Chapter 36 Section Thirteen

The downtown area of ​​Shinagawa Station along the street is very long, and there are many adjacent shops.No matter what, Heishiro and Xiaoping Ji, who couldn't bear the pleasure of traveling, spent a lot of time just getting out of here. Leaving the post station, we arrived at the Bridge of Tears after a short walk.This bridge is famous because the criminals and their families who were sent to the Suzumori Execution Ground bid farewell here. While crossing the bridge, Heishiro was thinking about Ah Feng.In the past, Heishiro seldom arrested major criminals who were sent to prison. At most, they were small villains who were reprimanded, whipped, or expelled from Edo.Ah Feng's lover Jin Yi is an odd number.

Where is Ah Feng doing now?Has Masagoro successfully found her?If he finds Afeng, that guy Adek will not plan to take care of everything like he used to take care of Kume, and take care of her... Perhaps Xiaopingji was also thinking about the same thing, walked across the bridge of tears step by step with firm feet, and murmured: "I see, it never occurred to Ah Feng to bid farewell to his lover here crying." "Why do you think so?" "That woman is someone who makes up her mind and carries it through to the end. If Jin is found guilty, she will immediately plan to rob the prison to save people. She must be thinking in her heart, how can she just watch her beloved one be sent to the execution ground, I will never allow it .”

"Do you think she can do it?" Xiaoping smiled slightly for the first time. "It's not easy to rob a prison, sir." "Ok." Heishiro had imagined before that in order to save Jinyi from prison, Ah Feng used the money in his hand to find helpers, and shuttled among the rogues.In the imagination, Ah Feng, who has been stepping on the heads of others with his brains and desires, is now the first time to pay for others, but he is penniless and destitute. The two meditated on their own, and walked silently to the Liuxiang Ferry.The ferry was full and bustling, and Heishiro and Xiao Heiji finally became cheerful.Although he was traveling in casual clothes, everyone seemed to be able to tell that Heishiro was a public servant of the magistrate, and the passengers on the same boat rushed to greet him, "Master, you have worked hard on business, where are you going this time?"Heishiro replied that he had some small things to do around here, and asked where the tourists were going, and it turned out that most of them were visiting the master.For merchants, they went to Kanagawa Station or Hodogaya Station.Another group of people are going to Ise Shrine.

Jiubei wrote in the letter that after getting off the ferry in Liuxiang, please go straight to the sea along the Daishi Kawara Road.People who pay homage to Daishi Kawasaki also walk this way, and walk together until the halfway.But after half a mile, there is a horse head Guanyin hall, where you have to turn to the right fork. Follow the instructions to enter the narrow fork road, and there is no traveling companion.Heishiro and Xiaoheiji walked, and saw vegetable gardens, borders and forests, and the smell of sea tide in the wind was clearly discernible. Jiuhei wrote that if he met someone who lived nearby on this fork in the road, he would know the location of the Minaya villa as soon as he asked.It's too far to get to the place where you can see the rocks on the coast.In the scenery, the fields are gradually decreasing, and when a windbreak forest appears beside the beach, climb up the gentle earth embankment on the sandy land on the right and pass through the forest.The merchants and carriage houses that come in and out all pass through here, and naturally form a small road, which cannot be mistaken.

——The younger one was supposed to go to Liuxiang Ferry to meet him, but now that Master Soujiro is ill, the younger one can't leave.I would like to express my deep apologies for the lack of courtesy. "What kind of disease is Qi depression?" Heishiro climbed up the gentle slope of the sand and asked, "Will you die if you are seriously ill?" "I heard it is." Xiao Pingci carried Ade's lunch box on his back and walked briskly. "If it is a general qi depression disease, it will be cured. I am afraid that the patient will fall into depression."

"That's what you say, but that kind of illness is just stuffy, right?" "I can't eat, I can't sleep, I'm tired of breathing, and I'll soon feel like I'm struggling to live. It's said to be such a disease." "I want him to go to Yoshiwara to have a good time, or take him to Ise to pay homage or something, just have fun?" "I heard that if you don't feel happy and interesting, it's useless to play. In short, everything is boring, and it's best to spend a leisurely life." "It's a troublesome disease."

