In the midsummer of the 8th year of Yonglu (the 44th year of Jiajing, 1565 AD), Xu Ling'er, escorted by Master Suifeng and others at Honganji Temple, arrived at Lake Biwa at dawn after a night of travel.

Omi belongs to the Higashiyama Road, with the Ibuki Mountains and Suzuka Mountains to the east, bordering Mino Province and Ise Province respectively, the Hira Mountains to the west, and Mt. Hiei, Yamashiro Province, and Tanba Province to the west, Mt. Nosaka to the north is the dividing line with Echizen Province and Wakasa Province, and to the south is the Shigaraki Mountain Land of Iga Province. There is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, which was named Lake Biwa because of its resemblance to a pipa, and was called Danhai in ancient times.

On the shore of Lake Biwa, Xu Ling'er dismounted and said, "Thank you, Master Suifeng, the front is coming, please go back, say hello to Brother Xianru for me!" ”

The monks and soldiers stopped, and Master Suifeng dismounted, and replied, "Miss Ling'er doesn't have to be polite. His Holiness has ordered us to wait here, and to escort you all the way back to Honganji, so please take care! ”

Xu Ling'er said goodbye to Master Suifeng, walked along the path by Lake Biwa, and went to Kotani Castle alone.

Lake Biwa has a beautiful scenery and is known as the "Eight Views of Omi". According to legend, the name of the Eight Scenery refers to the "Eight Views of Xiaoxiang" in Hunan during the Northern Song Dynasty: Autumn Moon on Stone Mountain, Sunset on Seda, Sunny Shore in Awatsu, Guifan of Yahashi, Evening Bell of Mitsui, Night Rain in Karazaki, Falling Wild Goose in Katata, and Dusk Snow in Hira.

The yellow flowers on the roadside are covered with dewdrops, the tender green weeds are swaying in the wind, and through the morning mist, the mountains and rocks in the distance are stacked on top of each other, and the wide water surface around them is swaying with slight ripples.

Xu Linger had no intention of appreciating this beautiful scenery, but when she saw the wildflowers on the side of the road, "you can't see the flowers when you see the leaves, and the flowers and leaves don't see each other", she suddenly had an ominous feeling in her heart, remembering that her father once said that this is called "ruthless flowers", and in her memory, this kind of flower was used to make anesthetics.

The ruthless flower that looks like a daylily is highly poisonous, and if you accidentally eat it, it will die immediately, and it has the meaning of "going to the other side", so it is also called "the other side of the flower"; Legend has it that this flower grows on the side of the Nai Ho Bridge and is also called the "Connecting Flower", and the fragrance of the flower is very magical, which can evoke the memory of the deceased before his death.

Flowers bloom for a thousand years, flowers fall for a thousand years, flowers and leaves are born and wrong, and the world will never see each other.

The other side of the flower, the other side of the flower, such as Brother Song, where are you now? Are we destined to be separated from each other in this life?

At this moment, in a village at the foot of Mt. Kotani Castle, a small courtyard is surrounded by cherry trees. On the tatami mat in the house, Xu Yihou was checking the pulse of Mrs. Ashi, and Asai Nagamasa sat quietly on the side, slightly closing his eyes and praying silently and sincerely; Zhu Junwang was cleaning the tea whisk, and Zhu Hui was grinding ink on the inkstone beside Xu Yihou, and the air was filled with bursts of fragrance......

The lord of Otani Castle, Asai Nagamasa, was born with the nickname "Saruyasha", and his grandfather, Ryomasa Asai, who was able to fight well, died before he was born, because his father Asai Hisamasa did not have military talents, so that their family lost many years in the conquest against the Rokkaku clan.

Unable to stop the attack of the Rokkaku clan, Asai Hisamasa retreated step by step, coupled with internal discord within the family, and under internal and external troubles, Hisamasa made a truce on the condition of surrendering the Rokkaku clan, and forced the young Nagamasa to marry the daughter of the Rokkaku retainer Hirai clan.

For the humiliation of surrendering to the Rokkaku clan, the retainers of the Asai clan could not bear it. Realizing that surrender was a mistake, Hisamasa decided to retire, leaving his sixteen-year-old son, Asai Nagamasa, to succeed him as the governor of the family, and abolishing the unequal treaty with the Rokkaku family.

