompanied Genichi to Shirobei Club.
And those two old men were none other than Genichi and Shirobei, the general manager of the Shirobei Club.
In all walks of life in Japan, there is a tradition of honoring people.
This is true in the literary and artistic circles, this is true in the martial arts world, and it is also true in the political world.
Every general manager of the Shirobei Club will automatically adopt the title of "Shirobei".
The old man currently sitting in front of Genichi and Lin is the Sixth Generation Shirobei. He is already a 65-year-old man with gray hair.
"Shirobei, let me introduce you." Genichi stretched out his hand and pointed at Lin beside him, "This is my great-niece—Kinoshita Lin."
As soon as Genichi finished speaking, Lin respectfully saluted Shirobei and said hello.
"Are you Genichi's grand-niece... That's right! The area between your eyebrows does look a lot like Genichi!"
Although Lin has been to Edo many times, this is the first time she has come to Yoshiwara.
When she came to Yoshiwara for the first time, this was also the first time Lin met her uncle's old acquaintance.
After ending the deal with Tojo Daigo, the most powerful Yakuza in East Japan, Genichi told Lin: In the entire Edo, the only person left who was trustworthy and who might have the ability to find the location of the Shiranui base was Shiro.
One soldier.
Although it is not clear what the relationship between my uncle and Shirobei is.
But since Genichi can say that "Shirobei is the only one left who is trustworthy and may have the ability to find the location of the Shiranui base," the relationship between the two should be quite good.
Shirobei made a very good first impression on Lin.
He had a neatly shaved Tsukiyo head, his clothes were also clean, and he had an elegant aura about him, making him look very knowledgeable and cultivated.
Old friends reunited, and after several passionate conversations between Genichi and Shirobei, Genichi gradually brought the topic down to business.
"Shirobei, I'm telling you the truth. I have something to ask you."
"What? One of your friends committed a crime and you want me to help you get him?" Shirobei asked in a half-joking tone.
"It's much more troublesome than this."
Minamoto explained to Shirobei briefly and concisely that he hoped Shirobei could help him find the Shiranui base.
"Looking for a base in Shiranui?" Shirobei said with a dumb smile, "Genichi, you really like me."
"I'm just a bad old man responsible for managing Yoshiwara."
"Although you do have some connections and influence in Edo, all I can do to help you is to help you fish out some people who have committed minor crimes from prison."
"Unless we arrest those who broke the law in Yoshiwara and escaped from Yoshiwara, the men under my command cannot roam around anywhere other than Yoshiwara."
"So I can't help you with this."
"That's it..." Although he was rejected by Shirobei, there was no trace of regret on Genichi's face, "Then there is nothing we can do. Shirobei, you have forgotten my request just now.
Bar."
"Sorry, Genichi."
"It's okay. We gave you a difficult request for no reason, so we need to apologize to you."
Shirobei picked up the tea next to him, took a sip of the hot tea, and said:
"Yuanyi, because of your request, the atmosphere of our conversation suddenly became serious."
"But whatever, let me take advantage of this serious atmosphere to tell you some serious things."
Shirobei put down the tea cup in his hand, then raised his eyes and cast his serious gaze on Genichi in front of him.
"Genichi, before leaving Edo, you'd better live in seclusion."
"Oh?" Yuan Yi raised his eyebrows, "Why."
"Your enemies from all walks of life... are now gathered in Edo Castle." Shirobei's tone was extremely serious, "If you don't want to cause too much trouble to yourself, just stay in the hotel obediently before leaving.