Chapter 18 Section five

After sending Genbei away, Niu Yi avoided the woman who was curled up alone in a corner of the study, and returned to the desk without a word.For a literati who is entering old age, young women are just playthings for occasional indulgence, just like four months ago, in Kyoto, there is no need to stay by your side all the time, it will only distract yourself, and it is a tricky thing . (Genbei, leave me a troublesome present.) Niu Yi smacked his lips quietly.It is enough to leave cooking, washing clothes and other things to the maid who comes every day.It's just Genbei's words of "living historical data" that made him want to hide this woman for a while.But you can't ignore her either.Sitting alone in a corner, the listless woman is really pitiful.

"You look up. I don't know your name yet." After a while, Niu Yi said a word helplessly.Only then did the woman raise her head, and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She used her hands to brush her loose hair. Against the backdrop of the lights, her white arms were shaking, which made people feel weird. "What's your name?" "I don't have a name." The woman said awe-inspiringly, and her answer caught Niu Yi by surprise. "No? You said there is no name? This is a strange thing." Niu Yi couldn't help smiling wryly.Even if the name is changed, as long as it is not abandoned, there should be a name.He waited silently for the woman again, wondering if this little girl was playing tricks on him.However, the woman also raised her head and faced Niu Yi directly, without the slightest joking expression.

"You always had a name when you were a kid, didn't you?" Niu Yi asked another question in a soft tone, as if he was persuasive. "I have a name. No, I should have had it once. However, my mother once taught me that once a girl leaves home, she must obey the master's arrangement and often abandon her original name. Therefore, I don't have a name now. I hope you will not angry." The woman's melon seed face began to show a little blush. "Where is your home?" "Danbo." "Danbo is so big, roughly where is it?" "A village called Lihang by the Sidou Valley River in Onohara."

"Really? Is that the place where the red clay pottery is produced?" Ushiichi remembered that the water pot he used contained rough pottery from Tanba. "So your family are potters?" "Yes. Now my grandfather still makes a living by making pottery. His name is Tsuboya Sobei." Danbo's "Dan" means "red".The red clay pottery that can reflect the characteristics of Tanba is.It is a famous production area for kettles, jugs, and sake jugs, but tea bowls can hardly be fired because of the single texture and rough clay.For this reason, Qian Lixiu and other tea masters simply ignored it.

After the Yuanwa period, with the appearance of Masaichi Kobori as a samurai tea master, the clay tea utensils fired by Tamba were re-evaluated. "Unfortunately, I have never been to Danbo. When it comes to Lihang, I only know the name, and I don't understand the local situation at all. Under the teaching of my parents, women in Danba will abandon their original names after leaving home. These things are the first I heard it for the first time." "No, it's not the education in the Tamba area. Only my mother does. To be honest, my mother teaches some weird things."

Although he said strange things on his mouth, there was nostalgia in his expression.This girl must have grown up under the meticulous care of her mother, and her behavior seems to be not bad.Niu Yi thought she was a burden at first, but now, this thought is gradually dispelled. "No, to men. Your mother is attractive." If she lives by the name given by a man, a woman will undoubtedly be full of dedication. The woman smiled and said, "I am very happy to receive your praise. But don't you hate women without names?" Niu Yiwu smiled wryly and said, "I don't find it annoying. But it's definitely inconvenient."

"Then give me a new name." The woman fell deeply on the ground. Although Niu Yi had named a newborn child before, it was the first time to name an adult woman.He froze for a while, then asked. "You are under Master Changkang, what's your name?" He had said it offhand, but it seemed like a cruel question for a woman. "I have already forgotten Lord Changkang, and also my name at that time. Please forgive me." She shook her snow-white neck desperately, showing great resistance. "Sorry, I asked this question lightly." "No, I made a willful request."

The woman had a stiff expression and lowered her head slightly. After thinking silently for a while, Niu Yi slowly said: "Then say goodbye." "Saya... Saya?" The woman looked straight at Niu Yi with a suspicious expression. "It was my daughter's name. She died of the epidemic when she was twelve, a girl as beautiful as you." "Have you given me your daughter's name?" The woman raised her head, her shoulders trembled slightly, and for a moment, there was an expression in her eyes that made it unclear whether it was relief or disappointment.Niu Yi pretended not to see it.

