After saying goodbye to Ogata and watching him leave, Naoshige disbanded the team and let their apprentices go back home and rest early.
The team that set out from Isshiki Sword Hall this morning consisted of nearly 20 people.
And now the team returning to Isshiki Sword Hall only consists of Naoshige, Rusui, and Isshikika.
As soon as Naoshige, Rusui, and Isshikika officially set off to return to their home, Rusui immediately asked Naoshige in an impatient manner:
"Father... that Majima Goro... where on earth did you find such a powerful swordsman?"
Because there are no outsiders here and everyone is family around, Rushui can speak without any scruples.
Rushui had been holding this question in her heart ever since she witnessed Ogata kill Anyi in seconds, and she had finally waited for the best opportunity to ask it.
"Xiaohua and I met by chance when we were traveling in eastern Japan." As soon as Rushui finished speaking, Zhizhou said .
"Why does he always wear a bamboo hat and a face scarf?" Rushui asked, "Is he dressed like this because he has some injuries on his face?"
"No, it's just because he likes to dress like this." Naoshige lied without blinking.
"I see..." Rushui listened carefully and nodded gently.
There was a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
After asking the question about "Mashima Goro's" appearance, Rushui was silent for a moment, then frowned and changed the subject:
"This year's 'Big Trial' was... really terrible..."
"Yeah, that's right." Nao Zhou sighed and agreed, "Yuanming Pavilion suddenly has such a powerful master. Yagi seems to have become a different person..."
"What good will it do for him to indulge his own disciples in humiliating us? It will only make Yuanming Hall the target of public criticism..."
"When I have time someday, I will take Nanjo, Shimura and the others to Yuanmingguan to ask Yagi in person what is going on."
Zhizhou and Rushui had a conversation about the series of events that occurred during today's "big test".
Isshikika followed the two people quietly, without saying a word.
The three grandfathers and grandchildren were not slow at all. While Naoshige and Rusui were talking, the three of them had already returned to their luxurious dojo with a plaque that read "Ono Ittoryu Isshiki-kan".
Isshiki Hana's mother: Isshiki Minoru has to go to the western suburbs of Osaka today to visit a good friend of hers, and will not be back until tonight, so there are only a few waiters left in Isshiki's house.
"I'm tired." As soon as she got home, Isshiki said to her grandfather and father, "I'm going to go back to my room and rest first."
After she finished speaking, without waiting for Naoshige and Rusui to respond, Isshikika strode towards the stairs leading to the second floor.
Rushui stood there, looking at Isshikika's back as she returned to the room with a meaningful look.
Zhi Zhou now also wants to go back to his room and rest for a while.
"Rushui, I'm going back to my room to rest for a while. Call me when it's time for lunch." After saying that, Zhi Zhou turned around and left.
However, before he could take a few steps further, he heard Rushui say to him:
"...Father. I have something important to tell you. Do you have time now?"
Zhi Zhou stopped, turned his head, and looked Rushui up and down several times with a gaze that seemed to pierce through her entire body.
"...Come to my room."
"yes!"
The father and son entered Zhi Zhou's room one after another.
Rushui, who was walking behind, had just closed the door when she immediately asked Zhizhou in a hurry:
"Father, have you seen Majima Goro's true appearance? What does he look like?"
"And - Father, are you familiar with Majima Goro? What is his character like? Is he married?"
Ru Shui fired a series of questions at Zhi Zhou like a string of cannonballs.
Zhi Zhou seemed to have expected Rushui to ask him these questions. He listened to Rushui's questions with a calm expression, walked to the window and sat cross-legged.
"…Rusui, are you intending to have Majima-sama marry our Xiaohua?"
“Hahaha…” Rushui laughed dryly with a hint of embarrassment, “As expected of a father, you can see through my little thoughts.”
"Father, you also know that Xiaohua is 21 years old this year."
When saying this, Rushui seemed to be complaining about something bitter, frowned and sighed heavily.
