Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty-Four

Chaya Shiro Jiro was about to leave Junfu Castle when he suddenly remembered something, so he stopped in his tracks—he thought of Nyomi, the daughter of Nawu Shoan.Of course, this matter has not been mentioned to Jiaoan and Mushi, but considering Mrs. Hosokawa Tadake's thoughts, if Tokugawa Ieyasu does not object, he can ask Mushi to serve him, and Jiaoan will probably not object Therefore, there is no harm to the people of Sakai, Ieyasu and the tea house. But in the city, he did not have the opportunity to talk about it.The theory of Zaemon and Ieyasu, Ieyasu's sadness at losing the Saigo Bureau, and his confession before a simple meal are still deeply imprinted in his mind.You don't have to go back and tell Ieyasu, it's okay to talk about it when he comes to Beijing.Recently, Ie Yasuda will go to Beijing to congratulate Hideyoshi on his triumphant return.Thinking so, the tea house was about to leave the city when a samurai came to the door with three soldiers, got off his horse, and walked over quickly.Chaya bowed his head and avoided it.

"Oh? Isn't this Mr. Chaya?" "Hondo Shoshin-sama is alright?" "I heard from Okazaki Joyo that Mr. is here. I wanted to see you, so I came here in a hurry. Is it convenient? Can you sit down in the castle?" The tea house could not refuse, so it had to agree.In fact, he didn't like Honda Masanobu very much.When Shoshin was still known as Yahachiro, he had been serving Ieyasu around him. He was regarded as an important minister in a long time. Now some people call him Ieyasu's sword and think tank, which may not be exaggerating.However, whenever Chaya saw him, he would naturally think of Yashiro Ohgami.

"Your Excellency is looking for me, so you came here on purpose?" "Yes!" Zhengxin had hurriedly walked towards his mansion, and said in his mouth, "Actually, I have something to talk to you in secret." "commune?" "This matter should not be spread outside the public. Please stay in the humble house tonight, okay?" "Of course, I'm not in a hurry, so I don't need to leave today." "Although I am not very entertaining, Dailiu Oguri from the capital sent a secret letter. I guess Mr. Chaya will be interested in it."

"Confidential letter?" "Yes. About Asai Nagamasa's daughter Cha Ji's marriage to Guan Bai. Mister probably has heard of it. If this can come true, wouldn't it be a big deal?" Honda Zhengxin said, walked into his house, and accompanied the teahouse into the living room.As he walked, he told his wife and servants: "This is a guest from the capital. I have something important to discuss with him, and no one should disturb him casually. I will pass it on after the conversation is over, and the dinner will be ready at that time." When there were only the two of them left in the hall, Zhengxin became serious.Chaya wondered, is it so important that Chachaji marry Hideyoshi?

"Chaya, do you remember the lord's kindness to you?" "Of course." Chaya Shiro Jiro replied, restless: Are you still talking about this now?I understand the lord better than Yahachiro!The teahouse's resentment grew even worse, but he tried his best to hold back, everything was for the sake of the lord. "Now the Tokugawa family and Guan Bai seem to be relatives, but they are secretly devouring each other." "Oh?" "Don't talk about this matter casually. What I said is what the lord said personally... No, even the lord is hard to say. I hope you understand. This is really a big matter. Therefore, you must say something first, forgive me!"

The tea house couldn't help but want to laugh, there are quite a few people in this world who put on airs.The person who is best at this is the first to recommend Hideyoshi, and Honda Masanobu seems to have the ability to play this trick. "Mr. Chaya, like me, is a person who spares his life for the sake of the master. Therefore, this matter must not be leaked under any circumstances." "I understand." "I said just now that Asai Nagamasa's female tea princess wants to become Guan Bai's concubine, so don't miss this opportunity." "how do I say this?"

