Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen

In autumn, the air is very dry at dusk.The madder at the foot of the mountain has turned purple, and the chirping of the little birds flying to the frosted red branches to eat the fruit has also faded away.The night fell through the bamboo fence, and the air was filled with the aroma of osmanthus. Mrs. Tsukuyama came to the front porch of the house and stood there, looking up at the sky.She no longer wears heavy makeup like in the past, and the anger that usually frightened the maids seems to have disappeared in her eyes. She is deserted and lifeless, reminiscent of a lake in winter. "Ma'am, it's windy." The maid who just arrived last year, Ah Moo, reminded Madam, but these words didn't seem to reach her ears.

"The crows have returned to their nests... the wild geese are about to fly through the winter." "Madam, be careful of catching a cold, once you catch a cold it will be bad." The maid reminded the second time, Madam tugged at the collar, but still didn't want to enter the house. "A Mino." "exist." "Since then, there has been no news of Saburo." "Yes. My subordinates said that after the transfer to Futamata Castle, there is still no news..." "Oh? When the servants here see me, they hide away, as if they hate me. Have you heard what they are saying about me?"

"It... didn't say anything." The maid hurriedly turned her face away.How come you haven't heard of it?In order to save Xinkang's life, De Ji begged Jiakang to allow her to go to Antu. After the news spread, all the resentment of the family members concentrated on the wife alone. "The one who killed the majestic young master is Madam." "I don't know what she's thinking, but she's having an affair with Koshu!" "There is no calculation in my heart, and I listen to Jia Jing's rhetoric, it is all the retribution of sex!" "Craving male sex and killing one's own flesh and blood, this is a bad wife and mother."

People not only whispered behind their backs, but even acted unscrupulously in front of Ah Mino. "When you harm others, you harm yourself, and when you harm others, you harm yourself!" The junior samurai also kept chattering and asking questions.These signs show that many people think that if Madam defends Xinkang, saying that the affair and other matters are all her own ideas, maybe Xinkang can still be saved. "Mrs. Qi." Now there are only two maids beside the lady, and the maid called Azi shouted behind the lady and A Mino: "Master Shigemasa Nonaka, Lord Okamoto Hirazaemon, and Lord Ishikawa Tarozaemon are here."

"Oh, I've been waiting for them for a long time." The lady then looked away from the sky, "Call them over immediately." She walked back to the room and sat on the upper seat, still with a stern expression on her face, "Ah Moo, I'm coming soon." It's getting dark, let's hold the lamp." After a while, three people came, with the heavy government in front and the two behind. "This autumn seems to be earlier than in previous years." Shigemasa Nonaka said, looking up at his wife, "Today, we, as the envoys of the lord, should take the seat. Of course, we have some private matters, so we don't mind sitting down." Mrs. Tsukiyama did not immediately answer.A Mino brought the candlestick, and the room suddenly lit up.

"You have worked hard. I am Ieyasu's wife, so there is no need to change seats." The three of them couldn't help but look at each other: This woman won't be obedient at all!The three of them came here after making full preparations, and they even thought about what kind of attitude they would adopt. "What did Ieyasu say?" "Tell Madam, my lord said that the residence for Madam in Hamamatsu has been built, please move there." "I'm going to Hamamatsu." The lady in front of me was quiet, peaceful, generous, and elegant, completely different from what they had imagined in advance. "It seems that you are getting old and need older people to serve you. So, how is it?" Arranged? When will you leave?"

"My lord ordered the three of us to serve as guards on the road. We set off at dawn on the 27th and arrived in Hamamatsu at noon on the 29th." "Understood. Then entrust it to you." The three of them couldn't help but looked at each other again, they didn't expect Madam to answer so simply, they thought it would be troublesome, but they settled the matter with a few words, and a verbal confrontation was avoided. "Ma'am, the young master transferred to Futamata..." Ishikawa Tarozaemon said, "I heard that there is no result yet, and the young master is still in the process of self-reflection."

"Oh. Thank goodness." "Thank God? Does Madam have any other ideas about the matter?" "The question you asked is really strange. Everything in the family is done according to Ieyasu's own ideas. What else can I think? Whether things are good or bad has nothing to do with me." When Madam said this, the impetuous Taro became furious: "Madam, in order to plead for the young master, the young lady grabbed the lord's clothes and cried and begged bitterly. She must go to Antu." However, the madam neither laughed nor agitated when she heard this.

