……，…… Sangkokuji Temple, which I rebuilt at the beginning of the year, is actually only the main part of this temple. In addition to the main body, there are three outer pagodas, namely Rokuenji Temple (Kinkakuji Temple) in Beishan, Jizhaoji Temple (Ginkakuji Temple) in Dongshan, and Zhenru Temple in Mannian Mountain. Among them, Rokuenji Temple was opened by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and was originally a mountain villa no less than the size of the Imperial Palace, also known as Kitayamaso, Kitayama Hall or Kitayama Temple, and was the center of Yoshimitsu himself's administration. After Yoshimitsu's death, the villa became the imperial residence of his son Ashikaga Yoshitsugu (the ancestor of the Kusakata Kokata) and his wife Kitayama Temple, Yasuko No, and his own relic-hall (Golden Pavilion) was established as a Zen temple according to his last words, and the current name was taken according to Yoshimitsu's legal name, Shikaen-in.

To this day, Kitasan Villa has long since disappeared, and all the dormitories except for Kinkaku-ji Temple, which is the Yoshimitsu Relic Hall, were dismantled and sent to Nanzen-ji Temple and Kennin-ji Temple. However, Rokaenji Temple has always existed, and as the de facto supreme authority of the entire Zen Rinzai sect, it can rule over all the temples under the five mountains. When Yi Zhou was still called Zhou Song, he served as the head of the Luyuan Temple, and concurrently served as the Luyuan monk who managed the temples of the Rinzai sect.

According to the original trajectory, on the day of General Yoshiki's death, Yoshishu should have been lured out by Matsunaga Shu and his retainer Hirata and Izumi Mamoru, and then killed by the small surname on the way to the Nijo Imperial Palace. However, because of my intervention, Yoshishu was rescued by Yorichen Ishitani, and then hid for a day and a night in Fudo Mountain in the northern area of Rokuenji Temple, and then went to Mie Castle together in the early morning of the next morning.

This relationship is currently clear to only me and Yoshishu in Kyoto. Therefore, when I heard that Yi Zhou had disappeared so far, and that my Xiangguo Temple and the head of the tower outside the mountain had not been searched, I immediately thought that Yi Zhou was probably hiding in the place where he had taken refuge again, firstly, to temporarily protect his own safety, and secondly, to hope that I could find the past and explain to me some things after his death.

Thinking of this, I hastily saw Caicai, and then took Xinjing, Jingzheng and more than 100 attendants straight to Luyuan Temple.

When I arrived outside the temple, I left most of my attendants, and then withdrew from the more than 100 small troops stationed in the temple, and only took more than 20 cronies such as Shinkage, Keimasa, Maeda Toshinaga, and Maeno Keitada, into the temple and climbed Mount Fudo in the north. Although the name of Fudo Mountain is called a mountain, it is actually just a small hill with a radius of three or four hundred meters, and there was originally a large pavilion hall built on it, and after the pavilion was demolished and sent out, trees were planted, and it has been more than 100 years so far, and it has grown lush and green. I followed the direction that Ishiya Yoshichen had explained before, and sure enough, I found an inconspicuous wooden house in the dense foliage. The wooden house, built by the woodcutters of the temple, has been abandoned for a long time and shows some signs of decay, but I know that Ashikaga Yoshishu is probably hiding in the house.

"His Highness Yi Zhou is here? I'm Kira Xuanjing, please go out and talk about it! "I'm reporting from outside the house.

However, after calling three times in a row, there was no movement at the door.

"Lord, just break down the door and go in!" Maeno Keitari proposed.

"That would be disrespectful," I shook my head, "even at this point, His Highness Yi Zhou should have his dignity. ”

As soon as the words fell, the door opened by itself, but it was not Yizhou who came out, but a slightly embarrassed middle-aged beauty.

"Is it really His Highness Kira Kingo?" She asked, glancing over our group, and then nodded to me, "Sure enough, it's His Highness Jinwu, my Highness has been waiting for several days...... However, I'm really sorry, he can't meet him in person right now. ”

"Is it hurt?" I asked, stepping forward. Maeda Toshinaga on my side came up and tried to cover me, but I waved him away and walked straight to the door, and then I smelled a strong smell of alcohol.

"When he came that night, he brought a lot of wine, and he has been borrowing wine for the past few days, and when he is drunk, he sleeps all day......" Mrs. Yi Zhou explained softly.

"Go find a little pack," I turned and instructed Maeno Keidei, and then nodded to the Takaya Hall, "How about going to live in the temple below?" ”

"Everything is up to His Highness Jingo." Gao Yaden bowed his head and replied.

