Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve: Spring Blossoms and Autumn Moon

After Tokugawa Ieyasu returned to Edo, the atmosphere in Osaka Castle began to change.Most of the daimyos who rarely showed up before came to visit Toyotomi Hideyori, who had grown up rapidly recently, with some seasonal gifts. Katagiri was not without worries, he found that these people were clearly divided into two categories.Needless to say, a group of daimyos were single-handedly selected by Taiko during his lifetime, and they wanted to come and see the lovely Hideyori.This is true for Asano Yukunaga, Kato Kiyomasa, Kuroda Nagamasa, and Fukushima Masanori.When Ieyasu was in Fushimi, they seemed to have some concerns. As soon as Ieyasu left Fushimi, they were still on the way to Edo, and they immediately showed up in Osaka.

There are also some people, and Yuan can tell at a glance that they are the enemies of Tokugawa.When these people see Hideyori, they will definitely praise Taiko's merits and virtues, and miss Taiko's past.Among them are some conversations: "When I grow up to sixteen years old, I will return to the promise of the world..." "Come up with the idea of ​​building a shogunate." To Hideyori who didn't know about political affairs, they said things that even Qi Yuan couldn't understand, and they chattered endlessly.According to these people, the reason why Ieyasu wanted to rule the world in the name of General Zhengyi was because he didn't want to return the world to Hideyori, and it was a conspiracy.They said that if the world is still presided over by Guanbai or the regent, and the emperor is in charge, he will have to hand over the world to Hideyori based on emotion and reason.But now, all the samurai are the emperor's subjects, and they are also the general's subordinates.Tokugawa Ieyasu just used a trick to steal the day.

Even Qi Yuan doesn't think that these words are completely unreasonable.But in fact, if everyone is just the son of heaven, the disputes will be endless, as evidenced by the century-old troubled times.Both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi used force to conquer the world, but Ieyasu just made it clear as a law.If this is not done, as long as it is not a rebellion against the emperor, the only way to control it is to rely on the inspection of non-violation.But it is clear that with the strength of the current heroes, it is by no means controllable. Of these two types of people, the former represents the meaning of Gaotaiyuan, and the latter is complaining about Mrs. Dian.From this point of view, the people behind Xiu Lai will soon split into two factions.What kind of wind will blow in Osaka Castle?In any case, as the chief steward of Osaka Castle, Katagiri Kasumi had to bear all the merits and demerits.Just thinking about it, Qi Yuan felt out of breath.

All those who joined Ieyasu in the Sekigahara War and received great rewards all read Kodaiin, and at the same time regarded Hideyori as the orphan of the old master, and deeply respected and loved him.They already understood that the establishment of the shogunate was a last resort for the unification of the world.Therefore, Qi Yuan was very happy that they could come to pay homage to Xiu Lai.However, those other people have an inexplicable sentimentality for the former majesty, and they will not only provoke Mrs. Yodo and Hideyori, but may also cause the mother and son to resent the people who respect Kodaiin.This made Qi Yuan worried.

"Excuse me, Kato, Fukushima, Kuroda, and Hosokawa all seem to fall to Edo because they cherish their wealth and lives. Mrs. Kodaiin may also be motivated by this consideration." They often whisper like this.In case there is a rift between Edo and Osaka, and Yuan intends to ask Gaotaiyuan and the generals to come forward to deal with it, but now it seems that it is impossible.Besides, Mrs. Yodo seems to have been deeply affected recently. Qi Yuan is by no means the kind of man who can see through a woman's subtle thoughts, but that day He Jiu Zongyou came to visit, and said that Katsushige Itakura often visited Kodaiin.After Zongyou left, Mrs. Dian said something that surprised Qi Yuan.At that time, Mrs. Dian was indeed drunk.

"Shizheng, what do you think?" She deliberately dismissed others, handed the wine glass to Qi Yuan, and asked in a low voice. She only showed such a coquettish attitude to Ono Xiuliang.Qi Yuan was quite embarrassed, at a loss, and said in a low voice: "Madam refers to..." "Inner House. Oh, no, no, I'm a general now. What's the relationship between the general and the Beizheng Office?" Qi Yuan didn't know how to reply, and looked up at Mrs. Dian suspiciously. "Gaotaiyuan only approached the general for its own safety, or because the two have a deeper relationship?"

