tokyo creator

Chapter 262
Early the next morning, Hui Yuanchu woke up on time.

While he was planning his journey to help Zelukui ask for the royal seal, he went downstairs and came to the restaurant.

He opened the refrigerator and took a carton of milk... When Huiyuan turned around, he saw that the dining table was already full.

Traditional Japanese breakfast, rice, saury, miso soup, natto, raw eggs, seaweed, pickles... and even a small pot of carefully cut and plated fruit.

Hui Yuan was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that he didn't live here alone.

And Ibuki Rika.

But now, where is she?
"Come~Xiang~Jang??" Hui Yuanchu turned towards the living room and shouted upstairs, sending out the cicadas at the same time.

In the empty room, only his voice echoed.

No one answered, and the cicadas instantly confirmed that he was the only one in the villa.

Ibuki Rika had indeed left, taking all her belongings and suitcases with her.Although I had used the kitchen, everything had been cleaned up and even the trash had been taken away.

Other than that, the fox didn’t take away anything!
Although it was a bit rude, Hui Yuan originally thought she would just go along for the ride or something.For example, a full set of high-end cosmetics on the dressing table, a few spare brand-new iPhones, or the bearer credit card in his pocket...

"This guy, he doesn't know how to say hello when he's gone." Hui Yuanchu muttered.Looking back at the table of food that was still warm, I felt better again.

——Even if it’s Laixiang, once your conscience attacks you, you can still make a guest appearance as the snail girl.

She came singing humbly, made breakfast for him, and then left with a wave of her sleeves.

Don’t take away a single cloud except trash.

Hui Yuanchu thought absentmindedly, sat down and started eating without ceremony.

After eating, he lazily prepared to go out.

The moment he opened the front door, Hui Yuan suddenly woke up with a start.

...where is his car? ? ?

Where's the big sports car he parked in the yard last night? ?
After standing there for a moment, Hui Yuanchu ran back to the entrance and accidentally discovered that the spare key to the sports car that he had placed on the entrance tray was missing.

He took out his mobile phone again and opened Weline, which has "999+" messages all year round.

Last night, Lai Xiang pestered him to become friends with each other.At this time, her message was indeed at the top of the message list.

There were a lot of ramblings, and they were sent before he woke up.

"When Chu-chan wakes up, you will probably find that Laixiang is gone. But don't be sad! It's just because there was work early in the morning, so Laixiang left first."

"Thank you Chujiang for taking in Laixiang last night and giving Laixiang a place to live. Although generally speaking, Laixiang will regard this as an offering and then use his body to bless it, but because Laixiang was very comfortable yesterday, I thought of something else. It would be better to repay Chu-chan again..."

"——That's the breakfast of love that Laixiang prepared for Chu-chan! Chu-chan has to eat it all, and she can't live up to Laixiang's wishes!"

"Besides, the traffic in this place is too inconvenient. In order to prevent being late, Laixiang temporarily borrowed Chu-chan's car~"

"You want to come find some incense when you wake up? Mua~"

——Also privately paid for a sexy selfie.

...This bitch fox is so rude!

However, apart from a few words of complaint, Hui Yuanchu didn't take this matter to heart.In order not to delay his work, he simply contacted Mr. Nitta and asked for another car.

……

At ten o'clock in the morning, we went to Kamo Shrine, and Haihara successfully got what Oruru Aoi wanted.

Although Haiyuan arrived a little later than the actual granting start time, because Oriuru Aoi had already communicated the reservation matters with the other party, he still got the rare limited edition cat meat ball Goshu Seal.

Then, Hui Yuanchu turned around and left without thinking.

Anyway, he himself had no interest in the shrine, and Oruru Aoi didn't ask him to visit the shrine on his behalf.
So after crossing the torii gate and arriving outside the shrine.

Hui Yuanchu realized that his mission had been completed.

So what to do now?

But you can catch the nearest Shinkansen back to Tokyo right away, and maybe catch the last class in the afternoon...

...Forget it, Haiyuan decided to go and see the festival with the same name as her that Zorulu Aoi once mentioned - "Aoi Festival".

Hui Yuanchu immediately connected to the Internet through Epionia and started searching for relevant information.