"My bedroom is in the next room. I didn't make the bed during the day. You can sleep there temporarily tonight. I'm going to write all night, so you can rest assured to sleep. I took in an old lady until this spring, and she died later. The warehouse where I slept is also empty. From tomorrow, you clean up and sleep there. The old lady’s bedding is thrown away, and I will buy it again tomorrow. You only need to take care of my two meals a day. Clean the yard, wash Don’t do rough work like rinsing. Anyway, there are male servants and maids. Arrange extra time. However, when I think about it, I will get up and write, and I will sleep when I want to sleep. The meal time is not fixed. You have to pay attention to this. You just need to put the dinner plate in the next room, and I will wake up when I think about it, and I will eat when I want to eat."

After speaking, he turned his face away again.Facing the desk. According to Niu Yi's order, starting from the next morning, Saya will carefully prepare two meals outside the study.The first meal consisted of two dishes and one soup; the second meal consisted of three dishes and one soup, all of which were mostly vegetarian. In addition to seasonal vegetables, there were also wild vegetables, river fish, etc., which were delicious and irreproachable. At first, Niu focused on writing. As usual, he returned to his desk after finishing his meal. About ten days later, he suddenly realized a situation.

No matter when Niu Yi sleeps or wakes up, the meals will be ready on time, even the soup is warm, and Saya herself is fully dressed, waiting in the outer room separated by a sliding door, as if she had guessed that Niu Yi had already guessed. One's living time. "When do you go to bed and when do you wake up?" Niu Yi felt puzzled, and asked through the sliding door. "I go to bed and wake up on the same time as adults..." "In the outer room separated by the sliding door, how can you know when I write, when I sleep, and when I get up... Tell me." "I have been here to observe the movement in your house, my lord, the sound of manuscript paper coming through the sliding door, the flickering of the lights, the faint sound of the wind, etc..." "Aren't you going back to the warehouse? If so, you won't be able to lie down and sleep." "Sitting is enough. I won't lie down here." (That said, I understand.) Niu Yi remembered that he had lent her the bedroom next door the night before she was brought here, and later found that the bed hadn't been moved at all. "Isn't that bad for you?" "It's okay, I'm used to it." "No, don't hold on. When I was young, I put armor on the front of my body on the battlefield, and I sat on firewood and miscanthus to sleep. But once I got home, I would lie on the bed in a large font , sleep for two or three days." Speaking of this, Niu Yi suddenly muttered to himself. (This woman may have been a ninja.) A trace of doubt emerged in his mind, if it was just an ordinary maid beside Maeno, she shouldn't be tracked down by the Taige everywhere.After thinking for a while, Niu Yi told Saya that when he was eating, let her serve as much as possible, but when writing, she had to go back to the warehouse. One morning, Niu Yi asked casually. "How old were you when the Battle of Tongzama took place in Yonglu's reign?" "I'm not born yet." Saya chuckled.The Battle of Barrel Gazebo happened thirty-seven years ago. "That's right. That's right, the age is wrong. Then you don't know anything about the Battle of the Barrel at all." "No. My mother has mentioned it to me many times. I still know about it." "Really? How would your mother know? Isn't she a Tamba woman?" Niu Yi couldn't understand the relationship between the woman in Danba and the distant Ozama Mountain. "When I was young, my mother worked as a maid in Maeno's house. At that time, she was ordered by Maeno-sama to be in charge of making tea in the tea room that was built near Ozama Mountain." "What are you talking about? There's a teahouse built in a hurry in Ozama Mountain?" Niu Yi almost dropped the chopsticks in his hand to the ground. There used to be many Tamba-born people in Maeno's family, perhaps her mother was one of them. "The one who makes tea... why was that tea room built?" "I don't know. But I heard from my mother that Master Changkang took care of her early in the morning - there will be important secret talks here, you must serve carefully, and you must be safe." "commune?" "Yes. That day, my mother was waiting in the tea room. Soon, a short and fat man with the appearance of a leader arrived in a sedan chair with a large number of subordinates, and then walked into the tea room built with reed curtains. It was as if to escape the storm at that time." "He went in alone?" If it is the leader, it should not act alone.Niu Yi didn't say anything, but waited for the woman to tell. "No. There are more than a dozen strong bodyguards