"Then that's it. Please stay in the Fudo Hall at the foot of the mountain for the time being. "I made a decision, and ordered Maeno Keitadi to lead the people to carry Ashikaga Yoshishu down the mountain in a small pack, and softly instructed Maeda Toshinaga, "You go and ask to see His Highness Yura, and you will say that you have found Yoshishu, and I will be responsible for handling his affairs." In addition, thank him for not coming to Xiangguo Temple to search these days, and gave up the great work of capturing Yizhou. I will remember this friendship in my heart. ”

"Yes." Maeda Toshinaga showed a sudden expression, and then took the order.

I also went down to Fudo Mountain and lived among the abbots of the main hall in the temple. In the evening after most of the day, Maenno Keitada, who was in charge of guarding Fudodo, came over to report: "His Royal Highness Ashikaga woke up and said that he wanted to meet with the lord. ”

"Then let's go!" I nodded, and went to the root hall with Maeno Keida. Ashikaga Yoshishu was sitting in the main hall, and when he saw me coming, he didn't make any gestures to greet me, and he looked very lazy. I didn't care, so I sat down directly opposite Yizhou, and instructed the monks of Fudodo to bring a copper stove and a fire incense burner. The monk lit the stove and incense burner, and retreated with interest, and the main hall was soon filled with the scent of sandalwood with warmth.

Ashikaga Yoshishu twitched slightly.

"How's it going, it's not bad, is it?" I asked.

"It's nostalgic...... This place, this scent. Yi Zhou said, his voice very low.

I know that he thought of the son who served as the head of this Luyuan Temple back then.

"Do you want wine? You still have a little wine in the cabin, do you want to bring it now? I asked again.

"No, it's time to face reality, right?" Ashikaga Yoshishu showed a wry smile, "At this time, you are still so thoughtful." ”

I didn't answer, but ordered someone to go and prepare the meal.

"Do you know, I had a dream two days ago," Yoshishu raised his head slightly, a longing light appeared in his eyes, "In the dream, I am the rightful shogun of the shogunate, you are the ruler of my subordinates, and together we pacified the whole world and created a prosperous era comparable to the Kitayama period." Ten years later, I have become a famous monarch comparable to the palace of the deer garden, and you have also magnified the family of Kira and become the ancestor of the two leading families...... It's just that when I woke up, I was still in a rotten wood house, and although the deer garden in front of me was close, it was out of reach. ”

He sighed and continued: "God and Buddha, I sincerely thank you for your help before, so I want to share the wealth and honor with you. I know in my heart that you have the ability to help me calm this troubled world, but unfortunately you are Nobunaga's retainer...... When I saw that you were reprimanded by Nobunaga for being outspoken and confined for several days, I thought, if you were working for me, I would definitely obey my words and leave a good story about the relationship between the king and the minister, right? ”

"In this way, His Royal Highness Yizhou has long had the idea of betraying His Highness Zuofu? …… You withheld the profits of the conquest trade and recruited a large number of troops, just for that day? I asked him.

"No," Yoshishu sighed, "Ashigaru was recruited to pacify Koyasan, and then there were Neraiji Temple and Kumano Sansan. This is what Nobunaga has said before. And I withheld the profits, thinking that I had Nobunaga's acquiescence, otherwise I would not have had so much money to recruit troops and serve him...... However, he didn't expect Koyasan to settle accounts as soon as he was flat, and he was ready to settle accounts after the autumn. So what can I do? You can't just sit back and die, can you? What's more, he was already stubborn at that time, which caused the dissatisfaction of many people, and even the imperial court, didn't they already get tired of him? ”

"I see." I nodded.

"But you, why don't you want to follow?" Yoshishu looked at me, and there was finally some indignation in his words, "I don't know how happy I am to hear that Ichijoke said that you have been extremely disappointed in Nobunaga, and I am a little more sure that I will defeat Nobunaga." Yet, you still chose to be hostile...... Are you too loyal to Nobunaga, or are the conditions I gave you insufficient? One door and two collars, aren't you still satisfied? Even Mitsuhide, who started the incident together, only asked for the status of the Mino Toki family and the Omi Sasaki family, and was ready to be inherited by his sister-in-law Fishiro and son-in-law Hidemitsu respectively! ”

"I am indeed very disappointed in His Highness Zuofu," I nodded, "but I will not do anything to rebel against me under any circumstances." This is not only because of the grace of knowing the situation, but also because of its own future...... At that time, the Puguang Yuan Palace, which was called the 'evil general', acted a lot more than His Royal Highness Zuofu, right? Almost all powerful daimyo have been bullied. However, the Akamatsu family, which was the first to cause trouble, was unanimously attacked by everyone, and as a result, the clan was wiped out and lost all its territory...... The car in front is still there, and the car behind should be a lesson for itself. ”

"How can Fukoin Hall be compared to the shogun who was rightfully known as the shogun, but Nobunaga was an upstart who was rejected by the imperial court? …… I am a descendant of the Ashikaga family, so why not revive the shogunate? Yi Zhou argued.

