Time goes back to the moment when Yukimura had not yet broken into Ogata's room.
Makimura drank cup after cup of the top-quality tea that Yukimura had just mentioned, which was produced in West Lake of Tangtu.
He didn't understand tea and couldn't tell what was good about this tea. He could only smell that the tea smelled good and tasted quite refreshing.
Makimura, who loved this tea very much, drank it while waiting for Yukimura to come back, who had just said, "I have something to deal with, so I'll be away for a while."
Yukimura didn't let Makimura wait too long. After just a moment, Makimura saw Yukimura open the door in front of him and return to the room.
"grown ups."
"Oh, you're back."
"My lord, I'm sorry." Yukimura said apologetically, "Something happened to my father-in-law, and I have to go and deal with it myself. I'm sorry, could you please wait here for a while?"
Hearing Yukimura's words, Makimura raised his eyebrows, then smiled and said:
"Now that your career has grown, you have become a busier person as well."
After saying that, Makimura picked up the large sword next to him and stood up.
"Since you have so much to do now, I won't bother you anymore."
"Anyway, I've already said all the important things I need to tell you."
"I'll just take my leave now."
As soon as Makimura finished speaking, Yukimura quickly said:
"Sir, are you leaving so soon? Please stay here for a while! I haven't had time to entertain you any longer!"
Yukimura was unwilling to miss such a rare opportunity to further deepen his relationship with Makimura...or rather, with the Huluwu behind Makimura.
"No need." Mucun stretched his body vigorously. "I have already had a lot of tea here. I have been well received by you."
Despite what Makimura said, Yukimura still refused to give in.
After some arguing with Makimura, Yukimura finally convinced Makimura to sit down again so that Yukimura could entertain him for a while longer.
Yukimura in a very serious tone instructed a confidant under his command named "Hachi" to treat Makimura well before he returned. After all the requests made by Makimura were met, Yukimura left the room with a gloomy face, ready to settle accounts with the guy who dared to be rude to his father-in-law...
Under Xiao Ba's service, Mucun sat back in his original position cross-legged and continued to drink tea, occasionally putting a few snacks into his mouth.
From the beginning, Mu Cun's throat had been continuously sending tea into his stomach. After drinking several large cups of tea, Mu Cun gradually felt the urge to urinate.
"Excuse me, can you take me to your toilet?" Mucun asked Xiaoba who was sitting next to him.
"plz follow me."
Xiao Ba took Mucun to a toilet not far away.
After happily solving his physiological problems and walking out of the toilet, Mucun suddenly heard a very noisy sound coming from not far away.
Amid the noise, Makimura heard Yukimura's voice.
——What is Yukimura doing…
Driven by curiosity, Mucun, who was already bored, walked quickly towards the direction where the noisy sound came from.
How could Hachi, who was previously told by Yukimura to "meet all of Makimura's requests", dare to stop Makimura? Or make irresponsible remarks about Makimura's actions?
The only thing he could and dared to do now was to follow Mucun respectfully.
The noisy noise that Mucun heard came from a large room with both doors open.
He walked to one of the open doors and looked inside. The scene inside left Mucun stunned, his eyes wide open as if they would fall out at any moment.
The room was in chaos. A large group of young people, dressed in fancy clothes and exuding the aura of the "rich X generation", were trembling with fear.
Inside the room, Makimura saw Yukimura, who was standing in front of a beautiful woman holding a shamisen.
Behind the beautiful woman sat a woman he was quite familiar with...
——A-Ting?!
Then, Makimura saw a samurai sitting behind Ating...whom he was also very familiar with...
Although the warrior was wearing a conical hat and a face scarf, Makimura still recognized him at a glance based on his figure and his two blue and gold swords.
Mucun didn't drink.
But at this moment, Mucun felt that his head was as confused as if he had drunk alcohol.
All kinds of questions hit Mucun's mind.
…
Why are Mr. Ogata and Ms. Atachi here?
Why does Brother Ogata wear a hat and a face scarf?
Is the human skin mask broken?
Why is Yukimura standing in front of Ogata and the others? !
…
Because of his standing position, Makimura could just see Yukimura's expression at the moment - Yukimura was frowning.
Ating had no expression on his face.
Ogata was covered by a bamboo hat and a scarf, so he couldn't see his current expression...
——That guy Yukimura, he stood in front of Ogata and the others with a frown on his face, what was he trying to do? !
In just a short moment, all kinds of ideas popped up in Mucun's mind.
For example: Yukimura is picking on Ogata for some unknown reason...
Another example: Yukimura is picking on A-Machi for some unknown reason...
