Chapter 106 A match made in heaven
"Sister, are you really leaving like this?"

“.” The person in front did not answer.

"What about Xinchun? She's so young, only six years old."

The speechless silence lasted for a long time.

The woman with the teardrop mole in front of her answered:

"Isn't that what you expected?"

"Expectations? What do you expect? Sister, I don't understand. Is it that my brother doesn't love you enough, or that the Matsumae family isn't good enough to you? Why do you have to--"

"Everything is fine," the voice replied calmly, "but it can also be said that everything is not good. I can no longer stay in the Matsumae family. Whether it's him, you, or those old guys, Yoshiko, you have disciplined Xinchun into a second me. From the time she was born to now, I have not even met her ten times."

"This is all for the future of the Matsumae family."

"Humans are not animals after all. I've had enough of your self-righteousness. I don't mind if you arrest me again and lock me up for another half a year in the name of cultivation. I've made up my mind. We don't want to meet again."

More than four hours ago
Matsumae Yoshiko is meditating under the fox statue in the rear hall of Matsumae Shrine.

Occasionally recalling fragments of past memories, she couldn't help but frown.

She thought again of the woman she called "sister".
she doesn't understand
Isn’t it because of the traditions left by the Matsumae family that the Matsumae family has been able to survive to this day?
Without rules, there can be no order.

Without the six tones, the five tones cannot be correct.

When you were six years old, you came from the Jiuhua family to the Matsumae family. You watched with your own eyes as the Jiuhua family fell into decline because of their failure to abide by the rules.

Don’t you understand the importance of rules and traditions?
Isn't it because of the Matsumae Shrine and the Matsumae family's family rules, which seemed overly strict to others, and their complete faith, that the Matsumae family was able to regroup as a force and rise again when it was gradually declining?

Look at your Jiuhua family.

Even your brother, your own brother, will do everything he can to gain the support of the Matsumae family by flattering them.

Sister, why don’t you understand?

We can only abide by the rules and traditions of the Matsumae family.

Even if we hate those old guys, you can't question it, sister. This is our unchanging foundation for thousands of years.

In my heart, I was questioning the woman who left without saying goodbye at the beach.

Yoshiko Matsumae just felt uncomfortable.

She also knew that reminiscing about the past would only increase her pain and would be useless, so she chose to erase this memory from her mind, keep her brain clear, and empty her mind.
Under the jade fox statue, candlelight flickers.

Bai Hua, dressed in snow-white, was curled up in front of a pile of tributes, wagging her gorgeous tail.

The cell phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.

Matsumae Yoshiko stood up and bowed two or three times to the fox statue and the snow fox Baihua before leaving the back hall and taking it out to examine.

It was Hui Hai's trainees who reported to her that someone had sneaked into the Matsumae family.

They reported the incident about the 'thief', tied up the 'thief', took photos and sent them over.

Matsumae Yoshiko read the message sent by Hui Hai over and over again and frowned again.

The people in this photo
Isn’t this the tutor that Nagayama Sakura recruited a few days ago?
Because her brother was not at home, she had to personally check this guy's background.

She didn't expect that this guy was actually a graduate of Kyoto University and her sister's student.
Also because he is my sister's student, she has always been more lenient with him and Xinchun.

"Sneaked in from the back garden?"

Doesn't that mean.
[Auntie asked, what would happen if someone saw the Immaculate Ceremony I was performing just now?]
Matsumae Yoshiko instantly remembered the questions her little niece had asked her with a blushing face.

Anger suddenly surged up in my heart.

Nonsense!

This is complete nonsense!
Yoshiko Matsumae tried to calm herself down, but still found it hard to accept this fact.

Xinchun must have been seen by someone.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked myself these questions while changing clothes.

What should I do?
This breaks the rules.

Logically speaking, the Jade Fox Festival should be stopped. Otherwise, the entire Jade Fox Festival would be led by an "unclean" person, which is a deception to the gods!

Yoshiko Matsumae only felt a headache.

Should we tell this fact to the old guys in the family?

No.
With the mentality of those guys, they definitely don't care about human life and will arrest and kill this man without permission.

These are the people my sister hates the most.

This is also one of the few opinions that Matsumae Yoshiko agrees with her sisters.

