Chapter 12 Chapter 12 The Way of the Tea Ceremony

Honami Koetsu has never been involved in such a fierce power struggle.In the beginning, he enthusiastically participated in everything with the enthusiasm of learning.On the surface, he is Toyotomi Hideyoshi's personal attendant, responsible for making and appraising swords for Hideyoshi to reward everyone.Swords are often the soul of generals, and are even regarded as family heirlooms.His responsibility, therefore, is considerable.However, when he accompanied Hideyoshi to Odawara, he realized that his duty was not only that. "You are the best in the world in swords and swords." Hideyoshi praised, "However, your future responsibilities are not just evaluation." He suddenly became mysterious: "You have a good relationship with Uji Nao of Odawara, and Uji Nao has a good relationship with you. Father-in-law Suruga Dainagayan Tokugawa Ieyasu is very close, do you understand? I want you to go to Shinao and contact one of the important ministers to find out if there is any secret communication between Ieyasu and his son-in-law .”

When Guangyue heard this in Tang Ben's formation, she was not very surprised.In war, this is inevitable, and it can even be said to be the right way to reduce casualties.However, when they passed by Ishigaki Mountain Castle, what they talked about at the stone cutting field surprised the young and righteous Guangyue. The longer the war, the greater the reward.However, Japan's territory is limited, so it is necessary to come up with prizes that can replace the territory.Hideyoshi used some unknown teacups, but these alone were not enough.Therefore, he wanted Guangyue to make what he called the best sword in the world.

"Want to build the best knife next?" "Who said you need to make it? You don't have to make it. The best sword in the world is the authentic one in Xiangzhou. I want you, the number one swordsman in the world, to appraise the authentic sword." "The villain doesn't understand." Guangyue didn't know what Hideyoshi was thinking at that time. Hideyoshi was a little annoyed, but he still smiled and said, "Actually, there are not many authentic ones, but there are many things in this world that are not inferior to authentic ones. This is to help pacify the sea, and at the same time, it can also add glory to the sword, so that those who own it can be inspired, and it can be regarded as your great achievement. This is really helpless, I hope you understand."

Guangyue could hardly believe her ears, "You mean...to make the nameless sword authentic?" As soon as the words came out, Hideyoshi immediately criticized: "Why don't you understand? Although it is not authentic, as long as it is not inferior to authentic, why can't it be born in the name of authentic? This is also a love sword!" "Isn't this a fake?" "Idiot, what a fake! I thought you had gained some knowledge, but who knows that you are still such a fool, you have earned the name of one of the best swordsmen in the country for nothing!"

"In terms of sword appraisal, the villain is confident." "Yes, you must have this confidence. When it comes to swords, Honami Koetsu is second to none in the world. I've made up my mind, just do it!" "So, my lord wants me to collect the nameless sword and mark it as authentic?" "It's not the nameless sword, but the famous nameless sword. Why not let some anonymous famous generals be born? Alright, I'm very busy today, you go back and think about it!" Guangyue bid farewell, and before he left Ercho, his anger exploded immediately.He finally understood the meaning of Hideyoshi's words: instead of rewarding the soldiers with land, they would give tea bowls and swords instead.In fact, this is understandable. After all, Japan is just a narrow island country. How can it stand up to Hideyoshi's extravagance?

But today's matter is completely another matter. The sword is not a murderous weapon, it is not for cutting and killing, it is the soul of a warrior, and it is used to promote the principles of heaven and maintain justice.Even the sword must be fake, you can imagine the arrogance of those in power.A nameless sword, no matter how much it looks like a famous sword, is still a pile of scrap iron to the sword maker.Asking him to forge famous knives as a reward is not only an insult to the name of smelting, but also an insult to knives and others. Nichiren has been praising "doing the right way", and Guangyue also regards it as a standard, but now he is being asked to do this kind of deceitful activity!Koetsu originally had an aversion to Hideyoshi's extravagance, but at this moment, only contempt remained - this person rewarded him with a forged famous sword, but at the same time made tea with utensils made of gold...

Guangyue began to miss Ieyasu, and now Ieyasu must be secretly trying to rescue Hojo and his son.Thinking of this, he decided to go to the Imai camp where Ieyasu had just arrived.But with a young and innocent heart, Guangyue underestimated. At this time, Ieyasu is trying his best to plan how to manage Guan Yashu left after the defeat of the Hojo father and son, and his mind has something in common with Hideyoshi. When Guangyue came to the Imai camp, Ieyasu and Honda Sado were flipping through the guard list and filling it out with a pen. They just glanced at him, "Oh, Guangyue! Is Guanbai okay?"

