Chapter 11 Section five

The next morning, Niu Yi was woken up by the maid's opening the sliding door.The sun is in the sky.He couldn't sleep last night, and he didn't seem to be asleep until dawn.He hurried out of the tea room, washed his face, and enjoyed a breakfast full of wild vegetables by himself. There was no sound in the hall, and those civilians seemed to have left long ago.Niu Yi paid homage to the temple again, returned to the dormitory, and prepared to pack his luggage and go back.At this time, the priest came here from the social affairs room.He seems to have been waiting a long time. "Mr. Yoshikaze, can you come to my place for a while? I would like to treat you to some rough tea."

"Then I won't be polite." Niu Yi had no intention of going back directly, so he readily accepted the invitation. "However, I really only have crude tea." The priest showed a slight smile, just like last night, Niu Yi felt that he had a good impression of him. He accepted the invitation and was brought into the social affairs room.It was a room separated by a sliding door, with a small hearth built in it.There was an old pottery teapot on the stove next to the hearth, and the rattan handle on it had turned burnt yellow. The teapot was steaming hot. As soon as the priest watched Niu sit down, he casually threw a handful of tea-brown dry matter into the pot.

"This is the root of a persimmon. After drying it, fry it a little bit like this. Finally, in order to exude the fragrance of the season, we picked a little bit of wild grass. It is said that drinking this tea will prevent you from having a stroke. Our hometown is regarded as a treasure." "Oh? That's right!" Niu Yi really wanted Youji to take a sip. "You don't know the efficacy of persimmon root? In the interview record, don't you call yourself a medicine merchant..." Niu Yi didn't think there was any irony in these words, but he was surprised after all.If the identity is suspected, it will be difficult to handle.

"Oh, although I'm a medicine merchant, I really don't know the secret medicines in your hometown. I only know the 116 kinds of medicines that appeared in "The Different Names of Materia Medica? I can’t even remember all the medicinal materials that appeared in the "Enlightenment Collection" and "Cutting Paper" that included the medical skills of the Yuan Dynasty in China. However, among the hundreds of Chinese medicines, there is indeed persimmon root, but in my impression its function seems to be to stop Hiccup." Niu Yi tried his best to display his knowledge of medicinal materials in order to dispel the other party's loneliness.

"You are worthy of being a medicine merchant, and you are very familiar with medicinal materials. Indeed, Chinese medicine only says that it has the effect of stopping hiccups. Well, well, I am not doubting Mr. Jifeng. As Master Jianhao said, there are many types of hiccups in China. Medicinal materials, the research on these medicinal materials is relatively complete, but that country is too big, and some documents are lost. On the contrary, in our small Japan, the research on some medicinal materials is in-depth. This persimmon root is one of them. " (Oops, good thing he didn't doubt me anymore...)

Niu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "No, just kidding. By the way, priest, where is your hometown?" "Forgot to mention, my name is Akito Taya. It is said that I am a priest, but in fact it is only a temporary replacement. The official priest has a chronic illness and is bedridden at home. Please treat me as an acquaintance from now on. I heard that my ancestors are from the Asai family in Omi, But if the people there go back three generations, most of them are descendants of emperors, and the rest are generally unknown." What he said sounded a bit awkward, but Niu Yi really felt the same way.The "Nobunaga Ji" he is about to write is precisely because of this that he does not intend to touch Nobunaga's brilliant family background.Tian Ya's words resonated with him.

"My home is near Hikone in Omi, between Banba and Birdimoto, a village near a small hill." "The hillside you mentioned, could it be the origami pass?" The priest was slightly taken aback, and stared at Niu Yi again with strange eyes. "It's nothing. The Zhusheng Island and Duojing Island seen from there are too beautiful. I know this. I have been there two or three times with like-minded poetry friends." Niu Yi smiled on purpose. Although he had only been there once, in order to dispel the other party's unnecessary suspicion, he could only make up such an excuse.

