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Page 11
The guests, of course, refer to Ōi Shigeie and the other three warrior monks.
After introducing himself, the villagers of Kubo were even more surprised—the master of Kofukuji Temple had sent a samurai to protect him; what a great honor that was!
The villagers were either proud or astonished. Someone said, "From now on, we should call him 'Lord Shinzaburo,'" and the others nodded in agreement.
Shinzaburo went straight home, ignoring the relieved look on his father Kinbei's face, and immediately asked, "It's so cold this year, won't the people in the neighborhood have a hard time getting through the winter?"
Jin Bingwei's father was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Our village is quite prosperous, so there shouldn't be any problem. Besides, I even stocked up on supplies in advance! But some villages that have always been poor, like Zhutian Village on the other side of the mountain, are a different story. With this weather, the prices of firewood and clothing will definitely go up. Even if they bring out all their savings, it might not be enough!"
Shinzaburo nodded and then said, "What about next spring when we still have to pay the Naito family the commission and the additional commission?"
Jinbingwei's father said, "Then we'll have to borrow it. Although the Naito family doesn't usually manage things, they're not paying any taxes or provisions, and their swords aren't fake."
Shinzaburo immediately mentioned the agreement reached at Kōfuku-ji Temple: "I spoke with Master Myōshū yesterday, and he is willing to advance next year's tuition and living expenses for all devout Buddhist believers."
Upon hearing this, Jin Bingwei's father was startled, then smiled wryly and said, "It's not easy to get money from a high monk! I wonder how much interest you plan to charge?"
Shinsaburo waved his hand: "Master Mingzhou said that as long as it can be repaid within one year, no interest will be charged. Even if it cannot be repaid within one year, only one-tenth of the interest will be charged each year thereafter."
"Such a good thing?" Old Man Jinbingwei was dumbfounded upon hearing this. "Although the high monks of Guangfu Temple have always been... always been compassionate, this new abbot really is compassionate... Could there be some special purpose behind this?"
“Of course there’s a reason,” Shinzaburo said. “But in any case, we just need to do as the master asks.”
“That makes sense.” After a moment, Old Man Jinbingwei stopped hesitating: “With our status, what other choice do we have but to cling tightly to Guangfu Temple?”
“In that case…” Shinzaburo continued, “I’ll trouble you to spread the word. Of course, not everyone will help; it must be a devout Buddhist.”
Jin Bingwei's father nodded knowingly.
How do you judge whether someone is truly devout in their Buddhist practice? It's just a matter of saying whatever comes to mind.
This presents a good opportunity to cultivate interpersonal relationships.
Then the father and son had a long talk. Old Man Kinbei asked about his experiences at Kōfuku-ji Temple over the past few days, while Shinzaburo wanted to know about the winter conditions in the nearby villages.
Suddenly someone called from outside the window: "The meat is cooking, Lord Yiming, please come and take a look!"
Shinzaburo immediately made a decision: "Let's eat first, then we'll talk. Opportunities to enjoy wild game are rare!"
Old Man Jin Bingwei smiled and nodded in agreement.
(By the way, the term "mountain whale" didn't seem to be popular at this time.)
019 The best days are yet to come.
Just as Ooi Shigeie said, the wild boars attacked humans because they couldn't find food in the mountains during the cold winter and were starving.
The villagers cut open the dead animal, bled it, washed it clean, and stewed it in a large iron pot. They found that the meat was tough and old, had a strong fishy smell, and didn't taste as good as they had imagined.
But no matter what, such a large pile of animal fat always makes one's mouth water.
Shinzaburo generously called out the entire village, young and old, to share the feast.
Let's begin!
Old Man Jin Bingwei was in a good mood. Seeing that there were "distinguished guests" coming, he generously offered the little bit of spices left over from making candied chestnuts this year, and ordered them to be cooked with wild boar meat. He also generously brought out two jars of "good wine" that had only been diluted with half water to share, and asked his daughter, A Li, to make a pot of brown rice without any other grains mixed in.
As the "pig-hunting hero," Ooi Shigeie undoubtedly took the first seat, enjoying stewed meat with rice and occasionally sipping wine, soon becoming so happy he was completely lost in the moment.
