Chapter 28 Chapter 28

As soon as Sorori Shinzaemon came out of the other garden of Sho-an, he passed Rokugensuji of Omachi to Tekki Street of Sakuramachi, and went straight to the boat mooring of Yamato Bridge.Here we can know a thing or two about the situation in Sakai Port, and we have not found anyone who wants to buy weapons secretly, because there is no stock at all.Every shop that forges guns is constantly busy, welcoming new customers. The big merchants along the river are all busy with rice grains and dried fish. On the streets where construction projects are undertaken, laborers are very nervously building small boats.Hatago was quite lively, and there were several murderous quarrels when the daimyos who gathered at the various temples went out to fight.In addition, there were many foreign nuns with crosses on their chests and white veils on their heads, among the crowd.

These are not worth making a fuss about, but Zeng Luli is very worried.It suddenly occurred to him that without a complete set of strategies, once the country is calmed down, foreign religions will become popular. If this continues, Kaidao will become a Western country! "Open the door to the overseas!" The people of Sakai Port have always said this, but if one day Guan Bai drives a boat to Sakai Port and starts a war, then the peace will be lost, so how can we talk about making money?You must come up with a perfect plan.Thinking about it, he ran to the boat of Yodoya, which was loaded with rice and was about to leave the port: "At the helm, I am Zeng Luli, please let me aboard."

Just as Zeng Luli was about to jump onto the boat, suddenly, a two-inch knife hilt hit him on the shoulder. "Hey, you were startled. Look, I was startled too. The knife came out of its sheath and fell into the water!" Zeng Luli turned his head and saw that it was Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tea friend Bandaiya Soan. "Oh? It's Mr. Zong'an. Is Lingdi's illness better?" Zong An didn't answer his question, but just smiled vaguely: "Mr. Xin Zuo was sent out by the Beizheng Office again?" Zong An gave up the shop of Bandai House to his younger brother Zongquan, and Zongquan's wife is Ayin, the adopted daughter of Rikyu Layman who was talked about at Nawu Jiaoan today.

Zeng Luli continued: "I want to ask if Brother Ling is still sick?" "Where did you hear that?" "It's Mr. Jiao'an... I met Miss Mu Shi on the road." Zeng Luli hurriedly vagued his words.Because among Sakai Hong Kong people, Zong An needs to be especially careful.He was a spy of Ishida Osamu, and many people said so, so Zeng Luli was very vigilant. "Oh! You went to visit Mr. Jiaoan?" Zong An said seriously, "I haven't seen Mr. Jiaoan for a long time, is he okay?" He seemed to bring up some topic. Zeng Luli nodded earnestly: "Oh, ha, very good." Then he sat down by the mast.

"Okay, haha, you're covering it up really well!" Zong An and Zeng Luli sat side by side, carefully raised their knees together, and said, "I have something to ask you, Mr. Xin Zuo." "Oh? Mr. Bandaiya asked me?" "Sir, Master Guan Bai trusts you deeply, can you ask me why I can't go to Kyushu alone this time? Could it be that something about me has offended Master Guan Bai?" Zeng Luli looked up at the twilight sky, and simply replied: "I am very clear about this matter. You have not offended Mr. Guan Bai in any way. Guan Bai told Layman Lixiu to choose three tea masters, Layman So I chose Zongji, Zongxun, and Zongwu."

"It's that simple?" "how?" "Since Zong Wu can go, why can't I? There is a rumor in the world." "Oh? As you know, Zong Wu is not only good at making wine, but also knows the art of war. The layman asked him to go with him to protect himself..." "No, no, the world doesn't say that." "What did they say?" Zeng Luli asked in surprise. "With the help of Lord Ishida Jibu, my younger brother married the layman's daughter A Yin, and Lord Guan Bai was very angry about this." "Oh, I've never heard of that." Zeng Luli opened his eyes wide and looked at Zong An. In fact, he knew the true meaning of these words all too well.Among the tea connoisseurs gathered around Layman Lixiu, Zong An was the one with the most outrageous ideas.He wants to marry Ah Yin into the Bandai House.If he can marry Ah Yin, he will become a relative of Lixiu, and it will be easy to get ahead.Regarding this request, Lixiu said that Ah Yin was too strong and did not agree with Zong An, so he politely refused.

