In early spring, the drizzle moistens things, and the sky is as clear as washing. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Between the acres of fields, the post road is split out of it, and dozens of riders come from east to west.

"This is Kyoto?" At the front of the line was a young man in a splendid costume, with a slender figure and slashed sword eyebrows. It was none other than Oda Nobunaga, the princes of Owari. Beneath the words, excitement and regret coexist.

Heading northwest via the Tokaido and passing through the southern shore of Lake Biwa, you can see the location of the Imperial Palace.

The thousand-year-old capital of Heiankyo is no longer what it used to be. Compared to Cheongju and Tsushima, it resembles a newly excavated artifact, which is antique and dusty.

The outer streets are full of war-abandoned houses, and the roadside is overgrown with weeds, and if you get closer, you can smell the smell of rotting corpses. You can vaguely see the white bones of the forest, and there are more cobwebs and reptiles mixed in.

Although he had heard Masahide Hirate talk about the desolation of Kyoto, he was still amazed, and the others looked at him in disbelief.

"That's where the center of Japan was built."

"Could it be that the palace and the palace are also here?"

"I heard the temple mention that several sections of the walls of the imperial palace collapsed due to lack of money to repair them, and many items were even stolen, and it seems that this is the case."

"It's no wonder that every time the prison hall mentions a trip to Kyoto, it is embarrassing......"

Whispers kept coming, but Nobunaga walked forward in silence without saying a word.

After another half a mile, he felt a little angry. In the depths of the street, you can see several large shops, and from the outside, you can see a variety of shops, which are even better than those in Cheongju. However, a hundred paces away, there were ragged women and children, begging for food along the streets.

"Zhumen's wine and meat stink, and there are frozen bones on the road, but that's it." With a soft sigh, he grabbed a handful of copper coins from his pocket and sprinkled them in the beggar's bowl. More than a dozen others followed suit.

Nobunaga stood beside him with cold eyes on his horse, watching his subordinates' actions.

waited until the retainers withdrew, and then Nobunaga slowly spoke:

"How many people can be saved by donating money today?"

"Although the strength is meager, I want peace of mind."

"Giving a man a fish is just a matter of raising the pitch and stopping the boiling. And what I want is to save the world from fire and water! ”

"The lord is righteous, and his subordinates are not as good as him."

"If you want to save the people of the world, the only way is to unify the Liuhe and rebuild the peaceful and happy land, you and so on...... I also need to lend my life's martial arts to realize such a grand wish! ”

"Wait for the ministers, but with the tail, never give up!" Sasa Chengmasa stepped forward and bent down, his voice low and resolute.

Honshu also saluted, and when he got up, he suddenly saw Nobunaga's face flash with a rare excitement.

"My lord, there are many eyes and ears here, and I am in a bright place, so it is not appropriate to stay for a long time. Whether to pay a visit to Lord Gongfang immediately, or to ...... Takikawa, who is vigilant in all directions, never seems to be moved by foreign objects.

"How can such a big event as an audience with the general be so hasty? Let's take a break here for the time being, prepare the number of ceremonies, and tomorrow, follow me to meet Yamashina Naigami, and then arrange the future. ”

Two months ago, the siege of Iwakura did not happen, and within half a day of the battle, Nobunaga's army broke through the outer city and killed more than 200 people under the opponent's old Inada Sadayu. On the evening of the same day, Oda Nobuyoshi finally surrendered the castle. When he left the city, the dignified Owari guardian, Oda Ise Morinobu Ken, was dressed in plain clothes, his face was like a withered tree, and his eyebrow bones were deep, and he was shivering in the snow, which couldn't help but make people feel sorry. Perhaps out of frustration, Nobunaga spared his life and deported him to the Nagashima area.

After the triumph, Nobunaga announced the arrangement to lead the flank to Kamiraku. Once Master Ji made up his mind, he could not change it, and in the face of the exhortation of "the son of a thousand daughters can't sit down", he only perfunctory said that "all the generals under him can ride a thousand", and only took eighty people, and went to Luo.

All the way west, there was no danger. The Rokaku family in Minami-Omi didn't seem to see the Owari boy as a threat in the slightest, and didn't put up any obstacles. Mino's Saito Yoshiryu sent several groups of chaotic waves to ambush and assassinate, but among Nobunaga's party, there were both Takigawa Ichiyi and others who were proficient in ninjutsu, as well as many guards with strong martial arts.

After ordering Kanamori to go to a merchant house to buy some cultural relics and gifts, Nobunaga led his ministers to spend the night in a dormitory in the castle. The next morning, the group set off in a hurry.

Bypassing the West Palace, passing through the Dade Temple, near the place of Ziye, there is a sheep intestine path, the tablet at the intersection is engraved with intricate Chinese characters, and the surrounding is overgrown with weeds.

"Yamashina Nagakuto-sama is in this kind of ......," Kanamori couldn't help but shout.

"Silence! Lord Yamashina is a stone pillar of the imperial court, how can he be so rude! Nobunaga shouted, the gloom on his face growing.

