Pillars of the Wu family

Hirata and Izumimori's eyes began to change, their left hand involuntarily rested on the sword, and slowly bowed: "...Yes!"

Zhou Hao laughed and said: "It turns out that the new shogunate senators saw that the gate of the Chang Yusuo opened to the west, and they could enter and exit the sword room that only the generals entered. What happened to the shogunate? Can Izumi Shouden answer me?"

Hirata and Izumi Shou stared for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said: "...Sure enough, he was discovered. Zhou Haodian's intelligence and sensitivity are as amazing as the rumors in the market! It's a pity that you still left Luyuanyuan."

Zhou Hao chuckled: "If the poor monk hides in the deer garden, if nothing happens, the poor monk will definitely hide in the monastery forever... Maybe Izumi Shou prepared the last trick? Burning the Golden Pavilion Temple ?”

Hirata and Izumimori simply let go of their thoughts, and responded frankly: "I am responsible for not burning down the Kinkakuji Temple, and I can't bear this responsibility."

"Perhaps! Sanhao's family has a bit of conscience..." Zhou Hao smiled, turned around to look at the little novice huddled in the corner, and sighed, "It's just that the poor monk never thought that Ji Zhu would betray the poor monk. Does fame and fortune move people's hearts?"

"I'm really sorry, it's getting late, and I'm going to invite His Highness Zhou Hao to go on the road." Hirata and Izumi Mori shouted: "Jisuke!"

"Yes!" Jisuke trembled all over, took out a dagger from his sleeve, and walked towards Zhou Hao tremblingly, muttering: "I'm sorry, Your Highness! I, Jisuke, really hate the life in this Luyuan courtyard. I want to return to the vulgar world, marry a wife and have children, I want to make contributions and inherit my family, I want to be famous and rich, I can’t stay in this small monastery for the rest of my life... I’m sorry!”

Zhou Hao's eyes widened with anger: "Ji Zhu, how dare you! You have forgotten the kindness of the past ten years. Have you forgotten how the poor monk has treated you these years? Put down your weapon. The poor monk can let the past go, let it go!"

"I..." Jisuke was stunned holding the dagger, and realized that he was neither on the left nor on the right. He looked helplessly at Hirata and Izumimori. Have you been forgiven? Hurry up and send Zhou Haodian on the road so that you can take your share of the reward!"

"Yes... yes!" Jisuke held the dagger tightly, and walked over firmly with a sudden bow.When Zhou Hao's complexion suddenly changed and he retreated, he stabbed the dagger into his chest and shouted: "I'm sorry, Your Highness! I, Jizhu, thank you for your respect and love for many years, but today, please die in peace! I'm sorry! "

Zhou Hao clutched his blood-stained cyan black clothes, slowly retreated and sat down on the ground, with blood gushing from his mouth and nose, pointing at Jisuke and saying intermittently: "You will be punished by gods and Buddhas if you do this... Those who betray their faith...will fall into the endless hell! You will definitely...pay the price..."

The struggle of the dying is very painful, and the intense panting like pulling a bellows gradually loses its strength. When the last smear of blood dissipates with the last ray of sunset, the young and energetic life quietly passed away, and Yin Hong's blood gathered into a trail .It flows into the Kamo River along the pebbles along the river, and flows down the river like countless trickles into the sea.

"I did it... I killed people! I have been rewarded!" Jisuke knelt in front of Zhou Hao's body and cried loudly: "Father and mother in heaven! I, Jisuke, am no longer that cowardly bullied child." ! From now on, I will become an honorable warrior. A powerful warrior with a thousand stones!"

Jisuke cried and laughed while lying on Zhou Hao's corpse, completely ignoring the regretful eyes of his former benefactor who was full of nostalgia. His eyes gradually lost their luster. It doesn't matter if the lord dies in front of the benefactor, as long as he can live a better life, then the lord's Death is also worthwhile, maybe he will be grateful to Zhou Hao for his brave death in his heart, it is safer to be tricked out and kill himself than poisoned.

