Chapter 75: The Flower Street Incident

Heian Shrine enshrines the four gods that protect Kyoto, namely the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, which were bestowed by the Tang Dynasty.

Not only that, but the architecture is also in the Tang Dynasty style, and even the names are, such as the Otenmon Gate, the Daigokuden Hall, the Byakko Pond, the Soryu Pond, the Seihou Pond, and so on.

Minamoto Kiyomoto and Kamibayashi Miko were arranged to stay in the Shin’en within the shrine.

The Shin’en includes the South Shin’en, the West Shin’en, the Middle Shin’en, and the East Shin’en. It is a “strolling pond garden” with an area of about 30,000 square meters. The water in the pond is drawn from Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan.

Walking on the pavilion corridor around the pond, one can appreciate the shape of the garden and the seasonal flowers.

At this time, the irises, water lilies, and other summer flowers were in full bloom.

Minamoto Kiyomoto lived by the pond, in a Tang-style palace building with black tiles and white walls.

The surroundings were lush with vegetation and flowers, and the pond was like a mirror, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

The carp in the pond reminded Minamoto Kiyomoto of the Sanshiro Pond. As long as he stood by the pond, these carp would immediately gather, as if they were puppies asking for food.

He had just taken a stroll around the area and was staring at the enshrined Azure Dragon when a miko walked over and said that an official was looking for him and was waiting in the Daigokuden Hall.

“Who is the chief miko of Heian Shrine?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked as he walked behind the miko.

The chief miko, for example, was Suitengu of Suitengu Shrine, Ashi of Hakone Shrine, and Himemiya Izayoi of Ise Shrine.

The other miko were just attendants and had to obey and serve the chief miko.

“Reporting to my lord, Heian Shrine is the temporary residence of Lady Ise Miko when she comes to Kyoto. There is no chief miko,” the miko replied in a low voice.

“I see,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded. “Thank you.”

The miko bowed her head in return.

Kansai was an imperial system. Although Shikoku, Kyushu, and other places far from Kyoto were already quite modern in their words and deeds, a certain ancient style was still preserved near Kyoto.

As a miko of Heian Shrine, she was probably no different from an ancient miko, except that she could play with her phone.

Speaking of phones, Minamoto Kiyomoto thought of Kamibayashi Miko again. The miko who used her phone as a flashlight in the middle of the night left a deep impression on him.

And his own phone.

Since the day of the Shinto competition, he had not connected to the internet. It was needless to say that Itomi Yuki would definitely call to ask about her sister.

Stepping on the white sand and stone, he went up the long corridor. Passing through this passage connecting the halls, he came to the Daigokuden Hall.

The person sent by the government was a young man in a hunting robe, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was looking at the decorations in the hall with his hands behind his back, his expression and mannerisms unrestrained, and a tachi at his waist.

Hearing the footsteps, he turned around, glanced at Minamoto Kiyomoto, and said, “From your looks, I can tell you’re Aunt Ayako’s son.”

“Aunt?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at him with confusion.

“My name is Ichijo Shinya,” the young man introduced himself. “Your mother, Ichijo Ayako, is my father’s biological sister.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t care about any relatives. Before he left, his mother had even told him to listen to Himemiya Izayoi, and had not mentioned that he should look for relatives.

“Aren’t you here to ask about the Shinto religion?” he said.

“Yes,” Ichijo Shinya put his hand on his tachi. “Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Of course, to the interrogation place. We can’t do the interrogation in the shrine, can we?” The last sentence, Ichijo Shinya was asking the miko.

The delicate-looking miko smiled, bowed her head, and did not speak.

Minamoto Kiyomoto followed him out of the Daigokuden Hall and walked on the stone-paved road to the Otenmon Gate.

Ichijo Shinya said, “What do you think of miko?”

“Miko?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked back.

“Not the one just now. I mean the type of woman who is a miko.”

“It’s alright. No matter where a person is from or what their profession is, there are good and bad.”

“That makes sense, but,” Ichijo Shinya revealed an ambiguous smile, “I know a place full of good women.”

“Is that so.”

