The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 37

Therefore, while relatives and friends were enjoying the feast outside, Shinzaburo secretly slipped out of his bedroom and nimbly arrived at Miss Adou's door.

Some servants who accidentally saw him pretended to be deaf and blind, ignoring his presence.

Of course, the groom wasn't in a hurry to do anything that was best left unsaid; he was simply concerned about the bride's mental state and worried that she might not be able to adapt.

Through the slightly ajar door, he could see Miss Adou hopping and skipping around the somewhat rough room like a lively little deer, looking here and touching there, as if she was full of curiosity about everything, even the ordinary walls, floors, tables, chairs, and straw mats.

Shinzaburo was a little curious.

Logically speaking, although Noguchi Castle had been renovated and some new furniture had been added, its overall condition could only be described as passable. For Miss Adou, who was used to a life of luxury, it would be good enough if she wasn't disliked.

Why is the bride so excited?

After a while, Miss Adou walked to the window again, looked up at the sky for a moment, then put her hands together, closed her eyes, and murmured to herself, "Mother, Adou finally has a home! Although Father is very powerful, and in the past, no matter which nunnery I stayed in, the local nuns were all very respectful to me and dared not neglect me in the slightest, but those places didn't feel like home at all... But today, coming to Lord Shinzaburo's Noguchi Castle, I finally feel like I'm home..."

072 Kubo family, the first family to be established.

After the first day of proposing and the second day of sending off the bride, the third day finally marked the start of the actual wedding ceremony.

On this day, guests from all walks of life will arrive one after another, presenting their congratulatory gifts and participating in the banquet.

The woman's relatives are not required to attend in principle, but how could Master Mingzhou be absent? He still brought a large group of monks and townspeople to the event.

Shinzaburo and Miss Azuki sat side by side in the main hall of Noguchi Castle, him on the left and her on the right, both dressed in brand-new formal attire. Whenever visiting relatives or friends came to visit, they would bow deeply to show their respect.

This was repeated more than a hundred times, until my back was so tired I felt like it was about to break, before it finally ended.

Matsunaga Nagayori, the acting head of the Naito family, also brought his family to the banquet, but he was the last to arrive.

This is not putting on airs, but rather a sign of consideration for subordinates.

If he, as a high-ranking leader, arrives too early, it will make those who arrive later feel very awkward.

However, even if Matsunaga Nagayori comes in person today, Shinzaburo and Miss Azumi do not need to go outside the castle gate to greet him; they can simply sit in the palace and bow.

In traditional cultural understanding, on their wedding day, the bride and groom are watched over by the gods and do not need to yield to any worldly power.

At least that's the theory.

When the so-called "auspicious time" arrived, the ceremony began. Under the watchful eyes of Old Man Jinbingwei and Master Mingzhou, the bride and groom drank "nuptial wine" from wooden cups painted vermilion. Everyone then celebrated with loud cheers.

Samurai families don't have so many complicated details; at this point, the ceremony can be declared complete.

Then, naturally, the feast began, and everyone drank heavily!

As is customary, Noguchi Castle set up three levels of venues. The highest-ranking guests ate at the "upper table" in the main hall, those of average status ate at the "middle table" in the courtyard, and those without status ate at the "lower table" outside the castle gate.

It's not about deliberately differentiating people, but rather arranging things this way so that everyone feels comfortable.

The leaders were elegant and charming, either reciting poems or discussing Zen and Taoism; the middle class sang folk tunes and danced pastoral dances, playing drinking games and having a great time; the lower class rubbed their toes and picked lice, laughing and telling jokes about poop and pee.

Each has its own comfort zone, and they do not interfere with each other.

The bride was taken to the decorated bridal chamber on the east side of the palace early in the morning, but the groom still needed to thank each of the guests one by one. Only after the banquet was over did he have time to wash up. Dragging his tired feet and resisting the strong feeling of drunkenness, he walked step by step to the room.

Shinzaburo personally witnessed the construction of Noguchi Castle and should have been very familiar with every brick and tile.

But today, perhaps due to the effects of alcohol, I seemed to have forgotten the way. I staggered around for quite a while before finally reaching the bedroom door.

Reaching out and pulling open the paper door, I saw Miss Adou had already laid out a cloth on the mat and was kneeling gracefully in a loose nightgown, her face showing a mixture of anticipation and unease.

Previously, Master Mingzhou had left two maids from the townspeople to serve in the city, but they have now wisely disappeared.

Upon seeing the graceful lady before him, her slender and upright figure resembling a swan resting with its wings folded, and her slightly bowed head and blushing shyness like a lotus flower unable to withstand the cool breeze, Shinzaburo suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He felt as if he hadn't had enough of the sobering tea, and wanted to say something, but couldn't utter an elegant sound. He could only subconsciously exclaim, "Wonderful!"