"My hometown is not well-known, and this is the first time I've heard praise from people since I came here. Oh, I'm so happy. I've never been so happy." Mingren's eyes suddenly softened. For Niu Yi, Mingren's hometown, Orijin Pass, is a place he will never forget.In the eleventh year of Yonglu, Niu Yi, an archer of the Oda family, was promoted to serve beside Lord Nobunaga.This meant that the samurai had to retire from the front line.He was forty-two years old at the time, and according to Yin and Yang Dao, it was an unlucky year, but Niu Yi didn't believe it.After ushering in the era of muskets, the bow technique that warriors were proud of gradually lost its role in battle. Niu Yi witnessed the ruthlessness of reality and suffered more and more year after year.If he insisted on competing in battle, the young archers following him would not be able to make great achievements in the Oda family.This was one of his motivations for switching to courtiership.

In August of that year, before Lord Nobunaga marched to Kyoto, he went to Sawayama Castle to visit Asai Nagamasa of Kita Omi.Niu Yi's first job after becoming a courtier was to discuss the relevant schedule with the Asai family in advance.After Mr. Nobunaga successfully completed his visit, Asai Nagamasa specially sent him to Orijin Pass.Asai was so caring, Mr. Nobunaga was unexpected, and he was very happy.Niu Yi was rewarded for this.These events are as vivid as yesterday. However, no one expected that the relationship between Nobunaga and Asai would end like this, let alone that six years later—on New Year's Day of the second year of Tensho, Nagamasa would turn into a skeleton with the skull painted in colors and become Nobunaga. Add to the fun at the banquet...

(Forget it, don't write these things into "Nobunaga Ji". This will be a shame to Nobunaga. I don't want to think about these things.) Niu Yi was immersed in the memories, feeling a burst of emotion.Suddenly, he was awakened by Mingren's words. "Mr. Jifeng, drink while the tea is not cold. You don't need to pay attention to tea ceremony etiquette here, you can drink it in one sitting." "Thank you very much, then I'll drink it." The light earth-colored tea bowl looks like it was made by a layman, and it contains thick brown tea soup at just the right temperature.Niu Yi grabbed the bowl casually and drank it all in one gulp.The mouth is full of sweet and astringent, with the fragrance of wild vegetables.

