233

"Actually, I and Wise have already talked about this matter last year......

"Huh? So early? ”

Oda Nobunaga looked a little surprised.

"It was at the turn of autumn and winter last year, when I went to Songjiang City as an envoy to convey your will, General, the two of us said that it was okay, but a lot of things happened later, so it was delayed until now."

"That's right...... You're not much different from Renli, aren't you? ”

"I'm five years older than Princess Renli."

"So, there's no question of age...... The two of you are also concierge households...... Well, I promise you a marriage. ”

"General Xie is complete." ……

It's April.

Owari Province.

Geographically, Owari and Mikawa are close to each other – both are countries bordering Mikawa Bay.

Historically, the Japanese believed that it was the moisture of the waters of Mikawa Bay that created the three heroes of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

There is even a famous saying among the people of Nagoya.

When the young man is arrogant, as an elder, it is necessary for him to take a look at the choppy waves of Mikawa Bay!

As landowners born here, both Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu had a deep affection for the bay, where they were born and raised.

However, as one of the two big men went to and the other went to Sunfu, Mikawaan was also left out in the cold.

In Owari Chita-gun, not far from the shores of Mikawa Bay, there is a temple.

Somi Temple, there is a woman who cultivates in it, Somi-in.

When it comes to the General Courtyard, you may feel at a loss, who is she?

But when it comes to her original name, you will certainly be familiar with it.

Oda Gotoku.

Counting this year, it has been four years since that unpleasant and unpleasant thing that even Tokuki couldn't even think about.

At the beginning, Tokuki didn't think that her father would take Tokugawa Nobuyasu's life -- what woman wanted her husband to die early?

But what happened later completely exceeded her expectations, and she just wanted her father to warn Xinkang and make him change his mind, but...

However, his father used his letter as the best tool to put pressure on the Tokugawa family......

In just a few days, Xinkang, who had been with him for more than ten years, went straight to the underworld.

I knew it earlier...... Alas! It was useless to say anything, he died at the hands of his own wife......

It was this incident that Tokuki herself became disheartened, and after entrusting her two daughters to her sister-in-law Akechi Kogoro, who had no sons and a daughter at the time, she left home here.

At this time, a little nun who had been a monk with her walked up to her:

"Your Highness, someone is asking to see you."

Although it has been a long time since he became a monk, the people around him still call themselves "His Highness".

In this regard, Tokuki smiled bitterly. There was no other way to deal with it -- only those who had actually had contact with her knew that she had always been a good-natured person, no matter how bad the rumors out there were.

"See me? Who's that? ”

Tokuki was curious.

Although Somiji Temple is located in an inconspicuous small fishing village, no one here knows that her father is Oda Nobunaga, and besides, the "ominous" woman who killed her husband not only can't provoke herself, but on the contrary, she has to hide far away.

Therefore, except for the people sent by Oda Nobunaga, in the past four years, no outsiders have entered Somi Temple at all.

"It's Changyi-sama."

It turned out to be his uncle, Oda Nagayoshi......

"It's been a long time, Ade, are you okay?"

"Niece is fine, but you look a little tired, uncle."

A few years ago, Oda Nagayi had already become a monk, and his legal name was "Yurakusai", but everyone still used to call him by his original name.

"Laughing, I'm actually really tired during this time."

"Well, did your father give you any more tasks?"

"Not a task...... By the way, Ade, I'm here to tell you something. ”

"Huh?"

"Your daughter, Miss Renli, is getting married."

"Renli...... Oh, you're talking about Ah Liang. ”

Before passing the child to Akechi Kogoro, she was a mother and named her two daughters.

The original name of Renli was called Ah Liang, and the heart and harmony were called Ke You.

Tokuki didn't feel that his two names were rustic -- this is how everyone named their daughters, but it was Kogoro-sama's "benevolence" and "heart", although they were nice and elegant, but they always felt that they were not kind enough.

(In fact, in my own eyes, other people's names can never be said to be kind)

"Hehe, Lord Wise is really a cultural person, and even a name is so literate...... By the way, you just said ...... Ah Liang is getting married, isn't he? ”

"Yes, Miss Renli is thirteen years old, and it is time to get married."

