readytorunbook Chapter 2204 2202 Those Past Events That Have Faded Away with the Wind
Chapter 2204 2202 Those Past Events That Have Faded Away with the Wind
Chapter 2204 2.202 Those Past Events That Have Faded Away with the Wind
The samurai house.
As expected, Consort Qin Hong encountered Asahina En'e (Toshie Kimura), who had committed suicide. En'e was the mother of the female protagonist, Asahina Chisa.
In the original storyline, her fate was fraught with misfortune. First, she was raped and became pregnant by the elder of her twin brothers, then married the younger brother and gave birth to her daughter, Chisa. However, before her daughter could even marry, her husband was murdered by the elder twin. The elder twin then entered her home and seized everything the younger brother owned. After many years of marriage, the elder twin would surely not admit his mistake, but it was too late. Unable to bear the humiliation, Lady Yuanjiang committed suicide to preserve her chastity. Meanwhile, the ruthless and audacious imposter sold the Golden Virgin Statue to a wealthy merchant in Kyoto for a high price of 30,000 taels of silver. He even deceived the male and female protagonists into risking their lives to deliver the statue to Kyoto. He even used his daughter's chastity as leverage to reach a transport agreement with the male protagonist. Finally, in a bloodthirsty rage to seize the Golden Virgin Statue, the imposter even murdered his own daughter…
It's easy to imagine that Lady Yuanjiang, filled with resentment, must have died with great bitterness.
Upon entering the samurai residence, Second Princess Qin Hong was choked by the overwhelming malevolent aura and held her breath. Although the intrusion of the plot was a distortion at the plot level, completely unrelated to holding her breath, this subconscious physiological and psychological resistance indicated that the mutated entity was extremely dangerous.
As the name suggests, samurai residences were the dwellings of the samurai class. During the Edo period, samurai residences occupied almost all the land in major towns and cities throughout Japan. Beneath the castle tower (tenshu), retainers were allocated plots of land to live on. The castle tower represented the prestige of the samurai class; the higher the rank, the closer the residence was to the castle tower. Depending on the owner's status and stipend, samurai residences were divided into three categories: residences of "daimyo" (noble lords), "hatomoons" (middle-ranking samurai qualified to meet the shogun), and "gokenin" (lower-ranking samurai not qualified to meet the shogun). However, broadly speaking, they all belonged to different variations of the same architectural style.
Furthermore, the residences of bannermen of the fifth rank and above could be called "buke-yashiki" (武家屋敷), while those of mid-ranking samurai could only be called "samurai-yashiki" (侍屋敷), and those of lower-ranking samurai could only be called "samurai-nagaya" (侍長屋). These names not only represented the samurai's status and position, but also reflected their close connection and loyalty to the daimyo.
"Bōgyōshō" was an administrative agency in the Edo period, equivalent to a "government office," and was the office where the Bōgyō (a type of official) handled government affairs.
"The right to redistribute confiscated lands" means that the governor (the local military commander appointed by the shogunate) has the right to redistribute "confiscated lands" (i.e., the lands of criminals or disgraced persons) to his retainers, thereby strengthening his own power.
Similarly, "confiscated property" refers to the property of criminals or those who have lost power.
Therefore, the shogunate post of "Kakushomono-bugyō" (黍所物謩行) was responsible for assisting samurai families in protecting and handling "Kakushomono." Since force was inevitably used in the process of handling "Kakushomono," calling him a "security officer" (掊官) is also appropriate. It is clearly reasonable for him to be in charge of handling the transfer of the Golden Mother Statue.
Consort Qin Hong, in her half-demon form, wandered around the grid-like room, searching for Lady Yuanjiang, who had been corrupted by evil energy.
Samurai residences during the Edo period were primarily constructed in the "Shoin-zukuri" style, emphasizing hierarchical order, separation of interior and exterior spaces, and a simple aesthetic. The "Shoin-zukuri" style evolved from the Shinden-zukuri style of the Heian period, blending practicality and ceremonial elements. The main house typically consisted of several buildings, with public areas for receiving guests completely separated from private living areas; sometimes, these were built as separate buildings. The entire house was furnished with tatami mats, and shoji (paper sliding doors) and katana (cloth sliding doors) were used to divide spaces, allowing for flexible adjustment of room sizes.