"I put the chrysanthemum chrysanthemums I picked this morning into it." "The taste is just right, not bad!" "How about another drink?" The kind eyes narrowed even more. "Okay." The tea soup was a little hot this time, and Niu Yi stirred it in his mouth with his tongue, tasting the taste. "I'm very happy. Tea is a gift from the gods. In order to obtain medicinal effects, it's best not to stick to the form, just drink it like that! I can't like Sen Rikyu's tea ceremony." Niu Yi smiled wryly when he heard Tian Wu's words.Sen Rikyu's tea ceremony is indeed a bit pretentious, and it is quiet and lonely.Sen Rikyu taught others that the so-called tea is nothing more than boiled water and tea for drinking, but if you observe carefully, you will find that he himself got a huge gift by signing the tea utensil, he is a vulgar guy.The hearty tea ceremony of Nobunaga's time has long since perished.Niu Yi could understand Tian Ya's disgust. "This teacup was made by you, Tianya?" "I don't like the so-called tea ceremony, so even the tea bowls are made by a rough person like me, which is considered a kind of pastime, just like the children in this area like to make all kinds of things with mud. For people like me who can't follow the fake tea ceremony etiquette For rough people, that's just right." "This tea bowl is very flavorful, not bad." The tea bowl in his hand looked very rough, but Niu Yi took another look. "I hope you're welcome. I was so busy talking just now that I forgot to take it out. I think this snack is not bad." Tian Ya handed over the rice cake on the paper, "This is the kudzu cake I made in my spare time. It just so happened that the locals sent some syrup, so I put a little bit in." Niu Yi put the snack into his mouth, it felt soft, and a sweet smell permeated his nostrils, exuding a slight aroma. "Has an elegant aroma and a hint of bitterness." "Really? Do you like it? I chopped up the yuzu peel and sprinkled it in, so it has a bitter taste. It's just a whim." Mingren had a satisfied smile on his face. "Oh? Mizuo is the place where grapefruits are produced?" If you take a shortcut, you can reach the end of the water in less than two hours from here.Niuyi, who was not interested in eating at first, had heard of the place name, but didn't know that it was the place where grapefruit was produced. "That place also has a name - the hometown of grapefruit. It is not only suitable for summer escape, but also suitable for escape from cold. It is a secluded place for many nobles. Although Ohara in Kyoto is very famous, people who know it prefer to go to Mizuo. Recently, Kyoto, Osaka Wealthy businessmen from places like Sakai, Sakai, etc. have gone to build villas in that small mountain village. By the way, it seems that some ministers in the imperial court have begun to secretly borrow houses there." "What? All the ministers of the imperial court quietly went to Shuiwei?" Niu Yi almost dropped the teacup in his hand. A flash of lightning flashed through his mind, reflecting a scene—after the poetry meeting, Mitsuhide, who claimed to be cultivating in the mountains, should have stayed in the shrine, took advantage of the night and galloped on the shortcut to the end of the water.Niu Yi suppressed his excitement and began to ask. "Who owns villas there?" "Even the name... Are you interested in this?" Mingren tilted his head with a serious expression. "No, it's not that I want to know. Back in Osaka, if people around Tianma are invited to the concert, maybe someone will be interested in Mizuo's villa. I think if we talk about this, the topic may be about who owns the villa. matter." This is a complete extemporaneous lie. "No wonder. If so, you can go around to Shuiwei to ask when you go back." "Local, do you know anyone?" "Among my confectionery partners, Heizaemon is the local village chief. He went home to pick yuzu recently. From my point of view, he will tell everything he knows." "That's great. Then I'll follow your advice and make a detour back to Osaka from Mizuo." Niu Yi stood up slowly, trying to avoid being seen through by the other party. Tianwu sent him out of the social affairs office, and when he was about to say goodbye, he suddenly asked nonchalantly, "Mr. Jifeng, how old are you?" "I am seventy years old." "Is it the year of Ding Hai?" Mingren closed his eyes slightly, as if thinking about something. "Do you understand Ganzhi?" "It's just drawing a gourd from a gourd." "Can you calculate my age?" "Then you can listen to it casually, and you have the right to make a joke." Ming said slowly, "The word is just like its shape, and 'ding' means a path to the end. If it is a plant, it means that the bud is about to germinate, but it has not yet broken out of the surface.' Hai' has the meaning of rooting and germination, which means that things that are rooted in the ground are ready to go. In the lunar calendar, 'hai' means October, and in ancient Chinese, it means 'containing everything' and 'wrapping it'. I don't know about Jifeng Do you think about it, sir, but within this month, the things in your heart will condense into unexpected energy, and soon, this accumulated energy will appear on the ground and evolve into an unexpected towering Big tree. So don't worry." "thanks." Niu Yi bowed happily, as if he had been greatly encouraged. "Okay, we're about to part, and it's time for me to tell the truth. I think Mr. Jifeng is not just a reclusive medicine merchant." Niu Da was taken aback, pretending to be calm, and asked back: "Your words surprised me again. Why do you doubt me, an ordinary old medicine