In fact, Ah Yin is not Rikyu's own daughter, but brought by his stepmother.Her biological father was Matsunaga Masaki Bikuhide, who was killed by Nobunaga, and her biological mother was Matsunaga Hide's concubine, the daughter of Sarutafu Miyao Michisan.After Jiuxiu's death, Daozan's daughter took her two children to fill in Lixiu's house. After the marriage proposal was rejected, Zong An thought of Ishida Mitsunari, and argued, "They made a mistake. It's not that I want to marry Ms. Ayin, but my younger brother Zongquan." Zeng Luli knew very well that as long as Ishida Mitsunari, one of the five obediences, could come forward, the marriage would be a smooth one.Ishida Mitsunari was quite dissatisfied with Sakai Hong Kong people's influence on Hideyoshi.As a newcomer, of course he wanted to keep the power in his own hands.

Through the tea ceremony, people in Hong Kong of Sakai were able to get close to the Dazhengsuo and Beizhengsuo, as well as military generals who were courtiers such as Asano, Kato, Fukushima, Katagiri, and Hosokawa around them.Therefore, Sancheng plans to win over a Sakai-Hong Kong native, and his goal is Bandaiya Zongan. Therefore, he told Lixiu according to Wan Daiwu's intention that it was not Zong An who wanted to marry Ah Yin, but the honest Zong Quan.He asked Zong An to give up the Bandai House to his younger brother first, and then stepped forward to let him become a tea master as a matter of course.Ishida Mitsunari, who is outstanding in eloquence, fully took care of Rikyu's face, and married A Yin to Wandaiya Sozen.And Zong An thought that it was because of Ah Yin that Hideyoshi was alienated from him.

"This is the first time I've heard of it, where did I hear this rumor?" Zeng Luli said. "This...because Lord Guan Bai wants to take Ah Yin as his concubine." "Oh? This is even more shocking!" "People's words are terrible. It is said that not only Lord Guan Bai, but also many people have such thoughts. But I persuaded Master Zhibu Shaofu to marry Ah Yin to his younger brother Zongquan. Therefore, Guan Bai told me Wandai Yazong was dissatisfied, and I was alienated by Lay Rikyu. I wanted to get ahead, but in the end I blocked this road by myself."

Zeng Luli chuckled. The previous conversations were all unintentional, and only the last sentence can be true.Passing 30% to please Lixiu is definitely not a good idea.The relationship between Lixiu and Sancheng is not good. As Lixiu's junior tea master, Zong An doesn't even know this. "Xin Zuo, to me, it's not a joke!" "Of course, but who made this rumor?" "It must have been spread among tea friends." "The people who said these words are actually some elegant people?" "Therefore, I ask you to help me and help me figure out where I offended everyone. If Master Guan Bai is really as the rumors say, Ah Yin must be let go."

