Chapter 39 Chapter Thirty-Nine

In the second year of Motoki, Tokugawa Ieyasu's eldest son Shinyasu was twelve years old. He accepted the New Year's greetings from his retainers in Okazaki Castle instead of his father.In Okazaki Castle, next to Matsudaira Jiro Saburo Nobuyasu sat Hiraiwa Nananosuke Kichi who was ordered by Ieyasu to assist him.And Ieyasu was building a new city in the Himano area, and most of the retainers followed there. Veterans who have served the Matsudaira family since Ieyasu's grandfather, such as Sakai Masakusuke, Torii Igamori Tadakichi, Okubo Tsunegen, etc., gathered in the hall early, and they were all full of joy.Torii Tadakichi has gray hair all over his head, while Okubo Tsunegen has lost his teeth and swallows his saliva first when speaking.Their conversation sometimes goes back to fifty years ago, sometimes to the glory of today, and then recalls the suffering years of the past.

"I heard that my lord is going to change Hiramano's name to Hamamatsu." "It's really like a dream. The Jinchuan clan sits on Suruga, Yuanjiang, and Sanhe. What glory it once had, is now a thing of the past. Just wait, sooner or later, the clan will really perform Cuju for the Lord in Junfu." "Whether it's cuju or singing and dancing, idlers like it, and that's the root of their downfall." While chatting, Hisamatsu Sado arrived, and everyone couldn't help recalling the grief when Mrs. Yu left Okazaki Castle. Although it is the first month of the month, the weather is rare and warm, and the plum blossoms are already in full bloom.The windows of the remodeled academy shone against the sun, and the shadows of birds were reflected on them from time to time.

At about four o'clock, twelve-year-old Jiro Saburo Nobuyasu and his wife Tokuhime, who was the same age as him, entered. Everyone immediately stopped talking and knelt down on the ground with bright smiles on their faces.Xinkang and his wife Deji are in their youth, standing side by side, they still look immature.The retainers delivered congratulatory speeches one by one, and then poured wine. "How old was Hirochugong when he got married for the first time?" Torii Tadakichi asked. "Oh. I remember that it seems to be twelve years old." Okubo Changyuan tilted his head and counted with his fingers.

"In this way, I have to teach the young master and his wife some things about husband and wife, although Hiraiwa Nananosuke is a strong warrior." "The young master should know those things, that's human nature." "No, it's just because of human nature that lectures are more important. Let them develop naturally, and the uncertainty will lead to chaos in the inner court." "It's better to entrust the old mother to do this today." At this point, a maid brought by Deji came over with a flagon. "You are the maid brought by the young lady, right? Has the young master started going in and out of the young lady's room?" Chang Yuan asked carelessly.

The little maid didn't understand what he meant for a while. "This..." She tilted her head, and then her face flushed suddenly. "Have you been there?" "Been to...ah, no." "Did you go or didn't go?" "not yet." "They have a bad relationship?" "No..." The little maid was a little embarrassed, she put the jug in front of everyone, and fell on the ground.In her opinion, the young lady has also reached the age of thinking of spring, but someone is deliberately preventing it.That is Mrs. Tsukiyama, the biological mother of Jiro Saburo.

At the beginning, Mrs. Tsukiyama had a good impression of the naive Tokuhime, but since Jiro Saburo moved into the city and Tokuhime followed her in, her attitude changed suddenly. De Ji and Jiro Saburo moved into the city together, and of course became the masters of the inner courtyard. "I am Ieyasu's wife. Besides me, who else can live in this city?" Mrs. Tsukiyama once expressed dissatisfaction with Ieyasu, but Ieyasu turned a deaf ear to it, and just said indifferently: "Let the young people bear the burden, take it easy "In fact, Ieyasu didn't have this kind of consideration, he didn't want Jiro Saburo to listen to Mrs. Tsukiyama's lectures all day long.But after hearing Ieyasu's reply, Tsukiyama began to visit Naitou's son continuously.Every time I go, I will tell Saburo Jiro that it is too early to get close to De Ji.

Before the age of fifteen or sixteen, women develop faster than men.Recently, Deji has clearly revealed a charming feminine atmosphere.Because of this, the little maids who accompanied Oda's house cursed Tsukiyama secretly. "Really? Not yet? Then my old man has to say something. You see, the young master has grown up." Chang Yuan refused to let go.The little maid nodded with a blushing face and left. After the toast was over, Jiro Saburo seemed unable to sit still, and asked Pingyan Qinji, "Can we go?" Qinji nodded. "Ah De, come. I'm hungry." Jiro Saburo urged De Ji, and stood up with her.Standing up, Tokuhime was taller than Jiro Saburo, and they looked like siblings.