"Madam said... Madam Gaotaiyuan..." "Hehe. No surprise there. Isn't she a woman too? Besides, she might not be completely old yet." "This kind of stupid thing... no, how can there be such a thing?" "Having said that, once a woman is tempted by a man, she will become vulnerable. I have never told the general..." At this point, Mrs. Dian hastily pushed the wine glass to Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan was stunned, those rumors turned out to be true.According to legend, when Ieyasu lived in Erdaocheng, Osaka City, he once stayed alone in the same room with Mrs. Yodo who was visiting... Unexpectedly, these words came out of Mrs. Yodo's mouth.

Mrs. Dian still had a smile on her face, perhaps because she teased Qi Yuan, or perhaps to cover up her slip of the tongue just now, and said: "Recently, I have heard some worrying rumors." "What rumor?" "I heard that the general wanted to be Hideyori's father and live with me." "How could such a thing happen?" "Well, you just listen to it. When you hear it, smile, and forget about it." "yes." "But things have changed. I originally thought it was because of the young Agui, Awan and others, who laughed at the general. But I heard that's not the case. Let me tell you the truth, I heard that it was actually the Beizheng who made a hindrance."

"Who did Madam listen to?" "Hehe, don't care who he is." "Could it be the actor called just now, that Nagoya Sanzo?" "Don't worry about it. Let me hear the folk rumors. Anyway, it was because of this that the general changed his mind. So, in order to apologize to me, after the battle of Sekihara, he immediately asked Xiuliang to return to me. By your side. Hehe, think about it, this is not impossible. The matter between men and women is sometimes really difficult to explain." "Ma'am, those actors who make up stories to cheer up the drinking are just telling jokes."

"Do you believe that the Beizheng Institute will never do such a thing?" "Undoubtedly..." Before the words were finished, Qi Yuan quickly kept silent.This is no joke.The expression on Mrs. Dian's face was somewhat ferocious.Even between Jiakang and Gaotaiyuan, she suspected that something was wrong. From this point of view, what she said unintentionally just now may not be groundless.Qi Yuan suddenly felt chills on his back, drank the wine in a hurry, and wanted to leave. "Mayor." "exist." "If even the head of the office has frequent contacts with the Beizheng Office, the only thing our mother and son can rely on is you. Don't abandon our mother and son."

