Although he had a rather short "bedside chat" before going to sleep last night , which took up quite a bit of time, Ogata still slept very soundly that night.
The next morning, Lin asked everyone to gather in the large room for six people where Ogata and his friends lived.
Only the large room for six people where Ogata and his friends lived had enough space for them to hold meetings.
If they held the meeting in the single room where Lin and Ating lived, they wouldn't even have a place to sit and would have to stand.
After everyone sat down in a circle on the tatami in Ogata's room, Lin cleared her throat and spoke first:
"Looking at everyone's complexion, everyone had a good rest last night."
Thanks to the sea voyage some time ago, Ogata has long been accustomed to sleeping in the same room with Mamiya and the others.
Ogata slept very well last night and didn't even have a dream.
Judging from the complexions of Jian Gong and the others, they must have had a good rest last night.
After resting for a whole night yesterday, Ating has recovered as before. His face has become rosy and he is no longer as pale as before due to dizziness and nausea.
Lin also looked very good, and her seasickness symptoms must have disappeared just like Ating's.
After a few simple greetings, Lin cleared her throat:
"Anyway - let's review the information we know so far."
Lin winked at Mamiya and Makimura.
Although they didn't say anything to each other, the tacit understanding developed from spending a long time together allowed Mamiya and Makimura to instantly understand what Lin wanted them to do.
Mamiya and Makimura each held their swords and walked in different directions.
Mamiya walked towards the door and Makimura walked towards the window.
The two checked outside the room and confirmed that no one was eavesdropping outside the door or window. Then they nodded to Xiang Lin and sat back in their seats.
When Mamiya and Makimura returned to their seats, they knocked on the ceiling above their heads with the knives in their hands to confirm that no one was eavesdropping on them.
After Mamiya and Makimura returned to their seats, Lin said seriously:
"According to the information provided by Ms. A-machi, Shiranui has 24 jonin, 52 chuunin, and 139 genin, for a total of 215 ninjas."
"Of course - this is also the total combat power that Shiranui had before Ms. Atachi left Shiranui."
"The fighting power that Shiranui has now is definitely less than what Ms. Atachi had before she left."
"After all, Ogata Ittosai killed quite a few jonin and chunin in Nijo Castle."
After Ogata and Atachi decided to form an alliance with Huluya, they shared all the information they knew about Shiranui.
Everyone present knew clearly about Shiranui's current combat power and the fact that they possessed a special medicine called "Yashamaru".
Although everyone was familiar with the information, they still listened to Lin's story seriously.
"No matter if they are jonin, chunin or genin, they are nothing to be feared. The only ones we need to be wary of are their leader, Enma, and their Four Heavenly Kings: Shuntaro, Gokutaro, Kotaro and Shintaro."
Atachi not only shared the number of ninjas in Shiranui before she left, but also shared the list of the Four Heavenly Kings in Shiranui.
"Currently, Kotaro has been killed by Ogata Ittosai."
"Although one of the Four Heavenly Kings is missing, we still cannot let our guard down."
"After all, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Enma has promoted a skilled ninja to be the new king during this period."
“We have to do two things first.”
Lin held up two fingers.
"All we know now is that Shiranui's new base has moved to Edo, but we don't know exactly where in Edo Castle it is."
"So the first thing we have to do is to find the location of the new base in Shiranui ."
"As for the second thing, it is to find out what the 'Imperial Trial' is all about."
"The 'Imperial Trial' might contain some interesting information that could be very useful to us."
"Anyway——let's all take action today."
"Find out where the new base in Shiranui is - I will be responsible for this."
Lin took the initiative to take on the task of finding Shiranui's new base.
"I have some connections with a local tyrant in Edo. I'm looking for the exact location of Shiranui's new base in Edo. It's definitely the right place to find that local tyrant for this kind of thing."
"Uncle, please follow me today. With you following me, we will definitely have fewer obstacles when negotiating business with that local tyrant."
"Mamiya, Ogata Ittosai, why don't you go out on the street today and ask passers-by what the 'Gozen Test' is all about."
"In addition to looking for information related to the 'Gozen Trial', you can also find out if there is anything worth mentioning that has happened in Edo recently."
"Find out about the recent events in Edo. Maybe you can find some interesting and useful information."
"If you act alone, you may encounter dangers that you cannot handle alone, so you should act in pairs."
"Yahachi and Katsurokuro are in one group, and Kuro and Shichibei are in another."
Lin turned her attention to Ogata and Atachi.
"Ogata Ittosai, you should be in a group with Ms. Atachi."
