Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty-One

The newly built Hosokawa Chuxing Mansion outside the gate of Osaka Castle, you can look up to the gate of the city from the northeast, and the gate of the inner courtyard faces south.The concierge brought A Yin, the widow of Wandai Yazongquan, into the door, where a maid of eighteen or nineteen years old who looked quite simple was waiting for her. Ah Yin entrusted her two children to her mother. On the way to the capital, she suddenly wanted to visit Mrs. Zhongxing.Since she had notified her intention of coming in advance, as soon as she arrived at the guest room, Madam also came immediately.Flowers are blooming everywhere, and Ah Yin, who has not yet recovered from the exhaustion of taking care of her husband, has a slightly thin face, but she is still very young. In contrast, Mrs. Hosokawa is already fat.

"Oh! Ah Yin, I'm far away from you." "How is Madam?" "You're welcome between us!" Madame said, crossing herself.There was a silver cross hanging on her chest, "What happened to Mr. Zongquan was really unexpected!" "Maybe it's fate." "Where are the children?" "Send it at the child's grandfather's house, since the father is not around anyway." "How old are you? I haven't seen you for five years..." "The older one is five years old, and the younger one is three years old."

"Our fathers were both like that," sighed Madame. Ah Yin hastily waved her hand to stop her.Mrs. Hosokawa's father is Akechi Mitsuhide, and Ah Yin's biological father is Matsunaga Hideo. Both of them had feuds with Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, and they died unexpectedly.Mentioning this will only make Ah Yin more painful.She murmured: "My father is Layman Lixiu, he is a good father." "Yes. I heard that you will move to the capital in the future?" "Yes. I hope to live closer to my father. I heard that Guan Bai will hold an unprecedented tea party after his triumphant return. Therefore, I entrusted the child to my mother and rushed to Beijing."

"That's fine. The priest said that heart disease will affect children. If the family moves, the mood will get better." Afterwards, the wife whispered, "Did you know?" "Know what?" Ah Yin asked seriously. Madam smiled and shifted her gaze from the corridor to the atrium: "It's better not to say anything." "Hey, what's the matter?" "Okay, let me tell you, but don't spread it! Ah Yin, you really don't know that Mr. Zong An wants you to leave before Mr. Zong Quan dies?" "I know this, Mr. Zong An said it himself."

"Oh? How did you come back?" "I just laughed it off. Ma'am, as long as I think of letting someone else be the father of my child, I can't accept it. I have no intention of remarrying." Ah Yin was quite firm, but Mrs. Hosokawa frowned and sighed.After persuading Ah Yin to drink tea, she said, "It seems that you still don't know the rumors that followed." "rumor?" "We love sisters, so I won't hide it from you. I heard that Mr. Zong An asked you to leave Mr. Zongquan because he intended you to serve Lord Guan Bai." "Serve Lord Guan Bai?"

Madam looked away in pain, "Mr. Zong An didn't say it clearly, this matter is too much..." "I don't know anything about it." "If the person serving is Lord Guan Bai, you have no premonition?" "Not at all." Ah Yin tilted her head naively, and laughed like a girl, "I don't care about those rumors at all." "This matter is not trivial." "Ma'am, you don't have to worry about this kind of thing. The rumors are groundless." "There is no basis, but it is not groundless." "No! Master Guan Bai will find a woman when he has time. This reminds me of Master Youfu when he was young. It was just like a scene. It was just that Mr. Zeng Luli occasionally joked and mentioned it by the way, saying that my father I have a beautiful daughter."

"Is it that simple?" "Please don't worry, ma'am." But Mrs. Hosokawa still had a sad face, "That's good. But what I heard is even more extraordinary." "Another rumor?" "Ayin, this is no ordinary discussion." "I'm all ears." "You're joking with me again." Madam restrained her expression, "No matter what, after you move to the capital, you should try your best not to see Guan Bai." "here we go again." "It seems that you have been kept in the dark!" Madam said, "The people of Sakai Hong Kong even think that it would be best to arrange you by Guan Bai's side."

