Volume 5: Kyoto Summer Campaign Chapter 300 Shimabara Elegy
"Please take a good rest here."
After saying this, the old brothel owner with a strange smile on her face quickly left the room, leaving Ogata and the young woman alone in the room.
"Master Ittosai."
After the madam left, the young woman bowed to Ogata again.
"This place is very safe, please rest here."
"...It seems you know my name." As Ogata said this, he took off the Daishikuten that was inserted into his waist and sat cross-legged in front of the woman .
"Yes." The woman nodded. "Master Agong has just told me about you. Don't worry. Everyone in this auspicious house only obeys Master Yinxin . If you stay here, the officials and bounty hunters will not be able to do anything to you."
Ogata only had to think about it for a moment before he remembered who "Amiya-sama" was - the dwarf who had just led Ogata to the lucky house.
"Oh, my apologies. I talked so much that I forgot to introduce myself."
The woman bowed to Ogata again.
"My humble servant Dieyin, please give me your guidance."
"Please give me your guidance." Ogata nodded slightly.
"Would you like some wine, please?"
"No need." Ogata said without hesitation.
"Master Ittosai, there is no need to be so restrained." Dieyin smiled slightly, "Master Agong has just given me an order - to serve Master Ogata Ittosai well."
"So you must cherish me." Dieyin said in a half-joking tone, "I am the top guest in this auspicious house. Ordinary people don't even have the qualifications to see me."
"Then I'm honored." Ogata smiled slightly, "I can actually share a room with the top girl in Yoshiya."
"No, no, no." Dieyin shook her head. "I'm the one who feels honored. When I found out that I was going to take care of Ogata Ittosai, I was so happy that I almost cried."
You are exaggerating - just as Ogata was about to say this, he suddenly heard a painful groan coming from the next room.
As soon as the groaning sound was heard, the expression of Die Yin, who was sitting in front of Ogata, changed instantly.
"Excuse me……"
After Dieyin bowed slightly to Ogata, she picked up her clothes and hurried towards the paper sliding door to the east.
The rooms are connected to each other with paper sliding doors - this is also one of the characteristics of Japanese architecture of this era.
The room where Ogata and the other two were staying was connected to the room next door. They could enter the room on the east side by simply opening the paper sliding door on the east side.
After Dieyine opened the paper sliding door on the east side of the room, Ogata's pupils shrank slightly when he saw the scene in the next room.
There was a quilt in the middle of the room, and a beautiful woman was lying inside the quilt.
This beautiful woman is still very young, probably around 23 or 24 years old.
However - this woman's beautiful face was now covered with red spots.
"Syphilis..." Ogata murmured softly in a voice that only he could hear.
In this era when there was no penicillin and medical standards were backward, if you got a disease like syphilis, there was basically only one way to go - wait for death...
Dieyin walked quickly to the side of the woman with syphilis and helped her up from the quilt.
Then he picked up the cup of water on the bedside, fed the sick woman water with skillful techniques, and gently stroked the sick woman's back.
Thanks to Dieyin's efforts, the painful moans of the sick woman gradually subsided.
After the sick woman's breathing stabilized again, Dieyin helped the sick woman lie back down on the bed as if relieved of a heavy burden.
"I'm sorry, Master Ogata, I made you laugh..."
Dieyin turned around and gave Ogata a faint, apologetic smile.
"This is my best friend in Yoshiya - Hatsufu."
"Nice to meet you." Ogata held up his Daishakuten in his right hand and knelt down beside Hatsukaze's bed. "I am Ogata."
Chu Feng opened his eyes slightly.
After taking a look at Ogata, a faint smile appeared on Hatsukaze's face.
"Are you... the customer who ordered my sister...?"
A hint of bitterness and embarrassment flashed across Dieyin's face.
Just as Dieyin was thinking about how to explain to Hatsukaze who Ogata was, Ogata said without hesitation as soon as Hatsukaze finished speaking:
"That's right."
The smile on Chu Feng's face became even more intense.
"Thank you... for ordering my sister..."
"Hatsufu." Dieyin said at this time, "You continue to rest. Lord Ogata and I will not disturb your rest for now."