Hirata and Izumimori drew out their swords and walked gently. In the deep twilight, the snow-white swords shone like light to illuminate the river. The sharp blades gently cut across the weeds by the river, cutting the leg-length grass down to the waist to cut a sloping path. , a little bit of dew fell on the blade and collapsed in a blink of an eye, only the hissing sound of cutting spread faintly to the surroundings.

Yoshisuke seemed to feel something and looked back, and saw Hirata and Izumimori standing behind him with their backs to the setting sun on the horizon. The sharp sword exuded a cold light, as if silently signaling that death was coming.

Jisuke suddenly had an ominous premonition, swallowed quietly, gripped the dagger tightly, and said nervously: "Izumi Shouden... can we... can go..."

"Hmm..." Hirata and Izumimori's voices were vague, and the figure that seemed to be hidden in the shadows still stood still: "Get up! We should go, I will take care of the aftermath..."

"Okay! I'll get up now." Jisuke let go of the big stone in his heart, stood up quickly, walked forward a few steps, looked around, and said strangely: "There is only one horse, how should we go back? Do we go back to Kyoto on the same horse? Is it? This should be fine! I think it’s fine.”

"No...you don't need to ride the same horse...I have a better suggestion." Hirata and Izumimori quietly walked behind Yoshisuke, whispering softly like mosquitoes and flies: "I will return to the capital to return to my order, and you go down to serve Zhou Haodian!"

The sword pierced Jisuke's back in a blink of an eye, and then passed through his chest, bringing out a ray of blood. The severe pain spread all over his body in an instant, and his whole body twitched in pain. Jisuke looked down at the blood-stained Xueliang Taidao retreating a little bit , slowly retreated into his chest and disappeared without a trace, and the next moment blood gushed out like a fountain.

With a sound of "Plop", Jisuke knelt on the ground facing the direction of Kyoto like a pilgrim. The severe pain overwhelmed his reason and made him cry bitterly. Tears and blood flowed down, and Jisuke cried bitterly: "Why is this so?" For me...why...I just want to go back to Kyoto, I still have a younger sister to take care of...she is only ten years old...living on my meager money...don't want to give me knowledge...you don't have to kill me ..."

"Because you did what you shouldn't do, and you know what you shouldn't know, so you must die!" Hirata and Izumimori squatted beside him pityingly, looked at Jisuke and sighed: "I can't help myself, I hope you can I understand! The requirement above is that only one person can return to Kyoto, so there are only two choices. Either you die or I die... You have a sister. I also have a wife and children. So sorry!"

"Please...help my sister..." Jisuke gasped for breath, his healthy face was as pale as paper, his eyes that were gradually losing focus were full of begging, and a pool of blood quietly formed in the depression below him, obviously already Days are numbered.

Hirata and Izumi Mori sighed: "I have investigated your family, and your sister is a very cute little girl... If you want, I will take her as a concubine, and a boy will inherit your name in the future. Instead You live..."

"This is good... this is good... thank you... I can't make Your Highness... wait too long... I should go..." Jisuke's face revealed a faint joy, swallowing his last breath tone.

……

Zhou Hao died without any suspense, and Jueqing was escorted to Koizumi City as scheduled. Miyoshi Yoshito refused to pick up Jueqing on the grounds that he was unwell. Fearing that the descendant of the general's family would die in Shenglong Temple City inexplicably, he sent people to wait at the pier early to prevent Jueqing from disembarking, and turned directly to Koizumi City on the other side of the river.

Miyoshi and the others were annoyed that the house governor was irresponsible, but now they have no better choice, so they can only bite the bullet and welcome Jueqing to settle in the humble Koizumi City.After a few days of delicious food and drink, Jueqing relaxed his vigilance, and when he saw the three good people and Song Yongxiu's humble expressions, he turned his face away with a cold snort of disgust.

Jueqing's robes have not been changed.He is still dressed like a young monk, and he doesn't look like he is over 30 years old. His lips are red, his teeth are white, his eyes are bright and dignified. He sits cross-legged in the castle tower and silently recites the Buddha's name, saying lightly: "Speak! Lure the poor monk to What's going on outside the city of Kyoto?"

"I want to support His Royal Highness as the general who conquers barbarians..."