Asai Nagamasa changed his father's weak style and became famous in Gyeonggi for his heroic and good fighting, and his young loyalty, courage and open-minded personality made him known as the "Eagle of Omi".

At that time, Oda Nobunaga, who had not established himself firmly in Owari Province, married his sister Aichi to Asai Nagamasa in order to form an alliance with the Omi Eagle.

Thirteen years younger than Oda Nobunaga, Aichi has been very clever and lovely since she was a child, and her docile and cheerful personality has made many people like her; As she grew older, her beauty became more and more dazzling, and she was known as "the first beauty in the world", and she also became the object of admiration of young generals such as Monkey Hideyoshi, and Oda Nobunaga also liked this sister very much.

Since marrying Omi Kotani Castle, Aichi and Asai Nagamasao have been singing and following their wives, and the relationship between husband and wife is very good, but more than two years have passed, but they have not been able to conceive a child, which has become a heart disease for young couples. At the suggestion of his retainer Kiemon, Mrs. Aichi came to Xu Yi to seek medical advice.

Xu Yi finished checking the pulse of Mrs. Ashi, and Zhu Hui put the pen, ink, paper and inkstone in front of him. So, he took out a prescription and handed it to Zhu Hui, telling him to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine according to the prescription.

Zhu Hui took the prescription and went out to grab the medicine.

Zhu Junwang lit the charcoal in the stove and said: "Lord Changzheng, Mrs. Ashi, I know that you are coming today, the charcoal in the stove has been washed away yesterday, but this burrow is indecent, please forgive me and Mrs. ”

Asai Nagamasa replied, "I was originally a martial artist, and I have never heard of the tea ceremony. But knowing that this is the treatment enjoyed by the Kyoto royal family, even in the eyes of the wealthy merchants of Sakai Town, it is considered a luxury, so let me see it for a long time today. ”

The breeze blew through the leaves of the cherry trees, echoing the sound of boiling water in the tea kettle in the room, and the room was filled with the smell of tea. This harmonious beauty seems to play a "harmony" movement, which makes everyone's heart relaxed.

Zhu Junwang boiled the water, and Xu Yi began to make tea for everyone......

Mrs. Ah Shi took a sip and said softly: "This is really the greatest enjoyment in life, if I can conceive a child, I will definitely name her 'Cha Cha'." ”

At this time, under the guidance of the villagers, Xu Ling'er came to this courtyard, she pushed open the courtyard door, and happened to meet Zhu Hui carrying a large bag of herbs.

As soon as he saw Xu Ling'er, the herbs in Zhu Hui's hand fell to the ground, he stepped forward and ran two steps, shouting "sister", and tears fell like rain......

"Time is like an arrow, and now you have grown up." Xu Ling'er sighed.

Zhu Hui wiped his tears and asked, "Sister, are you going to pick us up?" ”

Xu Ling'er nodded, picked up the medicine bag on the ground, and replied, "Yes, I'll take you away." However, we can't go back to our hometown for the time being, so we will go to Sakai Town for a few days to help Brother Chong and Sister Yi'er finish their errands before leaving. ”

"Sister, you see, I've grown up, these days, I've been practicing martial arts with Kiemon every day, and I'm going to be a samurai in the future." Zhu Hui said excitedly.

"Hehe, when you return to your hometown, you can follow Brother Chong to be a brocade guard." Xu Ling'er said, and walked into the courtyard gate.

When he came to the courtyard, Zhu Hui whispered: "Sister, the lord of Kotani City, Asai Nagamasa, and his wife are drinking tea, you should go to the pharmacy first and wait for a while, so as not to arouse their suspicions." ”

Xu Linger nodded in agreement, wiped a handful of excited tears, and came to the pharmacy alone to wait.

Zhu Hui returned to the guest room and placed the bags of herbs on the table.

Xu Yi opened the medicine bag and checked them one by one, then gave it to Mrs. Ah Shi with confidence and explained to her the method of frying.

Mrs. Aichi and Asai Nagamasa tasted the fragrant tea, and nodded while listening to the explanation. At this moment, Xu Yihou already knew that her daughter was coming, and she couldn't hide the excitement in her heart, and her voice became a little whimper......