The rules cannot be broken, and Lord Bai Ye cannot be concealed.

What should I do?
Do you really want to send this young man named Fujii to death?
If I had told those guys the truth.

What will happen to Xinchun?
Matsumae Yoshiko walked quickly from the back hall to the side room of the shrine. She came to Matsumae Shinharu's room and hurriedly opened the door.

".aunt?"

The little niece was sitting in the middle of the side room, wearing a heavy twelve-piece dress. She seemed confused by her own anxiety.

The moment my little niece looked up.

Matsumae Yoshiko immediately thought of the "sister" who was also asked to be replaced.
This look, this tone of voice
There is a small teardrop mole under the right eye.

picture.
so similar.
Exactly the same as her sister.

"It's okay, I just wanted to see how you were preparing."

"Well, I'm waiting for the time to come, aunt." Matsumae Shinchun replied with a smile.

Hearing her gentle voice calling her "Aunt", Matsumae Yoshiko seemed to feel extra emotions from it.

Xinchun has called herself "Auntie" since she was a child.

If the elders were told that Xinchun was seen by someone, the young man named Fujii would undoubtedly be held responsible.

But at the same time, it is also a fact that Xinchun is seen by others.

Those guys are much more rigid than me.

Heart Spring
I will definitely be replaced by the old guys just like my sister.

Although she is the daughter of the master of the family, she is the blood of the master's family.

But it’s not like my brother can’t have another child.

It wouldn't be a problem to let my brother remarry a woman of the same age as Xinchun.

This is really uncomfortable.

"aunt?"

Feeling extremely conflicted, Matsumae Yoshiko regained her composure after looking at Matsumae Shinharu's face.

This child calls himself "Auntie", which is really kind and pleasant.
She looked calm, just said "It's okay" to the child, and turned and left.

On the way back to the palace.

She has been struggling with the solution.

The way to save Xinchun.

At the same time, don't let yourself break the rules.

Anxious, she came to the back hall and suddenly, in front of the Jade Fox statue, she remembered what she had said to her niece not long ago.
Matsumae Yoshiko frowned, turned back quickly, and found Matsumae Shinharu again.

"Aunt? Why are you back again?"

"nothing."

Yoshiko Matsumae maintained her dignity as an elder in front of her little niece, asked her about some things to note during the festival, and started the conversation again, trying to get some information out of her.

She could see that Matsumae Shinchun also wanted to know something about her.

After some guidance, Xinchun finally couldn't help it.

".Aunt, what I just said."

"Suppose someone secretly saw you doing that?"

"Yes, if I mean if, if the other party came here under the guidance of Lord Bai Hua. And Lord Bai Hua still has his wallet in his mouth. Could it be that God is guiding me?"

When Matsumae Yoshiko heard this, her pupils dilated.

Was that guy brought by Lord Bai Hua?

If so, it makes sense.

She was worried that she couldn't find a suitable reason.

But is it really such a coincidence?

"Woo~~"

At this moment, Baihua suddenly ran in, swaying its snow-white tail in the moonlight, and instantly ran into Matsumae Xinchun's arms with light steps.

Matsumae Shinchun reached out and stroked the snow fox in her arms.

Yoshiko Matsumae looked at the scene in front of her, thoughts surging in her mind.

in this way
So one or two.
In order to protect Xinchun, and also to abide by the rules of the Matsumae family
Matsumae Yoshiko knew what to do.

After talking to her little niece for a few words, she got up and left the side room.

She continued to prepare for the Jade Fox Festival according to the steps, and called someone over to remind her that the position of "Seimei" should be replaced by someone else.

After the parade, it was time for the grand ceremony.

As the chief priest of Matsumae Shrine, Yoshiko Matsumae performs sacrifices and divination according to the procedures of previous years.

She actually never really believed in divination.

But today was strange, because no matter how you calculated, Xinchun and the young man named Fujii were a perfect match in terms of numerology, personality, and horoscope.

Even if she followed the ancient process and asked the Jade Fox God for permission, the result would still be the same.

"Could it be that this young man is really Xinchun's destiny?"

The ceremony has reached the most important part.

