The door of the mansion opened, and a short woman came out, and I saw her face painted white, wearing a kimono as thin as light gauze, and thick black hair, bowing her head and saying a thousand blessings, and said softly: "It is a great honor to serve the noble lady, the slave maid, please call me Ah Zhen." [Full text reading. 】”

Xu Ling'er looked inside, only to see a few plainly dressed maids, pruning flowers and plants in the garden, thinking in her heart that she must have ulterior motives when she brought herself to this "special" courtyard, but she was very calm, and she didn't ask any more questions, and turned to look at Quan Saburo and the others.

So, Quan Saburo came over and bowed deeply, and said with great sincerity: "Please rest here first." At this time, Ah Zhen took the reins of the horse, said a bunch of words of thanks to them, and led Xu Ling'er into this courtyard.

Xu Ling'er knew in her heart that these people were Oda Nobunaga's house slaves, and her father was also their honored guest, and she believed that they would not dare to be rude, so she sat generously on the tatami mats and waited for the group of maids to come and serve.

Someone called for washing water, someone came to ask Xu Ling'er what she wanted to eat, Ah Zhen boiled water in a tea kettle on the indoor stove, ready to make matcha for her......

After washing, Xu Ling'er took a sip of tea, smiled and said, "Thank you!" Ah Zhen, whose mansion is this? ”

Ah Zhen prostrated on the tatami mat, bowed his head and replied, "Miss Kaiyu, who used to be the Daimyo of Hashiba Hideyoshi in Kyoto, and now he is the daimyo of 200,000 koku in the Northern Omi Province, and has his own residence in Nagahama, so he returned this place to Lord Oda Gondai Nayan. Today, it is an inn for distinguished guests. ”

"Who else lives here but me?" Xu Ling'er then asked.

"Miss Huiyu, there is only one distinguished guest today, please don't worry, it's time to dine soon, when you finish eating, rest here for one night, and tomorrow Mr. Quan Saburo will take you to Changbin City." Ah Zhen replied.

Xu Ling'er's heart was suddenly shocked, so she didn't talk again, didn't she go to Beizhuang in Echizen? Why did Ah Zhen say that he wanted to go to Changbin City?

After a while, the servant brought smoked fish, sushi, rice balls, miso soup and other food, and Xu Ling'er was indeed hungry, so she ate it.

When she finished eating, Ah Zhen, who was waiting on the side, helped clean up the tableware, and said with a smile: "Please take a rest for Miss, if there is anything to order." ”

After thanking Ah Zhen, Xu Linger walked out of the guest room and found that this small courtyard was very exquisite, full of all kinds of flowers and plants, and the only two houses were all converted into guest rooms, and it could be seen that she was indeed the only guest.

Xu Ling'er went out of the courtyard gate, and no one stopped her, standing outside the door and looking back, she found that there were walls more than three zhang high on all sides, and there were two tall pavilions behind this courtyard, I don't know which dignitary's mansion it is?

While she was looking around, Quan Saburo and the others suddenly appeared, he stepped forward and bowed, and said, "Please miss, don't go out." Today, Tokugawa Ieyasu is at war with Takeda Katsuyori, and there are many disturbances in the city from Kofu (the residence of Takeda Katsuyori), which is why you are asked to rest for the night. Otherwise, I'm worried that if I can't get out of Lake Biwa, I might run into the Takeda Assassins. ”

"Thank you. Where do you live? Are we going to Changbin City or Beizhuang tomorrow? Xu Linger asked.

Quan Saburo was stunned for a moment, knowing that Ah Zhen had leaked his mouth, and pointed to the low house across the street and said, "Please rest assured, Miss Ling'er, you are a distinguished guest, and we will protect you at the inn opposite." Of course, we will go to Beizhuang tomorrow and reunite your father and daughter first. ”

Xu Ling'er walked out a few more steps, and found that Quan Saburo and the others were following him at all times, so he had to return to his residence.

But Quan Saburo and the others did not leave again this time, and waited outside the door until late at night before returning to their inn.

The young man who greeted Kiyohime at the Sakaimachi pier opened the door to Gonzaburo and the others, and asked impatiently, "She's not going to run away, is she?" ”

"Young Master Yakuro, don't worry, she won't run, I told her that Master Oda's family is preparing to fight with Takeda Katsuyori, and she won't be able to leave for a while. Tomorrow, let her write a letter to Xu Yihou and send my people to Beizhuang, maybe something big can happen. Gonzaburo replied.

"Well," the noncommittal Yakuro continued to ask, "how did you arrange it next?" ”

"After Xu Yi received the letter from her daughter, she will inevitably beg Mrs. Ashi to come to Kyoto to meet, then, we will trap the father and daughter in Kyoto at the same time, because Mrs. Ashi's illness is inseparable from the divine doctor Xu Yihou, no matter how closely Shibata Katsuya regards her, she will also try to come to Kyoto, as long as we control Xu's father and daughter in our hands, we will definitely be able to move Mrs. Ashi to leave Beizhuang and willingly remarry Lord Yushiba Chikuzen." Quan Saburo replied.

