Chapter 84: Forced Archaeology
Asano Nagamasa was surprised and took it seriously when Yuan Ye came to visit. After being informed, he personally welcomed him in and treated him like a distinguished guest, showing him great respect, as Yuan Ye had become very famous recently.
Of course, it wasn’t because he had turned the tide and shot dead the commander-in-chief of the Matsudaira Family’s raiding party, which had caused a sensation. Everyone was praising his astonishing archery skills. That was a major defeat, and Oda Nobunaga was almost caught and killed. It was naturally embarrassing for Oda Nobunaga to be frequently mentioned, so there weren’t many people who dared to speak of it.
Yuan Ye’s recent fame was mostly due to his long-term practice of medicine, having cured countless patients. His reputation for superb medical skills and benevolent medical ethics had finally fermented and spread completely.
After all, this was an era where a headache or a fever could be fatal, and people often died inexplicably. Therefore, a proper doctor was considered an “unusual person.” The sudden appearance of one was very novel and extremely practical. Those who knew would tell their friends and relatives, lest they fall ill and have nowhere to go, and end up eating horse dung at home and dying.
As a result, Yuan Ye naturally made it onto the “Nagoya Castle Hot Search List for the Month,” with a “HOT” tag next to his name, becoming a topic of discussion. He couldn’t avoid fame even if he wanted to.
Asano Nagamasa had a family and children, so he was naturally very willing to establish a connection with a “medical master.” After preparing tea and pastries and exchanging pleasantries with him, he straightened his posture and asked, “May I ask why Lord Yuan Ye has come here specially this time…”
If Yuan Ye had something to ask of him, to prevent his wife and daughters from being unable to get Yuan Ye’s help if they fell seriously ill in the future, he felt it was negotiable, even if it meant lending money, as long as it wasn’t a matter of principle.
However, Yuan Ye’s target was not him at all. He beckoned A Man to bring over the gifts, sat up straight, and politely pushed them towards him, saying, “Lord Asano is too kind. I have just settled in Owari and came to pay my respects. I have no other business…
I apologize for the intrusion. These are some seasonings produced by my family; they have a unique flavor. Please do not find them wanting. Also, these are pastries made by my family. The children should like them very much. Please have your ladies… family try them.
They are but a small token of my appreciation. Please bear with me!”
“Oh, not at all, not at all. Lord Yuan Ye is too kind. Your visit to my humble abode is already a great honor. How could you still… No, no!” Asano Nagamasa instinctively refused, following the traditional Japanese custom of three refusals and three acceptances. However, his mind was already a bit confused. From Yuan Ye’s words, it seemed he had recently moved and was specially visiting a neighbor. But he and Yuan Ye weren’t exactly neighbors; they were more than ten miles apart, too far to be hit even by a matchlock gun. What kind of neighbor was this?
However, since Yuan Ye had already come, even if he couldn’t understand why Yuan Ye would specially visit such a distant “neighbor,” he couldn’t possibly turn Yuan Ye away. He could only engage in some polite conversation, refuse a bit, and then accept the gifts. He then specifically instructed a maidservant to have his wife personally prepare a luncheon to entertain the distinguished guest. He also called his two adopted daughters to come and thank the guest. In this era in Japan, there wasn’t much emphasis on the separation of men and women. Since Yuan Ye had specially brought pastries for his daughters, it was at least polite for his daughters to show themselves and express their gratitude.
As expected, he had lured them out! Seeing that his objective had been achieved, Yuan Ye felt at ease and began to chat with Asano Nagamasa to build rapport.
According to his plan, for the next period, whenever he had business in Nagoya Castle, he would “check in” at Asano Nagamasa’s place, understand his preferences, and cultivate their “friendship.” Over time, in a short period of a few months, or at most one or two years, he should be able to become “close friends,” or even “family friends,” with Asano Nagamasa.
At that time, he would have the opportunity to nag him about arranging a marriage for Nene early on, or even act as a matchmaker himself, finding a promising young talent like Maeda Toshiie to marry Nene off in advance.
This way, even if he couldn’t do anything to the Monkey in the future, for example, if the Monkey hadn’t appeared yet and he was forced to leave Owari for various reasons or return to the modern era, he would at least have cut off one of the Monkey’s arms, preventing him from developing as smoothly as in history. Detailed history aside, Nene, as the “Great Minister of the Female Realm,” “Master of Money,” “Logistics Manager,” and “Chief Supporter and Military Leader of the Toyotomi Family,” played a significant role in the Monkey’s rise from humble beginnings to great success.
Indeed, while it might be an exaggeration to say Nene contributed half of the Monkey’s success in unifying the world and governing it peacefully for a period without major chaos, saying she contributed one-third of the credit should not be questioned by anyone.
At the same time, this would also prevent the Monkey from inheriting the Asano family’s foundation. At the very least, Asano Nagamasa’s other adopted son, Asano Nagamasa, would most likely not follow the Monkey anymore and would not serve him as lord. The Asano family’s followers, fields, and assets would naturally not fall into the Monkey’s hands, at least halving his starting capital. It might even be that he would fall short by just this one step, unable to achieve further merits later, and it wouldn’t be impossible for him to be abandoned by Oda Nobunaga.
If calculated this way, the Monkey would be weakened by more than half. Even if he didn’t gain tens of millions of merit points, he would surely get millions. At that point, achieving sainthood… would likely be impossible, but becoming a Great Luo Golden Immortal… might also be difficult, though becoming an ordinary Golden Immortal should be no problem!