"Those of you who are not convenient to show up in public, remember to disguise yourself well."
Lin's arrangement was simple and clear.
No one objected.
…
…
Lin and Genichi, who were the first to prepare to go out, set out first to look for the local tyrant in Edo that Lin had just mentioned.
Mamiya, Makimura, Asai, and Shimada followed closely behind, and after making preparations to go out, they dispersed in groups of two in different directions, looking for information related to the "Imperial Test".
Only Ogata and Atachi remained in the hotel and had not yet left.
It’s not that Ogata and Atachi are nosy, it’s just that Atachi needs to put on makeup, so it takes a little longer.
A-machi is a traitor ninja in Shiranui.
When Shiranui moved their base to Edo, it was necessary for Atachi to disguise her face like Ogata and Mamiya, two wanted fugitives of the shogunate.
When entering Edo Castle last night in the evening, Atachi had been lying behind Ogata with her face buried in his back. She never raised her head the whole time. Outsiders couldn't even see Atachi's face, so it didn't matter that Atachi didn't have to disguise herself when she entered the city last night.
But not now.
If Ating wants to walk around the streets now, it is very necessary for her to disguise her face as well.
The form of disguise that Ating chose was makeup.
According to A-Ming, she wanted to put on a look in which even her father wouldn't be able to recognize her.
Ogata first went to a store that specialized in selling women's cosmetics and bought all the cosmetics that Atachi had requested.
Ogata was lucky, because not far from the hotel where they were staying, there was a store specializing in women's cosmetics.
After buying the cosmetics that Ating requested, Ating locked herself in her room and started to put on makeup.
And it takes half an hour to put on this makeup...
Now half an hour has passed and there is still no sign of A-Ming coming out of her room.
Ogata stayed in the large room where he and Mamiya lived, silently waiting for A-machi to finish her makeup.
During this half hour, Ogata knocked on Atachi's door several times, asking if Atachi had finished putting on her makeup.
The answers I got were all - it will be there soon, it will be there soon, just wait a little longer.
After waiting for half an hour in boredom, just when Ogata was thinking about whether to knock on Ah-Ming's door again and ask Ah-Ming if she had finished putting on her makeup -
call!
It was the sound of the door of the large room where Ogata was currently staying being opened.
Ogata hurriedly looked in the direction of the sound.
I saw a woman with extremely heavy makeup standing at the door.
Looking at the "heavily made-up monster" who walked slowly towards him with a smile through the opened door, Ogata asked in a surprised tone:
"Are you...A-Ming?"
"Who else could it be but me?"
“…What an incredible makeup look,” Ogata exclaimed.
At this time, Atachi tied her hair into the Shimada bun, which is very popular among women today.
Both eyes were painted with quite exaggerated red eyeshadow.
The two eyebrows were drawn into an indescribable shape.
Her lips were stained with lipstick to an unbearable degree.
I have to say - Ating's makeup is quite successful.
Thanks to the heavy makeup, Ating's beautiful facial features have been messed up.
Even someone like Ogata, who had a very close relationship with Atachi, had difficulty recognizing her...
Ating now looks like a young girl who has just become interested in makeup, but because she is not yet proficient in it, she has put on a very hard-to-describe makeup...
Looking at Ogata's stunned expression, Atachi nodded with a satisfied look on his face:
"It seems that my makeup was very successful."
"It's really successful..." Ogata couldn't help but applaud a few times.
…
…
Atachi originally had only two pieces of clothing - one female kunoichi uniform from their Shiranui, and one yukata that Atachi bought in Kyoto after she defected from Shiranui and fled to Kyoto.
Because Atachi had very few clothes, on the way from Kyoto to Owari, Ogata bought her a wakizashi and a katana, as well as a few new clothes.
At this time, Atachi was wearing a light pink kimono that Ogata bought for her. Her sockless feet were wearing a pair of very convenient straw sandals that were very similar to modern flip-flops. She was walking with Ogata on a busy street in Edo.
Looking at the densely packed crowds in front, behind, and on both sides, Ating let out a low exclamation.
“There are so many people…”
Ogata and Atachi are now in a commercial district full of shops, so the flow of people is frighteningly high.
There were people everywhere, people gathered into mountains, people formed into seas, people piled into walls.
This street is like a river whose bed is piled with mud and is seriously silted up. The river water can only flow forward with difficulty among the piles of mud.
When you see a small gap ahead, just crawl over and fill it - that's how people move on this street.
People on this street are crowding, squeezing, and huddling together, moving forward little by little and moving slowly forward.