"Saburo." When they walked side by side to the corridor, Okubo Changyuan's voice came. "Senior Okubo?" "Let my old man see you two standing together again. Oh, what a matching pair. Saburo, young lady is not pregnant yet? Old man, I want to see your child before leaving this world. Torii That's what the old man said..." "Not yet, but there will be. Don't freeze." Jiro Saburo didn't feel shy at all, and walked to the inner court hand in hand with De Ji.In the bedroom, Saburo Jiro carefully looked at Deji sitting in front of him, and said, "Ade, the old people want to see our children."

"I heard it." "How to have children, you know?" Tokuhime looked at Jiro Saburo tenderly, and then turned his gaze to the steam rising from the kettle. "Ade, you don't seem to know." "I don't know." "I know. But it may be too early. Let me tell you what's on your mind." Deji stared at Xinkang again, feeling a little anger in her eyes. "Why don't you talk? Deji, are you shy?" "Your question is too embarrassing. If Madam knows, she will reprimand you." "Are you afraid of being reprimanded by my mother? You are now the mistress of this city." Jiro Saburo said as he stood up and opened the window, and reached out to pluck off a plum blossom.

"Take off the plum branches by the window, and you can see the scenery in the distance. It's so good!" "Ad, sometimes I really want to pull out the knife and cut down all the trees in this area." "Oh, my God. How did you get that idea?" "Because my father won't let me go to war—Kinkichi, Senkichi!" Jiro Saburo called Hiraiwa Nananosuke who had been following them all the time, "Go and ask my father to allow me to go to war this year." "Yes. I will ask again, but you are not yet skilled in horsemanship. The most important thing now is training."