No matter which guess it was, Mucun broke out in a cold sweat.
Makimura knew very well what kind of person Ogata was.
Makimura had never seen anyone who provoked Ogata or Atachi end up well.
So at this moment, after seeing Yukimura standing in front of Ogata and the others with a frown on his face, he shouted at Yukimura as if by reflex:
"Yukimura! What are you doing to the VIP guest we're waiting for?!"
Then, Mucun strode into the room.
"Yukimura didn't do anything to you, did he? Yukimura, you shouldn't have done anything disrespectful to the two distinguished guests I was waiting for, right?"
It was impossible for Makimura to ask directly "what do you want to do to Ogata Ittosai", so he called Ogata and Atachi "their distinguished guests".
In fact, he was not wrong. Ogata and the other two were indeed VIP guests of their Huluwu.
Calling them both VIPs was enough to shock Yukimura.
Then...protect Yukimura in disguise.
At this moment, Mucun only felt relieved.
I was relieved that I had successfully saved Yukimura's life...
…
…
Just now, when Yukimura heard Makimura call Ogata and Atachi their distinguished guests, his face changed.
——VIPs? These two people? Aren’t they Miss Chu Guang’s guards and assistants?
Yukimura's expression at this moment was exactly the same as the expression Makimura had when he saw him standing behind Ogata and the others with a frown on his face.
His gaze shifted back and forth between Ogata and Atachi.
His eyes were full of disbelief.
No matter how he thought about it, he found it difficult to connect the two identities of "Miss Chuguang's bodyguard and assistant" and "VIP of Hulu House".
In Yukimura's eyes, the gap between these two identities is like the gap between a frog and the shogun.
"Sir..." Yukimura, unable to hide his shock, stammered, "You said these two are... your distinguished guests?"
"Would I lie to you?" Mucun said in a somewhat impatient tone, "Tell me the truth quickly, you didn't do anything rude to them just now, did you?"
"No, no." Yukimura, sweating profusely, said respectfully, "I didn't do anything disrespectful."
"I just saw Miss Chuguang here, so I wanted to ask Miss Chuguang to play for you later."
"First light?" Makimura looked confused.
"That's her." Yukimura spread his palm and pointed at Hatsumitsu. "She is the most famous artist in Osaka. I saw her here, so I thought of asking her to play the shamisen for you."
Makimura looked at Yukimura with suspicion.
But at this moment, the voice of a young man, which had not been heard for several months, came into Mucun's ears.
“…He’s right.”
The person who spoke was Ogata.
Ogata continued calmly.
"He really just came to invite Miss Chu Guang to perform at their place later. He didn't do anything rude."
Ogata finally understood at this point - Makimura probably had a misunderstanding.
He mistakenly thought that Yukimura had just done something rude to him and Atachi.
Yukimura had only come to invite Hatsumitsu and had not done anything excessive, so Ogata was happy to help him clear up the misunderstanding.
After hearing Ogata's personal explanation, the gloomy cloud on Makimura's face dissipated a little.
"Is that so... That's good." Mucun let out a long sigh, "As long as I didn't do anything disrespectful to you..."
--Very good……
Makura added silently in his heart.
——Yukimura’s life is safe…
At this time, Yukimura bowed to Ogata and Atachi with a very humble attitude.
"I'm so sorry!" Yukimura said loudly, " I didn't know you two were the distinguished guests of Lord Makimura and his family. I was rude just now! I didn't greet you two, please forgive me!"
Now, in this room, there were not only Miura and others, but also his father-in-law and subordinates - even in front of so many people, Yukimura bowed humbly to Ogata and others without any care or hesitation.
Everyone present was stunned upon seeing this.
Yukimura, who is well-known to everyone in the Osaka business circle, bowed and apologized to a very young man and a woman who seemed to be of very humble status, saying that he was impolite... The scene in front of us was filled with an indescribable sense of absurdity.
Everyone was wondering who this man, woman, and this tall young man who suddenly appeared were, and why Yukimura was so humble in front of them?
Of all the people in the room, Miura had the biggest reaction after seeing the scene before him.
He was now staring blankly at Ogata not far away, as if he had lost his soul.
Isn’t this the guy who was selling tooth powder by performing on the street yesterday?
Shouldn't he just be a guy struggling to survive at the bottom of society and just luckily having a beautiful wife?
With the support of the Miura family, which is quite famous in Osaka, he is nothing in front of Yukimura. When Yukimura yelled at him, he didn't even dare to breathe.
Yukimura was bowing humbly to someone he had never even looked at...
How powerful is the backing behind this guy?
Is he the son of some wealthy businessman?