Honda Shoshin felt even more lonely: "Mr. Chaya, my thoughts may be unexpected." "Oh?" "What if Asai Nagamasa's daughter gave birth to Guan Bai's son?" "Well, he may inherit the Toyotomi family business?" "Yes!" Zhengxin nodded solemnly, "But what if it's not Guan Bai's child, but someone else's descendant?" Chaya looked at Masanobu strangely.Zhengxin poked his head out, his eyes sparkling. "You mean, the daughter of the Asai family gave birth to Guan Bai's son?" Chaya Shiro Jiro asked.Zhengxin's words came so suddenly that he wasn't sure if it was a joke or the truth.

"Yes!" Honda Zhengxin nodded seriously, "I mean, if Cha Cha Ji's child is not related to Bai blood, but after someone else, what will happen?" "Not related to white blood?" "Heh! Guan Bai is originally Cha Cha Ji's enemy, and there is such a huge difference in age, even if she is by his side, he can't accompany her properly. It's only natural that he is lonely in his boudoir." Chaya stared at Masanobu, speechless.He had heard that Honda Zhengxin was a person who acted strangely.However, he never expected that he would talk about other people's private affairs so wantonly.At least an upright warrior should not acquire this habit, otherwise he is unclean.

"Hey." Zhengxin lowered his voice, "No, Mr. seems to have expected one or two things, but pretended not to know, but this involves a plan." "Oh?" "To formulate a strategy, you need to find out the opponent's flaws, and then follow the way to win. This is by no means cowardly. The same is true outside of war. To win, you must find out the opponent's life with your heart." "This..." Chaya was very puzzled and interrupted the right way, "Then, Lord Honda means that if we don't stretch our hands to the Guanbai inner court, we will lose?"

"Haha, no, it's not decided yet, but we will definitely win!" "What if we win?" "Guan Bai's world naturally fell into the hands of Tokugawa." "This... is this what Tokugawa-sama means?" "Mr. Chaya," Zhengxin said with a smile like coaxing a child, "this matter is strictly confidential! Regardless of whether this is the master's intention, as retainers, we must do this. It seems that the master has not understood. You may think that I Do you want the lord to take over the world, think that you are making a profit, and then manipulate the world at will? You think so too? Mr. Chaya, tell me the truth, I am not without this idea, but I am loyal to the lord first, and hate Guan Bai second, me , born unwilling to admit defeat."

