The noonday sun hangs high in the sky, selflessly spreading its light and temperature on the earth, and although this quality is indeed noble, it is undeniable that it will bring greater disaster to the recipient of its "favor". This is a bit like the superiors to ordinary people, good intentions may not be able to do good things, and once things are done badly, because of the super energy they have, then the damage must be super huge.

My motorcade was slowly moving through the streets of Kyoto, and it was just in time to avoid disturbing pedestrians, even those who were on the road to make a living. The only signs of people were a few beggars lying in the shade of the street corner, for whom even the most noble rank had lost its practical meaning except for food and water.

The slight creak of the axles and the hoofs of the guards could be heard far away in the silent streets, but only the stone pavements made some expressions of displeasure. I sat in the carriage and fell asleep, and if it wasn't for the short distance, I really wanted to take a nap.

Today is a grand occasion of His Majesty, on a scale I have never seen before. First, in the square, all the ministers and daimyo of in Beijing attended, and the crown prince read the emperor's edict to the world; Then in the main hall, the ministers and important daimyo attended, and the emperor himself praised the meritorious ministers in turn, and of course I was also among them, and the ranking was quite high; The third step is the banquet, and the participants can only be the core personnel, and the number of people in the store has finally dropped to double digits, and my noisy mood has calmed down, otherwise this meal is really unreliable; After the meal, the emperor's father and son summoned Oda Nobunaga and his son, and we people also said goodbye with interest, maybe in order to appease the world's most powerful person, His Majesty will have a lot of more fleshy things to say, but as a foreign minister, you must also know the proportions, and the emperor's face should not be lost in front of the public!

Today I also saw Matsunaga Hide, an old face smiling like a blooming peony flower, and it belongs to the famous species of "Qinglong Lying Ink Pool", because that face is really black enough. I don't know if it's a good feeling for me, but every time my eyes sweep over him, he is there to smile at me sincerely and friendly, but the consequence is to make my heart hairy.

"What the hell does this old boy want to do?" I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall of the carriage, my fingertips gently sliding over the unruly shiny hair, and the bun that communicated from my forehead to the back of my head.

Ikeda is not a man who changes his opinion so easily, not because of evidence or reason, but simply because of his first impressions, which is absurd to say, but often more difficult to change. Because no matter how reasonable your reason is, he won't care at all, how can you say this truth!

Now that Ikeda has changed his mind about Matsunaga and sees a true wolf-fox hybrid as a harmless pug, how did this change come about? Although it is not that he has any affection for him, just letting down his guard is already a qualitative change.

"What kind of means did Matsunaga Shu use?" After a full meal, my body was not suitable for thinking, and the hot air made me a little drowsy. However, these are not enough to affect my judgment, and it is also a question like "1+1=2" and "who is Matsunaga Shu".

My ninja system didn't report any anomalies, or they were all within reasonable limits. In this opportunity deliberately created by Oda Nobunaga, many "old friends" got together again, and naturally they would also say some confidant words, and it was not news for Oda Nobunaga's dissatisfaction, especially the small wealthy families, shrines, temples, and so on whose interests were damaged in some places.

In the face of these complaints and complaints, Matsunaga Xiu did not behave very aggressively, neither defending Oda Nobunaga nor fanning the flames, but also made a few small ideas from time to time after expressing a certain amount of sympathy, which was completely the general performance of ordinary people. Of course, there are still individual secret talks, but in terms of scope and extent, they will definitely not cause any harm. Any movement of money, food, and troops is also a formulaic procedure, and there is no possibility of concealment.

In short, everything about Matsunaga Show is so normal that I suspect it's not Matsunaga Show.

The car was driving very smoothly, and I didn't even notice that it had stopped, probably because I thought I had waited too long, and someone coughed softly outside. "Lord, I'm home!" A voice that I could hear just enough to hear was Sakichi Sakurai.

"Oh......" My head jolted with the voice, but I couldn't figure it out if I wanted to. Forget it, think about it later! I stood up and heard a noise inside, and the bamboo curtain was opened.

"My lord, Your Excellency Masakincho is here!" I had just stepped down from the footstool, and before my feet had stepped up the steps, Imu Hanchi came out of it at a trot, maybe he had just sent Masahimachi Jixiu in.

"On a hot day, how can you still have the strength to toss!" I can't help but wonder if he's not a man who suffers on his own.