Or are they the descendants of some high-ranking official in the shogunate?
The more Miura imagined the identity of this guy who covered his face with a bamboo hat and a scarf, the paler his cheeks became...
Thinking back to how he had just proudly boasted about the business success of Miuraya in front of Ogata and Atachi... If there was a crack in the ground here, Miura really wanted to hide in it...
…
…
"M-Mashima-kun."
Ogata heard Shibata beside him whispering to him in a voice that pretended to be calm:
"You... aren't you some martial arts family descendant who has come to the lower classes to experience civilian life?"
Ogata turned his head to look at Shibata and Hatsumitsu beside him.
Shibata was looking at him and Atachi in panic.
Ogata noticed that he seemed to have secretly moved to the side, increasing the distance between himself and Ogata and the others.
I don’t know if it’s because Chu Guang often goes to occasions attended by important people, but her psychological endurance seems to be unexpectedly good.
Although she also looked frightened, the emotion hidden in the look she cast towards Ogata and Atachi was mainly "curiosity".
Ogata glanced around himself, and the current situation in front of him made him smile helplessly.
The sudden appearance of Makimura made Ogata and A-Machi the undisputed focus of the whole scene...
After letting out an imperceptible sigh, Ogata looked at Makimura, whose expression had improved now that the misunderstanding had been resolved.
"Makino, why are you here?"
"Well... the reason is quite complicated, and it's hard to explain it to you right away." Mucun scratched his hair, "When are you free? Let's go have a few drinks together tonight."
After saying that, Mucun made a drinking gesture.
Ogata immediately understood what Makimura meant. After looking around at the environment that clearly made it impossible for Hatsumitsu to continue playing, he said:
"I think... I'll be free soon."
"Okay then." Mucun nodded, "Let's go have a drink together later!"
After saying that, Makimura turned his attention to Yukimura.
"Yukimura, thank you for your hospitality tonight. I decided to go drink with my brother later, so I won't bother you any more!"
"Well, but..." Yukimura's expression changed slightly.
He wanted to entertain Mucun for a while longer and get closer to him.
Before Yukimura could finish his words, he was interrupted by Makimura's hearty laughter:
"That tea you gave me tonight was delicious! I'll come back again later!"
After hearing what Makimura said, Yukimura's slightly changed expression looked better.
"...I understand." Seeing that Makimura seemed to have made up his mind, Yukimura did not bother to argue any further. "My door is always open to you. You are welcome to come back anytime."
After paying respectful tribute to Makimura, Yukimura turned to pay tribute to Ogata and Amachi.
"I also welcome your visit. If you need any help in Osaka in the future, please feel free to come to me!"
"Mr. Makimura and his friends are my friends!"
…
…
At this moment——
Kyoto, Kyoto Magistrate's Office, the office of the Town Magistrate—
"Are you really planning to go back to Edo tomorrow?"
Kamiyama, the magistrate of Kyoto Town and a good friend of Hasegawa, asked Hasegawa this while pouring a full glass of wine into his glass.
At this moment, in the office of the town magistrate, Kamiyama and Hasegawa were sitting opposite each other.
"The Blood Mist has been killed." Hasegawa took a sip of the wine that Shenshan poured for him and said slowly, "The finishing work is almost done. There is no reason to stay in Kyoto any longer. Naturally, I have to go back."
"Aren't there still two mysterious people who attacked the casino of the 'Big Buddha Clan' and killed Baichuan and others who have not been found yet?" Shenshan frowned slightly.
"Well..." Hasegawa's mouth twitched slightly, and then he began to lie with his eyes open, "There are too few clues. It will take an incalculable amount of manpower, material resources, and time to find those two mysterious people."
"Anyway, those two mysterious people didn't do anything harmful, and they helped us in disguise."
"So I decided to postpone the search for the two mysterious men and deal with other more pressing matters first."
“…Well, it’s your responsibility to decide how to prioritize the various tasks. I won’t interfere too much.” Shenshan picked up his wine glass and took a sip of the wine. “Just take care of your health.”
"You are not young anymore, you are almost 50 years old. At this age, you can't just sleep for a good night like when you were young and all your fatigue will disappear the next morning."
"What do you mean 50 years old?" Hasegawa said unhappily, "I'm only 46 this year."
Hasegawa drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
"By the way - do you know where Lord Old Chu has gone? Did he go back to Edo?"
It was not until yesterday that Hasegawa found out that Matsudaira Sadanobu had quietly left Kyoto at some point.
"How can someone of my rank know where Lord Rochu-sama is going?" Shenshan sighed. "I guess he has probably returned to Edo."
