Popular historical science: [White Wugou] - ancient Japanese women's wedding clothes, you can search for photos on Baidu, they are very beautiful clothes.
*******
*******
November 2, the second year of Kanzheng (1790).
Edo, North Wind House——
Kondo, who was sitting behind the counter, stared straight into the air in front of him.
As if thinking about something.
Chiba, who was working in this north wind house with him, was sitting next to Kondo with a book in his hand.
Chiba's main job is to serve as the personal doctor of the owner of Beifong House.
So it’s quite leisurely on weekdays.
When I have nothing to do, I will hold a book and read it leisurely like now.
At this time, Chiba, who was sitting next to Kondo and reading a book, squinted his eyes and glanced at Kondo next to him.
Looking at Kondo who seemed to be thinking about something, Chiba let out a low sigh.
"Kondo-kun, didn't someone come here to tell you that Majima-kun is safe now?"
While Chiba continued to look at the books in his hands, he continued to say to Kondo without raising his head:
"Don't you believe what that man said?"
"No... I believe what that person said..." Kondo sighed, "But if I don't see with my own eyes that Majima is really safe, I really can't feel at ease..."
"That person" mentioned by Kondo and Chiba naturally refers to Atachi.
On the third day of the martial arts test, Ogata was suddenly absent.
Ogata's sudden absence naturally made Kondo very uneasy. He was worried that Ogata had encountered some accident.
One day after Ogata was absent from the martial arts test, Amachi suddenly found Kondo and told Kondo that Ogata was safe now, but he had encountered something and had to be temporarily "missing" for a while.
Kondo asked Amachi what happened to Ogata at that time, but Amachi kept secret about it.
After telling Kondo that he was safe, Atachi hurried away.
Although Atachi's words made Kondo feel a little more at ease, Kondo would always feel uneasy if he didn't see Ogata truly safe with his own eyes.
After Kondo let out a long sigh, he turned to look at Chiba.
"Once I have some free time now, I can't help but think about Majima-kun."
"So——Chiba, come and chat with me."
"Okay." Chiba nodded without hesitation, "What do you want to talk about? Talk about cats again?"
"We'll talk about the cat later. Let's talk about your 100 taels of gold bonus. Have you decided how to spend it?"
Chiba relied on his superb swordsmanship to win the "Gozen Trial Combination" martial arts test.
Afterwards, Chiba immediately went to the Kitamachi Office to receive his generous bonus of up to 100 taels of gold.
"...No." Chiba shook his head after pondering for a while, "That's strange."
"Usually, I occasionally fantasize about how I will spend my money when I have money."
"But after I really thought I had a windfall, I didn't know how to spend the money..."
"How about building a sword hall?" Kondo suggested, "100 taels of gold is enough to build a sword hall."
"Qianye, your swordsmanship is so strong. Once you build a sword hall, you won't have to worry about running out of students."
"I don't plan to become a sword master..." Qianye said softly, "Anyway, let's save this money now. I can use it later after I figure out how to use it."
"I advise you not to save money." Kondo shrugged, "Haven't you heard of a saying? 'Edo people don't spend overnight money.'"
"The world has not been very peaceful recently. The 'Tianming Famine' that starved so many people to death has only passed three years ago."
"Once the world becomes unstable, the value of money will easily fluctuate."
"The value of money is fluctuating very much now."
"If you keep saving it and not spending it, your money may turn into pieces of waste in a few months."
"I don't know what you said." Qianye smiled bitterly, "But besides saving it temporarily, I can't think of any other better way to handle the money."
"Anyway, let's save it for now, and then we can take it one step at a time."
As soon as Chiba finished speaking, the sound of footsteps approaching from far away suddenly sounded outside the store door.
Hearing the footsteps, Kondo immediately muttered:
"A guest is coming..."
As soon as he muttered this, Kondo immediately sat up straight.
Chiba, who was sitting next to Kondo, did the same. He sat upright and put away the book in his hand.
Wow.
The shop door was opened.
"Welcome the light..."
Before Kondo could say the last syllable of "Welcome", his eyes widened in shock.
The people who opened the store door were a man and a woman.
Whether it is the male or the female, Kondo is very familiar with this pair.
"Mashima!" Kondo exclaimed excitedly and stood up suddenly.
This couple is none other than Atachi and Ogata, who is currently wearing a human skin mask.
…
…
Ogata looked at Kondo who exclaimed in front of him and smiled slightly:
"I haven't seen you for a while, Kondo."
Although Ogata had just moved into that remote small house to recuperate from his injuries, he immediately asked Amachi to go to the Beifong House to help him report that Kondo was safe.
But just like Kondo never felt at ease until he saw that Ogata was truly safe, he also never felt at ease unless Ogata showed up in front of Kondo in person.
However, Ogata has always been powerless about "going to the Beifong House to find Kondo".
Because the Beifeng House is too far away from where he currently lives, and the injuries on Ogata's body do not allow him to move such a long distance.
So I can only wait slowly.
Waiting for his injuries to recover enough to allow his body to travel back and forth between Beifeng House and the place where he currently lives.
And now the vitality, which is as high as 36 points, is really impressive.
The injuries on Ogata's body changed almost every day.
When he went to the Kitamachi Office to collect his bonus three days ago, Ogata was still limping when he walked.
And when he woke up this morning, Oubei found that he could now walk normally.
Not only can I walk normally, there are no injuries on my body and there is still a dull pain.
After discovering that his body had recovered to the point where he could travel back and forth between the Beifong House and the house where he lived, Ogata immediately led Amachi to the Beifong House without any hesitation to report to Kondo in person.
He was safe and allowed Kondo to see with his own eyes that he was still alive and kicking.
