Chapter 286: See or Not See
This young man named Yuan was born with a majestic appearance. It was obvious that he had the blood of the Song people, otherwise he would not have grown so tall.
Having said that, all the aristocratic families in Japan, including the royal family, have some Northern Song Dynasty bloodline.
Snow Girl Liuyun covered half of her face with one sleeve, looked the man up and down for a while, and said: "The Abe family and my Lu family are just casual friends, and there is no actual alliance relationship. Please withdraw your troops."
After spending a long time with Lu Sen, the Snow Girl no longer had her original hostility.
If it were the original Snow Girl, she would have used magic to kill people when she saw her men surrounded by so many soldiers.
She speaks softly and very pleasantly.
Meanwhile, the young man Mu Ai, Minamoto Yoriyoshi, looked at the Snow Girl with warm eyes and said softly, "May I ask your name, young lady?"
Now the two of them were talking in Song language. Among the upper class nobles in Japan, Song language was the most orthodox and elegant language, without a doubt.
It is understandable that Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, as one of the descendants of the Minamoto family who was carefully trained, could speak fluent Song dialect.
"This has nothing to do with you." The Snow Girl frowned at the other party. She was originally from the Central Plains, and now she has been back in Hangzhou for a long time. Now she looks down on these barbarians even more. It is impossible to tell the other party her maiden name: "I reiterate, please withdraw your troops. If you cannot leave before dusk, you will bear the consequences."
After saying this, the Snow Girl floated up and flew back to the city wall.
Looking at the snow woman flying in the air with her feathers fluttering, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi felt her mystery and beauty more and more.
"On Miaoguye Mountain, there lives a goddess, whose skin is as white as ice and snow, and whose body is as gentle as a virgin." Minamoto no Yoriyoshi was already a little fascinated, and he exclaimed: "It turns out that the god in the heaven in the west was not lying, there really is such a beautiful woman who makes people unable to take their eyes away."
The Snow Woman ignored Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and flew back to the city wall, sweating slightly.
The flying technique looks very stylish, but the actual amount of spiritual energy consumed is among the highest among all the magic techniques.
She walked up to Lu Sen and said, "The people below are indeed from the Yuan family. They seem to have had a dispute with the Abe family."
Hearing this, the two Japanese priestess sisters next to them immediately changed their expressions. They walked up and asked, "Sister Snow Girl, did you find out any more information?"
The Snow Girl shook her head.
Lu Sen looked at the two of them and said, "You go out and talk to them to see what's going on. After all, we are not familiar with Japan, so you are the host."
Then Lu Sen looked at the generals next to him and said, "Send a few people to protect them. If anything happens, your safety is the most important. Kill them if you can, and retreat if you can't. Don't lose the style of our Celestial Empire."
When the leading family general heard this, he grinned and said, "Don't worry, my lord. We can save ourselves from it."
After that, the general walked up to the two witches and said with a smile, "Don't worry, ladies. We, the rough men, will protect you."
The two priestesses bowed quickly to express their gratitude.
They have been in the Lu family for so long that they naturally know that household generals are different from ordinary servants. They have a very high status within the family and will rise and fall with the Lu family.
In essence, they are part of the Lu family.
Several people opened the entrance to the Taoist palace and walked out.
Lu Sen took out a table and several chairs from the system backpack. Several people sat on the city wall, drinking mead and looking down.
It's a disguised form of protection. If something really happens, they all have the ability to "airdrop" down to help.
At this time, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi returned to the tent, hesitating.
The position of Ashigaru Shogun was not considered high, but considering his status as the legitimate son of the Genji, it was extraordinary.
Several generals stood nearby, watching Minamoto no Yoriyoshi sighing and rejoicing from time to time.
They knew very well that their young master was in love.
However, they have also seen the appearance of the Snow Girl. Not to mention the young master, these rough men are also moved by her. It's just... even if they are moved, they dare not show it. Who dares to snatch a woman from the master?
"She said that this towering palace has little to do with the Abe family." Minamoto no Yoriyoshi thought hard for a long time and didn't know what to do. He turned around and asked, "Do you think I should withdraw my troops to show my feelings to this beauty?"
The generals of these tribes said in unison: "Young Master, it's up to you to decide."
Seeing that they didn't want to get involved in any trouble, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi got a little angry. Just when he was about to curse them, he saw some of his trusted soldiers coming in.