Zhu Junwang carefully cleaned the drinking tea bowl, re-steamed the tea bowl, and then fished out the tea bowl, turned it back to the front to brew tea, and placed it in front of Changzheng and his wife.

Suddenly realizing that Xu Yihou's voice was wrong, Mrs. Ah Shi asked, "Xu Langzhong, is there a guest here?" Please come and have a cup of tea. ”

Knowing that he was leaving, but not knowing how to explain to Changzheng and his wife, Xu Yihou continued: "The four truths of the tea ceremony are emphasized: harmony, respect, purity, and silence, and silence is the highest state of the tea ceremony. There is no endless hidden in nothing, there are mountains, rivers and buildings. Please use your tea with peace of mind and don't care about the outside world. ”

"I just heard a girl's voice. Xu Langzhong, is this your daughter? Invite her over. Mrs. Ashi asked.

Xu Yi did not answer, and continued to make tea for Changzheng and his wife.

At this time, Mrs. Ashi turned to Asai Nagamasa and asked, "Husband, when Xu Langzhong's daughters arrived in Kotani City, I asked them to move into the city to live, do you think it's okay?" ”

At this moment, Asai Nagamasa was learning from Xu Yihou's appearance, turned the tea bowl around one and a half times, avoided the front of the tea bowl, tasted it carefully, drank it, put the tea bowl down, and then replied with a smile: "Listen to Mrs. Zun." ”

"May I ask Xu Langzhong, how old is Ling Ai Fangling?"

"The little girl is sixteen years old, called Ling'er, born in a country home, grew up in a relative's house in Sakai Town, I'm afraid that my wife will laugh."

"Why don't you let her study medicine with you?" Mrs. Ashi was curious.

Xu Yihou was quite embarrassed and replied in a low voice: "The little girl doesn't like to study medicine, but she likes to practice martial arts. ”

"That must be a strange woman! I'm going to check it out. With that, Mrs. Ah Shi was going to find Xu Ling'er.

Xu Yihou hurriedly shouted, "Zhu Hui, let your sister in." ”

Xu Ling'er came in the door, first met her father and Zhu Junwang, and after listening to the introduction, she greeted Changzheng and his wife, and then sat down on the tatami mat with his head bowed.

Mrs. Ah Shi looked at this shy girl, but she didn't look like she was practicing martial arts, and she felt more and more cute, so she asked, "Xu Langzhong, has your beloved daughter ever been married to someone?" ”

Xu Ling'er's face suddenly turned red and hot, and she buried her head even lower.

Xu Yihou didn't know how to answer this question, and she didn't understand what she meant by asking.

After waiting for a while, Mrs. Ah Shi found that the father and daughter of the Xu family were very embarrassed, so she explained: "I have a half-brother who is not yet married, he is the same age as me, his name is Oda Nagayi, he knows poetry, qin, calligraphy and painting, and is best at waka songs. I thought of this younger brother when I saw Ling'er's sister being polite, elegant and handsome, but I don't know what Doctor Xu wants? ”

(Oda Nagayi, that is, Oda Yurakusai in the Momoyama period)

So, Xu Ling'er raised her head and replied firmly: "No, madam, I, I already have someone I like." ”

"May I ask your surname Lang Jun? Where did it come from? Mrs. Ashi asked.

Knowing that Mrs. Ashi would ask these questions, and it was inconvenient to say that this person was Li Rusong, the martial champion of the Ming Dynasty, after hesitating for a moment, Xu Linger replied cautiously: "Nanguangfang!" ”

"Nanguang Fang!" Mrs. Aichi pondered the name, smiled and said, "This must be a handsome samurai." Sister Ling'er, bless you! I hope you can stay in Otani for a few more days, and we will definitely become good friends. ”

"Thank you, ma'am! However, I came to pick up my father to stay in Sakai for a while. After the beginning of autumn, I will accompany my father back, please forgive me! ”

Hearing that they were leaving, Mrs. Ah Shi panicked and hurriedly asked, "When are you leaving?" ”

Xu Ling'er was also afraid that they would stop her, so she replied: "Leaving today is really for my life's work." ”

"Since it's my sister's lifelong event, let's arrange it quickly, and I look forward to your return in the fall." Mrs. Ashi preached with regret.

