Chapter 104 Engagement? (Jade Fox Festival 7)

On both sides of the road up the mountain, lanterns illuminate the stairs one after another.

The dim light goes up along the mountain road, stretching endlessly to the end.

Along the way, I could only hear the chirping of cicadas, but no human voices.

This should be the road behind the mountain. The night breeze makes people feel refreshed.

"Can you guys be a little gentler?"

"Why are you asking for so much? Just smile secretly as long as I don't break your legs!"

Fujii Itsuki raised his bound hands and said helplessly:
"I mean, could you please loosen the rope a little? This hemp rope is about to rub off the skin on my hands."

"Shut up!" The man with thick eyebrows turned around and glared at him fiercely.

"."

Fierce and evil.

Fujii Itsuki chose not to argue with them.

These guys were probably not servants of the Matsumae family, but clergy of the shrine. They were wearing obvious Shinto costumes - Kariyuki.

The clothes she wore were of the same type as those worn by Aunt Matsumae, a white top and red hakama.

However, the material of the clothes is not as good as the hunting clothes of the shrine's chief priest.

The style is not that gorgeous.

Their position in the shrine should be [official].

That is, the trainee staff of the shrine.

The Matsumae family is inseparable from the Matsumae Shrine. The Matsumae family is located at the foot of the mountain where the Matsumae Shrine is located. You can reach the shrine directly by following the back mountain road where the torii is located.

Matsumae's aunt is the chief priest of the shrine.

That is, the person who actually manages the shrine.

Just now Song Mae said that she went to visit her aunt, so Song Mae should be on the mountain now, right?
Fujii Itsuki was not in a hurry because he thought he could see Matsumae by going up the mountain.

Sooner or later it will be explained clearly.

More than ten minutes later, they arrived at Matsumae Shrine.

Several people went up the mountain from the back road, so naturally they took the back door.

The other end of the shrine's main hall was bustling with activity, but the back hall was deserted.

It seems that it is not open yet.

The man with thick eyebrows went to call the chief priest.

Fujii Itsuki was standing here with the other three people. During this time, his mobile phone received a text message and vibrated in his trouser pocket. He didn't know who sent the message.

He also noticed that there was a jade fox god in the back hall of Matsumae Shrine.

The divine fox holds an exquisite jade bracelet in its mouth, standing majestically and elegantly.

Those tall, condescending eyes are cunning, solemn, and a little mysterious, as if they have life.

Fujii Itsuki stared at the jade fox statue for a while and felt inexplicably cold in his heart.

After a few minutes, the door of the rear hall was pushed open.

A middle-aged woman in gorgeous clothes walked slowly towards them.

She was wearing a snow-white hunting robe, her sleeves fluttering in the breeze, and the four-cut diamond-shaped pattern embroidered on her back was very eye-catching.

——This is the family crest of the Matsumae family.

Although it is now a modern society.

But seeing this dress, coupled with the ancient atmosphere of the back hall, Fujii Itsuki even felt like he had traveled through time to ancient times.

"Lord Omiyaji."

"Ah."

Yoshiko Matsumae had one hand behind her back and the other raised in front of her chest, her long sleeves covering most of her clothes.

She saw Fujii Itsuki who was pinned down.

"Untie him." Matsumae Yoshiko ordered.

Naturally, the trainee clergymen did not dare to neglect the order of the Grand Priest and stepped forward to untie the hemp rope for Fujii Itsuki.

"Okay, you guys go out first."

The four of them looked at each other with confusion in their eyes.

But in the end they did not ask the questions in their hearts. They bowed to Matsumae Yoshiko and then closed the door and left.

Fujii Itsuki looked down and saw that his wrist was covered in bright red.

It's obviously made from hemp rope.
but
Compared with the skin that was worn off, the current situation made Fujii Itsuki feel puzzled.

——Yoshiko Matsumae put her hands behind her back, frowned, and was walking around him, looking him up and down.

'What is this for?'

Matsumae's aunt had a serious expression and her eyes looked very sharp.

Fujii Itsuki felt that although she was only a dozen years older than him, her temperament was no different from that of an elder.

"Are you Fujii Itsuki? The thief that Hui Hai and the others were talking about just now."

"I don't think I'm a thief."

Fujii Itsuki pinched his wrist and suddenly found a logical loophole.

He didn't tell those people his name.
How did this aunt Songqian know about this?
Matsumae Yoshiko stopped and said coldly:

"Of course I know you. That day the kid took you to the mountains for sightseeing, and I saw you two chatting a lot."

"."

