Arima stared blankly at Aoden. Because I was so surprised, I forgot my words for a moment.
At this time, a childish voice came from a distance:
"Father, who are you talking to?"
Arima and Aoto both glanced at each other.
"Mr. Arima."
Qingdeng put his hat back on and said seriously.
"I'll be waiting for you in your study. I have something very important to talk to you about."
After saying that, Qingdeng's waist dwarfed and his whole body disappeared into the darkness.
As soon as Aoshito left, Arima's second son, Torojumaru, who was only 9 years old this year, walked up to the corridor of the yard and came to Arima's side, holding a cuju.
In ancient Japan, all boys from samurai families would basically have a nickname.
Qingdeng is no exception. Qingteng's nickname is "Kuro". Unfortunately, after Tachibana's death, the person who is qualified to call Qingteng by his nickname no longer exists.
And Toshoumaru is Arima's second son's nickname.
Some families even have hereditary nicknames. For example, the eldest sons of the Tokugawa family all have "Takechiyo" as their nickname.
After entering the Yuan Dynasty, the nickname can be changed to a formal name.
"Father, I seemed to hear you talking to someone just now?"
Torosumaru stretched his neck and looked into the courtyard.
Arima had now recovered from his shock.
He smiled at his son:
"Did you hear that correctly? I've just been cleaning my knife quietly here. Where can I talk to anyone? What's more, look, besides you and me, where are the outsiders here?"
"B-but..."
Torojumaru still wanted to argue.
But Arima blocked the conversation one step ahead:
"Okay, Torojumaru, my father has important things to do now, so you can go and play by yourself first."
After dismissing Zohu Shouwan in a few words, Arima couldn't stand it for a moment. He hurriedly gathered the knife powder, knife oil, powder stick and other care tools, and then ran in the direction of the study in three steps at a time.
…
A horse-ridden mansion and a study—
Arima's study seems to have the word "serious" posted on it.
The books in the bookshelf are all neatly arranged according to categories.
The four treasures of the study on the desk seem to have been carefully adjusted with a ruler. They are neatly arranged and visually pleasing to the viewer.
At a glance, you can tell that this is the study room that someone like Arima with "severe obsessive-compulsive disorder" would have.
Arima pushed open the paper sliding door of the study room.
As the light leaked into the room through the crack in the door, he saw Qingto, who had taken off his bamboo hat and sword, kneeling on the tatami in the study in an orderly manner, waiting for his arrival.
"Sorry, Tachibana-kun, for keeping you waiting."
Qingden shook his head gently.
"No, Mr. Arima, I am the one who should apologize. I'm sorry for breaking into your home without saying hello."
Arima sat directly opposite Aoto, his sword casually placed on his right side.
"Ji Jun, where have you been for so many days? Do you know how hard it was for us to find you?"
"Feel sorry."
Qingdeng apologized softly again.
"I've made you worry. Because of some complicated reasons that are a long story, I had to deliberately conceal my whereabouts."
"When I have the opportunity and time in the future, I will come back to you... no, I will explain to you in detail where I have been and what I have done these days."
Qingdeng paused for a moment, then changed the subject.
"Mr. Arima, as I said in the courtyard just now, the reason why I took the liberty of visiting you tonight is because I have something very important to ask you."
Time is running out.
Maybe at some point, Arima's wife and heirs would suddenly come over and disturb them, just like Torosumaru just now.
Therefore, Qingdeng decided to "quickly resolve" and get straight to the point without making any twists and turns.
If you want to chat and reminisce, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
"Something quite important? Please tell me?"
Arima looked confused.
Looking at Aintō's eyes that contained some kind of strong determination, Arima immediately understood: What Aintō wanted to discuss with him was no small matter!
"……Um."
Arima nodded vigorously several times.
"go ahead."
As soon as Arima finished speaking, Qingden couldn't help but asked quickly:
"Mr. Arima, please tell me everything you know about my father."
"Your father?"
Although it was barely noticeable, Qingden was still keenly aware: for a moment, Arima's pupils shrank to the size of a pinhole.
"...Tachibana-kun, why do you suddenly ask about this?"