******************************************

"Your heart is really wild, and you won't go home to rest for the morning ceremony!" I smiled at Masahimachi Jixiu, who was sitting in the small living room drinking tea and enjoying himself, and handed Haori as a dress to the attendant. Although I was able to enjoy the slightly eerie coolness of some ancient buildings in the process of being in the main hall later, the sweat had already soaked my clothes when I was in the courtyard in the front.

"You're wrong, I've already been home!" Masaki Machi-ji Shu knocked on the table with his hand, as if he was beating some kind of rhythmic beat. "Watching you go in and enjoy the royal feast, those of us who can't get on the table have to go back to our respective homes. But I always feel uncomfortable, there should always be something memorable on such a grand day. I came out after a hurried lunch, thinking that you would not hesitate to invite me to dinner! ”

"It seems that you have nothing but eating and playing, which is really a novel argument!" I was sarcastic about him, but in fact I was very happy in my heart, and being with him was one of the few times when I didn't have to be calculating and guarded. It is impossible for him to sell me for greater good, and as long as I exist, he will not be unduly threatened.

"I can be a decent minister, what else can you want me to do!" The expression on his face was serious to the point of rigidity, but the words in his mouth were even more unscrupulous. “…… You samurai can commemorate things that make you happy or sad with war and killing, and the more people you kill, the more significant the commemoration becomes. But what else can the minister do besides eating, drinking, and having fun, it's quite good to be able to keep his head. Sometimes for those who don't know how to show off their powerful generals, the head of the minister may be more pleasing to the eye than the gorgeous fur of the beast. ”

"That's because His Majesty the Emperor at that time didn't want to let go of power, otherwise what would the military generals do to compete with the ministers in vain!" I had found an improper position and sat down, sneering at his self-pity. "Tell me, what's the latest news in Kyoto?" The maid brought us new tea, and I asked absentmindedly as I picked up the cup in front of me.

"There are two main things, which one do you want to hear first?"

"Let's talk about the broken one first!" I bowed my head and took a sip of tea, wishing I could be as trouble-free as he was forever.

"But neither of these things is good or bad, and this is a difficult thing for me!" Ji Xiu, who is in the town, spread his hands, and his expression seemed to be very embarrassed.

"Then let it be as you please!" I smiled and shook my head.

"What's worse is that Araki Village has rebelled in an important way!" Although he said it was "bad" information, he didn't seem to be worried.

"What a thing out of nowhere!" I don't shy away from this statement, if even he had heard about it, it could never be true.

"Since His Royal Highness Oda Youfu wants to deprive him of his territory, the rabbit should always bite someone when he is in a hurry!" He was very aware of this news, and it seemed that he had made some inquiries and analysis. "By all indications, His Highness Ikeda will be the guardian of Settsu. First the change, then the deprivation, Araki Murashige is afraid that he will not be restrained. But it's not a big deal, no one will support his behavior now, and the general opinion is that the Araki family is over! "Although he didn't agree with me, he had no intention of arguing with me.

"Oh......" I didn't know what to say, and my eyes drifted from near to far towards the courtyard. It seems that Oda Nobunaga's plan has indeed spread, whether it is against or not, Araki Murashige began to prepare, the key is how to make things so public, who is pushing this matter in private? "What's the other thing?" I secretly decided to monitor Araki Murashige's movements more closely, after all, Settsu was too close to Izumi.

"Also, Matsunaga Shu wants to find a position in the future Oda shogunate, so he has entrusted a lot of people to this!" When this topic was mentioned, Masahimachi Jixiu laughed, and his impression of Matsunaga Xiu was not very good. “…… This man is so imaginative that the personnel left behind by His Royal Highness Oda Nayan in Kyoto have clearly rejected his plan. But he doesn't seem to be completely dead, and it seems that he at least wants to get an ordained deacon! ”

"And how much did you take him?" I looked him up and down, and I understood what he meant.

"Two hundred!" He stretched out his right hand and raised two fingers and shook it back and forth at me.

"That's it!" Surprised, I further doubted Matsunaga's motives.

"I just hope we can say a few kind words for him, but it's just a gesture!" Ji Xiu himself doesn't think that this kind of thing may be done for a long time. "He himself knows that he has a bad reputation and wants to create a momentum that people want. However, the so-called 'three people become tigers' may really give people the impression of changing their minds! ”

"Never try to say anything nice about him out of my mouth, at most I can stop saying bad things about him for a while!" My heart gradually settled down, and I began to ask myself: Is it possible that Matsunaga really wants to enjoy his old age?