"I hope that when I return to Edo later, I won't run into Lord Rochu on the way..." Hasegawa made a bitter face and shivered a few times before handing the wine glass in his hand back to Kamiyama.
"This is a good wine. Thank you for the treat. I still have some paperwork to deal with. When I'm done, I'll come and have a few drinks with you."
"Yes. " Shenshan nodded with a smile, "Since you are going back to Edo tomorrow, I am ready to accompany you tonight."
"How can you, a guy who blushes after a few drinks, have the confidence to say something like 'I'm always here for you'?"
Hasegawa let out a few playful laughs before picking up his sword and standing up.
But just as he stood up, he heard the voice of Yamauchi, a young subordinate he had recently promoted, coming from outside the office.
"Lord Hasegawa, there is an urgent message from Lord Imai in Edo!"
"Imai's urgent matter?" Hasegawa raised his eyebrows.
Imai - Hasegawa's adjutant.
When Hasegawa led his troops to Kansai to capture the Blood Mist Clan, Imai was responsible for replacing Hasegawa and sitting in Edo.
"Come in."
"yes!"
Yamauchi walked into the room respectfully holding a letter and handed it to Hasegawa.
Hasegawa took the envelope and confirmed that it was intact. He waved his hand to signal Yamauchi to leave first. Then he tore open the envelope, took out the letter inside, and read it quickly.
"Did something happen?" Shenshan frowned slightly.
"…It's nothing serious." Hasegawa put down the letter in his hand and sighed, "It's just that Imai reported a new case to me: the temple magistrate is asking for help from our fire thief Kai."
Hasegawa stuffed the letter back into the envelope and continued.
"There was a very bad thief in Koyasan. A large number of Buddhist supplies were stolen. The loss amounted to 500 taels."
"The temple and shrine magistrates sent a large number of people to investigate, but they couldn't find out anything."
"In desperation, he asked our fire-fu thief Kai for help and asked us to go to Koyasan and bring the thief to justice."
After saying this, Hasegawa let out a long, helpless sigh.
"The Fire Thief Kai is really like a can fit perfectly into any gap."
"Move wherever you need it."
Temple and Shrine Bugyo - a high-ranking official in charge of governing the territories of temples and shrines throughout the country and their residents.
In the Edo period, large temples and shrines all had small territories under their jurisdiction.
It can be understood that every large temple or shrine is a very miniature feudal state, and the temples or shrines in this "feudal state" have a certain degree of autonomy.
All matters, big or small, within the territories of these temples and shrines are under the jurisdiction of the temples and shrines, including all administrative and criminal cases within the territories of the temples and shrines, and outsiders are not allowed to interfere.
For example, if a murder occurs in the territory of a large temple or shrine in Kyoto, Kamiyama, as the magistrate of Kyoto Town, cannot interfere in the matter. The case can only be handled by the temple or shrine magistrate.
If any criminal escaped from Kyoto Castle and entered the territory of a large temple or shrine in Kyoto, the officials of the Bugyosho under Kamiyama's command could not rush in to arrest him, as this would be a serious violation of the line.
Because of such regulations, the territories of large temples and shrines became the favorite destinations for fugitives.
There is only one security force that is not bound by such rules and can move freely in the castles and towns of the common people as well as the territories of temples and shrines - they are the Fire Thieves Kai.
When the temple and shrine magistrates encountered a case that they were unable to solve, they would hand it over to the fire thieves to help solve it - this was a common occurrence.
"A new case has come so soon..." Kamiyama smacked his lips, "Koyasan... It's quite close to here. If we use fast horses to advance alternately, we can reach Koyasan in less than two days."
Koyasan is a sacred place for Buddhists across the country. There are more than 120 temples standing on the continuous peaks. This place has always been the focus of the management and care of the temple magistrates.
"We just dealt with a group of 'Blood Mist', and now another guy who steals Buddhist supplies shows up..." Hasegawa scratched the back of his head, "Really... He even dares to steal Buddhist supplies... Isn't that thief afraid of being punished by God..."
"Oh? Hasegawa, when did you become a Buddhist?"
"I am not a believer in any religion, but as for gods and Buddhas, I have always adopted the attitude of 'it is better to believe in their existence than to believe in their non-existence'."
"There's nothing we can do... We can only wait until later to return to Edo..."
" Do you want to go to Koyasan to investigate this case now?" Kamiyama raised his eyebrows.
"Mount Koya is just south of Kyoto." Hasegawa rubbed his slightly wrinkled brows, "Since I'm so close to Mount Koya now, I might as well go there on the way. It saves time and effort."
"I hope this thief is an easy one to deal with."