"... Eh?"
The innkeeper took a step back, his eyes wide open. The warrior, who was covered in blood, suddenly moved his hands. His entire body trembled, and his throat let out a stuttering breath.
"Ah …" The innkeeper was certain that the warrior was dead. Faced with death and resurrection, the innkeeper, who was originally not afraid, swallowed his saliva and took a few more steps back. His heart was filled with fear, and he could not even make a sound. He could only stare with his eyes wide open, not knowing what to do.
"He's not dead. He still has a little bit of life left in him. There's still a little bit of Qi left in his body …" Pei Zi Yun looked at him and knew what the innkeeper was thinking. He then said, "Let's hope that he's still alive and can speak!"
This person's life was gone, and there was no hope for him. Since that was the case, he did not mind living for a few more minutes. Just now, he had used up all his remaining life force.
Indeed, Yamazaki Ichiro slowly opened his eyes. His lips were cracked and black, and he could see the person in front of him. His face was filled with anxiety, and he tried to squeeze out a few words. His breathing sounded like a broken flute, but he used all his strength and only managed to say two words, "... Ma … Ren …"
As soon as he finished, his head tilted to the side, and he stopped breathing.
"This, this warrior is now …" The innkeeper trembled as he looked at the man that Pei Zi Yun had placed on the ground. He swallowed his saliva again.
Pei Zi Yun said in a low voice, "Now that he is dead, let's do things according to the rules!"
The innkeeper had a bitter look on his face. Someone had died in the inn, and if they had died together, he could have made a small fortune. Naturally, he had to compensate them. As for dealing with the youth in front of him, he did not even think about it. He was the innkeeper, not a robber.
Pei Zi Yun was not in the mood to console him, and looked around. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a spot not far from Yamazaki Ichiro's body.
At this time, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and only a single lantern was lit by the door. It was dim and gloomy.
Under such circumstances, a shiny object was rather eye-catching.
Pei Zi Yun walked around the corpse and took a few steps forward. He then bent down and picked up the item.
He examined it carefully in his palm, and discovered that it was an exquisitely crafted piece of silver jewelry. It was heavy, and expensive.
Even if an ordinary person could afford to buy such heavy silver jewelry, they would not be able to hire a craftsman with such craftsmanship. A woman who could afford such silver jewelry must be a noble.
"This kind of inn is very ordinary. There aren't many ordinary women here. Most of them are low-level warriors. Why would a noble woman come here?"
"Could it be that the person Yamazaki met was really Mrs. Shibe?"
Pei Zi Yun furrowed his brows. Although Izumi Shibe was famous for being a flirtatious woman, her partners were all nobles and princes. Even if she was looking for someone to spend the night with, why would she come to a place like this and spend the night with a lowly warrior?
Not to mention that Yamazaki Ichiro's strange death might have something to do with the "Madam" he mentioned.
Although Pei Zi Yun's identity as the 'Yamada Young Master' was fake, he had no intention of abandoning this identity immediately. The hidden forces had not revealed their purpose yet, and Yazi had not been found. Pei Zi Yun intended to act according to his current identity.
With the silver accessory in his hand, he closed his eyes and fell into deep thought. A moment later, his face changed.
"This won't do. There's a tremendous power interfering and suppressing me here!"
"This is the same as the incident with Yazi. She should be in the Peace Capital, but there's a power isolating my senses. This is the power of a god."
"Hmph, this is too much." It wasn't that Pei Zi Yun didn't have any trump cards up his sleeves. Summoning the power of two worlds would be enough to break through this suppression.
"Forget it, I'll find Yazi first. It won't be too late to flip the table then."
Thinking of this, Pei Zi Yun walked in front of the inn owner. At this point, the other party had also regained his senses.
After all, he had been working here for a long time. It wasn't the first time that someone had died. Although he was a little frightened by the sudden appearance of the corpse, he wouldn't give up so easily.
"Boss, this person was my subordinate. Since he's dead, I have to settle him down. Don't worry, I won't ask you to pay for everything. I'll give you some money to buy a coffin."
As he said this, Pei Zi Yun took out a silver coin and threw it to the other party.
The silver coin was made by Japan. It was shaped like a cake, and was a standard tael.
Anyway, this money didn't belong to him. It belonged to the 'Yamada Young Master'. Pei Zi Yun couldn't be bothered with such details. Anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem at all.
"Yes, your excellency, I'll do it right away!" Looking outside, he realized that the sky was already bright. The owner took the silver coin and nodded. He then called for his assistant to handle the matter.
Although the death of someone in the inn wasn't a small matter, it was only a low-ranked warrior. The owner of the inn had spoken up and didn't seem to want to pursue the matter. He even paid for the coffin. This was a good result.
The owner was afraid that Pei Zi Yun would blame him. Although he was afraid that the sky was still dark outside, he braced himself and went out to buy a coffin. He also invited a monk to chant scriptures.
Japanese shrines valued the purity of life and usually didn't participate in funerals. Hence, a monk had to be invited for funerals.
Pei Zi Yun took a look and released his perception, trying to locate Yazi's whereabouts.
Just like before, it was to no avail.
In the quiet courtyard, there was only himself and a corpse. It was a waste of time to stay here any longer. Pei Zi Yun stood up and walked out.
On the streets outside the inn, there were already a few people walking around. Compared to the situation last night, it was obvious that there were more people around.