It turns out that he is an acquaintance, then that is easy to explain.

Yoshiko Matsumae continued to circle around Fujii Itsuki. As she looked at him, she pinched her chin, nodded continuously, and said words like "not bad" and "not bad".

Fujii Itsuki felt a chill down his spine when he was stared at by the middle-aged woman.

The key point is that this woman would reach out and lift his sleeves from time to time, as if to check whether his functions were intact.

"I have no problem with it. He looks healthy. With a little exercise, he can become very strong."

".?"

Who are you talking to?
Fujii Itsuki didn't understand what Matsumae Yoshiko meant at all.

What is this for?
Conscripting men?
You want me to be a slave to your Matsumae Shrine?

Matsumae Yoshiko walked around for a few times and fixed her eyes on Fujii Itsuki's face: "Is that the one you climbed over the wall to get into the back garden?"

“Everything happens for a reason, and everything happens for a reason”

Matsumae Yoshiko nodded: "I understand that you didn't climb over the wall voluntarily, but were guided by something."

As expected of the shrine's chief priestess, Matsumae's aunt.

Have good vision and understand things.

I don't look like a thief.

He is just a 26-year-old young man who is elegant and easy-going.

Fujii Itsuki sighed:

"Thank you very much for your understanding, Ms. Matsumae. I explained my motives to those four people on the road just now, but they didn't believe a word I said and insisted on dragging me to see you."

"Thank you? We in the Matsumae family don't like polite words. It should be said that I - Matsumae Yoshiko doesn't like polite words. What have you decided to do to thank me?"

this.
Fujii Itsuki: "How about I help run some chores for Matsumae Shrine tonight? The parade and festival will start in an hour or two, so it should be very busy."

"can."

"May I?"

"Of course, I am very sensible. I have always taught Xinchun to be sensible and to know how to repay kindness. Naturally, when I receive gratitude from others, I should accept it as a matter of course."

In other words, the problem of being misunderstood as a thief has been resolved, right?

Fujii Judai breathed a sigh of relief and said politely, "Then please just give me your instructions, Ms. Matsumae. I will do my best to meet your requests."

"Well, get engaged to our Xinchun in three months."

"Of course that's no problem, it's just an engagement."

".Engaged?! With Matsumae?" "Why? Don't want to?"

Yoshiko Matsumae stared at Fujii Itsuki's eyes behind his half-frame glasses.

Fujii Itsuki didn't take it seriously, knowing that his aunt was just joking.

He couldn't help but force a smile and said:
"Ms. Matsumae, no matter how much you joke, you can't joke about something so serious, right? This is not funny. Matsumae is my student."

"Do I look like I'm smiling?"

Fujii Itsuki: “.”

"It's true that you just climbed over the wall into the back garden, right?"

"."

"Have you seen Xinchun bathing?"

Fujii Itsuki really wanted to say no.

But there is a majestic fox statue behind and a solemn chief priest of the shrine in front.

The looks from both sides were condescending, which made people feel very stressed.

"Yes, I saw it." Fujii Itsuki admitted decisively.

"That's all." Matsumae Yoshiko smiled without a trace of smile, "Do you think you shouldn't be held responsible for this?"

"You should be responsible, but how can you get engaged? This is not ancient times where you can just glance at each other."

Fujii Itsuki really wanted to say that it was just a glance, wasn’t that a big deal?

But he just couldn't say this.

Because this shows disrespect for Matsumae's opinion.

Whether the problem is serious or not should be decided by Matsumae.

"It's decided. Three months from now. No, next month, I'll get engaged to Xinchun."

"I--"

"You don't think this means Xinchun will marry you, do you? That's wishful thinking. You're marrying into the family, and you have to change your surname. You're the one who serves Xinchun, not Xinchun serving you."

“I still have to teach the students.”

"Quit."

"The welfare home still needs my care."

"Ask your father-in-law to donate 1 billion to you."

Donate 1 billion to the welfare home?

Fujii Itsuki's heart was moved, but he just smiled, shook his head and said:
"I can not accept."

"Teacher Fujii, as an honors student who graduated from Kyoto University, you should know the history of the Matsumae family, right?"

".Know."

"What do you think has enabled the Matsumae family to survive to this day?"

"strength."

"It's a tradition, it's a family tradition. As for the past, our Matsumae family has already hung you on the castle tower and made you into a human head wind chime. Do you believe it?"

"."

Fujii Itsuki certainly believed it.

In the past, the nobles had the final say.

If a servant was told to die, he would immediately take a knife and commit suicide - on the one hand it was out of loyalty, but on the other hand it was because he was afraid of a more miserable death.