The remaining three monk soldiers, although they did not contribute much, still did their part and, being guests, received a warm welcome.
(Monk soldiers can be understood as lay disciples, who generally do not need to follow too many precepts.)
Old Man Kinbei and Shinsaburo kept the guests company while they ate and drank, exchanging toasts and engaging in lively conversation. Shingoro, a young boy, would definitely be considered a child by today's standards, but by 16th-century standards, nine years old was practically an adult and should be sitting at a table to "see the world."
As for Ari, despite being the village chief's daughter, she was still a girl. According to the "rules," she could only help the women with chores, waiting for the men to finish their meal before she could eat. Shinzaburo quietly placed two pieces of good meat close to the bone in her bowl and offered them to her to enjoy in the house, but the girl shook her head vigorously, refusing no matter what. She was simply too "virtuous and gentle."
Fortunately, it was a whole pig, so the amount was quite large. In those days, the people of Japan didn't have the habit of making ham or cured meat. Everyone in Kubo Village, young and old, always got some meat in their bowls. Even the dogs could nibble on a few bone fragments.
In addition, there's plenty of radish stewed in broth. Although the villagers aren't wealthy, they can still afford radishes. It's just that the white radishes, which are usually bland and tasteless, are quite different today when they're stewed with wild boar meat.
It's the twelfth month of the lunar calendar now. Some villagers who are relatively well-off have already prepared New Year's cakes and buckwheat noodles for the Spring Festival. They take them out and cook them in pork soup to share.
You said the New Year hasn't arrived yet?
For ordinary people, being able to eat meat to their heart's content is what celebrating the New Year is all about!
The village's sixty-year-old elder kept saying that he hadn't eaten anything this good since he and his partner hunted a bear in the forest thirty years ago. Now, with his belly full of pork broth, he would have no regrets even if he died right now!
A child, not even ten years old, was sucking on a bone and shaking his head, saying something like "I would die without regrets," when his parent slapped him on the forehead.
……
At the main table, "Pig-Slaying Hero" Ooi Shigeie, drunk and out of his mind, muttered, "The best is yet to come! Once your Shinzaburo becomes Master Mingzhou's son-in-law, wealth and glory will be within your grasp!"
Half-drunk and half-asleep, Old Man Jinbingwei nodded suddenly and said, "No wonder a few days ago a monk came to investigate my family's background and asked about Shinzaburo's character. So that's why... Wait, Master Mingzhou is a monk, how come he has a daughter?"
Hiccuping from his drink, Ooi Shigeie said nonchalantly, "Even a master is human. It's inevitable to make mistakes when you're young! I had a daughter, so I had to send her to live in a nunnery as a niece... It wasn't convenient for her to marry into a respectable family. I finally managed to get engaged twice, but both times my fiancé died in an accident. Now she's eighteen..."
"Huh?" Old Man Jin Bingwei was startled, instantly sobering up considerably. He exclaimed in surprise, then immediately lowered his voice and asked urgently, "Is such a thing really true?"
"Think about it, even a big mouth like me has heard about it, so how could it be a secret?" Ooi Shigeie chuckled foolishly. "That girl may be a bit older and a bit too tall, with big eyes, long eyebrows, a wide mouth, and a straight nose, almost like a monster—not a pretty face—but she is, after all, Master Mingzhou's daughter. In a way, she could even be called Uncle Zongtao! Do you know how influential Zen Master Zongtao is? You'd be terrified if I told you..."
This guy was rambling on and on when he collapsed onto the table and started snoring.
Shinzaburo was still lucid and felt both amused and exasperated. He immediately arranged for someone to carry the "pig-beating hero" to a guest room to rest.
Old Man Kinbei pulled Shinzaburo aside to a quiet spot and said worriedly, "This can't be true, can it? The illegitimate daughter of the abbot of Kōfuku-ji Temple may be powerful, but it doesn't sound good if word gets out. If my family becomes samurai..."
Shinzaburo had been a little bothered by this when he first heard about it, but now he'd come to terms with it and said calmly, "Why take what was said in drunkenness seriously? Besides, what's so bad about it?"