Chaya couldn't help sighing.He was not moved by Zhengxin, but was shocked by this firm and strange idea. "You seem to understand a bit. Mr. Chaya, I am a real person. The situation I just mentioned has indeed happened in the world. Do you know about Mrs. Tsukiyama?" "No, not much." "Oh. I wouldn't be able to tell you normally, but I might as well tell you today. Mrs. Zhushan is very lonely, and she betrayed the lord just because she needed a man. Even the Tokugawa Inner Court has this matter, how can Guan Bai Inner Court Free?" Chaya succumbs to Masanobu's stubbornness.There is truth in this statement.There are tactics on the battlefield, and there must be political strategies in politics and diplomacy. This is understandable.But blindly looking for strategies based on human weaknesses is really against the way of the martial arts. "Sir, you seem to understand. My lord would rather say that this kind of behavior is cowardly and deviant. I would rather be a good person who is hesitant than a villain who dares to do something and doesn't care about common names. My lord and I are not the same on this point." .If the lord is a good person, then I would be a villain—but all this is for the lord!" "I understand. So, what exactly does your lord want me to do?" "I just want you to send a woman you know to Lord Guan Bai's inner court." "A woman I know?" "I heard that Layman Rikyu's daughter has returned to her natal family. In addition, Mr. Nawujiaoan, whom you know well, also has a nice daughter." Chaya gradually became interested in this strange Honda Masanobu who took pleasure in playing tricks.What is Zhengxin thinking? "What do you want them to do next to Guan Bai?" Zhengxin smiled and said: "There is nothing to do. As long as a woman gets close to a man, nine out of ten she will go crazy for favor. That's enough." "I still don't understand. So what?" "Haha, it seems that you still don't understand. At that time, I will send a handsome young student to serve Mrs. Asai. However, there is no need for this sir, I will find someone else." "Oh, so Ms. Asai will be with that young student...Your Excellency sees that she has such signs?" "Haha, Mr. Chaya, you are too rigid. Don't think that the women in the world are lascivious or chaste. After all, a woman is a woman. As long as she is dissatisfied with everything around her and the men around her, she will be willing to degenerate." Zhengxin finished, squinting Open your eyes to observe the tea house. Chaya Shirojiro felt that he was no longer a bystander, and he was pulled into the water.Thinking of this, he suddenly became angry, "Master, are you looking for a girl who will be jealous of Ms. Asai?" "Mr. Mingjian." "Hmph!" The tea house immediately said, "But, how can I be entrusted with such great trust?" As he said this, he knew it in his heart, and he was somewhat shaken. Honda Zhengxin smiled and followed the previous sentence: "But what is the reason?" "Because of my disposition." "temperament?" "Your Excellency said just now that some people are strict and self-motivated in order to accumulate virtue, while others have to be a complete villain, so that they can feel at ease." "good!" "I just want to be a good person, and my ambition has not wavered, so how can I do such a thing?" "Sir, you haven't wavered yet?" "certainly!" "It will be a complete failure!" "Lord Honda!" Chaya said loudly, "I have a different opinion from Master Honda. I don't think that a good person who is worthy of the name will lose to a downright wicked person. Therefore, it takes a short time to change your mind. Please do more Forgive me." "Haha, sir, it's a brilliant move to refuse in this way!" "Everyone has his own aspirations, please forgive me." "Sir, can you defeat Guan Bai's evil with 'goodness'?" "Yes, people have a good death. This is my humble opinion. For example, Guan Bai's governance is inevitably inadequate. His staff are limited by their talents, so there must be some omissions. Therefore, Guan Bai cannot underestimate the lord. This is the smooth way to take the overall situation into consideration. Do you also have such thoughts?" Chaya said decisively. Honda Masanobu sat up straight.Chaya didn't understand why he suddenly sat upright—could it be that my words were too sharp and made him run out of words? Just as Chaya was thinking this, Masanobu suddenly bowed down. "My lord can't do it!" Chaya hurriedly stretched out his hand to help.But Zhengxin still didn't say a word, his body was flat, his head was lowered, his shoulders trembled slightly, and his body fell to the ground. "Master Bendor, you have killed me." Zheng Xin was speechless, bowing to the ground. "Master Honda! What's wrong with you? Master Honda!" Chawu pulls up Zhengxin, and Fang finds that he is crying.He was even more puzzled.Zhengxin was talking eloquently just now, but suddenly started crying. No wonder the tea house was confused. "I was wrong!" Zhengxin moaned and raised his upper body, "Forgive me, sir. I shouldn't doubt you." "Suspect me?" "I deliberately said Ms. Asai, but I was really ashamed in my heart. This is really beyond my cleverness." "Adults