Along the path, there is a palace-like building, with mottled walls and wild ears growing from the ruins. There was a big hole in the roof of the stable, and only the house was barely holding up.

Cheng Zheng walked to the door and called a few times, only to see an old servant of fifty or sixty years old walking out tremblingly.

"This is the mansion of Yamashina Nachizotou, I don't know ...... your palace" The standard Kyoto accent is mixed with pride and inferiority - since Kiso Yoshinaka burned down Kyoto, the imperial court has completely lost the last trace of prestige in front of the samurai, and has only become a statue of the god to be worshiped day and night.

What kind of expression does the Buddha statue have when it faces the world?

"Oda Kamisuke of Owari led eight people from his entourage to pay a visit."

Oda Nobunaga owes a debt, and when he hears it, he makes his intentions clear.

"Lord Shang, I really have a heart." In troubled times, the concierge of the minister naturally did not dare to show the slightest disrespect to these countrymen, but there was no expression of surprise in his words.

Isn't it a rare thing for the daimyo of Owari to come to visit?

"Yonegoro (Niwa Nagahide), Shizo (Hite-Tsuhide), Gorouhachi (Kanamori Nagakin), Yoshibei (Murai Sadakatsu) came in with me, and the others took care of the horses." Nobunaga casually recited four retinues who knew etiquette and did not lose their temper.

After saying that, Nobunaga followed the old servant up the steps.

As I walked into the hallway, there was a sudden creaking sound on the floor.

"Please be lighter." The old servant turned around and bowed his head and said, "These planks are all from a hundred years ago, and if they are a little heavier, they will be in danger of breaking." There was neither a sneer nor an embarrassed expression on his face as he spoke. As if talking about something unrelated.

Perhaps as a subordinate of the minister, he has long adapted to this noble and lowly identity. Is the guest Oda Nobunaga, or

Nobunaga, who had been silent for a long time, slowed down his pace, distanced himself from the old servant who was walking in front, and then turned around and looked around at the ministers: "Do you know why the Yamashina family is like this?" ”

Everyone looked at each other, at a loss. Fortunately, Nobunaga did not ask them to answer: "In the past, my father gave 4,000 pieces of gold to the imperial court, all of which were made by Yamashina-sama, but the amount of gift money was not less than a penny in the imperial court files. And the mansion of Yamashinato-sama...... It's better than ever. ”

"Ah......h According to the common sense at this time, Oda Nobuhide's donation actually included "imperial court precedents". If the incorruptibility of the peaceful and prosperous times is only worthy of praise, then how to describe it when you are too busy to take care of yourself in the face of thousands of wealth......

The Yamashina family is a descendant of the Fujiwara clan, and in terms of family character, they belong to the "Habayashi" class, and their descendants have served as the chief of the Uchizorio for generations along with the Takakura clan, and are responsible for the operation and income and expenditure of the imperial family's property. Since Oda Nobuhide, Yamashina Kentsugu has had a close relationship with Katsuhata's Oda Danmasa family. In July of the second year of Astronomy (1533, the year before Nobunaga's birth), Yamashina was invited to Owari with Asukai Masatsuna to teach the art of waka and kemari. Ten years later, in May of the 12th year of the Astronomical Year, Oda Nobuhide sent Masahide Heite to Beijing and offered 4,000 kan of gold to the imperial court for the purpose of repairing the palace walls. In the winter of the following year, the imperial court sent Yamako Yanji to hold a waka meeting with the singer Zongmu and others to the ancient wild city, and gave them books such as "Ancient and Modern Collections" and "Ancient Records" in the public collection.

Because of this, after Nobunaga went to Luo, the first person to visit was Yamashina Yanji, who was an agent of the imperial court. Because of this relationship, the gifts given to Yamashina include not only the usual cultural relics and tea utensils, but also Owari meals, sashimi, kimchi, cloth, lamp oil, and miso.

"Thank you so much." Yamashina Yanji watched the servant take over the heavy burden, and a trace of embarrassment flashed on his face, "If it weren't for the president, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to take out something to entertain the guests......"

"The breeze on the sleeves of the head is clear, and although Nobunaga is far away in Owari, I have heard it from time to time." Nobunaga sat respectfully in front of Yamashina, as if facing his elders, "Now that the imperial court is in such a situation, it is all caused by the chaos of the party, and in the final analysis, it is all caused by the corpses of our samurai. ”

"If everyone is loyal to the country and protect the country as the general, how can there be a place for a chaotic party in the world?" Yamashina's face was grim. This is also the sorrow of the troubled times, all the fault is attributed to the troubled party, and the imperial court itself does not dare to define who is the "troubled party", and today's Kyoto has long since failed to reject the courage and strength of the rulers.

"Where righteousness lies, Nobunaga will never give up. However, the contemptible person is in a corner of the end, and the person is soft-spoken, and the heart is weak. ”

"Lord Lord...... It's also hard work. For some reason, Yamashina didn't seem to want to talk much today.

There was silence again.

After a while, the servant brought tea, and after Nobunaga thanked him, he picked up the cup.

