On the first day of September in the ninth year of Tensho (1581), I received another visitor from my apartment in Sakai Town. Now that the "monkeys" are dealing with the aftermath of the Oda family in Kyoto, people's attention is naturally more focused there.

Due to the unfortunate assassination of Oda Nobuo, Hideyoshi Hashiba implemented a series of strong measures in Kyoto, and the position of Kyoto Public Security Bureau, which had been held by two former Owari clans, was removed on the grounds that he had failed to handle the situation in the face of the conspiracy of the "enemy". Who is this enemy? It seems that the Eastern Union is the only candidate.

If you want to deal with a powerful enemy, you should naturally concentrate some power, and Hashiba Hideyoshi has also made adjustments to the guardians of the eastern countries. Of course, he was not so arrogant as to appoint or change the guardians of a country at every turn, but more than 70% of the gundais of Owari, Mino, Echizen, and Kita-Omi were replaced by him. The Oda family's liaison with the imperial court in Kyoto was also replaced by him.

All this seems to have added a lot of prestige to him, at least Kyoto has restored a semblance of tranquility, and this should not be underestimated, the imperial court is very important. This can also be seen in the attitude of the imperial court towards him, Guan Bai Guards has been very close to him for a long time, although it is not yet to improve his grade, but it seems that it is only a matter of time.

As for my situation, it's a bit more delicate, and while I currently have a close relationship with "Monkey", most people don't believe that there can be two people sitting on that throne at the same time. Now that "Monkey" has achieved a clear advantage, it seems a bit out of place to keep too close contact with me.

Under these circumstances, it has been more than 20 days since I returned to Sakaimachi, and there have not been many waves of visitors, especially after Karasuma Mitsunobu returned to Kyoto, and I can basically catch sparrows in front of my door. I was naturally very touched by the fact that someone could withstand all this kind of pressure to come and see me, and I wanted to be hospitable. Of course, this guest's mouth is also relatively tricky, and he will pick on it if it is not rich enough!

"Not bad...... Not bad! Masaki nodded reluctantly while picking his teeth with a bamboo toothpick. After he was full of wine and food, his face flashed with an oily flush, because the action just now was too violent, and the crow hat on his head was slightly crooked. "But you should be mindful of developing something new, I've seen it more than once before!"

"I find that you are becoming more and more shameless, and you dare to pick and choose from me!" Since there were only two of us in the room at the moment, I didn't speak so solemnly. "I think when I was in Guichuankou City, you actually looked like a beggar when you came to me, and you just had a full meal for a few days, so you talked nonsense? Even now, I dare say that my hospitality is the highest of all the daimyos, so you're in the wrong place! ”

"There are many things in the world, once you get used to a certain pattern, a slight change is easy to give people a false impression!" Because the brim of his hat interfered with his vision a little, he pushed the head of his chopsticks upwards. "Just like your brother, you have been forging ahead under Secretary Oda Taimasa all these years, and now you have slowed down so much on the issue of Kyoto, so there are many people who speculate whether your strength has been reduced by losing the support of Nobunaga. After all, most of the nobles in Kyoto can't tell the strength of the army, and can only judge according to the political situation, but this is also an act that cannot be done for the sake of life, so don't mind if you have a lot of adults! ”

"I'd love to know, is this your own intention, or is it someone else's words?" My eyes were fixed on the glass, and my tone became a little lighter.

"Hey, hey, hey, is that a big difference?" He smiled slyly, knowing that I wasn't really angry. "I was asked to pass you a message before I came, but more than anything else, I wanted to talk to you. The imperial court is not easy, no matter what you do, you have to take great risks, in contrast, you generals can get a lot of things if you win, but all the ministers can get is a mouthful of leftovers. So I advise you not to resent them either, it is not easy for anyone to live! ”

"What's the matter, the Shinoi family has changed their minds?" I was stunned for a moment and then looked up, but this was really a bit beyond my surprise. Although most of the current situation is arranged by myself, it is inevitable that there will be some face-saving situations in this situation.

"How is this possible, what do you think of the imperial court!" Ji Xiu, the main family town, shook his head again and again, as if he had heard something ridiculous. "The imperial court is, after all, the imperial court, an empty shelf in name only; No matter how you are, you are still a military general, a military general who can gather tens of thousands of troops at any time to turn Kyoto over. No matter what, it is impossible for the court to do anything disrespectful to you, and it has no intention of testing your bottom line at all! ”

"So what else is there to say?" I don't understand why he's apologizing.

