Chapter 14 Section five
It's a woman.
Judging from the wrinkles around her eyes and the texture of her skin, she should be around the same age as Shengnosuke's mother Sato.But there is no way to know the identity of this person based on the first impression.She is not like the wife and daughter of the Wu family at all, and she can't see whether she is as valuable as a mother like Lijiang.Although she doesn't look like a merchant's wife, she doesn't look cold at all.
In short, she should not be a woman from a good family.
She had a hairstyle that Sheng Zhisuke had never seen before.A piece of lavender twisted dyed cloth is wrapped around the big bun, and there is a hair comb by Kinmakie inserted.The kimono with the pattern of thousands of ribs is tied with a striped obi. Although it is full of stripes, it is surprisingly elegant.The deep purple of the inner collar brings out the complexion of the woman's face.
Today, "Ligenyi" also has many customers, but after the meal time, the boxes on the second floor began to have vacancies.The woman stayed in a corner of the box, facing the refreshments brought by Kantaro, and sat sideways.
"I heard rumors of graffiti about this store." The woman's voice was full of charm and mellow. "I also heard that the dishes in the store are good, so I came here from Ushigome to find out. When I mentioned that I could understand the words on it, the boss and the proprietress immediately shouted. Thanks to this, I will soon Starved to death. The boss said that the food and wine will be put on hold until I read these graffiti words."
Only tea can be drunk—the woman squinted at Kantaro.The woman's chin is a bit protruding, and the movement of her mouth is very special when she speaks.
"I'm really sorry." Kantaro was sweating. "It will be sent to you soon, but I hope you can decipher the ciphertext first."
The woman shifted her gaze to Shengzhisuke and smiled sweetly. "Young teacher, I heard that you are the initiator of graffiti?"
"My name is Guqiao Shengzhisuke."
Shengzhisuke bowed his head and saluted.The corners of the woman's eyes trembled, and her eyes moved, as if quite surprised.
——Sure enough.She reacts to the name, and there's nothing wrong with that.
"I heard that you are a teacher in a private school? It's not easy to be a teacher at a young age."
"It's just a hired help. In the next rogue, you can just call me Guqiao. Excuse me, I dare to ask your name..."
"My name is Shi Jinjiang. I'm just a master who teaches Xiaoqu, so you can call me master."
The woman immediately put away her surprise and enjoyed this way of answering Tai Chi.Kantaro wiped his face with the towel hanging around his neck, and stepped back.The two of them were left in the box, Sheng Zhisuke asked straight to the point:
"Master, I'm sorry for the delay in serving you with food and wine. However, we didn't do graffiti for the sake of being different, but for some reason, we desperately want to find someone who can interpret the text. Since you can decipher, can you please tell the above What is the text?"
Zhi Jinjiang's collar wasn't messed up in the slightest, but she still stretched out her hands to tidy up her collar, and looked up at the paper door beside her.
"Frankly, I don't know how to read it. Although I used to know it, I have almost forgotten it now."
Shengzhisuke's heart lit up.The woman previously knew the design of the ciphertext.This is really the right bet.
"Master, don't you know Furuhashi Shengnosuke?"
"Isn't that your name?"
Faced with the charming smile of the middle-aged woman, Sheng Zhisuke took it seriously.
"It's a person with the same name and surname as me. It should be older than my father."
"Teacher, don't you know Mr. Guqiao?"
Shijinjiang originally had a pair of slender fox-like eyes, but now they narrowed even more.The shape is like a crescent moon bent downward.
"I don't know it. However, for Mr. Guqiao's original text like ciphertext, I named it 'fake characters' without authorization. I want to know how he conceived it."
That's it——Shizu nodded. "He passed away seven years ago." The remains turned into dust long ago - Zhijin added.
"Earlier, I was abandoned by him first."
Nagahori Jingoro... No, Furuhashi Shengnosuke, whom Kazuo Odajima, the old lord of the Oshu Sanyachino Clan, was looking for, has gone to the underworld long ago?
"Did he die of illness?"
"Alcohol and poison attack the heart. His life is corrupt, and it is a blessing to die on the tatami. It is not surprising that he died by the roadside or was beheaded during the time when he was separated from me. Because he also beheaded people. "It was a tone of knowing everything without hesitation. "Speaking of which, he is a man who is very good at taking advantage of others. He is treacherous and thick-skinned. It is obvious that he abandoned people like trash, but he came back with a thick skin. In the end, I raised him and sent him to the last journey. "
The true identity of "Furuhashi Shengnosuke", who had been vague all along, gradually took shape because of the woman's words.Treacherous personality and love to take advantage of others - but this woman still loves him.
"I heard that he is a master of swordsmanship in Xinyinliu."
This time, Zhijinjiang's narrow eyes were not only surprised, but also suspicious.