Upon hearing this, Miss Adou turned her head to look at her, smiled slightly, shifted her hips, brought her legs together, stretched her hands in front of her knees, with three fingers on each side of her sleeves touching the ground, bent her upper body forward, prostrated herself on the ground, and said softly, "Please guide me in the future."

She assumed the dogeza (a traditional Chinese kneeling posture) position, her forehead touching the ground. A glimpse of snow-white skin was revealed at the nape of her neck, faintly visible under the light, presenting an ambiguous color that seemed to possess an alluring charm.

For a moment, Shinzaburo's senses were a little blurred. By the time he came to his senses, he had already subconsciously closed the door, walked to the cushion, his left hand untying the belt of his bathrobe, and his right hand reaching under Miss Adou's skirt, grasping her soft waist.

The enchanting events that followed that night need no further explanation.

……

After getting married, Shinzaburo not only adopted the name "Kubo Yoshiaki" and used the new family crest "Aoi Rindan", but also officially moved the whole family into Noguchi Castle.

Shingoro, the younger brother, believed he was nearly twelve and almost an adult, so he requested a longhouse to live next to the samurai. Ari, the younger sister, had her private quarters in a small room on the west side of the castle. Kinbei, the old man, suffering from illness and not wanting to be constantly disturbed, had a detached retirement home built for him in a corner of the castle.

Master Mingzhou specially sent two maids as part of the dowry. One was a widow in her mid-twenties with experience in taking care of the inner quarters of wealthy families; the other was a young woman in her mid-fourteens or fifteens who was well-behaved, sensible, clever, and had even learned a little literature.

To maintain appearances, Shinzaburo also had his sister, Ari, find two suitable young girls from nearby villages and bring them to Noguchi Castle as maids. This brought him to four servants.

Inato Shigenobu, a new member of the "Union of Hearts" who volunteered to join the movement, also lived in the city, and he brought with him six attendants. In addition, there was Oi Shigeie, the monk Jōjō, Kumatarō who changed his name last year and Hashibei, as well as personal guards who took turns on duty in three shifts. Suddenly, there were twenty or thirty people living in the city, and the atmosphere of daily life immediately improved.

Although Shingoro was also responsible for various affairs in Kubo Village, and the monk Jōjō was in charge of the resettlement refugees of Gokurakuji Temple, and others might often go out on missions, there were always a dozen or so people staying in the city on a daily basis, enough to create the atmosphere of a classic "samurai family".

The one with the strongest family spirit is Miss Adou, who just married into the family—perhaps she should be called Mrs. Adou now.

She said that a samurai family could not be without the ritual of worshipping their ancestors, so she and her maids cleaned up a small storeroom next to the well, and after cleaning it, they carefully made a wooden plaque that read "The Tablet of the Ancestors of the Kubo Family" and worshipped it daily.

Every morning after washing up, Adou would go to the outside of Jinbingwei's old mansion, greet him respectfully without entering, and only leave after receiving a response.

This made Old Deng both touched and apprehensive. He would always respond to the greetings solemnly through the doors and windows, and he dared not drink too much alcohol in the afternoon or evening, for fear of not waking up the next day and feeling embarrassed.

At the same time, Adou also required that everyone who did not go out in the city should come to pay their respects to the head of the household in the morning, and then sit down together according to their status under the arrangement of the mistress to have breakfast together.

Except for the guards on sentry duty. They would receive food personally delivered by the Lord Mother, as well as sincere greetings.

As a pampered young lady who had never lifted a finger before, Adou even tried cooking herself, and together with the maids, carried rice, pickles, salted fish and miso soup out of the kitchen.

Although the main work was done by the maids, simply participating in it was enough to earn the respect of the retainers.

At this time, those burly men would sit upright, eyes fixed straight ahead, for fear of making the slightest mistake.

……

In short, Mrs. Adou always had a dignified, gentle, and elegant demeanor, and her image quickly became ingrained in everyone's mind.

A few days after the wedding, the rough men would get together whenever they had time to drink the leftover wine from the banquet. Shin Saburo felt that it was too trivial to discipline them too seriously.

But all Adou had to do was smile sweetly, bow slightly, and say, "The celebration is over. Please take care of yourselves and drink less." Then both Oi Shigeie and Inatomi Shigenobu could only put down their cups with wry smiles and obediently go back inside.

Needless to say, little sister A-Li became a fan after only a few days of getting to know her. Her eyes shone as she told everyone she met that when she got married, she wanted to be as virtuous and gentle as her sworn sister A-Dou, and also have her own dignity.

Shingoro's younger brother said, "I don't know why, but I always feel that my stepsister is very scary. In the past, being scolded or hit by my father and brothers didn't really scare me. But now, when I see Mrs. Azumi's smile, I feel uneasy."

