November 11, 1790.
Things like weather are always changing.
Yesterday, November 10th, the temperature was neither too hot nor too cold, and there was no problem wearing only a kimono during the day.
But overnight, the temperature dropped sharply.
If I don't wear more clothes today, I won't be able to go out.
Some people who usually like to go barefoot have to put aside their "dignity" and put on thick cloth socks today.
But there are also some people who are very determined.
Even though the weather is very cold today, I am still barefoot.
So there was this funny scene - some people were wearing thick clothes, wrapped up like a bear, but with nothing on their feet, just walking on the street in straw sandals or wooden clogs.
In the Edo period, there was a perception that only bumpkins wore socks.
The reason why this idea arises is that Japan has always had a "barefoot" culture.
As for why such a culture emerged, the reasons are rather complicated.
There are climatic factors - Japan has always been a country with high humidity. If you wear socks for a long time, it will be very easy to get athlete's foot.
There is an influence of traditional concepts - the ancient Japanese believed that walking barefoot is good for health.
There is a cultural influence - the Japanese believe that walking barefoot on tatami is a very pleasant thing.
In short, due to the influence of various factors, Japan has always had a "barefoot" culture.
Influenced by this culture, some people have always been resistant to "wearing socks", believing that only country bumpkins wear socks.
If we were to ask which profession is most resistant to wearing socks, it would undoubtedly be prostitutes.
"Only country bumpkins wear tabi" - this idea is very popular among Yujo.
No matter how cold the weather is, the prostitutes will grit their teeth and insist on not wearing socks. Even if the weather is extremely cold, they themselves will feel a little unbearable.
Therefore, in the Edo period, there were two lines of short poems by Senryu circulating among the people: "The most beautiful woman in the city, at the age of twenty-eight, can finally wear tabi", "I have never known the size of my tabi for more than twenty-seven years".
In the Edo period, the retirement age for courtesans was 28. At the age of 28, they could retire and no longer be courtesans.
In other words, many prostitutes can only wear socks after they retire at the age of 28.
Because you have never worn them, or haven't worn them for a long time, you naturally don't know the size of your feet and don't know what size socks you should wear.
A-Ming is also the kind of person who likes to go barefoot and doesn't like to wear socks.
Once she encounters a situation where she can take off her shoes and socks, she will definitely take them off.
But she doesn't have the extreme idea that "only country bumpkins wear tabi."
When she woke up this morning and found that the weather was very cold, she silently gave up the "dignity" of being a "barefoot lover", put on her socks silently, and then went out with Ogata early in the morning to Ryogoku Hirokoji, the most famous entertainment street in Edo.
Edo is the power and economic center of Japan and currently the largest city in Japan. Naturally, the entertainment industry is also very developed and there are a large number of amusement parks.
Ryogoku Hirokoji is the most famous and largest entertainment street in Edo.
There are not only a large number of folk art venues here, but also a large number of artists performing their specialties on both sides of the streets.
There are performances by "strong men" who lift huge straw bags filled with rice or large rocks.
There are "acrobatics" who perform various magic tricks.
There are "animal entertainers" who perform animal juggling with monkeys, dogs and other animals.
There are storytellers who tell all kinds of touching stories.
Hanging out at entertainment streets like Ryogoku Hirokoji was the way most Edo people who had a little extra money and some free time spent their time.
Since three days ago, Ogata and Atachi have been visiting Ryogoku Hirokoji, the most famous entertainment street in Edo, every day.
Today was no exception. Ogata and Atachi went out together early in the morning and headed to Ryogoku Hirokoji again.
Although it is still morning, there are already many artists working and tourists visiting Ryogoku Hirokoji.
At this moment, Ogata and Atachi were listening to a storyteller.
Ogata heard that the storyteller's name was "Tachikawa Tei Danraku" and that he was one of the most famous storytellers in Hirokoji in Ryogoku.
In addition to Ogata and Atachi, there were many other listeners.
The audience, including Ogata and Atachi, formed a semicircle with Tanle as the center, and listened to Tanle's storytelling attentively.
Tanle is now telling the story of Yukimura Sanada.
Yukimura Sanada was a fierce general in the Warring States Period 200 years ago. He is a household name in Japan and is known as "the last hero of the Warring States Period."
