Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Prelude to Sad Sound

In the early summer of the 19th year of Qingchang, in the garden of Junfu Honjo, the iris in the pond was full of beautiful flowers. Tokugawa Ieyasu stood in the courtyard, but he had no intention of admiring the flowers.At the age of seventy-three, he was full of emotion. Ieyasu has lived ten years longer than Hideyoshi, but troubles are still piled up in front of him like a mountain, waiting for his ruling. The last thing he expected is that Okubo Tadao will be dealt with. Although the loyal neighbors in exile in Kyushu were quite pitiful, it also made Ieyasu very worried for a time-at that time, he could not go back to Sufu, nor could he go to Edo Castle, so he could only stay in Central Plains and Kosugi for a short time.Thinking of this, Ieyasu still felt cold.

After Kosugi decided to exile his loyal neighbors, Ieyasu returned to Edo, handed over the affairs of the foreign religion to Jindiin Takaden, and called Kitain Tenkai, and entrusted him with everything behind him.Thinking about it now, even he himself felt strange: Could it be that he couldn't even finish cleaning up these things, so he was going?The uneasiness grew stronger and stronger, and Ieyasu suddenly wanted to sing a waka.Although he didn't leave any clear ideas such as "dying poems", he always had a feeling of wanting to confide, which may be due to the depression in his heart.

Therefore, after Ieyasu returned to Junfu, while listening to the Zen words of Cao Dongzong, he specially recruited Lengquan Weiman from the capital to teach him "Anthology of Ancient and Modern Waka".He also asked Lin Daochun to repeat it from the beginning to the end, and asked Wushan monks to find out the content that can be used by the public and martial arts from classics such as "Qunshu Zhiyao", "Continued Japanese Ji", "Yanxi Shi", etc. for eternal use. But these did not make Ieyasu feel at ease.There has been no war for fourteen years, and the streets and alleys are full of young people who don't know what the troubled times are. Few people remember what he often said, "Taiping is precious".What made him even more painful was that even Yukimura, the son of Sanada Masaoyuki, couldn't understand his worries.Don't you all want to go back to the troubled times full of wars?To young people, his outcry is like a breeze.Zhonghui is like this, and Hideyori is no exception.They live comfortably in the peaceful age, always looking forward to the waves.But once the waves really hit, they would be swallowed up in an instant.

Ieyasu was thinking in his heart, standing in the courtyard facing the calamus flowers, he couldn't help crying.Seventy-three years of iron and blood career, is it just a dream? Under the sun, Ieyasu is ordering Chongchuan, Tianhai, Lin Daochun and others to collect ancient books extensively, and let them carefully research and write the things of these sages.Although he glanced at those things one by one, pretending to be calm, he was thinking about the current situation in his heart.He finally temporarily suppressed Zhonghui's absurd desire for Daban Castle by building Gaotian Castle, but Zhonghui was not alone in being possessed by irrational desires.Once the rein at hand is slightly loosened, Date, Shimadzu, Mori, Uesugi, and Maeda will all become wild horses that have run free.They are well aware of the weaknesses of young people who grew up in peacetime. Therefore, in the eyes of these people who survived the troubled times, fourteen years of prosperity are a coveted piece of fat.

Ieyasu watched the irises in full bloom for half an hour, letting his thoughts run wild. "My lord." A servant boy interrupted Ieyasu's thoughts.He sighed, hastily pulling himself back from his fantasy. "The Osaka envoy, Katagiri-sama, has arrived at Mariko's Tokuganji Temple." "Oh? The city is coming? I've been waiting for him for a long time. Okay, see him right away." "Of order. Also, almost at the same time Katagiri-sama arrived, Ukyo Bureau also came, and she also asked to see you." "You Jinju? She doesn't need me to see her. Tell Cha Aju, it's a treat."

"Of order." Ieyasu left the pool after the servant boy withdrew.And why Yuan came here, Ieyasu has already guessed one or two. In addition to Motoami Koetsu, there were three people in Keizaka who admired Ieyasu from the bottom of their hearts and took the initiative to collect information for him.One is Kobori Enshu in Fushimi, the other is Ishikawa Jozan in Yamazakiguchi, and the third is Zong Kaoru in Sakai Port.According to the news of these people, Osaka wants to use the inauguration ceremony of the Great Buddha Hall as an opportunity to raise troops, and this view has become more and more firm.

Ronin from all over the world are continuously gathering in the Kyoto and Osaka areas.The worst prediction was that the people gathered in front of the Great Buddha Hall directly took up arms, attacked Suo Sidai's mansion, and then flocked to the palace.Katagiri's visit this time may have something to do with this matter. Is Hideyori really willing to withdraw from Osaka Castle? Ieyasu put one hand on his forehead, blocking the sun, and walked slowly back into the hall.On a building across the atrium, as usual, monks and Confucians were still lined up next to a long row of desks, copying ancient books desperately.

