Knowing that this was destined to be a sleepless night, Imagawa Yoshimoto did not struggle, so he got up and rode his horse towards the maple forest on the north mountain of Imagawadate. Until he arrived at the maple forest, Imagawa Yoshimoto could not figure out why he was going this way. Maybe it's because when I was the saddest last time, I felt better after seeing this maple forest.
In the dark night, the color of the red leaves cannot be seen clearly. What is also unclear is the road in front of us and the road to the future.
It wasn't until a exclamation came that Imagawa Yoshimoto discovered that under the maple tree where he met last time, he met the girl in the maple forest a year ago again.
"Miss Shuoye?" Imagawa Yoshimoto recognized Shuangye's voice and whispered in disbelief, "Why is Miss here?"
"It's just...it just so happened." Shuangye replied hesitantly.
"What a coincidence?" Imagawa Yoshimoto glanced at the moon hanging in the night sky, "You are a girl, how unsafe is it to be here at night?"
"The little girl's home is nearby." Shuangye pointed to a small wooden house not far away. The faint light of the fire in the house was clearly visible in the dark night. "I was... just passing by to get water."
"What a coincidence..." Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but sigh, and then laughed sadly, "I feel ashamed to say that I have to trouble Miss Shuangye to be an audience and listen to my complaints."
"As long as it is entrusted by the young master, I am all ears." Shuang Ye's eyes flickered, but she couldn't see clearly in the dark night.
·
Perhaps it was because of a close friend, or perhaps simply because of speculation; those feelings that were buried deep in his heart and were difficult to express, but in front of Shuangye, Imagawa Yoshimoto was able to express them openly. Even he himself was surprised, just like a year ago he was surprised why he could exchange haiku with a strange woman for an afternoon to relieve his lovesickness.
The two people sat down next to the maple tree. In the dark moonlight, they couldn't see each other's expressions clearly. But no matter what, Imagawa Yoshimoto was able to express his feelings in the most straightforward and childish language regardless of face.
"I became a monk when I was four years old, and spent the next ten years in the temple. I have never seen a few women, and I don't know what 'love' is. When I read those waka poems about love, I always feel like It was all in the clouds and mist. It was only today that I realized its core meaning. It was really heartbreaking."
"She is the first woman of the same age that I have had good contact with. She is so beautiful. She is like a cat, lazy and unmotivated. She always wants to be lazy, falls asleep at every turn, and even breaks apart when she falls asleep... ...But she is very gentle, tenderly aware of everyone's suffering, and gentle enough to relieve everyone's pain. She is lively and sunny, and although she has many troubles, she always smiles so happily that people just stay with her. You will feel full of energy.”
"As she said, she and I are like two stray cats licking each other's wounds. We have both been hurt by the cold-blooded family, we both hate evil people who talk about family interests, we both hate war, and we hate giving... Troubled times add to the misfortune of everything. So we are extraordinarily speculative, and I don’t know if this is what brought us together in the end.”
"Although it was only a few dozen days from meeting to parting, we have countless stories to tell. When I first met her, she was napping under a tree. When I woke her up, she greeted me familiarly; When we were being chased by ninjas, she sang a double act with me like a drama queen. Her performance was so emotional that she almost deceived me. We played a ten-question guessing game together, played Cuju, and went shopping together. We had snacks together at the night market in Kyoto.”
"We have encountered many dangers, but every time we have relied on that amazing tacit understanding to save the day - we have only known each other for a short time, and to have such a tacit understanding must be destined, right?"
…
Imagawa Yoshimoto was talking nonchalantly, Shuangye was listening quietly on the side. From late night to early morning, from early morning to dusk, I never feel tired or hungry. It wasn't until the sun set again that Imagawa Yoshimoto's excited look gradually dimmed. Instead, there was deep despair.
"But unfortunately, we are both children of the samurai family. She is in Hokushin Echigo, and I am in Suruga, thousands of miles apart. Neither my family nor her family can agree to such a marriage. This relationship has never existed since the beginning. It was destined to be fruitless from the beginning. Before she met me, her family had already chosen a marriage for her that would maximize the interests of the family."
"And my family told me just today, and they have agreed on my marriage."
Imagawa Yoshimoto looked up to the sky and sighed, then shook his head as if resigned to his fate.
"I should have known that this day would come, and I shouldn't have had so many expectations. She and I were destined to be destined to each other. It has been more than a year since we were separated, and she must have been married, maybe already. If she has a child, will she still remember me?"
"Yes, I will definitely do it." Shuangye raised his eyebrows and whispered very firmly.
"Why are you so sure?"
"Because a little girl is also a woman, and women understand women's hearts best." Shuangye twisted the corner of her clothes uneasily and sighed softly, "Once a woman falls in love with a man, she won't change her heart so easily. One year doesn't matter. Woolen cloth?"
"What about the rest of her life? Will she always remember me?"
"Why pursue these things, young master?" Shuangye smiled, "People are constantly moving towards death and forgetfulness. No matter how precious the memories are, they will eventually be forgotten. In this cruel and troubled world, can anyone It is not easy to find the home of your soul. Even if it is just for a moment, just indulge in it. Why imagine those illusory eternities? You once loved each other passionately, you once had each other in your eyes, and you once thought you owned the whole world. This way The fleeting feelings are enough. When the beauty of cherry blossoms is already fading, how can they insist on being evergreen?"
