Chapter 20 Chapter 19 Songping Mayin

In the fourteenth year of Tianwen, the plum blossoms have already opened, and the petals are covered with a thin layer of white snow. Most of the samurai who came to pay their respects had retreated, and the city lord Matsudaira Hironata, who was receiving congratulations from everyone in the meeting hall, bent down and coughed from time to time.He seemed to have a fever, his face was flushed, and his eyes were moist. "Let's leave too." The silver-haired Daizo Abe looked back at Masaku Sakai with a bit of worry in his eyes.He walked up to Guangzhong on his knees. "Please take care of your health." His tone seemed to be talking to his younger brother, "Please consider marrying the daughter of Mr. Toda Tanmasa."

Guangzhong hummed and coughed again, as if he was thinking.He has just ushered in the spring of his twenties, but his face already shows the weariness of the world.Dazo Abe didn't speak, but Masaku Sakai was very anxious.Last autumn, they sent Yu Da back to Kariya because they were afraid of Imagawa Yoshimoto's despotic power.But until now, Guangzhong is still obsessed with Da, and he is depressed all day long.As the lord of a city, he is indecisive, like a woman.This made Masaku Sakai sad and anxious. The surrounding situation became increasingly tense.Oda Nobuhide appointed his son Nobuhiro as the lord of Anxiang City and strengthened his military equipment.Mrs. Yu's elder brother, Mizuno Nobumoto, is very worried about the incident of being killed, and he is obviously hostile, and he is even more eyeing on Okazaki Castle.Junfu Imagawa never gave up the idea of ​​going to Beijing.Caught between these two powerful forces, the fate of the Matsudaira family is even bleaker than today's snowy sky.

Yalezhu originally hoped that Guangzhong could take advantage of the happy new year to say a word of encouragement to the restless clansmen, but Guangzhong seemed more powerless than at the end of last year.When Torii Tadakichi, the Okubo brothers and others talked about the daughter of Toda Danmasa, the lord of Tahara Castle, who was remarried, he also hesitated and hesitated. The two walked out of the meeting room, looked at each other, and sighed in unison. "There is no way. The city master is too..." Abe Dazou sighed in a low voice, "It's really heart-wrenching."

Ya Lezhu gritted his teeth and said, "From the end of the year until now, he has been hiding in the inner courtyard drinking alone." "When will this heart disease be a head!" "This year must be an eventful year. You should also take care of your health." The two walked out of the gate together. "Go back like this?" Abe Dazang asked. "You can't go back like this." Ya Lezhu looked at the gloomy sky, catching the snow with his palm, "If you go back with such a sad face, you will be scolded when you get home." "Let's go and relax."

"Okay." Ya Lezhu agreed, and then there was a wry smile on his face. The two said they were going to relax, but in fact they were going to visit Takechiyo who lived in Erdao City. Take Chiyo was in Ah Zhen's arms today, and his sad father stared at him for a long time.He has a ruddy complexion, very different from his father.Hiromada was weak, but Takechiyo was only four years old, but he was quite strong, babbling and gliding around in the meeting hall.Guangzhong seemed displeased, frowned, and said: "Let him go down." He added: "Don't let him catch a cold."

No matter who looked at it, Takechiyo looked more like his mother, Mrs. Yu.No, it should be said that he is more like his grandfather Tadomasa Mizuno.But no one mentioned that he looked like Zhongzheng.Round chin, bright eyes, small mouth opening and closing, very cute.Everyone opened their mouths and said that this child is like Guangzhong's father Qingkang, and they would rather think so.Whenever they saw the weak Guangzhong, they thought of the brave Qingkang and sighed endlessly. "The young master is very energetic, just like his grandfather." When he walked to the wine valley, Abe said, picking a branch of plum blossoms on the side of the road.

"For the young master?" "Yes. However, by the time the young master is able to go to the battlefield, I may not be alive. The young master will leave everything to you, and I hope that you will protect him unyieldingly like this cold plum in the snow." "Hahaha..." Yalezhu laughed out loud.This is the first time he laughed out of the house today. "Give me a heart of plum blossoms?" As he spoke, he brushed off the white snow that had fallen on the old man's head, and then took out a strange-shaped thing from his bosom. "what is this?"