At the end of the Warring States Period two hundred years ago, one of the most talked-about topics was naturally the confrontation between the two major families, the Toyotomi clan and the Tokugawa clan.
Yukimura Sanada was a powerful general who made a name for himself in the confrontation between these two families.
Not long after Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate two hundred years ago, he launched the "Battle of Osaka" in an effort to completely eliminate the Toyotomi clan, who used Osaka as their base and were the only threat to their status at the time.
In the Battle of Osaka, Yukimura Sanada created a legend of defeating a larger force with a smaller one and successfully repelled the Tokugawa army.
The Edo Shogunate's first "Battle of Osaka" ended in failure.
Because the first "Battle of Osaka" took place in winter, this battle is also called the "Winter Battle of Osaka".
In the summer of the following year, Tokugawa Ieyasu, unwilling to give up, launched the second "Battle of Osaka".
Because the second "Battle of Osaka" took place in the summer, this battle is also called the "Summer Battle of Osaka".
This time, Yukimura Sanada failed to repeat the glory of last year's "Osaka Winter Battle".
It’s still the same old saying: I’m not afraid of god-like opponents, I’m just afraid of pig-like teammates.
At that time, Yukimura Sanada was surrounded by some stupid teammates who kept holding him back.
The head of the Toyotomi clan at that time, Toyotomi Hideyori, was an incompetent man.
At that time, Toyotomi Hideyori's mother, Yodo-hime, also ruled the Toyotomi clan together.
Not to mention Yodohime, she is a very famous "brainless person" in Japanese history.
The two heads of the Toyotomi clan were both useless pieces of shit. With the "assist" of these pig teammates, Yukimura Sanada ultimately failed.
In the Summer Campaign of Osaka, Toyotomi was defeated.
After this battle, Toyotomi was destroyed by Tokugawa, and Yukimura Sanada also died in this battle.
The Japanese have always admired tragic heroes.
Tragic heroes like Yukimura Sanada, who once achieved brilliant military success, are even more popular.
Two hundred years have passed, and Yukimura Sanada's deeds are still being sung.
There are countless legends related to Yukimura Sanada.
Because Yukimura Sanada is so popular, storytellers love to tell stories about Yukimura Sanada.
What Tan Le is talking about now is the story of what happened in the last battle of Sanada Yukimura's life - the Summer Campaign of Osaka.
"Although Sanada Yukimura fought hard, he was ultimately powerless to stop the shogunate's army from destroying the Toyotomi clan."
Just by the tone of his voice, one can tell how high his level of Tan Le is.
This rhythmic tone is very pleasant to listen to.
Atachi was very interested in storytelling. Previously in Kyoto, Atachi met Ogata at a storytelling stall.
Because she was listening so attentively, Ating's body leaned forward involuntarily.
"In order to have a chance of survival, Yukimura Sanada decided to launch a desperate attack on the shogunate army. He led a few subordinates to attack the shogunate army!"
"The shogunate's military strength is a hundred times greater than Sanada's, but they are completely unable to stop Sanada's cross spear!"
"After breaking into the shogunate's army, Sanada Yukimura pointed his gun at the shogunate's main camp and made a bold statement: 'There are millions of brave soldiers in Kanto, but not a single brave man!'"
"After making such a bold statement, Yukimura Sanada rushed left and right. With only the BMW under his crotch and the cross spear in his hand, Yukimura Sanada threw the shogunate's army into chaos, causing them to flee for more than 20 miles!"
Tan Le successfully mobilized the emotions of all the listeners with his excellent eloquence.
There was even excitement and excitement on Ating's face.
"Unfortunately, while chasing the fleeing shogunate army, Sanada was shot by an arrow due to exhaustion and died in battle."
After the climax, Tan Le changed the subject and adopted a regretful tone.
"Sanada dies, Toyotomi dies."
"After the death of Yukimura Sanada, the Toyotomi army was no longer able to stop the Tokugawa offensive."
"Osaka Castle, the 'greatest castle in the world', was burned to the ground."
"Toyotomi's descendants were all slaughtered."
"Toyotomi was destroyed."
After finishing the story, Tan Le, who was originally sitting, stood up and bowed to all the listeners in front of him.
When Tan Le bowed, various types of coins, mainly copper coins, gathered into a "money rain" and sprinkled into the box in front of Tan Le.
Ogata was quite enjoying what he heard, so he threw a few more coins over.