"Oh? A daughter-in-law is a daughter-in-law, and I am me. I don't have any ideas. Everything is arranged by Ieyasu." Shigemasa Nonaka couldn't bear it anymore, and leaned out again: "The young master is still in Futamata, still alive." "That's why I say thank goodness." "Is this what a mother should say? If you are not forced to cut seppuku today, you will be forced to commit suicide tomorrow. If the young master is alive like this, should Madam still be thankful?" "Yes, thank God, Amitabha." The wife still did not change her words, "I am Ieyasu's wife, if torturing children is the husband's pleasure, I should also be happy, this is the woman's way. Are you right, Hirazaemon ?”

Hearing his name, Hirazaemon hurriedly turned his face away.The three of them didn't seem to be here just to deliver Ieyasu's orders. "The three of us..." He still didn't dare to look at his wife, tried his best to control his emotions, and said, "My lord ordered us to send my wife to Hamamatsu, but we knew it was extremely difficult, so we once refused." "Oh, is it really that difficult to send me to Hamamatsu?" Madam still asked coldly. "Yes, I don't know how many people in the family are impassioned and excited, so..." "what?"

"Everyone thinks that the one who put the young master to death is the young master's mother, you, so many people want to rob and kill the wife to avenge the young master." I don't know where the courage came from, but Hirazaemon didn't even think about these things. Dare to speak.After speaking, he hurriedly looked away again. It was already pitch black outside, only the candlelight swaying the lady's shadow back and forth. "Hehe." Madam curled her lips slightly and smiled, "If it's really so dangerous, you'd better turn down this job." "But my lord refuses to allow us to come." This time, Shigemasa Nonaka finally raised his head and stared at his wife, "Madam, we beg you for this matter." "What exactly is it that you want me, a weak woman, to do?" "In order to write a life-saving petition for the young master, I ask my wife to commit suicide." "You want me to commit suicide?" Madam seemed to be prepared, and she wasn't particularly surprised. "Is this an order from Ieyasu, or is it the idea of ​​the three of you?" "It's the idea of ​​the three of us." After saying it, Chongzheng no longer had any scruples. "The people in the family are already very angry. Therefore, even if the three of us escort together, I am afraid it will be difficult for Madam to leave Okazaki safely. Therefore, instead of humiliating us on the way, it is better to invite Madam here..." "Haha..." Madam wiped her lips with her sleeve suddenly, and laughed again, "I can swear to God again, I am a good wife of Ieyasu. If it is Ieyasu's order, I can do whatever I want. But, If it's just the idea of ​​the three of you, then I'll tell you to stop thinking about it! No matter what you say, it will be futile." "Ma'am!" Taro Zuo finally yelled, "Don't you love the young master? The master has not ordered the young master to cut seppuku, don't you understand the painstaking efforts of the young master?" "Tarozuo, if you say that, go back to your lord first, and please give me an order to commit suicide." "If there is an order from the lord, you will kill yourself?" "I will never break my promise." The lady nodded slightly, "Major General Ieyasu, Tokugawa Zao Konoe Kwon, is weak and incompetent. In order to please Oda Nobunaga, he actually killed his wife and son, and he is not afraid of being laughed at by future generations... Oh, if there is an order , I will finish it quickly." At this time, Shigemasa Nonaka slapped his knees several times, and it turned out that Taro Zuo's right hand was already pressed on the waist knife.Nonaka Shigemasa stopped him in time and put his hands on the tatami. "For the sake of the overall situation, please allow me to say it again. I apologize for my vulgar language. For the sake of the young master, please think twice. I beg you, I kowtow to you!" "Heavy politics! Don't say any more. Even if you wear out your mouth, I won't be shaken." "So, even if you lose the young master, you don't want to stop hating the master?" "Hmph! You can call me Yasha, evil ghost, or chop up my body and eat it. I will still do my own thing. I can die as I want...Don't talk about it anymore, Chongzheng!" Chongzheng was so angry that his shoulders trembled, and he turned to look at the other two, who were also full of anger. "Then... at dawn on the 27th, take your wife to see the lord." This time the lady didn't make a sound.The three walked to the corridor, still feeling a pair of eyes staring at them viciously from behind. "Sure enough, you're crazy." Taro spit out from the left. Chongzheng was also filled with nameless anger, but