As soon as Ogata said "I haven't seen you for a while", Kondo quickly walked out from behind the counter, and then quickly ran to Ogata.
"Mashima, you finally showed up!"
"After you suddenly missed the martial arts test, I have been worried that something happened to you!"
"I also looked for you everywhere. But I couldn't find you at all."
"If Miss Atachi hadn't come to me and told me that you were safe now, I would have wanted to go to the execution office and ask the officers of the execution station to find a samurai named 'Mashima Goro'!"
"Sorry." A hint of apology appeared on Ogata's face, "I have made you worry. I have dealt with some things these days."
"Mashima, are you injured?" Kondo discovered at this moment that some of Ogata's exposed skin was wrapped in thick linen.
"Yeah, but they are just minor injuries that are insignificant."
"As long as you're okay." Kondo let out a deep breath, "As long as you're okay, I'll feel at ease."
Looking at Kondo, who looked relieved, a special smile appeared on Ogata's face involuntarily.
Even if he was wanted nationwide by the shogunate, even if his head was being stared at by so many people, there would still be people who expressed worry when they encountered any danger - thinking of this, Ou felt his face well up.
An inexplicable smile.
He raised his hand and patted Kondo's shoulder. After chatting with Kondo for a while, Ogata looked over Kondo's shoulder and looked at Chiba, who was still sitting behind the counter.
"Chiba-kun." Ogata smiled and said, "I have heard that you successfully won the first place in the martial arts test. Congratulations."
"It's just that I was lucky for a while." Chiba smiled slightly, "Mashima-kun, the smell of medicine on your body is very strong... What did you do? You have so many injuries..."
"Well, I encountered some things and accidentally got these injuries, but they are just minor injuries. They will heal after a while of rest."
After briefly chatting with Chiba for a while, Ogata turned his attention to Kondo in front of him again.
"Kondo, is your boss at Beifongya here now?"
"Huh? Yes. What's wrong?"
"That's it." Ogata said in a slightly serious tone, "I'm going to go to Ezo Land later, so I plan to ask your boss of Beifong House about things related to Ezo Land."
Ogata led Amachi to the Beifongya this time, not only to personally report that Kondo was safe, but also for another thing - to ask the owner of the Beifongya about the information about Ezo.
"Ezochi?" Shock appeared on Kondo's face, "Master, why are you going to a barbaric place like Ezochi?"
"Looking for someone." Ogata said, "I'm going to Ezo to find two people who are very important to me."
Although Kondo behaves carelessly, he is actually the kind of person who is both rough and subtle.
Seeing that Ogata seemed unwilling to say more about the purpose of his trip to Ezo, Kondo didn't ask any more questions.
"Master, you came at the right time."
"The boss happens to be in the store right now."
"But he's going to the toilet now."
Speaking of this, Kondo couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"If it weren't for the boss who went to the bathroom, I wouldn't be sitting here at the counter to help look after the store."
"My boss, he always takes a long time to go to the toilet, but he has been there for a long time, so he should be back soon..."
Before Kondo finished speaking, footsteps came from the corridor behind the counter.
"Ah, my boss is back." Kondo said happily, "He came back just in time. He came back as soon as I mentioned him."
The footsteps were getting closer and closer to Ogata and others, and finally a short, middle-aged man with half-white hair appeared from the entrance of the corridor.
When the middle-aged man saw Ogata and Omachi, he was stunned for a moment, and then immediately said loudly like a conditioned reflex:
"Welcome! What do you need?"
"Mashima." Kondo introduced Ogata, "This is the owner of our Beifong House."
After briefly introducing the middle-aged man to Ogata, Kondo turned his attention to the middle-aged man and introduced Ogata to him.
"My boss! This guest is my friend. He plans to visit Ezo Land later, so he wants to ask about Ezo Land."
"Ezo land?"
The middle-aged man, the owner of Beifeng House, looked at Ogata several times with doubtful eyes.
"Samurai-sama, I don't know why you plan to go to Ezo Land. But I advise you not to go to Ezo Land if you can. Ezo Land is not very peaceful now, and there may be a war.
"
"If you must go to Ezochi, then I also suggest that you wait for a while and wait until Ezochi is a little calmer before going."
As soon as his boss finished speaking, Oufang said in a firm tone without thinking:
"I know that Ezo Land is in chaos and danger right now. But because there are very important things at hand, I can't wait too long."
"If you, samurai-sama, insist on going to Ezo Land now, then I won't say anything more."
The boss shrugged.
"You said you came here to inquire about matters related to Ezo Land, right?"
"What do you want to ask?"
"We want to know where we can take a boat to Ezo," Ogata said, "and I want to know if you have a map of Ezo for sale here."
"The best way to go to Ezo is to find a merchant ship going to Ezo." The owner said, "Let the owner of that merchant ship give you a ride."
"This method is the safest and the lowest cost."
"If you don't want to take a merchant ship, you have to find a way to find one yourself. But this method is expensive and unsafe."
"I recommend you go to the Dewa area or the Mutsu area."
"There are many businesses in those two areas that specialize in doing business with the Ezo people."
"The Ezo products I buy here come from merchants from the Dewa and Mutsu areas."
"Go to Deyu or Mutsu and see if there is any businessman willing to take you to Ezo Land."
"As for the map of Ezo, we don't sell it here."
"Dewa, the big businessmen in the Mutsu area who do business with the Ezo people may have maps of the Ezo territory."
"When you get to the Deyu or Mutsu areas, ask if there is any merchant willing to sell you a map."
"Isn't there a map..." Ogata looked a little disappointed.
However, as soon as the look of disappointment appeared on Ogata's face, the words his host said immediately made Ogata raise his eyebrows, and the look of disappointment on his face disappeared.