coming in. Soon, another tall general came in with a few followers. None of them had a knife. One of the followers was particularly short, like a monkey……" "Could it be Tokichiro Kinoshita?" "My mother said before she was alive that it must be Mr. Kinoshita, and later Mr. Hashiba Hideyoshi." "So, that tall general is Oda Nobunaga? In such a big wind and rain, can your mother figure it out?" Niu Yi asked with a wry smile. "When I was young, my mother said that it must be Nobunaga." "Nonsense. It's impossible for Nobunaga to meet Yoshimoto in that kind of place. Your mother got it all wrong." Niu Yi felt that these words were not worth mentioning at all, so he stopped talking. Afterwards, Niu Yi adjusted his previously irregular writing time. From morning to midnight, he also tried to spare time for meals in the middle.In this way, the food tastes delicious and the physical condition improves.Even so, the creation of "Nobunaga's Chronicles" was not as smooth as "Nobunaga's Records". The amount of historical materials collected is insufficient; there are always some places in the historical materials that are suspicious; there are also contradictions among the historical materials. Niu Yi got angry many times alone, threw his pen aside, and even thought of giving up writing altogether. An old woman once worked in Gudu City, where Nobunaga's father Shinsuke lived, and she once told about Master Ji (Nobunaga's baby name) when he was five to seven years old.This is what Genbei heard. ——Master Ji is really helpless.He's a weird kid who can't be found sometimes.At that time, we searched everywhere in the city.He usually goes out of town, swimming and climbing trees at nearby river beaches.Sometimes it can't be found in these places, and then we will go to the clothing management office.At first glance, he was wearing a woman's clothes and a woman's hat, lying there.He also liked to smell women's clothes, like a dog, sniffing desperately.Everyone feels scared. For this statement, Niu Yi was confused, and finally did not record this testimony.This does not match the image of the pure Master Ji. A veteran who had been a low-level samurai told about the events of Nobunaga when he was eighteen years old.Niu Yi personally heard this when he went to Qingzhou. ——Nobunaga’s father, Nobuhide, did not die in Tianwen twelve years ago, but three years ago.At that time, Nobunaga had just married Mrs. Nobu, the daughter of Saito Dozo of Mino.It is said that the cause of his death was excessive sexual indulgence.Around the inheritance issue, there was a fight between Nobunaga and Mr. Nobuyuki. In desperation, they could only hide it for three years. ——It is true that Nobunaga made a big fuss at his father's funeral, but the situation is different from the rumors.At that time, Mrs. Tsuchida Gozen, who had concealed the news of her husband's death for three years, did not tell Nobunaga, but let Nobuyuki and the others hold the funeral quietly. Perhaps she wanted Nobuyuki to preside over the funeral, so as to determine her heir's status.After hearing the news, Nobunaga, who was playing by the river beach, rushed to the funeral without changing his clothes, and threw a handful of incense ash at his mother.Ordinary people who didn't know the truth scolded Mr. Nobunaga, saying that he was a fool for throwing ashes at his father's memorial tablet.Because we know the inside story, we feel sorry for him in private. ——When Nobunaga was 20 years old, Hirate Masahide committed suicide. He didn't die because of admonishing Nobunaga's indiscretion.I remember at that time it was rumored that Mrs. Tsuchida Gozen and Nobuyuki-sama believed that Nobunaga was not eligible to inherit, so Hirate-sama fought to the death. ——About the killing of Lord Nobuyuki in the third year of Koji, compared with the suicide of Lord Heisei, we little people are even less clear.However, there were rumors at the time that Lord Nobunaga and Mrs. Yoshino, the concubine who lived in Ikomain, had a child - Mikimaru, who later became Nobutada.The child was attacked when he was born.When Nobunaga judged that it was the work of Nobuyuki-sama, he killed him as revenge.There is also a theory that the attack itself was fabricated by Nobunaga's faction, and there is no such thing at all.Those of us are not very clear.One thing is certain, at that time, in the battle over the inheritance of the Oda family, 70% supported Nobuyuki-sama, and 30% supported Nobunaga-sama.In the minds of his retainers, Lord Nobunaga has no prestige at all. Niu Yi remembered spending more than a dozen silver coins in order to obtain these testimonies.At that time, he felt that it was quite important testimony and valuable. But now, when summarizing these historical materials as the content of "Nobunaga Preface", Niu Yi hesitated.To state this, it is necessary to delve deeper into the internal struggles of the Oda family.It is endless