"So, who is the husband's family?"

"It's His Royal Highness Moriranmaru, the side employer of the shogunate...... Ade, this person you have seen, not only beautiful (Mori Ran Maru: Beautiful?) Why not handsome? －_－||And he is only eight years old, both civil and military, and he is a young man with an unlimited future. ”

After hearing the words "the future is limitless".

Deki's heart suddenly sank.

Before he got married, his father also commented on Xinkang.

She suddenly began to worry about her daughter.

Bodhisattva! Treat me well, but don't let my daughters follow my old ways, it's too cruel for them......

"So, is this Mori-sama's character good?"

"Good, very good, I've never heard of him doing anything unreasonable, and the family likes him very much."

This answer was clearly not satisfactory to Deki.

Deji, who is accustomed to ups and downs, has long had the ability to distinguish between truthful words and polite words.

In her opinion, her uncle's words are obviously just a set of rhetoric in officialdom.

"So what is the relationship between this Mori-sama and Ake-sama...... I mean, the two of them have a good relationship on weekdays? ”

Oda Yurakusai thought for a while and said:

"It's good, the two of them have always maintained a very close relationship, and not only that, but Mori-sama's brother, Musashi-sama, also regards Akechi-sama as a friend......"

"That's ......"

Deki was a little relieved.

If this is the case, that Mori-sama will at least look at the face of his "best friend" Akechi-sama and maintain due politeness to his daughter.

It shouldn't happen that I quarrel with Xinkang from time to time like myself.

"By the way, how is Mori-sama's temper?"

"There's really no gossip about his temper, and I've heard the general say that he's never seen Mori-sama angry...... It can be said that there is absolutely no problem with Mori-sama's temper. ”

"Well, then I'll be relieved."

There shouldn't be any problem with handing over your daughter to such a good-natured person......

"By the way, I wonder why my father suddenly remembered to put Ah Liang ...... What about Renli marrying Mori-sama? ”

"This ...... This is not actually the general's idea.

"Nani?"

According to Tokugi's thoughts, this should be the political marriage method that his strong and even somewhat arrogant father has always loved.

"It was Wise Lord who discussed it with Lord Mori first, it was originally just a marriage between retainers, and the general would not interfere too much, but Miss Renli is the granddaughter of the general after all, so it is not okay not to tell the general......

Oda Yurakusai said happily:

"Fortunately, both Akechi-sama and Sen-sama are rising stars that the general usually trusts very much, and the general is very happy to see the two of them form a more intimate relationship with him, so he agreed without hesitation."

Does the relationship between Weng and son-in-law necessarily be close?

No thanks, Tokuki began to feel sentimental again.

But think about it, Renli's father (adoptive father) and his husband are officials in the same dynasty, no matter how stiff the relationship is, they will not fight, and finally make a life-and-death situation.

The shogunate wouldn't be indifferent to seeing his two important ministers playing a "game of death" under their noses, so they wouldn't come out to mediate, right?

Deki suddenly felt a lot more relieved.

Probably because of her own personal experience, Deki has a heartfelt rejection of "political marriage".

And the political marriage arranged by his father made him feel even more disgusted and even disgusting.

Wise Kogoro took the initiative to find a husband for his daughter, and he was a husband who seemed to be very reliable.

This is tantamount to saving her daughter from her grandfather's "clutches"!

Anyway,

At this time, she thought of the wise Mr. Kogoro she had seen at that time.

Wise sir, you are indeed a man worthy of trust.

When I was talking to Akechi Kogoro in Okazaki Castle, for some reason, I actually said something that was not a woman's way to go, "It would be nice if I had married you!"

In fact, I haven't met Akechi Kogoro a few times, and it's impossible to have too special feelings for him.

It's just that when I returned to Azuchijo Province before, I heard some things about him from my mother and sister -- he was quite elegant and funny, very literate, and had a very gentle personality.

So how will Ah Xiang's husband compare to my Shinkang?

This comparison is even more frustrating.

Nobuyasu's relationship with himself is getting worse and worse, but Akechi Kogoro gradually takes over the entire life of Ah Xiang.

What an enviable sister.