At daybreak, Edo was finally able to show its full prosperity to Ogata and his companions.
The scene in Edo during the day was not comparable to what Ogata saw last night.
The thick makeup on Ating's face attracted many people's attention.
But everyone just glanced at Ating from the side, and did not look at him as if he were a rare and exotic animal.
Obviously, in Edo, there must be many girls who are not good at makeup and paint their faces in a mess, otherwise people would not be so accustomed to it...
Seeing such a prosperous scene for the first time, Ating looked around and took in everything around him with curiosity.
"We're not here to play." Ogata couldn't help but say this in a helpless tone to Atachi, who seemed to be focusing all her attention on admiring the prosperity of Edo.
"I know." Atachi said, "I'm also seriously looking for someone who might know the details of the 'Gozen Trial'."
Ogata and Atachi walked together through this busy commercial street. When they came to a less crowded street, Ogata found a very good person to question - an old samurai who was sitting on a bench outside a teahouse not far ahead.
The old warrior looked to be in his 50s or 60s, and nearly half of his hair was white.
He was wearing decent and clean clothes, and the katana placed on the stool to the right of his body was clean from the scabbard to the handle. It was obvious that he was a person who took good care of his sword.
The old warrior sat alone on a bench outside the teahouse, quietly sipping a cup of hot tea.
Whether sitting or drinking tea, there is an air of elegance.
This old warrior looked like a well-educated man.
This kind of samurai who looks very cultured seems to be the kind of person who knows a lot about "Imperial Test".
After finally finding a suitable target, Ogata took the initiative to attack.
After asking Atachi to stand aside and wait for his return, Obana walked quickly towards the old samurai.
"Excuse me, is there anyone sitting next to you?"
After walking up to the old samurai, Obe asked him politely.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, the old samurai smiled slightly:
"No one, please sit down."
"grateful."
After sitting down next to the old samurai and casually ordering a cup of tea, Ogata began to get close to the old samurai.
This old samurai was also a talkative person. Seeing Ogata taking the initiative to talk to him, the old samurai also actively responded to every word of Ogata.
In order to quickly close the distance between the two, Ogata took the initiative to introduce himself, saying that he was a ronin from Izumo, named Majima Goro, who traveled around to hone his swordsmanship and just arrived in Edo yesterday.
After a brief conversation, Ogata learned that the old samurai's surname was Nakahara and that he was a native of Edo.
Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Ogata changed the topic:
"Nakahara-kun, do you know about the 'Gozen Trial'? After I came to Edo yesterday, I kept hearing people talking about the 'Gozen Trial'."
"Oh, 'Gozen Trial'." Nakahara smiled, "Mashima-kun, it's normal that you don't know 'Gozen Trial'."
"After all, this is a new activity started this year by the elder councilor, Lord Matsudaira Sadanobu."
"Mashima-kun, you should have heard about it more or less. After Lord Matsudaira Sadanobu took office as the new elder councilor in the seventh year of Tenmei three years ago, he has been actively committed to the reform of the shogunate, hoping to strengthen the power of the shogunate."
"In order to achieve this goal, the senior Chinese leaders have put forward many proposals in the past three years."
"One of the proposals is to 'revive the discipline of the samurai'."
"Lord Oldenuka believes that the samurai have all become corrupt."
"They indulged in pleasure and forgot about studying literature and martial arts. There was even an absurd phenomenon where they sold their family heirloom sword just for pleasure."
"In order to cheer up the samurai, the elders proposed the idea of ​​'reviving the samurai's discipline' and encouraged the samurai to learn literature and martial arts and emulate the samurai of the past."
"The 'Imperial Trial' is the product of Lord Rochu's idea. Simply put, it is to let the participants compete in knowledge and martial arts."
"The 'Imperial Trial' consists of two rounds."
Zhongyuan held up two fingers.
"The first competition is about knowledge. Only those who pass this competition can enter the second competition - the competition of martial arts."
"In order to encourage common people to learn literature and martial arts and strengthen their bodies, the 'Imperial Trial' does not restrict participants."
"Whether you are a samurai or a commoner, you can all take part in the 'Imperial Examination'."
"But I don't think many commoners will participate in this 'Imperial Trial'."
"After all, when it comes to knowledge and martial arts, how can commoners be a match for the samurai?"
"No civilian with any self-awareness would participate."
"There are no restrictions on the weapons used by participants."
"It doesn't matter whether you use a gun or a sword in a martial arts competition. There are no restrictions on the weapons or martial arts styles used."
"As far as I know, those who achieve good rankings in these two competitions will receive a considerable amount of prize money."