When Katagiri Kimoto arrived, it was Weishi half an hour later. Ieyasu sent Zhengchun and Naoji away on purpose, leaving only his sixteen-year-old concubine Mrs. Ah Liu to wait by her side before inviting Qiyuan into the room.Mrs. Aliu was the daughter of Kuroda Gozaemon Naochen, and the youngest in the concubine. After Ieyasu's death, she remarried to Kirengawa Lai's family according to her will. This is a later story.She has been with Ieyasu since she was thirteen years old, more like a maid than a concubine. When Ah Liu was helped into a concubine, the young warriors admired Ieyasu's health with envy.The maids said that it was Ah Liu who took the initiative to show affection to Jiakang, and instead of being a maid, she might as well be a widow in the house, and then she can marry another famous name.As a result, Ah Liu came to Ieyasu's side.

Ieyasu probably approached Ah Liu with such thoughts. "You are such a smart woman. Anyway, I won't live long, so I have to make plans for your future." Ieyasu said in front of the maids while letting her rub her legs and waist. Mrs. Amei, the daughter of Ieyasu's young concubine Aoki Noori, was later married to Honda Uenosuke Masazumi at Ieyasu's order.This is of course a secret.It was rumored that Amein Honda was pure and fascinated, and if left unchecked, troubles would inevitably arise between the two. Ieyasu had a premonition of this, so he made it a good thing and brought the two together.Now that Ah Liu took the initiative to throw himself into his arms, did he also have this kind of foresight?In short, Ieyasu still didn't want Qieyuan to be too cautious when he left Ah Liu.

"I've been supported by others. You don't have to worry about this woman revealing what we're talking about." Ieyasu ordered to make tea for Mrs. Six, who was rubbing his shoulders, while he leaned on Fuer, "Well, Xiu Lai is willing to go out of the city gone?" Qie Yuan's expression became tense, "This matter... If you still trust me, please give me a few more days." He put his forehead on the couch and pleaded. "Major, are you saying that there is no progress in the matter?" "Yes. As I said last year, when the Great Buddha Hall was completed..."