"Gift." "A straw kitten?" "It's a horse, old man." "Haha, it's a horse." "I did it with my own hands—meaning to do the work of a dog and a horse." "Hahaha……" This time the old man laughed too, with tears in his eyes.The warriors of this small country never leave the weak lord, and pin their hopes on the newly born young lord. As a family elder, he made such a thing with his own hands. "He'll be delighted. There's no better present. Let's go." The two stopped talking and continued to walk forward.The snow fell harder and harder, and the plum blossom in Da Zang's hand was almost covered by snow.The two shook their heads from time to time to shake off the snow from their hair, and walked along the arrow tower.They bent down and entered the gate of Erdao City, and they called out in unison: "Please open the door." There was unprecedented lightness in their voices.

The maid responded and came to open the door.They found a lot of shoes at the entrance. "Oh, everyone seems to be here." Ya Lezhu whispered. "I knew you would come, so I was waiting here." Okubo Shinhachiro shouted loudly inside.The two patted the snow on the front of their clothes, stepped on the stone slab in front of the door, and walked in.Almost at the same time, Takechiyo's loud voice came. "grandfather--" "Here we come, we come." Elder Abe sat down first. This eight-fold house is plainly decorated, a bit like a country farmhouse.There are red and white rice cakes on the front alcove, and there are things like Guchitai and Penglaitai, all of which are very simple.Torii Tadakichi, who left the city first, smiled and hugged Takechiyo, sitting in front of the alcove.The Okubo brothers, Ishikawa Yasuhiro and Abe Shirobei were also there, and they took the cup and saucer from the wet nurse and passed them down one by one.

Garasuke and Abe sat side by side. "Congratulations on the New Year." They knelt on the ground and said in unison. Takechiyo waved his little hands and shouted "Grandpa".No matter which retainer he saw, he would call him Grandpa.This claim made everyone feel sad. "Does he understand what the whole clan expects of him?" "It looks exactly like his grandfather." Abe approached Torii Tadakichi with plum blossoms. "Come on, let me hug you too. I want to give him a gift." He took Takechiyo from the silver-haired Zhongkichi and hugged him, his eyes suddenly turned red. "Your grandfather attacked Owari and was unyielding to Oda. You have to be like him."

