Warring States Survival Guide
Chapter 58: After the change - 32, 3rd Class Unlucky Egg

Chapter 58: After the change: Chapter 32, 3rd Class Unlucky Egg

Maeda Toshimasa looked to be in his fifties, his face heavily weathered by wind and frost, hair gray and white tied into a loose topknot, with silver streaks at his temples. He wore an old plain jacket, double-buckled straw sandals, and carried a bamboo basket on his back. Compared to a feudal lord who could at any moment hang those refusing to pay annual tribute, he seemed more like an old farmer.

He came in, exchanged a glance with Okumura Iefuku, then enthusiastically welcomed Nozawa without hesitation. First he praised his impressive appearance, then repeatedly thanked him for saving Asong, and took the chance to introduce his family members.

His wife, Takehara Yasu, in her forties, was dressed like a village woman from working outside, but she spoke with a cheerful smile, seeming very optimistic and outgoing.

The eldest son, Maeda Shinichiro Rikyu, was about twenty-seven or eight, thin and sallow, nothing particularly remarkable about him otherwise. He was polite and seemed well-educated, but didn’t seem to be good with words, and had a rather melancholy air.

The second son, Maeda Naoshige Rikyu, wasn’t present. He was currently in a semi-official position as a clerk for the Oda Danjo Chonosuke family, and was now serving as a small transport magistrate on the Aichi County front line—pretty much the modern equivalent of a transport team leader.

The third son, Maeda Yosaburo Ansho, just past twenty, seemed a bit wild in disposition. His aura had some similarity with Maeda Toshie, that "Oddity," but with his father present, he didn’t dare act up and politely greeted as custom required.

The fourth son, Maeda Sonshiro Toshiie, and the fifth, Sawaki Fujihachirō Ryōji, were both absent—one had entered the service of Oda Nobunaga and had already returned after his family visit; the other had gone to the Sawake family as an adopted son and usually lived at Nagano Castle. Sawaki Fujihachirō’s adoptive father was a trusted household retainer of Oda Nobuhide, ordered to support the big fool Oda Nobunaga, and was currently acting as City Guardian of Nagano Castle, basically the modern equivalent of an executive vice mayor.

The sixth son, Maeda Yoshikuro Hidezane, wasn’t home either—off at school.

That’s right, off at school. In these times, becoming a Samurai wasn’t easy; you had to go to school too. The school happened to be next door at the temple school in Hosokawa Guanyin Temple. Japanese monks doubled as teachers, teaching literacy, etiquette, waka poetry, arithmetic, tea ceremony and the like—cultural and arts classes. Martial arts and strategy weren’t taught; those were learned at home or from private tutors.

The daughters were all home, since they didn’t attend school. Tsubaki and Ayu were just over ten, and the other three girls—Yudai, Tsubasa, and Asong—were younger. They were all well-bred and greeted Nozawa politely one by one. Tsubaki and Ayu, the two older ones, seemed a little less strictly raised; while giving their greetings, they kept sneaking glances at Nozawa, and after finishing, continued peeking at him with blushing faces, whispering and playfully jostling each other.

Among these daughters, Asong was particularly outstanding, no accident she’d become one of the "Three Great Ladies of the Warring States" in the future. Despite her young age, she was poised and likeable. After greeting, she thanked Nozawa especially, spoke a lot of pleasing, childish words, and acted very close to him—seemingly wanting to curry favor for some future need, with a hint of clever calculation.

Of course, it could also be that Nozawa was just suspicious by nature with trust issues, always seeing everyone as a potential crook and wronging her, when really she was just a sincerely grateful little girl.

Maeda Toshimasa patiently waited for all his children to greet Nozawa—he did this on purpose. Like the Ancient Chronicles said, befriending a doctor is a good thing; in a crisis, it could even save a life. Once everyone had greeted, he let them go, told his wife Takehara Yasu to prepare food and wine because he wanted to treat Nozawa well, and only then started with the medical consultation.

Nozawa performed a full "look-listen-question-pulse" checkup, but Maeda Toshimasa’s illness couldn’t be cured.

He had rheumatic joint pain, which is still an incurable chronic condition in modern times—let alone with Nozawa’s amateur skills. But pain relief was possible; the books had some tips for that.

Nozawa spent some time giving him acupuncture, left a long list of medical instructions, and planned to concoct a batch of medicinal plasters for him as well. After the acupuncture, Maeda Toshimasa did feel that his long-aching joints were warm and swollen, much more comfortable. Hearing Nozawa’s orderly follow-up arrangements, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "Amazing! Just like Inu Chiyoda said, Lord Nozawa’s medical skills are truly remarkable!"

"You flatter me," Nozawa replied politely, reacting blandly—he’d heard such praises so much lately, and received plenty of kowtows too. Turning his attention to Maeda Rikyu, he asked with courtesy, "Lord Shinichiro, what discomfort have you been feeling?"

He’d already figured it out—the real patient today was Maeda Rikyu.

Maeda Rikyu gave a slight bow, half-removed his upper garment, and turned to show his back. Under his scapula was a huge, bluish-purple lump, pitted in several places, looking rather like a Cthulhu eyeball—disgusting and alarming.

Nozawa put on his homemade mask and moved in to take a closer look. He gently pressed around the lump; the edges were well-defined, the feel hard to the touch. He took Rikyu’s pulse carefully again to confirm, then asked, "Did you ever suffer an injury to your back? Do you often feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, feverish chills, fatigue? Does the sore on your back sometimes ache intensely, even causing dizziness or vertigo?"

Maeda Rikyu was startled—he hadn’t expected Nozawa to be so accurate. Some of the gloom vanished from his face.

Maeda Toshimasa was also delighted and answered for him: "That’s right, a few years ago he was hit by an arrow in the back, and later accidentally fell into the water. After he recovered, this big sore started growing on his back—sometimes better, sometimes worse. We’ve tried many remedies with no effect. Do you know...what kind of sore is this?"