Chapter 71 Chapter 13 Burning the Peony Salary

Yoshino wore a simple and elegant light yellow kimono with a black satin belt, a dignified bun on his head, a little powder on his face, and greeted the guests with a smile. "Ah! It's so beautiful!" "It's as beautiful as a fairy!" Everyone stared at Yoshino. Sitting by the fire in the dim earthen room, Yoshino, who was wearing a refreshing light yellow cotton kimono, was more beautiful than Yoshino, who was sitting in front of the golden screen and silver candles, wearing a Momoyama embroidered kimono and smiling brightly with green-purple lipstick. Thousands of times.

"Well! Now, I suddenly feel refreshed." Shaoyou, who has never praised others very much, also restrained his vicious words.There are no cushions specially prepared here, and Yoshino invites everyone to sit by the unique stove in the countryside: "As you can see, this is a house in the mountains, so I can't entertain you well. On a snowy night, no matter whether you are a lowly man or a nobleman, the best hospitality is to sit by the fire to keep warm. So I prepared a lot of firewood, enough We'll talk all night until dawn. Feel free to sit by the fire, everyone!"

I see. Let everyone walk through the cold place, and then let everyone warm themselves by the fire.This is probably her so-called entertainment!Guangyue nodded in agreement, while Shaoyou, Guangguang and Ze'an sat comfortably by the stove to warm up. "That gentleman, please come and enjoy the fire!" Yoshino gave up his seat and invited Musashi behind him. There are six people sitting around the quadrangular stove, which seems a bit crowded. Musashi has always been rigid about etiquette.In today's Japan, after Taihe Hideyoshi and Ogosho, she is the first generation of Yoshino. Her name is spread all over the world. Compared with Izumo's Akuni, her moral character is more noble, and she is more popular among the people. dear.She is also more talented and approachable than Yodo-kun of Osaka Castle, that's why she is so famous!

A pleasure-seeker is called a "drunk buyer"; and she who sells her talents is called a "taifu".It is said that seven maids took her bath and two of them cut her nails.Guangyue, Shaoyou, Guangguang and other "drunk buyers" take such a famous woman as their object of entertainment. Where is the fun?Musashi couldn't see why. But in the boring game, there seems to be unwritten rules on the etiquette of guests, women's etiquette, intentions of both parties, and so on.Therefore, Musashi, who didn't know this way, just felt stiff and uncomfortable, especially when he came to the world of cosmetics for the first time, he was at a loss.Being winked at by Yoshino's bright eyes made him blush and his heart beat faster.

"Why are you the only one who is so polite? Please sit here!" Yoshino said that several times. "Then... I won't be polite!" Musashi sat next to her nervously, clumsily imitating the others warming up by the stove. Yoshino glanced at Musashi's sleeve as he moved to sit next to him.Finally, while everyone was talking, he quietly took out the pocket paper and gently wiped Musashi's sleeves. "Ah! Don't dare!" If Musashi was silent, no one would have noticed this move.He glanced at his sleeve, and after he replied, all eyes turned to Yoshino.

She held the folded paper in her hand, and the paper was stained with red sticky stuff that had just been wiped off. Guang Guang widened his eyes and said: "Ah! Isn't that blood?" Yoshino smiled and said: "No, it's just a piece of red peony." Each of them held a wine glass in their hands and drank freely according to their own preferences.The flames reflected on the faces of the six people, flickering brightly and then darkly.Everyone endured the biting cold, looked at the flames in front of them, and kept silent. "..." When the firewood was almost exhausted, Yoshino took out a foot of fine firewood from the charcoal cage and put it into the stove.

Everyone looked at the thin dead wood she added, and found that it didn't look like pine branches or miscellaneous wood.Because it is not only easy to burn, but also the color of the flame is quite beautiful, everyone is intoxicated by the flame. "Ah! What kind of tree is this firewood?" Someone noticed it, and muttered to himself.Others are left unanswered for their fascination with the beautiful flame. With only four or five sticks of fine firewood, the room was illuminated like daylight. The flames are like red peonies in the wind, the purple-gold flame intertwined with bright red flames, burning fiercely.

"Teacher!" Finally someone spoke: "The firewood you added—what kind of branch is it? It's not ordinary firewood, is it?" When Guangguang asked, the whole room was already filled with the fragrance from the firewood. Yoshino replied: "It's a peony tree." "Ah! Peony?" The answer shocked everyone present.When people mention peony on weekdays, they only think of its beautiful flowers. How can peony become firewood?Everyone was dubious, so Yoshino put a burnt firewood in Guangguang's hand and said: "Please take a look!" Guangguang showed the peony firewood to Shaoyou and Guangyue:

"So that's it, this is the branch of the peony! No wonder..." Then Yoshino said: The peony garden around the fan house existed long before the fan house was built, and several peony trees in it have a history of more than a hundred years.In order to make some ancient plants bloom, every winter, those ancient plants that have been eaten by moths must be cut down so that new shoots can grow. Firewood is the ancient plants that were cut down at that time. The cut short branches are gathered in the stove to burn, and the soft flame is extremely beautiful.Not only does it have no choking smoke, but it also exudes a pleasant fragrance.It is indeed the king of flowers, even if it becomes firewood, it is different from miscellaneous trees.In essence, whether it is a plant or a human being, when they are alive, they bloom beautiful flowers; after withering, they can also become beautiful firewood.Can anyone have real value like peony?

Yoshino was deeply moved, and said with a helpless smile: "Ah! I'm not as good as this peony flower. I've lived in a daze all my life. When I was young, I could still be admired for my beauty; when I'm old and fading, I'm just a pile of bones that don't even have a fragrance." The raging white flames of the peony branches were burning vigorously, and the people by the fireside completely forgot that the night was already deep. Yoshino said: "There is really nothing to entertain, but the famous wine and peony salary in this beach area are enough to supply until dawn."