The young man named Fujii took the lead and led a group of Taoist priests to put countless characters into the brazier.
In fact, the chief priest of the shrine has always known one thing.

That is the stage of choosing words. If there are words left in the basin, then they are the choice of gods.

If not, it means that the god has indicated that he does not want to elect this year and has handed over full authority to the shrine's chief priest to act on his behalf.

After the alchemist's ceremony was completed, Matsumae Yoshiko went to take a look inside the altar out of curiosity.

——All is ashes.

It really seems like God is helping us.

Yoshiko Matsumae had already thought of the words for this year in her mind.

That is [life].

Write your own [life].

Not only could they choose a suitable son-in-law for the Matsumae family, but it also happened to be what the old guys wanted, because the elder brother only married the elder sister, who gave birth to only one daughter, Xinchun.

This is definitely not good for the inheritance of the Matsumae family.

The old guys definitely hope that the main branch of the Matsumae family will branch out.

My brother doesn't want to remarry.

This responsibility naturally fell on Xinchun.

Anyway, the selection of the son-in-law is done by myself and my brother. As long as the person is really suitable, talented, and meets my taste, and he is ten years older than me, what's wrong with that?
The child born to them can just replace his elder brother when he steps down.

Dad would definitely be happy to see this.

Not to mention that Xinchun is almost reaching childbearing age.

Thinking of this, Yoshiko Matsumae almost laughed.

It really is the right time, the right place, and the right people.

All three elements are present.

She herself has to believe that Fujii is the destined choice for her niece!
*
After the ceremony, my father came to find me as expected.

"Jia Zi, you wrote the word [生], which suits my taste. Junzhi has been getting more and more disobedient in recent years. I told him to find another woman a long time ago, but he has been unwilling to do so for some reason. However, when I think about it, Xinchun has reached the age where she can have children. Do you have a choice?"

"some."

"That's good. I trust you on this matter and I won't ask too many questions."

"Father, the target is ten years older than Xinchun. Do you mind?"

"Ten years older? Well, that's good. Shunji is capable, and when Xinchun's child grows up, it will be time for him to take over the position of the Matsumae family."

"clear."

"Everything should be arranged as soon as possible. I hope that when we get engaged, I will have heard the news that Xinchun is pregnant."

"clear."

Bowing in the direction her father was leaving, Matsumae Yoshiko had never felt that getting things done in the Matsumae family was so smooth.

Things went so smoothly that she even had a better impression of the young man named Fujii.

Plus, he was my sister's student.
When the carriage returned and reached the Gotabashi, Matsumae Yoshiko immediately called Matsumae Shinharu to her room.

The child was still wearing a shrine maiden costume, a former crown on her head, and a Chihaya coat.

"aunt."

As soon as Matsumae Shinharu saw Matsumae Yoshiko, he bent down to greet her and sat on the ground with her.

"Xinchun."

"Well, does Aunt want to tell me something?"

"This festival went well, without any mistakes."

"It's all thanks to my aunt's good teaching."

"Did you see this year's words?"

"I see," Matsumae Shinchun looked up.

Matsumae Yoshiko looked at her niece out of the corner of her eye. "I'm sure you know that the words mentioned every year are the will of the gods. In order to implement the will of the gods, the Son of God needs to make a statement."

The little niece became anxious, and she obviously knew what this year was.

"Wait a minute! Auntie, I——"

"Hmph, there's nothing much to say. Xinchun, I've taught you, haven't I? You were born in the Matsumae family, so you have to understand the burden and mission on your shoulders. Look at the many poor people in this world, people who are not respected by others. Don't you think your identity and the life you enjoy are not good enough, Xinchun?"

"."Matsumae Shinchun didn't dare to refute her aunt at all.

The girl's face was gloomy and she was already disheartened.

She understands
She was alone and could not resist her family or the arrangements made by her family.

This year is the word [生].

It represents endless life and prosperity, which is what humans call reproduction.

She already knew that her family was going to arrange a wedding for her with someone she didn't even know.

She had dreamed of the wedding in the past and had thought about slowly falling in love with the other person after marriage, but why was she so resistant to it until now?
"The family has discussed this earlier and already has a suitable candidate."

"Yes"

"After calculations and petitioning Lord Bai Ye, I also confirmed whether the other party's fate intersects with yours. The result is that it is really a match made in heaven."