Yuan Ye was very satisfied with his plan. After all, how many opportunities does a person get in a lifetime to save millions of people? Since it wouldn’t take much time or involve much risk, why not do it?
Even if it wasn’t millions of people, just preventing the Invasion of Korea War from happening, saving tens of thousands of lives, and giving the Later Jin less opportunity to rise, he would accept it. The Qing Dynasty was truly a disaster. It wasn’t as good as depicted in later TV dramas. Prosperity had nothing to do with them. If he had the chance to harm them, he would even pay them to do so.
It’s just that he couldn’t go back now. If he could, he would definitely go to the Northeast to deal with them!
Yuan Ye was full of wicked intentions, almost bubbling with malice, but he didn’t show it on his face. He enthusiastically chatted with Asano Nagamasa. After a while of such idle talk, Asano Nagamasa’s two adopted daughters came out.
His gaze involuntarily shifted to Nene, and he looked her over with great interest. A historical figure, alive, and in her childhood form. It was something absolutely impossible to see in later generations, so he had to look a few more times to deepen his memory.
Nene was about seven or eight years old, with a hime-cut hairstyle. The princess-cut temples made her already small face appear even smaller, which perfectly matched the consistent aesthetic of Japanese people – a smaller face made a person appear more delicate and beautiful, and thus more noble.
A common compliment in later Japanese society is “Her face is so small,” which is largely due to this hairstyle.
Of course, besides her delicate face, Nene also had large, bright almond-shaped eyes with long eyelashes, making her look very intelligent. She was wearing a beige floral kozode. Perhaps because she was meeting a “distinguished guest,” she had also specially put on a gorgeous furisode. It seemed A Man’s information was correct; Asano Nagamasa truly doted on them like his own daughters, taking great care of them. At the very least, they had never lacked for food or clothing, and were even somewhat pampered and spoiled.
This was probably one of the reasons why Nene would rise to prominence in the future and the Asano family would benefit greatly. After all, the Binahara family, who were more closely related to her by blood, gained no benefit at all and instead suffered many deaths, almost to the point of annihilation.
Yuan Ye was a very serious person with a strong curiosity. He was the type of person who would pause and look up information if he didn’t understand something halfway through watching a cartoon like “Clever Ikkyu.” At this moment, to satisfy his curiosity, his eyes shone brightly, like two 250-watt light bulbs, as he kept looking at Nene, forcefully “archaeologizing.” Nene, despite her young age, was quite bold. Seeing him constantly looking at her, she didn’t shy away in embarrassment. Instead, she looked back at him directly, appraising him from head to toe, not at all at a disadvantage.
Asano Nagamasa was even more bewildered on the side, unable to figure out what was happening. He looked left and right, and after a while, a thought struck him, and he began to seriously appraise Yuan Ye as well. He was tall and sturdy, clearly of noble blood and good background. His appearance was also handsome, one could say he was a distinguished figure. It was also rumored that he owned a workshop and was doing good business. Although it was somewhat embarrassing for a samurai to be involved in business, it wasn’t a major issue. At least his family fortune was quite substantial.
More importantly, it was rumored that he was still unmarried, and the Yuan Ye Family currently had only him as the head of the household…
As Asano Nagamasa looked, he seemed to understand. He had been wondering why Yuan Ye, who had no connection to him, had traveled more than ten miles to recognize him as a neighbor. It turned out he was interested in his adopted daughter!
This is truly…
Wait, it’s not entirely a scoundrel’s move. This doesn’t seem like a bad thing either. He appears to be quite well-off and qualified to have designs on his precious daughter. It’s just the Kinoshita family name…
This is also not an insurmountable problem. In the future, a son could be sent to continue the Kinoshita family line, or a daughter could be placed under the Kinoshita family name and a son-in-law adopted. There are precedents for these arrangements, and Oda Nobunaga would likely approve, so it shouldn’t be a major issue.
Then, in another two or three years, when Nene undergoes the tooth-dyeing ceremony, and considering that samurai daughters generally don’t truly dye their teeth black or shave their eyebrows, this marriage is indeed something to consider. At least for now, his advantages seem significant. He is the legitimate head of a household with considerable wealth, much better than the second or illegitimate sons of other families.
As Asano Nagamasa thought, his gaze towards Yuan Ye changed. It shifted from respect and politeness to a pie chart of three parts scrutiny, three parts admiration, three parts hesitation, and one part unwillingness. And it wasn’t just him who was suspicious and lost in thought; A Man was also somewhat bewildered.
She had already felt that Yuan Ye’s current actions were a bit too extreme, strangely seeking out the two daughters of the Kinoshita family without giving any reason. But now, looking at it…
This fellow does seem to be in need of a wife. After all, he’s not young anymore. At his age, other people’s second wives would already be in position, and they would have at least two or three children.
Moreover, he has accumulated some wealth and owns a large residence. He indeed has the capital to start a family and should be thinking about procreation and expanding the Yuan Ye family bloodline, lest his family fortune be handed over to others if he suddenly dies one day, for example, by choking on food or water.
As A Man thought, her gaze also turned to Nene, appraising her from head to toe, revealing a pie chart of eyes as she judged whether she was qualified to be the mistress of the Yuan Ye family. She seemed alright, but an unwise wife could bring ruin for three generations. Yuan Ye treated her with sincerity and trusted her greatly, yet he himself lacked “common sense.” Therefore, she couldn’t let him down and should rightfully take charge, act cautiously, and carefully vet her!
Well, tomorrow she would secretly mobilize her resources to investigate thoroughly whether this Nene was the kind of cunning and malicious woman who put on a different face in front of and behind others, and whether she had any defects in her personality or physical health!