dealer?" "When I was drinking tea just now, your fingers made me understand. Look at the left front end of your right index finger. Your whole hand looks soft and white, only the color of that part is different, a little darker. It must be the grip It is formed by a brush. If you grind a medicine roller, the entire palm will harden and turn red, not just a part of it will become darker. You see, my hand is like this." Tian Ya spread his hands and smiled, "You Do you want to continue to hide it? I will never tell others. " He suddenly looked at Niu Yi with sharp eyes, and Niu Yi panicked. "I'm convinced. You've seen through this, so I can only hand in my gun and surrender." Tian Wu showed a kind smile again, waiting for Niu Yi to tell the truth. "Isn't there a saying that I often say—it's a rare encounter in life. I hope you don't see each other again." "Then I'll tell you my real name." Niu Yi said solemnly. Samurai rarely reveal their real name, but if they continue to hide it, it would be disrespectful to Tianya. Well, everyone calls me 'Niuichi'. I transferred from the Oda family to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and was the lowest serving officer until two years ago. But now, I live in seclusion, and I want to see the world for the last time. Just wander around and broaden your knowledge.” "I won't ask you what you plan to write. But, Ota-san, I think you have something big in your heart. You are an old man, so you should take care of your health. It may be unnecessary to say these words to you who call yourself a drug dealer—in case If you are not in good health, please write down your illness in detail and send it to me. The mountains and fields in this area are a treasure trove of medicinal materials, and I may be able to help you." "Thank you very much for your deep friendship, and I will trouble you then." "That's right, that's right, I haven't answered the question you asked yesterday. After the Mitsuhide incident, the Generals Poetry Club at Mount Atago has been abolished. There is an order from above that after the poetry session is held, the relevant content must be copied to the police in charge. Governor of Kyoto. Needless to say, you must understand the reasoning. We can no longer hold generals poetry gatherings, so I hope you will bring more common people. If there is no poetry gathering, it will be very difficult for Atago Mountain to do business.” Niu was dazed by Tianwu until the end.After bidding farewell to Mount Atago, he followed the footsteps of Guangxiu in his fantasy and rushed to Suwei. Walk about two towns from Xifang, where we stayed last night, and turn right at the intersection leading to Qingpu, which is the shortcut to Shuiwei.It was a bushy road.Niu Yi walked very fast and finished the steep downhill road in less than half an hour.The steep slope disappeared in front of the eyes, and a small piece of flat land stretched to the south. There were no paddy fields, and the area of ​​dry fields was not large. Only a pomelo grove surrounded by a valley clearly appeared in front of us.The tree is more than one foot high.The name is well-deserved, it is indeed unique. Tian Ya told Ushiichi the address of Hirazaemon's house.As soon as Niu asked a passing farmer, he figured it out.When Ushiichi reported the name of the field house, Hirazaemon's family members said that the head of the house was in the dry field, and politely showed him the way, and reminded him many times to be careful of the grapefruit branches.They walked among the grapefruit trees. Heizaemon was about sixty, chubby, with a round face, and seemed a kind person.When the family members reported the name of the farmhouse, he took off the bamboo hat on his head and bowed respectfully to Niu Yi. "I am Jifeng, a drug dealer, and I live in seclusion in Osaka Tenma. I heard that there are many villas in Kyoto and Osaka. I am very interested. I want to get a place here to recuperate, so I came to take a look." It seems more convenient to use Jifeng's identity here to speak. "You want to take care of your body? You look very strong." The other party showed a soft smile and looked straight at Niu Yi's body.Niu Yi felt rather embarrassed. "No, it's not me, it's a family member." As a result, he lied casually again. After a while, Heizawaemon said slowly: "I understand, but you may be late. The houses with good orientation are basically sold. Now even the miscellaneous forests on the mountain have been opened up. After all , our village is only this big.” "Really? It's so popular here?" Niu Yi was quite surprised.Although a place has been opened up, but looking at the nearby mountains and gorges, one can understand at a glance that the area is limited. "We locals don't understand why this place is so popular. However, compared with Kyoto, the climate here is good no matter whether it is summer or winter. Therefore, many people just buy land and put it away. There are some things that cannot be said out loud—in The merchants who sent troops to Korea and made a fortune from the trade with Luzon (Philippines) are hoarding land here, planning to build later. To be honest, they leave that land unused, which is a real headache for us." "Speaking of trade with Luzon, could it be that the wholesaler is helping Zaemon and the others?" "He's the number one hoarder." Hirazaemon frowned, his voice was weak, it could be seen that he really didn't know what to do. "If it's Zuzaemon, I can't tell the reason for now, but he will have to give up these lands soon." Niu Yi whispered.Some people were jealous of Suzaemon and spread