The history of the festival known as "Aoi Matsuri" can be traced back to the time of Emperor Kinmei more than 400 years ago.

According to records, wind and rain occurred at that time, causing crop failure and the spread of disease.Therefore, a festival was held in honor of Kamo God in order to pray to the gods for calming down the wind and rain and for a good harvest.

In the Heian period, this festival was officially finalized, and because the procession in the ceremony began to be decorated with sunflowers and sunflower leaves, it was officially named "Aoi Matsuri".

This is the Aoi Matsuri in a broad sense, which actually includes the two preliminary rites of "Radysprosium Horse Sacred Ceremony" and "Oari Sacred Ceremony", and the three "rites of the palace", "ceremony of the road" and "ceremony of the shrine". Xiang Zhengyi.

And because it has attracted the most attention, it has become the Aoi Festival in a narrow sense. It refers to the highlight of the entire Aoi Festival, the "Road Ceremony" among the main rituals: a grand parade through the main streets of Kyoto.

A huge parade consisting of about 500 people, 36 horses, four oxen, and two ox carts. Everyone was dressed in Heian period costumes and ancient makeup. They started from the Kyoto Imperial Palace and passed through Shimogamo Shrine to Kamiga. Shigeru Shrine.

This gorgeous and luxurious parade, which lasted about five hours, was used to act out and recreate the scene of the procession of officials delivering the emperor's edicts and offerings to Shigamo and Kamigamo shrines.

Today is the day when the Aoi Matsuri Parade is held.According to the arrangement, the parade will officially set off from the Kyoto Imperial Palace at around 10:[-].

Hui Yuanchu took out his phone and checked the time - it was early ten o'clock.

So now that it has passed, the time is just right.

So he drove to a parking lot near the Kyoto Imperial Palace and strolled onto the street.

On both sides of the street, people watching the parade had gathered around the isolation tapes. Many of them spontaneously put on kimonos, as if they had become part of the scenery of the Aoi Festival.

In the distance, a parade in ancient costumes slowly moved over.

Hui Yuanchu looked around with interest, but he only saw a colorful and bustling scene and had no idea.

Fortunately, at this time, he heard the faint sound of explanation coming from the crowd in the distance.

"As you can see, the leading cavalry team with three riders on each side at the front of the team is called 'Chengjiri', which is actually equivalent to the guards of the Six Guards Mansion in ancient times."

Haiyuan looked over - and saw a middle-aged man wearing a traditional black simple kimono in the crowd, talking loudly.

The man had handsome features, sharp lines, but slovenly appearance, and his expression had a somewhat world-weary temperament.

He had one hand folded in the wide cuffs of his black kimono, and the other held an ancient long cigarette. In addition, he was a head taller than the people around him, making him stand out among the crowd.

The crowd gathered around him and listened attentively, including local people, women with admiring eyes, tourists from Tokyo, and many blond and blue-eyed Western tourists and their translators.

Hui Yuanchu also squeezed over curiously, wanting to hear the man's opinion.

"Those behind them carrying bows and arrows are the 'Jian Fei Wei Zhi' and 'Jian Fei Wei Wei'. They are nominally the military attaches and judges responsible for protecting the safety of the entire parade."

The middle-aged man touched his chin and continued to talk. "Following the Kanfeiji envoys are the five 'Yamashiro envoys'. This is because in ancient times, Kamo Betsurai Shrine and Kamo Gozu Shrine were actually outside the scope of Heian Kyo and were under the jurisdiction of Yamashiro. Therefore, Yamashiro Envoys will also be sent to join the team to show their responsibility.”

"Behind the Yamashiro envoy are the 'Naizangliao Shisheng' and the 'Royal Coin Cabinet'. As you can tell from the names, these civil servants are mainly responsible for managing sacrificial supplies and the emperor's wealth."

"Did you see that cart with wisteria curtains and two orange-clothed cowboys in front of it clearing the way? There were more than a dozen cartmen pushing and pulling the cart around it. The wheels were as high as a person. Did you all see it? Originally, that was It was ridden by the 'Imperial Envoy'. But now it's just a decoration for the team."

