Gabriel could not help but complain in his heart. What was wrong with these Oriental warriors? Did they have to fight over something that made no sense? It was just a sword. Couldn't they just keep it? Were they afraid that someone would steal it? There was no need for them to be in a deadlock over such a trivial matter.
The French merchant wiped the sweat from his forehead while trying to persuade Zhang Heng. On the other side, someone walked up to the maid and whispered a few words in her ear.
In the end, the maid said, "You can take the wakizashi with you, but the sword must be left behind."
Zhang Heng knew that this was the biggest concession the other party could make. Of course, he did not want to ruin his trip tonight because of this matter. So, he nodded and agreed to the other party's request.
However, Zhang Heng did not hand over the sword to the maid. Instead, he stabbed it in the open space in the courtyard and said, "Don't touch it. I will take it with me when I leave."
The maid had no objection to this. She bowed again when she heard this. "Welcome to Youji, distinguished guest. Please allow me to make up for my previous disrespect."
Without waiting for Zhang Heng to say anything, she pulled out the sword from her waist, turned it around, and stabbed her chest.
Everything happened so fast that the French merchant did not even realize what was happening. The tip of the sword had already pierced the maid's delicate skin, and it was about to pierce her heart. However, at this critical moment, a scabbard stopped the blade.
"No need. I have forgiven you." Zhang Heng held the wakizashi.
On the other side, Gabriel was so shocked that he froze in place! Oh my god, what kind of lunatics are these people? When he tried to persuade Zhang Heng earlier, he also complained about the maid in his heart. But compared to that, the other party's remedial measures scared him more.
It was just a small mistake. No, it was not even a small mistake. The maid was just fulfilling her duty. Was it necessary to go this far? The French merchant shook his head repeatedly.
Zhang Heng knew very well that the people in this tea house were not just warriors. They were also the Tobaku's men of sacrifice.
Because only the Tobaku could be so indifferent to life. Not only the lives of others, but their own lives as well.
"Please follow me." Although there was such a small interlude in the middle, the Lady Boss's expression did not change as she personally led the way.
Zhang Heng, on the other hand, had already retracted his wakizashi and followed them as if nothing had happened. Gabriel, on the other hand, was stunned for a moment before he quickly caught up with Zhang Heng.
The Lady Boss pulled open a door. There were already a few people sitting inside. Most of them were samurai, and there were also some geishas accompanying them.
One of them was playing the shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument. Two others were dancing, and the rest were pouring wine for the guests.
Seeing the French businessman come in, one of the older samurai stood up to welcome him. At the same time, he introduced Gabriel to the others. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Heng's gaze swept across the crowd. He did not see Kirino Toshiaki, but he unexpectedly met an acquaintance.
– Shinji Takeuchi.
The latter once came to Koyama Dojo with Yamada to pick a fight. After Yamada's hand was cut off, Zhang Heng thought Takeuchi would stand up to avenge his companion. He did not expect Takeuchi to claim that he was no match for Zhang Heng and leave with his men. However, it was precisely because of this shrewdness that Zhang Heng remembered him.
Takeuchi's expression suddenly changed when he saw Zhang Heng. He did not expect the latter to appear here tonight. In the end, however, he squeezed a smile and nodded at Zhang Heng.
"Takeuchi, do you know each other before?" The older samurai saw this scene and asked curiously.
"We've met once, I guess." The smile on Takeuchi's face was a little forced. What happened at Koyama Dojo was too embarrassing, and he obviously did not want to talk about it in detail here.
After listening to the older samurai's introduction, Zhang Heng roughly figured out the identity of the group of people in the room. Most of them were samurai from the Choshu and Satsuma domains. However, Zhang Heng did not see Matsuo and Takahashi among them. Zhang Heng figured that their ranks were not high enough to attend tonight's banquet.
Zhang Heng did not forget his job. After taking a seat, he translated other people's questions for Gabriel. After that, he translated Gabriel's answers one by one. However, at this stage, it seemed that both parties were talking about some meaningless pleasantries, including Gabriel's impression of Kyoto, the current situation in France, and the situation in Europe. The older samurai apologized to the French businessman, saying that the host of the banquet would take a while to arrive. Gabriel nodded to show that he understood.
It had to be admitted that many people in Japan had begun to learn from the West and understand the world. The Tobaku faction no longer hated the Westerners as much as the earlier faction. Instead, they began to compete with the shogunate for the support of the great powers. This also made the shogunate, led by Tokugawa Yoshinobu, more and more worried.
However, these things had nothing to do with Zhang Heng.
The two parties chatted for a while, and the food was served one after another.
During the Edo period, the only meat that could be eaten in Japan was fish and poultry. Even if they could eat fish, the less fatty fish was more expensive. The shogunate even enacted a law that stated that all four-legged animals were not to be eaten. Some people were even exiled for abandoning sick cows and horses in the wilderness. Of course, this law was not completely absolute. For example, weak pregnant women and sick people could still be tacitly allowed to eat some venison or pork.
In addition, it turned out that no law could stop foodies. Although there were rules in place, people all over the country were secretly eating meat. The places that sold meat were called monster houses, and the people who sold meat usually said that they were there to buy medicine. It was said that the shogunate, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, liked to eat pork. Of course, as a spiritual idol, the emperor probably did not have access to such delicacies.
Tonight, most of the samurai here were advocates of learning from the West, and there were not many taboos about eating meat. In order to entertain Gabriel, the tea house had specially prepared a red leaf pot.
The so-called red leaf was a slang term for venison, and the red leaf pot was a venison hotpot. Paired with tofu, meatballs, and vegetables, it tasted delicious and was widely popular in Kyoto. Just the sight of it was enough to whet one's appetite. Coupled with the beauty in his arms, the French businessman obviously enjoyed it.
The older samurai stretched out his hand and smiled. "Please enjoy."
Gabriel grabbed the chopsticks clumsily, but before he started to eat, he asked, "Don't we need to wait for the master?"
"It's okay. I've been told that we can start first," the older samurai said with a smile. "As for the big business, we can talk about it later."
"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."
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