'Although Yamazaki is dead, I still need to find out more about the Orange Mansion. Perhaps there will be news of Yazi.' Pei Zi Yun grabbed someone and asked. He was told that the Orange Mansion needed to be further ahead.
Pei Zi Yun then proceeded. He didn't expect to reach the mansion in a shorter time than he had expected.
The inn that he had stayed in last night was only a short distance away from the Orange Mansion!
From the name of the mansion, it was indeed the Orange Mansion. The mansion wasn't small either. It was definitely not a place that an ordinary family could live in.
'It's about the size of half a town.'
A town was a type of unit of land in the Tang Dynasty. It was inherited by Japan. The system of building a city in Heian Capital and the rules of distributing land for officials were all copied from Chang 'an and Luoyang.
Officials of the third rank and above were allocated one town (21 mu) of land. The Fujiwara family had been in power for a hundred years, and the Fujiwara Daoist's mansion was allocated two towns (43 mu) of land.
Officials of the fourth to fifth rank were allocated 0.5 towns (10 mu) of land. Officials of the sixth to seventh rank were allocated 0.25 towns (5 mu) of land. Officials of the eighth to ninth rank were allocated 0.125 towns (2.5 mu) of land. Due to age, experience, and achievements, the same rank might not be the same.
That was the general specification.
The size of the mansion in front of him was exactly the size of Tachibana Daoist's mansion in the capital.
'Could it be that Izumi Shiki is really a night stealer?'
'Or did something happen to Izumi Shiki and he's not the same person?'
'That's not right!'
Pei Zi Yun's gaze fell on the empty space beside the door and he frowned.
An ox cart was parked there. The ox that was pulling the cart was wagging its tail leisurely.
During the Heian era, other than the emperor, the nobles mainly relied on ox carts to travel. Although the Orange Mansion also had horse carriages, if it was a carriage of the Orange Mansion, it should not be parked here. If there was an ox cart parked here, it meant that there was a guest.
However, the sky was still bright. According to the boss, no one dared to wander outside in the middle of the night in Heian Capital. This ox cart must have stopped here last night.
'Moreover, this is a half cart.' It was usually used by emperors, princes, regents, and ministers. What kind of distinguished guest would stay overnight in the Orange Mansion?
The answer was obvious.
'Looks like the task that Tachibana Daoist gave to the young master of the Yamada family has been completed.'
'Izumi Shiki is now in contact with the princes.'
Pei Zi Yun laughed and knocked on the door.
Orange Mansion
Due to the absence of the male owner, although there was management, it still felt a little desolate. Not to mention other things, there was dust in the corridor. However, none of this mattered to him. Under the service of a maid, Izumi Shiki was dressed neatly and was reluctantly bidding farewell to the princes.
Even though she was already married, Shikibe still had a trace of the innocence of a young girl. Her actions had a weak and lingering posture, like the entangling vines and leaves, soft and fresh.
Especially when she was in the spring, her expression was gentle and her eyes were filled with joy. When the princes looked at her, they felt a strange sense of pride.
Hence, he loved this lover very much, but had to leave.
"I heard that Your Highness has been summoned by the princes to be promoted to the second rank. Is this true?"
"If it's true, I will congratulate Your Highness."
"It's true, I've had enough." The princes looked at her. His pale face was expressionless, and he was not happy. After a moment of silence, he sighed and said, "I don't have any children, so what if I get a title?"
In Japan, the princes and princes were divided into first, second, third, and fourth ranks.
As for the officials, other than confusion in the early stages, they did not have to use the rank.
The salary of a second rank prince was 1500 stones, while the salary of an official was only 950 stones.
However, although the princes had been recommended by his elder brother to marry Fujiwara Iin's nine daughters, they had no children and had to adopt an adopted son, Fujiwara Yoshitsune (real father, Fujiwara Yukinari). This naturally made him depressed.
The power of the Fujiwara family was too great.
Izumi Shiki's eyes widened in surprise. "Please don't say that. After all, this is a joyous occasion. If it wasn't in the morning, I would have to invite you to drink a few cups and sing and dance to liven things up."
What a smart woman.
The princes felt a little sad and held her hand. "Don't worry, it's okay. I've already agreed to the conditions. She won't disturb us, let alone hurt you."
"After all, I'm still a prince, and I have the blood of Amaterasu."
"My heart, because of my love for you, is burning like a fire. But the sky will be bright soon. I don't want others to see me leave your place, and I don't want people to talk about it. For the sake of our long-term relationship, I can only leave early. I hope you understand."
"Your Highness, I can understand what you're saying. It's just that I feel a little regretful that I can't watch the sun rise with you. But on second thought, it's also a joyous thing to be able to enjoy the snow together."
Izumi Shiki, who was originally reluctant to part, seemed to recall the scene last night when they stood in front of the porch and couldn't help but smile. The princes also smiled.
"Yes, it's indeed a wonderful thing to be able to enjoy the snow with you."
The two of them rubbed against each other for a period of time. At this time, the right guard who had followed them to the Tachibana Residence came to remind them. The princes had no choice but to leave with a regretful expression.
At this moment, a maid rushed in from outside and bowed to the princes and Izumi Shiki. "Your Highness, Madam, there's a warrior with a token from Master Tachibana Dōjin who wishes to see you!"
Tachibana Dōjin?
As soon as these three words came out, it was like a clap of thunder in their ears.
Izumi Shiki, who had been full of longing just a moment ago, suddenly turned pale. She looked at the princes for help, her eyes filled with panic.
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