"Why did Madam say that?" Qi Yuan felt startled and felt cold all over. Needless to ask, in this remark, there is obviously a malicious intention to belittle Gaotaiyuan, which makes people feel chilling. When Yuan left in a hurry, it was almost Haishi, and there were only a few night lights in the long corridor emitting a faint light.In the dark corridor, Qi Yuan meets someone unexpectedly.A sneaky woman came out of Xiulai's room. It was none other than Qianji's personal maid, Rongju!How could she appear here at this time? "Who is it?" When meeting a suspicious person in the city, President Qi Yuan would stop him and ask.Coming here from Qianji's residence, one has to pass through a gate, where there is a night watchman.You must get the mother's permission to go in and out after the fourth quarter of the unitary time. When Rong Ju heard someone ask, he stopped slowly, "The servant girl is Ah Rong who is next to Miss Qianji." Rong Ju's young face was as pale as a dead man's face in the dim light. "Why are you here at this time?" "Miss sent servants here." "Miss sent you..." Qi Yuan was a little puzzled, "Okay, then I have to verify it. Come with me." After finishing speaking, he was about to walk towards the door.There was silence all around, and the cold wind of the winter night was painful on the face. "Slave servant... Slave servant was not sent by Miss Qianji." As expected, after walking a few steps, Rong Ju timidly and softly denied the previous statement, "Young Master called your slaves here." Qi Yuan didn't speak, and walked through the corridor silently, and came to a door with a picture of a puppy, which was a strictly guarded gate.He shouted into the porter: "Who is on duty tonight? I am Masaru Katagiri." Aunt Imado in the room was obviously a little panic-stricken, she responded quickly and opened the door.Seeing Qi Yuan, she forced a smile and lowered her head. "Ah Rong went out, do you know?" "Yes... I know." "Why did you go out?" "It's Miss Pie..." "nonsense!" "This is said to be summoned by the young master." "What time?" "It seems to be after You time." After hearing this, a huge doubt arose in Qi Yuan's heart: Is it true that Xiu Lai sent someone to call her?But as long as she wants to get close to Xiu Lai, it is very convenient for Xiu Lai to send someone to call her.Although Xiu Lai is not small, she is still a child after all, anyway, why did this woman stay in Xiu Lai's room for nearly two hours? "Okay, I have something to say to Arong, to borrow your place, you should avoid it first." "Yes." The nanny seemed to know something inside.Qi Yuan deliberately ignored, and urged Rong Ju to enter the gatehouse. "It's just the two of us now. Sit down." Rong Ju sat in front of Qie Yuan as he said. "Are you from Sakai Port?" "Yes. I used to be a maid in Yuxi's family under the order of the wife of Gaotaiyuan." "You did something very dangerous." "..." "Okay, even if you are summoned by the young master, you have to come back in time. What if you are caught and interrogated by the warriors watching the night?" Rong Ju kept his head down, not daring to lift it up.Even if he doesn't understand women, Qi Yuan also feels a little strange, "Could it be that you are deliberately hiding something from me?" "..." "At first you said that Miss Qianji sent you here, but later you said you were summoned by Shaojun. Why did you change your story?" "Because at the beginning, the servant wanted to protect the young master." "Well. Seeing that there is no way to protect him, so tell the truth?" "Yes." Rong Ju's voice was as thin as a gossamer. Qi Yuan stared at Rongju for a moment, and said: "Okay, I'll ask you again. Since Shaojun asked you to go, but did you know what was going on before you went?" "Yes Yes." "When Shaojun saw you, he would tell you why he wanted to summon you?" "..." "yes?" "yes." "What the hell! Tell the truth!" Rong Ju raised his head and looked at Qi Yuan resentfully. "You don't want to say?" "..." "You have stood on the edge of the cliff. You should understand that Shaojun is still young, but you are an adult. What if people misunderstand that you have bad intentions? Your eyes are bloodshot. If people think that you You just want to take advantage of the dead of night to harm your lord, how else can you justify it?" "The slave said." "That's good. Here, there is only me, and you can't do it without telling me." "Young Master said that he shouldn't have come to this world." "what?" "He didn't summon the servant for something, but just wanted to complain to the servant, saying that he was lonely." "Why would he say such things?" "He said that Mrs. Dian became unlucky because he came into this world. He was also worried that great misfortune was about to happen..." Qie Yuan felt his whole body tense: the only son of the late Taige, how could he say such words?Qi Yuan felt a bone-chilling cold, because he knew that things were not impossible. Mrs. Dian has been behaving strangely lately, which makes it difficult for Qi Yuan to understand.Everyone can clearly see her love for Xiu Lai, and everyone takes it for granted.But as time went by, this kind of love became deformed.In front of all the people who came to visit, she would say the same thing with tears in her eyes: "Show Lai is so pitiful." But she could also feel that her heart was disturbed.She has not been with Xiu Lai for many days, and sometimes she even deliberately alienates him. According to Qieyuan's understanding, this is a mother who wants to teach her children to learn to be independent.But Xiulai thinks the opposite is the opposite. He thinks that his mother alienated him because he felt that he was in the way.Xiu Lai had no good teachers around her, grew up among women, and developed a willful and pampered personality.Thinking of this, Qi Yuan couldn't help feeling pity. Hideyori called the Eiji Bureau to vent her worries, but how long would this