"Although I don't have a map of Ezo, I do have another good thing."
"wait a second."
After saying that, the boss turned around and walked towards the stairs not far away.
The host came back not long after he climbed to the second floor of Beifeng House.
When he came back, his boss had an extra book in his hand.
"This book should be very useful to you."
After walking slowly back to Ogata and Omachi, Toga handed the book in his hand to Ogata.
"This book was handwritten and given to me by an old friend of mine."
"It contains some common expressions in the Ezo language."
"The old friend who gave me this book told me that as long as I learn all the common expressions recorded in this book, I can easily communicate with the Ezo people."
Ogata's pupils shrank slightly in surprise.
Ogata was a little disappointed when he learned that there was no map of Ezo Territory for sale in Beifongya. He didn't expect to have an unexpected surprise so soon.
After taking the book from his boss, Ogata asked:
"Can I take a look?"
"Of course." The boss smiled, "One of my rules for doing business with others is that I warmly welcome customers to inspect the goods."
After getting permission from his employer, Ogata turned to the first page.
The first line of the first page begins with a string of pseudonyms.
After transliterating this string of kana, it means "pinna".
This string of kana is followed by a line of text: "It has no specific meaning. When eating, Ezo will keep saying the word 'pinna' to express his gratitude for the food."
"Ezo has no writing," the host explained, "so we can only use kana to transliterate their words."
"For example, 'Ai' in the Ezo language means 'arrow'."
Ogata listened carefully to his boss's introduction while flipping through the book in his hand.
The teaching method of this "Guide to Teaching Common Phrases in Ezo" is quite simple and crude.
Because Ezo does not have writing, we directly transliterate their words using kana, and then mark the meaning of the word at the end.
Ogata briefly looked through the book and found that what was recorded in this book were indeed some commonly used vocabulary and sentences.
This is indeed a very useful book for Ogata and Omachi who plan to go to Ezo in the future.
After all, when you go to Ezo, you will inevitably run into the local aborigines.
If you can't communicate with the Ezo people, it will be a troublesome thing.
"It's useless for me to keep this book. If you want it, I'll sell it to you."
"Since you are Kondo-kun's friend, then I can sell it cheaper."
The boss raised 8 fingers.
"80 pieces of silver."
"For only 80 silver, this book is yours."
80 silver—this is indeed a very cheap price for a book.
What's more, this is a very rare tool book for teaching language.
Ogata had just received the 100 taels of gold from the first place in the literary test, and he was very wealthy, so he didn't think too much and nodded vigorously:
"Okay, I bought it."
Ogata took out his money bag and counted out 80 pieces of silver.
After handing the money to his employer, Ogata asked:
"Have you ever been to Ezo? Are there any matters or taboos that you must pay attention to when dealing with Ezo?"
"I have never been to Ezochi." The owner smiled bitterly and shook his head. "All the Ezo products sold in my shop are purchased from others. I did not go to Ezochi to purchase them personally.
.”
"I've never even seen Ezo."
"So I don't know what matters or taboos you must pay attention to when facing Ezo."
"That's it..." A hint of disappointment appeared in the depths of Ogata's eyes again.
"...Mashima." Kondo, who had been silent since just now, suddenly spoke up, "Have you really decided to go to Ezo?"
"Yes." Ogata nodded without thinking, "It's decided."
"When do you plan to leave?"
"It will probably be in a few days..." Ogata shook his head gently, "The specific number of days has not yet been determined."
"..." Kondo slowly lowered his head, and the expression on his face slowly changed.
Kondo's expression at this time was exactly the same as the one he showed when he parted with him in Kyoto.
Ogata couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"...Kondo, don't show such an expression."
Seeing Kondo's expression, Ogata felt a little sad for some reason.
Ogata raised his hand and patted Kondo's shoulders.
"I will stay here in Edo for some time."
"I will come to see you more often these days."
"I'll come visit again tomorrow."
"At that time, let me see if your swordsmanship has improved since we parted ways in Kyoto."
"Hmm..." Kondo nodded lightly.
Although Kondo forced a smile.
But in this smile, there is more disappointment than joy...
…
…
Ogata and Omachi left the Beifong House side by side.
After leaving the Beifeng House, A-Machi said in a disappointed tone:
"I couldn't get much information..."
"It doesn't matter." Ogata answered, "I still have some gains for the time being."
Ogata raised the "Ezo Common Phrases Teaching Guide" in his hand.
"It's so thick..." Ating twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Learn slowly." Ogata put the book back into his arms, "Anyway, it will definitely take at least 2 months to go to Ezo, so just study slowly in these two months.
Commonly used words in the Ezo language."
The two of them walked back to their residence at a leisurely pace.
To return to their residence from Beifeng House, they need to pass through a fairly busy commercial street.
After entering this relatively bustling commercial street, the flow of people instantly increased, and the sounds that reached my ears became more and more noisy.
Looking at the dense flow of people around him, Ogata raised his eyebrows as if he remembered something.
"...A-Machi."
"Um?"
"It's a rare trip, why don't we go shopping for a while and then go back?" Ogata smiled.
There was light in A-Machi's eyes.
But as soon as the light appeared in his eyes, Omachi looked up and down at Ogata with hesitant eyes.
"Ayi, your injury shouldn't be serious, right?"
"It doesn't matter. It's just a simple stroll. It won't affect my injuries too much."
"...Okay then!" Ating nodded vigorously, "Then let's go shopping for a while and then go back!"
Looking at Omachi who was smiling happily, Ogata couldn't help but smile too.
The reason why he suddenly suggested going shopping was because Ogata suddenly remembered: Although he had been in Edo for a while, he had never visited this "largest city in Japan" with Atachi.