After two or three cups of tea, Nobunaga spoke again.

"Yamashina-sama."

"Please."

"Recently, I heard that His Majesty was going to perform a ceremony to crown the crown prince, and when Nobunaga came, he specially prepared a gift of 5,000 kan for this matter."

"Oh? Your Majesty would have been very pleased if he had learned of this......

Yamashina seemed to have to say a few more words, but Nobunaga interrupted:

"However, Nobunaga's power alone is very limited after all, and if the imperial material land owned by the samurai and monks can be restored, the imperial court will be able to prosper for a long time......"

This was Nobunaga's first rude act since entering the door.

"The general manager is loyal and clear, and the sun and the moon can be seen. However, it didn't happen overnight...... "Yamashina finally spoke again.

"When you hear the villagers chanting from all over the world, and after the big fool of Owari has achieved Mino, you can start preparing." After a long turn, Nobunaga finally told his true intentions.

"Oh...... ...... Are you going to attack the land of the Saito clan...... However, Mino's Jibu Lord (Saito Yoshiryu) has always been loyal to the imperial court, and his majesty must not want to see any dispute between the two loyal protectors......"

"Lady Hidden Head! It is my lifelong wish to be a teacher, and no matter what measures I take, I will do my best to complete it, and I hope that you will fulfill it. ”

"Oh...... Oh......" Yamashina snorted twice as if unconsciously, picking up his teacup and sipping silently. Looking in other directions, he was reluctant to answer Nobunaga's words.

"This guard seems to resemble an old friend of the contemptible people, could it be ......"

"Yes, this is my mentor, the son of the Temple of Peacekeepers. His name was Hirate Jinzaemon Hide. The request was denied, and Nobunaga's annoyance only appeared for a brief moment, and then returned to normal.

"It's really the old man! In the past, I had been separated from the prison hall for many years, but now I have no chance to see each other again......"

Fan Xiu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed down: "My father has also repeatedly mentioned that Lord Yamashina is a scholar and an extraordinary person, and he has only seen it in his life. That's why the four walls of the house are probably replacing the things in the sleeves with jade shafts, right? ”

"Hahahaha......" Yamashina laughed, and the gloom between his eyebrows finally unfolded, "Lord Tsunoxiu's elegance and humor, isn't it adhering to family learning?" It's like seeing a reincarnated prisoner......"

Although he only said two sentences, this treatment is far better than that of several other people, especially after explaining the identity of the son of the deceased, it will be much easier to get into this relationship in the future.

Fan Xiu bowed and saluted, with an appropriately flattered expression on her face.

At this time, Yamashina sighed lightly, put down the teacup, and sat down to salute Nobunaga.

"When he was sent to Owari on the orders of His Majesty, the Lord-suo had not yet been born, but now that he has become a famous Tokaido general, he must be pleased that the spirit of Bigo Mamoru (Oda Nobuhide) and the prison in the sky will also be pleased."

"That hidden head means ......"

"Listen to me." Yamashina continued to himself, "More than 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I am also over fifty years old, and the reason why I can live a long life is completely because of the relationship without desire. ”

"What does Yamashina-sama mean that a dissatisfied puppet like Nobunaga will definitely have a short life?"

"That's not what I mean......

"Haha, have you ever heard the song of Dunsheng?"

"The Song of Dunsheng?"

"Fifty years of life, compared with heaven and earth, is just a moment, and the so-called long-lived people, compared with other people, are just a few inches longer than others."

"When it comes to the genus of heaven and earth, please be cautious."

"Do people like me still pray for the protection of those so-called 'gods and Buddhas'......

"Mr. Shang!"

"Lord!"

The four retainers and Yamashina shouted in unison.

After a long time, Shan Keyan sighed lightly.

"There are virtuous people in the world who live in it, and it is not something that can be seen clearly by old age. The Imperial Court had heard that the Lord-sama wanted to go to Raku, and had already made a decision to grant the Kokumori of Owari to the Lord. ”

"Congratulations, my lord!" The four congratulated.

But there are other things that are not known to the contemptible people. ...... No, it's Owari-sama who might as well visit Kikutei Dai-nayan, or Asukai Gondai-nayan, and then meet Konoe-sama Sekihaku......"

"Thank you, sir." Nobunaga finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since Yamashina has pointed out the real ruler of the current imperial court, Nobunaga has finally understood the direction of his efforts.

The most important things have been solved, and the atmosphere has finally relaxed.

At dusk, Nobunaga finally led his retainers out of Yamashina's mansion.

"You guys, do you know what I didn't say just now?" Nobunaga seemed to be in a good mood and actually joked along the way.

The four of them looked at each other and didn't dare to say more.

"Someone like me Nobunaga will definitely not live as long as Yamashina-sama, and I am afraid that I will not even live to be fifty years old. As early as when he was young, a Zen master said that if he took the name Nobunaga, he would die at the age of forty-nine! At the end of his sentence, Nobunaga burst out laughing.

Everyone was silent, only Fan Xiu secretly counted two numbers:

From 1534 to 1582, isn't it exactly forty-nine years......