"Mr. Zong An, did you come to Sakai Port just for this?" "And visit my brother by the way." "How is brother Ling?" Zong An shook his head and said in displeasure, "It would be boring to leave after becoming a widow. You must leave while you are still alive!" Zeng Luli couldn't help becoming irritable, and he hurriedly looked away.Does this sound like the words of someone who is determined to be a romantic?With such ulterior motives, no wonder Layman Lixiu disliked him, and Guan Bai also underestimated him.What a poor wretch who tried every means to disguise himself!Wanting to get close to Lixiu, he tried to marry Ah Yin, but was rejected. In desperation, he turned to Ah Yin to marry his younger brother.His younger brother and his wife had already given birth to two children, but at this moment they planned to separate them.His heart can be punished! Zeng Luli then said: "Mr. Zong An, do you mean that my brother has no hope of recovery?" Zong An nodded, there was no pain in his eyes. "A Yinding is very sad." "I don't know. But, how could those people try to send Ah Yin to Lord Guan Bai?" "Who is planning this?" "Rumors say it's Rikyu and Mr. Shoan..." "You're afraid..." Zeng Luli wanted to say Zong An made a big mistake, but seeing his serious face, he had no choice but to keep silent. "Mr. Xinzuo, please be a witness." "witness?" "I'm afraid my younger brother will die before Master Guan Bai returns from Kyushu, but before he dies, Zong An wants Ah Yin to go away with him." "Why do you want to be such a witness?" "Even if it's a rumor, she is also the woman Master Guan Bai likes, and Guan Bai may take her as a concubine. Therefore, we must let them disperse before his brother dies." "You want me to prove this to your lord?" "One day I will repay sir myself." "Hmm." Zeng Luli mused. Zong An was restless: "Xin Zuo! Ishida-sama and other people around Guan Bai-sama have a bad impression of Sakai-Hong Kong people, do you know?" "Oh? Is there such a thing?" "This is very unfortunate for the people of Sakai and Hong Kong! No matter what they know, they are all in the Guanbai teahouse. If Wu Fengxing is dissatisfied, the future is bleak!" "If the master heard this, what would he think?" "It's because of this that bad things happen! People have to restrain themselves so they won't get hurt, a big tree attracts the wind!" Zeng Luli couldn't help slapping his forehead and sticking out his tongue, there is such a person in Sakai Port!Now, the people of Sakai Port call themselves the eyes and windows of Japan.But of course they were not so arrogant as to think that force and power were no longer needed in the world.This can be said to be another serious reflection and progress by the people of Sakai Hong Kong since the Nobunaga era.They realized that Sakai Port must be independent, not greedy for profit, and coordinate force and power in order to survive forever. Based on this idea, the people of Hong Kong in Sakai supported Hideyoshi and swayed Hideyoshi to a certain extent.But Zong'an's approach is completely different. He can no longer bear Hideyoshi's pressure, and has become a pathetic slave. He only wants to curry favor with the world and get ahead. Otherwise, how could he have designed Ah Yin to leave before her husband died? "Xin Zuo, what's all the fuss about?" "How do you know that Layman and Mr. Jiao'an want to send Ah Yin to Master Guan Bai?" "Did it come out of nothing?" "Yes! As far as I know, there is absolutely no such thing! What's more, the layman and Mr. Jiao'an will not be so despicable." "Xin Zuo, this statement is wrong." "Did you listen to what the lord said? This is the key. If it is true as you said, wouldn't Lord Guan Bai become a man of prestige? Maybe Lixiu Layman persuaded him to find a woman, just joking, in order to show his temperament Peace." The boat has hoisted its sails and is beginning to swim upstream. However, once Zeng Luli opened his mouth, he would forget his feelings and become angry. Of course, he would not be aware of the boat moving and the evening wind that followed.He said with a sigh: "Please forgive me, it is really disgusting for you to act like this!" "New Left?" "Hmph! If you let Ah Yin separate from her husband, Lord Guan Bai will not be happy, and the monks and Jiaoan will also be angry. How can you be the same as them!" "Why do you talk like that?" "Loyalty is harsh!" "So, let me ask you, why did the layman refuse when I wanted to marry Ah Yin?" "You show your sharpness too much. In other words, the layman has seen through your