Even though we are in the most prosperous city in the country, we have never had a good time in Edo with A-machi, which makes Ogata feel a little uncomfortable...
I will leave Edo in a few days.
After saying goodbye this time, I don’t know when I will return to Edo next time.
So Ogata planned to spend more time with Amachi before leaving Edo, and he and Amachi would go shopping and have more fun in Edo.
…
…
Ogata, who was holding A-Machi's hand, transformed into the drill bit of a drilling machine, drilling through the crowds and walls in front of him, and drilling out a path for him and A-Machi to pass through.
Just when Ogata was drilling forward with all his heart, he suddenly smelled a nice sweet smell.
After sniffing hard, Ogata turned his head following the scent.
This tempting aroma came from a wagashi shop not far away.
Amachi, who was walking behind Ogata, was also attracted by the fragrance and turned his head to look at the wagashi shop.
Ogata has always liked sweet things.
And wagashi, which are basically sweets, appeals to Ogata's appetite. Wagashi is one of Ogata's favorite foods.
And Omachi's taste is the same as Ogata's.
Amachi also likes sweets and Japanese confectionery.
After Ogata stared at this wagashi shop for a long time, he suddenly asked Amachi beside him:
"Atachi, do you want to eat wagashi now?"
"What a coincidence, I just wanted to ask you this question."
In just two sentences, Ogata and Omachi reached a consensus and hurried towards the wagashi shop.
The business of this wagashi shop was very good. Ogata and Amachi waited in line for nearly 10 minutes before it was finally their turn to buy.
Ogata bought three large boxes - not only for himself and Atachi to eat, but also for the people at Calabash House to eat.
Satisfied, he carried the three large boxes of wagashi and left from the front of the wagashi shop. A male voice that he seemed to have heard somewhere suddenly sounded from beside Ogata:
"Isn't this samurai-sama?"
Emotionally, he followed the sound with confusion.
A young man who looked familiar but couldn't remember when he had seen him ran quickly towards Ogata and A-Machi.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Xu Fang asked a little apologetically.
"Hahahaha." The young man laughed heartily a few times, "I am the owner of the tea house that you helped me a while ago."
"That's the shopkeeper who couldn't deliver goods to Yoshiwara because of a waist injury."
Upon hearing the young man's words, Ogata instantly remembered who this person was.
"It's you." Ogata smiled, "Looking at you, your back injury seems to be healed."
The young man patted his lower back and let out a hearty laugh again: "It's completely healed!"
When they first arrived in Edo, Ogata and Omachi traveled together throughout Edo to collect information on the "Gozen Trial Alliance".
As evening approached, we went into a tea house to have tea and rest.
That night, the tea house happened to have a delivery order from Yoshiwara.
Yoshihara's "Sakuramon House" ordered their specialty steamed buns, and the teahouse owner had to deliver their teahouse's specialty steamed buns to "Sakuramon House" tonight.
But that night, the owner of this teahouse was unlucky enough to have an injured waist.
Then his wife was also ill at the time, leaving only a 12-year-old daughter.
Just when the owner of this teahouse was at a loss, Ogata, who happened to be having a tea break in this teahouse at that time, decided to help him and deliver the steamed buns to Yoshiwara's "Sakuramonya" for him.
After recalling who this young man was, the look in Ogata's eyes couldn't help but become complicated.
From a certain perspective, that teahouse can be regarded as "the place where Ogata's dream begins."
It was precisely because Ogata chose to deliver the goods for the owner of this tea house that night that Ogata entered Yoshiwara that night, met Kuaishou that night, became attached to Fubell Taifu that night, and ran into Gokutaro that night...
The tea house owner didn't seem to recognize Omachi - but that's normal.
At that time, in order to avoid being recognized by the Shiranui ninja who might be lurking somewhere in Edo, Omachi put on ugly and scary makeup.
The makeup was so ugly that it was impossible to see the true face of Atachi.
Now that Shiranui has been destroyed, A-Machi no longer needs to continue the disguise, so A-Machi has been wearing no makeup when going out recently.
A-Machi without makeup, and A-Machi with that terrifying heavy makeup, are completely different.
Therefore, it is quite normal that the tea house owner who has only seen the "Amachi with heavy makeup" cannot recognize the "Amachi with no makeup".
"I really thank you very much at that time!" The tea house owner bowed to Ogata, "If it weren't for your help at that time, I don't know what I would have done."
"It's just a trivial matter." Ogata smiled and straightened the body of the tea house owner who was bowing to him, "So there is no need to thank me for such a trivial matter."
"Samurai-sama!" the tea house owner said seriously, "No matter what, I want to express my gratitude to you! Please let me treat you to a cup of tea!"
"Ah, there's no need for that." Ogata said quickly, "As I said just now, it's just a trivial matter. There is no need to express my gratitude in such a grand way. I appreciate your kindness."
"That's not possible." The teahouse owner shook his head, "Samurai-sama, you don't understand how much of a help you were."
"If we couldn't deliver the steamed buns to Sakuramon House in time that night, we would have to pay a lot of money."
"You have helped us so much. If I don't thank you properly, I will feel guilty. At least let me buy you a cup of tea!"
Ogata kept saying "No need", "No need".
The tea house owner stubbornly said, "I always want to thank you properly."
Ogata, who couldn't resist the teahouse owner, could only say helplessly: "How about this? You don't have to treat me to anything to eat or drink. Just tell me which places are more interesting in Edo."
Teahouse owner: "Interesting thing?"
"I'm a foreigner," Ogata said, "I don't know much about Edo. So just tell me some interesting things related to Edo. For example, which store sells particularly delicious wagashi, or where in Edo
Which place is more fun?"