At this time, Asai Nagamasa had already collected the herbs, and he said goodbye to Xu Yihou and others with Mrs. Ashi.

After Changzheng and his wife left, Xu Yihou and the Zhu family's father and son were very excited, everyone told them about their parting feelings, packed their simple luggage, and hurriedly left Xiaogu City. On the same day, the group was escorted by Master Suifeng and returned to Ishiyama Honganji Temple.

As soon as he saw Xu Yi, he immediately ran over, hugged his benefactor and cried bitterly, and his gratitude was beyond words.

Xu Yihou also shed tears, and the two clasped their hands tightly......

At the Ishiyama Honganji Temple, Xianru ceremoniously received the father and daughter of the Xu family and handed over all the gifts sent by Hideyoshi to Xu Ling'er. They stayed at Honganji for three days, and the monks of Honganji escorted them to Sakai Town, where they found the silk shop according to the address left by Chen Shen.

Xu Linger and others came into the store, and saw Lin Wenjing like a small shopkeeper, measuring the body of the guests and choosing fabrics, and they were very busy.

Finding that a guest was coming, Lin Wenjing lowered his head and shouted: "Ladies and gentlemen, our store has the best Suzhou and Hangzhou silks, please choose as you like." ”

The four of them all burst out laughing......

"Brother Wen Jing, it's us here." Zhu Hui shouted.

Lin Wenjing threw down the silk in his hand, came over to bow to everyone, greeted each other, blew all the guests in the store away, hurriedly closed the door, and led everyone into the backyard.

Xu Ling'er asked, "Wen Jing, why don't you see Shopkeeper Chen, Brother Chong and Sister Yi'er?" ”

"Someone in the Ryukyus sent a message to Shopkeeper Chen, saying that Lin Yiguan was found in Shuri Castle, and Shopkeeper Chen took Brother Chong and Sister Yi'er to Ryukyu." Lin Wenjing replied.

"Lin Yiguan was found in the Ryukyus, is the news accurate?" Xu Ling'er then asked.

"It is said that the news came from the Ryukyu Imperial Palace, and there should be no mistake, they boarded the ship yesterday and left."

"Now that we have recovered the Buddhist shrine, I don't know who the bronze mirror has fallen into, if I come back a day earlier, I can accompany them." Xu Ling'er sighed after saying this, and regretted staying in Honganji for two more days.

At this time, I overheard Zhu Hui say: "Wen Jing, come home with us." ”

"What are you doing back home? Daming sea ban, fellow villagers all say, hometown is so poor that we are doing business in Sakai Town, isn't it good? Wen Jing asked incomprehensibly.

Xu Yihou and Zhu Junwang glanced at each other and shook their heads lightly.

Although Wen Jing was wearing a long robe, she still looked like a child, and her face showed a smiling and non-smiling philistine atmosphere, which made people a little speechless.

So, Xu Ling'er remembered Wen Tao's words: Wen Jing, I look at your character, and you are also a person who can't withstand temptation, so you should take me as a warning......

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Off topic:

Cha Cha: The eldest daughter of Mrs. Aichi and Asai Nagamasa, Cha Cha has two younger sisters, named Ah Chu and Ah Jiang respectively, and is known as the "Three Sisters of Asai" by later generations, and its story is widely spread today. The fate of the three sisters was bumpy, and after the fall of Kotani Castle, the three returned to Owari Province with their mother, and Aichi remarried Shibata Katsuie. After Oda Nobunaga's death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi destroyed the Shibata Katsuie, and the three sisters were captured by Hideyoshi.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi had a crush on the beautiful Aichi, but after all, he couldn't get her favor, so he shifted his target to Chacha, the eldest daughter who looked like his mother, and Nachacha was a side room, known as "Lady Yodo", and gave birth to two sons, Tsurumatsu and Hideyori, for Hideyoshi, and mastered the power of the Toyotomi family; Ah Chu married Kyogoku Takaji, and after Ah Jiang remarried twice, he became the wife of Hidetada, the second shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.