Ating also threw money.
Still immersed in the story that Tan Le had just told, Ating threw coins and murmured happily:
"'There are millions of brave soldiers in Kanto, but not a single brave man'... How cool..."
In order to make the stories more exciting, storytellers often make changes to some real events.
Ogata didn't know much about the history of Japan's Warring States Period, so he didn't know whether the story that Tan Le had just told was true, or whether Sanada Yukimura was really that brave.
But he doesn't care about that.
After all, storytelling is just for fun.
As long as you enjoy listening, it doesn't matter whether the storyteller tells true or false.
As Tan Le was smiling and saying "thank you", "thank you", a question suddenly came from the audience:
"Mr. Tan Le! Is it true that the Toyotomi bloodline has been cut off?"
The person who asked this question was a little boy who seemed to be less than 10 years old.
Hearing this question, Tan Le was stunned for a moment, then responded without hesitation:
"Of course, after the Battle of Osaka, all of Toyotomi's descendants died, and the bloodline was completely cut off."
"But I heard from another storyteller last time that Toyotomi's bloodline was not cut off, and Toyotomi Hideyori's son was rescued and taken to Satsuma Domain..." the little boy continued to ask.
As soon as the little boy finished asking the question, a sturdy man standing next to him burst into laughter and said:
"Little brother, these are just rumors, don't take them seriously. Last time I heard a storyteller say that when the Toyotomi clan was about to fall, they buried all the wealth of Osaka Castle in a certain place!"
As soon as the sturdy man spoke, another young man who was thinner and older echoed:
"Compared to 'there is still Toyotomi blood left', I would rather believe that the rumor that 'the Toyotomi clan buried all the wealth of Osaka Castle somewhere' is true. Hahahaha."
Ogata listened quietly to what the group had to say.
Listening to these people's conversation, Ogata couldn't help but think in his heart:
——As expected, every country has this type of rumor...
There are similar rumors in every country - "So-and-so is actually still alive", "So-and-so still has bloodline left", "So-and-so who survived did something"...
In his previous life, Ogata had heard such a rumor: Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty did not die after the Jingnan Campaign, but fled to the South China Sea and became a pirate king...
Although Ogata was also quite interested in this kind of unofficial history and secrets, he didn't have the leisure to listen to more of it.
After briefly listening to the conversation between these people, he shifted his attention to Ating.
"Do you want to continue listening to the book? Or do you want to go somewhere else to play?"
A-Ming raised his head and looked at the sky.
Squinting his eyes, he looked at the sun that was about to reach its highest point, and said:
"Let's stop here for today."
"Are you going back?" Ogata asked.
"Yeah." Ating nodded, "It's better to go back early now. After all, today is a very important day."
As he said this, a gentle smile slowly appeared on Ating's face.
"It's better for us to go back early and prepare."
"Actually, we still have some time." Ogata looked up at the sky and estimated the time. "Are you really not going to play for a while longer?"
"Yeah." Atachi said, stretching vigorously, "We have already traveled all over Edo these days. I can't think of anything else to do or see."
"Ayi, is there anything else you want to play or see?"
"I don't have anything I want to play or watch anymore." Ogata smiled with satisfaction, "During this period of time, I have seen everything I wanted to see and played everything I wanted to play."
Because of the great enemy Shiranui, Ogata has not been able to spend much time with Atachi in this "largest city in Japan" since arriving in Edo.
Now that Shiranui is dead, Atachi no longer has to wear heavy makeup to disguise herself when she goes out, and Ogata can finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax his tense nerves.
They also had the important task of "finding a doctor who might be able to cure the 'immortal poison'", so they could not stay in Edo for long.
Edo is the largest city in Japan after all, and it would be a shame if you don’t look around and stroll around.
Therefore, after his injuries recovered to the point where he could move freely, Osamu took Atachi to travel around Edo.
During these days, the two of them visited all the scenic spots in Edo.
I ate all the specialties of Edo.
Visited every entertainment street in Edo.
Ogata didn't know what Atachi felt. Anyway, during these days of play, Ogata felt very happy.
He doesn't have any big dreams.
His only dream was to be a carefree wanderer, wandering aimlessly and seeing the scenery all over the world.
Therefore, his trip to Edo during this period can be regarded as a small part of realizing his dream.