Ogata had just decided - while he was still in Edo, he would accompany Omachi to take a stroll in Edo.
But after all, he is a foreigner and is not familiar with Edo at all, so he doesn't even know which place in Edo is more interesting and lively.
So Ogata decided to kill two birds with one stone - asking the teahouse owner to tell him what interesting places there are in Edo. This would not only allow the teahouse owner to properly thank him for his "delivery kindness", but Ogata would also get Edo's favor.
intelligence.
"Which places in Edo are more interesting..." the teahouse owner said thoughtfully, "There are so many interesting places in Edo...There is a very interesting place not far away."
"Oh?" Ogata raised his eyebrows, "There is an interesting place not far away?"
"Yes, the 'sacred tree' is not far from here."
"'Sacred tree'?" Ogata asked doubtfully, "What is that?"
"'Sacred tree' is a sacred tree that is famous in Edo." The tea house owner said with a hint of pride, "Samurai-sama, if you have time, would you like to do it now?"
Go and see the 'Sacred Tree'?"
"It would be a great pity not to be able to see this sacred tree."
Ogata is indeed quite free now.
Ogata was also somewhat curious about the "divine tree" mentioned by the teahouse owner.
So Ogata turned his head and cast a questioning look at Omachi beside him.
As soon as Ogata turned his attention to Amachi, Amachi nodded towards Ogata.
"Okay then." Ogata turned his attention back to the teahouse owner, "The sacred tree shouldn't be far from here, right?"
"It's not far." The tea house owner said immediately, "It's very close to here, come with me!"
The teahouse owner turned around and walked towards a side path.
Ogata and Atachi followed closely behind.
The teahouse owner who was walking in front introduced the sacred tree to Ogata and A-Machi while leading the way.
"The sacred tree used to be a tree planted in a certain shrine."
"The shrine was later destroyed by fire in a fire."
"The fire that burned down the entire shrine was huge, but the sacred tree miraculously survived the fire."
"Since then, people have believed that this tree has divinity, and everyone has begun to call this tree the 'sacred tree'."
"There is also a very interesting story about the 'sacred tree'."
"It is said that a long time ago, a certain samurai fell in love with a girl who was also from the samurai family."
"Not long after they fell in love, they decided to get married."
"The wedding was held neither at home nor at a shrine or Buddhist temple."
"But it is located under the 'sacred tree'."
"Because the 'sacred tree' is a very meaningful tree to them."
"They met each other by chance under the 'sacred tree'."
"So in order to commemorate this meaningful place, they set the wedding venue under the 'sacred tree' where they first met."
"It's a pity that the good times didn't last long."
"Not long after getting married, the samurai suddenly fell seriously ill."
"No matter how many doctors we called in, they couldn't cure the warrior's illness."
"The girl who had no choice but to pray to gods and Buddhas everywhere to protect the warrior."
"However, the girl visited every shrine and Buddhist temple in Edo, but it still failed to improve the samurai's health."
"When the girl started to despair, a certain miko suddenly came to the girl."
"The witch told the girl: If you pray to the 'sacred tree' and make a wish, the warrior's disease will be cured."
"But when you pray to the 'sacred tree' and make a wish, you must wear white clothes. And when you make a wish, you cannot recite your wish silently. You must clearly state your wish and why you want to make it.
.”
"Only in this way can the 'Shenmu' hear and understand your wishes, and then realize your wishes."
"The girl was already desperate, so after getting the advice from the witch, she immediately put on the white dress she wore when she married the samurai, ran to the 'sacred tree' and made a sincere wish to the 'sacred tree'
, pray to the 'sacred tree' to bless the warriors."
"Then - a miracle happened."
"Not long after the girl made a wish to the 'sacred tree', the samurai suddenly recovered from his illness."
"After the samurai's body recovered, the girl looked around for the miko who asked her to make a wish to the 'sacred tree', hoping to personally thank her for saving her life."
"But the girl searched every shrine in Edo but could not find the shrine maiden."
"Everyone at the shrine said there is no such person in their shrine."
"The miko appeared suddenly and then disappeared suddenly."
Ogata has been listening quietly.
After the tea house owner told this story, Ogata said in a half-joking tone: "Is this a real incident? Why does it sound so like a myth and legend?"
Ogata is a materialist and never believes in any gods or Buddhas in this world.
So after listening to this story, the first thought that came to Ogata's mind was: Is this story made up?
As soon as Ogata finished his rhetorical question, the tea house owner also smiled bitterly:
"I actually doubt the authenticity of this story."
"However - this story may be false, but the fact that the 'sacred tree' survived the fire is true."
"We have always believed that the 'sacred tree' is truly divine."
Having said this, the tea house owner raised his hand and pointed forward.
"Master Samurai, we are here. That tree is the 'sacred tree'."
Ogata and Amachi hurriedly looked in the direction pointed by the tea house owner's finger.
"Is this...'sacred tree'?" Ogata murmured.
While muttering, he moved his eyes and looked up and down at the big tree not far ahead.
This big tree is not very big, and three adults can probably hug it.
Although the "sacred tree" is not big, it is very tall. According to Ogata's visual inspection, the total height of the "sacred tree" is nearly 10 meters.
Because he knew nothing about botany, Ogata didn't know what kind of tree the sacred tree was.
It is obviously November when autumn is already here, but the leaves of the "sacred tree" are still thick and swaying in the breeze that blows from time to time.
There is an old rope wrapped around the tree trunk.
The so-called zhulian rope is a rope made of straw, a straw rope. White zigzag-shaped royal coins are hung on it.
In Japanese Shintoism, the shuriken rope is a sacred object. It is used to express the boundary between common objects and sacred objects.