So Deki is also cranky sometimes.

If Nobuyasu can be like Akechi Kogoro...... No, if he is......

(In fact, in the setting at the beginning of the book, the author once thought about including Tokuji in the protagonist's harem, but then I thought that it was too unrealistic, so I gave up...... Now that I think about it, I still think it's a pity, the protagonist's personality has too many similarities with Deji. ）

"Ade...... Actually, I came on the orders of the general. ”

"Hmm...... Is there anything going on with my father? ”

"Ade, although Miss Renli has become the daughter of the wise family, her biological mother is you after all......"

"All right, uncle...... You don't have to go any further! ”

Before Oda had finished his words, Tokuhime's already relaxed expression suddenly became serious.

"Ade......"

"Uncle, I know what you mean! In the same way, I understand what my father meant! ”

Tokuki closed her eyes and looked determined.

This startled the little nun who was serving on the side.

The last time Her Highness made such an expression was when she put pen to paper on that terrible "fatal letter".

"Ade......"

Oda Yurakusai became anxious.

He no longer looks like a shogunate official, a member of the Oda family, but like an old man who is helpless in front of his juniors.

"I have taken refuge in Buddhism and become a disciple of the Buddha, and I really don't want to remember all the previous experiences."

"But Ade, this is Miss Renli, that is, your daughter's once-in-a-lifetime wedding, don't you want to go and see it?"

"Hehe, uncle, what am I going to see?"

Tokuki chuckled a little sadly.

"Besides, what else haven't I seen?"

"Ade, do you mean...... Are you still resentful of the General? ”

"No, uncle, I don't have anything far to go anymore, and after I became a monk, I let go of everything."

"Ade, sometimes when I see the two daughters you gave birth to, I think of you in the past, Ade."

“……”

"Ade, I grew up watching you, and when you married to Mikawa, I sent you here...... I don't have any other intentions with the general, we are the elders, we just want the younger generations to be happy......"

"Okay, uncle, don't talk about it......"

At some point, tears appeared on Deki's face.

"As a mother, I've always wanted to see their two children...... It's just that they already have a new mother, so what should I do? ”

234

Oda Yurakusai was originally ordered by the shogun to leave Owari Province with Tokuhime and return to his father's side.

But seeing that Deji was so resolute and had completely cut off from the worldly past, he also felt helpless.

On the way out of Somiji, he couldn't help but shed tears.

My poor niece, you still hate your father...... How can you explain this to the general......

Seeing the trees and flowers along the way, this sad feeling became stronger and stronger.

Twenty years ago, as a messenger to send relatives, I sent Ade to the country of three rivers along this road, how innocent and lovely Ade was at that time, but now...... Why did this happen......

I left Osaka and returned to Azuchi Castle in late April.

When a daughter gets married, there is no reason for a father to be absent.

Every time I see Azuchijo, I feel emotional.

Azuchi Castle is full of greenery, the water of Lake Biwa is crystal clear, and the scenery of late spring and early summer is the same as last year, but it is no longer the "Right Palace" of last year who lives in the castle.

Oda Nobunaga has been a shogun for almost half a year, and as the "capital" of the Oda shogunate, dozens or even hundreds of policy orders are issued from here every day to every corner of the shogunate's control.

Everything is as the people of the world wish.

A strong government slowly brought peace to the earth.

Of course, anyone with a discerning eye can see that with the construction of Osaka Castle, the days of Azuchi Castle as the "political center" of the country are decreasing day by day.

It's a bit sad, but it's also the law of the discovery of things -- is the old thing replaced by the new?

Before I even entered the city, I met an acquaintance.

Naoe continues!

As the older generation of retainers who had followed Uesugi Kenshin in his southern and northern wars passed away or retired, the new generation of retainers such as Uesugi Keikatsu and Naoe Kanesugu began to play an increasingly important role.

Echigo's national style is fierce, and there has never been a shortage of brave and warlike generals in history.

But relatively, because of the remoteness of this place, the cultural level of the people is generally not very high (to put it bluntly, it is a group of illiterate ←_←), think about it, even Uesugi Kenshin's incompetent to the extreme, can only write two or three small poems that do not enter the stream, the elder brother Nagao Harukei, can be regarded as a writer, you talk about it, the people of this country......