it wasn't all anger towards Mrs. Zhushan.As Yoshimoto Imagawa's niece, she married Ieyasu, was hungry for love, suffered a lot, and failed to treat her own life well, which deepened the gap between husband and wife. She is a sad woman! The strategists who are obsessed with war will never let go of a woman who is dissatisfied with the war. In the end, they still use their strategy to make her go off the rails and commit terrible acts... Whose fault is this? "Nonaka," Okamoto Hirazaemon called after leaving the gate of the house, bending down, and getting through the bamboo fence that left only one entrance and exit. never mind." Chongzheng didn't answer, just looked up at the sky. "It will be fine the day after tomorrow..." "Killing her here is tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot. We not only need to seal the guard's mouth, but also..." "Oh, you are such an idiot." Taro Zuo's tone was still terrifying, "I'm afraid this is an unheard of evil wife, but she is the wife of the lord, I'm so mad! Anyway, someone will assassinate her in the future, If only you didn't stop me just now." "Nonaka," Heizawaemon said again, "if we are attacked by young warriors on the way, it will not only discredit us, but also cause heavy casualties. How about it, why don't the three of us get things done... ..." "This...you allow me to think about it. I have been trying to figure out just now, what is Madam thinking, tell me, what is this woman thinking?" "You still don't understand, she's already crazy, she's already a lunatic, Noaka..." Taroza also seems to agree with Hirazaemon very much.Nonaka Shigemasa crossed his arms and walked silently alone. On the 27th, the weather was fine. Mrs. Tsukiyama glanced at the prison car in front of the door. "It seems that it is unlikely to return here." She coldly threw these words to the two maids who came to see him off, and closed the window from inside the prison car.The prison cart was immediately covered with a net, and eight guards carried the cage outside. Shigemasa Nonaka, Taro Ishikawa, and Hirazaemon Okamoto said nothing.However, in the eyes of the three people who meet each other from time to time, there is a kind of sadness and terror hidden. After leaving the Suga mouth, the fog gradually cleared, and there was no movement in the prison car.When walking out of the city gate, stones flew from nowhere and threw them at the prison cart from time to time.Every time a stone is thrown, the guards will look at each other knowingly, showing a look of righteous indignation.Of course, it wasn't anger at the slinger, but anger at the lady. When we arrived at Yilizhong, everyone raised their vigilance in case of accidents.Because it has been rumored recently that young warriors might want to hijack the prison van here. "If they jump out, we'll leave the van and run for our lives." "It's about, how can we carry such a heavy thing?" Some guards even said loudly to Madam on purpose.Madame was always silent. "Won't you fall asleep in there?" The prison car was so peaceful that even Okamoto Hirazaemon felt a little puzzled.On this day, they came to a place not far from Akasaka to lodge.On the second day, the 28th, we stayed overnight in Yoshida. Around noon on the 29th, the team arrived at Tomizuka, southwest of Hamamatsu. The long-awaited Ganlin was nowhere to be seen, and the sun was burning his neck so painfully, not to mention the soldiers, even the few people in the field kept wiping away their sweat. The boat docked at a fork in front of Fuzuka, and three big pine trees stretched out their long branches, as if greeting everyone. "Have some lunch in this area." Shigemasa Nonaka called the guards to lift the prison car off the boat. "We have something to say to Madam. First, go to the grassland opposite the grave to rest." Chongzheng finished speaking to the guards in a pleasant manner, took off the net covering the car, and opened the car door, "Madam , Hamamatsu is already close at hand." "Hamamatsu is already in front of you, why are you still resting in such a desolate place?" Nonaka Shigemasa winked at Ishikawa Taro left. "Madam, I'm sorry, Chongzheng wants to watch Madam commit suicide here." "Watch me commit suicide... you guys, you want to kill me here?" "Madam, please kill yourself, and I beg you seriously." "So, it was discussed by the three of you a long time ago? Isn't it your idea of ​​Chongzheng alone?" "No, it's all my idea, ma'am, I'm sorry, for the sake of the young master..." Chongzheng kowtowed into the dark prison car, "Please, for the sake of the Tokugawa family, Madam, please commit suicide... I kowtow to you..." Madam looked out from the prison car, it was blindingly bright outside.The beads of sweat on Zhongzheng's forehead and the pores on his nose