After Ogata finished looking at this "sacred tree", he began to look at the surrounding environment.
The "Sacred Tree" is located in a very remote place, with no houses around, and no other people around except Ogata and others.
"Sir Samurai." The tea house owner smiled, "This is the 'sacred tree'."
Whether this tree has divinity or not, Ogata doesn't know.
But this big tree tied with ropes, with its branches and leaves swaying in the wind, does have a somewhat sacred feel.
Looking at the "sacred tree", Ogata couldn't help but recall the story the teahouse owner had just told.
And the one who also recalled that story was Atachi.
"Make a wish..." Ating on the side looked at the "sacred tree" in front of him and muttered.
After muttering, Atachi turned his head and said to Ogata in a half-joking tone:
"Speaking of which - I have a special wish that I want to realize right now."
"Oh? What wish?" Ogata asked.
A-Machi pinched the flesh of his waist and abdomen.
"I always feel like I've gained some weight." Ating said with a serious face, "So I really want to make a wish: I hope the extra fat on my belly disappears."
"Don't make such boring wishes to the gods..."
…
…
After admiring this "sacred tree", Ogata and Omachi left the "sacred tree" and said goodbye to the teahouse owner.
Before parting, the teahouse owner told Ogata and Amachi everything he knew about Edo.
Where is more fun, where is more lively, where is it better not to go... The teahouse owner told Ogata and others all these.
After accepting the information provided by the tea house owner, Ogata and the others wandered somewhere for a while before returning to their residence.
As soon as Ogata and Omachi returned to the house where they were currently living, they saw Mamiya walking in the corridor connected to the door of the house.
After Mamiya saw Ogata and Omachi returning, he immediately said to them:
"You came back in time."
"What's wrong?" Ogata asked.
"Miss Guasho is here. She is in Mr. Keitaro's room now."
"Miss Guasheng is here?" Ogata raised his eyebrows, "I understand, I'll go now."
Ogata and Amachi climbed to the second floor of the house one after another.
"Uncle Qing, Miss Guasheng." Ogata stood outside the door of Uncle Qing's room and whispered to the back of the door, "It's me, is it convenient for me to come in now?"
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Uncle Qing's voice came from the room.
"Of course it's convenient."
After receiving Uncle Qing's permission to enter the room, Oufang slowly opened the door in front of him.
As soon as he opened the door, Oubang saw Uncle Qing lying on the quilt, and Gua Sheng kneeling next to Uncle Qing.
"I'm sorry, Miss Guasheng." After opening the door and entering the room, Oufang took the lead and said to Guasheng, "I just went out for something and kept you waiting for a long time."
"No need to apologize, I didn't wait for a long time, I just got here."
After Ogata and Atachi sat side by side across from Kuao, Kuao handed a small cloth bag placed on the tatami beside her to Ogata.
"Lord Ogata! This is for you!"
"What is this?" Ogata asked doubtfully as he took the cloth bag.
"It's eel." Gua Sheng said, "It's very good for replenishing physical strength."
Although eel was not a luxury food in ancient Japan, it was not cheap either.
"Miss Guasheng, thank you." A hint of helplessness appeared on Ogata's face, "It really cost you money..."
"It's just a small amount of money. It's far from being a waste." Gua Sheng waved his hand generously, "There are four pieces in it, you can share it."
Gua Sheng should be the only person in Edo besides Ogata and others who knows the specific truth about the destruction of Shiranui.
He is also the only one who knows where the people who destroyed Shiranui currently live.
After being destroyed in Shiranui, Gua Sheng's life slowly returned to normal.
Returned to Yoshiwara's home.
Continue to work at Shirobei Club.
Continue to defend Yoshiwara as before.
He continues to be respectfully called "Yoshiwara Doshin" by wandering girls.
Ever since Ogata and others moved into this remote house to recuperate, Gua Sheng would come here to visit them almost every day.
Every time Guasheng comes to visit Ogata and Uncle Qing, he will definitely bring some food or supplements that can restore physical strength and promote wound healing.
Because Guasheng brought supplements every day, Ogata felt a little embarrassed.
Ogata put away the bag of eel in his hand and asked Guao:
"Miss Gua Sheng, how is Mrs. Feng Ling doing now?"
"Tafu, she started working again yesterday." Gua Sheng said, "Seeing that the owner of Plum House really spent a lot of money this time, he hired a new thug today."
After defeating Shiranui, Taifu, who was kidnapped by the ninjas of Shiranui, was naturally rescued by Ogata and the others.
Naturally, Taifu who returned to Yoshiwara would not tell the truth.
When Shiranui was being attacked by unknown people, if he revealed that he was kidnapped by the ninjas in Shiranui, he would definitely cause a lot of trouble.
So in order to avoid trouble, the Taifu lied and said that he had been kidnapped by human traffickers.
The trafficker climbed over the window, climbed into her room, kidnapped her, and then saw an opportunity to escape.
Taifu is the money-spinner of Meiwu.
The money tree that suddenly disappeared suddenly came back, and the owner of Plum House was naturally overjoyed to see it.
After Taifu came back, he saw that the owner of Plum House first gave Taifu a long vacation so that Taifu could have a good rest and calm down his mind.
Then a very capable doctor was invited to conduct a full body examination on Taifu.
In the end, he spent a lot of money to hire new guards.
The disappearance of Taifu this time really frightened the owner of the plum house half out of his mind.
In order not to repeat the same mistake, the owner of Mimewu decided to comprehensively strengthen the defense capabilities of Mimeya.
To avoid the situation of wandering girls being kidnapped again.