"Mr. Arima, I can't explain the specifics. In short...I am now eager to know what my father did during his lifetime. Why did he suddenly become addicted to gambling? Did he really die of illness?"
Speaking of this, Ayoto carefully observed the changes in Arima's facial expressions.
I saw Youma looking at his nose and heart. I don't know what he was thinking about now. His waist, which was extremely straight at all times, was actually slightly bent at this moment.
Seeing this, Qingdeng pursed his lips thoughtfully, and then said softly:
"Before his death, my father...had been secretly investigating some serious case. Am I right?"
Arima's hands on his knees trembled momentarily.
The study was surrounded by silence.
The surrounding air seemed to have weight at this moment, and it felt like the sounds were gradually moving away from the surroundings.
Although the two did not draw swords at each other, there is no doubt that Aoto and Arima are "confronting" - anyone would think so, right? When I saw this scene of two people facing each other, I felt this tense atmosphere.
In this silent "confrontation", the person who produced the first words was Arima.
"Alas...this day has finally arrived..."
The faint sigh mixed with a bit of self-mockery made Arima's figure suddenly feel a bit more erratic.
"Tachibana-kun, although I don't know how you discovered Takazhi's secret, I respect your opinion and won't ask any more questions."
"Okay...then I'll tell you everything I know about Longzhi..."
Having said this, he took a deep breath to adjust his breath and emotions.
"However, Mr. Tachibana, I'm the first to say something ugly. Even I, Inoya, and Ushiyama know very little about Takayuki."
"If my answer later does not satisfy you, please forgive me. I have tried my best."
As Arima spoke, he slowly raised his head and stared at the ceiling above his head, as if reminiscing.
"The beginning of everything... must start with a report three years ago."
"I remember... it was March of the fifth year of the Ansei period (1858). A teacher who was teaching in a private school came to Beiban to report the crime. He said that his wife had been killed by an adulterer and asked us to bring him justice."
"Tachibana-kun, you used to be a member of the Beifan Institute, so you should know that if it is an ordinary case, it will be fine, but if it is a murder case, the Institute cannot ignore it."
"Therefore, we quickly accepted the teacher's request and quickly dispatched personnel to investigate the case."
"And the person responsible for handling this case...is none other than Takayuki!"
"Looking back now, it really echoes the old saying: All big events often begin with small events that can be seen everywhere in daily life."
"At that time, no one thought that the situation would turn out like that..."
"After taking over the murder case, Takazhi started to act a little weird."
"I live in seclusion every day, keep silent, and have fewer interactions with people."
"When I asked him what he was busy with, he didn't answer."
"At first, we just thought that the investigation of the murder case was too difficult, so Takazhi was forced to look like this depressed."
"Then... one day after that, we suddenly learned that Takayuki appeared in the casino run by the 'Qingshui Clan'..."
"At first, I didn't know what other people thought about this matter. Anyway, I couldn't believe it at all."
"Takazhi has always been a very law-abiding person and has never had any bad habits."
"It's really hard for me to equate the word 'gambling' with Takashi."
"I, Zhu Gu, Niushan, and some of Longzhi's other friends have all rushed to dissuade Longzhi, hoping that Longzhi will not go astray. If your family encounters any difficulties, you can ask us for help."
"As a result... Longzhi politely declined our kindness."
"When asked why he wanted to gamble, he only replied: There is no reason, he just suddenly discovered the fun of gambling."
"To be honest, when I heard Longzhi's answer... my heart really dropped."
"After so many years of serving in the monastery, I have seen too many people who fell into the abyss due to temporary obsession."
"At that time, I already regarded Longzhi as an irredeemable person who surrendered to self-destruction."
"But no matter what, Longzhi is my good friend and old subordinate. I can't just sit idly by and ignore him."
"I joined forces with Inoya and Ushiyama to work together to think of ways to bring Takayuki back on the right path."
"However... before we could figure out the reason, we suddenly received news that Long Zhi was seriously ill."
"There should be no need for me to elaborate on what happens next."
"Longzhi's fever persisted, he couldn't even speak clearly, he vomited and had diarrhea, and frequently had stools that looked like rice juice."
"The doctor said this is 'tiger-wolf diarrhea'... there is no cure..."
