At the end of the second year of Tensho, Nobunaga sent an order to the important ministers and daimyo of the foreign state, and the New Year's celebration of the following year was transferred to Gifu. This is a very strange thing, since Nobunaga has rarely held New Year's ceremonies in Gifu since Joraku, and now Nobunaga has ruled the whole of Kinai as a man of the world, and has built a new castle in Azuchi, not far from Kyoto, there is really no reason to abandon Kyoto and go to Gifu. However, since he had an order, everyone obeyed it awe-inspiring and headed for Gifu as one.

On top of He Yi, he first praised the work of the people last year, especially the exploits of Nobutaka in supporting Yuanjiang and recovering the Iwamura and Wise Castles of Toyama in Higashiminon, and then announced an even more unexpected order:

"In view of this exploit of Nobutada, I have decided to grant him Higashimino, Minakano, and Gifu Castle, and he will succeed him as the head of the Oda family......"

The news was so exciting that many people forgot about etiquette and whispered to the people around them in court.

Seeing this, Nobunaga did not get angry, but smiled, as if he was very proud of the surprise of the crowd.

"Lord!" Yura Hideyoshi suddenly bowed down deeply, "If it is not settled today, how can the lord easily retreat!" ”

Hearing him say this, whether it was the genealogy of the family, or the various foreign names, whether they were sincere or hypocritical, they all bowed to the floor and persuaded Nobunaga to take back his fate.

In such a situation, I naturally followed suit. But I knew in my heart that Nobunaga's succession to Nobutada would certainly not be a preparation for retirement. As far as I can guess, there are two practical intentions: one is to formally establish the position of faithful and give him greater authority; The second is to jump out of the framework of the Oda family and rule all the daimyo including the Oda family, the Kitabatake family, and the Takeda family as people from all over the world. At this point, I think Hideyoshi Yura can also think that the reason why he spoke out was just to express his loyalty.

This delicate monkey...... "Stupid monkey! Nobunaga laughed and scolded, "How can I not know the responsibilities on my body?" Do you still need you to remind me? ”

"Yes...... Your Majesty is terrified! Hideyoshi Hara hurriedly apologized.

"Get up! …… You are also out of loyalty, and there is nothing to apologize for," Nobunaga waved his hand, turned to the crowd and said, "As Hideyoshi said, if there is still war and chaos today, so I cannot retire yet, please continue to follow me and assist His Majesty the Emperor to continue to calm this troubled time." ”

"Yes." Everyone answered the order in unison.

"Then this matter is decided," Nobunaga nodded, calling Nobutada's name, "Nobutada, come forward!" ”

"Yes." Nobutada stepped forward and sat down on Nobunaga's side, above the four daimyo from Hatakeyama Yoshishu and Matsunaga Shu and other important ministers in the family. He should have received the news in advance, and his face was very calm.

"From this day on, Nobutada will take my place at the helm of the Oda family, and all members of the family will stay behind to meet the new governor later, and it will become a rule in the future...... The rest of the important ministers of the Imperial Court, including Xuanjing, Katsuya, and Naomasa, who received official titles from the Imperial Court, will go to Kyoto to congratulate the Imperial Court with me on the New Year. ”

"Yes." Again, the people were commanded. And so it was settled.

Out of the assessment room, Hideyoshi Hara stopped me and handed me an origami. I unfolded it and saw that it read "5,000 times of return gift", as well as his drawing.

"...... this?" I asked curiously.

"Ahh Hideyoshi tried to put on a smile, "When Ishimatsumaru was born a few years ago, you gave me a big gift of five thousand kan, which really helped me a lot. Later, I heard Ning Ning say that she borrowed it from you temporarily, but unfortunately the family has not been rich, so it is not until now that I can pay it ......back."

"If you say that, you'll be out of sight!" I handed him the origami, "With the relationship between our two families, there is really no need to be so clear...... Speaking of which, Nagano Fujitsu still owes me thousands of iron cannon money, isn't it a laugh? ”

"Since it is in arrears, and the family has surplus money, it is natural to return it...... This is also what Ning Ning specially confessed! Hideyoshi Yura insisted.

For most of last year, Hideyoshi's income was indeed quite large. The town of Nagahama, which he newly built, quickly prospered because it was located near Lake Biwa and at the intersection of the Kinai Province, Hokuriku Province, and Higashiyama Province, and he paid him a considerable amount of taxes. In addition, during the conquest of Hokuriku, Higuchi Naobo, who was sympathetic to the Ichisho sect, privately negotiated peace with Kaga, so he was executed by Nobunaga's order, and Horihide Village, who was the lord, was also confiscated from the territory, and 100,000 koku from Sakata County, including more than 40,000 koku direct collars, was returned to Hideyoshi, which also greatly increased Hideyoshi's income.