After learning that Taifu, like Gua Sheng, was slowly getting his life back on track, Ogata breathed a sigh of relief, and another stone that had been hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground.
"Lord Ogata, your injury really heals very quickly."
Guasheng looked Ogata up and down several times, and then continued:
"Obviously you couldn't walk steadily a few days ago."
"Now I'm back to being like a normal person."
"How do you feel today? You probably don't feel as tired as you did before, right?"
The "sudden feeling of fatigue" that Gua Sheng was referring to was naturally referring to the incident where Ogata fainted due to his body absorbing "immortal poison" for the second time.
That day Gua Sheng also came to visit Ogata.
However, when Gua Sheng came to visit Ogata, Ogata happened to be in a coma.
Ogata, who suddenly fainted, was also shocked.
Afterwards, I finally breathed a sigh of relief when I learned that Ogata had woken up and was in good health.
"There is no serious problem anymore." Ogata nodded, "I am not unconscious anymore, and the injuries on my body have recovered well."
"That's good..." Guazhang breathed out a relieved expression.
However, the next moment he showed a reassuring expression, a hint of disappointment slowly appeared in Gua Sheng's eyes.
"...Lord Ogata, I just heard about it from Mr. Mamiya and others."
Guasheng said softly.
"You will be leaving Edo in a few days...right?"
After a look of despair slowly appeared in his eyes, the expression on Guasheng's face slowly changed.
A few days ago, when Ogata had just decided to leave for Ezo after the wounds on his body were almost healed, Ogata also informed Guaou of his plan.
So Guaou also knew about it. He knew that Ogata left for Ezo after he recovered from his injury.
However, Ogata naturally hid the real reason for going to Ezo Land from Kuao.
Gua Sheng's expression at this moment was almost exactly the same as Kondo's expression just now.
Ogata has never been good at dealing with people showing such expressions...
After sighing lightly, Ogata smiled at Guasheng and said:
"I haven't decided when exactly I want to leave."
"I won't leave right away."
"So you can come to me more often these days, I'll always be here."
"Hmm..." Gua Sheng forced out a smile.
The smile on Gua Sheng's face was the same as the smile Ogata saw on Kondo's face just now - more disappointment than joy.
…
…
late at night--
The moon gradually dimmed in the west, and was about to sink into the dark clouds that hung like torn curtains over the distant peaks.
Except for the sound of the night wind blowing outside the window from time to time, and the even breathing of himself and Omachi, Ogata could not hear any unnecessary sounds.
During this time, Ogata had trouble falling asleep.
It's not because Ogata has insomnia or anything.
Although none of the wounds on Ogata's body are causing pain anymore, there are still bursts of stinging sensations when touching some wounds on his body.
Ogata always likes to sleep on his side.
But sleeping on your side can easily put pressure on some wounds on your upper body, so Ogata can only sleep facing the ceiling these days.
But Ogata was not used to sleeping in this position, so it took him a long time to fall asleep slowly every night.
It was the same tonight, maintaining this sleeping position that I was not used to. After lying on the quilt for an unknown amount of time, I finally entered a half-asleep and half-awake state.
After a while, you should be able to fall asleep smoothly.
But at this moment, Ogata suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the bed next to him.
This abnormal sound was very small, and if it weren't for Ogata not completely falling asleep yet, he might not have been able to hear it.
——Atachi?
Ogata woke up from his half-asleep state, opened his eyes just a slit, and glanced at Omachi who got out of the bed next to him.
As soon as A-Machi got out of the bed, he cast his eyes on Ogata and looked at Ogata carefully, as if he wanted to check whether he had woken Ogata just now.
When Ogata noticed that Omachi was looking at him, he immediately closed his eyes, which were originally open, and pretended to be still asleep.
Amachi, who didn't notice that Ogata had woken up, took his eyes away from Ogata, stood up straight, and began to take off his white yukata.
Because he didn't know whether Atachi was looking at him now, Ogata didn't dare to open his eyes and continued to close them tightly.
Atachi took off his white yukata, put on an ordinary kimono, and then tiptoed out of the room.
After hearing Omachi's footsteps leaving the room, Ogata opened his eyes.
——It’s so late, what is she going to do?
Ogata looked at the white yukata that Amachi had just changed into, and his brows wrinkled slightly uncontrollably.
Originally, Ogata thought that Omachi was going to the toilet, but now it seems that is not the case.
After all, if you just go to the bathroom, you don't need to change clothes at all.
Driven by doubts and curiosity, Ogata decided to go and have a look.
Since there was no time to change clothes, Ogata simply did not change clothes. He just wore the black yukata he was wearing now. He picked up the Daishiten and Daizizai that were placed on the knife rest next to him and quickly left the room, following closely.
Behind Amachi.
After Azimachi left the room, he quickly went down to the first floor and ran to the door of the house.
Her white and tender feet without socks pulled on her straw sandals and quickly rushed out of the house.
Ogata became even more confused when he saw this.
I don’t understand why Ating went out in the middle of the night.
Unable to think of a reason, Ogata could only silently follow Amachi.
It's probably about 3 o'clock in the morning now.
At this time in Edo, there were not even a single wild dog on the streets.
Omachi trotted along the smooth street.
It's cloudy tonight, and the moonlight is obscured by "black clouds" that are dyed black by the night.
Ogata is very glad that the kimono Amachi is wearing now is light yellow.
Even without the illumination of the moonlight, Ogata could clearly see this conspicuous yellow color.
Soon, Amachi came to a place that Ogata was very familiar with.
Because of this place, Ogata and Omachi just visited it during the day today.
It was the "sacred tree" that was recommended by the tea house owner today and was said to have divinity.
Omachi stood in front of the big tree, looking up at the big tree while smoothing out his breathing that was disturbed by the trot just now.