"Even if there is such a thing, my father will object. Please rest assured." "But what if someone who is familiar with the layman's temperament goes to him to discuss this matter?" "Ah?" Ah Yin was very puzzled, "What do you mean Madam?" "Ayin, men love to do ugly things, and they do whatever they want! If anyone in Sakai-Hong Kong wants to use your beauty and Layman Rikyu to find a job... So, I still have to advise you: don't let Mr. Guan Bai see it. your turn." Ah Yin smiled and said, "I really don't know..." Ah Yin regards Mrs. Hosokawa as her sister.One is the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide and the other is the daughter of Matsunaga Hideo. They have similar experiences and appreciate each other's talents.The wife is no longer called Kikyo, but is called Zhuzhu, and her Christian name was Cressina after she became a Christian.Only Ah Yin still called her Mrs. Kikyo.

Nobunaga liked Kikyo's talent and beauty, so the nickname "Kikyo" was used.At that time, Nobunaga and Mitsuhide were still loyal ministers, and Nobunaga, as a matchmaker, married her to Hosokawa and Ichiro Tadako. Her life has undergone earth-shaking changes.In the change of the Benneng Temple, she was afraid that the world would hate her as the daughter of a rebellious minister, so she lived separately from Zhongxing for a long time.Later, although Hideyoshi claimed to forgive her, there was an insurmountable gap between her and her husband. Zhongxing is a well-known fierce general in the world, and his wife is also surprisingly competitive. It is not surprising that there is a rift between the two.Madam's beliefs are not tolerated by Zhongxing, and Zhongxing's beliefs make Madam gnash her teeth.However, she has raised two children and is unequivocal about her husband.When the house was first built, one day the two were sitting opposite each other. They were so angry that a bricklayer accidentally fell from the eaves, and Zhongxing killed him on the spot.At that time, the wife just looked at her husband with hatred, without any fear.

"You insidious woman, you are an evil spirit!" Zhongxing scolded angrily, but his wife contradicted him: "You are worthy of being an adult's wife." At this time, Ah Yin was actually quite surprised.Someone wanted her to get close to Hideyoshi, and wanted to use Rikyu Lay.These things cannot be ignored.She then said: "Madam, please speak more clearly, let Ah Yin know the truth of the matter." Madam looked at Ah Yin with a smile, and sighed: "You are such a clever person, don't you know?" "I really don't know." "Ayin, I thought that your father, the Sakai Hong Kong people represented by Layman Rikyu, would not be favored by Guan Bai's close ministers."