But Heishiro thought again that he, who has always been leisurely, is not qualified to say such words, so he scratched his head and continued walking. "Ah, it must be this big house." Xiao Pingci, who was walking in front, stopped, looked up at the gray roof tiles and said loudly. "It's so majestic, my lord." Heishiro came to Koheiji's side and took a breath. The mansion seems to be divided into three buildings. The north building protrudes from this side, the main house is in the middle, and the south building should be able to see the sea.It is not a dull wall that surrounds the mansion, but a hedge that is still not withered in this season, and its leaves are lush and green.

The path Heishiro had climbed drew a semicircle across the front of the hedge to the main house.Walking along the road, before seeing the gap in the hedge, I heard Jiubei's call: "Oh, here we are, here we are!" And I appeared behind the hedge as if following the sound.I saw him wearing a jacket neatly. "Thank you for coming so far. You must be tired! Come, put your luggage down!" Although the two spent a long time at the Shinagawa Station, they arrived not too late.In the middle of the day, Ade's lunch box happened to be lunch. "Ah, what a good place." Heishiro said to Jiubei with a smile.

The room still smelled of the sea tide. No wonder, the villa was built on a slope facing the sea. The ten-seat room where Heishiro and Koheiji were entertained was separated from the courtyard by the edge porch overlooking the sea. Although Heishirou had expected it earlier, the house was still closer to the sea than he had imagined, but it was located on a high place, and there was a windbreak forest, so the coastal rocks could not be seen.Looking out from the clearing in the forest, there are several fishing boats floating on the glistening sea under the autumn sun. Heishiro was never negligent about eating, and he clearly informed Jiubei before his departure that he would bring a hearty lunch, so don't prepare lunch.Just explaining in the letter was not enough, he said hello casually, and when Xiaoping put down the luggage on his back for the first time, he hurriedly opened the lunch box in front of Jiubei.

"Look, it's rich enough!" The three-layer lunch box is filled with various dishes.Jiubei opened his eyes wide and looked up at Heishiro: "this is……" "Tell me, which one is it? It's not Hirakiyo! It's not Izuei, and it's not Hashizen and Yaozen." Heishiro originally thought that it must be a pleasure to surprise Jiubei, but he didn't expect it to be so entertaining.Heishiro grinned like a boiling pot. "I don't know... the little one doesn't know," Jiubei wrung his hands, "but judging by the expression on the uncle's face, he seems to be able to guess, but also seems to be unable to guess."