Tiger and wolf dysentery—that is, cholera.
From 1817 to 1826, there was a worldwide cholera epidemic. In 1822, it first landed in Japan via the Korean Peninsula, Java, and Tsushima Island.
The Japanese call this disease "tiger-wolf dysentery".
The reason for this name is, firstly, because the symptoms of cholera outbreak are as ferocious as tigers and wolves, and secondly, it is rumored that the disease is related to foxes, wolves, and raccoons. The three words are pronounced "korori" together, which means "korori". "Tiger, Wolf and Dysentery" is a homophonic pronunciation.
To be fair, although cholera is extremely contagious, it is not incurable.
Even in the Edo period when medical standards were still very backward, there were ways to treat cholera.
The human body can excrete Vibrio cholerae on its own, so it is only necessary to strictly isolate the patient and quickly replenish the patient with water and electrolytes until the day when the patient excretes Vibrio cholerae on its own.
However, because people in this era lack a correct understanding of cholera, cholera is now recognized in Japan as an incurable disease that cannot be cured by medicine or stone.
Cholera is a disease that, if not treated quickly and reliably, can cause severe dehydration and kill in just a few hours...
In other words, after getting cholera, it doesn’t take half a day from onset to death...
In the fifth year of Ansei (1858), a cholera epidemic occurred in Edo. As many as 30,000 to 40,000 people died from cholera in the Edo area alone. Throughout Edo, every household wears hemp and pays filial piety.
In the next two years, namely the sixth year of Anzheng (1859) and the seventh year of Anzheng/the first year of Wanyan (1860), cholera recurred again.
Tachibana died of illness in the sixth year of Ansei (1859)... It was completely normal to get cholera in this year.
Not only did Tachibana Takayuki's symptoms match those of cholera, but his time of death also matched the characteristics of cholera - less than a day passed between the onset of illness and his death...
On the last day of his life, Tachibana Takayuki was so weak that he could hardly speak or even move his fingers.
In this way, Tachibana Takayuki didn't even leave a last word until he took his last breath...
"At that time, getting tiger-wolf's diarrhea was not a strange thing. Every day you could hear that someone in a certain family had tiger-wolf's diarrhea."
"But I never thought... I would actually see my relatives and friends trapped by this terminal illness."
Arima's words gradually became sad.
"Longzhi died of illness - I thought that was the end of everything."
"However, one day, just half a month after Longzhi passed away, a letter was stuffed under the door of my house."
Qingdeng's thick eyebrows were raised at the corners of his eyes.
"……letter?"
Arima nodded slightly, then stood up and walked to the bookshelf behind him.
He rummaged through the sea of books for a moment, and finally found a yellowed envelope.
Arima handed the envelope to Aoto and motioned for Aoto to take it and read it.
Aoto said softly, "I'm sorry," and then took the envelope from Arima's hand more respectfully than as ordered.
The envelope only contained a piece of clean, new letter paper.
After taking out the letter and unfolding it, Qingdeng's eyes suddenly widened.
"This is……!"
I saw only one simple sentence written on the huge piece of paper——
(Takayuki Tachibana did not die of illness, he was killed by a secret society called the "Fazhu Party")
Execute the party!
Long lost vocabulary...
After fighting Kamamitachi, Aomori has never interacted with this organization...
Just as Qingteng was stunned, Arima's narration sounded again.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the contents of this letter."
"'The law punishes the party'...this is such an old term..."
When Qingden heard this, he couldn't help but frown heavily, and he quickly raised his eyes from the letter in his hand.
"Mr. Arima, before you received this letter, had you ever heard of the name 'Fa Zun Party'?"
Arima shook his head.
"I don't know much. I've only heard that 60 years ago, a political association called the 'Fazhu Group' emerged in the Keihan area. Its members included scholars, farmers, businessmen, men, women, and children."
"They used the banner of 'following the laws of heaven and earth and punishing traitors' and called on all the righteous people from all over the world to come together to overthrow the Tokugawa family. They were soon suppressed by the Edo shogunate, and their deeds were never heard of again."
*******
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Still recovering from illness, please forgive Leopard for being short today! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
(End of chapter)