"I won't go into details about the 'harpists', the 'dancers', and the white-clad 'accompanyers' who carry the tributes and utensils."

The middle-aged man in kimono stopped and allowed the procession to continue passing by, leaving time for the tourists to listen to the translation.

Then he continued:

"The rider who has a horseman leading the tall horse alone, who is gorgeously dressed and equipped with a sword, is the emperor's envoy, the so-called 'imperial envoy'. The envoy is usually held by four Lieutenant Generals of the Guards, so it is also called Called the Guards Envoy."

"That big umbrella that four people take turns to support. It's called a 'fengliu umbrella', and the umbrella will be covered with seasonal flowers such as peonies and rhododendrons. Fengliu umbrellas are not only ornamental, but also connect the main columns. A knot.”

After a pause, he emphasized, "The knot that connects Honretsu and Saio Dairetsu."

As if to echo the explanation of the erudite middle-aged man.Hui Yuanchu immediately heard the cheers from the onlookers, like a tide, gradually coming from a distance.

Hui Yuanchu looked at the seemingly slightly interrupted team behind the romantic umbrella from a distance, and understood what the middle-aged man meant.

The two halves of the parade, originally known as the "Honretsu" and the "Saiodairei", are separated by the "Fengryu Umbrella".

After a while, Saio Daire came closer, and Haihara could see at a glance why the crowd cheered louder.

"——'Mingfu', the female officials who hold flower umbrellas. 'Nonna', the female officials in charge of meals and other matters. 'Kidomena', the female officials who followed the Saio Dynasty on horseback." The erudite middle-aged man was again unhurried. The explanation began slowly.

Different from the main train, the Saio Dai train that came from afar still had a large number of "accompaniments" in white clothes.But at this time, the escorts gathered in the center of the team were women dressed in colorful kimonos, with white faces, holding flower umbrellas, or riding horses.

The cheers of the onlookers finally reached their climax.

——What came from a distance was a waist carriage carried by eight men.Sitting in the waist carriage is a woman wearing a gorgeous and thick top-grade kimono called "Twelve Singles".

The erudite middle-aged man still has a cold expression, but the commentary is still patient, "This is the entire Saiodai lineup, and it can even be said that the soul of the entire Aoi Festival-Saiodai."

"The selection criteria of the past Saio dynasties roughly require that an unmarried woman born in Kyoto should be around [-] years old; she must be proficient in the history and geography of Kyoto, and be familiar with tea ceremony and ikebana; in addition, she must be dignified and have good appearance."

"So those elected in the past were mostly the daughters of famous temples, clubs, and old shops in Kyoto. There are also cases where mothers, daughters, aunts and nieces are elected one after another after several years."

"For example, last year's Saio Dai was played by Nagase Moi, a 20-year-old student in the third year of Seikou Academy. Nagase herself is the eldest daughter of the chairman of "Akai Electronics Industry". Her mother's maiden family is also in Kyoto The famous Xiangmu shop, my mother and my grandmother both served as Saiodai, so it can definitely be regarded as a famous family."

"In addition to the above, there is one important condition that must be met to be elected as Saio Dai..." The erudite middle-aged man in black kimono suddenly sneered, then raised the fan in his hand and pointed at the parade, "—— You must have money. After all, according to the rules, all expenses for playing Saiodai must be paid by yourself. The set of twelve orders alone costs approximately 600 million. If you add makeup fees, fees for those related to the shrine and service staff .The cost required for a Saiodai will reach the figure of 500 million, right?"

The tourists who gathered around to listen to the lecture immediately cheered and exclaimed.

When Haiyuan listened, he complained in his heart... I understand, in short, this Saiodai is actually the selection of "the most beautiful and beautiful in Kyoto", right?
However, he looked at the woman with ancient makeup on her face from a distance, that is, the whole face was covered with white powder, and he really couldn't tell whether she was beautiful or not.

In other words, he couldn't see what that "Saiodai" looked like at all.

However, the young lady from an unknown family seemed to have noticed his gaze, or maybe it was just a coincidence, so she nodded and smiled elegantly towards Hui Yuanchu, which attracted another round of cheers.