"Teacher, you really know him well."
"There's a reason for that too."
After Sheng Zhisuke replied briefly, he stopped talking, and looked at Shi Jinjiang without saying a word.The one who looked away first was the middle-aged woman who not only still had charm, but also a little bit of cunning.She was not escaping Shengzhisuke's serious expression, but easily made it invisible.
"This line." Zhi Jinjiang pointed to a line of words on the right side of the paper door. "I still remember."
She closed her eyes slightly and recited silently.
"I want to know you and live forever"
Shengzhisuke felt that the dense fog covering the surrounding area was instantly blown away by the wind.
It is Chinese poetry.Donggu's intuition was right.
"What you said just now..." He took out the pen, ink and paper from his pocket, repeated the sentence just now, and wrote it on the paper.
"Written in words, is that so?"
"Oh, what a beautiful word. You must be a good teacher." Zhi Jinjiang looked at the line of words, deliberately changing the subject.
"This is from the "Yuefu" in Chinese poetry. In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty set up a government office in charge of music, composing music used in court sacrificial ceremonies, or collecting folk songs from various places. The ballad-style poems selected and sorted out were renamed Yuefu."
Shengzhisuke explained seriously, but Shijinjiang looked intoxicated as if he was listening to some sweet words.
"A-Actually, I don't know very well." Sheng Zhisuke was speechless. "Generally speaking, Yuefu mostly sings the sorrow of war, or the love between men and women, which is very close to our life. This is also a poem used to express friendship and friendship."
Zhi Jinjiang put his chin in one hand gracefully and said, "But I have accepted it before."
"what?"
"This poem was written in the letter I received. It was not a letter written to him by others. My Mr. Sheng, who is not doing business, said that it was a love song."
"Yes, is there a follow-up?"
"It seems to be this one." Zhi Jinjiang circled a piece of graffiti on the paper door. "Don't know if it's really like I remember, though. It feels like it's missing some words. There are fewer words on it."
If the elderly Odajima Kazumasa wrote down the words from memory, it would not be surprising if he missed a few words.
"I have an impression of these lines." Zhi Jinjiang pointed to the two lines beside him and recited silently.
"Xia Jiangxue, heaven and earth unite, dare to be with the king"
Sheng Zhisuke hurriedly wrote it down, and then carefully checked the content.
"'Jiang' may be written as the homonym of 'rain'..."
"In any case, it refers to the snowfall in summer, right? This sentence means that if such an earth-shaking event did not happen, I would never be separated from you."
"...you really know."
"I learned from that man who is not doing his job properly." Zhi Jinjiang removed the hand resting on his chin, raised his face and sat upright again. "Teacher, are you from Sanbaye? However, you don't have a local accent. It would be too young to say that you are our old acquaintance."
Just when Shengzhisuke hesitated and didn't know how to answer, Shizue suddenly turned his frivolous eyes and sighed flauntingly.
"I swear, I broke off the relationship with the young master very early. I have no interest in him. No matter how hard he pursues, I don't want to be the wife of the feudal lord." I don't want to live the life of a bird in a cage—— Shizue said disdainfully. "And in one of those backcountry places. God bless you."
She once again deliberately dismissed it in a frivolous tone.
"The young master you mentioned has retired now, and people call him the old feudal lord."
Shijine's fox eyes looked extremely serious, and he met Shengzhisuke's eyes.
"You're talking about the lord of the Miyachino Clan, right?"
"Yes, of course."
"He has retired, why is he bringing up the past more than 20 years ago now? Could it be that he started a fight for the heirloom, looking for illegitimate children everywhere?"
"Has he had any illegitimate children?"
"How could it be, what a joke."
Although it is impossible to see the whole picture of the matter clearly, one can vaguely see the clues.Shengzhisuke gradually became calm.The woman in front of him is the friend of that "Furuhashi Shengnosuke".And when Furuhashi Shengnosuke and Odajima, the lord of the Miyachino clan, had a good relationship, this woman also got close to the young master at that time, and the young master developed love for her.
"It's not such a vulgar thing, please rest assured."
Sheng Zhisuke's words seemed to have a great effect, exceeding his expectations.Shijinjiang suddenly recalled the old memories, and looked so surprised and timid at the cipher text on the paper door of this izakaya located in the corner of Fukagawa.Her charming smile and slutty posture may be due to her nature, but at the same time it is also a trick to hide her uneasiness.
"Please tell me what kind of person Furuhashi Shengnosuke is."
Sheng Zhisuke asked sincerely.Shizue felt his sincerity.
"Didn't I say that? He's a man who doesn't do his job properly."
Although he said the same words, Shijine's voice was full of nostalgia and deep love that moved the listener.