plot, and he refused you because he wanted to give A Yin to Lord Guan Bai." After all, Zeng Luli himself felt that his words were a bit too much. Zong An stared and shook his fist at Zeng Luli.Zeng Luli chuckled, lowered his head and dodged it, and said, "Loyal words are hard to hear, I'm thinking of you, so I made the words a little harsh." "Don't worry about it! I have my own ideas." "Hey...well! Please calm down." "I want to report to Lord Guan Bai every word you said, and ask the Lord to judge." "As you wish!" "Let's see if your lord thinks you are right, or if you regard everything I have done for my dying brother as brotherhood." Zeng Luli sneered: "So, you want me to look good?" "how you said that?" "That's my misunderstanding. Hehe, but Mr. Bandaiya may not be able to escape the name of flattery." Zeng Luli said.As soon as he finished speaking, a figure blocked his sight in the setting sun.Zeng Luli yelled and sat up straight.Ishida Mitsunari, who was wearing a haori, stood beside him at some point.Zeng Luli said anxiously: "I didn't know that Master Feng Xing was also on the boat, and I am very sorry for disturbing him." The short Sancheng was silent, just staring at Zeng Luli.Amidst the sound of sculls, the boat swayed violently in the river full of sunset, and the Sumiyoshi forest on the right bank looked a little bleak. "Bandaiya," after a long while, Sancheng controlled his emotions and said, "You go, Shinzaemon and I have to talk alone." "Obey!" Zong An gave a salute, and winked at the servants around him, telling him to put Zhezhu in front of Sancheng, and then hid on the deck.Zeng Luli quietly put down his hands, lowered his head, and thought to himself: What did Sancheng hear?He was uneasy, and Zong An was called away again, which made him even more terrified. "Shinzaemon, where are you going? Did you come all the way from Sakai Port to trouble me?" Sancheng's voice was low and calm, but the murderous intent in it made Zeng Luli's heart churn.He was silent, and he couldn't speak easily before he understood the other party's true meaning. "You guys are doing a good business! Treat people like tea sets." Sancheng still whispered, and smiled, "But you are too arrogant! How can you treat the world as your plaything?" "..." "Ninzaemon, why are you so silent today? Tell Zongan that it is I, Ishida Mitsunari, who makes Kanbaku-sama remember Ah Yin." "Ah? My lord!" "Haha, you finally spoke—can I say something like that?" "I don't think so either." "Ninzaemon, Mr. Zongan is a good man! Don't let him be influenced by the people of Sakai. You are too numb to know the rumors in the world!" "rumor?" "Yes. This rumor is not about Master Guan Bai and Ah Yin. Why, are you interested?" "If there is nothing wrong, please tell me, so that I can learn a lot." "Tell you! The tea lovers are close to the Dazhengsuo and the Beizhengsuo, conspiring to disturb the Toyotomi family. How, have you heard these rumors?" Hearing this kind of naked irony, Zeng Luli, who was already disgusted in his heart, was shocked and said, "I have heard of it." "Have you heard?" "Yes. It is said that the people of Hong Kong in Sakai conspired to interfere in the inner court, trying to use the simple-minded daimyo to secretly hand Cha Cha Ji to Lord Guan Bai, so as to cause a dispute in the inner court." "No nonsense! This is all fabricated out of nothing!" "Then you are talking nonsense, my lord. No one made this rumor." "Hmph, tough guy!" "It's not easy to obey an adult!" "Ninzaemon, such speculation is likely to become a rumor, what do you think?" "Because it may become a rumor, I will only say it." "The bigger the door, the easier it is for factions to appear. I will not allow you to have such signs!" Sancheng said. Zeng Luli straightened his body, and replied: "It's unreasonable to follow your lord's words. Factions are the same as quarrels, you must have opponents. How can you make fun of me? The most important thing is that the important ministers must unite as one, and the Toyotomi family can do it well." will be at peace." Ishida Mitsunari laughed out loud.He is recognized as an outstanding person around Hideyoshi, eloquent and resolute. "Ninzaemon, you claim to be both wise and brave, and you can be considered an upright person." "What do you mean, my lord?" "Now it proves that you are irritable. People who are irritable are often impatient, and those who are impatient are often righteous - those who can endure are the most terrifying." "So Xinzuo is a righteous person?" "Ninzaemon, just now I