to write like this.The history of family feuds like this abounds in any biography. (When he was young, Nobunaga was a mischievous guy who broke the rules. Even so, I hope Master Ji Master has a shining point. I want to write like this. I want to believe that when he was young, Nobunaga was awe-inspiring and heroic, and he already possessed the potential of a general .) Over the years, the image of Mr. Nobunaga has been drawn in his mind preconceived.Niu Yi didn't want to tarnish Lord Nobunaga's glorious image because of the boring succession battle. Although he hesitated, Niu Yi removed all these testimonies from his writings.In this way, in "Nobunaga Preface", he only retains the image of Nobunaga's innocence and cuteness in his youth, which is irreproachable.For this reason, its content is less than expected, and it does not even need to be divided into volumes. Of course, it is not enough to be called "Nobunaga Preface". (Then what name should it be? If it is a preface, it is a bit too long. But if it is a separate volume, it is too eye-catching. Isn’t there a title that is neither eye-catching but also implicitly expresses the author’s thoughts?) Niu Yi thought about it, but still couldn't think of a good idea. The restless Niu Yi finds some relief only when Saya tells about Danbo.Leaving aside the matter of Ozamayama, the ancestral pottery industry mentioned by Saya seems to be a thing of another world to the layman Niu Yi, and he finds it very fresh. Saya's grandfather, Tsuboya Sobei, was a ten-generation potter in Rikhang, Tamba.Three of his four sons aspired to be samurai and defected to the Hatano family in Hachigami Castle. However, they died one after another in the internal struggle in Tanba and the conquest by Akechi Mitsuhide.Only the youngest son, because of his frailty and sickness, gave up the idea of ​​becoming a samurai since he was young, and practiced in a temple in Kyoto, so he was able to survive.More than ten years ago, the youngest son suddenly left the monastery to return to his hometown. Now, together with Saya's grandfather, he is dedicated to passing on his old line of work. (Before, although I had seen many pots and vessels, I had never visited a potter in person. Next time, I must visit Saya's hometown.) Because of this kind of thinking, the conversation between Niu Yi and Saya was prolonged unconsciously, and he was always looking forward to the time of the next meal. (It’s a lot of age, and I still want to listen to young women, am I really old and faint?) Although he laughed at himself in his heart, Niu Yi still asked Saya to serve him for dinner, and listened to her talk happily, and he would also have the desire to create later. In this way, the second year of Qingchang passed by. In February of the third year of Qingchang, one month earlier than scheduled, Niu Yi completed "Nobunaga's Preface" which he planned to quietly insert into "Nobunaga's Story".Therefore, he nonchalantly wrote to Fushimi Castle, saying that the fifteen volumes of "Nobunaga Ji" had just been completed, and hoped that they could adjust the delivery date. Dashan Boqishou hurried over.He smiled and brought a piece of news that Niu didn't expect at first. "Master Izumi Mori, please enjoy yourself. When I told Lord Jibu the news of your completion of the book, he was very happy, and suddenly said: 'That's right, in this way, I can invite Izumi Mori to participate in the October 10th next month. On the 5th, the Daigo flower viewing party was held for Taiko-sama. Before, Jibu-sama was hesitant, saying that if the creation was not completed, inviting Izumi Mamoru would cause him trouble. Great. There is nothing better than participating in this kind of It would be more honorable to enjoy the flowers.” "Really? You said Jibu-sama invited me to the flower viewing party?" The Ministry of governance gave out ten extra gold coins.As Niu Yi's manuscript fee.Even though he owed him a favor, Niu Yi still didn't want to go.At this age, don't appreciate flowers. But Bo Qishou seemed to believe that Niu would go soon from the very beginning. "No matter what, this flower viewing party may be the most exciting and unprecedented celebration in Taiko-sama's life. There are very few invitees this time. I will not give bad advice. I think this flower viewing party It will also be a topic of discussion in the future, so please accept the invitation. You can enter Fushimi Castle on the twelfth of next month, and of course I will go to welcome you. However, I must be very busy preparing for this flower viewing party. Wandering around, I might not be able to pick you up." "You don't have to pick me up, so I'm more casual." (become the talk of the people...) This sentence moved Niu Yi, and he realized that he wanted to go. "That's right. I feel at ease when you say that." Bo Qishou thought he understood Niu Yi's meaning, and said again, "In short, the scale