“Don’t be so cold. We’re brothers, after all,” Ichijo Shinya said familiarly. “Come on, let me take you, my cousin, to open your eyes and see a place full of good women.”

“Aren’t we here to ask about the Shinto religion?”

“Of course we are.”

Ichijo Shinya took Minamoto Kiyomoto out of Heian Shrine and walked south.

Seeing Ichijo Shinya in his hunting robe and with a long sword, the pedestrians on the road subconsciously avoided him.

Ordinary people didn’t know about cultivators, but in Kyoto, the status of nobles still existed.

“Cousin, this is your first time in Kyoto. Let me introduce you?”

“Please do.”

Kyoto was naturally the place of the “Lord of Kyoto,” but the situation below was very complicated. Not to mention the various officials such as the Grand Minister and the Grand Counselor.

The Minamoto clan, the Taira clan, the Fujiwara clan, the Maro clan, the Kujo clan, and other major noble families;
The Miyamoto, Sanada, Hijikata, Kawakami, Hokushin, Kurama, and other samurai—Kosen of the cultivation world—families.

Every day, there were schemes and intrigues. It was either you attacking me, or me attacking you, or us attacking a third person together.

“By the way, although the Minamoto clan also has a mansion in Kyoto, they usually stay in Uji. That’s their fief,” Ichijo Shinya said as if he had just remembered.

“Uji, the author of ‘The Tale of Genji’ is from Uji,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said thoughtfully.

“These cultivators write books and always push the boundaries, writing about the cultivation world half-truthfully and half-falsely. Those ordinary people still think that they came up with these things themselves.

“In ‘The Tale of Princess Nukata,’ many court secrets were revealed. For example, the female official who conveyed His Majesty’s words was actually the Ise Miko.

“Recently, a guy named Oe Katsuhiko has been particularly rampant, writing a lot about the cultivation world. He has been warned more than ten times, but he still refuses to change.

“Tomorrow, I’ll submit another memorial. I must deal with these guys who write books.”

Walking and talking, the two of them came to a street that was considered ancient even in Kyoto.

On both sides of the street were houses with exquisite facades, each with its own characteristics, and they seemed to have courtyards.

The street was empty. Although it was noon, none of the doors were open. It was as if the people had suddenly disappeared, leaving only the exquisite buildings of the end of the world.

Ichijo Shinya led Minamoto Kiyomoto all the way in. Halfway through, he suddenly stopped, turned right, lifted the curtain, and entered a shop called “Tsutano.”

As soon as they entered, a slender woman in a kimono in her forties came up to greet them.

“Lord Shinya, welcome!” the woman in the kimono was full of smiles.

“Are all the people here?” Ichijo Shinya asked.

“They’re all here,” the woman in the kimono replied.

“Alright,” Ichijo Shinya said with praise. “I’ve invited a distinguished guest today. Mother Shuko, you can’t let me lose face.”

“How could I!” the woman named Shuko said, her charming face showing panic and helplessness. “Lord Shinya, how would I dare!”

“You don’t dare? Then where’s Sachiko?” Ichijo Shinya asked in a deep voice.

Shuko stammered, her eyes wandering.

“I’m asking you, where’s Sachiko?” Ichijo Shinya repeated, pressing for an answer.

The four women in kimonos quickly lowered their heads. Minamoto Kiyomoto stood by the side, as if it had nothing to do with him.

He walked into the room and looked at a hanging scroll. The painting was of two little girls with loose black hair, wearing goldfish yukatas, and with fair faces.

Under Ichijo Shinya’s knife-like gaze, Shuko had no choice but to answer, “Sachiko… was called away by Lord Sanada.”

“Sanada Hajime?”

“…Yes.”

Ichijo Shinya turned and walked out. Halfway through, he said to the women, “You all serve my cousin well. If you dare to be negligent, I won’t spare you!”

“Lord Shinya! Lord Shinya!” Shuko chased after him for a few steps, wanting to pull Ichijo Shinya, but she didn’t dare to pull his clothes.