mentioned the signs of a factional dispute." "My lord is too serious." "No, our intentions are actually the same. In the future, if there is anything that will cause disaster for Lord Guan Bai, it is what you just said." Sancheng's tone became sincere and rigorous.Shinzaemon couldn't figure out his true meaning, and remained silent. "Therefore, I want to ask you something—can you become a wall to stop the faction?" "wall?" "Yes. I deliberately provoked you to test your strength." Zeng Luli smiled, but he didn't take it seriously.But Sancheng raised his head very solemnly, and said: "It's not your fault that it's hard to understand, just listen to me!" "Yes, I'm all ears." "You should know that Guan Bai is the number one person who has made such a success in the world today!" "It's natural." "You must be meticulous in everything you do. From the very beginning, those of us who grew up beside Lord Guan Bai have become his retainers..." "My lord is saying, Kato, Fukushima, Asano, Katagiri..." "There is no need to list them one by one. The second generation of Hosokawa, Kuroda, and Gamo, didn't they also start from a young age? As long as the Kyushu War is over, Toyotomi will have no enemies in Japan." "Of course." "But now, internal troubles are more important than external troubles... If the second generation is split, it will be a great danger." Zeng Luli had to look at it again - he was not as conceited and possessed of a city as usual, but he seemed to be single-minded, self-denying and devoted to public affairs.Sancheng said again: "So I want you to understand that the people of Sakai and Hong Kong want the world to be peaceful more than anyone else." "I understand." Zeng Luli said, "But why are you saying this all of a sudden?" Sancheng raised his head and looked at the sunset in the western sky, muttering to himself: "Tokugawa, Shimadzu...there are more and more people who want Toyotomi to split up!" "Tokugawa and Shimadzu are not Lord Guan Bai's retainers." Zeng Luli said.Although he gradually understood Sancheng's worries, he couldn't be single-minded with him.This is the lingering reliance on talent. "If these people are openly enemies, they are not so terrible." "yes." "However, if you sneak into the house, it will cause civil strife, and even threaten the life of the lord." "So, what should I do to prevent the chaos from happening again?" "Unite the cronies cultivated by Guan Bai's family, this is one of them." "I don't understand. I'm just an insignificant attendant." "Ninzaemon, you must not leak a word of this! You know me and I know it." "Please believe me, my lord, I am also a man!" "Master Tokugawa has become his own." "yes." "When the lord returns triumphantly from Kyushu, he is likely to come to congratulate him." "yes." "However, because he is already Lord Guan Bai's brother-in-law, Mrs. Dazhengsuo and Mrs. Beizhengsuo will also meet with him often. At that time," Sancheng looked around, "if those uneducated daimyos disagree with me, it will be a disaster! " "Are adults worried about this?" "Ninzaemon, this matter is related to me, so I entrust it to you. The important thing is that this is my personal matter, and it is not appropriate to make it public." Zeng Luli suddenly changed his sitting position.Sancheng's eyes turned red, it was the first time Zeng Luli saw him like this.Sancheng said again: "If you waste your time on those daimyo who come from courtiers, you will have no time to do things for the lord. After all, I am an important minister of Guan Bai's family!" "yes." "When you go to the inner court, can you tell them my difficulties repeatedly? Let them know how I was suppressed by others, but it is inconvenient to tell them?" Zeng Luli nodded heavily, "This is Lord Zhibu's trust in this subordinate." He was firmly attracted by this matter.No matter how strong a person looks, once they open their hearts, their weaknesses will be exposed, which is sad.Sancheng has become so weak now, but more amiable than usual. "Okay, I will do as your lord asks." When arriving at Kansuke Island at Kizukawaguchi, Sancheng changed to an official ship. Bandaiya Zongan also hurriedly chased after him.It was only then that Zeng Luli realized that Sancheng followed him from the very beginning.In fact, Sancheng is worried that factions will appear within the Toyotomi family.However, Zeng Luli also had the same premonition.San Cheng would not come to Sakai Port lightly. If he intended to board this ship only to win over and use Zeng Luli, why would he do this?Are you