useless nagging take?As long as you talk about the last hour, there will be no topic, but Rongju stayed for nearly two hours.What is she hiding? Qi Yuan looked up and down Rongju.Rong Ju's face was pale, and he sat stiffly under the dim light. "I see, my lord wants to confide in you. But it shouldn't be all that, it won't take so long. What else is there, say!" "Slaves can't say that." "can not say?" "yes." "Hmph! You are unforgivable!" "My lord, please deal with it according to law." "Rong Bureau, you seem to be contemptuous of the mayor?" "..." "If you think that you are the maid chosen by the general to serve Miss Qianji, I can't punish you arbitrarily. You are very wrong. If anyone with suspicious appearance sneaks into the bedroom of the adult, I will kill you with a knife. Only afterwards If you find out it's you, just let everyone know. Even the general has nothing to say about such a death. But I don't want to kill you. As the protector of this city and the young master, I just want to know the truth. What else did your lord say? I won't blame you, and I won't tell you, I swear..." Qi Yuan said with sincerity, Rong Ju bowed his head, and tears rolled down his face. "You are protecting Shaojun, which means you are a loyal person. You are really worried about harming Shaojun. Shizheng understands your intentions." Qi Yuan whispered. "The slave said." Rong Ju couldn't keep silent, and said in a deep voice, "My lord...he said that he can read Mrs. Dian's mind." "Madam Dian has thoughts that are not good for Shaojun?" "yes." "Huh? Didn't you come up with it yourself?" "It was said by the young master himself. Madam told the lord that she was very reluctant to be taken as a concubine by the elderly Taige lord. She wanted to die many times, but she failed in the end." "Young Master told you these words?" "Yes. There are many more. For example, Mrs. Dian said that the late Taiko was a bad old man who looked like a monkey." "Humph!" "Shaojun said that he was born with a curse. Although his father was looking forward to his birth, his mother didn't want to give birth to him. It's only natural that his mother hated him. As he said that, he cried." Qi Yuan is speechless.Recently, Mrs. Dian has been drinking heavily all day long, sometimes drinking too much, and often uttering nonsense, it is not impossible to say these things.But how ironic and sad it would be if these words hurt Hideyori, whom she cared for the most! What made Qi Yuan even more uneasy was Mrs. Dian's joke.The joke may not actually be a lie.Back then, Mrs. Dian was definitely not happy to marry Taige.Marrying a young and handsome man is every girl's dream.Qiyuan began to wonder, is Xiu Lai really born with a curse?Although he had never thought about it before, it might be the truth. "The slaves tried their best to persuade the young master, saying that it was wrong to think so, but the young master couldn't understand." "Oh." Qie Yuan sighed, "This is wrong. You think so too?" "yes." "Why not? How did you say that?" Qi Yuan felt embarrassed, he had become a child like Xiu Lai, and he was asking for advice from the Rong Bureau. Rong Ju widened his wet eyes in surprise, looked up at Qi Yuan, his face turned red up to the ears, and even the fingers on his knees became red.But Qi Yuan didn't notice these. Qi Yuan is a bit careless.As for the negotiation between men, or the advance and retreat on the battlefield, he has more experience than ordinary people, but when it comes to matters between men and women, he really doesn't understand.Hideyoshi's lament made him at a loss.He was wondering if his son had the same distress? Seeing that Qie Yuan didn't go into details, Rong Ju heaved a sigh of relief. At night, she gave her body to the young Hideyoshi like a demon.She was not teased by Hideo.After the maid and boy left, Hideyori began to confide her grievances and sorrows to her.Listening, her sympathy for Xiu Lai gradually surpassed reason. "How can there be a curse? Madam Gaotaiyuan heard that the Lord was born, and immediately sent someone to Ise to make a wish." Saying this, Rong Ju felt very embarrassed again.Because she found that this could not make up for Mrs. Dian's slip of the tongue.She started talking incoherently. The boy Hideyori was still obsessed with delusions. He said, "It's my father's fault that I'm in so much pain now." Hearing this, Rong Ju felt inexplicable disgust in his heart. "Shaojun, do you know how a noble life is produced? No matter what kind of parents, when they are brewing a child's life, they are extremely sacred." "what do you mean?" "When life is conceived, heaven and earth will bestow deep love..." Before Rong Ju finished speaking, his heart became flustered.If she hadn't had a stronger competitive spirit than others, or Xiu Lai was not so much younger than her, she might have stopped here.But she refused to give up and tried to explain. Rongju also said that whether they are thieves or thugs, men and women will have a momentary trance and forget themselves when they have sex.At that moment of trance, there is neither love nor hatred.This is providence. "Is everyone the same?" Xiu Lai's eyes lit up, she suddenly reached out her hand, and hugged Rong Ju excitedly... Xiu Lai must have been controlling himself before this, because he didn't have the scheming and skill, but he could take advantage of people's unpreparedness and succeed immediately. Rongju cleverly gave Xiu Lai a chance and an excuse.No matter what kind of copulation there is, she says, there is a trance that washes away the dirt.She brushed off the guilt and lured him into her open arms. But at some point since then, Eiju has secretly determined that her husband is Chaya Matashiro, but a fire of infidelity has never been ignited in her heart.The moment she was hugged by Xiu Lai, her heart tightened and she couldn't breathe.She warned herself in her heart not to indulge, but