Jueqing raised his head in doubt, and said disdainfully: "Huh? You lowly warriors of the four countries dare to dethrone the shogunate, don't you know that the current shogunate is my brother Jueqing? Want to follow Hosokawa Masamoto to depose the general , What audacity! Don’t know how to live or die! Don’t you know that this guy Hosokawa Masato died without a place to die, and you want to taste the pain of chaotic swords on your body?”

Being reprimanded in public for being humble, the faces of the Miyoshi and the Miyoshi turned green but they dared not speak out. In the eyes of the Ashikaga General’s family, the Miyoshi’s family is indeed nothing. The samurai are all their retainers who are driven by them. Except for the emperor in Kyoto who is like a mud-bodied wood sculpture, there is no one who can make the general look up to him, not even the Kanto dragon Ashikaga Yoshitoki.

Compared with one-sixth of the Tonoyama family, the Ouchi family who dominated the Western Kingdom, and the Hosokawa family who once ruled the shogunate for nearly a hundred years, their Miyoshi family, especially the Miyoshi Sanyou and Matsunaga Hideo's generation are nothing, Miyoshi Changqing They are just the stewards of the Hosokawa family, and Miyoshi and the others are just the retainers of Miyoshi Changqing.

And the Hosokawa family got rid of a leader who existed in name only, and in the blood relationship ranking of the Ashikaga clan, they couldn't even rank in the top ten. Miyoshi Changqing didn't dare to show off in front of the general. Putting on a show?I probably don't know how the word "dead" is written.

Miyoshi Changyi bowed his head like a dying old man, and said cautiously: "Yes! We know that this trip is against God's will, but we are also forced to do nothing! My Miyoshi family has lost the Lord in recent years to help The family business was in danger of disintegration, and the former master Juguangyuandian offended Guandong Gongfang, so that Guandong Gongfang joined forces with Hanoi Takayadian, Yamato Tsutsui, Omi Liujiao, and Dan*tano clans. Attempting to dismember my Sanhao family and collapse the general trend of peace and tranquility in the country, we have no choice but to act..."

Jueqing waved his long sleeves and shouted: "Don't let the poor monk say these high-sounding perfunctory words. The poor monk hates your humble warriors who are righteous on the surface but vicious on the inside. Ashikaga Yoshiki's attack on the shogunate is worse than you You are a hundred times stronger, don't find a reason to frame others!"

Yancheng Youtong lowered his head with a bitter face, and said in a low voice: "Oops! This Highness is also a difficult character, what should we do!"

The three good people did not expect Jueqing to be so vigilant. From the words, it can be seen that this gentleman has a clear head and a sharp mind. He just showed a little sign and scolded them so hard that they couldn't lift their heads. They wanted to persuade Jueqing to treat his brother Ashikaga Hui started, it became a very difficult thing.

Matsunaga Hideo shook his head slightly, and was very dissatisfied with the stupid methods of the Miyoshi trio. He couldn't believe that Jueqing didn't have the idea of ​​becoming a general in his head. Every child of the Ashikaga family had the ambition to be a general, just like every It is the same for a prince who dreams of becoming an emperor.If you don't have ambitions, why sit here swaggeringly.It's so despicable and shameless to reprimand them with the airs that a general should have.

An unambitious monk should devote himself to the Buddha like calm water.Jueqing's clever, arrogant and ambitious attitude doesn't look like an unambitious monk. At most, he is unwilling to commit unfaithful and unfilial acts easily because of his elder brother and biological mother. In other words, as long as they can find a plausible reason, they can persuade Jue Qing to approve the illegal actions of the abolished general.

To be more elegant, this is to be dubious, but to be less elegant, it is to be a bitch and set up a torii.If he wants to eat fish, he still thinks it's fishy, ​​and if he doesn't give a plausible reason, he is embarrassed to do the evil thing of betraying his brother. In short, he must stand up morally. It is impossible to be a general without legitimacy. After all, in this era The skin of people is still relatively thin, and they haven't fallen to the thick skin of turtles who push their noses on their faces decades later.