"late!" "what?" "On the day of the ceremony, if there are rioters, what should we do? If those people shouted, saying that they were rioting under Xiu Lai's order, what should we do? You are not too old and confused now!" Faced with Ieyasu's severe reprimand, Katagiri Kademoto became more and more nervous.Because before that, he had been nervously busy with the construction of the giant bell and bell tower of the Great Buddha Hall under Hideyori's order.The Zhong Ming was written by the Elder Qinghan of Nanchan Temple. After the book was completed, Nagoya Sansho, a skilled craftsman of Sanjo Kamazu, summoned thirty-nine casters to make it day and night. The Golden Buddha was cast in March of the 17th year of Qingchang, so once the giant bell was cast, the great project would be declared a success.Qi Yuan wanted to let everyone in the world know through the Great Buddha Hall, the huge deity, and the sound of the huge bell that they spent a huge amount of money to build these.Compared with these huge costs, the matter of converting twenty-eight weights of gold into nearly 40,000 small judgments is nothing. There is only one city, no matter how strong it is, it is impossible to fight a decisive battle-because there is no military salary.If you understand this, those ambitious people will no longer flock to Osaka.Qiyuan has always believed that Ieyasu can accept all this.However, Ieyasu's calculations are completely different from his.Qi Yuan came here this time mainly to ask Jiakang about the Great Buddha Hall and the giant bell.Since the completion date of the bell tower was already in sight, he wanted to schedule the bell opening ceremony on June 28, and planned to make offerings to the Great Buddha in July. By the way, he asked who would preside over the ceremony.These are actually appearances. His real intention is to ask Ieyasu when it is appropriate to propose transfer.However, Ieyasu's scolding made him panic. "Do you think I'm asleep every day, Shizheng?" "Don't dare." "Not only do I know where the money for recasting weight gold went, but I also had someone thoroughly check who received what kind of invitation. You seem to have been emptied." "No……" Before the words fell, more severe reprimands fell on the head of the head: "Stop talking about such useless things, now is not the time to talk about frustration! For you, it is your lord who will either be abolished or established. Critical moment. Listen, Shizheng, you are not someone who doesn’t understand war. Do you think that wars are always started because of gains and losses? The most terrifying thing is human impulse. On the day when the Buddha was consecrated, what should we do if someone riots? The harbinger of riots It is already obvious. Do you think General Zhengyi can sit idly by? It is the responsibility of Edo to maintain order in the world. In this way, if Suo Sidai is not prepared, it will be a big mistake? But if Suo Sidai really fortified , people in Osaka will definitely regard it as a harbinger of attack, but it will cause major events. The problem must be resolved before the consecration of the Great Buddha. Before that, at least Hideyori mother and son must clearly agree to transfer, otherwise, how can the matter be resolved smoothly?" Katagiri Katomoto trembled, the Toyokuni Festival in the ninth year of Qingchou, the number of people gathered in Kyoto and Osaka once reached 300,000, what a sight it was, and how frightening it was. "Before consecration..." Qie Yuan swallowed the second half of the sentence.After being reminded by Ieyasu, he also realized that this was indeed the case.Once the 300,000 people are in chaos, it will definitely cause a great chaos, which cannot be dealt with.But even if you want to prevent the unburned, the three or two thousand soldiers and horses under Suo Sidai's command are useless. And Yuan couldn't help his heart jumping wildly, the matter was just as Ieyasu said, if he sent troops there again, it would be misunderstood as sending troops to Osaka. "You understand, Mayor?" "Yes. I understand what your lord means, but..." "Now that you understand it, there is nothing to say. Before consecration, you must prevent changes." "Yes, yes, that's exactly the case." Qi Yuan was terrified, "I am confused, I am extremely confused, there is no defense." Qi Yuan admitted his mistakes so frankly, and Jia Yasu also looked sad and kept silent, because the matter had come to this point, no matter how much he scolded Qi Yuan, it would be useless. "Shizheng, I am getting old, and I have become impatient." "No, the city is living such a long life for nothing, it's too naive." "Oh," Ieyasu whispered intently, "It's useless for you and me to complain here. I heard that Youjing Bureau has just arrived before you. Do you know why she came?" "This... This is also my negligence. I estimate that the Youjing Bureau is Mrs. Daidian who came to greet the general's wife." "Oh, she purposely stayed in Junfu." "I think she is the emissary who helped the two families unravel some knots." "I don't think so." "But now, I suddenly feel a little uneasy." "Well, you can just say hello today, and then go back to Deyuan Temple to rest. The Youjing Bureau will be handed over to the women. As for her reason for coming, sooner or later she will understand, and we will discuss it at that time." "yes." "You should be very clear about what I just said. Compared with consecrating the Great Buddha, the most important thing is to ensure that there will be no chaos, otherwise, Jiakang will be reviled by future generations. Therefore, you should think carefully about how to consecrate the Great Buddha. The consecration ceremony will be done safely." At this point, Ieyasu suddenly realized that Mrs. Ah Liu was present, so he sternly told her, "You didn't hear anything just now, do you understand?" After Qi Yuan withdrew, Ieyasu put his forehead on the hands on the table, seemed a little tired, and remained silent for a long time. "Your servant, let me rub your shoulders." Madam Ah Liu said tenderly, she turned behind Jiakang and rubbed his shoulders. Ieyasu remained silent. He thought he could hear some good news from Qieyuan. At least, in the city of Osaka, which is recognized as impenetrable, it was impossible to support Taige. "This city is a place that only those who rule the world can live in. If it is used by snobs, it will