she didn't resist, her body was already weak. "No! Let go..." Although she said so, she hugged Xiu Lai tightly. "I like you. I want someone I like." "No, but..." "You like me too. Yes, you like me." It wasn't impossible to break free from Eiju, however, Hideyori was completely a man, and he must have felt that Eiju didn't really want to resist.Hiderai turned into a ferocious beast, I really don't know where he got so much strength, he knocked down Rongju to the ground as he wanted, enjoying his prey like a tiger.He already has a lot of experience... If Xiu Lai let go of the situation like this, she would not be so panicked in front of Qi Yuan.But how could Xiu Lai let her go?He pressed her hands hard, asking her to be his concubine.He said that the previous women were not as good as they wanted, and that was just a previous frivolous behavior, not out of the original intention, and now he finally knows that he is sincere.He wants to tell Mrs. Dian to keep Rongju by his side. "No! No..." Rong Ju really started to panic.But the strange thing is that she wasn't worried about Chaya Matashiro, but just thought of the innocent Qianji, "The servant is Miss Qianji's maid, how can..." Xiu Lai was a little crazy, he said, Qian Ji is still a child, how can she take on the responsibility of a wife?Therefore, you should take the initiative to hand over the situation. "No matter what anyone says, I have to do this. Toyotomi Hideyori is the master of Osaka Castle." Rongju still didn't want to push Xiulai away.Anyway, she had already given her body to him... This kind of thought weakened her resistance step by step.All she could think about was how to find a suitable excuse to escape from the arms of this poor tyrant. Eiji may be unwittingly waiting for Hideyori to attack.Ever since she heard Xiu Lai say that she likes her affectionately, she has already foreseen this day.It was an embarrassing imagining.How crazy would this carefree and unfettered boy be?Will there be no one else around, making it difficult to resist?Only now did Rong Ju realize that it was not fear, but excitement. The words "I like you" have incredible magic power for women.These words were uttered from a young man who had not yet grown up, and moved Rong Ju.Moreover, recalling Hideyori's appearance at that time again, she felt an indescribable warmth flow through her body.The conversation with Kae-won just now was more about protecting Hideyori. Have I fallen in love with this boy?Rong Ju's heart has been greatly tilted towards Xiu Lai, she has to ask herself.But she didn't know whether she should tell Qi Yuan about it. "Oh." Qie Yuan moaned in a low voice.In his view, Rongju's thinking is unreasonable.She said it was scary but not impossible for Hideyori to confide in her about her displeasure with her mother or her resentment against her father.Moreover, when asked the most crucial question—whether Hidera was persuaded or not, she was as silent as a stone.Qi Yuan began to guess that there might be some conspiracy hidden in it. "Why don't you speak? Have you taught him earnestly that Lord Taige once wanted to exchange the world for his birth, but he actually resented the birth?" "yes." "Then, does Shaojun understand? If he had heard these unreasonable words from his mother, he would not have understood so quickly. So, you continue to enlighten..." "Yeah... that's why it took so long." "So, did you convince him in the end?" Qie Yuan sternly said, "Rong Ju! Born to be cursed and so on, it's not what Mrs. Dian said, but from you!" Everyone has a bottom line that is not easily revealed.And Yuan is on guard against Rong Ju, he thinks that if Rong Ju cleverly uses Xiu Lai's sentimentality and says something unnecessary to him, it will definitely plant a curse in Xiu Lai's heart that cannot be eradicated. "Huh?" Rong Ju raised his head in surprise.She really didn't expect this. "If you tell Shaojun that you heard these words from Madam, Shaojun will unknowingly agree with you. At your age, you should already understand this." "My lord thinks that the slaves want to make the young master suffer?" "Hmph! Maybe it's a trick. If you want to make him suffer, it's a conspiracy. How can I sit idly by!" Rongju lowered his head.She was thinking about whether she should confess what happened tonight, but she never thought that it would harm herself. "You are not allowed to go, your words are full of loopholes. Did Shaojun eliminate the resentment towards mother because of your words?" "I don't know. The servant can only tell him that he is thinking about it, but the servant is unable to persuade him." "Oh?" "Since the lord suspects the servant, the servant has no choice but to wait for the punishment of the lord." "You want me to let you go back temporarily?" "Slaves dare not talk too much. But about this matter, the adults will ask the young master early tomorrow morning to find out." "You don't need to say it! If it's urgent, I can wake him up right now. But, Rongju, let me ask again: Is it true that Shaojun summoned you?" "Yes, servant girl swears." "Who ordered you to approach him? If anyone ordered, tell me. The city is not a superficial person, and it will not cause you trouble." "Please believe me, my lord. The young master feels lonely, and the servant has been waiting for a long time without knowing it." "I will ask Young Master about this matter, it will be too late for you to argue afterward." "If there is such a thing..." She wanted to say, "I'll bite my tongue and kill myself" but she held back. At this time, Katagiri Kasumi completely became a responsible, rude but upright supporter.He didn't want to say anything about Xiu Lai's previous mistakes.In fact, the reason why Eiju stayed in Hideo's room for so long was because she was trying to persuade Hideo to stop talking about the concubine. Katagiri Katomoto stared at Rongju for a while, Fang Shen said: "Okay, let's go."