"Other families' daughters, by the time they reach Xiaohua's age, already have a toddler."
"I can't tell you how many good boys we recommended to her, but she turned them all down."
"Her standards are really too high. She said something like 'I only like men who are good at swordsmanship.'"
"I recommended some boys who were quite accomplished in swordsmanship to her, but she said she didn't like them. I really don't know what she wants..."
"I've been worrying about Xiaohua's marriage so much that my eyebrows are almost turning white."
"If we delay it for another two or three years, when Xiaohua is 23 or 24 years old, not many families will be willing to let their sons marry such an old girl."
"And now - a man who is about the same age as Xiaohua and possesses extremely strong swordsmanship has appeared."
"Doesn't Hana like people who are strong in swordsmanship? Isn't Majima-sama suitable? In terms of swordsmanship, I feel that there may be no one in the whole of Osaka who can compete with Majima-sama!"
"And, more importantly - I think Xiaohua and Mr. Majima have a pretty good relationship."
"During the 'big test' just now, I kept seeing Xiaohua chatting with Master Majima."
Rushui became more and more excited as she spoke, and her eyes were almost shining.
"I'm also guessing that Xiaohua, who never wore makeup before, suddenly put on makeup today. Maybe it's because of that Majima Goro. She wanted to dress up well in front of Majima Goro."
"If there is nothing wrong with Majima-sama's appearance and character, and if he is not married, then I think that pairing Majima-sama and Xiaohua together would be..."
Rushui was speaking passionately when Zhizhou suddenly waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.
"Okay, stop talking."
Zhi Zhou said expressionlessly.
"It is absolutely impossible to let Xiaohua and Majima-sama get together."
Rushui was stunned: "Why?"
"The reason is simple - Majima-sama is already married and has a beautiful wife."
Naoshima's simple words made Rusui's face change: "Mashima-sama... is already married?"
"Yes, that's right. And from what I've observed, he and his wife have a very good relationship." Zhi Zhou turned his head and stared straight at Rushui, "Rushui, can you tolerate a woman from our Isse family becoming someone else's concubine?"
"Of course - it can't be tolerated." Rushui said in a deep voice.
Ancient Japan, like ancient China, practiced the system of "one husband, one wife and multiple concubines". As long as you had money, you could have as many concubines as you wanted, but you could only have one wife.
However, because the economic conditions of the samurai were generally dire, even many daimyo who were granted fiefdoms were so embarrassed that they had to borrow money from merchants, and many middle and lower-level samurai were so poor that they could not even get wives, so "monogamy and multiple concubines" were generally not possible for samurai.
Therefore, the biggest beneficiaries of the "monogamy and polygamy" system in Japan are the extremely wealthy businessmen.
You warriors can't even get a wife, but we can sleep with several wives every night - this is also one of the most common phrases used by merchants to mock warriors.
The "concubine" in ancient Japan, like the "concubine" in ancient China, had a much lower status in the family than that of a "wife".
The concubine of a certain family was treated coldly by her wife and mother-in-law, and her life was miserable - this kind of news is endless.
Because of the low status of concubines, many families with relatively good family backgrounds did not allow their daughters to become concubines of others.
And the Isshiki family happens to be such a family.
"Ah..." Rushui sighed heavily, "It's... such a pity... I was thinking that I finally met such an outstanding man who could become my son-in-law... Since that Lord Majima has already married, then this matter can only be abandoned. Hmm? Father, what's wrong?"
Rushui saw Zhizhou slowly stand up.
"Rushui, if you don't have anything else to say to me, just go and do what you need to do."
"I'm going to have a good talk with Xiaohua about some things now."
…
…
Isshikika just said that she was going back to her room to rest - but in fact, she didn't rest at all after she returned to her room.
After returning to the room, she first took off the socks she didn't like to wear, then knelt down by the window, looking at the sky outside the window thoughtfully.