Moreover, these recent days are also the most relaxing time for Ogata since this year.
Since the beginning of this year, Ogata has been involved in various events, either passively or actively.
At the beginning of the year, I wandered to Tatsuno Domain and became acquainted with Hasegawa.
Then in the spring, he was exiled to Butterfly Island.
After finally escaping from Butterfly Island, he rushed to Kyoto in order to treat the "immortality poison" in his body.
On the first day of arriving in Kyoto, he was forced to be involved in a shocking conspiracy to "destroy Kyoto".
He entered Kyoto in the morning, and was again covered in wounds from the Battle of Nijo Castle in the evening, and was forced to stay in Fuma's residence to recuperate.
Then he formed an alliance with Huluya and prepared to deal with Shiranui.
As soon as his injury healed, he hurriedly left Kyoto and rushed to the Gourami headquarters in Owari. After a short rest at the Gourami headquarters in Owari, he hurried to Edo again.
After arriving in Edo, I have been busy dealing with Shiranui...
So, the recent time traveling around Edo with A-machi can be said to be the most leisurely and happiest time Ogata has had this year.
Seeing that Ogata had no intention of continuing to play, Atachi put his hands behind his back, turned around and walked out of Tanle's storytelling stand, saying to Ogata:
"Ayi, let's go back then."
"Going back early will also make it easier to prepare for the afternoon banquet."
"Actually, there's nothing to prepare." Ogata smiled, quickly followed A-Machi, and continued in a half-joking tone, "After all, there are not many guests who can come to the banquet..."
…
…
Ogata and A-machi returned to their current residence in Edo at a leisurely pace - the small house that Lin borrowed from Tojo-ya.
As soon as the two opened the door, they saw Mamiya walking towards them quickly.
"You two really have the leisure time..."
Both Mamiya's face and tone were filled with helplessness.
"Today is such an important day for you two, yet you went out to play..."
Mamiya at this moment was a little different from usual - Mamiya was now wearing a very formal dress.
It's not hard to tell from the brand new fabric that it was newly bought.
After hearing Mamiya's complaint, Ogata and Atachi turned their heads at the same time in tacit understanding, looked at each other, and smiled at each other.
"Anyway, you two should go change your clothes first." Mamiya continued, "By the way - we have already changed our clothes."
…
…
Ogata and Omachi returned to their room.
In the corner of the room stood two small bamboo boxes.
Looking at the two bamboo boxes, complex emotions emerged in Ogata's eyes.
Ogata and Atachi walked up to the two bamboo boxes respectively, and then opened the bamboo boxes in front of them at the same time.
Each bamboo box contained a set of clothes.
The bamboo box in front of Ogata contained a very formal black dress.
The bamboo box in front of Ating contained a set of pure white clothes.
…
…
8 days ago——
Edo, under the "sacred tree"——
Ogata hugged Atachi tightly.
Atachi's arms also tightly wrapped around Ogata's back.
Ogata couldn't quite remember what had just happened.
All I know is that just now, after hearing his voice, Atachi turned around and looked at him, and she and Ogata stared at each other.
When he came to his senses, he had already held Ating tightly in his arms.
Although the two did not say a word throughout the entire process, the atmosphere was exceptionally comfortable and peaceful.
How long did they hug each other? Ogata couldn't remember either.
Until some time later, an idea slowly emerged in Ogata's mind.
"…A-Ming."
Ogata decided to speak out his thoughts completely.
"Um?"
"How about we have a wedding before we leave Edo?"
A faint smile slowly appeared on Ogata's face.
"I just realized this - now is the perfect time to have a wedding."
"Uncle Qing, our friends happen to be in Edo right now, so we can invite many people to our wedding."
"If you miss this opportunity, you won't know when you'll get such a good chance to hold a wedding again."
Japan has always had a culture that emphasizes rituals.
Even some trivial matters should be made to feel ceremonial.
Because of the emphasis on rituals, ancient Japan has always attached great importance to weddings.
"How can it be considered a marriage without even a wedding?", "If this couple has never even had a wedding, then they are a couple in name only" - this is the concept of most people in this era.
No matter how simple the wedding is, it just has to be a wedding.
In fact, Ofang had thought about holding a wedding with Atachi as early as when he married Atachi at the Hyakuraya headquarters in Owari.