“Hmm…” Although he had no strength left in his body, Chu Feng still nodded his head vigorously.
After exiting Hatsukaze's room and returning to the room where Ogata and Choune were just staying, Choune immediately bowed to Ogata and apologized:
"Thank you, Lord Ogata, for smoothing things over for me just now..."
Ogata and Choine had been speaking in low voices, and Hatsukaze had gone back to sleep, so there was no need to worry that Hatsukaze in the next room would hear their conversation.
"It's just a small thing. No need to thank me specially."
"...I'm sorry." Die Yin knelt back on the tatami, a bitter look on her face, "Just now... I made you see an unbearable scene..."
"Master Ogata, what you just saw is the appearance of most courtesans at the end of their lives..."
"Always, there are almost no people who can survive after contracting that disease..."
"The doctor has told me... Chu Feng won't live long..."
When she said this, Dieyin's expression was still calm, as if she was talking about something insignificant.
However, Dieyin's hands, which were originally placed naturally on her legs, slowly tightened at this moment, tightly grasping the kimono fabric on her legs.
"But Chu Feng is lucky... She still has me, and a friend who is willing to pay for her support and help her find a doctor..."
"Otherwise, she will be thrown into the Ebony Plain to fend for herself..."
Hearing what Choin said, Ogata couldn't help but think of the woman he had just seen in the Enohara who also had syphilis and died on the roadside...
"Whether it's Yoshiwara in Edo or Shimabara here, it's all the same - once you become a prostitute here, there's no way to get out."
Ogata and Choine happened to be sitting by the window at this time.
As she said this, Dieyin turned her head and looked out the window.
Ogata followed Dieyine's gaze and looked towards where Dieyine was looking.
What Dieyin was looking at now was the tall wall that surrounded Shimabara.
"Once you enter here and become a prostitute, there are only three ways to get out."
"The first method is to keep working until you are 28. According to the shogunate's regulations, we Yoshiwara and Shimabara prostitutes can retire when we are 28."
"The second method: save enough money to redeem yourself, or someone is willing to pay to redeem you."
"The third method: die."
"28 years old..." Dieyin's tone was as if she was talking about some astronomical figure, "There are not many prostitutes who are lucky enough to live to 28 years old."
“Even if you are lucky enough to avoid all diseases and live to the age of 28, it does not mean that you are free.”
“After you reach 28, you can retire, but that doesn’t mean you can rest.”
"Our daily food, clothing, and other expenses are all recorded in our personal accounts."
"You won't be free until you pay off these debts."
"So even if you are 28 years old and can retire, and nominally regain your freedom, if you haven't paid off these debts, you still have to stay here and do all kinds of hard work to pay off your debts."
"Most of the Yuujo are like Hatsufu, who gets sick before the age of 28 and then slowly waits to die."
"So most of the prostitutes have no way to get out of this 'cage' until they die..."
"I can't get out of this 'cage', and I can't even attend the Gion Festival..."
"Every household in Kyoto can go to see the Yamaboko Parade tonight, but we caged birds can't even hear a sound."
"But fortunately - this year's Gion Festival finally allows us caged birds to participate."
"Lord Ogata, do you know why we caged birds can also participate in the Gion Festival this year?"
"I don't know." Xu Fang shook his head in confusion.
"Because this year's Gion Festival has an additional fireworks display."
When Ogata heard what Dieyine said, he immediately understood.
Hearing Dieyin's words, Xu Fang immediately remembered that this was indeed the case.
"After tonight's 'Yamaboko Parade' ends, there will be a grand fireworks display."
"This was Lord Kamiyama Koshinosuke's idea. We moved the Yamaboko Parade to tonight, and then after the Yamaboko Parade ended, we set off fireworks that could light up the entire Kyoto."
"I don't know how people in other parts of Kyoto view Kamiyama-sama, but all of us girls in Shimabara are grateful to him."
“Watching the fireworks with other Kyoto people—it’s the only way for us girls to participate in the Gion Festival.”
"Right now, all the girls in Shimabara are looking forward to the fireworks tonight."
Dieyin pointed her chin toward the window.
"Master Ogata, look."