So, Yakuro frowned and asked worriedly, "I heard that you kidnapped Empress Xu Yi from Iki Island to Kotani City, will the father and daughter of the Xu family listen to your arrangement?" When Mrs. Aichi first married in Beizhuang, you tried to kidnap Mrs. Aichi and wanted to give her to Lord Hashiba Chikuzen, but you were kicked out of Beizhuang by the Shibata Katsu family, and I believe that Mrs. Aichi will not have a good impression of you. So, who will convince the Xu father and daughter and Mrs. Ashi? Don't be self-defeating and mislead the future of Lord Yushiba Chikuzen! ”

"Please rest assured, Young Master Yakuro, this is a plan I discussed with Ling Zun, and I got the tacit approval of Lord Hashiba Chikuzen Mamoru, and now Ling Zun is in Changbin City, just waiting for the good news from our side, I think this strategy is foolproof. Hehe, even if there is any trouble, it will not affect Lord Yuchai Tsukuzen. Gonzaburo explained.

Yakuro's heart is still uncertain, whether this matter will succeed or fail, and determine whether he can become a samurai of the Hideyoshi family, so he bowed his head and pondered: Before Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu formed an alliance, it was Yushiba Hideyoshi who delivered muskets to Oda Nobunaga through Konishi Takuza's channel. Now, Shiro Jiro, Chaya Chaya, the "royal merchant" of the Tokugawa Ieyasu family, also has a channel to buy muskets through the Hirado Domain, and if this continues, Hideyoshi's status will continue to decline, and Nobunaga's generals are like clouds......

Thinking of this, he suddenly became very impatient and asked loudly, "Who can convince the Xu family father and daughter?" Answer me quickly! ”

"I have been in charge of Xu Yi for five years, and I know the old man's mind best. For Miss Xu Ling'er, hehe, as far as I know, she is still alone, and we have helped her find a partner, which should be a good thing for their father and daughter. Gonzaburo replied with a smile.

Yakuro hurriedly asked, "Who is this person you are talking about?" ”

"Hehe, this is the younger brother of Oda Quandai, Mr. Oda Nagayi. As far as I know, as early as when I was in Omi Kotani Castle, Mrs. Ah Shi was sorry for Miss Xu Ling'er, at that time, I heard that her crush was a businessman, but later I didn't know if the businessman died, or became a monk? Anyway, the marriage is yellow; Later, Mrs. Ah Shi talked to Xu Yihou about the marriage of Miss Ling'er, although Xu Yihou did not express his position, I think he acquiesced. ”。

At this time, Yakuro was considered to be down-to-earth, and thought to himself: If he can help Hideyoshi marry Mrs. Aichi, not only Hideyoshi's future is limitless, but he can also become a samurai smoothly, so he asked impatiently, "Will Mr. Oda Nagayi agree?" ”

"Hehe, Mr. Nagayi is different from the rest of Oda's family, although he is the lord of Owari Chita County, but he has little interest in martial arts, and gave his army to his nephew Oda Nobutada, who is good at waka and tea ceremony, and is good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and is a rare romantic genius in the world. It is said that he has long been in love with this girl from the Ming Kingdom, and has said in private: If he can marry this girl from the Ming Kingdom, even if he follows the father and daughter of the Xu family back to his hometown in the future, it will not be a problem to take the third-class jinshi exam. Think about it, can this be done? Gonzaburo replied.

Hearing this, Yakuro slapped his thigh and applauded: "Hurry up and propose to Mr. Oda Nagayi." ”

"Hehe, don't bother the young master. Ling Zun will leave tomorrow and go to Owari Chita County to meet Mr. Nagayi. Please don't stay in Kyoto for a long time, go back to Sakai Town to take care of business, and when the matter is done, I will also follow the young master and become a samurai in Chikuzen Mamoru Lord's house. ”

"If Xu Ling'er is going to leave tomorrow, what should I do?" Yakuro asked suddenly.

Quan Saburo replied confidently: "Don't worry, maybe she is having a stomach trouble at the moment." Hehe, she won't be able to go anywhere tomorrow, so she can only calm down in that house and wait to enjoy the poems and paintings of Mr. Oda Nagayi. Ah Zhen will take care of her, and in a day or two, Mr. Changyi will come to treat her. ”

At the same time, Xu Linger suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable in her abdomen in her sleep, got up and went to the toilet, and when she came back, she turned to her side, unable to sleep anymore, endured the pain, and waited for dawn to go to Beizhuang......

Early in the morning, Ah Zhen prepared a hearty breakfast, how could Xu Ling'er still eat at the moment? She got out of bed with a hard time, but she felt that she couldn't move an inch. Although her mind was still very clear, she could feel that her forehead was a little hot, and she mistakenly thought that she had been hit by ** incense again, found out the medicine given by Wen Tao, asked Ah Zhen to help bring boiling water, and sat quietly for a while after eating, only to feel like a numb heart.

With Ah Zhen's support, Xu Ling'er went to the toilet again, and when she came back, she lay on the tatami mat and couldn't move, so Ah Zhen knelt beside her, pretending to be very scared, and her mouth was chattering, as if she was praying for her......

Xu Ling'er was very uncomfortable now, and unconsciously closed her eyes, and suddenly, she heard Quan Saburo's scolding outside, and the maids coughed one by one, and pleaded in horror......

So, Xu Ling'er sat up and said in a weak voice: "Ah Zhen, please don't blame them, Mr. Quan Saburo, it may be that the boats, boats, cars and horses have been rushing continuously these days, and they have not been able to rest well on the road, nor can they eat well, so they are sick, see if you can help me invite a Lang Zhong to take a look, I have silver in my bag, please." ”

(End of chapter)