After the Toyotomi family was destroyed, Chihime was passed on by Tokugawa Hidetada to his minister Honda Tadashi and gave birth to two children, but in the third year of Kanei, Honda Tadashi unfortunately died, and she returned to Edo and became a nun and became a nun, called Tenshuin. Compared to this sister, Kazuko feels that she is lucky.

"Your Majesty's intentions, I have already understood, then what Your Majesty said shall prevail." The Empress Dowager bowed her head silently, saying that she had understood what the Emperor meant and was no longer ready to advise. Then, she suddenly raised her head and looked at the Emperor again, "However, Your Majesty, as the Empress Dowager, I should stand on the same side as Your Majesty, since Your Majesty is unwilling to meet Jiaguang, then ...... Then I can't go, and when the time comes, I'll just refuse because I'm ill, and I won't force me to come to Jiaguang. ”

This remark surprised the Emperor, and he looked at the Empress Dowager steadily, wanting to confirm whether she was serious.

He soon felt the determination of Tokugawa Ieyasu's granddaughter.

"Oh, that's fine." He nodded slightly, his face relaxed, and his tone softened a lot, "Now that you're pregnant, don't worry about so many things." ”

In fact, this statement is untenable on the surface, Tokugawa Iemitsu will not lead the shogunate army to Shangluo until next year, and by that time, the Empress Dowager and the child have already given birth and recuperated, how can it be inconvenient to receive Tokugawa Iemitsu?

The reason why he said this was to imply that he approved of Kazuko's decision, and to express a vague gratitude for her attitude.

This sudden care made Kazuko feel very gratified.

"Thank you...... Thank you, Your Majesty......" She lowered her head in a trembling voice, "It's Jiaguang who is too much, how can he treat the court like this......"

"Well, let's not talk about these things now." The Emperor waved his hand to stop her complaints, and then pulled Emperor Xingzi to his side, "Xingzi, you have to quickly learn the etiquette norms of the Emperor, next year it will be you who will receive the general of Shangluo, don't lose your honor and lose the face of the court." ”

Emperor Koko is still a little ignorant, she is still young now, of course she doesn't understand the entanglement between the imperial court and the shogunate, but after all, she has been the emperor for so long, she can see that the ministers who usually surround her have an attitude towards the shogun, and she can also see that her father's attitude towards them is full of resentment and dissatisfaction.

Although the current shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, is considered her uncle on the surface, but under the influence of the people around her, she can't respect this uncle anyway, let alone want to receive him.

But she could also see what her father expected of her.

"Got it, I'll receive the general according to etiquette." She nodded slightly, not revealing her thoughts, lest the Emperor be angry.

The Emperor quietly stroked his daughter's head and looked at the child, who was nearly nine years old, with fascination. Although the face is green, there is a little beauty in it.

And although she is at a loss, she already has a little bit of the bearing that an emperor should have, which is simply ...... It's just like a real emperor, and yet...... She is not the real emperor after all.

Helplessly coerced by the times, he was pushed to the throne of the emperor, but he was not able to get anything meaningful from it, and when he grew up, he could only give up the throne and become a nun, and spend his life in the Green Lantern Ancient Buddha.

In this apocalyptic world, everyone is not free, just like duckweed in the torrent, they are washed away, and there is no way to resist, she is like this, how can she not be like this?

"It's getting cuter......" he sighed gloomily, obviously complimenting his daughter, but he couldn't see much joy.

Although I don't understand why His Majesty the Emperor suddenly has such an exclamation, but from his demeanor and tone, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager completely heard the regret and sadness, she originally felt very sorry for her daughter's fate, so her eyes were sour all at once, and she was almost about to shed tears. Finally, she remembered her identity and forcibly suppressed the sourness in her heart.

"Yes, Xingzi is getting cuter." She whispered in favor of the Emperor's words.

Emperor Koko didn't understand the meaning of her parents' words, so she laughed out loud and brought some laughter to the dreary abode.

"Do you want to go to the palace to spend the summer as usual this year?" After being silent for a while, the Empress Dowager asked the Emperor again, "If you go, I'll let the palace people arrange it." ”

Originally, there was no need to ask, but recently, the emperor was a little unwell, and he summoned the imperial doctor from outside to visit the residence several times, so she still wanted to confirm again.

"Go, of course." The Emperor did not hesitate to give an answer. "When the family light comes, I will close the door and not go out, so I don't take advantage of the time to go out more to breathe."

Then, as if in bad spirits, he gently pushed Xingzi and asked her to walk to the side of the Queen Mother, "Okay, you guys go back first, I want to rest for a while." ”

The Empress Dowager originally wanted to accompany the Emperor again, but she also saw that the Emperor was in a bad mood, so she had to nod her head and agree. "Okay, Your Majesty, I'll take Xingzi back first."

"The weather is changeable in early spring, so be careful of the wind chill." The Emperor clasped his hands together and calmly watched the mother and daughter leave.

After the mother and daughter left, the Emperor still sat there in a daze, his hands folded and his eyes closed, and his lips moved slightly, as if he were reciting a sutra.