After clarifying this truth, Song Yongxiu was full of confidence, bowed lightly and said, "Your Highness, please enlighten me! Since the Yingren Rebellion, the world has been in chaos for a hundred years, and many warriors are changing like clouds. Only the general The palace has risen from generation to generation and has remained unchanged since ancient times! Today, His Royal Highness Gongfang was born with great hope, and has worked hard to govern and revitalize the shogunate for more than [-] years. Appointing the general of Guandong Gongfang’s guard house to manage the Eastern Kingdom, sweeping across the country in just ten years , more than a dozen countries were restored in an instant, and their meritorious deeds are shining through the ages, but..."

"Huh? Keep talking!" Jueqing said with a cold face, "What do you see the poor monk doing? Keep talking!"

The corners of Song Yongxiu's mouth slightly turned up, and he bowed his head and said: "Yes! However, His Royal Highness has had no heirs for a long time, and it is a big disaster for the shogunate to have no children under his thirties. You, the ancestral property of General Ashikaga's family is passed on to the lineage of Shangsuo Ashikaga's family, His Highness must be aware of the difference?"

Jueqing's complexion immediately collapsed, and he silently recited the "Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra" several times while holding his rosary, and then slowly said: "What's the difference? Why didn't the poor monk see any difference? It's all because my Ashikaga family has not changed. stop!"

"If Your Highness is not clear, I, Jiu Xiu, will boldly speculate. If there is something wrong, please forgive me." Song Yongxiu smiled lightly, saw the excited expressions of the three good people, and continued: "The current shogunate is called It is the Muromachi Shogunate, whose name comes from the Flower Palace in Muromachi Koji, Sakyo District, Kyoto, where the deer garden stands.

The prestige of Luyuan-in Temple shines all over the world. It is the pride of my samurai family, and it is also the supreme pride of the shogunate. However, the Kami-Ashikaga family is not the direct descendant of Luyuan-in, nor is it a commoner. Its origin can be traced back to the Kamakura shogunate era. The history is so long that I and other warriors almost forget it, the so-called blood relatives are probably like this..."

Yoshimitsu Ashikaga of Luyuanyuan, the only general who enjoys surpassing the dignity of the past generations, when the name of this ancestor is mentioned, Jueqing's spiritual head suddenly rises several levels, and before he is happy, he is poured with a basin of cold water Feeling so cold, this eminent monk from Yichengyuan felt a little bit unable to pretend on the spot.

The fingers holding the rosary trembled constantly, and he muttered something: "The struggle between the common people... is intolerable, unforgivable! Ashikaga Yoshitoki is so bold and reckless, no wonder Waiting for the temple to call the Ashikaga family murderers. There is something behind this group of people The traitorous remnants of the Southern Dynasty have come up with such vicious thoughts!"

It is not foreign ministers who can intervene in the internal affairs of the general's family. Jueqing can unceremoniously scold Ashikaga Yoshitoki for rebellion, but the foreign ministers of Miyoshi's family absolutely cannot. Since ancient times, there has been a distinction between superior and inferior. For example, in the Central Plains, there is Zhou Tianwang who is the king of princes, and the lord of all kingdoms commands all nations.

So much so that the king of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote "Lunheng" and said: During the Zhou Dynasty, the world was peaceful, and the Japanese came to offer pheasants;

The history of superiority and inferiority runs through thousands of years of civilization, which is also the most important one in the oriental ethics system. In the Dong Zhongshu era, it evolved into a social theoretical system in which the ruler guides his subjects, the father guides his son, and the husband guides his wife. Rule is the core. The nobles in the classical feudal era were evolved from tribal lords and slaves. This was the case in the Yu, Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties of the Central Plains, and it was also the case in Japan from the Asuka era to the Warring States period for thousands of years.

He is not the poor public servant that no one dares to accept. As the largest feudal lord of the Ashikaga general family, the young and vigorous Jueqing doesn't think there is anything wrong with being so arrogant. Masamoto Hosokawa, who shook the world, died badly, and he could also curse Ashikaga Yoshitoki as a remnant of the Southern Dynasty. The Miyoshi trio and Matsunaga Hide hurriedly bowed their heads and did not dare to move rashly. This is the difference between nobles and nobles. Over the years, feudal customs have penetrated into their bones.