"Miss Shimoye is right, but I'm being hypocritical." Imagawa Yoshimoto stood up with a smile, but his smile was filled with tears, "This is already good, isn't it? If you can find a true love in this troubled world, it will be It is already a blessing that ordinary people do not have. It is just like the rainbow among the clouds and mist after the mountain rain, beautiful and short-lived."
"Thank you, Miss, for your advice. I'm sorry for bothering you." Imagawa Yoshimoto got on his horse, knowing that if he didn't leave, Imagawa Hall would urge him to go back. "I wonder if there is anything I can do to help, Miss?" "
"That's enough." Shuangye blinked aggrievedly, without further explanation, "If the young master has any confusion in the future, you can come to the little girl again. The little girl is always waiting for you."
·
After riding his horse back to the castle tower, Imagawa Yoshimoto was told by Taiyuan Xuesai that the Takeda family princess had been sent to the castle tower in the evening and was waiting for him in Imakawa Yoshimoto's bedroom on the top floor of the castle tower.
"Why are you waiting for me?" Imagawa Yoshimoto asked in confusion.
"Of course I'm going to wait for you to consummate the marriage and perform the rituals of husband and wife." Taiyuan Xuezhai looked at his apprentice, thinking that he was still not enlightened, but he didn't know that he had already done everything.
"Do political marriages also require these things?" Imagawa Yoshimoto said sarcastically with some resentment.
"This is your future wife, the daughter of Kai Natora (Takeda Nobutora). You will have your legitimate son with her, as the heir of the Imagawa family. Even if you don't want to consummate the marriage, it will be a matter of time, so there is no need to hide. "Taiyuan Xuezhai explained to Imagawa Yoshimoto seriously, but found that the latter was indifferent.
So Taiyuan Xuezhai changed his tone, like a veteran who has been involved in love affairs for many years, patted Imagawa Yoshimoto on the shoulder, and pointed greasyly, "And you kid doesn't understand. I'm telling you, this is the case." The princess tastes the best. The daughter of Kai's tiger is also a little tigress, right? She must have been serving her since she was a child. She has never been wronged at all, and she must be strong and noble. If you can tame such a wild woman, then That’s called having feelings. Those women in the Whale Room who fall over at the push of a button and are fawning over you with all their flowers, have no taste at all, how can they be as powerful as a tiger!"
"I still like cats." Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at Miaomiao running up the stairs and murmured in a low voice. He squatted down and let Miaomiao climb onto his shoulders.
"Let's go up quickly. Don't keep the princess waiting." Taiyuan Xuezhai pushed Imagawa Yoshimoto on the back again and pushed him up the stairs.
"It's a political marriage anyway. Even if I don't consummate the marriage, the marriage alliance between the Takeda family and the Imagawa family will not change, right?" Imagawa Yoshimoto had already figured out the way to go, and complained without looking back. Taiyuan Xuezhai shook his head helplessly, and could only spread his hands with a wry smile.
·
When he came to the bedroom door, Imagawa Yoshimoto could not open the door no matter what.
It's not that he hasn't fantasized about his future family life - on the contrary, lacking family affection, he fantasizes more than anyone else. But in all imaginations, the person who plays the role of wife and mother of children has always been the lazy girl. If this image were to be suddenly changed to another face, Imagawa Yoshimoto would not be able to accept it.
He was escaping, he didn't want to face it, and he slowly sat down outside the guest room. It seems that as long as she doesn't open the door, the wife behind the door may still be the beauty she longs for. He knew that this was just a coward's behavior, and he would have to accept it all sooner or later, but being able to linger for a moment longer, and being able to imagine the future family happiness of himself and Ginkgo made him intoxicated and unable to extricate himself.
Did Miss Ginkgo think the same way before she got married? When she was waiting in the room, waiting for her husband to open the door, would she have had the same mood? Could it be that he also hopes that the person who opens the door will be his sweetheart? Then when the dream finally shattered, when a stranger walked in the door, how desperate and sad would she be? Could it be that for the benefit of the family, even if he was extremely sad, he would not dare to shed a single tear, but would serve his husband with a strong smile and repeat the things he had done with Imagawa Yoshimoto?
Just thinking about this made Imagawa Yoshimoto feel heartbroken and almost breathless. Time passed quickly, and Imagawa Yoshimoto struggled in this endless torture until the east became white.
But when he thought about it again, he suddenly felt relieved.
Isn't the Takeda Princess waiting in the house a woman from the Wu family who suffers the same fate as Ginkgo? Did she once have a lover of her own? Did she have an unforgettable vow of love for each other? Did she also imagine the joy of family life with her lover countless times? Did she also wait hard behind the door - looking forward to opening it? The door was not opened by a strange man, but by my lover.
Imagawa Yoshimoto slowly stood up and opened the bedroom door. A ray of morning light came in through the crack in the door and fell on the woman inside. She did not sit on pins and needles with her back to the door as Imagawa Yoshimoto thought. Instead, she fell asleep peacefully wrapped in the mattress, with no intention of waiting for her husband.
The sunshine and movement seemed to disturb the woman's sweet dream. She murmured a few times, then stretched deeply and pushed the messy hair from her chest behind her. She rubbed her eyes and straightened up with a yawn. Opening his sleepy eyes, he looked vaguely at the visitor at the door, and murmured lazily:
"Good morning, sir."