Ya Lezhu took out the toy horse from his arms, and turned his head to one side.Takechiyo had to be separated from his mother for being so peeing; and his father was depressed and unable to bear the heavy responsibility of the family.The family also gradually split into the Oda faction and the Imagawa faction, fighting openly and secretly.It is sad that a weak country is sandwiched between two powerful countries.In order to survive, the child's mother had to be evicted.The father grieves, and the child grieves.The retainers who came back here without an appointment felt even more desolate.These pillars of the Matsudaira family pinned the ambitions that their ancestors failed to realize on this innocent young boy. But Takechiyo didn't know anything.The more people there are, the happier he is.He took the plum blossoms in the hands of old man Abe with his chubby little hands, suddenly called out to Grandpa, and struck Zhongkichi's white hair with plum branches. "Oh, how brave." Petals fluttered in all directions.Okubo Shinhachiro burst into tears suddenly.A petal just fell into his cup. "Shinpachi, why are you doing this, today is the first day of the new year." Brother Shinjuro blamed. "I didn't cry, I was happy. Look, a petal of a plum blossom fell into my cup. This year, my new eighth wish will definitely come true. I am very happy." "You're really eloquent. Could it be that your wish is to buy a little padded jacket for your child?" "Hahaha, this is also one of the wishes." Shinhachiro cried with a smile, and took a sip of wine with his head buried in his head.Masaku Sakai handed the straw horse to Takechiyo.Takechiyo's eyes lit up.He probably couldn't tell that it was a horse at a glance. He closed his mouth tightly, looked at it for a while, and shouted: "Wow!" Then he took the plum blossom and hit Yale Assistant on the head. Everyone roared with laughter.Everyone wanted to use the child's innocence and cuteness to dilute the gloomy mood brought by Guangzhong. "It's not 'Wow,' it's a horse, a horse—" "Horse—" Takechiyo followed up, threw away the plum blossom in his hand, and rushed towards the toy. Torii Tadakichi squinted at the side, smiled and said to Abe old man: "You must live until the young master can ride a horse." The old man nodded, took the cup and saucer from him, and handed Takechiyo to the wet nurse Ah Zhen. "I will live a long life. I will drink this glass of wine." After he finished drinking, he handed the glass to Sakai Masasuke. After Yale Assistant finished drinking, Ishikawa Anyi said, "You may have heard some rumors in the inner court recently." An Yi shook her head lightly, "It is said that the city lord has a new woman." "What? How is this possible! Ever since Mrs. Shangfang returned to Kariya, the castellan hasn't even been to Mrs. Ajiu's place. The nuns in the inner court couldn't stand it anymore, lamenting that the castellan was too dedicated." "That's the reason." "what do you mean……" "Probably because of drunken sex. When I took a bath in the middle of the night, I thought the maid was..." "Maid?" Okubo Shinhachiro interrupted from the side. "Don't talk nonsense!" Shinjuro hurriedly stopped him. "He took the maid as the lady in the house?" "I heard that they do resemble each other. At that time, the maid bowed her head and knelt on the ground, and the city lord was a little drunk, and asked her to wait for the bath." "This matter must not be leaked out. Shut up, don't talk about it again!" Ishikawa Aki was talking, and Torii Tadaki who had been silent by the side shouted seriously. At some point, Takechiyo climbed to the alcove by himself and stood up the toy horse. Masaku Sakai folded his arms and fell into deep thought.Although the world is chaotic and impermanent, it is too sad that things have developed to such an extent.Back then, it was Yalezhu who persuaded Guangzhong to marry fourteen-year-old Yu Da for the sake of the family.This marriage is very necessary for the Matsudaira family and can keep the family safe.But sixteen-year-old Guangzhong is very disgusted with marriage.Yu Da must be the same.But Yu Da, who is a new wife, is much wiser than her husband in terms of judgment of the current situation and understanding of life.With a patient heart, she gradually moved Guangzhong and gained the trust of the whole family, old and young.Finally, Takechiyo was born.The joy of everyone in the family at that time, Yalezhu still felt as if it was yesterday.But in this brutal and chaotic world, nothing can go exactly as expected.This couple, united for the benefit of the family, had to separate for the benefit of the family.Yu Da's elder brother Mizuno Nobumoto took refuge in Oda Nobuhide, and Okazaki had to send Yu Da away due to the power of the Imagawa family. On the day when Yu Da was sent away, Yalezhu felt no less grief than Guangzhong, and to this day, that grief still lingers in his heart.He knew that Guangzhong could not forget Yu Da, so he kept persuading him to remarry and marry Toda Tanmasa's daughter.But Guangzhong's disqualification still made Yalezhu extremely indignant.He really wanted to scold Guangzhong, this is not an era where one can indulge in love all day long.But at the same time as being angry, sorrow flooded into my heart like a tide.Guangzhong was born in a weak family, so he could not avoid a strategic marriage.He was angry about it, a dissatisfaction that tormented his frail body. Alcoholism is really a last resort.woman, alas!If it's because of youth and vigor, Yalezhu can breathe a sigh of relief.But he turned out to be drunk and have sex with other women... This is too absurd.He is not a general, and he cannot be compared with Naifu Qingkang.However, I, who watched him grow up since I was a child, really cannot escape the blame. "I have to persuade