"I forgot exactly how much the prize money was."
“I just remember that the amount was not small. This high prize attracted many people to Edo.”
"It's just that this is the first time this 'Imperial Trial' is held, and the shogunate doesn't seem to have done a good job of promoting it."
"So the news is not widely spread. I estimate that the news that Edo will hold the 'Gozen Trial' is probably only spread in the Kanto region."
Ogata listened and took notes carefully.
After Nakahara finished speaking, Ogata nodded slightly:
What Zhongyuan said just now has cleared up a lot of the fog in Ogata's mind.
Ogata finally understood why he had frequently heard Edo locals complain about the increasing number of ronin in Edo Castle since last night - these extra ronin must have come here because of the prize money for the "Imperial Trial".
He also understood why he and everyone in Huluwu didn't know about the existence of "Gozen Test Harmony" - because it was not widely circulated and only people in the Kanto region knew about the existence of "Gozen Test Harmony".
"Nakahara-kun," Ogata asked, "This 'Imperial Trial' has the prefix 'Imperial Trial', could it be that the competition is to be held in front of the general?"
"How is that possible?" Zhongyuan laughed, "General, how could you possibly have the time for that?"
"The reason why it's called 'Imperial Test' is purely because it sounds nice."
"So when will the 'Imperial Trial' begin?" Ogata asked.
"Ten days later." Zhongyuan said without hesitation, "The registration deadline is seven days later."
"Let's compare our knowledge in 10 days."
"After screening out a group of people with insufficient knowledge, the remaining people will compete in martial arts."
"Mashima-kun, you can try to participate." Nakahara said in a half-joking tone, "Let's not talk about the prize money for now. If you can get a high ranking in these two competitions, it will be an incredible honor."
"I'll think about it carefully later." Ogata said perfunctorily with a wry smile.
…
…
While extracting information related to the "Imperial Trial" from Nakahara, Ogata also asked in an indirect way whether there was anything worth mentioning that had happened in Edo recently.
It’s a pity that I couldn’t get anything out of Zhongyuan. According to Zhongyuan, Edo has been peaceful recently and nothing major has happened.
After extracting all possible information from Nakahara, Ogata bid farewell to Nakahara and went to meet up with Atachi who was hiding not far away.
After reuniting with Atachi, Obara relayed all the information he had just gathered to Atachi.
"Wow~" After listening to Ogata's retelling, Atachi raised his eyebrows, "Is this a test set up to encourage everyone to learn literature and martial arts... It seems very interesting. I wonder how much the prize money is."
"Why?" Ogata asked in a half-joking tone, "Have you taken a fancy to the prize money?"
"There is no one in this world who doesn't love money." Atachi responded imitating Ogata's previous tone.
"Let's go." Ogata said as he turned and walked towards the center of the street, "Let's go look for more information."
…
…
Although after bidding farewell to Zhongyuan, Ogata and Atachi have been actively looking for new information.
But unfortunately - after contacting several people in succession, these people were unable to tell him what Ogata currently didn't know.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
After taking a look at the sun hanging high above his head, Ogata decided to go find a restaurant with Atachi to have lunch today.
Because Atachi said she wanted to eat sushi, Obe found a nearby sushi restaurant with nice decoration.
Because it is now dinner time, nearly 80% of the seats in the sushi restaurant are already occupied.
The two found an empty seat, ordered the sushi they wanted, and then chatted while waiting for the sushi to be served.
What spoiled the fun was that the guests at a table not far from Ogata and Atachi had very loud voices.
There are 4 guests at that table.
The accents spoken by these four people are somewhat similar to the Izumo dialect. Ogata guessed that these four people should be from the area around Izumo.
The group of people were chatting loudly while eating sushi.
Not only do they talk loudly, they laugh just as loudly.
Because the voices of these four people were so loud, Ogata had to concentrate to hear what Atachi was saying to him.
Ogata doesn't like people who speak loudly in public.
After the four people's laughter once again drowned out Atachi's voice, Ogata couldn't help but frown slightly and turned to look at the guests at that table.
After Ogata turned to look at the guests at that table, Atachi also followed suit and directed his displeasure towards the four people.
A-Ming also hates people who make loud noises in public, especially in restaurants.
Just as Ogata was about to stand up and remind the four people to watch their volume, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the sushi restaurant's door curtain being pulled open.
Someone walked slowly into the sushi restaurant through the opened door curtain.
As soon as this person entered the sushi restaurant, Osamu heard the guests at the next table exclaiming:
"Ah, why is Yoshiwara Ritoshin here..."