Ogata was lurking not far away, his face full of surprise that could not be concealed.
Ogata never expected that Omachi, who suddenly went out in the middle of the night, would come specifically to find this "sacred tree".
——Atachi What does she want to do? Do you want to imitate the girl in that story and make a wish to this "sacred tree"?
Ogata couldn't help but recall what Atachi told him today about her wish to lose weight.
——She came here in the middle of the night, maybe she came to make a wish to the "sacred tree" to lose weight...
Thinking of this, Ogata couldn't help but feel secretly amused, and a helpless smile appeared on his face.
It's just that... the moment Amachi spoke, the smile on Ogata's face froze.
After his breathing calmed down a little, A-Machi took a deep breath.
After slowly exhaling the air he inhaled, a wry smile appeared on Machi's face.
"The girl in that story wore white clothes and made a wish to the 'sacred tree', and her wish came true..."
"I... don't have Bai Wugu... and I don't know if the wish I made to the 'sacred tree' will work..."
After uttering this bitter murmur, Atachi faced the big tree, bowed twice, and then knelt on the ground.
While kneeling, clasp your hands and close your eyes.
"'Sacred Tree'...please listen to my wish."
There was silence all around, and Omachi's soft voice came clearly to Ogata's ears.
"The first time I... met that person was on the island called 'Butterfly Island'."
"The opportunity to get to know him was when I took the initiative to find him and invited him to form a team with me."
"The reason why I took the initiative to form a team with him was actually to take advantage of him."
"Because I had already recognized him as the famous 'Executioner Ittosai' at that time, so I felt that teaming up with such a strong person would be of great help in completing the mission assigned to me by Enma."
"I originally just wanted to simply use him..."
"But unknowingly, I started to have a crush on him."
"Not long after I got to know him, I saw that he was covered in bruises."
"The battle with the demon monk almost caused him to die."
"That was the first time I saw him with scars..."
"Then I separated from him for a short period of time."
"Maybe it was fate. Not long after we parted ways, we met him again in Kyoto."
"Not long after they reunited in Kyoto, he was involved in a conspiracy with the ultimate goal of destroying Kyoto."
"He had to fight with masters from all walks of life, and in the end he was covered in injuries again."
"That was the second time I saw him with scars..."
"Those days were when I was most helpless..."
"I'm afraid of the pursuers in Shiranui."
"I'm afraid that I will be taken back and tortured into inhuman form..."
"It was he who extended a helping hand to me who was helpless at the time."
"It was probably at that time that I fell in love with him who was willing to lend a helping hand to me."
"Then we came to Edo again."
"After the decisive battle with Shiranui, he turned into a bloody man again..."
"This is...the third time I've seen him scarred."
"At that time, when he said he was going to deal with Shuntaro, I really wanted to stop him and tell him not to go."
"Shuntaro is very strong. I don't want him to fight against such a strong enemy and then get himself covered in injuries..."
"Just from the time I got acquainted with him, I saw him covered in bruises three times."
"Although he survived every time, what about the next time?"
"Will he be so lucky to survive next time he encounters a stronger enemy?"
"I'm scared……"
"I'm afraid of the next trip to Ezochi..."
"I'm afraid that he will be less lucky one day in the future..."
"If I could choose, I hope that the next person who becomes bruised and bruised is me, not him..."
"'Sacred tree'..."
Atachi lowered his head a little.
The whole body seemed to be huddled together.
Like a devout, humble believer.
"Please bless Ogata Yisei for his safety."
"I just hope he is safe now."
"Safely...fulfilling my dream..."
"Then he will take me with him to realize his dream..."
As soon as A-Machi finished speaking, a gentle night wind suddenly blew.
The leaves of the "sacred tree" swayed accordingly.
The rope wrapped around the tree trunk also danced.
Omachi's hair was also fluttering in the sudden night wind.
The clouds that originally blocked the moonlight were also fluttering under the influence of this gust of wind, and then separated into a small gap.
The hazy moonlight, like a faint smoke, penetrated this small gap and fell on A-Machi's body.
Under the bright moonlight, A-Machi seemed to be wearing a holy white suit at this moment.
Ogata stared blankly at Omachi who was "draped" in Shirogane.
Pictures of the past flashed through Ogata's mind one by one.
Ogata recalled that night in Owari.
That night, the girl told him that her dream was to be a bride.
And he also told the girl he had fallen in love with at some point in his equally childish dream: he wanted to travel around.
It was obviously a long time ago, but the scenes of that night were still vivid in Ogata's mind, just like yesterday.
…
…
"It's possible... Whether it's your dream or my dream, it can definitely come true... I promise you."
…
…
This sudden male voice broke the silence.
The girl, who was wearing a white cloth made of moonlight, trembled slightly.
After opening his eyes full of surprise, he slowly stood up and slowly looked back behind him...
…
…
Chapter 6 "Trial in front of the Edo Castle" - the end!
*******
End of Volume 6:
"I used to be young and frivolous, and I went on a journey alone but lost my way. When I met people, I felt that I was fulfilled. People are the joy of people."
This volume begins with mutual heartfelt complaints and ends with mutual gazes.
Ogata and A-Machi confirmed their relationship in Chapter 344.
And this chapter is Chapter 435,
There are 101 chapters before and after.
Two 1s - a fate that surprised the author.
*******
How about it? If I ask you to wait a few more hours, it shouldn’t be in vain, right? (laughing)
This chapter is 1W5, and it is also the climax of the emotional line between Ogata and Omachi.
Isn’t it too much to ask for a monthly pass?
Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a monthly ticket!
*******
The postscript to Volume 6 will probably be released tonight, so stay tuned.