“…… What is it? ”

In the midst of the Sanbongi Mansion in Kyoto, Hohime is about to go to bed when she discovers a very strange letter. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

The sender's name was not written on the hanging paper of the letter, and only the two small characters "Hao Ji" were written on it.

It seems that nine times out of ten, it is sent to yourself. Hohime tidied up her messy hair a little as she hesitantly picked up the letter that was tucked away from the door of the Japanese room.

This way of sending the letter is very strange, which makes Hao Ji a little hesitant to open it.

Who the hell is it? Who sent the letter to himself?

Despite her suspicions, Ho Ji lit the oil lamp and stared at the letter in her hand under the light.

Speaking of which, I was able to find exactly the room in this mansion, and I was able to clip letters to the inside of the sliding door......

There aren't many people who are so familiar with the situation of the mansion.

Ho Ji turned her brain, guessing who might have sent the letter.

Tokugawa-sama...... Unlikely. The number of times Tokugawa-sama visited his stepmother was only a few times, so he could not understand it so clearly. It's even less likely to know where your room is.

Hoki excluded Ieyasu, who had visited once or twice.

But...... Thinking about it this way, there are not many people who have visited the residence of Kodai-in except for Ieyasu?

"Then did my stepmother write to me...... Target? ”

No, no, it's also unlikely. Hao Ji quickly shook his head when he thought of this possibility.

After all, if Gaotaiyuan really has something to say to Hao Ji, it will generally talk to Hao Ji directly, instead of sending letters secretly.

And both of them live in the same mansion, so there is no need to send a letter at all.

Hao Ji then ruled out the possibility of her stepmother's Gaotai Academy.

So who is it exactly? Who is most familiar with the layout and structure of the rooms? Who is most likely to send me a letter?

Thinking so, Hao Ji suddenly thought of a possibility.

"Speaking of which...... Hidemitsu-sama visited me several times at that time. ”

Ho Ji recalls the scene where her young brother used to play in this mansion.

At that time, after Hidemitsu went to Beijing, he usually came to visit Kodaiin Temple with his attendant Hidemune, and stayed in this Sanbongi mansion for a night or two.

Xiuguang, who often wanders around this mansion at will, naturally knows the layout of the rooms inside the mansion very well, and naturally knows well where Hao Ji lives in this mansion.

“…… No, is it really Xiuguang? But he's still a kid......"

Xiuguang is undoubtedly the most likely, but Ho Ji doesn't quite believe that a child can do such a thing.

After thinking about it for nearly a quarter of an hour, Hao Ji finally decided to take it apart and take a look at it.

After unfolding the snow-white hanging paper, a thin piece of letter paper appeared in front of Haoji.

“…… Don't tell the Lord about this? ”

After unfolding the letter, the first thing that appeared in front of her eyes was this seemingly solemn exhortation.

And this sentence is specially written three times at the beginning, as if to emphasize that she must pay attention?

Ho Ji shook her head and continued to read.

The content of the letter is simple:

Sister Hao Jiyi:

We have something very important to discuss with you. This matter is about the Ukita Hideya family, who passed away the year before last, so please agree to this matter.

Due to the importance of this matter, please do not disclose this matter to anyone, not even your adoptive mother, Takadaiin.

We will come to visit secretly in the middle of the night in seven days' time, so please wait.

After reading this letter, be sure to burn it.

Righteous brother Koichiro Hidemitsu book

“……”

After reading this short letter, Haoji's expression changed dramatically.

At the beginning, he was puzzled, but at the end, he turned into shock.

Especially after seeing her husband's name, Hao Ji couldn't sit still even more.

Moreover, the name of the sender, whom she thought was the most unlikely, also appeared on the signature at the end of the letter.

“…… It's really Xiuguang?! ”

Ho Ji read the letter several times to make sure that she had not missed any information and that she had not read it wrong.

“…… No way?! ”

The sender is his young brother Xiuguang, and the matter proposed to be discussed with her is actually about her deceased husband Xiujia!

"What the hell is going on?! Could it be ......"

Ho Ji is a very intelligent person. She quickly considered several possibilities, and then her mood began to get agitated.

"Could it be Lord Xiu...... And Xiu Gao Xiaoping is too ...... them! ”

Ho Ji didn't dare to think about it anymore. Because she is worried that the better the wishful thinking, the greater the shock and disappointment when she knows the truth.

So even though she was excited, she quickly patted herself on the cheek to calm herself down quickly.

Speaking of which, in terms of the method of calming himself down, Hao Ji and Xiu Yasu are very similar.

Hounette stood up, and after making sure that no maid was outside listening, she sat down and placed the letter on top of the oil lamp, causing it to slowly burn in the yellow flames and turn into ashes everywhere.

"Lady Xiujia......"

She prayed that things would go her way, and she thought about her husband and children.

……

……

On the other hand, in Kitanosho Castle in Echizen.

Yuuki Hideyasu, or Matsudaira Hideyasu, the daimyo who received the 680,000 koku here, also received the letter.

Speaking of which, the apparent reason given by Hideyasu when he returned to Kitanosho Castle from Fushimi was because of the worsening of his illness.

However, now in the city's secret room, she doesn't look like the "seriously ill person" she claims to be.

She was now fiddling with the two letters in front of her with her hands, but no one could tell what kind of mood she was in at this time.

"One came from Osaka...... One from Edo, that's interesting, Genshiro. ”

Xiukang sneered in a mocking tone.

The person sitting in front of her is the cronies who have followed her since childhood, the old Ben Genshiro Tomimasa.

"My lord, this secret letter from Edo was sent by my fellow clansman, Hondasa Watari Mamoru."

This Mamoru Sado is Masanobu Honda, one of Ieyasu's cronies.

As for the reason for sending this letter......

"Sure enough. After that incident, did the Sado Mamoru family also start to act? I know all his calculations. ”

Xiukang shook his head and looked at the letter with a scrutinizing eye.

"But I don't really want to bother with it now......"

With a somewhat sloppy sigh, Hideyasu immediately picked up the secret letter sent from Osaka.

"Well...... I always think it's simpler and more interesting. ”

Looking at the lord who picked up the Osaka letter with great interest, Tomimasa willingly took down the letter sent from Edo first.