Occasionally, Shinzaburo would wonder, is the "Adou's wife" you all mentioned really the same person as the wife who clings to him every day after closing the door, wanting kisses and hugs?

073 Sakamachi Partners

Kubo Shinzaburo, or rather Kubo Yoshiaki, was a rising military commander in Tanba Province. Meanwhile, Miss Azumi's "uncle," Master Meishu, was a high-ranking monk in the Daitoku-ji school of the Rinzai sect. Hundreds of guests attended their wedding, and many prominent figures sent their blessings through intermediaries.

This even included Miyoshi Nagayoshi, the powerful ruler of the Kinki region, and Hosokawa Ujitsuna, the so-called shogunate regent whom he had promoted.

Of course, all the letters they sent were ghostwritten by "Youbi," with only one signature being handwritten by them.

The old monk's good senior brother, Zen Master Zongtao, didn't say anything, perhaps because he felt there was something secret that would harm the reputation of the Zen school and he didn't want to make it public.

The guests will definitely bring gifts.

According to local custom, most people would put fifty to one hundred coins in a "gift bag" and add a small, exquisite gift, which would be considered respectable and appropriate.

Small gifts could be a pot of wine, a box of sweets, a fan, a hanging scroll, a belt, a handkerchief, and so on.

People of high status, such as senior members of the Naito family, would contribute two hundred coins plus writing implements, or a small silver coin plus a bolt of cloth, or something similar.

Matsunaga Nagayori gave him three hundred mon and a wakizashi (a type of Japanese sword).

Miyoshi Nagayoshi sent someone to bring a silver coin worth about 1200 kan, which was the most valuable congratulatory gift.

The esteemed Kanrei, Hosokawa Ujitsuna, sent only a letter and made no other gesture, perhaps due to financial constraints. This was understandable, as despite his elevated position, he did not yet control any directly subordinate territories.

A rough estimate suggests that the money and goods collected are almost enough to cover the expenses of hosting the banquet.

However, these are all within the scope of normal social interactions.

In contrast, Master Mingzhou's dowry was excessively generous and far exceeded the standard.

In addition to the ceremonial items such as the Tang cabinet, screen, and shell bucket, a lot of furniture, clothing, and food were purchased for the "niece" to use after her marriage. Furthermore, a set of custom-made "golden small red belt five-piece torso" and "sixteen-room saddlebags standing in front of the sword of Fudo Myo-o" were given, as well as a four-and-a-half-foot-tall "Taishu horse".

This “Golden Small Plates and Red Thread Five-Piece Body Complete” means that the outer side is woven with small gold plates and red wool, and the inner lining consists of five plates, which protect the front, back and sides respectively. It is not four but five because the right side is divided into two pieces, which makes it easier to wear.

The "Sixteen-piece helmet before the Fudo Myo-o sword" refers to a helmet made of sixteen fan-shaped metal pieces, decorated with a design resembling the Fudo Myo-o sword.

The other components, such as the "cage hands", "shin guards", and "armor suspension", are also complete.

The cost of this set of armor alone would not be less than fifty strings of cash.

As for the "Taishu horse," it stands four and a half feet tall, or 136 centimeters, which is close to the limit of native Japanese horses. It can easily carry a weight of 250 catties. In addition to being used as a mount, it is also very valuable as a stallion. It would probably cost around 20 kan to buy.

Such a generous gift leaves one speechless except to once again proclaim, "We can never repay the Abbot's kindness."

By the way, the horse that Shinzaburo used to ride was also given to him by Master Meishu. It was an ordinary horse worth only three kan, and now it can be given to the Oi Shigeie family for use.

In addition, Inato Shigenobu brought a decent mount with him, so the stables at Noguchi Castle had three residents. Therefore, they had to find a poor man nearby who had served large animals and hire him as a groom.

When Shinzaburo was checking the "gift list," he didn't expect that a special guest would soon arrive.

……

It was early February. Shinzaburo was leading his men to inspect the villages, collecting taxes and levies, and urging the spring planting. When he returned to Noguchi Castle in the evening, he heard Azumi say, "An old friend came to visit at noon and is currently resting at my adoptive father's residence. He said he is waiting for Lord Shinzaburo to return."

Shinzaburo dismounted, tidied himself up briefly, and headed towards his father, Kinbei. He heard several voices in the distance, pushed open the door, and immediately saw a familiar baby-faced merchant.

Isn't this the same Hikoshiro Hashira, the mermaid from Sakai who used to lead a small caravan through Kubo Village every year? Last time he said he left Hibiya and joined some startup team…

Everyone exchanged glances, and Uozumi Hikoshiro immediately stood up, bowed, and said excitedly, "Congratulations to Lord Kubo Genban on your great success in establishing your sect!"

