140

The surrender of Tottori Castle was also the day before the suicide of the Yoshikawa Nobuye.

Personnel at all levels of the Izumo Taisha Shrine had already received notices and were fully prepared to welcome Hosokawa Tadashi.

By the way, although the name of the Izumo Taisha Shrine is "Izumo", its main shrine is not in Izumo-gun, but in Shinmon-gun.

Since the Heian period, Izumo Taisha has been a fairly free place, and neither the Yamato court in the Heian period nor the shogunate in the future have strict jurisdiction over this place, and the same is true of the current Maori family, so the priests and shrine maidens of Izumo Taisha often ignore the orders issued by the county secretary in the county.

It was a sunny day, but it wasn't unbearably cold. Warm southwesterly winds blowing from the sea pass through the city from time to time.

As soon as Hosokawa Tadashi and Sasaki Kojiro, as well as the two shrine maidens, came out to greet the dock, the head of the shrine maidens who came out to greet them reminded everyone: "I heard that these two samurai are very powerful, and they have defeated more than 20 pirates with their own cultivation alone, which is very remarkable, so you should be careful later, so as not to make them unhappy." ”

For nearly 120 years, in war-torn Japan, Izumo Taisha has not succumbed to anyone's force, and from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Ashikaga period and then to the Sengoku period, it has always existed according to its own way of being, and in a country that is not too peaceful, this is definitely a special case. Whether it was Niko or Maorimoto, he conquered Izumo Province, but he did not conquer Izumo Taisha Shrine, intimidated the citizens of Izumo Taisha and made Izumo Taisha his own territory.

"It seems that the two young ladies have a very high status in the shrine, and the welcome ceremony is so warm."

"Of course, Sister Kitari is the great shrine maiden of the main shrine."

"Kikyo, don't say ......"

"Hehe, Kojiro, Izumo Country was still the territory of the Sasaki family, and now you are revisiting your old place, do you have any feelings?"

"I don't think about it, Izumo Sasaki has nothing to do with our family." ……

At noon, Hosokawa Tadashi, guided by Kitari and Kikyo, disembarked from the boat with Sasaki Kojiro and walked onto the dock.

The shrine maidens who greeted them widened their eyes and looked at each other, the two VIPs were dressed plainly, although not too ...... But it's much more chilly than the shrine maiden who came out to greet her. That's not a big deal...... I'm afraid this is the first impression left by these two "soil buns" on the women of this free port.

However, fortunately, these two dirt buns are still very good-looking, especially Sasaki Kojiro, and many shrine maidens have begun to have "little stars" in their eyes.

At this time, three little witches who looked to be only eleven or twelve years old appeared, holding gorgeous flowers and squeezing in front of the rustic Sasaki Kojiro.

These are three girls who were specially selected under the instructions of the shrine. When Sasaki Kojiro saw it, he was taken aback and quickly stopped.

Seeing Kojiro Sasaki's reaction like this, the three little girls laughed.

"Samurai-sama, don't you like flowers?"

"I'm not talking about liking and hating, I mean: I'm a martial arts person, I only have swords and other samurai around me, and I'm not used to any woman approaching."

Hosokawa Tadashi sneered on the side: No wonder you have been beating a bachelor for so many years.

"You say we're strangers...... Oh yes, we came out to greet us, it's the first time we've met. If that's the case, I'll tell you the names of the three of us. My name is Emmi, this one is Ah Xiao, and the one opposite is Xiaoyun. ”

It's all very common names.

"Okay, Kojiro, don't spoil people's hearts, take the flowers."

"Young Master...... Yoichiro, why do I think your words are sour, is it that no one has given you flowers, and your heart is unbalanced? ”

"Shut up."

Around Izumo Taisha Shrine, there is no distinction between daimyo and citizens. If you want to go shopping, you can easily and casually wander around with only two or three people, and of course, people from outside make friends through tea ceremonies and amusements, which is convenient for learning about various places and acquiring knowledge......

It seems that Kitari does have a very high status in the shrine, and under her arrangement, the two earthen buns live in a decent wing.

And the witch who arranged for them to entertain them looked seventeen or eighteen years old, and her appearance was even more beautiful.

Kojiro Sasaki looks like he is really obsessed with martial arts and has no intention of having a personal relationship with his children, but Hosokawa Tadashi glanced at it and couldn't take his eyes off.

Kitari on the side smiled, "Hosokawa-sama has a good eye, Akuni is the most beautiful shrine maiden in our shrine." ”

There was an obvious joking meaning in these words, and Hosokawa Tadashi scratched his head embarrassedly, "It's rude again." ”

The sun had risen in the middle of the sky, and the wind blowing in from outside the house was mixed with the smell of the tides and the sound of the waves.

Ah Guo didn't say a word.