"He is from Edo. He is the third son of the poor banner family, and he is romantic by nature." It is a person who eats and eats at home and idles - Zhi Jinjiang laughed. "Even if you stay in Edo, if you can't find someone willing to marry you, you will have no place to live, and you won't be able to make a living independently. That's why he said he wants to be a painter and travel around to start his studies."
"Isn't he a martial artist?"
"No matter how hard the sword is, it's worthless. And he is indeed very accomplished in painting. He doesn't reject the pursuit of learning, so he knows how to recite Chinese poems."
"Are you accompanying him on his study tour?"
"I claimed to be the female painter who learned painting from him, and also the maid who took care of the master's daily life. Of course, this matter has never been known to his widow. Because I am also a wandering girl."
In a situation like this, the term "younv" may be written simply as the word "prostitution".Where did they meet, and how did they know each other, Sheng Zhisuke thought about this question secretly.
"We travel around." Shi Jinjiang's eyes drifted into the distance. "A lot of interesting things happened on the way. The reason why the journey was safe and did not encounter danger is all because we are young and boldly do whatever we think of, and he has extraordinary swordsmanship. Speaking of this, if you don't thank him, you will be punished by God .”
Even her tone became more and more submissive.
"It seemed like a long journey at the time, but now I look back and think about six years at most. Because we don't stay in the same place for more than a year, it's a rush."
"You two are enjoying this kind of life."
Shizue nodded slightly.
"Why did they go their separate ways afterwards?"
Shizue didn't answer right away, she looked alone into the distance that Shengnosuke couldn't see.
Soon, her eyes returned to the coquettish look when she deliberately changed the subject at the beginning, she squinted at Shengzhisuke, and moved towards him.
"Teacher, you should be able to make women cry for you, right?" The finger suddenly turned to Shengzhisuke.
"me……"
"People in the world say that women are unpredictable, but it is a big injustice. Men's nature is really uncertain. They are tempted by little things." He has another woman——Zhi Jinjiang said. "Really, at my age, it's still hard to tell such a thing to young people. Please forgive me for that."
"Did you encounter this kind of thing while traveling?"
"He didn't leave me alone after all. He sent someone to send me back to Edo."
During the journey, Furuhashi Shengnosuke found a place where he thought he could settle down and a woman who made him think so.It should be right.That's why he severed ties with Shizue who was always by his side.
"Will it be an official?"
"Oh, how can that man who is not doing business work as an errand in the city? He said that he found a benefactor who is willing to sponsor him, and he will seriously study painting in the future. And that benefactor has a young, beautiful, and innocent only daughter After all, it was the young lady that he really liked."
It turned out to be the case.
"So I still have a hatred for Ozhou. I have headaches and should sleep facing north, but I have a lump in my heart. I always sleep with my feet facing north."
This is very childish.
"Sure enough, it's still the feudal kingdom in the north." Listening to Shijinjiang's tone, it seemed that he didn't want to say where it was (because she was still very unwilling), Sheng Zhisuke asked softly.
"That's right, it's a place where Western paintings are popular. It's not Sanbaye Fan." After finishing speaking, Shi Jinjiang stuck out his tongue and smiled wryly. "I remember it very clearly. I must have been very unhappy."
She raised her chin high.Her eyes clearly showed that she was just as unwilling now.
"We lived in Sanbaye Fan for ten months at most. The young master loves to get close to us inexplicably. I don't need to mention it. He also finds it very disturbing."
No matter how much the young master appreciates me, no matter how much he persuades me, I will not become an official—is that so?
"The young master must be living a boring life, and thinks homeless people like us are very interesting. However, we are not a pair of sycophants and entertainers. We don't like it at all. And those high-ranking officials in the city also hate us." And sent assassins against us—she whispered with stern eyes. "It was such a hassle. At the time we thought, since it's such an eyesore, we should leave early."
In the eyes of the important ministers of Sanbaye Fan, this couple is like a vixen who confuses the young master.Even taking action against them is justifiable.Sheng Zhisuke grew up in Xiaofan in the countryside, so he can understand this situation very well.
"This is the cipher text," Sheng Zhisuke looked up at the paper door this time. "Did Guqiao-san think of it at the base of the Sanbaye clan?"
"No, he created this kind of ciphertext for fun when he was still in Edo. Even if it is the shogun who will be questioned by the shogunate, as long as it is written in this way, only those who understand the ciphertext interpretation method can understand it. "
"indeed."
"It would be great if he didn't do that at the beginning, but he told the young master to interpret the law... The young master who is the most important of the vassals is very close to us. It’s no wonder that Mufu was panicked because of the correspondence between them.”
"Looking at their flustered looks, you think it's funny, but the other party sent assassins to deal with you."