After Ichijo Shinya left, Shuko stomped her feet in anxiety and sighed several times. Only then did she regain her composure and walk to Minamoto Kiyomoto’s side.

Looking at this calm and composed noble young master, she suddenly had an idea and said, “My lord, could you please persuade Lord Shinya.”

“Whose painting is this?” Minamoto Kiyomoto pointed at the hanging scroll.

Shuko was stunned for a moment and subconsciously replied, “It’s a painting by Kikuchi Keigetsu.”

“Oh,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded, looked at it a few more times, then turned around and sat on the tatami. “What’s going on with Ichijo Shinya and that Sachiko?”

Shuko quickly knelt by his feet, poured tea, and said:
“Sachiko is my daughter. She is a maiko and is almost twenty years old.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto listened and roughly understood what was going on.

To become a geisha, one must first be a maiko. Besides learning skills and how to treat people, a maiko must also hold a “collar-changing” ceremony to become a geisha.

The so-called collar-changing was to change the color of the collar of the clothes inside the kimono, but it was not that simple.

A maiko needed to hold a collar-changing ceremony to show herself and gain fame, so that the guests would know that there was such a geisha. This required a lot of money.

Most maiko would definitely not have so much money. At this time, they needed a “master” to pay for it.

The “master” would pay for the collar-changing ceremony for the maiko he favored, and could even directly keep this maiko. The maiko also had to offer her first time to the “master.”

Many people vied to be the master of a beautiful maiko. At this time, tragedy and comedy would arise.

As the “mothers” who had the right to choose the “master,” they were both happy and troubled in this situation.

This woman named Sachiko was favored by both Ichijo Shinya, who was a noble, and Sanada Hajime, who was a samurai.

The two had equal status, and because of the conflict between the nobles and the samurai, they were merciless in their competition. The “mother” could only be in a difficult position on both sides.

“My lord,” after explaining, Shuko looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with anticipation.

“This isn’t a teahouse, it’s a flower street?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

Shuko was stunned and replied, “It’s a teahouse, and also a flower street.”

“No,” Minamoto Kiyomoto stood up. “When Ichijo Shinya comes back later, just say I’ve gone back.”

“Gone back? The interrogation hasn’t even started yet!” Ichijo Shinya’s cheerful voice came in.

The door was opened, and he strode in, followed by a young woman.

The young woman was full-bodied but petite, with fair skin, a cherry-like mouth, and was very cute. She should be that Sachiko.

“What are you standing there for?” Ichijo Shinya said as he walked in, to the geishas. “Sing a little song, play the shamisen, and beat the small drum!”

“You play. I’m going back first,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“Do you really have a connection with the Shinto religion? Are you scared? Sit down quickly,” Ichijo Shinya’s left hand pressed him back into his seat, and he also greeted the young woman named Sachiko to sit beside him.

Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed.

“It’s not like we’re not going to interrogate you. What are you afraid of!” Ichijo Shinya said. “I’m asking you, when did you get to know that Itomi Sayaka?”

“…Late April,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied.

Sachiko poured wine for the two of them, sat obediently by the side, and looked at the two of them with curiosity.

“To what extent have you developed? Have you done it?” Ichijo Shinya took a sip of wine.

“No.”

“That person, compared to my Sachiko, who is more beautiful?” This sentence, rather than an interrogation, was more like teasing Sachiko.

Minamoto Kiyomoto knew that it didn’t matter if he didn’t answer, so he simply picked up his wine glass and listened to the geishas play and sing.

“How did I become Lord Shinya’s?” Sachiko said with dissatisfaction.

“That guy Sanada Hajime still dares to compete with me. I’ll break his legs,” Ichijo Shinya drank a large mouthful.

The two of them talked and laughed for a while. After drinking a few mouthfuls, Ichijo Shinya looked drunk.

He lay half-lying, leaning against the armrest.

“Dance,” he took out a large handful of money from his pocket and scattered it.

The geishas’ hair and kimono collars were all covered with brand-new banknotes.

They giggled and smiled, and one by one, they began to sway their bodies, and even deliberately pulled their chests wide open, so that they could catch more money later.

