Unbeknownst to everyone, it started snowing harder and harder.
The ground was covered in a thick layer of snow, and the roofs of the shops in the distance were covered in a thick layer of snow. As the wind blew past, it was bone-chilling. Although it was daytime, there were fewer people on the streets, unlike in the morning.
This was a system from the Tang Empire, and now it had a new meaning, reminding the people of the Peace Capital to stay away from the dangers of the night.
"Everyone, the weather is getting colder. Have some warm wine, I guarantee the temperature is just right." The wine vendor shouted.
"Hey, hey, boss, I'll have a bowl." A warrior with a long blade called out, "Although I can drink a liter, I have to go back early!"
"Who doesn't want to go back early? Even if it's five or more nobles, they would only dare to travel in ox-carts at night, right? "Someone said casually.
"Yes, it was said that a hundred years ago, it wasn't like this." Someone else added. Suddenly, he stopped talking and looked at Pei Zi Yun.
It was quiet in front of the wine vendor. Although the youth in front of him looked like a warrior, his clothes were clean and tidy, and he was definitely not an ordinary warrior.
"Maybe he's a warrior from one of the nobles?"
In this era, the Emperor supported the Taira family. Although the Minamoto family was one of the surnames given to the son of the Emperor when he was demoted, they sided with the Fujiwara family and fought against the Emperor.
The Emperor and the nobles used warriors as pawns, and because of this, the warriors gradually rose in status.
Pei Zi Yun pondered, "That warrior just now must have been corrupted by the demonic ghost. Although he was killed because of this, I have to kill him."
"Ever since I arrived at the Peace Capital, there have been many demonic ghosts provoking me. Moreover, the ones who came were of this level. Could it be that they are trying to provoke a battle between me and the Peace Capital?"
Yes, Pei Zi Yun had already guessed the reason why the other party was doing this.
It was not a pointless provocation or a test. The other party was probably trying to provoke a conflict and hatred between him and the nobles of the Peace Capital, causing him to sink into it, unable to extricate himself.
To this, he laughed, "Do you really think that this kind of thing can make me flustered? If I change my way of thinking, what can you do to me? "
With this thought, he quickened his pace and soon appeared in front of a mansion. with a smile, he flipped over it and disappeared into the falling snow.
The two rows of footprints were soon covered by the falling snow, leaving no trace.
"So cold!" Taking advantage of the dusk, the coachman drove the ox cart back to the prince's mansion. He rubbed his hands together and exhaled white gas. Then, he grumbled softly on the road.
Crunching snow, being run over by the wheels, made a teeth-aching sound.
The ox pulling the carriage in front was not afraid of the cold. It walked at a steady pace, pulling the carriage steadily.
At this time, the coachman was sincerely envious of the honorable prince sitting in the carriage. If he could have a room to keep him warm from the wind and snow, how happy he would be!
But when he looked at the poor people who occasionally died on the side of the road, he couldn't help but rejoice.
In the Capital of Peace, people like him who could serve the high officials, although he could not be compared to those with official positions, and even could not be compared to the dignified status of the warriors, but at least he would not die quietly in this cruel winter.
Being able to live was perhaps the greatest happiness.
The ox-cart continued on its journey, and soon, the residence of the Honorable Prince appeared in front of them. Not only did the coachman heave a sigh of relief, but the guards around them also heaved a sigh of relief.
"His Royal Highness is busy with the Taishō platform. Although we work hard, we will follow him to the death. But for that woman, every night is torturous …" Someone couldn't help but complain.
"Don't say anymore!" Someone patted the scabbard and then remained silent. They were not coachmen. Most of them were warriors attached to the Honorable Prince. They had fields and servants at home. Going out in this weather was also a kind of torture.
But they did not dare to complain about the Honorable Prince. In their hearts, they cursed Izumi Shiba, who was restlessly seducing the Honorable Prince.
Although the affair between the Honorable Prince and Izumi Shiba was covered up, there were many people who knew the inside story.
Although the Princess and the Honorable Prince had no children, the adopted son, Fujiwara Yoshitsune, was a child of the Fujiwara family. In the future, the adopted son would definitely be biased towards his adoptive mother.
"I'm afraid that even if I know now, I won't say anything. But every time I think about these things, I feel embarrassed."
"At that time …"
Sigh, these warriors were really on tenterhooks!
"We've arrived?" When the ox cart stopped, the curtain was lifted. The Honorable Prince took a look, but there was no joy on his face.
Instead of saying that they had returned to the Honorable Prince's mansion, it would be better to say that they had returned to a comfortable but depressing cage.
But even if it was a cage, in this harsh weather, it was still more comfortable than staying on the ox cart.
Although there was an ox cart, the Honorable Prince also felt cold. When he leaned out and felt the cold wind, he immediately shivered.
"Quickly get someone to open the door!" The Honorable Prince said in a low voice, feeling a little dissatisfied.
After he went out, the door to his own mansion was really closed. He did not consider that he had rushed back in this weather and how much he wanted to immediately return to his warm room.
With a mansion like this, a princess like this, and a group of servants like this, how could his heart settle down and not seek warmth from the outside?
Although the Honorable Prince also knew that his thoughts were just to vent his anger and to vent the long-accumulated dissatisfaction.
The door to the mansion was closed. This was because in recent years, the Heian Capital had not been peaceful. If the door was not closed, the people in the mansion without a male master at home would encounter a demon or ghost. It would be a great disaster!
But when he was unhappy, everything was not pleasing to the eye.
