The dawn on October 20, 1581, was a bit cold, and before the sky was fully lit, the Senator's Residence, which had been the most prosperous residence in Kyoto, opened its heavy doors. First of all, there were more than 20 servants, each of whom took a large broom and quickly cleaned the radius of more than 20 zhang outside the door, and then they stood in two rows by the door, placed the broom horizontally in front of them, and knelt down respectfully.

A well-dressed samurai in his thirties ran out and looked around, and when he was sure that there was nothing wrong, he also came to the door and bowed and stood.

There was some noise in the mansion at this time, and the sound of horses' hooves slowly came out. One hundred elite knights in full armor led the way in two rows, followed by five ox carts surrounded by ashigaru banners. Although the armor of the samurai and ashigaru is as new as if it were the first time to put on their bodies, their eyes reveal a kind of coldness that can only be formed after countless lives and deaths.

Suddenly, the second, and most ornate, ox cart made two knocks on the window, small but keenly picked up by a few of the attendants who were accompanying him. Under the command of a few soft shouts and small movements, the queue quickly stopped.

"Xinping ......," I lifted the curtains of the car and whispered outside.

"Yes, my lord!" The samurai, who was in his thirties, ran up to him with small steps and asked calmly and respectfully, "What do you command?" ”

"After we leave, you have to restrain the people in the house, and don't go out unless you have to, let alone cause trouble. There are a lot of things that can happen in Kyoto, and you don't know anything, so don't get involved...... "I ordered a few general precautions.

"Don't worry! The minister will definitely restrain everyone and will never cause trouble to the lord! He nodded at every word I spoke, and when I had finished, he assured him that he would be there.

"Hmm!" I lowered the curtain, and Xinping patted the wheel of the car to signal to the emperor.

The car continued to move slowly to the sound of horses' hooves on the stone road in front of it, a little shaky but slight, after all, the road conditions in this area of Kyoto are quite good. I leaned against the soft wall of the carriage and lost my eyes in deep thought.

This Matsumura Shinpei and the former chief chef of Kyoto Inoue are both from Owari Yudanya, and they were sent to Sakai Town to study together twenty years ago, and both have achieved excellent results in their respective fields of study.

Take Matsumura Shinpei as an example: his Western-style pastry skills are superb, and after three years of study, he became the head of the tea room in my apartment. In this era, there are many opportunities to get ahead, but you also have to work hard, and he quickly showed his value, and the tea room was managed properly and efficiently by him, which is not easy for a professional pastry chef! About ten years earlier, he had acquired his surname and became a member of the ruling class, and after being transferred to Sakaimachi in Inoue, who was studying housekeeping and etiquette full-time, he took over the position of Grand Governor of the Kyoto Mansion. As a farmer for generations, this is a prominent status that his parents never dreamed of.

I started training such professional management personnel at an early age, but I didn't have a clear purpose at the time. To this day, in the territory under my direct jurisdiction, the main management tasks are still those low-ranking samurai from Ashigaru, who are loyal to me from birth to death, but they are inevitably inefficient. There are only two or three people in a county who specialize in water conservancy, civil affairs, and land development. To manage the whole world, there are still too few non-combat talents!

"Father, what are you thinking?" Seeing that I didn't speak for a long time, Tiger Chiyo, who was in the same car, couldn't help but ask.

"It's not a big deal, it's just a little bit of the world's big politics!" I said without opening my eyes.

"You...... You're really inspired! "My image is taller, and he looks up to me more and more.

"In fact, it doesn't matter what happens in the world, big or small......" I suddenly felt some emotion in my heart, and I don't know why I have always been prone to feeling sad recently. Whether the big thing or the small thing is divided into whom, the same thing falling on different people will be two completely different consequences, in fact, this is the truth that everyone knows, but few people will turn it over and think about it. One thing you see as a big thing, it's a big thing; When you want to think of it as a trifle, it's not a big deal. Actually, I just thought about it, maybe I've been a little stimulated recently! ”

Tiger Chiyo sighed again, but didn't seem to fully understand.

At this moment, the car trembled visibly, as if it had turned a corner, and then slowed down significantly. The front of the Dao team also became much quieter, and the sound of commands from time to time by the leading riders also stopped.

"What's wrong?" I asked through the curtain.

"Passing by the gates of the Imperial Palace!" The Emperor replied.

"Oh......" I gently lifted the curtain of the carriage, and saw that all the banners in front of me had been rolled up, and the samurai were all getting off their horses and leading their mounts, and everyone looked very well-behaved with their heads down.

Soon after the extermination of Matsunaga last year, I was given the honor of entering and exiting the palace gate by car, so there is a reason why I don't get out of the car. Of course, I should have gotten out of the car and walked for a gesture, but I suddenly didn't feel that way at the moment, and I didn't want to face anyone anymore.

