Chiba Akishino-no-miya!
Duanmu Ci absentmindedly rubbed his temples with his fingertips; he had completely forgotten about this. When he and Wei Yue had come to visit Terashima Moriyoshi in their finest attire, Terashima Moriyoshi, with the demeanor of a gentleman and the spirit of a samurai, entrusted his most prized possession, the Chiba Akishino Palace, to Duanmu Ci, whom he had only met once, and even inscribed his vow on the screen. [This website's new domain name is the initials of Kele Novel Network (k1), the largest free Chinese romance novel website, come and join us!]
Now that Terashima Moriyasu has passed away, the words he wrote on the screen will automatically become legally binding. Does this mean he will now become this little girl's guardian, shouldering the responsibility for her future? It sounds perfectly logical, but why does Duanmu Ci feel something is off...?
Duanmu Ci turned to look at Wei Yue and asked earnestly, "Can Yuan-jun do it for me?"
Wei Yue smiled and said, "No."
Duanmu Ci said, “You know my character, Yuan-kun. I am not one to break my promises. However, Miss Akishino has always lived a secluded life, practicing Shinto at a shrine since childhood. She is a true shrine maiden who only knows how to serve the gods and knows nothing about anything in the outside world. She is even indifferent to human emotions. If I take her to China like this, I am afraid that something bad might happen due to the sudden change in environment.”
Wei Yue pondered for a moment and said, "Duanmu-jun's consideration is reasonable. However, although Junior Sister has never actually left the shrine, her knowledge is excellent. Teacher Terashima has invited many people to teach her. In addition to Japanese culture such as kendo and tea ceremony, Junior Sister is also quite knowledgeable about Chinese culture. She speaks and writes Chinese very well, so communication should not be a problem."
“The problem isn’t communication,” Duanmu Ci reminded him.
“The problem is personality!” Wei Yue and Duanmu Ci said in unison.
Thinking about Chiba Akishino's crane-like temperament, the two of them couldn't help but scratch their heads.
By this time, the coffin had been completely buried. Everyone bowed three times, offered three toasts, and then left.
The white-robed priest led Duanmu Ci and Wei Yue back into the inner hall. The once plain white screen was brought out again, and several middle-aged men in suits stood beside it.
"These gentlemen are government officials and lawyers; they're here to help us with some paperwork," the white-robed priest explained.
The process wasn't actually slow. Almost all the formalities were readily available; Terashima Moriyoshi had prepared almost everything before leaving. Only Duanmu Ci's matter was a bit troublesome—a Chinese man becoming the guardian of a Japanese girl would normally have caused some complications. However, since Wei Yue was present, everything became simpler. The Genji retainers could handle these minor matters.
“Give me this screen,” Wei Yue suddenly said. “I just remembered that my teacher never wrote anything for me when he was alive. I don’t even have a single piece of his calligraphy. Give me the screen so I can keep it safe.”
The white-robed priest bowed silently and then left the inner hall, taking everyone else with him as he left, leaving only Duanmu Ci and the other person behind.
Wei Yue walked to the corner of the hall and lifted the bamboo curtain. "Junior Sister is actually only 18 years old this year. Our teacher raised her as a shrine maiden since she was a child, and she has hardly ever left the shrine, so she has never known anything about human relationships. Our teacher has passed away. She just thinks that she won't see him for a long time, so she won't be very sad. Duanmu-kun, Junior Sister, I'm entrusting her to you from now on!"
Duanmu Ci remained silent.
He gleaned several meanings from this conversation: first, she was very young; second, she was immature; and third, he would be responsible for her affairs from now on…
Duanmu Ci then said, "It is inconvenient to be in a foreign land, not to mention the strict separation of men and women. Therefore, this matter needs to be considered carefully."
Wei Yue glanced at him sideways, "Your explanation about the inconveniences of being in a foreign land is plausible, but the talk about the strict separation of men and women is just too perfunctory. If Duanmu-jun really cared about that, Miss Bu Tongxun wouldn't be in your kitchen. Besides, Duanmu-jun did promise his teacher, and there's even his signature under the screen, the ink still there. Are you going to go back on your word?"
Duanmu Ci sighed, "It's not about going back on your word. That's not how a person behaves. Fine, I can keep her here and let her come back to Haishan with me. Then she can study at Haishan University. I'll let her learn some worldly things first, gradually becoming more worldly-wise. She can't always be like a nun!"
He is a man of his word, never going back on his promises. What he just said was merely a joke made out of desperation. Since he didn't refuse in the first place, he has even less reason to go back on his word now.
"Excellent, excellent!" Wei Yue said. "In that case, Teacher can finally put his biggest worry to rest."
"Won't Akishino-no-miya feel any resistance if I take her away from here?" Duanmu Ci asked with some concern. "After all, she rarely leaves this place or the shrine."
“So you need to take her to see the outside world,” Wei Yue said. “I’ll leave everything to you, Duanmu Jun.”
Duanmu Ci, “…” Could you be any more irresponsible?
As if remembering something, Wei Yue added, "Come to my house. My father heard that you came to Tokyo, and he really wants to see you."
Duanmu Ci, “…” Can I say I don’t want to go?
...
...
The Minamoto family were descendants of the Emperor, and some even served as Shogun, establishing the shogunate. Therefore, the Minamoto clan was naturally a prominent family in Japan, possessing a large residence in Tokyo. The Minamoto family mansion was located in the heart of Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, adjacent to the Imperial Palace, the Diet Building, the Supreme Court, and central government ministries—truly the political and economic center of Japan.
The fact that Genji could build a mansion here speaks volumes about his power and prestige.
The current building is a reconstruction; the original residence of the Minamoto family was destroyed in the 1945 Tokyo bombings, leaving only ruins. This forced the entire Minamoto clan to move to the countryside near Tokyo. In 1968, when Emperor Hirohito rebuilt the Imperial Palace, this land was also re-allocated for the Minamoto family to rebuild their residence.
Incidentally, both the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor resides, and various government buildings were constructed by the Gongshumo Construction Company, including the Genji clan's residence...
When Duanmu Ci was still called Duanmu Qu, he met Minamoto no Yoshimune, the father of Minamoto no Weiyue, and benefited greatly from him. If it weren't for the help of the Minamoto clan, the Duanmu family's business might not have been so successful in Tokyo. There were many times when the Duanmu family's business clashed with Japanese zaibatsu, and it was only thanks to the Minamoto clan's protection that the Duanmu family managed to survive.
This friendship has endured to this day. After Duanmu Qu's sudden death, Minamoto no Yoshimune was deeply grieved and personally flew to the United States to attend the funeral, where he also presented a generous funeral gift.
However, Duanmu Ci is not very willing to see Minamoto no Yoshimune now, for a simple reason: he has now become Minamoto no Yoshimune's junior.
From brothers to juniors... (To be continued.)
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