However, at the end of last year, Hideyoshi's only parent, Ishimatsumaru, died young, leaving only two adopted sons, Treasure Maru and Sun Shichiro (Toyotomi Hideji). Although he didn't care too much about it on the surface, and he also accepted the daughter of the former Kita-Omi guardian Kyogoku Takayoshi and the granddaughter of Asai Hisamasa Kyogoku Ryuko as a side room, and he was in the mood to show his loyalty to Nobunaga, but deep down he couldn't help but feel grief, right? At this time, how can I get back the money I gave as a congratulatory gift from Ishimatsumaru?

Anyway, that's just 5,000 yuan, and it's nothing to me.

Because of my insistence, Hideyoshi had to withdraw the repayment slip.

"Then I'll be ashamed," Hideyoshi tucked the repayment slip into the placket of his shirt, "Actually, there was one more thing I wanted to ask for." I'm embarrassed to mention it again when you do that......"

"One yard to one yard, don't take it personally. If there's anything, just say it! "I'm generous.

"That's right. Treasure Pill has turned thirteen years old this year, so I would like to ask you to serve as an ebony hat pro and preside over his Yuan costume ceremony. Hideyoshi said.

Yes, Treasure Pill and Lucky Pill are twins, and they have reached the age of Yuanfu! Speaking of which, they were eight months older than Xinjing in Yuanfu last year, and it was only because they were ordered to conquer Kii that I served Xinjing Yuanfu in advance and asked him to take the opportunity to complete the initial battle.

Now Treasure Pill Yuanfu, as a major minister in the family and the uncle of the child, I am indeed a very suitable ebony hat. Of course, this "pro" is not casually married, not only to give a generous gift, but also to prepare a sword and war horse for the child (except for the sufficient, which is generally a family heirloom).

It suddenly occurred to me that if I had accepted Hideyoshi's repayment before, and now that I received this commission, with my generous surname and my kinship with Treasure Pill, I would probably give this money to him again...... This monkey!

But Treasure Pill Yuanfu, I'm really happy, that little gift is really nothing. So, I immediately agreed to his request.

"It's my pleasure!" I said cheerfully.

"Gee, that's great." Hideyoshi touched his head, and suddenly asked Kichimaru, "So, is the sister-in-law of His Royal Highness Brother Xiujing also this year's Yuanfu?" ”

“…… I'll have to wait about two years! I shrugged my shoulders, "This child, who has been protected like a treasure by the night since he was a child, has been spoiled. Xiujing is busy and doesn't have much time to take care of him, so although he has reached the age of Yuanfu now, he doesn't have the consciousness of being a samurai. ”

"There's such a thing...... Hideyoshi said in surprise.

"yes!" I nodded. I can't deny that this is the way it actually seems to outsiders. But I can see that Jixiangmaru's surname is good, and he is also very smart, but he is a little spoiled, but there is no sign of a loser, so it's a big deal to let him follow Xiujing for another two years, and then hold the Yuan Costume Ceremony at the age of fifteen.

In addition to answering, I also took the opportunity to praise Treasure Pill and him: "Compared to Treasure Pill, it's really too far behind...... It can be seen that you are indeed good at teaching your children! ”

"It's really reassuring to get your words from Awaji Temple!" Hideyoshi smiled sincerely, "Then the matter of the treasure pill yuan suit, please entrust it to His Royal Highness Xuanjing." ”

……，…… When I returned to Awaji Prefecture Honjo, it was my turn to receive congratulations from everyone, but only to the retainers in Awaji, Sanuki, and Tosa. Northern Ise is too far away, and the retainers' congratulatory rites are accepted for me by Nana and Shinkei; As for Iyogawa no River Castle and Kii Wakayama Castle, I didn't ask for a hard surname, and they had to warn against the strong enemy Mori family and the Saga people who had not yet fully returned to their hearts.

However, Keimasa Nishiki of Wakayama Castle came. There were some surprises, but I was very happy.

I met him in the main hall, smiled and asked casually, "Didn't you save yourself from trouble?" …… There's no problem with Wakayama Castle, right? ”

"There will be no problem, father, please rest assured." Jing Zheng replied, his attitude was much more atmospheric than before. It seems that it is appropriate to preside over the construction of the city for most of the year, and it has really given him a lot of experience.