When the servants heard the door call, they went to open the door. The Honorable Prince entered the door surrounded by the Honorable Prince. When he saw that the path had been cleaned up, he felt new dissatisfaction.
"Even the snow on both sides of the road has been cleaned up. It's really not beautiful at all!"
But thinking that although he had gone to the Tanshōjo for a while, he had just returned from his lover's home last night. No matter how depressed he was, he could not act up after entering the mansion, lest the news of him not being on good terms with the princess spread. The Fujiwara family was powerful, so the Honorable Prince could only swallow the words he wanted to say and walked towards his own courtyard.
"Honorable Prince, are you not going to see the princess?" A female official who had just returned reminded him, "The princess was in a bad mood last night and had a nightmare. When she woke up, she even asked about you."
The Honorable Prince hesitated for a moment. Thinking of every time they met, they would want to talk but not have anything to say, so he shook his head, "No, I'm a little tired. I want to rest."
Since the Honorable Prince had said so, what could the female official do? She sighed and left with a sad face.
In the Honorable Prince's courtyard, the charcoal fire burned brightly, and the room was as warm as spring.
The Honorable Prince, who was sitting with his chin in his hand and looking out of the window in a daze, thought of the happiness he had with Izumi Shikibu last night, and his heart was filled with disappointment.
When the Honorable Prince was 12 years old, he was appointed by the Honorable Prince as a fourth-rank concubine. Later, he was promoted to second-rank concubine. He married Fujiwara Iin's nine daughters, but they did not have any children. Under pressure, they had an adopted son, Fujiwara Yoshitsune.
Although many Japanese did not care too much about whether the heir was their own bloodline or not, they cared more about inheritance. However, they did not have a single child, not even a daughter. This kind of frustration stemmed from self-doubt, and it was not simply an extravagant desire for descendants.
"Fujiwara Yoshitsune, I think he can also raise an excellent man."
"But after all these years of marriage, I still don't have any children. Even I sometimes wonder if I've done something to make the gods hate me, which is why I've ended up like this."
"How hateful!" The Honorable Prince sighed again, and even could not help but hit the ground beside him, "Is it me who is infertile, or is it the princess who is infertile?"
"If I am infertile, I can only helplessly bear the punishment of angering the gods. But if the princess is infertile, why do I have to bear the criticism of others behind my back?"
The Honorable Prince even thought of Izumi Shibe. She had already given birth to a child, which meant that Izumi Shibe's body was fine. If she could also give birth to a child for him, would it mean that his body was fine?
As a Honorable Prince, he could not accept the fact that he was a useless person.
Just as he was thinking about this, the sky gradually darkened. At this time, the female official brought a group of maids and brought a sumptuous meal. When they arrived at the courtyard, the branches shook and snow fell, hitting the female official. She screamed and tidied up her hair and clothes in annoyance. She turned her head, and a red light flashed in her eyes.
The maids entered the room, added the stove, and served wine. The Honorable Prince was a little annoyed, "Who asked you to serve wine? I did not order you to do things on your own!"
The female official responded and bowed to the ground to apologize. Then she raised her head, and a pair of clear eyes stared at the Honorable Prince. Seeing that it was her, the Honorable Prince had no choice but to look away and asked, "Xiao Su, why are you here?"
In the beginning, female officials in Japan, during the Flying Bird era, were used to offer their daughters to the Emperor. It was a kind of hostage. Later on, it evolved to non-noble women could not be female officials.
There were many female officials in the Imperial Palace. In fact, the Honorable Prince's Mansion, the Imperial Prince's Mansion, and the Imperial Minister's Family also had female officials. They were all noble women, so of course, they could not be too harsh to female officials.
"Your Highness, the snow is heavy. The princess ordered us to clean up and asked me to serve Your Highness." As she spoke, she poured wine. According to the rules, even the Honorable Prince could not say much about the distribution of the inner courtyard (Note 2). Although he felt that it was a little strange, there was no problem with this excuse. The Honorable Prince was also a little hungry, so he did not want to argue. He picked up the wine cup and was about to drink. Suddenly, someone outside the room laughed and said, "If it was me, I would not drink."
"Who?!"
This sound startled the Honorable Prince. He immediately put down the wine cup, got up and looked outside. At the same time, he tried to retreat, but it was too late. The person jumped down from the roof and landed in front of the door.
Even though he had only seen him once, the Honorable Prince immediately recognized him. "You are Yamada Shinichi!"
The person who came was none other than the young samurai he had seen in Izumi Shibuku!
This person was handsome, and anyone who saw him once would not easily forget him. But why did this person suddenly appear in the Honorable Prince's Mansion?
What was he doing here? Could it be that he was here to avenge his master, Tachibana Daozhen, for stealing his wife?
The Honorable Prince's expression changed drastically. He immediately wanted to call for the samurai.
Although at this time, the imperial court had shown signs of decline, as a second-rank Honorable Prince, there were still many samurai in the Honorable Prince's Mansion. Just as he was about to speak, he saw that Yamada Shinichi's hand had already touched the hilt of the sword at his waist.
A chill hit his heart. The Honorable Prince was afraid. He took a step back and forced himself to calm down. "What do you mean? Do you want to cause trouble for Tachibana Daozhen? "
"Shh! Let's watch a good show first. " The other party looked at him mockingly, and his eyes fell on the female official who looked very scared and trembling.
…
Note 1: The famous Zi Shibuku once served as Fujiwara Daozhang's female official.
Note 2: Men cannot ask too much about the management of the inner courtyard. This is the result of the marriage system in the Heian era. The specific development is a long story.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