"We did joke a little too far." He wanted to drink more and more——Zhi Jinjiang rested his chin on one hand again, and his white arm was exposed on the sleeve. "Shouldn't you want to tie me up and take me to Sanbaye? The lord is still angry with us."
Her questioning attitude should be half-serious, half-joking-Sheng Zhisuke felt this way.
"I'm not from the Sanbaye clan. I just want to find out who can interpret the ciphertext. If possible, it's best to be Mr. Guqiao himself, but I don't mean to be against him."
"Then why are you looking for him? Even at the expense of trouble."
Sheng Zhisuke replied calmly, "Because the old lord of Sanbaye Fan still misses you very much."
Shijinjiang still maintained the posture of resting his chin with one hand.
"Just like you still miss Mr. Guqiao."
Shengzhisuke didn't expect what words and facial expressions Shijinjiang would use to respond.He just held expectations in his heart, hoping to see her give a special response.Zhi Jinjiang said, "Country people are really persistent."
This answer is not special at all, but it does resemble her, at least it can be sure that it is her true feelings.
"Thank you very much for saying so many things that involve personal privacy." Sheng Zhisuke saluted respectfully again. "I have accomplished my purpose, and the paper doors and sliding doors will be reattached. I promise this will never trouble you again."
"Is that all right?"
"yes."
Shi Jinjiang sat upright again and turned into a serious expression. "Teacher, although I don't know what position you stand on, but..."
"My guarantee, you can be regarded as the guarantee of Sanba Ye Fan."
"Shouldn't it cause trouble for that man's wife? He has a child. He should be grown up by now."
"You needn't worry about that."
That Furuhashi Shonosuke chose to live a down-to-earth life with other women, while Shijine was abandoned by him, feeling unwilling. All this was like what happened yesterday. Although she was very unwilling, she always thought of each other.
"I will never blame anyone in any way." Shengzhisuke said firmly, and smiled at Shijinjiang. "You still think about him."
Sheng Zhisuke originally wanted to say, "You are just deliberately putting on an arrogant posture on the outside, but in fact you are not such a bad woman", but then he changed his mind: he thought that he would be refuted by her, so he simply gave up.
"But having said that, Mr. Guqiao, who once parted with you, reunited with you later."
"Oh, because..." Zhijinjiang's eyes became angry again. "I know this must be the result. He will marry a woman other than me, and it will not last long. I know he will come back to me sooner or later, and I have made various arrangements in advance so that he can easily find me."
She didn't expect to wait so long—she seemed very unwilling again.
"But at this time, that important person is also buried under the Nine Springs. I never expected that even the young master of Sanbaye Fan was looking for him."
Sheng Zhijie said: "He is no longer the young master, everything is over."
That's right——Shi Jinjiang nodded. "That was an old thing before you were born, teacher. Now I am also an old woman."
It's time for me to leave—Shizue got up smoothly.
"If we wait any longer, they won't serve them with side dishes. This store really doesn't know how to greet customers. It's really too real."
Although her mouth was unceremonious, there was a smile in her eyes.She stroked Shengnosuke's shoulder as she passed by.
"Teacher, don't meet a woman like me. But if you can meet a woman like me, it will be a blessing in your life."
She squinted at Shengzhisuke and smiled, then stopped suddenly, and added a sentence in a tone full of ups and downs like singing.
"I can also understand this line."
Write a fake character in each square of the wooden door in the corridor.This must have been written by Ah Wen, her handwriting is neat.
"There shouldn't be any hatred and long-term farewell"
It is a parting poem.
——Mingyue is supposed to hold no hatred towards people, but why is it full moon when people are sad because of parting.
"This is the last letter from the young master to us when we left the city of Sanbaye."
After Shijine left, he left behind a slight scent of incense.
"It's ready." Shinosuke called out, and Nagahori Kingoro appeared from behind the partition screen.
Surprisingly, Kazuya is there too, and today she is wearing a pale yellow turban.
"So you found out."
"Yes, but that woman named Shijinjiang didn't notice."
When leaving the Fukan Nagaya earlier, Shinosuke stopped Taichi, who had just returned home from work, and asked him to run errands to send a message to Murataya's Jihei, informing him that someone who understood the ciphertext had appeared.Jibei will properly arrange the follow-up matters.Leaving aside Wada's Kazuka, if he reported the matter to the Miyachino Mansion, Taichi was still a child after all and could not be entrusted to him.
"Mr. Nagahori..." Shinosuke was unable to speak after calling out.Like Shizue, Nagahori Kingoro looked at a distance that no one else could see.
"The old feudal lord..." he said in a hoarse and thin voice. "I've been in unrequited love for a long time."
Kazuka's eyes protruding from between the headscarves met Shengnosuke's eyes.She blinked slowly and nodded slightly.
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