"Ishigaki Mountain Castle is about to be completed, and the matter of Hojo and his son will be put aside for now." "So Hojo has agreed to make peace?" "No, if he doesn't eliminate the traitors first, he will eventually die." "So, the adults didn't reconcile it?" "It's just that Hojo-sama is too stupid." Honda Sado continued, "Guangyue, my lord is busy today, if you have nothing important to do, you should step back first." "Yes...but..." "Let's talk about it later, my lord is going to arrange Guan Bazhou today..." Sado said, "I think you should have heard that the Hojo Clan's territory has been transferred to us. It is not enough to rely on Guan Bai's army. Therefore, we have to Send troops immediately."

Guangyue trembled and left Jiakang.He always thought that Ieyasu would do his best to save his son-in-law, but it turned out that Hideyoshi and Ieyasu had colluded from the very beginning! At this moment, Guangyue was so excited that she wanted to spit at every passerby she met.Everyone sings about justice and the right way, but in fact, it is all to satisfy their own selfish desires.The Hojo father and son who don't know may be the real kind people. Leaving Ieyasu's camp, Guangyue walked back to Yumoto Valley through the path north of the cage city, but he didn't know where he was.If the patriarch Nichiren is here, he will definitely scold those in power.But he couldn't scold Hideyoshi and Ieyasu.

At this time, the sky was already dark, and incense could be seen everywhere.Guangyue walked wearily, when a small temple appeared in front of him, he stopped.Here is Rikyu's next place.Guangyue felt that this was the only place that was unpolluted and quiet, so he walked into the chaimen of the small temple unknowingly. Rikyu was sitting on the dark wooden porch, busy peeling bamboo and making bamboo tubes.He didn't see his three disciples, maybe they had gone out to prepare dinner.Guangyue knocked on the door impatiently and said, "Layman!" Rikyu raised his head, "Oh, Guangyue, is that you?"