However, due to the presence of the great enemy Shiranui, the situation could not be settled for a long time, so the plan of "holding a wedding with Atachi" had to be put on hold again and again.
Now that the great enemy Shiranui is dead, Ogata and Atachi's relatives and friends are all in Edo - just as Ogata said, now is indeed the best time to hold the wedding.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Atachi raised his head and looked at Ogata in surprise.
After staring at Ogata for a while, the surprise slowly turned into joy.
A-Machi withdrew her gaze, rested her chin on Ogata's shoulder, and smiled.
"OK."
As Atachi spoke, he leaned his cheek against Ogata's.
"We have to go back and take a closer look to see which day is a good day," Ogata joked.
"I also need to buy clothes," added Ating.
"A-Ming, do you want to hold a ceremony in front of a god, a Buddha, or a human?"
"The ritual before humans will do." Ating said immediately, "The ritual before gods and the ritual before Buddha are too complicated."
…
…
Time goes back to the present——
Edo, Nihonbashi, Shinagawa-juku.
Gao Qing knelt on the ground in the dogeza posture, with her forehead pressed tightly against the tatami.
"Has it not been found out yet... who attacked Shiranui?"
A calm Chinese voice without any mixture of sadness or joy sounded faintly from above Gao Qing's head, and then floated into Gao Qing's ears.
The next moment after hearing these words, Gao Qing's body shook uncontrollably.
Drops of cold sweat appeared on Gao Qing's forehead.
The person who questioned Gao Qing was naturally Gao Qing's lord, Toyotomi.
After learning that Shiranui had been attacked, Toyotomi immediately ordered an investigation into the truth of the matter.
More than half a month has passed now.
He came to confirm the results of the investigation.
Toyotomi stood in front of Gao Qing, holding his katana with a purple handle in his right hand.
He lowered his eyes and looked at Gao Qing who was kneeling in front of him.
His eyes were like ice, cold, without any emotion in them.
Toyotomi was facing away from the window at this time.
The sunlight outside shone through the window onto Toyotomi, casting a long shadow.
The shadow pressed down on Gao Qing like a mountain.
"Lord Toyotomi..." Gao Qing was so nervous that she couldn't speak smoothly, "Our lives are hanging on..."
"Don't say this useless nonsense." Before Gao Qing finished speaking, Fengchen interrupted her and said, "Just tell me if you have found any new results."
As Toyotomi finished his words, Gao Qing's forehead became sweatier.
He took a deep breath, showed an expression as if he was going to the execution ground, and then mustered up the courage to speak:
"No……"
"Has the shogunate found out who the culprit behind the destruction of Shiranui is?" Toyotomi asked.
"As far as I know, the shogunate has not yet figured out who destroyed Shiranui ."
"When the shogunate learned that Shiranui had been attacked and sent officials to Shiranui to investigate, the people who destroyed Shiranui had already disappeared."
"There is too little information, so there is no result from the shogunate yet."
After saying that, Gao Qing closed her eyes.
No matter what, they still haven't figured out who attacked Shiranui - this is an ironclad fact.
Gao Qing had followed Toyotomi for many years and knew Toyotomi's temperament well: he clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments, never mistreating meritorious people, and at the same time, never forgiving incompetent people.
Gao Qing closed her eyes tightly, mentally prepared to be punished by Toyotomi.
But who knew - the imagined punishment did not come.
"... That's all." Toyotomi said softly, "It's really a bit too much to ask you to find out who destroyed Shiranui when there are so few clues."
"So I won't pursue this against you."
Toyotomi's words made Gao Qing feel as if he had been pardoned. His eyes, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened, and the cold sweat on his forehead finally stopped.
Toyotomi walked slowly to the window.
After looking at the scenery outside the window, he said in a calm tone:
"I came to Edo in order to command my subordinates lurking in Shiranui and to successfully control Shiranui."
"Now that Shiranui is destroyed, there is no point in us staying in Edo."
Gao Qing raised her eyebrows: "Lord Toyotomi, are you planning to go back?"
"Yes, there is such a plan."
"But..." Toyotomi changed the subject.
"It's a rare trip to Edo."
"If we don't do anything, then it would be a waste of time, right?"
After saying that, Toyotomi turned his head and smiled at Gao Qing.
But the smile on his face didn't seem to have any warmth at all.