"Exactly how, you just tell me!" "The little one said it boldly. Could it be Ade?" Xiao Pingji, who was still squatting on the shoe-off stone in the edge corridor, exclaimed "Woo-heh". "To this day, nothing can escape the eyes of Master Jiubei!" Heishiro was immediately discouraged. "So you saw it." This time it was Jiubingwei who laughed happily. "Did you guess correctly? Then Ade cooked all of these by himself." "Well, the craftsmanship has improved! But how do you know?" "This corned egg," Jiubei pointed to the corner of the second layer of lunch boxes, where the corned eggs cut lengthwise were placed. "The color is really nostalgic. Just looking at it reminds me of the taste. However, the biggest clue is Izutsu Grandpa's expression." Heishiro stroked his long chin.It turns out that my thoughts are all written on my face? "Ade is doing well." Looking at the lunch box, Jiubei seemed to be in tears.Heishiro couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. "Well, the older you are, the stronger you are." "It's too early to say 'old', sir, you will be scolded!" "God bless, God bless. She has expanded her business and opened a small restaurant. For banquets like yakatabune, she can also serve outside dishes!" Heishiro told Jiubei about the ins and outs of the matter.Jiubei nodded while listening, only frowned at a certain joint, and asked: "The chef named Yanyi..." "The people are nice." "Is it really the head chef of Shihewu? Have you confirmed his identity?" Heishiro laughed loudly, and Xiaoping said again and again. "Administrator, if you turn into ashes, you will still be an administrator! Don't worry, Yanyi's character is fine." No matter what ugliness or humiliation happened, Jiubei was no longer at the age to be red-faced, and just smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry. This helper came so well and so coincidentally that I couldn't help being suspicious." "I understand your feelings. However, there are such good encounters in the world." I really want to tell Deku——Hearing what Heishiro said, Jiubei, who looked at the contents of the lunch box distressedly, blinked. "Tell her that the one who ate this lunch box is none other than Lord Jiubei." Jiubei burst into tears again. "Thank you, sir." For a long while, Heishiro savored the embarrassing silence. Blinking goodbye to tears, Jiubei turned to Heishiro. "Master Izutsu is here, Master Soujiro was supposed to come to say hello..." "Don't be busy, don't ask for any greetings. He is a patient, but I came here to disturb his rest. Don't care, don't care." "Yes, I'm so sorry." "Is the situation bad?" "It's getting worse recently..." Kyubei's wrinkled face was full of worry. "I don't want to see anyone, I don't eat, and some days I don't even let the little ones get close." "That's troublesome." "I'm really sorry. Waiting for time to recover from this illness is the best policy, and the little one will serve you wholeheartedly." Then, Jiubei's face suddenly brightened. "Then, my little one wants to prepare meals from the dishes in this lunch box." Jiubei clapped his hands and called out.A maid answered "Yes" and appeared briskly, a young woman with a deep tan.Is this also from the sea?Jiubei briefly told the maid to prepare, and removed the lunch box.It appears to be dining in another room.How many rooms are there? "While preparing the meal, Master Izutsu, do you want to meet Sun Ba first?" This is one of the purposes of today's trip. "Are you going to call him?" "Yes, I'm going to call someone now." Jiubei stood up neatly and left the room.I had seen him twice before at the Imanoza slope mansion, the first time in front of Aoi's body, and the second time with Soemon.When we met, the old man was as lifeless as a dead wood, but now he has regained the spirit of the old manager of the Tieping Zayuan.Presumably this is not the curative effect of Chaoxiang Haise's rest, but someone who can take care of him and have a place to show his strengths, which is the best nourishment for Jiubei. After a while, Jiubei appeared from the courtyard, and Xiao Heiji stood up and stepped aside. Jiubei walked forward accompanied by a scrawny man.The man was wearing farm work clothes, with split-toe shoes on his feet, his back was hunched almost like a bent body, and he dragged his feet. Even with Jiubei supporting his shoulders, his steps were still slow. "This is Sun Ba." After Jiubingwei finished speaking, he whispered a few words in Sun Ba's ear.Sun Ba looked puzzled, raised his head and stared blankly at Jiubingwei. "This is Mr. Hatchobori from Edo, and you haven't said hello yet." Sun Ba let out a guttural sound of "Woooo, umm", turned his head very slowly to look at Heishiro, arched his back even more, and saluted. "The younger one is called Sun Ba." "It's my servant." Jiubei's hand was still on his back. "The courtyard is also taken care of by Sun Ba. Isn't it, Sun Ba?" "Yes." The arched back rose and fell again. Heishiro was speechless for a while.Looking at Xiao Pingci, he also opened his mouth and was stunned. Sun Ba's bun was completely white.How old did Ah Liu say he was?It should be less than the age of gray hair. "Raise your head well and greet the uncle." Under Jiubei's reminder, Sun Ba turned his face towards Heishiro, shaking his head unsteadily. Seeing Sun Ba from the front, he finally got a clear view of his appearance.Relax, this was Heishiro's