This is the case for ordinary people, let alone a "thief" who peeks at a young lady taking a bath.

If you don't gouge out your eyes, you will be unworthy of the name "Matsumae" and the four-warp-hishimaru family emblem that can be seen everywhere at the entrance and inside the shrine.

Matsumae Yoshiko continued:

"But modern times are modern times after all, and the Matsumae family cannot openly do anything that goes against the background of the times."

"."This is definitely a deterrent, right?

"Would you like me to tell you how much the Matsumae family has in its current assets? How many companies and resources do they control in Hokkaido and even in Japan?"

"Needless to say, I know what's going on."

"What do you think of the Matsumae family?"

"Strong."

"How is Xinchun?"

"Sensible, polite, good at studying, and very considerate."

"That's it," Matsumae Yoshiko waved her hand, looking very impatient, "It's settled that I'll be engaged to Xinchun."

you--!
You aunt!

How to be a good person!

How could you be so disrespectful of your niece's feelings?

Fujii Itsuki was almost mad:
"Ms. Matsumae, have you asked Matsumae about this?"

"Xinchun? She is very obedient. She cannot go against the family's wishes."

Fujii Itsuki knew that he could not interfere in the Matsumae family affairs.

"What about the head of the family?"

"Brother? No need to ask him, I will convince him. Now that we have severed our relationship with the Kuka family, I have the final say on how to choose the candidate for the Matsumae family's marriage."

"This is ridiculous! Ms. Matsumae."

"Well, if you don't agree, I will report you to your school for climbing over the wall today and peeping at Xinchun bathing."

you--!
mean!

"I'm not in the mood for jokes."

Fujii Itsuki sighed:

"Anyway, this is just wishful thinking on your part, Ms. Matsumae. To be honest, I still think you're joking."

"Am I kidding? I think you, Mr. Fujii, have not yet understood the seriousness of the matter. Do you know what the innocence of this child, Xinchun, means to this child, to the Matsumae family and to the shrine?
"She is the 'Goddess' of the Matsumae family, the great shrine maiden of the modern era. She is required to appear and preside over all important ceremonies of the Matsumae family and Matsumae Shrine.

"Such a person must maintain her own 'purity' and remain a member of the Matsumae family, and she will be blessed by the divine fox.
"When the body of a 'son of God' is seen by a man, it not only hurts the child Xinchun, but also blasphemes and disrespects the gods, and the thousand-year-old traditions of the entire Matsumae Shrine!
"Mr. Fujii, do you want to use a simple sentence like 'I just saw it for a moment' to excuse such an important matter?

"Do you think I'm really willing to let Xinchun get engaged to you? What benefits can getting engaged to you bring to our Matsumae family?
"This is all for the Matsumae family, to follow tradition. I hope you, Mr. Fujii, understand how important this is to us."

"."

Matsumae Yoshiko spoke sternly.

Fujii Itsuki was left speechless.

No matter how he defended himself, it was true that he had tarnished the innocence of the Matsumae family and destroyed the traditions of the Matsumae family that had been passed down from ancient times.
If more people in the Matsumae family knew about this.
Wouldn't that mean you'd skin yourself alive?

Matsumae Yoshiko stood under the fox statue. She raised her head and looked into the fox's eyes. Suddenly she sighed and said:

"Forget it. Our Matsumae family has been passed down to the modern era, and it's not like there hasn't been any change. At least, we will respect other people's opinions. If Mr. Fujii really doesn't want to, there's nothing we can do. I'm sorry to tell you this all of a sudden."

"." Fujii Ju felt something was wrong.

"Right now, the most important thing is to see what Xinchun thinks. How about this? We will arrange an extra seat for you all to go and worship Master Baiye and let Him make the decision. How do you think?"

Ask Lord Bai Ye to make the decision?

Isn't this just finding a way out for yourself?

Fujii Itsuki looked at the four-warp-high-horned horse-drawn horse behind Matsumae Yoshiko's white hunting robe, and suddenly understood her difficulties a little.

On one hand, there are the rules, traditions and beliefs of the Matsumae family.

As the chief priest of the shrine, she must maintain the face of the god in public, so she explained such an outrageous matter as the engagement to herself.

On the other hand, she certainly didn't want Xinchun to marry her, a man who had nothing.

That's why after revealing everything, I told myself to let God decide.

Fujii Itsuki completely understood what his aunt meant.

Just going through the process
I was just worshipping together with Matsumae Shinharu and going through the process together.

(End of this chapter)