were all clearly visible.His eyes are no longer anger, but a cold will beyond anger, like a knife, pressing towards her bit by bit.At first, the madam was still sneering without any scruples, wishing she could kick Chongzheng away.Later, her face gradually became distorted. This was neither Ieyasu's order nor the result of the three people's discussions.This is justice!Zhongzheng firmly believed in this point, and his perseverance prompted him to confront his wife. It seemed that she would not give up until she fought to the death. "Madam, up to now, Chongzheng will no longer accuse Madam of crimes. All of these are God's will, are sad, and are destined to be sad...I sympathize with you from the bottom of my heart, but please stay here no matter what. Suicide, please allow Chongzheng to be your witness here." The gloomy words rushed towards his face with bursts of murderous intent.Madam couldn't help but her hairs stood on end, and she took a deep breath. "Chongzheng, no!" "Ma'am, don't be stubborn, the overall situation is the most important thing in everything." "You don't understand me. I didn't say I wouldn't kill myself, it's just that the time hasn't come." "If that's the case, Ma'am, please do it..." Zhongzheng pulled out his dagger and placed it in front of the prison cart. "Shigemasa, listen to me, I have foreseen my own destiny long ago. But I want to commit suicide in front of Ieyasu, I want to go in front of the cold and selfish Tokugawa family who don't know the relationship between husband and wife, don't know how to make their wives and children happy, Let him watch me die with his own eyes. Chongzheng, I hope you understand my intentions." "No!" Chongzheng was unmoved at all, "Madam's fate is not good, the reason is none other than others. Madam is pitiful, so is the lord. Therefore, please kill yourself here." "No, I will never promise you! You don't understand the mood of a woman like me." "I don't want to hear this. I understand everything, so I can't bring you in front of the lord. If so, it will not only hurt the relationship between the couple, but also the relationship between the father and the son, and increase the sorrow of the entire Tokugawa family. I am here for you Mistake." "No!" Madam shouted again, but this time, she felt an incredible surge of courage in her heart.This is the last resistance against death. I will never die!Thinking in my heart, Madam got out of the dark prison car, and in broad daylight, her colorful clothes dazzled people. Madam must have no intention of escaping.However, Zhongzheng still desperately pushed his wife into the prison cart with his left hand, while pressing the dagger with his right hand.In an instant, a bright rainbow of blood splashed. "You, how dare you murder the master..." Madam put her hands on her chest and screamed heart-piercingly. "I helped you ascend to heaven, and you died resolutely." Zhongzheng's cold voice still echoed in the air.The other two turned around and looked around secretly to see if anyone was approaching the prison car. "You, you actually killed me... I won't let you go even if I turn into a ghost!" Madam held the dagger pierced in her chest, and the bright world in front of her eyes became blurred.Her expression was extremely stern, no, it was not stern, it was the last moment of a poor woman with endless sadness in her heart. "The... death of the Tokugawa family... I want to curse, curse, curse to the end!" "Madam, please go at ease." Chongzheng did not dare to pull out the dagger from his wife's hand, he looked down at the blood splashed in the grass. "Chongzheng, hurry up!" Tarozuo urged, "In such a place, I don't want the soldiers to see it." "I will never die, how could I die? My soul still remains in this world." Madam still sneered loudly.Chongzheng closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and pulled out the dagger. "Ah!" The heart-piercing scream echoed between heaven and earth like the mournful cry of a strange bird. "Madam, please forgive me." Chongzheng's voice resounded all over the place.The lady's body fell straight into Chongzheng's arms. "Good job. If you don't kill her here, the lord will not let her live when you get to the lord." Taro Zuo was still comforting Chongzheng, but Chongzheng didn't say a word.He calmly wiped off the blood on his arms with a towel, put his palms together, bowed, and then moved his wife's body into the prison car and closed the door. After closing the door, Chongzheng was still wiping the blood around him.The main wife who had served the lord for nearly thirty years was killed by his own hands, but he didn't seem to realize it.He was a little dazed, not understanding what he had done. "In short, first transport the remains of the wife to the lord, and wait