The main living room, the "Zashiki," was used to receive important guests. Two niches were located on the front wall, along with a "bedroom" for hanging scrolls (calligraphy and paintings) and a "compartment shelf" for displaying artworks or tea sets. An attached "shoin" (fixed desk) was also included, originally a study area, but later converted for decorative purposes. The entrance to a room called the "chotai-go" was located on the opposite wall.
Because the tea ceremony was popular among samurai families, the "tea room" became an important part of their residences. These tea rooms often faced a meticulously designed Japanese garden through a veranda, emphasizing borrowed scenery and tranquility. Other ancillary spaces (depending on rank) included a dining room, bedroom, and bathroom. High-ranking samurai residences were grand, potentially including multiple guest rooms, an armory, and an archery range. Lower-ranking samurai residences were smaller and more simply decorated, possibly containing only basic living spaces but retaining essential elements such as the "doma" (wooden floor room).
As a high-ranking samurai, the samurai residence of the "Kakusho no Mono-gyō" (a high-ranking samurai) is spacious with numerous inner rooms. "She's in the bedroom," Wu Chen's True Sight Eye, which flashed and then vanished, saw through the clue.
Bedrooms are typically located deep within the main house, with built-in charcoal stoves for warmth. They are far from the street, emphasizing privacy and security, and often face the garden. Natural scenery can be enjoyed through the veranda (a corridor space located under the eaves of the house, between the interior and the courtyard, serving multiple functions such as passage, rest, and ceremony), embodying the concept of "borrowing scenery".
Gently pushing open the door, Madam Yuanjiang, dressed in an elegant nightgown, lay with her back turned on the blood-stained bedding. As the light from outside shone into the room, it cast a long, eerie shadow on the quilt beneath her.
"Ah..." Lady Yuanjiang's sigh was filled with unresolved resentment.
“Madam Yuanjiang, your daughter is still alive.” With the help of Consort Qin Hong’s “information,” Wu Chen spoke directly: “As for the tragic past that happened to you, I also have a way to resolve it.”
“O ‘Outer God’ from another world, I believe everything you say.” Through Lady Yuanjiang’s words, the great demon hidden behind the scenes spoke lazily: “But I can’t help but ask: What do you want in exchange?”
"Solve the immediate problem," Wu Chen replied truthfully.
"As you can see, our self-righteous world is already broken. And those past events that have vanished with the wind (broken memories). It's not that I'm old-fashioned and don't want to change. It's just that I'm afraid that we will eventually lose it all."
"Understood, Madam." Wu Chen ended the brief spiritual communion and handed over the initiative in the development of the plot to Consort Qin Hong.
As Lady Yuanjiang gently closed her robes and slowly lay down, the elongated, folded shadow beneath her suddenly stood upright. It was as if time and space had shifted. The tall shadow slowly bent down, extending a misty, featureless face towards Consort Qin Hong, almost touching her nose.
The demonic figure, transformed into a female demon, is none other than the famous "Eight-Foot Lady".
Also known as "Yata-onna" (八尺女), written as "八尺様" in Japanese. Yasakani-sama is a female yokai (supernatural being) over 8 feet tall (approximately 2.6 meters), wearing a white dress and a white hat, always appearing with a "boo boo boo" sound. She wanders through villages, forests, and deserted streets, possessing abilities such as changing her appearance and voice, teleportation, and invisibility. She lures victims, especially young men or children, by imitating the voices of loved ones and creating illusions; those "bewitched" by her often suffer misfortune within days.
Legend has it that she was originally sealed in a land protected by a barrier set up by the Jizo Temple, but the seal was broken, causing her to reappear and cause trouble. Another version of the legend says that the Eight-Foot Giant was originally worshipped as a deity and required the sacrifice of young boys and girls. However, the sacrifices were later interrupted, and the Eight-Foot Giant began to hunt on her own.
Players commonly refer to her as "Eight-Foot Lady".