first thought.Eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and cheeks, all these things that were bundled together were loosened.It was as if a poor puppeteer could not maneuver flexibly, causing the puppet to make a strange expression. Sun Ba's right eye was facing here, but his left eye was floating somewhere, his jaw dropped, his nose wrinkled, and his cheeks slumped. "Master, I have come from a long way, and I have worked hard on official duties." The voice was muddy and weak. "You worked hard too." Heishiro couldn't help wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "Listen to Kubei's words carefully, and do things well." It's almost like teaching a child.But Sun Ba replied with a drawn-out "Yes—" and bowed in a respectful manner. "Okay, that's all. Get back to work!" Kyubei nudged his back.Sun Ba turned around slowly, still dragging his legs and leaving the courtyard with unique steps. "Hey!" Xiaoping moaned again. "Sun Ba is like that." Jiubingwei turned his head and looked at Sun Ba's back and said. "After watching the illusion in Yuxipo, did you suddenly become like that?" "No, the illusion is not so powerful. After he was deceived by the illusion, he cried and frightened, and quarreled for a long time. In the end, he seemed to lose his soul, but he still didn't look like that." After that, in order to comfort and appease Sun Ba who was out of control, he took him to this villa, and kept coaxing him along the way, saying that it would be safe to leave Edo. "You were going to stay in Yuxipo's mansion to clean up the aftermath, right? Although the distance is enough to go back and forth in one day, someone else must have come here to protect Sun Ba, who is in a scary condition. Who do you want to bring him here?" Jiubei did not answer for a long time.Heishiro had a flash of inspiration: "Oh, it's the shadow shopkeeper! It's so convenient. Is he okay?" Jiubei replied "Yes", showing a wry smile. "Is that so, all the confidantes of Minato Yasuo's right guard are here." "It's only two people." "That's the two generals on the left and right." So Sun Ba settled down here as a servant, and after about half a month, he contracted a fever, moaned bitterly for three days and three nights, and almost died. "Thanks to the good treatment, it's finally healed." But since then, his hair is all white, his joints are swollen, his feet are limping, and his back is hunched. "The doctor said it was all the aftereffects of the fever. Although one life was saved, it could not be restored to its original state. The root of the disease condensed and left damage everywhere in the body." During this febrile illness, Sun Ba kept raving: Please forgive me, it's my fault, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, forgive me. "Who are you begging for mercy?" Heishiro frowned, with cold sweat still on his forehead. "Who appeared in Sun Ba's nightmare?" "It's probably—a sin." Jiubei said, although his voice was soft, his tone was very firm.He stood erect, staring at the ground. "Harming others for one's own desire. To give an example, the crime of killing Ah Liu's husband turned into a fever." "Is that right?" Heishiro didn't intend to argue, but because the voice came from Dantian, it sounded like this.Jiubei and Xiaoping once looked at each other. "That's not what I meant. Even if you've done nothing wrong, and you're the best of the good guys, you'll get the fever when you get it." "You're right, but Sun Ba's situation..." "Is it different? The same! Sun Ba did a lot of bad things, and was frightened by the illusion, so he broke his body. At this time, he was unlucky and had a fever. When he got sick, he had a high fever and lost his mind. , so the bad things he did appear in the dream, that's all." Hey, what about the white hair?Xiaoping asked dissatisfiedly. "I've also heard about people whose hair turns white when they get a fever." Heishiro slapped one knee. "Forget it, anyway, it is impossible for Sun Ba to harbor resentment towards Aoi and play tricks, I understand that very well. But Jiubei, I have another question to ask, or rather, this is the main topic." you come up!Heishiro waved.Jiubei took off his shoes, went up to the outer corridor, and sat upright with his knees together. "After Yu Xipo took care of Sun Ba, Ah Liu asked Kui that it would cost a lot of money and find a way to hire such a capable illusion troupe. Kui told her not to worry about money, and those people had already done it before. Promise to play a big play for her." Aoi also said: "I wish I could fool someone with that illusion." Jiubei's fleshless cheeks tensed slightly. "Is this what Ah Liu said?" "Well, I asked her to. I want her to tell me what happened in the house, what she said to Aoi, etc., and tell me everything that comes to mind, so don't blame Liu." Heishiro put his hands in his arms, and the cold rushed in through his sleeves.The autumn sea breeze penetrates from the courtyard to the room.Although the scenery is beautiful, it is better to close the door. "Who is Aoi trying to deceive? You should know. Can you tell me?" Kyubei's eyes fell on his lap.Kohei sat up on the shoe-off stone again, looking back and forth between Heishiro and Jiubei. "I don't think this has anything to do with Mrs. Kui's misfortune." Heishiro nodded at Kyubei's words. "After the big play was staged in the Tieping Zayuan, the house immediately demolished