him..." Galesuke was thinking about this, and the old man Torii said to Ishikawa Anyi very calmly: "Where did you hear this kind of rumor?" "A groom of the city lord heard it from the maid." "Did you not stop him from spreading the word?" "Of course it stopped." "However, the current situation in the inner court is still worrying, Zhengjia..." Ya Lezhu looked at Zhongji's gentle face. The snow seemed to have stopped, and the partition was lit up. Torii Zhongkichi lives in Watari, not with Hiromada.These family elders who manage affairs around Guangzhong do not have titles at this time, they are just called veterans.All affairs in Okazaki are in charge of five people including Honda Heihachiro, Sakai Masaku, Ishikawa Aki, Uemura Shinrokuro and Abe Daizo. However, Zhongji, the eldest in the family, is an extraordinary person to Guangzhong.Zhongji made a sound, and everyone's eyes fell on him in unison. "This kind of thing is common." Aware of the tension in the atmosphere, the old man Torii easily changed the subject, "I'm going back to Watari right away, so I would like you to discuss this matter with everyone. The marriage with Mr. Tansho-sama of Tahara is very important. Important, but more important is the character of the lady. Isn't it, old man?" "Yes." The old man Abe nodded. "Not all the Matsudaira family will gather here." "That's what I mean too, Zhengjia." Yalezhu nodded.Or the old people think well.Although the worry is a bit excessive, it is not impossible. Maybe there will be heresy in the inner court at any time. Disputes that do not exist when one is strong will certainly arise when one is weak.The tribe is divided into the Oda faction and the Imagawa faction. It is already helpless, but I am afraid that some people will see the weakness of their neighbors and become ambitious.The Matsudaira family will be torn apart, and eventually the family will perish.There is no shortage of precedents for this kind of thing throughout the ages.Previously, Hirotada's uncle Matsudaira Shinsada had an affair with Oda, but now his uncle Tibetan Nobutaka also began to express criticism frequently. "The city lord is in a state of disarray right now. If someone takes the opportunity to spread rumors, then something bad will happen." "I see." "Also, Takechiyo is also worrying." Zhongji looked back at Takechiyo who was playing carefree beside the alcove, and said, "Why don't you let Mr. Takechiyo move to the main hall of the city and hand it over to Mrs. Feisha, what do you think? Mrs. Feisha will definitely agree. You should discuss this matter carefully." Mrs. Feisha is the elder sister of the former lord Qingkang and the great-aunt of Takechiyo. "Transferring Mr. Takechiyo to Erdao City seems to be respectful, but it is actually a contempt. This kind of place... Anyway, Takechiyo is also the hope of unity in the family." "We will discuss it carefully." Yalezhu actually felt the same way.In order to establish the majesty of his son, he transferred Takechiyo here, but he regretted it afterwards.If the family is strong, this fact need not worry too much.But now, even the atmosphere in the city is not reassuring, and the more Yalezhu thinks about it, the more anxious Guangzhong becomes.Although there is no evidence yet, if the woman who was favored by Guangzhong... It was nearly noon when everyone left Takechiyo's residence. Knowing that he would be left alone, Takechiyo struggled in Ah Zhen's arms.He didn't want to keep anyone, he just stretched out his hand and called "Grandpa", "Grandpa".Brother Okubo's eyes were red, he dismissed everyone casually, walked out of the city gate, and returned to the mountain. "Master Takechiyo must go back to this city..." Masarasuke, who lives in the city, sent Tadakichi Torii to Liushaokou, stood there for a while, looking up at Kazan and thought.Everyone cherishes the young Takechiyo very much, and hopes to unite around Takechiyo. The fundamental reason is that Hirochu is too weak. When they parted, Zhongkichi smiled at Yalesuke and said, "Master Takechiyo is the horse seal of our clan." Only Yalesuke could understand the meaning of this sentence, and it was true.Because of Mrs. Yu's departure and Guangzhong's depression, the Songping tribe is about to lose their horse seal.In order to unite again, the banner of Takechiyo must be erected beside Hirochu, and then marry a more virtuous wife than Yuda. Looking at the thin snow-covered trees on Mount Jia and Dengyan Mountain, Yalezhu suddenly changed his mind: we can't just go back like this!You must go back and meet the city lord alone!It's not a simple New Year's greeting, but going to the inner court, drinking and chatting with Guangzhong, getting closer to each other, and having a heart-to-heart talk, that's my duty.After thinking about it, he turned and walked back. On the way, he met many warriors, and they all wished him a long life.Yalezhu just lowered his head blindly, his mind was heavy, and he ignored it.After the snow fell, it immediately began to melt.The wind bucket leaves gradually spit out new shoots, and the black land came into view. "Let him seize the spring..." Waiting by Guangzhong's side, but not knowing that he has a new woman, what a fool!He wanted to find out the character of this woman when the two of them sat down and chatted. Ya Dongsuke walked into the inner gate.The warriors greeted him in surprise. "Is the city lord there?" He looked at the college, but Guangzhong was not there, and there was only white ash left in the stove.Ya Lezhu walked up the corridor leading to the inner courtyard.He intentionally coughed loudly, stood in front of the door of Nanny Suga, the head maid of the inner court, and shouted: "Is anyone there? Zhengjia drank too much and wants to wash his body. Please inform the city lord."