Ogata raised his eyes and looked.
The place that Dieyin pointed to just now was the window on the first floor of the brothel opposite Ji's house.
The dozen or so prostitutes sitting behind the window all looked excited.
Because there were no customers outside the window, the dozen or so prostitutes were chatting there at the moment.
However, due to the distance, Ogata couldn't hear what the dozen or so prostitutes were talking about.
"They must be talking about tonight's fireworks..."
"I think we, the girls, are not the only ones looking forward to the fireworks tonight."
"Whether you are a prostitute, a farmer, or a craftsman, it is not easy for ordinary people like us to just live a good life..."
"For ordinary people like us, there are not many moments in a year where we can boldly relax and have fun like tonight."
"So... I'm sure everyone will cherish this night..."
After quietly listening to Die Yin's somewhat sad sigh, several faces appeared in Ogata's mind one after another.
In addition to the faces of these people appearing in Ogata's mind, the words that these people had said to Ogata also echoed in Ogata's ears again.
The first face that came to Ogata's mind was that of the old lady Gao whom he met when he stayed overnight in the suburbs of Kyoto last night.
(Tomorrow is the busiest day of the Gion Festival, I have to go and join in the fun. Wow~ I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.)
The second face that came to Ogata's mind was the old man named "Hirajo" who enthusiastically introduced the history of the Gion Festival and Yamaboko to him and Atachi.
(These past few years, everyone has been through so much hardship... First there was the 'Tianming Famine', then there was the 'Tianming Fire', everyone was tortured by these disasters one after another... Now there is finally a day to indulge in joy, everyone is looking forward to it...)
The third face that came to Ogata's mind was Makimura.
(I also think that the murder case that is currently causing unrest in Kyoto is not as simple as it seems. The mastermind behind this murder case is very likely to have other intentions...)
This was exactly what Makimura had said to him when they parted in Eihara just now.
The last face that appeared in Ogata's mind was...A-Machi.
This time, the voice that sounded in Ogata's ears was not only Atachi's voice, but also his own voice.
(…A-machi, let’s go watch the ‘Yamaboko Parade’ together tonight.)
(OK!)
…
…
Bang!
Ogata lifted up Daishikatsu, slammed the bottom of Daishikatsu's hilt into the ground, then used Daishikatsu as a staff and slowly stood up.
"Lord Ogata?" Dieyin looked puzzled.
"...Die Yin, let me tell you the truth."
"I actually never thought from the beginning to the end that I would really hide here until the storm is completely over."
What Ogata said was true. He really had never thought of hiding here until Kyoto lifted the city-wide wanted notice against him.
"I'm not going to just sit there and do nothing."
"The reason I came here temporarily was just to take a break and let my chaotic mind rest for a while."
"I got blamed for no apparent reason. The more I think about it, the angrier I get."
"I will never be able to accept this unless I find the person behind this who made me take the blame."
"I've rested enough now, so - I'm leaving first."
Dieyine didn't understand what Ogata just said, including words like "take the blame".
But Dieyine roughly understood the meaning of what Ogata had just said.
After looking Ogata up and down with a surprised look, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Lord Ogata, since you are determined to find out who is behind your downfall, do you have any clues now?"
"No." Ogata said without hesitation, "I plan to find a friend who might know some clues."
The friend that Ogata was referring to was Fuma.
Fuma has extensive connections in Kyoto and is the only person Ogata can think of who can help him now.
"... Lord Ogata. I... may know some clues."
Dieyin looked hesitant.
But after several hesitations, a look of determination appeared in Dieyin's eyes.
"About half a month ago, a group of guests visited our Jiwu."
"I just happened to be one of the prostitutes who was responsible for receiving customers at that time."
"As they were drinking, one of them seemed to be drunk and blurted out the following words: Everything is ready, just waiting for the day of the 'Yamaboko Parade' and 'Fireworks Display'."
“As soon as the guest said this, he was immediately stopped by his companions.”
"I didn't pay much attention to this sentence at the time. I just thought it was the crazy talk of a drunkard."
“I remember the identity of this group of people.”
"This group of people are disciples of the Metaphysics Hall!"