"Of course. Where in the world is there no jealousy?" "Since this is the case, you should understand, if someone wants to separate the layman and Guan Bai, what kind of traps can they set?" Ah Yin still didn't understand, so she whispered: "What does this have to do with me?" Her expression became serious. "If..." Mrs. Hosokawa whispered, "Someone tells Master Guan Bai about you." "What's up?" "It is said that the most beautiful woman in Sakai Port lost her husband at a young age." "Well, ma'am, don't be joking." "You are the most beautiful woman in Sakai Port, and you are quite capable of giving birth to children." "What does it mean?" "Married to a sick husband, and gave birth to two children not long after. This woman will definitely be able to give birth to Guan Bai." The lady's expression became more serious when she said this, "If someone says that to Guan Bai, he How can you not be upset?" "Even if he has this idea, his father will not agree." "That's the problem, Ah Yin." The lady's voice was even lower, "The layman's temperament determines his attitude, and he will definitely refuse. He will say that other things are easy to discuss, but this is the only thing that should not be discussed again." carry." "He does." "If it is spread that the layman exchanged his daughter for fame and so on, then the authority of the tea ceremony will lose its former glory. The layman knows the pros and cons, and will never agree to this." Ah Yin was startled suddenly, she was stung by his wife's sharp words, "Then, who is that person with ulterior motives?" "Be careful." Ah Yin nodded stiffly, this kind of conspiracy will inevitably drive a wedge between his father and Guan Bai.Even if someone brokers this matter, Rikyu will reject it, thus planting the seeds of discord between him and Guan Bai.Men are extremely stupid when they talk about men and women, and Hideyoshi is no exception. Hideyoshi has often mentioned wanting children recently, and sometimes not only reprimanded the Beizheng Office, but also ignored her.He often said to the Beizheng Institute: "It would be great if you could have children!" Zeng Luli told Ah Yin all these things.At this time, if someone mentions that there is a beautiful woman who can give birth to children, it will touch Guan Bai's heart the most, but it is also the most despicable. Ah Yin couldn't help trembling. "Everything in the world is according to my will." This is Hideyoshi's mantra.If this happened, his father would be scolded by Hideyoshi. Ah Yin's face had lost all color, "Madam, since you have seen this, you must know who the mastermind is, please tell Ah Yin." Without reliable evidence, Madam will not speak nonsense.A Yin thought about it and asked repeatedly, but Madam just shook her head gently. "Forgive me for not being able to say." "Since you have already mentioned this point..." "Ayin, you just said that there is no jealousy anywhere in the world!" "I said so." "That's the way everything is." "..." "The Layman Rikyu puts his love on the tea ceremony, which is not something ordinary people can understand. Therefore, ordinary people misunderstand him, thinking that the layman is doing things for the people of Sakai and Hong Kong at will." "I know it's jealousy..." "Guan Bai's civil and military heroes have no good intentions for the layman. In short, you have to find ways to avoid Guan Bai." "Oh." "The things of the world are so troublesome!" sighed Madame. "Yeah, I wanted to get rid of the pain of losing my husband and focus on raising my children in the capital." "It's all your fault." "My fault?" "Who told you to be so beautiful? Even if you are a widow, people will still come to harass you. It's your fault for being beautiful!" Madam smiled desolately.Ah Yin still had a serious face.In the past, she devoted herself to serving Zongquan and the children without even thinking about these things.But dark clouds suddenly broke into my heart and spread. Indeed, Sancheng and Changsheng didn't like Rikyu, and even Kato and Fukushima, who were born as servants, didn't like the tea ceremony. Battlefield and tea, blood and emptiness, they are incompatible.A big net covers the future of Ah Yin's mother and son. Ah Yin is just a butterfly stuck on the spider's web, caught between Hideyoshi and his father, how should she deal with it? "Ma'am," A Shuang, the personal maid, came in to report, "Mr. Shiro Jiro, a tea house merchant of silk and satin in the capital, came to greet Madam." Madam took a look at Ah Yin: "It's a coincidence, let him come in." Chaya Shiro Jiro knew both of them.He is not an authentic businessman, but a native of Hong Kong, and also involved in tea affairs.Many people said that Chaya and Honami Koji belonged to the Tokugawa clan, but my wife disagreed.During the Honnoji Incident, he knew that his wife was Mitsuhide's daughter, but he secretly rescued her.The lady thought that the tea house was deeper and higher realm than those martial arts palaces. Ah Yin also has a good impression of the tea house.People in Sakai and Hong Kong are all pretending to be romantic, but Chaya Shiro Jiro is always real.He looked rustic, and because of this, his simple and honest quality made people trustworthy. "Mr. Chaya has recently been allowed to come in and out of the Beizheng Office. Let's chat with him." Madam said. "I used to be completely isolated from the world. I didn't care much about world affairs, but now I'm even stranger." "Don't forget what you said just now!" Madam gently pressed her hand to