He continued to be busy with the work at hand, and after a while, he suddenly remembered something, put down the knife, and looked at Guangyue again, "You look bad, did something happen?" "Yes. I really regret that I shouldn't have come to Odawara." "Oh? Come in! The room is lit with incense, so there are fewer mosquitoes." "excuse me!" "You want to go back? But, you can't see that on your face!" "Is this a flower arrangement?" "It's the shakuhachi and the tea pond. I made it out of the good bamboo I picked from Mount Niku." Rikyu said as he returned to the room. "Recently, the layman doesn't seem to go to Guan Bai's place." "Yes, I asked Guan Bai to forgive Yida, but I was reprimanded. In addition, Mrs. Dian wanted to come here. I used my illness as an excuse to live a free life like a wild crane." "Layman!" "If you have something to say, just say it." "The matter of Odawara, they have already decided from the beginning, but I don't know it at all." "Oh, you! What you said is unfair. Things in the world don't just happen as you think." "I originally thought that Master Tokugawa would try his best to mediate for the Odawara family." Lixiu shook his head, smiled wryly and said, "Mr. Ieyasu is already in danger, Guangyue, it seems that you are still too young." "Could it be that the layman knew about this a long time ago?" "It is said that knowing is easy to be misunderstood, it should be said that it can be seen." "The layman is referring to the matter of guarding Yashu and Izu and Tokugawa?" Rikyu nodded and said: "However, Tokugawa must also hand over the countries such as Mikawa, Enjiang, Suruga, Kai, and Shinano that have been painstakingly managed. Not only that, Kanbai resettled Date in Oshu, and used it to contain Yida. In the name of Tatsumi, Gamo and other confidants were arranged around Aizu. In this way, Tokugawa is like a trapped beast." He called a returning disciple and lit the lamp. Guangyue was momentarily speechless.It seems that Ieyasu has no intention of being involved in the Hojo territory.He wronged Ieyasu. "It's like Mitsuhide Akechi." Rikyu said. "The wisdom of attacking the right mansion at the Benneng Temple?" "I don't know if the drama will happen again. Guan Bai is simply forcing Tokugawa to death." "..." "However, Lord Tokugawa is not as rash as Mitsuhide. He will endure and move to the new territory. However, he may encounter difficulties if he goes. The power of the Hojo Clan is already deeply rooted in that land. He doesn't want to Kill those remnants, but I don't know when it will take until the customs since Lai Chaogong and the bandits who are lurking at night and night. Master Tokugawa is indeed suffering much more than others." "So," Guangyue leaned forward, "the layman already knew the ending of Hojo's school?" "It's just a guess." Rikyu emphasized again, "When I heard the news about Neiying, I knew that the Hojo clan would not last long." "So, there is no one to help Shizheng, Shizhi and his son?" "It's said to be father and son... In fact, Ujizheng and Ujizhi's approach is completely different. Once Ujizheng surrenders, he will definitely die; but Ujizhi is Tokugawa's son-in-law, and there should be a way out, and he may be exiled to Koya Mountain. Guan Bai may think so .” Hearing what the layman said, Guangyue trembled again.It turned out that Lixiu knew about it a long time ago, but he was still peeling bamboos here slowly. Guangyue couldn't help but hate him: it seems that the layman is just a vulgar person who clings to power and flatters him.He then said: "Layman, you knew about this a long time ago, but you didn't persuade your lord?" "Your words are weird, Guan Bai is someone who listens to other people's opinions?" Lixiu said in a mocking tone, "I am neither a general nor a civil servant, but a tea master who is familiar with the tea ceremony! Guan Bai likes to seize people's land. I am just a person in the tea ceremony, so I have to give these things I made with my own hands to my colleagues and collect gift money. What can I do? Guangyue, why are you angry for those people? Alas!" At this time, the disciple had already lit the ancient cauldron outside. Guangyue's eyes were as sharp as a knife's blade, and it seemed that the layman couldn't appease his anger.What he hated the most was the so-called "out-of-the-world people". He thought that such people were just losers hiding their sorrow and cowardice, so he said angrily, "Layman!" "What's the matter, your anger is hard to calm down?" Lixiu said calmly, with a little teasing in his tone.His expression seemed to be concerned, yet indifferent. "What else do you want to say?" "Layman, the things you make with your own hands now, after distributing them to your colleagues, do you still need to receive gift money?" "That's right." Lixiu picked up the teaspoon on the side and said, "If someone cherishes something like this, they should pay three taels to five taels of gold." "I would like to ask, if one person gives three taels, and one person gives five taels, who would you give this to?" "Of course it's five taels. Five taels is two taels more than three taels!" "So, you decide who to give based on the amount of gold? This is indeed a cost-effective thing." "Guangyue, you're taking things too far. I'm not a general, but a tea person." "Then why do you care about money?" "Haha. Compared to those people who pretend not to care on the surface but really care in their hearts, at least I understand." "Why did you make a decision just for two taels of gold?" "Guangyue, I didn't say that I would definitely not give gifts to those with less money. But, if the two people have similar temperaments, I will give it to the person who gave five taels of gold. Similarly, if someone gave ten taels of gold, of course I will give it to the person who