the house and built a Fuji house, and Ateng moved in again. Of course, Aoi knew about this series of events, and I thought that the house would tell her. So, she can't help feeling a little guilty about Ateng in her heart." Jiubei raised his head to speak, but closed his mouth again. "Do you want the illusion troupe to let Ateng see Aoi's phantom, and let this illusory Aoi say something like 'I don't hate you anymore', 'I'm sorry for you', to comfort Ateng?" Minatoya Soemon once mentioned that Aoi said "heavy sin" about Atou's affairs. At first this sentence sounded like a sarcastic remark, but now I understand Aoi's personality through Ah Liu's eyes. Being so superficial, Heishiro begins to feel that Aoi's state of mind is not all that cold and selfish. Aoi also has the meaning of guilt, regret and compensation in her heart.This is true for Ateng, and it is also true for Sakichi. "However," Heishiro stretched out his hand and patted his forehead, "Actually, the person who guessed Aoi's intentions, or attempts—it was an attempt, but it wasn't a bad thing—was not me, but Yumonosuke." Kuminosuke found out about this when he was transcribing and sorting out Ah Liu's note.If it wasn't for Gongnosuke's mention, Heishiro should have seen it himself. However, he deliberately exposed the truth with the tone of "after all, it is Yukinosuke", but Jiubei was puzzled, without a feeling of surprise, Heishiro then remembered: Yes, Jiubei does not know Yukinosuke. "That's my nephew. He's quite smart." Then, Jiubei smiled. "Oh, that's it. So, Mr. Izutsu, you want your nephew to inherit the mantle?" The manager's response to this was really quick. "Yes, we are talking about it." Yeah?Jiubei responded, looking very happy, and said, "That's really great." "Thanks, but how about it? Is this guess right?" "Guess right." Jiubei replied, with a slight sigh. "The young one once heard the master mention that Mrs. Kui discussed this matter with the master, probably not long after the Fuji House was built." "What about the house?" "It's hard to say." "Is it difficult to fool Ateng?" "It should be that it is difficult to set up the mechanism. If Mrs. Ateng can see the illusion, it has to be performed in Fujitaku." Performing illusion requires careful preparation, and you must beat and fight in the rattan house. "However, Mrs. Ateng doesn't take a step out of Fujitaku easily, so the master's words mean that it is extremely difficult to prepare without being noticed. This is different from the mansion in Yuxipo, and Fujitaku has to avoid the eyes and ears of neighbors. " I see, Heishiro nodded. "So the play has been delayed and the days just go by?" After tidying up Sun Ba, Kui would talk to Ah Liu, presumably because he has always kept it in his heart.She is well aware of the ability of the illusion troupe, as long as she makes arrangements in advance, it will surely comfort Ateng's heart.She was mostly wondering if she could manage to do it. It's just that there is a follow-up to this sentence.Ah Liu wrote that Aoi casually said: "However, in comparison, this is much better." It is one way to reassure Ateng by deception, but it is more like seeking peace of mind than for Ateng.It can be seen that Aoi's heart has been wavering. After Minatoya Soemon told Sakichi the truth, Aoi's heart must have been shaken even more.Abandoned her only son eighteen years ago, she forgot him, and he probably forgot her, but the two must meet sooner or later.What should I say?How to explain?Before that, if she could make up for it a little bit, she wanted to do the same.But isn't that wish too selfish? Kyubei looked up at Heishiro with a lot of emotion. "Master Izutsu, did you come all the way here just to confirm this trivial matter?" "That's right." "Just send a message." "You're sure you won't tell me the truth by letter? You still have to ask me face to face like this." Jiubei smiled wryly. "Maybe." "Besides, I also want you to try Ade's lunch box." "No, no, it's the uncle who wants to travel far away." Xiaoping said again.Heishiro scolded him for being talkative, Xiao Heiji laughed and whimpered. In Aoi's heart, there is a warmth that Heishiro can understand, and there is also regret for what he has done.Regardless of the right or wrong approach, at least Aoi has the idea of ​​making amends.Confirming that these are Heishiro's original intentions, since he can't express it well in words, he simply doesn't say it.But even though he didn't say it, Jiubei guessed it. "Thank you, sir. My little Mrs. Kui would like to thank you." Heishiro scratched his nose after receiving Kubei's gift. The meals for the guests were ready, Heishiro was invited into another room, and only one person prostrated himself on the ground.That was not a samurai, but a businessman, much younger than Kubei and Heishiro.The attire on the body is simple, but very refined. Heishiro looked at the back of the strange head in confusion, and when he turned around to ask Jiubei, the person raised his head and met his gaze. Heishiro still has no impression of the other party's face.Did Soujiro stand up and come out?But the young man's complexion is quite good, he really doesn't look like a patient. "Master Izutsu, you are welcome to come from afar." Following the words, the young businessman put his hands on the tatami again and said: "This is Soichiro from the house, and I am honored to meet the uncle."