Just as she was staring at the sky in a daze, a sudden voice outside the door interrupted Isiseka's thoughts.
"Xiaohua."
It was Naoshiro's voice.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?"
"Is it convenient for me to come in now?"
"Now? Come in."
Zhi Zhou opened the door and walked slowly into the room.
"Grandpa, is there something wrong?"
"...Hana-chan." Naoshuu sat cross-legged in front of Isshiki Hana, "Let me be frank - you have a crush on that adult... right?"
Although he said "right?", Naoshiro's words did not have the tone of a question sentence, but only the tone of an affirmative sentence.
Isshikika was not a fool either, she naturally knew who "that adult" Naoshige was referring to.
"I..." As soon as Zhi Zhou finished speaking, Isshika looked a little flustered and her mouth opened slightly.
It seemed as if he wanted to say something subconsciously.
But as soon as she opened her mouth and uttered the word "I", Isshikika paused.
After a pause, the panic on Isseka's face slowly dissipated.
He returned to his usual expressionless look.
“…Grandpa, you are wrong.” Isshikika said calmly, as if she was talking about something trivial, “I don’t really have a good impression of that adult.”
Isshikika paused again.
Then he said word by word:
"I really like that gentleman."
Naoshige looked surprised, as if he had not expected Isshikika to answer like that.
"...You and that gentleman have only been together for a few days, right? When did you fall in love with him?"
"I don't know. I just realized when I came to my senses that I would be very happy whenever that adult spoke to me."
"...Grandpa, I didn't expect you to be so quick-witted."
Isshikika used a half-joking tone, which was very rare.
"You were able to discover my feelings for that adult so quickly."
"Don't think of your grandfather as a fool." Zhi Zhou said calmly, "When I saw you spend so much time dressing yourself up today, I realized that my precious granddaughter's heart may have been stolen by someone."
"Did you come here just to ask me this question?" Isshikika asked.
"Of course not. The reason I'm here now is to remind you that women from our Isse family must never become concubines of others."
"Not even if the other party is the emperor."
"Xiaohua, can you understand what I mean?"
"…Don't worry, Grandpa." Isshiki turned his gaze back to the window, "Don't you understand what kind of person I am?"
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would degrade myself and foolishly run off to become someone else's concubine?"
"and……"
In Isshikika's beautiful eyes, a light called "loneliness" flickered a few times.
"I don't know when I will see that gentleman again. Even if I want to become his concubine, I won't have the chance."
A hint of smile appeared on Zhi Zhou's face: "Of course I know your character, so I am just here to remind you."
After saying that, Zhi Zhou stood up.
"That's all I want to say."
"It's almost time for lunch, so don't be late when you eat in the dining room."
Zhi Zhou opened the door and prepared to go out.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Rushui carrying a small package and running towards him in a hurry.
"Xiaohua! Xiaohua!"
"Father, do you have something to say to me too?" Isshika frowned her beautiful brows.
"I have nothing to say to you, but I have something for you to do." Rushui smiled bitterly and shook the package in his hand at Isika.
"Your mother was a reckless person. She went to visit her good friend but forgot to bring the gift she was giving to him."
"Xiaohua, after lunch, could you please deliver this gift to them?"
"You should know where the home of the old friend your mother is visiting is, right?"
"Yes, I see." Isshiki nodded, "I understand. I will deliver the gift to you right after lunch."
…
…
As an island country, Japan has a total of three large islands, including Ezo which has not yet been completely ruled: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.
Among these three large islands, Honshu Island is the largest, and almost all of Japan's essential areas are located on Honshu Island.
Most of the big cities: Edo, Kyoto, Osaka... are also located on Honshu Island.
Shikoku Island is located in the southwest of Honshu Island.
Osaka is very close to Shikoku Island.
From Osaka, head southwest and across the sea to reach Shikoku Island.
At this moment——
A certain sea area in the southern part of Shikoku Oshima—
"Damn it... I didn't catch many fish..."