rumors that he had lost power.If it is true, this is something Niu Yi would like to shout about. "Really?" Heizawaemon looked innocently, turning his big eyeballs rounder. "This is just a rumor spread by the people of Osaka, but there are no secrets in this place of Osaka, I'm afraid it wasn't all fabricated by someone out of jealousy." "It would be great if it was true. As the village chief, I worry about this day and night. Our small village is no match for rich businessmen. Well, I heard good news." Hizaemon seemed relieved. Suzaemon brought back fifty Luzon teapots from Luzon two years ago, which were claimed to be pottery from the Song Dynasty in China.It is said that some stupid daimyos even offered a high price of 1,000 or even 5,000 guan.It was always 1,000 coppers, and when it was replaced by salary, it was always 5 shi at that time, and 5,000 guan was 25,000 shi, which was the same as the annual income of small and medium-sized daimyos. At that time, even the most advanced black glazed pottery was only worth a hundred guan.Those pots are worth ten or even fifty times as much.Therefore, Suzaemon made millions of profits in just a few days.At that time, he was very powerful, so he used the extra money to buy properties everywhere, and even stretched his dirty hands here. After hearing people's comments, Ishida Sansachi threatened Zuzaemon that Master Guanbai would use it, and bought the last three pots, which led to a sudden change in the situation. There were even rumors that the so-called Song Dynasty pottery was completely nonsense, Luzon People just use it to hold shit.I heard that Suzaemon was severely reprimanded for this. However, Niu Yi's interest is not in these matters at all, he just wants to start a conversation and see who owns a villa here. "The land of Suzaemon is good, I want to see it. Also, from the past, it is also important who owns villas nearby. So, can you tell me quietly?" Hirazaemon answered truthfully: "Wealthy merchants from some old shops in Kyoto and Osaka bought them very early." "For example?" "It's near the land that Suzaemon bought. Anyway, the most magnificent villa I'm in charge of is probably Chaya-san's villa." "You mean the tea house Shiro Jiro?" The name was unexpected, and Niu Yi asked again, "Is there no villa for the court minister?" "People in the imperial court don't have a lot of money, so I'm afraid they can't afford villas. They seem to borrow villas from merchants." I really think so.The life of the courtiers below the fifth rank is difficult, and of course they don't have that kind of spare money, but the Wushe family may have a small villa.Those who are related to solving the mystery of Lord Nobunaga are limited to high-ranking courtiers.Niu Yi felt that he needed to continue to have a deeper understanding. "What kind of courtier? When it comes to courtiers, there are differences in size." Niu Yi spread out the big net and asked. "I don't know very well, but Ichito-sama, Nijo-sama, Konoe-sama, and Imidegawa (Kidei)-sama, those well-known characters do often come and go in and out of Chaya-san's villa." It is rare that Hirazaemon took the initiative to reduce the network port.Niu Yi intuitively felt that among them, Mr. Jin Wei, who was known as a "master of life", deserved the most attention. "The Konoe-sama you're talking about is the Konoe-sama who was exiled to Satsuma?" Niu Yi deliberately pretended not to know, and opened the network port again. "It's not Lord Xinyin, but his father, Lord Maejiu. He is tall and looks like a mighty warrior. He looks like a courtier at first glance." Niu Yian called Miaoji.That's right.He had seen the letter Changgong several times a long time ago.He remembered that Lord Nobunaga once said that this man had sharp eyesight, which other courtiers did not possess, and he should pay attention to this man's movements. Niu Yi felt that it was necessary to continue asking about this man. "It's been more than ten years... At that time, he came here often, and then there was no news..." Hirazaemon looked across the mountain with a nostalgic expression. "I heard that she is currently living in seclusion in a temple in Kyoto." "Really? When he came here, as soon as he entered the door of the tea house villa, he took off his clothes and hat very casually, almost naked. Sometimes he taught the children of the common people to read, and sometimes he grabbed the pickled or He chewed and swallowed the cooked bamboo shoots. He is a bold and unrestrained person, good at riding horses, hunting, and hunting birds." "I heard that among the courtiers, he is a rare and unrestrained person. Moreover, he is a calligrapher of the Shoren-in school. I like poetry, and I have visited various temples. In many places, I can see Konoe Maeku-sama left behind My calligraphy. Maybe it’s also in Mr. Chaya’s villa?” "There are many. If you are free, I will take you to have a look. I am in charge of the management of the mansion. It is completely fine for you to just look at it. It happened that it rained heavily a few days ago, and I was just thinking about opening the door there. The door lets the moisture out." "I can't thank you enough for saying that. I won't give you trouble." "This may be a big harvest!" Niu Yi really wanted to shout, "A long time ago, my lord came here to meet Guangxiu. Guangxiu's so-called cultivation in the mountains is an excuse!" At that time, Lord Nobunaga did not allow the generals of the Oda family to contact the court ministers.What did the two who broke the ban say here?Just by imagining it, Niu Yi felt his heart surge.