Shuko came up to persuade him to drink. As a maiko, Sachiko, although she was liked by Ichijo Shinya, as a maiko, when there were geishas present, she could only play the shamisen by the side.

Ichijo Shinya, in his busy schedule, glanced at Minamoto Kiyomoto. Seeing that he was still clear-headed, he said:
“Cousin, spending a lot of money and watching beauties dance while drunk is the greatest joy in the world. Come, drink. Tomorrow, your cousin will take you to ‘Pontocho,’ the day after tomorrow to ‘Kamishichiken,’ and the day after that to ‘Miyagawacho’!”

The next day, which was August 2nd, Sanada Hajime, in the Shishinden Hall, in front of all the court officials, accused Ichijo Shinya.

He accused him of taking a person with connections to the Shinto religion to the flower street in broad daylight for “interrogation,” deliberately letting the shop called ‘Tsutano’ open during the day, and even calling four geishas, and letting the mother and daughter of the Tsutano family accompany them.

Ichijo Shinya was punished with house arrest and was not allowed to go out until the Summer Festival.

What going to ‘Pontocho’ first, then ‘Kamishichiken,’ and then ‘Miyagawacho,’ the grand words of not repeating for a month, naturally died in the womb.

As for Sachiko, by the time he came out, she would probably already be a geisha.

As for Minamoto Kiyomoto’s side, the “Lord of Kyoto” did not punish him, nor did he have anyone else continue the interrogation. He just asked him to go to the Seiryoden Hall to preach in a few days.

After Minamoto Kiyomoto received the decree, a female official from the palace specially instructed him—he was not allowed to go to the flower street before entering the palace, and he should stay at home and purify his body and mind.

This guy, who had just emerged, had gone to the flower street on his first day in Kyoto, and the news had spread.

After this incident, the first thought that came to Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mind was to go to the place where Kamibayashi Miko lived and explain to her.

“Miss Kamibayashi, I was tricked yesterday. I’m so pure that I didn’t even know that was a flower street.”

At that time, Kamibayashi Miko was sitting by the railing of the pavilion, looking at the water lilies in the pond and feeding the carp under the water lilies.

He walked over and continued:

“That row of houses, there was no one there in broad daylight. I subconsciously thought it was some government agency. Also, I only drank wine, and there was no physical contact at all. I didn’t even touch the corner of her clothes!”

“If you go, you go. If you touch, you touch. What does it have to do with me?” Kamibayashi Miko pinched the fish food, but did not throw it down, watching the carp open their mouths desperately.

“It has nothing to do with you, but it has to do with me,” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her and said. “I don’t care if others misunderstand me as a playboy, but I can’t let the person I care about misunderstand.”

Kamibayashi Miko opened her fingers, and the fish food at her fingertips floated down. In an instant, the sound of water boiled.

“Did you explain to your mother?” she asked.

“No.”

“Did you explain to your Izayoi?” Kamibayashi Miko asked again.

“No,” after saying this, Minamoto Kiyomoto added, “It’s not my Izayoi.”

“Then why did you explain to me?”

“Of course, it’s because I care about you.”

“You don’t care about Izayoi, and you don’t care about your mother? If you explain to me, it means you don’t trust me,” Kamibayashi Miko’s eyes were fixed on her own hands, rubbing the thumb and index finger that had held the fish food.

“How could I not trust you? If you say today is winter, I’ll believe it.”

Kamibayashi Miko’s clear gaze was fixed on her fingers.

Minamoto Kiyomoto sized her up. Seeing the slight smile on her face, he let out a sigh of relief in his heart, knowing that she was teasing him.

The next moment, Minamoto Kiyomoto felt a little uncomfortable—he had gone to the flower street, but Kamibayashi Miko was not angry.

“I heard that there are many ancient books in Kyoto. Shall we go and have a look together in the next few days?” he suggested.

Kamibayashi Miko nodded slightly. The lazy charm of her leaning against the pavilion reminded Minamoto Kiyomoto of the prosperous and lazy ultimate beauty of the Tang Dynasty.

(End of Chapter)