guarding Tokugawa? It was dusk and the warm wind was constantly blowing from the sea.On weekdays, the night has shrouded the entire land at this moment, but today the river is brightly lit and bustling, but it is a different scene.It provides all the supplies for Kyoto and Osaka, and now it has to supply 300,000 troops. Of course it is so brightly lit tonight. I have something in common with Jibu-sama!Zeng Luli thought.Sancheng has never been so affectionate like today, telling him many things in Osaka City, letting him know that those uneducated daimyos yearn for Beizhengsuo like a mother.However, Sancheng did not mention the matter of Jiaoan, which made him greatly relieved.Jiaoan has the ability to control all the people in Sakai and Hong Kong, including Rikyu, but he doesn't pay attention to 30%. Toyotomi Hideyoshi appeared as Guanbai, if he became acquainted with him because of this, it would not be beneficial, but would cause trouble. "However, the Beizheng Institute still has 40,000 to 50,000 shi in Changbin, and is aggressively participating in political affairs." Although Sancheng did not say that she had the ambition of "the world has not yet been unified", she still could see the signs in her heart.He was also afraid of the inner court, and when he reached out to political affairs, he came to ask Zeng Luli to help him, which was suspicious. This is a person with a righteous heart who is weaker than he imagined—Zeng Luli thought so at the time, but after Sancheng left, he had another opinion: Isn't Sancheng too weak?How is he like a popular person around Guan Bai? Jiaoan often said that people in the world are also people, but in the eyes of ordinary people, he must be stronger and wiser than ordinary people. This is the true meaning of politics.If Jiaoan's words are true, Sancheng is not a real veteran, maybe he has already participated in the faction dispute.Zeng Luli felt that he could not help 30% at will.It is meaningless to try to eliminate the faction, but to encourage the faction instead. At four o'clock in the morning, the official ship arrived at Yodoyabashi Wharf.A man carrying a lantern walked up the bridge, and when Zeng Luli recognized that this man was Yodoya Chang'an, his eyes widened.Chang An put the lamp at Zeng Luli's feet, smiled and saluted courteously, and said, "Are you tired? The villain knows that you are coming on this boat, so he specially prepared meals to express his heart. Please come with me." "Mr. Yodoya, what are you talking about?" Zeng Luli was at a loss.Yodoya Chang Anding thought that he came here because he had something important to do, so he came out to greet him.It was rumored that he was one of the most scheming businessmen, how could he be so polite to himself who had only been a swordsman for three or two years?Zeng Luli felt a chill run down his back. The faction dispute seems to have germinated among the merchants.If not, why did Yodoya know that he was on this ship before the ship arrived?What was even more frightening was Chang An's unpredictable smiling face. "In Kyushu, before Master Guan Bai arrives, the outcome seems to be decided." "yes." "Did Mr. Zeng Luli go to Kyushu?" "it's me……" "No time to get out, right? Please pay attention to your feet, there are stone steps!" Zeng Luli chased the light wheel carrying the lantern, this person must have thought that I was Hideyoshi's secret agent.He was both disturbed and somewhat annoyed.Otherwise, why did Yodoya come out to greet him and prepare meals for himself?I was wronged enough that Ishida Mitsunari regarded him as a spy of Sakai Hong Kong people, and Bandai Yasuyasu as a Rikyu layman, and now he is suspected by Yodoya again.Zeng Luli couldn't help feeling aggrieved: Can I only be regarded as a spy? Zeng Luli originally wanted to keep his feet on the ground and pay attention to the world with his own pair of discerning eyes.However, in the eyes of others, he is just a clown who pretends to be a tiger and arrogant.Unknowingly, this upright man seemed to be regarded as an out-and-out puppet. People with strong natures feel very uneasy once they find themselves in an awkward situation.Maybe I'm not suitable to serve a minister at all, Zeng Luli thought to himself.He went up the stone steps of the pier, and when he passed a row of warehouses, he squatted down with a groan: "Ah! My stomach hurts! Mr. Yodoya, thank you very much, but I can't hold it anymore!" He felt that he was very funny, and wanted to spit on himself a few times, so he couldn't help closing his eyes...