gave me ten taels of gold." he." Guangyue shook her head puzzled: "I know what layman means, it seems that my advice to layman is superfluous." "Oh. Let it be." "It has to be like this." "Just go with the flow." "Didn't you plan to guide Guan Bai with the tea ceremony? Why did you give up this ambition?" "No, neither before nor now, I have not changed." "But you have lost your previous ambitions, and you no longer have the state of mind that Patriarch Nichiren had when he taught the Dharma in Kamakura." Rikyu smiled and said: "It's terrible, it's terrible, what do you think Nichiren will say now... Ah, the water is boiling, let's have some tea to calm down. Maybe this can make you calm down and re-examine everything. " Rikyu ignored Guangyue's anger, went to the front of the stove that his disciple moved in, pulled the candlestick closer, adjusted the tea utensils, but didn't let Guangyue interrupt. This is indeed a calming tea.Rikyu's movements, eyes and heart seemed to melt into the tea, and everything was bathed in silence.He gently handed the tea bowl to Guangyue, and said, "How is it? This is the tea bowl I want to sell recently. Some people say that I am a tea seller who only cares about money." "I just heard about it today." "Hey, young man, do you believe those words?" Guangyue didn't answer, just savoring the tea and tea bowl in her hand. The word "young man" slightly angered him. Could it be that his anger was thoughtless?Or is Lixiu going to deceive the young him with the filthy world?Maybe the layman wanted to deceive him with good tea and malice?Rikyu was rolling his eyes coldly, as if he wanted to know what kind of changes this bowl of tea would cause in Guangyue. Seeing Guangyue put down the tea bowl, Lixiu asked, "How do you feel now?" "This……" "Your idea is not correct, I advise you to give up. Your so-called patriarch will definitely return in the twilight with a cane." "The next idea is unacceptable?" "Didn't the tea ceremony tell you?" "..." "Hey! You shouldn't be eager to change Guanbai. Even if it changes, the matter is far from over. After one Guanbai, there will be another Guanbai...the world is endless." "..." "Besides, the patriarch Nichiren lived in seclusion in the mountains after admonishing him three times in the past, and worked hard for the next life. What I do now is just to learn from the patriarch." "Learn from the ancestor?" "Although this is just a handmade tea utensil, in this small thing, there is my past disposition. I don't give it away because of gold fifty taels or a hundred taels...Although I can't bear it, its owner I can see the meaning of it. People who can give a lot of money must cherish it, and they will understand its true meaning in the future... Why don't you think of Guan Bai and the future Guan Bai from this?" When Lixiu said this, his eyes gradually became moist No, he gently pressed the handmade teaspoon to his cheek. Guangyue still couldn't understand Lixiu's true meaning.Everyone has their own obsessions, and stubbornly stick to their own ideas.An obsession like Rikyu's is also a mirror of the world. After a long time, Lixiu threw the teaspoon out and said, "It seems that you still don't understand." "yes." "Why are you dissatisfied, why not say it?" "Layman, have you given up on Guan Bai?" "You're really embarrassing me." Lixiu smiled, "Why can't you get rid of Guan Bai? Everyone has a destiny, even if you hold a heavy handle. If you can understand the truth, your life will be smooth; if you You will only get angry in your heart, and you will definitely suffer a lot of ups and downs." Guangyue shrugged, and said: "What does the layman mean, whether it is Guan Bai's power or your money, they are all subject to fate?" "It's not unreasonable to make such an interpretation." "If there are other arguments, I would like to listen to them with all my heart. If the layman can convince me, I am willing to kneel in front of you and admit my mistakes." "It doesn't matter whether you admit your mistakes or not. Guan Bai is concerned with Bai's goodness. Everyone in the world has their own evils, and everyone is a coexistence of good and evil. You haven't seen this. One day you will understand it, and you will understand it. Guangyue, have you ever seen nothing?" A flawless knife?" "This……" "Actually, knives and people are the same. But this does not mean that we should ignore the flaws, so that we will stagnate. The pursuit of perfection is very different from whether there is a perfect thing. In addition to the pursuit of famous knives, there is no Knives with small flaws should not be rejected. You are too young and impatient." "So, the layman doesn't care about what Guan Bai and Lord Tokugawa do?" "Yes, they are all outstanding people, and you understand it, but you are still very angry. What is the reason? I am always puzzled." "Okay, since that's the case, I will tell the layman that Guan Bai wants me to appraise the authentic sword for him, and wants me to give the nameless sword an authentic name for him to reward." "Oh, I see!" Lixiu patted his knee. Guangyue immediately asked: "If it were you, what would you do? If someone ordered you to forge famous artifacts, would you obey?" Lixiu raised his hand and shook it, the smile on the corner of his mouth was softer than before, "Guangyue, that's exactly what I want to ask you, didn't anyone ask you to do similar things like Guan Bai before?" "This……" "There must be. From this, it can be seen that there must be something about Guan Bai that makes you dissatisfied." When he said this, Guangyue looked quite embarrassed.Rikyu was right, he didn't like Hideyoshi from the very beginning. "Haha." Lixiu laughed, "The person you didn't like in the first place said something that disgusted you, no wonder you are angry." "The layman thinks