don't have to..." "No, sir is worthy of Tokugawa's confidant, I can rest assured to tell you about the big things." The tea house was shocked: What I said earlier was just a temptation!Zhengxin quickly wiped his eyes with his hands, then lowered his head, "I have many things to ask my husband, but I don't know much about him, so I don't dare to speak easily, so I have offended you, and I hope you will forgive me." "Lord Honda, please speak directly if you have something to say." "Forget what you said just now! Listen to me, sir, and please speak out your opinion boldly." Zhengxin continued with a secretive look on his face, "First thing, I heard that June 19 this year Is it true that Guan Bering foreign religion will withdraw from Japan within 20 days? Of course, only in this way will it be possible to take back Nagasaki from them.” Zhengxin was surprisingly serious. Chaya stared at him breathlessly.Zhengxin's sudden shift from male and female matters to foreign religion caught him by surprise. "I heard that it is for future planning, sir, have you heard of it?" "Exactly." "So, there is no objection to the name of Kyushu?" "not yet……" "No, I'm afraid I'm dissatisfied, but I don't dare to say it out loud. Do you know the specific content of Guan Bai's ban?" "That's just a rumor from Sakai Port." "Sir, I'm afraid I haven't found out whether it's true or not. Then, I might as well tell you, and I hope you can identify it. It is reported that ordinary people are not allowed to believe in foreign religions, and only warriors with a salary of more than 2,000 guan are allowed to enter." Religion. Also, daimyo should not force family members and citizens to believe in foreign religions. This will cause turmoil in the world. If it is not handled properly, it will definitely affect the overall situation. Moreover, some people have pretended to be believers and trafficked the emperor's people to Daming, Western, Goryeo is a slave. In addition, it is strictly forbidden to kill cattle and horses..." Chaya Shirojiro stared blankly at Masanobu, full of doubts: Why is Masanobu from Junfu more familiar with the affairs of the world than himself from Sakai Port?This person is really not simple! "Guan Bai issued this ban because he believes that foreign religion is a cult, and what is worse, it encourages people to destroy shrines, Buddhist temples, and commit unprecedented atrocities. Have these gentlemen heard of it?" "Unheard of." "Of course, if Guan Bai knew that he sold the emperor's subjects to other countries as slaves, he would definitely be furious. However, some of Guan Bai's retainers also joined foreign religions to do evil, and Guan Bai would definitely not allow it. What do you think, sir?" "With his personality, he will never ignore it." "However, some daimyo who believe in foreign religions are dissatisfied. I would like to ask sir to pay attention to this matter. The riots of the Ichiko sect, the riots of the Nichiren sect... This is a painful experience that both Nobunaga and the Lord have experienced. The same Things have already happened under Guan Bai's rule. How can I sit idly by?" Zhengxin smiled meaningfully. Chaya Shirojiro suddenly felt frightened for some reason.The other party seems to be honest, but has a sinister smile on his face; he is angry at first and then cries, and he was domineering just now, but he is cautious at every step in the blink of an eye.He pondered the true meaning of Zhengxin.Hideyoshi really did as Zhengxin said, severely restricting foreign religions and expelling missionaries from the country, but what does this have to do with the Tokugawa family? However, Zhengxin seems to have seen the confusion of the tea house.He whispered: "It is very natural for you to be ignorant of this matter. As the lord told you, if the Tokugawa family does not closely monitor Guan Bai, there may be chaos in the country. You must pay close attention to any disturbance in the world. What do you think sir?" "It is necessary." "Not only is it necessary, but we must keep it in mind to prevent problems before they happen. At the same time, we can also use this matter to contain Guan Bai." There was a sly light in Zhengxin's eyes, as if trying to penetrate the heart of the tea house.Honda is sure that he wants to form an ally with someone who has an aversion to Hideyoshi because of the foreign religion. "Mister seems to understand." Zhengxin laughed again.This smile is not as gloomy as before, it seems to be relieved. "My lord has a unique vision, and I wake up like a dream. Master Tokugawa is right." "Hahaha, mister award. Once Guanbai proposes to change the territory of the Tokugawa family, there will be support from foreign believers and daimyo. Therefore, Mr. Chaya, if the situation is not good for us, I hope you can win over Hideyoshi's enemies, so I specially invited you here today, please think about it." "It's a matter of duty." "Other than that, I have nothing else to say. The sun has already set, so I ordered them to bring the food." Zhengxin clapped his hands loudly. It was day and night, Chaya Shiro Jiro lived in the Masanobu