"Isn't the court afraid of your heart!" There was not even a chamberlain on the side, so he picked up the flask and poured a glass himself. "What the imperial court is most worried about is that you will start a war in Kyoto, just like the Onin Rebellion back then, the war between Yushiba and Shibata scared them half to death a few days ago, and their nerves can't stand it if they do it again so soon...... This wine is really good, is there anything else? He held the flask to his ear and shook it to listen to the sound.

I clapped my hands twice, and an attendant came in from outside to put down the full bottle, and then retreated. I filled the cup for him again, and I motioned with my eyes for him to continue.

"Oh, where did I just go? …… That's right! Ji Xiu smacked his lips and continued: "Later, seeing that the two of you were so 'harmonious', Your Majesty and the ministers were somewhat relieved, especially after Karasuma Mitsunobu returned to Kyoto, he praised your 'virtue' a lot, but then things followed. According to everyone's estimates, in the future, will be dominated by Hashiba, and your forces will be concentrated in Kyushu and Shikoku. In view of this situation, the imperial court will inevitably focus more on Yu Chai, and is afraid that you will have some ambiguous ideas, so I will be asked to come over and explain. As for the Shinoi family, this matter is not something they can control! ”

"I see!" I felt a little full, so I placed my chopsticks horizontally on the small plate in front of me.

The court wanted to curry favor with the increasingly powerful "monkey", but did not dare to offend me too much, so it inevitably became a "two-headed snake". The Shinoi family may have thought more, after all, they and I were married, and if there was a "just in case", they would be finished together.

"If the Shinoi family has any other ideas, then there is no need to force it!" After thinking about it for a moment, I said this. "I can understand their feelings, otherwise this matter would have been settled. If you find another one for me, it doesn't matter if the door is lower! ”

"No need, no need, even your generous court will not agree!" He waved his hand again and again, and threw out a chopstick without paying attention. "Shinoi, that guy is a little timid, but he's still a good person. Besides, he has always had a close relationship with me, and I hope you will give him one more chance for my sake! ”

"Do you think I'm such a stingy person?" When I saw him say that, I just took it with me, and it wasn't a big deal.

"Like, very like!" Unexpectedly, this joke about me was very serious, and he nodded a few times with a serious expression.

"Oh?" I caught him off guard, I've never seen such a faceless person.

"The following words are what I want to tell you, whether I listen to it or not, I have done my best!" He straightened up from a kneeling position to a formal kneeling salute, and straightened his hat with a solemnity that he had never seen before. "The ministers can only be regarded as poor people in this era, and this kind of thing is basically nothing to do with us. So here I beg you: show mercy to your men, at least kill a few fewer people! ”

"I'll be driven to Shikoku soon, how could you say such a thing?" I giggled and teased him for his seriousness, but my heart instantly flipped over. Ask yourself how he found out that everything I did was so clever?

"Just as no one thought about Nobunaga's death a year ago, and no one expected Shibata's defeat half a year ago, I know that His Highness Hashiba won't have long to live!" A wry smile flashed on Ji Xiu's face, shook his head and sighed. "It's normal for you not to tell me, I'm just feeling it in the moment. But I believe in my own feelings, and it's about to kick in! His Royal Highness the Stars of Loyalty, Righteousness and Benevolence does not move, and if he moves, he will not leave any troubles, and I am a stupid minister who is not clear about the general trend of the world, but I still know some things in the court. Factors that you thought would affect your 'close cooperation' with the court will be eradicated, paving the way for you to establish a new order. Maybe you wouldn't use the method of decapitating dozens of people together like Taira Kiyomori, but I think the result is always the same! ”

"And what do you want?" I asked as I stared into his eyes.

"I can't say anything if it's too much, I just ask you not to implicate the public!" His tone became rather low, not scared but sad.

"The Taira clan took the will of the imperial court when he crusaded against Genji, and Genji also held the same thing when he crusaded against Taira, and Hojo and Ashikaga after that were no different!" I filled the cup again, and there was mine in addition to his. "Although there is no eternal family, as a father, I want my children to be more assured. As you yourself have said, if the imperial court can take refuge with anyone in order to survive, then it is very likely that it will provide a 'righteous' basis for my child's enemies. This is really a last resort for me, so please understand! ”

"Yes...... his voice grew quieter, and his face darkened.

I couldn't bear to look at his look a little, but this is a non-negotiable matter, I have worked so hard for so long, it is impossible to change it just because of his words. "I'll try to consider your words, but I can't guarantee anything. But the more times like this, you have to be careful, sometimes I may not be able to take care of it! I reminded again.