The room was always quiet, and everyone knew the Emperor's habits, so that no one would disturb him while he was praying.

It wasn't until a long time later that a chamberlain cautiously approached his side. "Your Majesty, the imperial doctor has come to check your pulse."

The Emperor slowly opened his eyes, then nodded slightly.

Then the chamberlain bowed back and exited the Emperor's residence to summon the Imperial Physician.

Soon the Imperial Physician was brought in, an old man with a gray beard, and behind him was a young man with a medicine jar, who appeared to be his attendant. However, because of the turban on his head, his face was a little blurred in the darkness, only his eyes shone and loomed in the dim candlelight.

The two men walked silently to the Emperor's couch, and then saluted the Emperor at the same time. The Emperor remained unmoved, as if he had not seen either of them.

However, these two men did not treat the Emperor, and the bearded old man immediately stepped aside, but his young entourage knelt opposite the Emperor and looked at the Emperor with his head held high.

"Your Majesty."

At this time, if there is another person around the emperor who is familiar with the affairs of the imperial court, he will find that this secretive young man is the right minister of the imperial court, Nijo Yasudo.

After he had a small gathering with Minister Zuo Ichijo and Minister of the Interior, Ying Si Jiaoping, he did not waste time, and immediately took the opportunity of the imperial doctor to see the emperor, and came to the inner palace in disguise.

To tell the truth, because the shogunate was now in an absolutely dominant position over the imperial court, the shogunate's surveillance of the imperial court and the emperor was not particularly strict, but mainly to maintain a harmonious relationship between the two sides.

It was in this way that he learned of the Emperor's will, and at the same time discussed a strategy for the fall of the curtain.

"Have you already met with Zuofu and Neifu?" The face of the Emperor was still unwavering, and he just asked in a calm tone.

After discussing the course of action with the right minister, they finally decided to communicate with the other two important ministers of the imperial court in order to unify their opinions, and then Nijo Yasudo looked for an opportunity to enjoy the cherry blossoms and taste the sake and revealed the matter to the two important ministers.

"I have already met with them, and the minister has just returned from the meeting with them." Nijo Yasudo replied immediately.

The Emperor immediately opened his eyes, and then stared at Nijo Yasudo tightly, as if he had woken up from a dream, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became solemn.

"Then, what are the opinions of the left government and the inner government."

"Safu has long been dissatisfied with the tyranny of the shogunate, and as His Majesty had expected, he quickly agreed with the minister's opinion," Nijo Yasudo lowered his gaze respectfully, "In addition, he wants the minister to tell His Majesty that he does not want to be left alone, and asks His Majesty to trust him and let him participate in it......"

"After all, he is still a member of the imperial family......" After receiving this reply, the Emperor couldn't help but smile slightly, "Zuofu is worthy of being the head of the imperial court, and he understands the righteousness!" ”

Minister Zuo Ichijo Kaneyao is actually the son of Emperor Goyangcheng and the younger brother of the Emperor, and the excitement in the Emperor's heart is naturally overflowing to be able to get the support of this younger brother.

"Yes, Zuofu understands the righteousness, and does not hesitate to die for the court, and should be a model for everyone such as ministers!" Nijo Yasudo also echoed the Emperor.

"As long as we have the help of the Zuofu, things will be much easier......" The Emperor quickly suppressed the joy in his heart, and then asked, "What about the Inner Mansion?" ”

"Inner House...... It seems to be quite reserved. After hesitating for a moment, Nijo Yasudo replied directly, "He feels that this matter is too important, and he seems to be reluctant to participate in it." ”

After hearing this bad news, the Emperor's face instantly sank, as if he was about to explode in anger.

He ...... As the head of the Regent's family, he was invaded and coerced to such an extent, and he was still so bold, he ...... He was so ashamed of his ancestors! After a while, the Emperor hissed, "Didn't he think that his family was already a member of the shogunate after marrying a woman?" ”

Although the Tokugawa family is one of the five families of the Fujiwara clan, it is now a relative of the Tokugawa family - since Tokugawa Hidetada, the Tokugawa shogunate's consistent policy is to marry the imperial court, in addition to marrying his daughter to the emperor, he also gave his son a marriage with the public family, after his planning, the Tokugawa family Mitsumoto was soon married to the Tokugawa family, and the Tokugawa family became the shogun's main room, that is, the Imperial Observatory.

Takako is the daughter of the head of the previous generation of the Yingji family, the sister of the head of the previous family, the sister of the head of the previous family, and the aunt of the Minister of the Interior, Takaji Kyohei (although they are not a few years old), that is to say, Takaji Kyohei is the nephew of the current shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

However, although there is such a relationship, when discussing important matters, neither the Emperor nor Nijo Yasudo thinks that Takaji Kyohei will have his heart set on the shogunate because of this. Because Tokugawa Iemitsu is too bad for Yingji Xiaozi, although the nominal filial piety is his main room, but since he got married, he has never pretended to be filial piety, almost like putting her into the cold palace, and the relationship between husband and wife exists in name only.