that this should not be the case?" "I didn't say you shouldn't, but you should think about it more carefully. You might as well regard the person who annoys you as two, one is a mortal named Hideyoshi, and the other is Lord Guanbai with a heavy handle." "Two different people?" "Although they are the same person, they are different: Hideyoshi is only one person, but Kanbai is endless. Guangyue, what you hate is not Hideyoshi, but Kanbai." Rikyu took a sip of tea and continued, "Assuming Hideyoshi is not Kanbai. Bai, but a daimyo named Hashiba Chikuzenshou; if Hideyoshi doesn’t ask you to identify authenticity, or even if he asks you, you won’t be angry. Perhaps, you will calmly persuade the other party not to do this Just kidding." "It's too arbitrary for the layman to say that!" "No, when people are angry, they often fail to see the truth. What you dislike is not Hideyoshi, but Guan Bai's power. In fact, you have not separated them. This is the problem of young people. You dislike power , but passed on his hatred to Hideyoshi, and even scolded me." Rikyu stopped and observed Guangyue's reaction. Guangyue was quite excited, because Rixiu's last words seemed to have pierced his chest. "Guan Bai is an unreasonable person. In other words, he is a self-willed person who does not distinguish between good and evil. I only stayed by his side after I saw this clearly. If I said that I serve him, maybe you will be angry. But I just want to try my best to persuade him, and Nichiren, the patriarch, would do the same." Guangyue bit her lip quietly, her whole body was stiff, and she looked down at her knees.It seems that Rikyu is not as vulgar as he imagined.The layman can separate Hideyoshi and Guan Bai, and speak so penetratingly, how can it not surprise him? "If you and I were military generals, we might take this matter as commonplace. A military general has no talent, so he can't indulge in knowledge or evaluate swords like you; nor can he bury his head in the tea ceremony like me. You Addicted to the sword, I am addicted to the tea ceremony, but there will be ugly behavior. Becoming a general with a salary of two to three hundred thousand shi will not be satisfied with governing a country. It was the conflict between other daimyos. At present, I have left him because of my disagreement with Guan Bai and because of illness. However, I do not hate Guan Bai. Although I have left temporarily, I am still very interested in him No end. Although he has flaws, he is a rare Ido teacup..." "Layman!" "Looking at the look in your eyes, you seem to understand a little bit." "No!" Lixiu shook his head slowly, "You must have your obsession. Yes, how can I avoid it? We shouldn't force each other. But if you can't see these things clearly, it would be too stupid to leave in anger. " "Ok." "We should spend our whole lives seeking the truth. The way of government is to ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment. I think you should know which road is the most difficult and dangerous." Guangyue lowered her head dejectedly, every word of Rikyu was deeply embedded in his heart.People like Guangyue and Lixiu will never be innocent of generals and those in power.Rikyu didn't want him to be with others. Lixiu said again: "You might as well use the name of acclimatization, and ask to go back to the capital for rest. Guan Bai will still care about your body. He is such a wonderful person and a great talent!" At this time, the disciples came in with food, and it was already late at night. Rikyu and Guangyue ate in silence. He didn't say a word, probably already understood.Rikyu thought to himself, and kept silent.But Guangyue had other ideas.He has been chewing on what Rikyu said just now.Except for the difference in age, he and Rikyu are indeed quite similar in their habits. They do not bow their heads to reality, they are so-called stubborn people, but this kind of pursuit of the innocence of the essence of things is very cute; Guangyue believes in Nichiren sect, and Rikyu also often sits in meditation , hoping to become a teacher for the first time, this ambition is quite similar.Rikyu thought that Guangyue was "too young", but his rather gentle remarks had a considerable influence on Guangyue. Guangyue couldn't help feeling remorseful, and began to reflect.The layman said that even if they did not conflict with Hideyoshi, people like them would definitely have friction with those in power.Perhaps, those who seek power and seek truth should be the same.Guangyue thought about it, but still couldn't think of a reason. This must be because of being "too young"! The layman also warned him that if he continued to be angry like this, he would surely be killed, and advised him to return to the capital on the grounds of illness, which might be justified.But is it good to always say defeat in front of those in power?If Nichiren, the patriarch, would have considered this kind of retreat as a pathetic act. When Rikyu was eating his second bowl of rice, Guangyue suddenly put down his chopsticks and began to cry.Rikyu was very calm, but the disciple who was waiting on the side took a step back in fright. "Woooo..." Guangyue shook her shoulders and grabbed her temples, "I... I... I came here without any success..." "No!" Lixiu raised his voice to suppress his crying, "You have gained an experience, and I believe that when you encounter the same difficulties, you will be able to face them bravely." "brave?" "That's right." Lixiu smiled softly, "You are not the only one who has this kind of experience, I also have it. Isn't this something to be happy about? Thinking carefully for the future will not only enrich you, but also help you In the future, you should hurry up and prepare to return to Kyoto." Guangyue lowered her head again, bit her lip, and cried again.