"Speaking of which, Ah Kuni and I have a similar experience, two years ago, he was invited by His Excellency Yoshida Kanemi in the Kyoto Imperial Court, to perform in Kyoto, I don't know what happened, when he was about to enter Beijing, he met a bandit, fortunately, there was also a samurai who took action......

"Okay, Sister Kitari, I forgot these things with a hard time, why did you mention them again? Really. ”

Ah Guoyan's peach blossom face was even more attractive when she was slightly angry, and even Kojiro Sasaki couldn't help but look at it twice.

"Haha...... Ah Guo, our shrines in Kansai are different from those in Kanto, and the management is not so strict, and shrine maidens and priests are free to marry, alas...... If only you had been willing to marry the samurai who saved your life, but now you still need to live a hard life with us, and you would have gone to enjoy the glory and wealth a long time ago...... Oh, don't pinch me......"

Looking at the two women who were fighting in front of the guests, Hosokawa Tadashi touched the sweat on his forehead and asked in a low voice.

"Mr. Sasaki, are all of your Kansai shrine maidens really marryable?"

"Of course!" Sasaki Kojiro looked as he should, "Since the Kamakura period, there have been shrine maidens who have married samurai at the location of the shrine, like the former Niko clan and the current Mori clan, and there are always one or two shrine maidens by the side of the governor as concubines. ”

"Isn't it...... Shouldn't shrine maidens spend their lives in the shrine doing penance? ”

"Cut...... That's what you Kanto people think (in fact, Hosokawa Tadashi is also a Kansai person), and the shrine maiden is also a human being, and she also has seven emotions and six desires, and...... It's okay in the peaceful years.,When it comes to troubled times.,Who's the god takes it seriously.,Even if it's a witch who serves the gods.,It's just a tool for the chaotic army to vent **.,At this time,If the shrine doesn't find a backer.,How to survive in the troubled times.。 ”

"That's a lot easier to understand......"

"Although your words are not good, but they are also true," sighed, Kitari opened the fragrant white sandalwood fan and covered her face below her eyes.

"In troubled times, the survival of the common people is often the most difficult, not to mention a group of women, when the shrine and the Niko clan were too close, and as a result, after the Motokoko conquered Izumo, it was like cleaning us up, and in the end, it was the gentle Kobayakawa-sama who stopped him, and in return, Ah Kuni at that time married him as a concubine, and later more than a dozen shrine maidens married the samurai of the Mori family, and the shrine was able to gain a firm foothold here...... Alas, in the past few years, the Mori family and the Oda family in the east have fought to the death, and the Kansai side has become unstable...... Alas, Japan, which has finally seen the dawn of peace, would be a tragedy if it returned to the troubled times again. ”

"At that time, the ...... of Akoku" Hosokawa Tadashi looked at Akuni in front of him, and he didn't quite understand, "It's been nearly twenty years since the Motokoku government came to Izumo, and the Akoku girl was ...... at that time"

"'Akoku' is a title of the shrine's shrine maiden that represents the highest honor, and only the most beautiful and talented shrine maidens can have."

"That's ......"

Hosokawa Tadayuki looked at Koku, and then at Kitari, but he still didn't speak.

Will it be given to the unknown Kyoto samurai by country?

Kyoto samurai? Isn't that the samurai of the Oda clan who clashed with the Maori family?

Whether it's this Ah Guo or this Kitari, how determined they are to say this. It seems that they are convinced that the flames of war will burn to Izumo.

"Thank you for your advice." Hosokawa Tadashi looked at the two of them, "But, what is the reason for your words?" ”

"No, no," replied Kitari, shaking her fan, "the war has been going on for more than a hundred years, and the people of the world yearn for peace. Returning to the troubled times, it must not be Tokugawa-sama who wants to see it...... Although Izumo has been peaceful for more than ten years, it ...... We just heard from someone from the east that Tottori Castle has decided to surrender to the Oda family. ”

"Surrender ......"

Hosokawa Tadahei was startled at first, then delighted, and he jumped to his feet.

"Great, big brother, they won......"

"With Ichiro! Shut up! ”

Kojiro Sasaki hurriedly stopped him.

Joke! This is not the territory of the Oda family, and Hosokawa Tadashi's actions undoubtedly exposed his identity.

"It's okay," Ah Guo said lightly: "Since we dare to say this, it means that our relationship with the Maori family is not close, at most we can only use each other, so even if the two are from the Oda family, we will not do anything wrong." ”

"Oh? Are you sure? ”

"You don't seem to know much about our Izumo Shrine, do you?" This time, it was Ah Guoda who spoke first.

As a woman, speaking so uninhibitedly and so straightforwardly, it was the first time that Hosokawa Tadashi had seen her.

"Oh, so I'm a hillbilly out of sight?"

(Ah Guo is just a character recorded in the wild history, whether she is a shrine maiden of Izumo Taisha Shrine, or even whether there is a person like her, is still a mystery.) ）