The reason why Tokugawa Iemitsu did this was because he didn't like women now, and secondly, to avoid giving birth to heirs with public blood, which the Tokugawa family only regarded as a noble ornament, and did not want to give birth to heirs, so as not to be taken advantage of by the imperial court when inheriting, or the appearance of pro-imperial generals.

It was precisely because the Tokugawa family treated the Tokugawa family like this to the Takashi Takashi that neither of them thought that the Takashi Kyohei would have any feelings for the Tokugawa shogunate because of the marriage, and they also pulled him into the scope of contact, but they didn't expect the Takashi Kyohei to retreat when the big event was approaching and chose to watch from the sidelines. It's no wonder the Emperor was so angry.

Nijo Yasudo can also empathize, and it can even be said that his anger is even higher, because he is more closely related to Takaji Kyohei, and Takaji Kyohei's grandfather, Takashi Shinbo, is actually a descendant of the head of the Nijo family, Nijo Haruma, one of the regent families, after the death of Takashi Tadashi, who was once a Sekihaku, was cut off because he had no heirs, and decades later, Oda Nobunaga rose to power and came close to taking control of Japan. Under his leadership, this child inherited the lineage of the Yingsi family, and changed his name to Yingsi Xinfang, and finally became the Minister of Zuo and Guan Bai.

Since Nijo Yasudo is also the grandson of Nijo Harura, although he is about the same age, in terms of seniority, Takashi Kyohei is actually Nijo Yasudo's nephew, and he is naturally deeply angry at Takaji Kyohei's ignorance.

But because he was in the position of being in the same spirit, he didn't want the emperor to hold a grudge against the Eagle Division, so he still helped him speak, "The Tokugawa family treats filial sons like this, where is there any kindness to the Yingji family, the inner government is just soft and cowardly by nature, and they dare not participate in major affairs...... Besides, he has promised us that even if he does not participate in this matter, he will never reveal the slightest rumor to outsiders. From the minister's point of view, his promise still came from the bottom of his heart. ”

"Finally, he still has some conscience." After hearing Nijo Kangdao's defense, the Emperor's face softened slightly. "However, since he is retreating, even if he verbally says that he is never high-secret, he is not completely trustworthy, you must pay attention to him later, and you must not let him leak the news!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Nijo Kangdao immediately responded, "The ministers will definitely be careful in the future, and at the same time pay close attention to the behavior of the inner government, and they will never let him do a big thing." ”

"Everything will have the right house of Laoyou." The Emperor nodded again.

Then, he pondered for a moment, and then continued, "Since Zuo Fu has already known about this matter and expressed its consent, then it should be officially implemented next, is Aiqing ready now?" ”

"The minister has been planning for a long time, and now he is ready, just waiting for His Majesty's order to start the action." Nijo Yasudo replied proudly, "Moreover, the minister thinks that without further ado, the sooner the better." ”

"Has the candidate to be sent to Nagasaki been decided?" A moment later, the Emperor asked again.

"It's set."

"Who?"

"Minoru Hashimoto." Nijo Yasudo lowered his voice even lower, "He has always been loyal to the imperial court, and he is very dissatisfied with the shogunate's tyranny, so he is a usable talent. I am going to ask him to take His Majesty's Chenhan to Nagasaki, and then impress the Han envoys in Nagasaki to pass the letter to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han! ”

Hashimoto Minoru is a branch of the Saionji family of the Fujiwara North family, the Hashimoto clan, because the Hashimoto clan itself is a branch of the clan, so the bloodline is remote, and it is not a branch that is very close to the imperial court, and it is only a member of the Yulin family in the Fujiwara family (the Seki family, the Qinghua family, the minister's family and then the Yulin family, which can only be regarded as a fourth-class family), and the family is only 500 stones. Such a family line is inconspicuous in the imperial court, and naturally it will not be regarded by the people of the shogunate, so it is naturally better to act as an envoy.

Hashimoto Minoru is the adopted son of Hashimoto Minori, the head of the Hashimoto clan, who is in his Chinese New Year's Eve, although his status is low, he is very loyal to the imperial court and hates the cruelty of the shogunate, so he quickly came into the sight of Nijo Yasudo, and then gladly accepted the duties of the messenger.

It had come to this point, and the room fell silent again.

The Emperor closed his eyes slightly, but his breathing became much shorter, and his chest continued to rise and fall.

It's no wonder he's so nervous, this is a big thing, not only the safety of the imperial court, but even his own safety is deeply involved.

He knew that the previous conspiracy had at least not really started anyway, and even if the East Window incident happened, there could be some way to remedy it, but if he really sent an envoy to Nagasaki, it would ...... If the shogunate finds out, there will be no room for maneuvering. Maybe many people will be implicated, exiled, or even executed, and they will not even be able to keep the position of the emperor.

Even though he had discussed it with the other party many times before, his heart was still pounding wildly when it came to the end, and when he opened his mouth, he felt that his lips were very dry, and he trembled and did not speak.

However, a warm current from the bottom of his heart made him regain his courage. He had not forgotten the Tokugawa family's bullying of the Imperial family and himself over the past few decades, and he remembered the determination he had made.

"Convinced the emperor of the Great Han...... Are you sure? He suddenly raised his gaze and asked Nijo Kangdao.