Hojo Yoshitoki had to hold a grand funeral to mourn for the general after the death of Minamoto, and Akamatsu Mansuke only dared to cut off Ashikaga Yoshikado's head and send him back to Kyoto. The exile of Ashikaga Yoshiki, the general can die or be exiled, but he must not be insulted. No one dares to trample on this iron law. The three good people dare to follow Hosokawa Masamoto's abolition and exile the general, but they dare not have anything against Juke The slightest contempt and disrespect.

Song Yongxiu hit the iron while the iron was hot, and said in a low voice: "Although Guandong Gongfang is also from the famous Ashikaga clan. Waiting for Chiin's lineage, going back, it is the story of the early years of Kamakura..."

Jueqing's face was livid, and he punched the table with his fist, sending the tea and cakes flying out, scattered all over the floor, and said darkly, "He's not...of course he's not! He's from Ashikaga Naoyoshi's school. Tojiin is hostile! The rebellion who supported the Ashikaga family 200 years ago was hostile to Tojiin. His clan, the Kira Sada family, killed the Hatakeyama family's heir, which caused chaos in Oshu's four leaders fighting for hegemony, turmoil in Kanto, and turmoil in the world. Take the opportunity to make trouble again!

When Chiin was forced to send his second son, Mrs. Ashikaga, to go to Kanto to serve as Kamakura's stay-at-home, the Kamakura government began!After all the calculations, it's all the fault of Ashikaga Naoyoshi and Kamiso Ashikaga's family!If there were no disturbances caused by these rebels, there would be no great chaos in the Kanto, and if there is no chaos in the Kanto, there would be no Kamakura government, and there would be no suffering of repeated confrontations between the shogunate and the Kanto government for 200 years!It's all their fault! "

This is called venting anger. General Ashikaga's family is so messed up. It is blamed for the remnants of the Kamakura government in Kanto who are fighting against the shogunate all day long, making the shogunate less prosperous every day, and thus the Onin Rebellion broke out. The Mingyu coup, the Kanto samurai were at fault inside and out, and Ashikaga Naoyoshi and Kira Mitsuyoshi who pushed forward to create this situation are the chief culprits. As for whether it is reasonable to think so, he doesn’t care about it. People who vent their anger never make sense. He only needs to drop a sentence in a very sloppy manner, and it is enough that all of this is your fault.

Song Yongxiu was overjoyed, arousing the anger in Jueqing's heart was a great victory, so he continued to slander: "Your Highness said it is true! The Shangsuo Ashikaga family where Kanto Gongfang is located is indeed a Southern Dynasty warrior, even if the Kinkoji Temple (Ashikaga Naoyoshi) After defeating the Battle of Satsuma Pass, they were forced to surrender to the Tojiinden (Ashikaga Takashi). The Kamiso Ashikaga family still insisted on fighting in the Southern Dynasty for many years, and it was not until the Tochiinden joined the imperial teacher Xu with the skills of Sanhe that he surrendered..."

"I didn't realize that you know a lot of secrets! These secrets are only known by lowly warriors like you!" Jueqing looked back vigilantly, Song Yongxiu hurriedly lowered his head humbly, Jueqing immediately He snorted coldly and said: "No matter where you hear the secrets from hearsay, you must remember your duty, don't even think about interfering in the internal affairs of my Ashikaga family, this is not what you should do!"

Song Yongxiu continued to pretend to be a grandson, bowed his head and said repeatedly: "Yes! We have no such intentions! We are just afraid of the power of Guandong Gongfang who shakes the world. If Guandong Gongfang is allowed to manage the Eastern Kingdom, even His Highness the Shogunate The position of successor is never allowed, and the unified rule of Kanto can be completed in three to five years, and then it may follow the old practice of the Genpei era, and go to Luoden! "

"He dares! This is disobedience! It's disobedience! It's disloyalty!" Jueqing blushed with excitement, and used fierce words to describe his anger at the moment. If Ashikaga Yoshitoki was lucky enough to be present at this moment, he would definitely draw his sword He was cut into seventeen or eighteen sections with a knife, and then his head was cut off and hung on the three bridges to "show off his head" as an example to others. (To be continued..)