become a ghost city that inspires ambition." Knowing this, Gaotaiyuan left quickly and let those with strength— —Ieyasu replaced it.Ieyasu always thought that Qi Yuan would explain these truths to Xiu Lai's mother and son in detail.But Qi Yuan firmly believed that the matter could be resolved without these righteousness, so he procrastinated again and again.Didn't you have expectations from the very beginning?Could it be that everyone has forgotten the preciousness of peace?Disappointment flooded Ieyasu like a tide. At this moment, Cha Aju, who was in charge of receiving Youjing Ju, came.Cha Aju has always strictly followed the rules of the inner court and never entered Ieyasu's inner room. Therefore, the young concubines are all in awe of her. "My lord, the Ukon Bureau said that she was going to Edo as Mrs. Yodo's envoy to visit Mrs. General, and she came here to pay her respects." "Oh? Just an ordinary greeting?" "Yes. However, she also said some worrying things in passing." "Hmm. What did she say?" Jiakang closed his eyes and asked Madam Ah Liu to continue rubbing his shoulders. "It is said that the city of Osaka has been full of gossip recently, and Osaka and Edo will soon have a war." "I don't need her to say it, I know it too." "So, headed by Mrs. Dian, Hideyori and others have become mean to Qianji... I don't know how to deal with it? Of course, these are gossips among women." "En." Ieyasu just responded lightly, but did not answer immediately. "She said solemnly that it would be best not to tell your lord the matter." "You still told me... Even the women are active." Ieyasu dropped this sentence and began to doze off. The cool silence lasted.Mrs. Ah Liu silently rubbed Ieyasu's shoulders, and Ieyasu also looked half asleep and half awake.Cha Aju stared at Ieyasu nervously, she knew very well that although Ieyasu sometimes appeared drowsy, he was actually considering some kind of decision. Sure enough, Ieyasu suddenly raised his head and opened his eyes, "Liu, don't rub it anymore." "This……" "Knead it later, knead it later." Ieyasu said softly, "Tea, I want to use some dessert." A small pottery plate had already been placed on Cha Aju's lap, and there was a piece of pure white pastry in it. "Yes, please use this, my lord." "Oh, is this sent from Nagoya?" "No, it was sent from Edo." "You must have thought about why the Ukyo Bureau came to Edo?" "Yes, I have thought about it." "Let's hear it, what is her intention for coming this time?" "Are you here to find out what's going on?" "Yeah." Ieyasu laughed, wiped the crumbs of the pastry sticking to his mouth, and acted like a child, which made people laugh. "It seems that I am still too cowardly." "What did your lord say?" "I said, I'm too cowardly and lazy..." "How can your lord be lazy! If your lord is a cowardly and lazy person, who is the brave and hardworking person in the world?" "You and Ah Liu are very brave." Ieyasu said solemnly, "I was always afraid of accidents, so I wanted to cover the tree roots with soil. Unexpectedly, the roots became more vigorous after covering them with soil." "Ah?" Cha Ah Ju didn't know what Ieyasu was talking about. Ieyasu fell silent again.His eyes radiated bright light, and even the wrinkles on his forehead showed vigorous fighting spirit. "Aliu, go to the yard and cut the most beautiful flower you think, calamus or calamus will do." "Yes." Ah Liu was taken aback, and went as promised. Looking at the back of Ah Liu leaving, Ieyasu lowered his voice: "Tea, I will treat Hideyori and Zhonghui as adults in the future." "Ah...what is your lord referring to?" "Parents can't always protect their children. Before long, I will die. In order to let them walk behind me, I have to treat them like adults. I have been afraid of doing this before, and I have been too lazy to do this. Do it like that. In fact, I think it's worse..." Cha Aju knew that Ieyasu was making a difficult decision in her heart, but she still couldn't understand what it meant just by saying "treat like an adult", so she just tried to ask: "My lord is saying that before now, my lord was too Pamper them?" "Exactly. I forgot my lifespan and thought I could do anything. In fact, I am too old to stand cold water." However, Ieyasu did not explain what cold water refers to. On this day, Ieyasu ordered people to deliver wine and food to Katagiri Kamoto and Ukyo Bureau in Juzi Tokuganji, and he himself called Masamune and Naoji and other close officials to have a meal together.During the meal, Ieyasu talked about nostalgic gossip as if nothing had happened, but that night, he hardly slept at all.This is all Madam Ah Liu told Cha Ah Bureau. What worried Cha Aju the most was that while Ie Yasu was talking about Hideyori, he also mentioned Zhonghui.What did Ieyasu mean when he said he wanted to treat the two of them as adults? Recently, Zhonghui seems to have calmed down and devoted himself to the construction of Takada Castle.But his name appeared in Ieyasu's letters from time to time.Could there be a relationship between Zhonghui and Hideyori from Osaka... In order to find out this, Cha Aju devoted himself to serving Ieyasu, and Ieyasu also gave her all the care except sleeping. When Cha Aju understood the meaning, it was time for Katagiri and Kamoto to return to Osaka in a hurry, and then came to Junfu again. Qi Yuan visited for the second time, but Ieyasu did not see him right away.Qi Yuan's purpose was to ask if Prince Jueshenfa, the palace of Renhe Temple, could be invited to preside over the consecration of the Great Buddha. Jiakang readily agreed to Qieyuan's request, and he had no objection to the seats of officials below Guan Bai and Zhong Ming who attended the ceremony as shown by Qieyuan. Eighth, the request for Jintang support is also granted.But on the 21st of July, Ieyasu was suddenly furious: "There are ominous words in the bell inscription, and the day of going to the beam is not an auspicious day, what is the intention!" Ieyasu was so angry that Cha Aju was slightly aware of his previous decision.Ieyasu may have already decided that before Hideyori agreed to accept the transfer, he would never be allowed to make offerings to the Buddha.If this is the case, then treat him as an adult in the future, and the implication is: If Xiu Lai wants to make offerings, he will solve my problem as a man.But at this time, Cha Ah Ju could only keep silent.