He said with some displeasure: "We are discussing important war matters right now, and you dare to barge in without reporting... If you have nothing important to tell me, go outside and commit suicide."
This trusted soldier immediately broke out in a cold sweat and stammered in fear, "Two witches came outside... said they were from the Abe family... and a few tall people from the Kingdom of Heaven, and they wanted to talk to the young master!"
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi understood.
Is she going to talk to me?
He immediately rushed out of the tent excitedly, only to find that there were only two witches. He felt a little disappointed, but then he discovered that these two witches were also very beautiful, and his disappointed mood suddenly brightened up.
"I heard that you wanted to talk to me?" Minamoto no Yoriyoshi looked at the two shrine maidens for a while, then shook his head slightly: "The shrine maidens from Izumo Shrine? They are indeed rare beauties, but they lack etiquette, which is a pity."
According to the etiquette of the Heian-kyo period in Japan, when a woman met a man, she had to cover at least half of her face with her sleeve or a fan.
This is what the Snow Woman did just now, but the two priestesses did not, so Minamoto no Yoriyoshi felt that they lacked aristocratic upbringing.
Izumo Okuni just smiled and said, "We priestesses only serve the gods. Common people are no different from animals in front of us. Why should we hide our faces?"
At this time, "beast" simply refers to poultry and animals, and does not contain much derogatory meaning. It is still a neutral word.
Lai Yuanyi saw that the two Izumo shrine maidens were very open and confident, and then looked at the several retainers who were guarding them, all of whom were tall and strong with solemn expressions, and he knew that the two shrine maidens seemed to have a strong background.
So he put aside his pride a little and said, "Please come into the tent and we can have a good talk."
Izumo Akuni turned his head and looked at the retainer next to him.
The leader said calmly: "Don't worry, we are here."
Izumo Akuni looked back again and saw a few vague figures on the towering city wall in the distance, who seemed to be looking at this side.
She immediately felt relieved and said to Minamoto no Yoriyoshi with a smile, "Then I'll trouble you, General Minamoto."
As a warrior, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi had a sharp eye. He saw Izumo Akuni looking back, and he also looked over and saw three people standing on the city wall.
One man and two women... Unfortunately they were too far away and I couldn't see their faces clearly.
But he is tall and has an extraordinary demeanor. Is it really as the rumors say?
He remained silent and brought Izumo Akuni and others back to the Omiya tent.
Several short foot soldiers nearby immediately stepped forward and tried to disarm the retainers.
But the family generals would never let anyone take away their weapons at will, so they gave a light push and the dwarfs flew backwards and rolled into a ball.
During the Heian-kyo period, aristocratic families had the blood of the Northern Song Dynasty, and because of better nutrition, they generally grew taller.
But it’s not the same for civilians. Almost none of them are tall. The average height is only about 140CM, and they are thin and small.
The several family generals are all seven-foot-tall men. In addition, they are well-fed and well-clothed in the Lu family and have sufficient resources for growth, so they are all good fighters.
Although there were many Japanese around, they were confident that if a real fight broke out, these little guys would not be their opponents at all. It would not be difficult for them to fight their way out of the crowd.
When Minamoto no Yoriyoshi saw this scene, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Several generals nearby shouted and cursed, and came forward with great momentum, trying to support their own people.
But Minamoto no Yoriyoshi held out his hand to stop them, then smiled and said to Izumo Akuni: "It's our people who are ignorant, please don't be offended, please."
Izumo Akuni smiled and entered the tent with several retainers.
Both parties knelt on the bamboo mats in turn.
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi knelt and sat very straight, his back looking very stiff.
He smiled and asked, "The shrine is located deep in the mountains. Although our Yuan family has not found it yet, we are already narrowing the encirclement. So, are you two here to negotiate with us?"
Izumo Aguo took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Master Yuan. For more than a year, I have been living in the upper country in the west. I just came back here today and found that you surrounded the Dao Palace, so my husband asked me to come down to ask for clarification."
"Dojo?" Minamoto no Yoriyoshi was puzzled. "Since you already have the Izumo Shrine, why do you want to build another shrine like this? And how did you build it? This is already a miracle. Did you really get the support of the Izumo Kingdom?"
This is Izumo Province, but the Izumo sisters know that the Izumo Province mentioned by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi refers to the legendary and distant Izumo Divine Kingdom.