her lips, signaling Ah Yin to keep it secret. Ah Shuang led the tea house Shiro Jiro in.Ah Shuang is nearly thirty years old, and manages the inner court with a very forthright temperament. "Ma'am, Mr. Chaya is here." "It's been a long time since I came to say hello, and I'm very pleased to see that you are still healthy." Chaya solemnly greeted his wife and saluted Ayin. "Okay," Madam stopped, "I'm familiar with you, so you don't need to be polite, why don't you tell me about the drum practice in Sakai Port, okay, Miss Ayin?" "The scene at that time is really nostalgic! Mr. Chaya, are you here to work for Mrs. Beizheng this time?" "No." Chaya said frankly, "I heard that Lord Guanbai will gradually open up overseas trading channels when he returns from Kyushu." "Who did you listen to, sir?" Madam asked in surprise. "Master Ishida Osamu, who came back first, told me. He kindly asked me if I would like to ask to go to sea?" "Master Ishida?" Madam heard Sancheng's name, glanced at Ah Yin, and changed the subject, "Master Zhibu is proud of his spring breeze! Now he is equivalent to Guan Bai's deacon." Ah Yin has not yet done anything, but the lady's face suddenly shows contempt. It is very likely that the person she mentioned to pay attention to just now is Ishida Mitsunari! "You made a request?" Madam said. "Yes, of course. We are determined to do business with overseas as soon as possible." "If you can get the attention of Lord Zhibu, this matter will be settled. He didn't mention the tea party in the capital?" "As mentioned, he also assigned me a lot of tasks." When Chaya said this, his face was a little dignified.Madam sensitively observed the change in Chaya's expression.Sancheng allowed Zhu Yin's ship to go to sea and organize a tea party, and he must mention the conditions that troubled the tea house.Madam thinks that 30% of this behavior is both sad and strange. "Master Zhibu is even more fanatical than others in order not to lose to those who are outstanding in martial arts and born as servants!" "Yes... yes." Chaya froze and stuttered. "If you don't pay attention, after the war, Lord Zhibu will cover the sky with one hand." "Yes Yes." "Do you know who is the most feared general in Sanzhibu's heart?" "No, I don't know." "Let me tell you, it's Master Tokugawa." The lady hit the nail on the head, and then glanced at Ah Yin, "Is that right, Miss Ah Yin?" She smiled meaningfully.Chaya Shirojiro once again fell into embarrassment.The madam is a little loathing herself, she has a short-term pleasure in quickly peeking into other people's hearts.However, her state of mind today is quite different from the past.The madam said straightforwardly again: "What did Lord Zhibu order you to do?" As soon as the words fell, she felt that something was wrong, but the words had already been spoken and could not be taken back. "Sorry, this matter..." "Oh, then I am even more sure. Hehe, I am a wise daughter after all!" "Madam was joking." "Hey, Mr. Chaya, after the war in Kyushu, there will still be Odawara." "Ah, maybe... maybe!" "That's why Mr. Jibu intends to take Mrs. Asahi back on the pretext of being ill in Taisho, and soon the Tokugawa clan will make a big crusade." Chaya Shirojiro was shocked. "Hey," Madam said triumphantly, "That's right! It's so sad!" "This is……" "Recently I learned about divination." "Diary?" "When things are extreme, good fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. I promise you to sail the Zhuyin boat on the condition that you betray the Tokugawa clan. If I were a man, I should think so!" Madam said decisively, turning her head to A Yin, "Women are pitiful, but women You can be tough! Ah Yin, women have the blessings of women." Ah Yin suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She was a widow because her husband died of illness.Mrs. Hosokawa's husband is still alive, but she is a widow.Madam's husband, Hosokawa Tadake-sama, is still working hard, but Madam has clearly seen his end. The wife witnessed the life of Oda Nobunaga and the life of his father Mitsuhide Akechi. She wanted to transcend the world, so she found refuge—God!Because of this, the husband in the eyes of the lady is an ugly heretic. "Women are pitiful, but women are tough!" Ah Yin felt that Madam's words deeply reflected the misfortune of their couple.This is not just talking about the relationship between husband and wife, maybe in the eyes of the wife, everything in this world is just a sad game, Kanbai, Sancheng, Zhongxing, Ah Yin and Chaya Shirojiro are no exceptions. Sensitively aware of Ah Yin's depression, Madam laughed loudly and said, "It seems that Ah Yin has seen the big mountain on the road of life." "A mountain on the road of life?" "Yes, this is not caused by Ishida alone, nor by Guan Bai, but a mountain that blocks all living beings! Mr. Chaya is here today, is there anything important?" "No." Jiro Shiro, who had been in deep thought, came back to his senses, shook his head and said, "It's just that since we've come to Osaka, we must of course come to greet Madam." "Then I'll give you another present." "Gift?" Ah Yin asked. "The gift weighs a lot!" Madam laughed heartily, "Mr. Chaya, you know, Guan Bai returned triumphantly from Kyushu, and his next target is Odawara." "It's possible." "And after that? Haven't you thought about it?" Chaya Shirojiro looked at his wife in surprise.When Chaya and his wife crossed the Yodo River on the same boat, she had already realized that she was not an ordinary woman.She has experienced all