The night passed quickly, and when the light of dawn shone through the window, Soharu Tsugawa suddenly opened his eyes.

Gently lifting the corner of the futon, Tsugawa Soji crept up from the tatami mat, and after pulling away a few beautiful legs on his body, Tsugawa Soji walked out of the room softly.

"Lord!" Several flags on duty at night hurriedly stepped forward and handed their shoes to Tsugawa Soji's feet after seeing Tsugawa Soji come out, and then another flag put a cold coat on Tsugawa Soji's body.

"Are the retainers here?" Soji Tsugawa yawned and asked in a low voice.

Izumi Gojiro, who was standing on the side, hurriedly replied, "My lord, most of you arrived at Ueno Castle last night, and a few of you were on standby in Honmaru before dawn. ”

"Everything is already ready on the side of Lord Saigo, just wait for the lord to get up, and you can get ready to start!" Izumi Gojiro continued.

"Hmm." Soji Tsugawa nodded, and then said, "Today is the largest festival in the history of the family, so be sure to be lively." Inform the performers of Noh that they can start going on stage, and the castle town can also start arranging. ”

"Haha!"

.......

"Yoshikawa-sama, why did you suddenly feel so haggard after not seeing you for so many days? I heard that Mrs. Ami had just given birth to a big fat boy, and Lord Yoshikawa couldn't steal the fun, so why did she still look sad? ”

"Nagano-sama, didn't you lose to Zaoxia during rehearsals yesterday, and came to find me happy today?"

"Humph! Yesterday was just an accident, my Nagano Castle troops ate bad stomach yesterday, and today will definitely make Yoshikawa-sama look good! ”

"Oh? Got a bad stomach? Ladies and gentlemen, what did Nagano-sama mean just now that more than 50 people in the Nagano family's army had eaten their stomachs yesterday? ”

"Hahahaha!"

"Yoshikawa-sama and Nagano-sama don't argue, today's first place should be in my wise Mitsuhisa's bag, the two adults should save some effort to fight for the second place!"

"Lord Wise is as old as ever, there is no one in his eyes, and today I, Lord Kawakami Zhongjing, know that I am very powerful!"

Before the banquet began, a group of energetic Tsugawa samurai gathered together and blew NB.

On the other hand, the retainers in charge of the internal affairs of the family, such as Ogasawara Nobutoki, were not as rude as Yoshikawa Hiroke and others, and the three and three of them gathered in several circles to discuss the latest situation in the collar with each other.

"Ogasawara-sama, last month, a section of the Yoneyo River in Akita County that flowed through Fiftyme Castle suddenly overflowed the embankment and washed away a lot of farmland, and this year's autumn harvest Akita County is afraid that there will be a lot of failures!" A farmer in charge of Akita Prefecture said worriedly to Ogasawara Shin.

Hearing the words of this farmer, Ogasawara hurriedly asked, "In that case, you can arrange for people to repair the river embankment?" ”

"There has been a lot of rain this summer, and the water level along the Yoneyo River has risen so rapidly that it will be difficult to stop the overflow of the low-lying part of the river. In the lower part of the river has been strengthened to avoid further damage! ”

"The Fifty Eyes family also sent people to help, and in general, the water situation was controlled, but the more than 10 villages at the breach of the embankment were still very badly affected." The farmer replied.

"You have done a good job in this matter, and the retainers' assessment at the end of the year should be handled at your discretion, so you don't have to worry." Ogasawara Nobutoki glanced at the farm house calmly and then spoke.

Hearing Ogasawara's words, the farmer hurriedly said gratefully, "Thank you, Ogasawara-sama!" ”

A few months ago, Soharu Tsugawa proposed a system of evaluating retainers once a year. At the end of each year, the retainer will be graded according to his merits during the year, and will be divided into four categories: A, B, C, D.

Those retainers who have obtained the first or second class will be rewarded by the Tsugawa family, and those who have obtained the third class will not be rewarded or punished, and if they are the last class, they will be punished. For example, if you are a high-ranking official like Ogasawara Shintoki, if you get the first class, you will be rewarded with hundreds to 1,000 yuan, and if you are the last class, you will be fined one year's salary.

After such a system came out, it was very effective in mobilizing the enthusiasm of the retainers, and it also made some retainers who did not do their best dare not neglect their duties.

"The lord has arrived!"

Suddenly, after a shout from Yajima Tadamei, the originally noisy castle tower suddenly fell silent.

"I've seen the lord!" Densely packed with hundreds of retainers like Tsugawa Soji bowed, and the scene was extremely spectacular.

Soji Tsugawa smiled at his retainers, and then said, "Everyone, get up. ”

"I have called you to Ueno Castle today, mainly because the family has achieved remarkable results after several years of development! Now this family is the strongest force in the two countries, and this family can not get to this day without your efforts, this family is here to thank you in advance! Soji Tsugawa said with a sincere face.

Hearing Tsugawa Soji's words, the retainers in the palace hurriedly replied loudly, "Haha! ”

"Ueno Castle will hold a three-day banquet that will be attended by all the retainers and family members of the family above the rank of Ashigaru Shogun. Next, the Saionji Temple from Kyoto will also come to Ueno Castle in person, and at that time, the family hopes that everyone will restrain their usual temperament a little, and don't break the face of my Tsugawa family in front of the angels! ”

"Hah!"

"It's almost time, you guys go to Honmaru with Yajima Tadabei and take your seats, there is already a Noh drama going on there."

"Settsu Mamoru you are responsible for receiving the Saion Temple Palace, after all, it is the minister from Kyoto, please!"

"Haha!" Hosokawa Naomoto hurriedly took the order.

.......

In the Temple of the Dead Death, the head of Saionji Temple dressed in gorgeous clothes under the service of several maids arranged by Tsugawa Soji, and then picked up a folding fan and walked out of the door after blackening his teeth. After gently touching the hand of a maid, the chief of Xiyuan Temple grinned at the maid with a mouthful of black teeth and said, "How?" Can my demeanor impress the gentlemen here today? ”

A maid from a rural peasant family had never seen such a scene, and quickly confessed her guilt and ran out of the apse of the Temple of the Dead.

"Saionji Temple, the lord and all the adults are already waiting for your visit in Ueno Castle, please come down with you!" Outside the Temple of the Dead, Hosokawa Naomoto led a few people to wait for the head of Saion Temple at the gate of the temple with a small sedan chair.

"Foot, Hosokawa Settsu Mamoru?" The head of Saionji Temple was stunned for a moment when he saw Hosokawa Naomoto's appearance as a Kyoto minister, and then said with a friendly face.

"It's down, I can't imagine that the Xiyuan Temple Hall still remembers it!" Hosokawa Naomoto's face was full of excitement.

"Haha!" The chief of Saionji Temple said with a smile, "Although the Oshu Hosokawa family is Hosokawa, I still have some impressions. ”

"What an honor!" Hosokawa Naomoto smiled and said, "The main hall is already waiting for adults in Ueno Castle, so please come to the castle with the Saionji Temple!" ”

"Hmm." The chief of Xiyuan Temple nodded, and then said with a smile, "Let me take a look at the style of the Tsugawa family in Yushu today!" Hohoho! As he spoke, the chief of Xiyuan Temple covered his fair face with a folding fan and laughed.

Hosokawa Naomoto knew very well what kind of urine these Kyoto ministers were, so he waited for the chief of Saionji Temple to finish laughing before bowing down and saying, "Please enter the sedan chair in the Saionji Temple........