of this flower viewing party is grand, so the security work is also very good. Congzhi Everyone below the head of the Ministry, including us, will have a very headache. It must be too busy to come out." Although he was complaining, the corners of his eyes were still smiling. "Do you need such tight guards this time?" If so, it might be worth a look.Niu Yitian's natural curiosity began to squirm again. "It's to reassure those who are invited to view the flowers." The situation of the guards that Hoki Mori said was shocking. Around the venue, on the Daigo Mountain with a radius of 50 dings, 23 guard points were set up, with archers, musketeers, spearmen, etc. arranged.On the way from Fushimi Castle to the Flower Viewing Festival, there are low-level samurai guards, and wooden fences surround the road on both sides, and no one is allowed to break in.Especially the venue, like a fortress.Ordinary onlookers are not allowed to enter, and dozens of flower viewing spots are surrounded by tall wooden or bamboo fences.As many as 30,000 guards were mobilized. (Not necessarily so heavily guarded.) Since the funeral of Lord Nobunaga was held, Master Taiko always made a big fuss and held events.Niu Yi felt that this would not be shocking, but rather pitiful.If you spend so much thought, even if you love cherry blossoms, you can't make people feel peaceful.Niu Yi himself thought so.However, once a person becomes a person in power, it seems that the mind changes. "Master Jibu said that there was a precedent for the Kitano Great Tea Party ten years ago. At that time, I didn't serve the Toyotomi family, so I don't know very well. You should know." "The tea party in the 15th year of Tianzheng was open to the public from the very beginning. It was held in Kitano Matsubara, and it lasted for ten days from the first day of the lunar calendar in October. No matter rich or poor, all the people, including foreigners, only need to carry One teapot and one teacup are enough to participate. Thousands of people gather. Hideyoshi-sama brings tea masters from the Sakai area, such as Rikyu, Sokyu, and Zongji, to visit various teahouses and make tea himself.” At that time, Hideyoshi was so open-minded that Niu Yi was very surprised. "But Mr. Jibu said that the tea party scheduled for ten days was only held for one day, and it ended early. Is it true?" "That's right. There was a rebellion in the Higo area, and Sasa Naruma was in a bitter fight. It was rumored that some of the rebels entered Kitano, so the tea party ended after only one day. This is true. Although I don't think it is necessary to go to war this time, But compared to then, Lord Taige has more enemies now." Even so, what is it to enjoy flowers under the guard of 30,000 people?Taige will only show his ugly old face in front of everyone. (But looking at his ugliness, isn't it also a joy?) With a cold attitude, Niu Yi decided to participate in the flower viewing party. "I accept the invitation. I will go with a pen and inkstone. Maybe Lord Jibu will let me record the scene at that time again." "Oh!" Hokimori patted his forehead exaggeratedly, and laughed, "That's true. You just finished a masterpiece, and I am physically and mentally exhausted. , no famous writer can record it. If possible, please ask him to add this event to the end of "Taiko-sama's Military Records". No matter what, let him accept this request. Of course, Jibu-sama also said that he will pay you enough manuscript fees .That's great, that's great, Izumi Mori-sama, I'm relieved to hear your promise. To be honest, I've been worried, what should I do if you refuse this request?" Hokimori was really happy. "Based on the relationship between Lord Hokishou and me, it would be out of character to say so. Please tell Master Zhibu that I understand." Niu Yi felt that what he did was not for governing the Ministry, but for Bo Qishou. "That's it. All that's left is to bring this event to a smooth conclusion. It seems that Jibu-sama has received some reports of commotion from the Iga and Zaga areas. We can't feel at ease yet." Bo Qishou showed a lonely smile, got up and said goodbye.Considering this Daigo Flower Appreciation Party, Taiko would have to take a break, and decided to hand in "Nobunaga Ji" in late March. On March 11th, Niu Yi left the hermitage.According to the agreement, he did not ask Dashan Hokishou to greet him, but planned to enter Fushimi and contact him after checking into the designated hotel. Before going out, Niu whispered something to Saya who was seeing him off. "It's expected to take about three days to come back. Taiko's investigation may extend to this area for the sake of guarding the Daigo Flower Appreciation Festival. Be careful, don't let anyone see you, close the front door, and go in and out through the back door. Wait, okay? " "Three days...three days, right? I see. I'll wait for your safe return." Saya bowed deeply.