"The world has changed over time, and the righteousness of the world has almost been transferred to the hands of the Oda Safu," I shook my head disapplauded, "For us and other Oda retainers, the Ashikaga shogunate has long since died out and does not have any name. ”

“…… That's it," Ashikaga Yoshishu suddenly sighed when he saw the food brought by his attendant, "At this point, it doesn't make much sense to say this, so let me eat first...... To tell you the truth, I've been living on dry food for the past few days, and I'm really uncomfortable. Also, allow me to summon Uchiko to come and have dinner with me. ”

"Don't worry. In the high house hall, there are naturally people who serve. I replied.

"Ah, that's good," Ashikaga Yoshishu picked up his chopsticks, thought for a moment and put them back, bowing deeply to me, "I have one final request, I hope His Highness Kongo can fulfill it." ”

That's a last wish, isn't it...... I immediately agreed: "Your Highness Yizhou, please say, I will do my best." ”

"I know that the Oda family will not allow my father and son to live. Before that, I had already made a mistake for Yazaburo...... However, Uchiko didn't know about this yet, and only thought that I would entrust Yasaburo to His Royal Highness Kingo. So I want you to hide this from him, and plead for her, whether it's a monk or a return to Oda's house, in any case, please let her live. ”

"As the younger sister of His Royal Highness Zuofu, there is no problem in keeping his surname, I can guarantee this." I promised him.

"Then I can rest assured," Hatakeyama Yoshishu nodded, "I remember that when my brother was assassinated, I was almost not spared, and I almost died outside the temple, but fortunately, your men rescued me and sent me to Mie Castle...... Now I have to die here after all, maybe this is my fate! ”

After saying this, he calmly took the bowl and raised his chopsticks and began to enjoy this last supper.

……，…… That night, Yi Zhou committed suicide by seppuku in Fudo Hall of Luyuan Courtyard at the age of Chinese New Year's Eve. Before seppuku, he left a farewell song: "There are late cherry blossoms in the mountains, why delay in blooming." The world is full of flowers, how long can this flower be? The implication seems to be that he finally understood that the Ashikaga shogunate was a thing of the past, and he tried to revive the shogunate, and even obtained the proclamation of the imperial court's great shogun, but it was just "the evening cherry blossoms in the mountains", which was an anachronistic move in the face of the general trend of the whole world, and was destined to last long from the beginning.

And with his death, the Ashikaga shogunate also came to an end completely. Witnessing this scene with my own eyes, whether it was me, Xinjing and Jingzheng, I couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

It's a pity that I can't fulfill his entrustment and save the life of the high house. After her husband committed suicide, she offered me a wish to die.

"I am a believer in Buddhism, and there is no way to end it by myself. So I want to ask His Highness Jingo for help. She said to me.

"This ...... Madame may wish to think carefully. Before he died, he entrusted Yazaburo to me, and although it is not convenient to see each other now, it may be possible to reunite in the near future. "I told a white lie.

"If that's the case, then there's nothing I can't let go...... With the surname of His Royal Highness Kingo, since he has made a promise, he will definitely take good care of Yasaburo, and I can accompany His Royal Highness with peace of mind. She said with a smile.

"Has Madame really decided?" I asked a little unbearably.

Gao Wudian nodded seriously: "When my husband was assassinated, I was already extremely sad; Now that His Highness has passed away, I don't want to live anymore...... Please take a pen and paper, preferably the ones Your Highness has just used. ”

"Wait a minute." I replied, and personally took the pen and paper on which Yoshishu wrote the song of his death, and handed it to Takaya Hall together. Gao Wudian thought for a while, and said to her husband: "When the cherry blossoms are blooming, I don't have a chance to see them; Fortunately, the cherry blossoms bloom late and can wither together. ”

After writing, she put down the pen and paper, wrapped the prayer beads that she used to say in her hand, and then put her hands together and knelt in front of Yi Zhou's body.

"Please do it." She said calmly.

(To be continued)