Oh, sorry, I'm going to go away again......

In short, what I mean by this is that Echigo has always lacked civil servants who can read and write and hyphenate to manage internal affairs.

And this happens to be the strength that Naoe Kanesui is best at.

Shortly after returning to Kasugayama Castle from Azuchi Castle after the Battle of Kurigaro Valley ended, Naoe Kanesuke was appointed by Uesugi Keitora as the commissioner of Kasuga Yama Castle.

Later, he rose through the ranks, and now he is the general enlistment of the entire Echigo country, and he has also served as the elder of the family, the elder of the family in his twenties. And it's not relying on the grace of his parents (Naoe Jinggang has played a big role, but it's okay if people die a long time ago), it's really amazing.

I'm so much worse than I'm the same age, but he's put in more effort than me to get to where I am today......

However, I can also be regarded as a noble person in his life.

The entire Uesugi family now considers the establishment of good relations with the shogunate to be the first priority, and with my relationship with me, an important minister of the shogunate, Naoe's diplomatic role has become more and more prominent.

He vaguely resembles the "foreign minister" of the Uesugi family.

"Lord Naoe, I haven't seen you in a while, but you've been doing well lately."

"I've always been very good, but I'm still not as good as you, Lord Wise, who is repairing the city and marrying a daughter, this time is really beautiful."

"Scenery? I'm tired of exhaustion, alas......"

I pretended to talk for a while,

"The daughter who has been raised for so many years was easily taken away by a person called 'son-in-law', it's really unwilling, hahahahaha......"

"Wise lord, it's not a bad thing for fathers to see their children happy......

This is not a good place to talk about things, and we broke up after a while.

I've always thought that Naoe and I would be friends at most in this life, but in fact, what happened later brought us a lot closer.

It's a shame to say.

I'm not as good as Shibata Katsuya in marching and fighting, I'm not as good as Hashiba Monkey in managing internal affairs, and it's difficult to compare my diplomatic methods with Niwa Nagahide's, spying on intelligence...... Well, I haven't done this, but I don't have to think about it to know that Takigawa Kazuyi is better than me.

In terms of territory, I only have 200,000 koku in Izumo Province.

If you really want to compare, I am actually the most incompetent person among the five ruling powers of the Oda Shogunate, and I can achieve such a high position, which is different from the other four relying on real skills.

If it weren't for the fact that I was the son of Akechi Mitsuhide and the son-in-law of Oda Nobunaga, and I received a strong support from the two "fathers", would I be where I am today?

But...... I don't know why, but my name in seems to be very loud.

But......

When the banner and horse seal representing my identity appeared, the voices of the people came to my ears again.

"Look! It's the sedan chair of the dragon of Izumo! ”

"That's amazing!"

"It's a pity that Lord Wise sits in a sedan chair, I really want to see him, I heard that he is also a famous beautiful man, right?"

"Of course...... I heard that his ability to play mahjong is very good, I really want to play two rounds with him, even if I lose my family, I am willing! ”

"Cut! Who is the wise man? People are dragons! Guarding the gold, silver and jewelry that you can't spend for a few lifetimes, will people care about your belongings? ”……

Enough is enough! I can't take a word anymore!

Dragons and mahjong is the last thing I want to hear, but why is everyone talking about it......

Returned home.

"Father!"

My two daughters have always been very close to me.

As soon as we met, they ran over and hugged me.

"Okay, okay, how old are you, don't stick to your father anymore."

Kahime cautiously led Takechiyo, who had just learned to walk, over.

"My lord, welcome back, how hard is it all the way?"

"The weather was nice, so it wasn't too hard...... Come! Chiyo Take, let my father hug it. ”

But the bastard didn't want to talk to me, and turned his head somewhere else.

Cut! He ignored me, so I simply ignored him!

Kahime was a little embarrassed, she had always wanted me to be close to Takechiyo, but she never got her wish.

"Adult ......"