Mansion in the city, and only set off for Beijing the next morning. Chaya set off in a hurry with the two servants who lived in the inn, but the face of Honda Masanobu kept appearing in his mind.Honda turned out to be such a strange person!Chaya couldn't tell, he didn't like this man at all.Maybe Honda and Hideyoshi argued face to face, and they would not lose to Guan Bai.But the faster his mind turns, the more insidious it becomes.Honda Zuzaemon, Okubo Hikozaemon, Kanbara Komasa, Ii Naomasa, etc. are all too blunt and unreliable.However, it is difficult to distinguish the truth from the words that Honda believed in.Could it be that the lord is only interested in him? Honda Masanobu is quite different from Ishikawa Suzumasa and others, but a strange ghost. This ghost may be a black cloud hanging over Ieyasu's head.He knew so well about foreign religions, even surpassing what the tea house knew. Where did he get this information from?Chaya felt uneasy. Could it be that Honda Masanobu communicated with someone from Hideyoshi's side in order to obtain relevant information?A person with extraordinary talent like him is naturally the pillar of the Tokugawa family, but there are many precedents for cleverness being misunderstood by cleverness... Chaya Shiro Jiro thought all the way, after crossing the Oi River and Tenryu River, when he was approaching Hamamatsu, he suddenly found someone following him.Sui said, "Tiaoji, are those two warriors always following us?" "Yes, raise the bamboo hat to look at us from time to time." Tiaoji said. "Where did you start following us?" "I found them near Jingu. Is that so, Yukichi?" said Tjoyoshi. "I didn't notice at all. I was taken aback when the master said it." "It may be someone sent by Junfu to secretly protect us. Fortunately, we are going to Hamamatsu soon." Chaya said, and the party was about to mount a horse and enter the bridge on Kawakami. "Everyone, just wait a moment." The two people walked in front of them at some point, quietly jumped out from behind the pine tree, blocking the way.They didn't take off their bamboo hats, both of them were travel-stained, one stood in front of the teahouse, the other a little far away, pretending to be looking at the river. "Why are you here?" the tea house asked loudly. The person who was closer asked: "Sir, are you from the capital?" "good." "Is it the silk merchant Chaya Shiro Jiro?" "I am the tea house. Who are you?" "We are just unknown juniors. May I ask where you are going, sir, and why?" "Hmph! The unknown junior still asks these questions?" "It seems that the master is unwilling to talk about it?" Although the voice of the visitor was not heavy, he carried coercion, "Since that's the case, I won't ask any more questions. I was not ordered to ask to find out the truth." "Ordered? Then I ask you, who are you?" "You don't need to ask, and you don't need to know." The man wiped the sweat from his nose and asked his companion with his eyes. The companion shook the dust off his body, approached, and said, "There is no one around, so let's stay here." He moved his hand to the handle of the knife. "Forget it." The other person also touched the sword, "Mr. Chaya, you and I have no grievances, but the world is peaceful, and the reason for killing people has changed!" Chaya Shiro Jiro turned to look at Jokichi There was no rush to draw the knife. The tea house asked the two of them again: "Someone ordered you to kill me?" "good." "Who is it?" "Hmph!" The person behind laughed with a strong nasal voice, he looked four or five years younger than the previous person, "Mr. Chaya, I also want to find out why you came to Junfu from the capital for what?" "Business of silk and satin." "Hmph! From the capital to Osaka, no one knows that you are from the Tokugawa family. Let me ask you, what did you and Honda Masanobu talk about?" Chaya took a step back in surprise. "He won't say, kill him with one knife!" "it is good!" The two exchanged glances, and both drew their swords. "Master, be careful!" Tiaoji also jumped up and drew out his dagger. Chaya Shiro Jiro stopped his servants, bowed his head solemnly to the two, and said, "If you're joking, stop here. It's a hot day, the joke is a bit too much." "joke?" "That's right! If you really know that I am a tea house, you should know some old things about me." "Hmph! Somehow?" "I was also a samurai, named Matsumoto Kiyonobe, and I have experienced bloody storms no less than a hundred times." "What do you mean by all this?" The younger warrior raised his sword sharply and shouted.The tea house didn't move at all, he half-crossed his legs, and stroked the edge of the bamboo hat with one hand: "I can tell at a glance that you don't want to kill people. Are you happy to scare us into panic?" He turned with a low laugh and said, "Swords are ruthless, and the intent to kill is self-inflicted. The two of you should understand better than the tea house." "Are we still afraid of you?" "Hmph!" The tea house was still fearless, and said loudly, "Our master and servant have traveled the world for many years, and disturbances on the road have long been