Old Man Jin Bingwei frowned and shook his head, saying, "We don't care now, but if he becomes a samurai in the future, and his wife's status is not respectable, wouldn't we be laughed at?"
Shinzaburo shrugged dismissively: "Even if we become samurai, we're bound to be laughed at by those 'noble families' for a while."
"But..." Old Man Jinbingwei, perhaps not understanding the shrug, changed his reasoning when he couldn't convince his son: "She's never been married before, and she's already lost two fiancés. How can you dare to marry someone so unlucky?"
Shinzaburo laughed and said, "Don't I have the protection of Fudo Myoo? I'm not afraid of any bad luck... Wait, Master Mingzhou wouldn't have chosen this because of that, would he?"
Jin Bingwei's father was speechless; he dared not refute this reason. But still unwilling to give up, he added, "And besides, I just said that the girl isn't pretty! Don't you care at all?"
"I've heard about it," Shinzaburo laughed. "He's too tall, but that's relative to others, right? I bet he's not even as tall as me. Big eyes, long eyebrows, wide mouth, and a straight nose, isn't he quite handsome?"
"But...but..." Old Man Jinbingwei wanted to say something, but after repeating "but" several times, he couldn't come up with anything. He could only sigh, wave his sleeve, and go back into the house while saying, "There's nothing to say. The high monk recognizes you but not me now. If you want to be someone's son-in-law, then be one. From now on, you'll be in charge of this village!"
Shinzaburo sighed upon seeing this and muttered to himself, "It's not that I'm willing to accept it, but that I'm afraid to refuse!"
Then, after looking around and seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, he ordered the cleaning to begin.
The villagers called him "Lord Shinsaburo" and obediently followed his orders.
At this moment, the younger siblings came over, seemingly having overheard the drunken ramblings of Oi Shigeie.
Little A-Li looked worried: "My brother is getting married? I wonder if my future stepsister will be easy to get along with..."
Shingoro, the young boy, was calculating: "If you become the son-in-law of the abbot of Kōfuku-ji Temple, then sending me to be his personal disciple shouldn't cost more than a hundred kan, right? Ten kan might be enough. Could you give me the extra money? Half would be fine too..."
Shinzaburo asked suspiciously, "Didn't you say you didn't want to become a monk before?"
Shingoro, the young boy, tilted his head back and said solemnly, "Before, I was worried that monks wouldn't be able to get married. Now that I see that even the abbot of Kōfuku-ji Temple can have an illegitimate daughter, being a monk isn't so bad after all. You can have women without having to get married, it's wonderful!"
Where did this kid get such a bizarre idea?
Shinzaburo had always opposed violence, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but slap his younger brother on the bottom, though he held back.
Then, gently patting the little girl A-Li's head, he said, "Don't worry! Even if Kaguya-hime came to my house, let alone the abbot's daughter, she wouldn't be able to bully my sister."
020 The Humble and Pitiful Takeda Village
Shinsaburo then instructed the villagers to tidy up the area and arrange for the guests to stay in his own guest rooms.
In Kubo Village, only the village chief's house has two guest rooms.
As it turned out, Oi Shigeya stayed in one room, and the other three monks stayed in another.
There wasn't much meat to eat from that wild boar. The villagers devoured most of it in one big meal, leaving only scraps, bones, and offal. They put these scraps indoors in a snowplow and refrigerated them.
The sun rarely shines during this period, and the river remains frozen. The daytime high temperature probably doesn't even reach zero degrees Celsius, so there's no need to worry about the meat spoiling.
The next day, after the "pig-hunting hero" Ooi Shigeie woke up, he acted as if nothing had happened, as if he had forgotten what he had said when he was drunk the night before. He pretended to take his leave, muttering something about "the guarding work has been completed and it is time to return to Kofuku-ji to report back," but in reality, his eyes were fixed on the "remains" of the wild boar on the snowdrift without blinking.
Seeing this, Shinzaburo went along with it and said, "I still have things to do entrusted to me by Master Mingzhou, and I may encounter dangers on the way. Why don't you come with me? We can report back together after we've finished."