"It's okay, although Chiyo Takechiyo is my son, his appearance is closer to that of the Shogun...... And that's not all. Even the temper is exactly the same. ”

“……”

I couldn't help but think of my other son, Fukiyukimaru, who had not yet been born.

Xiangji knew about Xiaozhi, but the two of them had never officially met.

After Fukiyukimaru was born, he was to exist as the governor of the Tao family, and at that time, he had to go to to visit Oda Nobunaga in order to obtain an official position and the title of "great righteousness".

Let the two ladies meet at that time......

"Renli, you're about to get married, do you know about it?"

After dinner, I told everyone to step down.

There were only three people in the inner room: our father and daughter and Xiangji.

"Well, I've heard from my mother before."

Renli was ten years younger than me, but she had a maturity that was not commensurate with her age, and although she often coquettishly played in front of me, it was interesting to say that the short gap in age made us look less like father and daughter, but more like brother and sister.

"Do you know who your future husband is?"

"His name seems to be Maori......"

"Haha, my daughter, you remember wrong, he doesn't have the surname Maori, his surname is Sen!"

(In Japanese, "mori" is pronounced similarly to "mori", and anyone with common sense knows it.)

"Mori...... Sen, oh yes, I can't remember all the time, I'm so sorry, hee-hee......"

Seeing my daughter's "natural stay", I suddenly felt a little reluctant in my heart.

"His name is Mori Changding, you must remember this, as a wife, you can't even remember your husband's name. That's terrible. ”

"Okay, I got it."

"The ancestors of us and their Mori family are Genji...... You should have heard of this, our ancestors were very famous heroes Yuan Laiguang. ”

"I know this!"

At the mention of Minamoto Raiguang's name, Renli, who was originally very quiet, suddenly became excited.

"Father, you told us a long time ago that Minamoto Yorimitsu was a great hero five hundred years ago, and he took Kintaro (Sakata Jintoki, the bad boy who wore a red belly pocket and bullied Winnie the Pooh -_-||), Tsunade Watanabe and two other generals (Bube Jitake, Cone Sadamitsu crying and fainting in the toilet: what author?) You'll die if you show your name?! Let's go and defeat the big monster who does all kinds of evil, the wine swallowing boy, and ......"

"Alright, alright...... Renli, you are so excited, be quiet and listen to your father. ”

Seeing Renli's lively appearance, Xiang Ji also felt happy.

"It's okay, Renli, I mentioned my ancestors to you in the hope that you can remember this glory and live proudly when you go to other people's homes."

"Well, thank you father for your advice, but compared to my ancestors, my father is the one I am proud of."

Yes?! Really?!

I never knew you were "adoring" me so much.

"Fathers are more powerful than ancestors......"

"Huh?"

I don't think I'm better than Minamoto Yorimitsu.

"No matter how powerful the ancestor is, he is just a human being, but father you are different, everyone says that you are a human on the surface, and the body is actually a war dragon that assists the general to pacify the world, as long as you are incarnated as a dragon, you can breathe flames to destroy countless demons and monsters......"

"Enough! Benevolence! You'd better forget about these things......"

These frivolous rumors are the ones I hate the most and don't want to hear -- but the worst thing is that they know to be false as soon as I hear them, but not only do they not dissipate, but they spread more widely because my fame is getting louder and louder.

No, even my family began to believe.

"Father, did you just say that the ancestors of the Mori family are also Genji, and they are also descendants of Yorimitsu?"

"No, their ancestor is Minamoto Yoshitaka, the one who assisted General Kamakura in establishing the Genji shogunate."

"That's ......"

Renli suddenly remembered something and asked me:

"Father, I remember that you told me a long time ago that in ancient times, the two families of Pingyuan fought against each other, right?"

"yes, yes."

"Then I want to know, the shogun is the Taira clan, and the father-sama you and that Mori-sama are Genji, why do you work for him when you are supposed to be a hostile person......

"Renli!"

Kahime stopped her daughter's questioning.

It is no wonder that this question involves too much right and wrong, and the reasons for this are completely beyond the comprehension of a teenager.

I raised my hand and motioned for Kahime not to speak.

"Renli, do you have to know the answer to this question?"

"It doesn't have to be, I'm just curious."

"Well, I'll tell you about it."