"."Matsumae Shinchun's drooped face was completely shrouded in gloom.

"Do you want to know the other person's name, Xinchun?"

"."

"Xinchun?"

"Please tell me if you miss your aunt."

"Although this name is ordinary, it is very good from the perspective of numerology. According to the number of strokes, it is 21, 4, and 16. From the perspective of the five elements, it is wood, fire, and wood, all of which are auspicious.

"His total number, which is the middle and late years after the age of 48, is a lucky number of pure Yang. He has courage, strength, talent and strategy, is polite and virtuous, healthy and docile, and can achieve great ambitions and great undertakings. It is indeed the best luck number for gaining fame, wealth and honor.

"He is definitely a great candidate for the son-in-law of the Matsumae family."

Matsumae Shinharu: “.”

"Xinchun."

"Yes, auntie."

"You look like you're not happy?"

"No, Auntie, I am happy to do so."

Matsumae Yoshiko picked up the teacup beside her, put it to her lips and took a sip, then said, "Now your family has ordered you to have sex with him as soon as possible and give birth to a child for the Matsumae family as soon as possible."

"."

"Xinchun?"

"Yes."

There was silence for a long time.

"aunt."

"Go ahead."

"Can I ask the man's name? I don't want to be arranged like this without knowing anything."

"You don't agree with your family's arrangement?"

"No. I just..."

Matsumae Yoshiko glanced at her niece's dim eyes and said seriously, "How can you not know anything?"

"."

"It's better to say that you already knew each other."

".know?"

"Didn't you ask me before, what would I do if someone sneaked into the back garden to watch you bathing? That person was caught by Hui Hai and the others and was pushed in front of me."

"Aunt?! You——" Matsumae Shinchun became anxious. She only cared about whether Teacher Fujii was threatened or injured by her family, and did not pay any attention to what her aunt wanted to say specifically.

"Look, you get anxious when I say that, Xinchun. Don't worry, I'm not targeting him. After all, he's also my sister's student."

"That's good"

Matsumae Shinchun relaxed, but her expression quickly darkened again because of the marriage issue. "Then, aunt, can you tell me the name of that person now?"

"Didn't I tell you? Xinchun, your training as a miko is really inadequate."

"said?"

"The strokes are two, one, four, and sixteen, and the five elements are wood, fire, and wood."

"what is this."

As soon as Matsumae Shinchun finished answering, he pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered what his aunt had just said about the person who "broke into the back garden".

In addition, Mr. Fujii inexplicably became the one who guides the Son of God, Haruaki.

The more the girl thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, until she suddenly realized something and it became unbelievable.

"Did Auntie say?!"

"Isn't it Fujii Itsuki?"

"what?"

Yoshiko Matsumae noticed that the little witch's earlobes turned red in an instant.

This kid.
It seems that he is not unwilling.

Yoshiko Matsumae found it funny to see this kind of little girl's mentality.

My little niece started to panic.

"Auntie, how can this be done? This is very disrespectful to the other party."

"Whether it is disrespectful or not is up to you. Auntie can only say that this is the family's arrangement for you. The other party is not from the family, and the other party's wishes cannot be arranged by the family."

"But, aunt——!"

Yoshiko Matsumae was leisurely. She picked up the cup of tea and took a sip.

"If you, Xinchun, are unwilling, and you cannot convince the other party to give birth to a child for you, my family and I will have no choice but to find another one for you."

How can this work!

Matsumae Shinchun's eyes were twitching and she was in a panic.

No matter what she said, she was unwilling to be with a complete stranger.

"Do you agree?" Matsumae Yoshiko raised her voice and spoke in a stern tone.

At this moment, an image of a person has emerged in the girl's mind.

she thought.
This is indeed true for the other party.
It's not fair.

But she, as the eldest daughter of the Matsumae family, had no choice.

Matsumae Shinharu's cheeks and ears burned when she thought of her family's words asking her to give birth to a child as soon as possible.

This is a family arrangement!
I can only obey your orders.

Sorry, teacher
I'm really sorry
Matsumae Shinchun bowed respectfully and politely to her serious aunt:

"Yes, aunt."

(End of this chapter)