Without hesitation, Ooi Shigeie agreed.
So, Shinzaburo and his father, Kinbei, along with the bodyguard, the remaining three monks, and two obedient henchmen villagers, went to a nearby familiar village to spread the word about the "kindness" of Master Myoshu, the abbot of Kōfuku-ji Temple.
The first choice is Zhutian Village, which is separated from the village by a small mountain to the north.
It's very close; it only takes fifteen minutes to get there.
The village was almost the same size as Kubo Village, but because it had no powerful backing, it was powerless to fight against the Naito family, the guardians of the village. Every summer and autumn, it had to pay more than 60 koku of grain, and in the spring, it had to pay nearly 10 kan of special money. It was also frequently conscripted as laborers to participate in the general labor service. Life was quite difficult.
At first glance, almost everyone looked emaciated and the houses were dilapidated.
Shinzaburo did a quick mental calculation and couldn't help but sigh, "The taxes and levies collected by the Naito family probably exceed half of Takeda Village's output. On top of that, they also have to bear labor obligations... The people are really suffering."
Old Man Jinbingwei nodded and said, "As a neighbor, I also feel that Zhutian Village is not having an easy time. So when they couldn't pay their annual tribute a few years ago, didn't I help them out? Of course, there are always conditions for helping. Earning money is not easy for anyone."
However, the "pig-hunting hero" Ooi Shigeie unexpectedly chimed in, saying, "Actually, in our eastern country, it's quite normal for the people to hand over more than half of their produce to the daimyo and also have to perform additional labor. The most ruthless daimyo might even levy 70% of it."
Upon hearing this, Jin Bingwei's father glanced at him, looking surprised.
Shinzaburo recalled some historical knowledge he had seen in his previous life, and it seemed that the overall tax rate in the Kanto region was indeed around 50%.
Ōi Shigeie quickly added, "However, Tanba's terrain is really harsh. It's mountainous with little arable land, and dry fields are the main crop. We in Shinano aren't wealthy in the eastern country, but we're still much better off than you. In Nobi or Musashi, it wouldn't be difficult for ordinary farmers to get three or four paddy fields to cultivate. Even if they had to pay more than half of their annual tribute, they would probably still be better off than the people of Tanba."
Upon hearing this, Old Man Jinbingwei said, "I see," and turned his head to look eastward, his face showing envy.
Shinzaburo complimented, "I never expected that Lord Oi, a samurai from a prestigious family, would be so familiar with farming."
Oi Shigeie scratched his head and said with a simple smile, "My family is said to be a branch of the Shinano governor's family, but only about seventy shokusai have been passed down. I also worked in the fields when I was young."
……
After finishing his casual conversation, Old Man Jinbingwei took the lead and went over to greet a random villager, saying that he wanted to speak to the villager's "name".
The villagers of Takeda Village clearly recognized the newcomer's identity. They were terrified of Old Man Jinbingwei, and bowed nervously, saying "Yes," before running away immediately.
A moment later, a middle-aged man with a dark face and covered in sweat rushed over. As soon as he saw us, he knelt down on the ground and shouted, "Brother Jinbingwei, at the Qingliang Festival at Guangfu Temple last month, you said that for the sake of Buddha, you would forgive half of our debts. This kindness is so touching!"
Watching the other party's slightly exaggerated performance, Old Man Jin Bingwei chuckled reservedly, slowly walked forward to help the other party up, and said unhurriedly, "Don't worry, since I said I would waive half, I won't go back on my word. Besides, I'm not here to collect the other half of the debt today, I'm just taking a stroll."
"Of course!" The dark-faced middle-aged man stood up and immediately patted his chest, saying, "Don't I know Brother Jin Bingwei's character? You are a well-known philanthropist, how could you do something like forcing poor villagers to repay their debts?"
"Heh..." Old Man Jinbingwei remained noncommittal, staring at the other man from head to toe, and asked curiously, "In this cold weather, how come you're sweating? What kind of work are you doing?"
