At the end of this brief meeting, Xiuyasu followed his father Ieyasu out and respectfully and solemnly saw him off. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

On the way to the gate of the mansion, Ieyasu and Hideyasu had a brief chat.

"Your Excellency, thank you so much for inviting me here. Today's sumo tournament is something I won't want to leave. ”

"No, this is the duty of an unfilial girl. As long as my father is happy. ”

Ieyasu thanked his daughter in a respectful tone. Xiukang also returned the salute immediately according to etiquette, but there was a faint sense of bitterness in his heart.

Her father, Ieyasu, has always been so polite and respectful to her, and he has always been so distant, as if he was not his own child standing in front of him.

-- Your Excellency Major General.

- Xiuzhong!

Whenever she notices the difference between her father, Ieyasu, who calls herself and her younger brothers, she always feels a sense of alienation from Ieyasu and the family.

The father, who was most closely related to her, treated her like a guest.

As a smart man, Hideyasu certainly knew that his father, Ieyasu, was still suspicious of him. So she has been showing her sincerity to her father with practical actions. But helplessly, Ieyasu's attitude towards her has not changed at all, which makes Xiuyasu more and more disheartened.

At this time, Xiuyasu couldn't help but think of the scene when he was a child when he played with the Xiu family and others by Hideyoshi's side.

"Your Excellency, what is wrong? Are you feeling unwell? ”

Ieyasu was keenly aware of the trance in Xiuyasu's eyes, interrupting her recollection.

"No, it's nothing, thank you for your concern."

Xiu Yasu looked at Ieyasu and immediately adjusted the state of the whole person, returning to his usual solemn and majestic appearance.

"By the way, I wonder what my father thinks of the young master of the Toyotomi family?"

"That kid? Well, for now, it's just a good-looking child. Although my family's Gorouta will not lose to him. ”

Ieyasu casually said a word of evaluation, praised his son by the way, and finally added another sentence,

"But what you look like now doesn't necessarily mean what you will do later."

……

……

After sending off his father Ieyasu, Hideyasu did not immediately return to the meeting room where Hidemitsu and the three stayed, but called his retainer Honda Tomimasa to his side.

"What's the matter, my lord? Don't let that little highness wait too long, it's rude. ”

Fu Zheng looked puzzled.

"Genshiro, what do you think of that little master?"

"How's that...... There's nothing particularly outstanding, but it's quieter than ordinary children, and it looks pretty white. ”

"Yes. Well, after all, you didn't just watch your father's conversation with him. ”

Xiukang laughed twice and told Fu Zheng in detail about the situation just now. Fu Zheng's eyes widened immediately.

"It's unbelievable...... What the hell is that little highness thinking......"

"yes. He just behaved in front of his father very differently than he did when he saw me. Even if his father's reputation outside is particularly terrible, he will not shake like that. ”

Xiukang curled his hair happily, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone was full of interest in Xiuguang.

"That kid...... Maybe ......"

Fu Zheng glanced at Xiukang and whispered a sentence,

"My lord, do you mean ......?"

"Tomimasa, don't let your father's retainers from Edo hear this."

"yes, I'm sorry."

Xiukang quickly interrupted what Fu Zheng was about to say. Fu Zheng also looked like he had woken up and immediately shut his mouth.

"What a funny kid...... cough, cough, cough ......"

Xiukang suddenly coughed violently, and Fu Zheng hurriedly stepped forward to help.

"Your Excellency, please take good care of your body. Don't overthink that anymore. ”

"Ahem, ahem, I'm fine...... There's only one way to do that. ”

"Your Excellency...... Could it be that you want to ......?"

Fuzheng's eyes looked at the meeting room where the three of them were. Xiukang then nodded.

But Fuzheng was a little worried.

"My lord, that's just a few kids."

"I know. You don't have to worry so much. ”

"My lord, with all due respect, although my personal feelings are more biased towards that side, please think twice about this matter. At this time, nothing is more important than saving yourself first. ”

"I think the same as you, Genshiro. This time, it should be my personal impulse, and I will also regard it as a favor for the Toyotomi family. We don't have to do anything, just watch. ”

"My lord, sure enough, you haven't forgotten the time when you were 'Hashiba Hideyasu'."

Fu Zheng sighed, but there was a hint of relief in his words.

……

……

The three of them waited in the meeting room for a while, and Xiukang returned.

Xiukang raised his eyes and found that Xiuguang's current state had changed back to his previous calm and easy-going appearance, so he smiled and spoke first.

"Your Highness Xiuguang, do you want to hear a few simple stories?"

Hearing this, Xiuguang tilted his head in surprise. I thought Xiukang was going to say something polite, but I didn't expect her to ask this question. Of course, he couldn't refuse, so he nodded obediently.

Seeing that he nodded in agreement, Xiukang began to narrate.

I don't know when this story first circulated.

A long time ago, a girl came to settle in a castle in far from her hometown because of her family. She was very lonely at first because no one wanted to play with her. One day, a boy from Congbei who also lived here saw her and came over to talk to her. So the boy and the girl became very good friends.

After many years, the girl left the city for some reason and settled in a city to the east. The boy left for some reason, but he went to some city to the west. Boys and girls are separated.

A few years later, the girl unexpectedly received a letter from the boy, but the contents surprised her. The boy is about to go to war, and he wants the girl to join him. The girl was very distressed by this, because she had close relatives who would also be involved in the war, and she was on the opposite side of the boy.

After careful consideration, the girl refused the boy's invitation. It didn't take long for the girl to receive the result of the boy's defeat. The girl heard that the boy had been captured and imprisoned in a place called Kunoji Temple in the East China Sea. The girl tried her best to get the boy released, but in the end it was to no avail.

As a result, the girl became thinner and thinner, and it didn't take long for her to lose her fragrance. ”

Xiukang finished speaking quickly, but Xiuguang was still immersed in thought.

Why did she tell me this story? Is there any moral to this story? Or is there something she wants to tell me?

Without waiting for Xiuguang to finish thinking, Xiukang got up to see off the guests.

"Your Royal Highness Xiuguang, your identity is too noble, in order to avoid being targeted by villains, Xiukang will not send you to the gate. Genshiro, please send a few. ”

So, the three of Hidemitsu, who were still in a state of bewilderment, were taken out by Hideyasu's retainer Hondatomasa, and drove away in the carriage.

After moving away from Fushimi Castle, Hidemitsu asked Hidemune to stop the carriage.

"Xiuzong, I'm just thinking about what I-sama wants to tell me now."

Xiuguang's face was serious, which made Xiuzong and Shang Chang realize that this should be a big deal, but they didn't know what it was.

"Now that I think about it, if that girl is Hideyasu-sama, then everything in the story is in line with her experience. The castle of was Osaka Castle, and the eastern castle that I left later was the Yuki family of Shimoso, and the war ...... It's Sekigahara. ”

When Xiuzong heard this, he was also taken aback.

"Your Highness, who is that boy?"

"Bizen...... Also in Osaka Castle...... Went to the west...... participated in that war...... Loser...... ...... imprisoned, Your Highness, who is Mo, Mo Fei?! ”

Shang Chang seemed to have noticed it.

"That's right, I participated in the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara, and I was called the Prime Minister of Bizen, and I was the adopted son of my father and Hideyasu-sama—"

Xiuguang nodded, his expression grim,

"--Ukita Hide-sama."