for the lord's instructions to deal with it." Hearing Okamoto Hirazaemon's words, Shigemasa came back to his senses. "However, it's all from our thoughts..." He thought that if it wasn't so, the lord would be sad, and the dead lady would be sad too, so he did it after careful consideration, "My lords, we can That's what people say, when we came to the front of the valley in Fuzuka, Madam told us to stop the prison car, and then committed suicide." "Yes, that's what we said." "Therefore, Nonaka Goro Shigemasa had no choice but to help his wife make a mistake. Okamoto Hirazaemon Tokaka and Ishikawa Tarozaemon Yoshibo were on the sidelines to supervise." "That's it, don't forget." "In my opinion, although it's already the beginning of autumn, the autumn tiger is still very powerful. Therefore, the wife's body can't just be left alone. In my opinion, it's fine to carry the body to the Xilai Temple in the mountains and bury it. The two adults want Keep in mind what I just told you. Now, go and call the soldiers and carry the corpse to the monastery." "Understood." Taro Zuo nodded vigorously, and went to call the soldiers. "The madam has committed suicide here. She entrusted the three of us with the responsibility of saving the young master's life. How pitiful are the parents of the world! Everyone, please pray for the madam. Carry her body to the Buddhist monastery." Hearing Taro Zuo's generous speech to the soldiers, Shigemasa finally couldn't bear it anymore, sat down on the grass and sobbed like a child. It was nearly four quarters noon when the team transporting the corpse stumbled to the not-too-distant Xilai Temple. Okamoto Hirazaemon was in charge of socializing with the monks, and Nonaka Shigemasa, together with Ishikawa Tarozaemon, commanded the soldiers to dig a grave in the north corner of the cemetery along the east-west direction.The autumn sun is like the scorching sun in summer, scorching the earth, and even the clods dug up are hot and scalding. When the tomb had just been dug, the monk asked the monks to bring the altar and the flower bucket for sacrifice.Mrs. Zhushan, as Ieyasu's main wife, was involved in a whirlpool of tragedy. She committed suicide in order to save her son Xinkang's life. Therefore, she was given the dharma name of Layman Yanxiuzhen, the palace official of Xiguangyuan. "Is this the end of your life?" When the lady's body was gently placed at the bottom of the tomb together with the seat, Zhongzheng sobbed again.In his opinion, doing this by himself is by no means "evil", nor is it "disloyal".If the wife arrived in Hamamatsu with such emotions, she would still be charged with attempting to rebel, and would end up being called an unfaithful wife and a heartless mother.There was no other way to save Madame from this infamy.Chongzheng told himself this way, he felt the same way when facing his wife's body. The soldiers filled the tomb with soil by hand, and the sound of monks chanting sutras was intertwined with the chirping of nearby shrikes. "Ma'am, you can go there without worry, you can just go to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss without worry." Chongzheng murmured in his heart several times, and then placed flowers and incense around the tomb. Accompanied by the afterglow of the setting sun, when night began to fall, the group finally returned to Hamamatsu Castle. "I have to go see my lord first." When they entered the gate, Shigemasa said to Tarozawa and Heizaeemon. The two of them who had always been coldly at Madam also drooped their shoulders silently, not daring to vent their anger, but only ordered this sentence: "You must say... Madam committed suicide on her own initiative." On this day, Ieyasu was still lying on the hospital bed, and his fever had subsided, but his cheeks still looked very thin. According to the valet, his complexion had been bad since the battle of the three parties.After Chongzheng entered, Ieyasu sent everyone else to the outside room, leaving only one person from the Xixiang Bureau. "You have worked hard. Have you sent your wife to the residence safely?" Shigemasa bit his lip hard, raised his head, looked at Ieyasu who was lying on the bed, and said, "When I walked to the valley in front of Beifuzuka, Madam drew a knife and killed herself in order to beg for the young master's life." "Suicide?" Ieyasu's body trembled violently, and after a while, he was still like a rock again, "Oh! Women's affairs are always unpredictable...a childlike temper...causes her Kill yourself!" When Ieyasu said "let her commit suicide", Chongzheng was startled suddenly, and hurriedly fell on the ground.He thought that Ieyasu had been keenly aware that they beheaded his wife, and he was so frightened that he couldn't even see Ieyasu's face clearly.