“…It’s because of the cold…” The dark-faced middle-aged man shook his head and said, “The village doesn’t have enough firewood, so we have to hurry up and prepare it. Don’t worry, Nishifuneyama has arranged for Kubo Village to do the logging, we’re going to cut the firewood in a forest a little further to the east.”
“The path to that forest to the east is not easy to walk,” said Old Man Jinbingwei, stroking his beard. “And it’s been through wind and snow, it must have been tough.”
“Who says otherwise…” The dark-faced middle-aged man lowered his head and sighed, “Some people have already slipped and fallen and injured themselves in the past two days, but fortunately the falls were not serious.”
"Well, have you thought about what to do after spring?" Old Man Jinbingwei suddenly quickened his pace: "The Naito family starts collecting money for the first ten days of the first lunar month. How much is the total amount that your Takeda Village is supposed to pay according to custom? I remember it was eight kan and six hundred and fifty mon..."
"We can only try to get through the winter first. I don't know if we'll be able to borrow money from anyone then..." The dark-faced middle-aged man hunched his shoulders, lowered his head, but then looked up with a mixture of fear and hope.
“Don’t look at me, I can’t help you this time. But—” Old Man Jinbing deliberately dragged out his words, and after a long while, he finally said the second half of the sentence: “The masters of Guangfuji Temple can help you.”
“What you’re saying is…” The dark-faced middle-aged man immediately lost his temper: “Who doesn’t know that you can borrow money from a temple anytime? But their interest rates are too high.”
"It's the usual practice, but this time, the new abbot of Guangfu Temple is being exceptionally lenient. For devout Buddhist believers..." Old Man Jin Bingwei deliberately teased people again: "For devout Buddhist believers, we can help advance some money for the trip, and we won't charge interest for a year."
"Such a good thing?" The dark-faced middle-aged man was overjoyed upon hearing this, but then he became puzzled: "Why are the masters suddenly so generous? Could it be that Brother Jin Bingwei intervened? Could there be some problem here...? They won't just sign the papers and then take away the village's fields..."
"Are you out of your mind! Whether there's a problem or not, helping your Takeda Village through this crisis is the most important thing! Anyway, I'm not letting this benefit slip by, whether you come or not is up to you." Old Man Jinbingwei put on a look of disappointment: "To be honest, I used to have some influence at Kofuku-ji Temple. But now they've changed abbots, and they're not familiar with me. I just don't know why they seem to favor this kid Shinzaburo... He's the one who calls the shots this time."
“I see. No wonder your Shinzaburo was left alone at the temple as a guest after the Qingliang Festival…” The dark-faced middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then knelt down before Shinzaburo without hesitation: “For the sake of being neighbors for so many years, please take good care of Takeda Village in the future!”
Shinzaburo smiled and helped the other person up, saying, "You don't need to be so polite. If needed, you can simply write a letter of request for help to Kofukuji Temple in the name of the village."
Jin Bingwei's father spoke up again: "Having received a favor from the high monk of Guangfu Temple, shouldn't we visit the temple more often next year?"
The dark-skinned middle-aged man answered repeatedly, "Definitely, definitely!"
021 Qingshui Village, a place brimming with martial virtue
After achieving his goal and leaving Takeda Village, Shinzaburo remarked with emotion, "This Otana from Takeda Village is truly the most humble of all."
Jin Bingwei's father chuckled and said, "That guy has no ability to protect the village. He was only recommended as the second-ranked person because he was willing to swallow his pride and beg for mercy everywhere."
Shinzaburo sighed, "It is truly admirable that someone would disregard their own dignity for the sake of their fellow villagers."
A hint of disdain appeared on Jinbingwei's lips. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by Oi Shigeie.
The "pig-hunting hero," Ōi Shigeie, nodded repeatedly, patted Shinzaburo on the shoulder—he didn't need to stand on tiptoe—and said in a deep voice with a nostalgic expression, "Back then, my father often humbled himself before the elders of the Ogasawara clan for the sake of the farmers under his rule, yet he was never praised by anyone. It's a pity he died at the hands of the Takeda army, unable to hear your words of 'truly admirable.' Alas!"
Seeing this, Jinbingwei had no choice but to swallow his words and silently lead the way.