commonplace." "You underestimate us?" "I don't dare, but I know that death is the easiest and the hardest. I hope you two will think about it before you use your knife. There is a huge rock under the willow tree on the river bank. Why don't we go there and talk slowly in the cool wind. How?" Chaya said calmly. The young one winked at his companion, who suddenly took a step forward, slashing at him with a white blade in his hand. "Ah!" "Ah!" Tjoji yelled in a low voice. The tea house remained motionless, and a white light flashed in front of the bamboo hat, which had been broken into two halves. "Haha, look, I said that the sword is ruthless." The other party groaned lowly, took a step back, and the tea house that hadn't moved seemed to shock him, and said, "Well, I really have some guts." "No, it's just because I can see through that you have no intention of killing people." Chaya said. "How do you know we won't kill people?" "Your eyes told me." One person snorted softly, exchanged glances with the other, and then the two raised their swords. "Ah!" Chaya said in a low voice, "Tiaoji, Yukichi, they have murderous intentions! Trouble!" The two servants immediately turned left and right, aiming their knives at each other.The other party was also unambiguous, full of murderous intent, and rushed towards him. The tea house was really angry: "There is nothing in the world that cannot be discussed. You can go back and report: the tea house found someone following, ran to the side of the road and disappeared. To be honest, what good is it for you to kill me? Put down the knife Bar." "Humph!" "Hey! It's so boring. You didn't intend to kill, but you mistakenly thought that I knew the person who sent you. I saw that there was no murder in your eyes, so I thought..." When the tea house said this, it stopped suddenly.The other party had no intention of letting go, their breathing gradually became rapid, their eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to spew out cold flames. It can be seen from their posture that they are Iga ninjas! There is no wind, and the sun is hot in the sky. Their posture is not like masculine warriors on the battlefield, but gloomy ninjas who are good at lurking. "Guys, we have to fight." The tea house was forced to draw out the knife, "I don't want to kill people, but you don't want to give up. If we can live in peace, I don't want to pursue the people behind you. Hey, really Helpless." Seeing that the two did not respond, Chaya said to the two servants: "They are Iga ninjas." "Hmph!" The two of them jumped up as if they wanted to confirm this guess, and the big knife was slashed in the air, and there was no sound.They stood still, but their breathing became even more rapid. "I have to say: The person behind you is Lord Honda Zhengshin!" The two seemed taken aback. "Master Honda Zhengshin wants to test whether I will leak what he and I said under the threat of the two of you. It is really a trick!" The tea house didn't stop talking, and the young one rushed towards the tea house like the wind.Tiao Ji, who had been waiting with bated breath, swung his saber out into the air.There was a murderous look all around.Tiaoji passed by with a sword, only to hear the sound of wailing.Another ninja's sword also struck with lightning speed.In the distance of five or six rooms, the same sword sound sounded, that was the sound of Yukichi's knife being chopped off.Yukichi looked at the broken knife in his hand strangely, while Tjoyoshi watched his opponent fall down.Chaya Shirojiro wiped the knife silently.Two ninjas fell among the vines on the earth embankment, holding knives in their hands.But strangely, neither of them was bleeding. "Tiaoji, your martial arts have improved." "Yes. The little one would like to ask the master a word. The little one doesn't know, but the master is deeply trusted by Master Tokugawa. Why is this so?" Chaya Shiro Jiro looked into the distance silently, and said, "Let's go, there may be people chasing after us. It's still early, let's live in Hamamatsu." "Yes." Tiaoji replied. "Living in this world is so helpless!" Chaya picked up the bamboo hat thrown on the ground, it was already broken.Tiaoji hurriedly handed over his own, put on the broken one, and said, "It's just for covering the sun, this is enough for a villain. But Mr. Honda..." "Tiaoji, the world is peaceful, but people's hearts are still the same." "The little one doesn't understand." "Some people are changing, but I am still the same as before. What a terrible crime is killing someone! Once you succeed, all bones are withered. What can you do with fame and power?" "Master, Master Honda?" "No, it's not just a righteous person. The prosperity of the world is for power; the chaos of the world is for profit! Fighting on the battlefield is only one way. In the future, there will be more fighting, not on the battlefield, but outside the battlefield. " Chaya Shirojiro was suddenly silent.In the future, if anyone harms Ieyasu's virtue, isn't he an orthodox believer of Honda?Once you find that the other party is different, you have to destroy it. What a narrow-mindedness!