Shinzaburo quickly returned the greeting and casually said, "Judging from your radiant appearance, your business must be doing well lately."

Upon hearing this, Uozumi Hikoshiro laughed and pointed to the side: "This is my new employer, whose surname is Imai, given name Kaneka, and Taoist name Munehisa. He is from Nara and seems to be from the same hometown as your wife."

Upon hearing this name, Shinzaburo was momentarily stunned.

Following the direction pointed out by Hikoshiro Uozumi, they saw a refined middle-aged merchant with a clean-shaven beard and meticulous clothing and footwear, who appeared to be around thirty or forty years old.

The man bowed slightly and said slowly, "Greetings, Lord Kubo Genban! Hikoshiro is too kind. We are a group of friends who are doing business together. Even if we have different amounts of investment, it's hard to say who is the boss."

Uozumi Hikoshiro laughed heartily and said confidently, "This Lord Munehisa is only just starting out now, but his reputation will surely catch up with that of Lords Ikenaga Heiji, Takayama Muneji, and others in the future."

Shinzaburo thought to himself, "I have never heard of those names like Ikenaga Heiji or Takayama Muneji, but I am quite familiar with this Imai Muneji."

Because they appeared in Koei Tecmo's games, and had a significant role.

It's surprising that this wealthy man from the Azuchi-Momoyama period is only just starting out in business now.

Based on his foresight as a time traveler, Shinzaburo confidently predicted: "Lord Munehisa will surely become the foremost hero of Sakai in the future."

At this moment, old man Kinbei said in a serious tone, "Shinzaburo is a person protected by Fudo Myo-o. His seemingly casual words may be guided by the unseen world and will surely come true."

Uozumi Hikoshiro also nodded solemnly in agreement: "Lord Kubo Genban has had a smooth journey in recent years, which must be due to his affinity with gods and Buddhas."

After a while of chatting and laughing, Old Man Jinbingwei's face gradually darkened, and he said apologetically, "I am not feeling well and may not be able to keep the guests company."

Imai Munehisa immediately bowed deeply and said, "I apologize for disturbing you today." After pausing for a moment, he continued, "I heard that Lord Kinbei is suffering from an old injury and has to drink to relieve the pain... Please forgive my presumption. After learning about this from Hikoshiro, I consulted a doctor I know well."

Shinzaburo didn't think the other party was meddling, but he didn't have much hope. He shook his head and sighed, "I've already consulted many doctors, and they all say that the injury has actually healed, but the bone pain it caused can't be relieved. Therefore, I inevitably drink heavily, and over time, my body naturally becomes weak."

At this point, Jin Bingwei's father pretended to be nonchalant, shaking his head and saying, "I've lived to be fifty years old and have seen my son succeed. I have no regrets."

Imai Munehisa smiled and said politely, "I have a good friend who studied under the renowned physician, Kikunaose Michizo, for a long time and only recently returned to Sakai. He said that in this situation, there is probably a way to relieve the pain with acupuncture, and then reduce alcohol consumption and pay attention to diet, which may help replenish the lost energy."

Is it Naoki Michizo?

This is yet another character name from a Koei Tecmo game.

Therefore, Shinzaburo subconsciously believed it to some extent, immediately bowed, and pleaded, "I wonder if my friend, Lord Munehisa, would be so kind as to accept the invitation and condescend to come to Tanba for a consultation?"

Imai Munehisa immediately returned the greeting solemnly and replied respectfully, "That is exactly what I was thinking. If Lord Kubo Genban does not mind, you may bring that physician at any time."

At this moment, Uozumi Hikoshiro clapped his hands and laughed, "Lord Kinbei has always been in good health, so this minor injury is nothing to worry about. As long as he is treated properly, he will be able to attend his grandson's coming-of-age ceremony without any problem."

Shinzaburo followed up with a smile, saying, "That's right! Your son has just gotten married, doesn't a father want to be full of energy and holding his grandson?"

Upon hearing these words, Jin Bingwei's father's face showed a hint of anticipation.

074 How could I possibly get money that's so easy to earn?

After a detailed conversation, Shinzaburo gained some understanding of Imai Munehisa's life.

As Uozumi Hikoshiro stated, this man was born in the Nara region of Yamato Province, into a family of "local worthies" who were both farmers and merchants. Not being the eldest son and unable to inherit the family business, he used connections to go to Sakai Town at a young age, starting as a "wakkatō" (apprentice). After more than ten years, he rose to the position of "bantou" (manager), gradually gaining a reputation in the industry, accumulating considerable savings, and marrying the daughter of the famous tea master Takeno Jōō. Therefore, he is now considering starting his own business.

This life experience is somewhat similar to that of Shinzaburo.

But that's not enough to explain why I came to visit today.

Unrelated people offering unsolicited favors clearly have ulterior motives.