"In that case, then you might as well stay a few more days. It's rare that your sister Mitsu has already followed Fuxiu from Utatsu Castle, so you can get together more. I said with relief.

"Yes. That's exactly what I thought. I've already talked to my sister. Jing Zheng replied with a smile. He has a good relationship with Mitsu, in addition to being born to a mother, but also because Mitsu often defended him when he was a child.

At that time, because Keijiro was the son-in-law, Keitaro's mother was the most favored Konatsu, although the two of them did not mean to be self-conscious, Keimasa was always a little lacking in confidence, and each of their close servants occasionally had conflicts, so he subconsciously chose to avoid it, and then Mitsu, who was the eldest sister and was deeply favored, would stand up and administer justice for him and her attendants.

"Alright," I nodded, "Speaking of which, you haven't been to Awaji Country yet, have you?" When you have nothing to do, you might as well take a spin more, or accompany your mother, and you don't have to be restrained. ”

"Yes," Jing Zheng responded, but suddenly owed a debt, "Actually, this time I came over, there is a very important thing to report to my father. ”

"Really? Let's talk about it. "This is the format of talking about business, and my attitude is more serious.

"It's about Shigei Suzuki, who escaped last time," Jing Zheng's face was slightly excited, "I've already found out where he's hiding!" ”

“…… It's Pink River Temple, right? I thought about it and guessed.

"Father-in-Ama, I already knew?!" Jing Zheng said with a surprised face.

"That's not it," I shook my head, "When Suzuki escaped, I knew that there would definitely be no two places, Fenheji Temple and Koyasan, and there was some possibility of Genraiji Temple. Now that you can find out, it must be the Pink River Temple. Neraiji Temple and Koyasan, after all, are a little farther away, and they are not so easy to investigate. ”

"Father, Mingjian!" Jing Zheng said admiringly, but his tone couldn't hide a trace of loneliness. I can understand this, the hard-earned information turned out to be nothing, and anyone would be disappointed if they were replaced!

After thinking about it, he continued to ask, "So, Father, do you want to take the opportunity to conquer Fanhe Temple?" ”

"Conquer the Pink River Temple?" I shook my head, "No, it's not that time yet. ”

"However, His Royal Highness Zonglong has already reported this news to the main hall." Jing Zheng said.

"And such a thing?" I asked, surprised. As the guardian of the appearance, Fukuchi Munetaka does have the qualifications to directly meet Nobunaga. However, with his relationship with his own family, he shouldn't have bypassed me and reported it privately!

"Did you or His Highness Zong Long get this news? Also, is there something wrong between you and His Highness Zong Long? I asked solemnly.

"The news was obtained by Lord Gao Hu from the merchants, and then Lord Gao Hu told me, so I sent someone to investigate in person, and got the exact news. However, after His Royal Highness Zong Long found out, he blamed Lord Gao Hu for not discussing with him, and made a decision privately," Jing Zheng complained angrily, "Father, look, what is blaming Lord Gao Hu, and it is clearly blaming me for making my own decisions...... However, I'm obviously the guardian! ”

Listening to his words, I fell silent for a moment.

There is no doubt that this is a confrontation between the two. Iga was ruled by the guardian, which was established during the time of Nishiki Yoshimasa, and was recognized by all the wealthy families in the country, and it was also when Keimasa entered the Niki family that I reached an agreement with Fukuchi Muntaka. At that time, I was mainly thinking about the need to take over the Iga country, and Keimasa's surname was not suitable for the government. However, after all, people can change, first in the Kii expedition, he saw his father, uncle, and two brothers were so dazzling, and then he presided over the construction of Wakayama Castle, and initially had the experience of being a superior, and Keimasa naturally would no longer be willing to serve as only a nominal guardian.

It is also very natural for Fujitang Gaohu to bypass Fudi Zonglong. As my retainer, he will definitely stand in the position of the young master of the main family. However, this act made Fukuchi Munetaka feel that his authority had been offended, and he might think that it was my instigation, that I wanted to reverse the previous agreement and force his children to take charge of Iga Province. That's why he expressed his dissatisfaction to me in a way that reported directly to Nobunaga.

“…… You can rest assured, the main hall is a reasonable person, and he will not rashly conquer the Pink River Temple. After thinking for a while, I comforted Jing Zheng lightly.

(To be continued)