The tall palace walls were covered with new black tiles, and the paint on the gate was visible, and through the wall you could see a gray shadow inside, which was supposed to be the palace hall inside. Because the sky is not yet fully bright, there are eight huge palace lamps hanging under the grand eaves of the gate.

During the years that Oda Nobunaga entered, huge sums of money were allocated every year to repair the royal temples and gardens, and the imperial palace was naturally even more unlikely to fall, and there were several partial projects almost every year. Since the death of Oda Nobunaga, none of the panicked bigwigs have temporarily lost this mind, and some projects that have been halfway through have been stopped due to the loss of support, and they have been put on hold for more than a year. Today, the palace is still full of momentum, but if you look closely, you will find traces of the crisis.

I was about to let go of the curtain when my eyes were drawn to something else: in front of the closed gate of the wide palace, there were only four ashigaru with spears in their hands! It's not entirely accurate to say that it is ashigaru, but according to my observations, it should be said that it is a peasant soldier wearing ashigaru equipment. No, thinner than the average peasant soldier!

After Ando Mamoru left, only me and Ikeda Hengxing were the only regular troops in Kyoto, in fact, no matter who was in power in Kyoto, they generally did not ignore the guards of the Imperial Palace, and there were always four or five flags in front of each gate with two or three hundred lightness to be decent enough. It's often not just about security, it's more about the façade of the Guardian. It is also said that in the Taiping period, the position of a palace guard was a symbol of the status of the young daimyo's son.

Now that Ikeda has left in a huff and I have left Kyoto, the duty of guarding naturally falls to the ministers, and there are these men who wear full hats and carry spears.

"Maybe it's been many years, and the imperial court hasn't felt so 'relaxed'!" The convoy turned another street corner, and the samurai began to return to their horses and unfurl their flags, and I lowered the curtain with this in mind.

After a short walk, the convoy suddenly slowed down again and gradually stopped, and before I could ask Ishikawa, Sadago ran back from the front. "Back to the lord, Your Excellency Nijo asked to see the lord in front!" He reported by the window.

"At this time...... This place...... What did he come to see me for? I said it half-to myself.

"Could it be that the court has changed its mind and he has come to ask his father to stay?" Tora Chiyo said excitedly, staring at me with his hands clenched into fists and his eyes sparkling.

"Then remember to see if the sun rises in the west!" I said and went out, and the footstool was already set up under the car.

"How dare you come to see it off in person, look at this cold day!" At a street corner in front of me, I walked quickly towards Nijo Harara.

"Benqing is just a useless old man who has gone into the wilderness, His Highness Zhuxing is too exalted!" Nijo Harara's smile returned the salute with a respectful smile.

At this time, there was no one on the street, and Erjo Harura stood alone at the corner of a side street, although he was wearing a cloak, he was still stained with some frosting vapor, which showed that he had been waiting for some time. Not far behind him was an ox cart decorated with the family crest of "Nijo Vine", and only two attendants stood beside the cart except for the Emperor.

"Your Excellency has something to send someone to inform you of, why bother to suffer so much early in the morning?" Looking at the Xiaoice Crystal flashing on his beard from time to time, my heart was actually moved. No matter what the purpose, he is still optimistic about me, and it is not easy to do this at such an age.

"I wonder if His Highness is going back to Sakai Town, or if he ......," he asked with concern instead of answering my words directly.

"I'll go to Katsura Kawaguchi Castle for a few days first, and I'll wait until the New Year before leaving!" There's nothing to keep my whereabouts secret, and soon everyone will find out. "One of my concubines is going to give birth soon, and my heart is sinking closer to Kyoto. The other family members have passed before, at least this year is a reunion. Izumi is not at peace now, and I was annoyed to see them in the past! ”

"That's good, that's good......" Nijo Harura nodded repeatedly, as if he had let out a long breath. It turned out that His Royal Highness the Senator of the Stars was pleased with his honor, and I would like to congratulate you. Actually, I've been worried about it before, I'm afraid you don't think it's appropriate! ”

"What do you mean by that?" I was a little confused by his words.

"The things arranged by His Majesty the Emperor have not gone well, so they have been handed over now!" He sighed and shook his head, but I didn't see how sorry I was. "In order to avoid everyone's embarrassment, Ben Qing also wanted to go out for a walk, and after hearing for a long time that His Highness Zhuxing was generous and bold, he came to disturb him with a cheeky face. I can't stand this old bone even if it's far away, and Katsura Kawaguchi Castle is the right place! ”

The suggestion "this ......" caught me off guard, and I didn't know whether to say yes or not.

"Benqing is eighty-five this year, and he is quite strong when he asks himself!" Seeing my hesitation, Harura Nijo immediately reached out and patted his chest. "On the occasion of His Royal Highness's knee addition to the import, it can be regarded as a joy!"

"If Your Excellency Nijo doesn't dislike it, please ride with me!"