Izumo Aguo smiled and said, "It's not a problem if you think so. We did find the god."
"That fairy who could fly before, is she your god?" Minamoto no Yoriyoshi's eyes lit up and he asked hastily, "May I ask her name, or the name of the god?"
"That's Sister Snow Girl." Izumo Aguo said calmly, "Our Lord of God is someone else."
Snow girl?
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi was stunned, because according to rumors, the Snow Woman was a 'ferocious demon', but the woman just now was wearing a colorful feathered dress. Although her face was half blocked, her eyes were big and bright, and she was full of spirit. Just by looking at her figure, one could tell that she was a peerless beauty.
Is this kind of fairy a snow girl?
Could this be the true appearance of the legendary Snow Girl?
"Let's not talk about the matter of the shrine for now. It's not the purpose of our sisters coming here." Seeing Minamoto no Yoriyoshi's expression of seeing a ghost, Izumo Akuni continued, "Why did you, the Minamoto army, surround our temple?"
"Young lady, you really don't know?" Minamoto no Yoriyoshi was slightly surprised.
Izumo Akuni shook his head.
"That's a bit troublesome."
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi smiled. It must be said that he was quite charming and elegant.
Next, he gave the general outline of the situation.
It turns out that nearly a year ago, there was a conflict between the Genji and Abe clans...or rather, there was already a huge conflict between them.
Now it is fully aroused, Genji has completely defeated Abe clan, and now Abe clan has begun to flee everywhere.
And the Heike clan...also developed a huge rift with the Genji because of this.
"Now we have not searched the Izumo Province completely." Minamoto no Yoriyoshi said with a smug smile: "Although the Heike are helping you, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Miko, if you are willing to hand over the rest of Abe's people, I can guarantee that the Izumo Shrine will be safe and sound."
Although Genji was very powerful, he was unwilling to offend those who served God.
I see.
Izumo Okuni nodded, she stood up and said, "I thought it was something else. It turns out it's just a struggle for power among the mortals."
Lai Yuanyi looked at Izumo Akuni, somewhat puzzled.
He didn't understand why Izumo Akuni was so calm and not excited at all after hearing the news.
"I have already said that as shrine maidens, we have found the lord and serve him. We are no longer members of the Izumo family, let alone the Abe family." Izumo Aguo bowed slightly and said, "So whether it is the safety of the Izumo Shrine or the mundane affairs of the Abe family, it has nothing to do with us sisters. Young Master of the Minamoto family, although this temple is located in Izumo Kingdom, it has nothing to do with the Abe family or the Izumo Shrine. Please withdraw your troops."
Upon hearing this, several generals nearby immediately stood up and pointed at Izumo Akuni and cursed him.
"How dare you, a little girl, speak to our young master like that?"
"How can a mere city wall stop our Yuan family's army? If you know what's best for you, quickly open the city gates and surrender."
"Two witches and a snow demon actually dared to go against the army. They are tired of living ."
Several generals spoke very loudly. That's how Japanese people are. They like to shout loudly to boost their morale.
But in fact, it makes people feel very "empty" and artificial.
Several retainers stepped forward and protected the two Izumo sisters in the middle, with their weapons half drawn.
The atmosphere between the two sides was extremely cold and seemed to be on the verge of breaking out at any moment.
But at this moment, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi suddenly stretched out his hand, and with one action, all the generals around him quieted down.
He looked at Izumo Akuni and asked, "Can your god be seen by others?"
There are countless gods, demons and ghosts in Japan, each with its own rules, which is very annoying.
Some " gods " just don't want to see people.
Or in other words, you can't see anyone.
"The Lord God can naturally appear before people." Izumo Aguo smiled and raised his head high: "But young master of the Yuan family, how can you see my Lord God?"
"Thousands of troops, do you see them?"
"I can't."
"And what about the power of the Yuan family?"
"You can't see it either!"
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi thought for a moment, then added, "What about the Emperor in Heian-kyō? What about the territory that competes with the Yin-Yin Master?"
"Huh?" Izumo Akuni was stunned.
If it was ordinary power and wealth, she naturally knew that Lu Sen didn't care.
This involves religious belief conflicts, so she didn't dare to help Lu Sen make decisions.
She took a deep breath and said, "Perhaps, I can tell the Lord God. As for whether he will see you or not, I cannot guarantee it."
"It's okay, as long as you tell him. I'll wait."
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi smiled happily.