"Okay. Then after lunch, let's go to the horse training immediately." "No. Today is the New Year, and you can only train tomorrow. You can't just change the rules set by the lord." Hiraiwa Nananosuke said seriously. "Oh." Jiro Saburo nodded, "Okay, you step back first, I have something to say with Ade." "Yes. The food will be served right away. The young master and madam will talk first." Nananosuke stood up and said to the little maid who came with him, "You go down too." "Ade!" Jiro Saburo sat down under the window after the two went down, and said, "Come here, I will put this plum blossom in your hair. Don't be shy, it's just the two of us." De Ji obediently leaned over.Jiro Saburo bent down to smell the fragrance of De Ji's hair, and said, "You probably know how to give birth to a child. Come, tell me in my ear." De Ji quietly put her hand on her shoulder, just in time to meet Jiro Saburo's hand. "I don't know." She shook her head resentfully.The more Jiro Saburo behaved like a child, the sadder De Ji became.Since she married at the age of eight, she has been with Xinkang day and night, and it has been four years. He is his own husband.Probably because she kept thinking this way in her heart, De Ji could no longer imagine what life would be like without Jiro Saburo.She is closer to Saburo Jiro than to her father, mother, or Mrs. Nohime.In the past, she was often angry or acted like a baby, but since late autumn last year, De Ji seemed to have grown up suddenly and had her own thoughts.Whenever Jiro Saburo blindfolded her eyes from behind without hesitation, or touched her cheek or neck, she was always flustered inside, as if she was expecting something.But Jiro Saburo always looked childish when he came into contact with sensitive topics, and he still does today.Deji's body couldn't help twisting, and she didn't know why, but she suddenly burst into tears. "Ah?" Saburo Jiro noticed Deji's abnormality, "Are you sad? What did I do wrong, Ade?" He moved to Deji's face, "Don't cry. If you don't know, you don't know, I Don't ask, don't cry." "No! No!" Hearing Jiro Saburo's childlike tone, De Ji couldn't help shaking his head violently, "I didn't cry because you asked this question." "Do you have any other sad things? Ade, today is the New Year. Tell me, who is bullying you?" "No! Sometimes tears come from joy." "Oh, so you're happy?" "Yes. Because Saburo inserted plum blossoms on my head so gently." "Oh, it's because of this incident. You should have said it earlier. I was taken aback." After Jiro Saburo finished speaking, he pulled De Ji violently and took out a piece of paper to wipe her tears, "We are husband and wife, right? Ade?" "yes." "If you are a husband and wife, you must live in harmony. Give me your hand." Deji suddenly became excited.She didn't know why she was excited, but she just felt that in this way they could become a real couple... She was very shy and full of expectation. Saburo Jiro hugged Deji tightly, put his lips close to her ear, and said softly, "Ade! I, I like Ade..." "I like Saburo too." At this moment, a scolding sound came from the door: "Sanlang, what are you doing?" It was Mrs. Zhushan who came to congratulate him. "Ah, mother?" Saburo Jiro hugged Tokuhime, and stared blankly at Mrs. Tsukiyama. "What are you doing, Saburo?" Mrs. Tsukiyama's voice became sharp.Ieyasu had always avoided her, and nothing stimulated her more than the sight of this young couple embracing each other. "Saburo is the chief general of this city, so he should look like a general and show his majesty. Let go of Ade!" "No, I won't let go!" Jiro Saburo shook his head innocently, "Ade is my wife. It's not too much to hug her. Isn't it, Ade?" "Ade!" Mrs. Zhushan had no choice but to look at De Ji, "It's too shameful, to hug and hug in front of me, let go!" "No, no! Ade, don't let go." But Tokuhime blushed and pushed away Jiro Saburo's hand.Mrs. Zhushan was unwilling to come in, and stood at the door angrily.If the old mama hadn't served the meal at this time, she would undoubtedly have yelled and cursed wildly.Seeing someone coming, she had no choice but to curl her lips and reluctantly walked in. "The new year is here, I wish you a happy new year." "I also hope that mother is safe." "Saburo. I want to eat here too." "Oh. Feed mother. Is that okay, Ad?" "Why do you even ask Ade about this kind of thing? Sanlang is the chief general of this city." Jiro Saburo waved his hands like a child. "No, no. Although I am a general, I don't care about the affairs of the inner court. Ade is the general of the inner court, and everything must be approved by her. Is it okay, Ade?" "Please enjoy it to your heart's content. Ade will send food here." Deji said. Mrs. Zhushan turned around suddenly and said to Ade: "Ade, you must be cautious in what you say." "yes." "Even if you are Nobunaga's daughter, you have to be careful. I am Saburo's biological mother and Ieyasu's wife." "yes." "Even if we eat, you have to show us one by one?" De Ji didn't know what Mrs. Tsukiyama was talking about.But it was because of Jiro Saburo's question that she answered casually, why is Madam so angry?Deji looked at Mrs. Zhushan and remained silent.If she continued to talk back, Mrs. Tsukiyama might be even more angry. "Why don't you answer, Ade? Do you look down on me because I was born in a dilapidated Imagawa family?" At this moment, Hiraiwa Chikichi walked in while coughing loudly. "Today is a big day, and I'm here to join in the fun. Serve wine!" Now that Nananosuke Hiraiwa was here, Mrs. Tsukiyama couldn't reprimand Tokuhime endlessly.During the meal, Mrs. Tsukiyama looked at Nananosuke, Tokuhime and Jiro Saburo from time to time.Above the altar is a picture of the sunrise, and next to it are tortoises and cranes, red and white snacks, etc., creating a festive atmosphere for the New Year. Only Mrs. Tsukiyama's strange expression is particularly dazzling. Nananosuke Kiyoshi felt that this might imply some kind of ominousness.After the meal, he deliberately emphasized his tone, saying: "This year is very important to the young master. The master has already stationed troops in Hamamatsu City, and will soon border on the territory