The western tourists nodded intently and listened to the interpreter, then murmured with the interpreter for a while, and finally the interpreter asked the middle-aged man: "Then, if the sunflower festival is essentially a restoration Now the scene of the official team going to the shrine to pay tribute in the Edo period—then, what kind of capacity does this obviously important and important 'Saiohyo' perform?"

"Good question." The middle-aged man took a puff of a long cigarette, then tapped the cigarette in the palm of his hand and raised his voice, "The answer is - it doesn't exist."

Amid the confusion, the middle-aged man gained enough attention and then continued speaking slowly.

"The so-called 'Saio Dai' means 'in place of Saio'... So in fact, in the Edo period, there was no 'Saio Dai' in the Aoi Festival Road Head Ceremony, but the real 'Saio'. "

"The 'Saio' refers to women from the royal family serving as shrine maidens at Ise Grand Shrine or Kamo Shrine, serving Amaterasu on behalf of the royal family. This system was established by Emperor Tenmu after he quelled the Minshin Rebellion and lasted for about In 660, there were more than 60 generations of Saio who were served by imperial daughters and princes-in-law."

"During this period, the Aoi Festival has been hosted by Saio himself. This tradition has been continued from the Muromachi period and the Edo period until...

The middle-aged man paused: "Until the 50s."

"After the 50s, due to the principle of separation of politics and religion, the 'palace ceremony' in the original 'right ceremony' was removed from the Aoi Festival. At the same time, the royal daughters no longer appeared in the festival, and the talents selected from the common people were replaced. Outstanding unmarried women hold it on their behalf.”

"This is the origin of 'Saiodai'."

Haiyuan heard this interestingly and couldn't help but raise his hand and asked: "But whether it is Saio or Saiodai, why is such a character needed in the festival?"

The middle-aged man's attention was attracted and he casually raised his head and looked at Hui Yuanchu.

Then - he looked at Hui Yuanchu carefully up and down for a long time.

Finally, the man knocked on the cigarette rod in his hand again and said, "Good question."

Although his words were of approval, his expression and tone were still the same - a look of boredom.

"Since ancient times, Saio has been appointed by unmarried women of the royal family. After being selected through divination, they need to fast and bathe in the Shosaiin Palace in the palace and the Kyozai Palace in the suburbs of Kyoto. In the autumn of the third year, they set off to Ise Shrine to take office. .”

"Unless the emperor collapses, abdicates, or a close relative dies, the Saio cannot resign. During his term of office, he must devote himself wholeheartedly to the gods and must not involve love affairs."

"Although according to the usual saying, they shoulder important responsibilities and pray for the royal family and the people..." The man suddenly asked Hui Yuanchu, "What do you think of this statement?"

Huiyuan thought for a while and expressed his thoughts: "——I don't see any need. It's just a blessing. Anyone can do it by themselves. If you feel that you are not professional, you can also ask the priests of the shrine."

"Having to set up a 'Zaiou', and then saying that I will entrust the blessings of the entire royal family to her...it is full of a dark feeling that it is done intentionally and with bad intentions."

The man looked at him a few more times and slowly curved the corners of his mouth.

This was the first time this world-weary man smiled.

But soon, the smile disappeared again, just like the snow in early winter, it melted in the air before it hit the ground, leaving no trace.

He said coldly: "That's right. The so-called 'Zaiou' is actually a kind of victim."

Hui Yuanchu became more and more interested and listened attentively.

However, the man suddenly turned into a question again.

"Think about it. Why Saio and Saio Dai only come from 'Aoi Matsuri'. In other words, what is the meaning of 'Aoi'."

Uh?
Hui Yuan was stunned for a moment and took the business card handed over by the man involuntarily.

"If you think of the answer, come find me."

After saying these words, the man acted like a lecturer who had left enough homework for his students. He put his hands and tobacco bag back into his arms, turned around and squeezed out of the crowd gracefully.

In the blink of an eye, the strange man's back was completely overwhelmed by the crowd watching the ceremony.

Hui Yuan felt a little confused at first. He looked away and looked down at the business card in his hand.

There are only five words and two names on the business card.

"Guanxu"

"Golden Gray Hall"

(End of this chapter)