kinds of hardships, which are no longer comparable to those in the past.Chawu believed that she could see everything in the world, but she didn't expect that she would think of everything after Odawara, so he asked, "Who will be pointed at after Odawara, madam?" Madam said decisively: "It must be Master Tokugawa! What do you think, Ah Yin?" Ah Yin blinked hurriedly and turned his head away, she still couldn't see through these things. "Master Tokugawa is in danger?" Chaya Shiro Jiro no longer wanted to hide his relationship with Ieyasu in front of his wife, because his wife already knew a lot about it, and she spoke to him out of good intentions. Madam said: "The counselors around Master Guan Bai will definitely deliberately create this kind of atmosphere, I can imagine it." "Madam is divination?" "Hehe, it's dangerous to let someone who is smarter than you stay by your side." "yes." "People's jealousy is deeply rooted. Therefore, they will whisper in Guanbai's ears, such as switching the territory of the Tokugawa clan. They will say that Mikawa, Suruga, and Enjiang are the most important places connected to Owari. Master Guan Bai should put these places in his hands so that he can rest assured. But will the Tokugawa family obey this order? If they don’t agree, Kyushu will be cleaned up, Odawara will be finished, and the next step will be to attack Tokugawa.” Chaya Shirojiro trembled all over, but he didn't notice it!However, hearing Madam say this, I feel that there is indeed such a danger.After cleaning up Odawara, the Wenzhi faction, which is competing with the generals, will definitely encourage Hideyoshi to do this.Now it's time to get ready.Mrs. Hosokawa is really a woman with foresight. Is it because she has experienced too much suffering, or is it because of her faith that she is so smart? "Mr. Chaya, I don't want people to cause wars because of selfish desires. I hope everyone is grateful for God's grace." "War won't break out immediately, but you can't be too careful," Chaya said. "The people in Sakai are the same, Ah Yin." Madam turned to Ah Yin, "Sometimes I think, if Ah Yin and I both believe in the same religion, I should simply ask Mr. Chaya to send you to serve in the inner court of the Tokugawa family. Already!" "What? Send me to Tokugawa's house." Ah Yin said in shock. "Hehe, I'm just joking. Miss Ah Yin hasn't joined the religion yet. By the way, why don't you just send Miss Mu Shi over there." "Miss Mushi's faith seems to be getting stronger and stronger." "Mr. Chaya, what do you think?" "Send Mister Mushi to Tokugawa Inner Court?" "Master Tokugawa has experienced more suffering than Lord Guanbai. Shouldn't his inner court be filled with the glory of God? This is my whim, and I can't act hastily. However, you may wish to think about this matter carefully .” Chaya was sweating unknowingly, and he forgot to wipe off the sweat. Chaya Shiro Jiro left one step ahead of Ah Yin, he involuntarily stopped in front of the door, and stood there for a long time.He originally wanted to go to Yodoyabashi or Baxuan River to take a boat back to Beijing, but suddenly changed his original plan anxiously.Regardless of Hideyoshi's own thoughts, the movements of the people around him deserve special attention.According to Ishida Mitsunari, Hideyoshi will return to Osaka on July 13th or 4th.Now that he has arrived at Bizen Okayama, the imperial emissary sent by the imperial family to meet him should also set off from Kyoto within a few days.In this way, Ieyasu must also go to Beijing to congratulate Guan Bai for his triumphant return.But if at that time the sword suddenly goes off the front, it will be a bolt from the blue, and you will be caught off guard! No, this kind of thing should not happen yet!Even if Kyushu is conquered, there is still Hojo to the east, and Uesugi and Date are still undecided.Even if this happened, it would have to wait until the Odawara matter was resolved.However, is it safe not to notify Sanhe? Shiro Jiro had hated samurai before, but now for some reason he felt close to them, especially Ieyasu.It may be because Ieyasu once told him to walk out of a peaceful road in this dark and chaotic world!If there is no ability to turn things around, how can we talk about peace?But the tea house vaguely felt that behind Hideyoshi's words and deeds, there was a threat to the Tokugawa family. It is absolutely impossible for Ieyasu to take the initiative to launch a war against Hideyoshi, but if Hideyoshi is sure, and someone around him is fanning the flames, it is hard to say.As Guan Bai's power continues to grow, there must be countless villains following his power.Even for a person who can grasp the current situation, if the people around him form a huge skynet, it will definitely bring unexpected disasters.Chaya finally made up his mind. He didn't want to be loyal to Ieyasu, but just wanted to give Ieyasu what Sancheng and Mrs. Hosokawa said.Not only teahouses, but all Sakai-Hong Kong residents, as well as merchants, ministers, and monks in the capital, do not want Hideyoshi and Ieyasu to fight each other.Mrs. Hosokawa probably thought the same way, that's why she wanted to send Mushi, a believer in the foreign religion, to the Tokugawa clan. Under the scorching sunshine of July, the tea house suddenly quickened its pace.He wanted to take a boat back to the capital, and then go straight to see Ieyasu.If I told Ieyasu to persuade him to marry Mushi, how would he react? In the northern sky, chaotic clouds gradually poured out.