On a small fishing boat, a dark-skinned fisherman was cursing as he pulled a tattered fishing net from the sea.
He was an ordinary fisherman in the Tosa Domain of Shikoku.
The harvest has been getting worse recently, so he ventured into the deep sea today, thinking that he might be able to catch more fish by going to the sea farther away from the coast.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Even though we arrived at a place where we could see the vast ocean all around, we still failed to catch many fish.
"What bad luck..." The fisherman spat at the sea, "Let's go back..."
He was now so far from the coast that it was impossible not to feel worried.
As a poor fisherman, he naturally did not have any expensive gadget like a compass to determine the direction. He relied purely on his memory to remember the direction of the coast.
If he accidentally forgot the direction of the coast, or remembered the wrong direction of the coast, he would not be able to go back.
He was already somewhat apprehensive about fishing here, and when he saw that the harvest was not very good, he naturally wanted to back out, so he decided to stop his "ocean fishing" today.
After collecting his fishing nets and picking up the oars, he was about to row back to the shore when his eyebrows suddenly jumped and he stared blankly to the west of himself.
"What is that...?"
He suddenly discovered that there seemed to be a strange black shadow swaying on the sea level in the west.
Driven by curiosity, the fisherman put down his oars, stood up, squinted his eyes, and tried to see what the black shadow swaying on the western sea level was.
After a while, the fishermen saw two pointed things rising from the sea level.
These two pointy things continue to rise towards the sea level.
Then the fisherman saw… a sail.
A row of extremely large sails.
“Ahhh…ah…ah…ah…ahhh——!” The fisherman’s eyes widened in fear and he slumped down in the boat.
Boat.
He saw the boat.
He saw two huge ships as big as hills!
The pointy things that first rose from the sea level just now were the tops of the masts of these two giant ships!
"What is this? What is this?!"
The fishermen were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they broke out in cold sweats.
Japan, which practices a closed-door policy, has extremely strict control over the shipbuilding industry.
According to the regulations of the Edo Shogunate, neither the public nor private enterprises were allowed to build large ships with a capacity of more than 500 koku.
So the ships that Japan currently has... to put it bluntly, are just slightly larger wooden boats.
When had this fisherman ever seen such a huge ship that was dozens of meters high and dozens of meters long?
In the eyes of these fishermen, these two large ships were like monsters moving on the sea.
The fisherman stared blankly at the two huge ships. After a long while, he finally realized that he seemed to be standing in front of these two "giant beasts".
"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!"
Another handful of cold sweat gushed out of the fisherman's body.
He quickly grabbed the oars and paddled at a speed never achieved before, moving away from the direction of the two "behemoths".
…
…
The bow of one of the two large ships -
A petite young man, holding a sword, sat on the bowsprit at the bow and sang loudly:
"The battle flag is flying~"
"The thousand gourds are raised high~"
"We will win in the end~"
"Don't let the Tokugawa samurai be so arrogant~"
"I will avenge Osaka today~"
"I will make the Paulownia seal fly ~"
"We are going to go to war~"
"We are going to go to war~"
"We are going to conquer the East Kingdom~"
"Let's land in Edo~"
The young man was singing happily when a crew member suddenly ran up behind him and shouted to him:
"Lord Kasugabee! We spotted a fishing boat ahead! What should we do with it?"
"Fishing boat?" The young man called He Xufeng stopped singing. "There is actually a fishing boat in this place... Oh, this fisherman is really brave enough to dare to come to such a deep sea to fish."
"Just ignore it."
"yes!"
"Oh, and by the way, help me inform them - find a way to increase the speed a little bit."
"I don't want to miss the 'Spring Battle of Osaka'."
A strange blush appeared on He Xufeng's face.
He panted and said in a gentle tone:
"I can't help it... I can't help it... I want to quickly use the firepower of our battleships to blow Osaka away!!"