of the Takeda family who has raised his whip to Suruga, and may also enter Beijing. Therefore, the young master has to practice hard, to be good at both civil and military skills." Mrs. Tsukiyama got up angrily.Ieyasu, who did not get an official position at Imagawa Yoshimoto, is now going to accompany Nobunaga to Beijing.And Nobunaga's daughter was right under her nose, thinking of this, she was going crazy. "My dear!" "lady?" "I don't want to disturb your lecture, so I'll take my leave first." "You go." "My lord is really incomprehensible. I don't know when I became the retainers of the Oda family. You are also satisfied, and you can accompany Oda Nobunaga to Beijing." Nananosuke bowed his head and remained silent. After the sound of his wife's footsteps disappeared, he smiled and looked at Saburo Jiro. After finishing the meal, Nananosuke urged the people to retreat to the next room together.In Nananosuke's opinion, it's time for them to be a real couple.Because of Mrs. Zhushan's visit, Deji was a little unhappy.According to Nananosuke's experience, it is best for the two of them to be alone at this time.Jiro Saburo didn't know how to comfort De Ji, but he didn't want the maids to hear De Ji's dissatisfaction and crying.If the subordinates disclosed this matter to Deji's entourage, it might reach Nobunaga's ears, which might cast a shadow over the friendship between the two families. After Kiyoshi and the maid left, Saburo Jiro stood up, stretched himself, and sat down by the window. "Ade, I apologize to you. You have to be patient." He was more sensitive than his father Ieyasu.If it was Ieyasu, he might have chosen to remain silent at this time, but Jiro Saburo blurted out.This is not to say that he is inferior to his father, but because his experience is simple, unlike Ieyasu who has gone through so many hardships. "Mother has always been eccentric and likes to talk nonsense. Don't be angry." Hearing these words, Ade fell to the ground. "You're crying again. Is it tears of joy? Ade..." Deji responded and nodded, feeling that Saburo Jiro was very gentle to her today. "I know her. Don't you worry." "Oh. Ade is a smart man, he should be able to understand." "If the Oda clan perishes and Saburo doesn't get close to me, I will be sad too..." "Don't talk about it. Ah, the sun is blocked, and the sky is darkened. Let's play cards, and call everyone." "No, I just want to be alone with Saburo." "Oh. That's also good." Jiro Saburo strode over and reached out to help the plum blossom branch on Deji's head. "The plum blossom is crooked." Deji smiled sweetly, covering her eyes with her sleeves. "The last time I went hunting in Yanjin..." "It was cold." "Yes, when we were having lunch in the grass at the foot of the mountain, a wild boar jumped out—" "You shot it dead with an arrow...I've heard it twice..." "Twice... did I say it twice? But now that I've said it, listen." "Yes. What's the matter?" "I took the bow and arrow from Kitahara Kinosuke and was about to shoot an arrow. Nananosuke jumped out and stopped me with a gun. I asked him angrily why he didn't let me shoot. He said that the general should not do dangerous things." "Yes. Know how dangerous things are." "In summer, I'm going to go swimming in the Sugasu River. My father said that hunting and swimming are the two things that can train people the most. I will never lose to my father." As he spoke, he seemed to think of something, and said to De Ji: " Your father Nobunaga..." "Well. In Mino..." "I heard that your father taught my father to swim, do you know?" "I don't know." "Then let me tell you. When my father was in Retian, your father came to visit and taught my father to swim in the cold winter water. That was my father's first time swimming." "Ah, cold winter..." De Ji's mood finally improved.Hearing swimming in the cold winter, she frowned slightly.At this time, there was a strange sound in the air.There was a sound of wind in the tops of the pine trees. "Now there is thunder." "Thunder?...Probably the wind. It is said in Japanese songs that thunder is the scene of summer." "No, it did sound like thunder." Saburo Jiro stood up and was about to walk towards the corridor when a purple bolt of lightning flashed overhead from the northern sky, followed by an earth-shaking thunder. "Ah! It's terrible..." De Ji snuggled into Jiro Saburo's arms in horror. Chunlei rang a few more times, and it gradually faded away.The sky was still gloomy, De Ji hugged Jiro Saburo tightly, never daring to let go.At first she was terrified, but when Saburo Jiro put his hands gently on her shoulders, the fear gradually disappeared, and she was both happy and worried.The wind was still howling, and he seemed to be waiting for the next thunder. With his hands on Deji's shoulders, he stood there blankly, motionless.After a long time, he finally spoke: "Thunder is heading south..." "No..." De Ji still hugged Jiro Saburo tightly. "Adbory?" "Ok." "I'm not afraid. It gives me courage to hear that voice." "That...that's because Saburo is brave by nature." "Aren't you brave?" "I'm a woman." "Haha...women are gentle. Isn't it?" "Sanlang, let's go on like this forever." "Ah..." Saburo Jiro wanted to laugh, but was suddenly surprised.He felt his throat dry, and his voice seemed to be someone else's, a little hoarse.Why?He tilted his head, thinking, but he wasn't old enough to understand it all.He felt a kind of emotion in his heart, surging like dark clouds in summer, and he couldn't help but heaved a long sigh. "Come on! I'll hold you tightly and crush your body." He knelt on the ground, using his hands hard. "Ah!" Deji uttered a cry of pain, and snuggled up to her. Jiro Saburo suddenly felt hot-headed.No matter how hard he tried, it seemed that he couldn't support Deji's soft body.Touching that extremely soft body, Jiro Saburo suddenly felt desire. De Ji's head was buried deep in Jiro Saburo's chest, shaking slightly, black hair swaying at the base of his neck, ears as delicate as red plum blossoms.Jiro Saburo couldn't help feeling a little dizzy when he saw those delicate ears.The will gradually faded away, and he could no longer control the curiosity in his heart...