Everyone was very satisfied with Yoshino's hospitality, especially Shoyu Huiya, who was quite tired of luxury and extravagance, both sighed and praised: "How can you say that there is nothing to entertain, this is better than the king's entertainment!" "Please leave a few words, as a souvenir!" Yoshino took out the inkstone.While grinding the ink, the maid went to the next room to spread the blanket and unfold the Tang paper. Guangguang helped Yoshino to urge Zean: "Ze'an, it's rare for the husband to beg so much, why don't you just pick up your pen and write something!" Zean nodded and said: "Guangyue should write first." Without saying a word, Guangyue knelt down in front of the Tang paper and drew a peony, while Zean inscribed on the blank space above the flower: Guangguang also deliberately wrote a poem by Dai Wengong: Under the persuasion of everyone, Yoshino also wrote under Ze'an's inscription: Yoshino finished writing and put down the pen. Shaoyu and Musashi just watched quietly, no one forced them to write and write, which is really what Musashi wished for. At this moment, Shaoyou saw a pipa hanging in the alcove of the next room.He proposed to ask Yoshino to play a piece of pipa before the meeting ended tonight. "It's great, I must play it." Everyone begged, Yoshino didn't refuse, and immediately picked up the pipa, his movements were frank and natural, neither boasting of his talent, nor deliberate modesty. She left the stove and sat on the tatami in the next room with her pipa in her arms.The people around the fire also calmed down, and after listening to her play a Heike tune, they remained silent. The flame in the furnace weakened, and the room darkened accordingly.Everyone was so intoxicated by the music that they completely forgot to add firewood.This musical instrument has only four strings, but it can be played in ever-changing ways, from fast to slow.The fire that is about to go out, and the occasional flames, call people's hearts back to reality. At the end of the song, Yoshino put down the pipa with a smile on his face, and sat back in his original position: "It's ugly now." At this moment, everyone stood up and prepared to go home.As if being rescued from the emptiness, Musashi finally heaved a sigh of relief and stepped out of the room first. Yoshino said hello and farewell to each guest except Musashi. When Musashi followed the others and was about to step out of the threshold, Yoshino grabbed his sleeve and said softly: "Mr. Musashi, please stay here overnight. I will not let you go back tonight anyway." Hearing what she said, Musashi blushed with embarrassment.Although he pretended not to hear, everyone looked at his bewildered embarrassment. Yoshino asked Shaoyu: "May I keep this guest here for the night?" Shaoyou replied: "Okay! Of course! You have treated us so well, how can we not show respect! Mr. Guangyue, don't you think so?" Musashi hurriedly pushed Yoshino's hand away: "No, I want to go back with Mr. Guangyue." Musashi insisted on leaving, and was about to go out, but Guangyue persuaded him for some reason: "Mr. Musashi, please don't say that, stay here for one night, and leave tomorrow! Besides, Taifu is so sincere!" Like Guangyue, everyone persuaded him to stay. Musashi thought in his heart: Everyone left him who had no experience with women, and he must want to use this as a laughing stock in the future. Isn't this a prank trick by adults?However, he saw that both Yoshino and Guangyue were serious, and they didn't mean to be teasing at all. Except for Yoshino and Koetsu, the others couldn't help but want to tease Musashi when they saw Musashi's embarrassed look: "You are the happiest person in Japan!" "I'd love to replace you—" Everyone teases me with every word.Suddenly, a man's voice came from outside the house, interrupting the teasing of these people and blocking everyone's teasing and joking words. "What happened?" Only then did everyone notice something strange. The man who hastily ran into the house was Oshiya's male servant who was entrusted by Yoshino to inquire outside the brothel.Everyone is surprised when Yoshino made such careful arrangements?And Guangyue has been with Musashi since daytime, and seeing Yoshino quietly wipe the blood off Musashi's sleeve by the stove just now, he seems to understand what happened. "Only Mr. Musashi can't leave the brothel carelessly." The man who inquired about the news was out of breath, and reported what he had witnessed to Yoshino and others in an exaggerated tone: "There is only one exit in the Fireworks and Willow Lane. Not only are heavily armed warriors guarding the entrance, but there are also warriors on guard everywhere from the weaving tea house to the street trees. Groups of five, ten in small groups, black crows. Gathered there and searched with sharp eyes... It is said that they are all members of the Yoshioka martial arts school in Shijo. Therefore, the nearby hotels or businesses are scared to close their doors and do not do business. There are even more serious ones. Legend has it that from From the brothel to the racecourse, nearly a hundred warriors have gathered!" When the man reported, his teeth chattered with fear.Hearing half of what he said, it can be inferred that the situation is not trivial. "Thank you for your hard work! You can go back and rest!" After Yoshino told the man to step back, he said to Musashi: "Presumably after hearing these words, you don't want to be a person who is greedy for life and afraid of death. Maybe you will insist on going back even if you can't survive. But please don't be impatient. Even if people say you are a coward tonight, as long as you are a coward tomorrow A good guy is enough. What's more, I came here to play tonight! When you play, have fun, this is the true nature of a hero! The other party wants to take advantage of you when you go home, and wait for the opportunity to kill you. If you avoid this situation, It doesn't hurt your reputation. On the contrary, if you are reckless and determined to break into the trap, you will be ridiculed as a thoughtless person, and you will bring a lot of trouble to the brothel. If you go out with other people, I'm afraid it will hurt other people, so please think twice before you act. Leave it to Yoshino to take care of me tonight...Everyone, Yoshino will take good care of him, please go back with peace of mind!"