Pillars of the Wu family

Song Yongxiu is very smart and well-behaved. He took the scapegoat and did not come forward to clarify the truth of the matter. Instead, he took the opportunity to retaliate against the Miyoshi trio, creating the "truth" that the Miyoshi trio murdered the general and framed him, and "exposed" Miyoshi The three held the general hostage and threatened Miyoshi Yoshitsugu's crime.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki was very grateful for Matsunaga Hideo's cooperation, and found Nijo Haruyoshi to jointly put pressure on the imperial court to remove both the imperial decree and the shogunate crusade against Matsunagahide. The reason is that all parties are responsible and not the fault of one family , Inside and outside are helping Matsunagahide to divert firepower, there is such a general inside to help, and Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, Miyoshi Yasunaga and others have ulterior motives to stir up the muddy water, making the chaos in Kyoto even more turbid.

The Miyoshi Trio and Matsunaga Hideo come and go and pour dirty water on each other. In the end, the Miyoshi Trio felt that their own advantage was greater, so they led their troops south to Yamato to seek a chance to compete with Matsunaga Hideo. The main force of the Miyoshi Army Leaving Kyoto one by one became a turning point, and most of the main forces in the city withdrew to form a short vacuum period.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki went to Sangokuni Temple on the grounds of sweeping the grave, because he received a letter from a mysterious woman asking him to go to Sangukuni Temple for a meeting, so Ashikaga Yoshiaki came to Sangokuni at the beginning of July when the weather was the hottest. Waiting in the quiet room designated by Lin Guangyuan at the head of the temple, where he wants to meet a woman who should not have appeared in the temple.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki was restless in the quiet room, sometimes walking back and forth, sometimes sitting in meditation, and said worriedly: "Izumo Okuni...how could this woman think of meeting Yu, and use such a weird method."

Out of worry and fear of mysterious things, he always avoids running into Izumo Akuni, who is known as the "witch" in Kyoto. She appears and disappears in Kyoto, and every action will bring death.Dozens of people died at her hands in more than ten years.Its killing efficiency is far better than that of a samurai who can't kill without counting.Even Ashikaga Yoshitoki, who doesn't like to kill, killed no less than 20 people with his own hands.

The most famous ones who died at her hands were two important members of the Ashikaga shogun's family, one was the son of the general Ashikaga Teruwakamaru who was once full of turmoil, and the other was Ashikaga Yoshitoshi, the prince of Hirashima, who died strangely and violently a few months ago. Dear, the rumors in the market describe this woman as a vicious woman with a peachy face and a snake-like heart.

According to several rumors, she is accused of being the incarnation of the escaped evil spirits suppressed by the Kamo Shrine, and there is another saying that her real name is not Izumo Akuni, but her real name is Guoxin who has repeatedly disappeared in Kinai and committed shocking crimes. Layman, this name passed down from the Southern and Northern Dynasties represents a mysterious and terrifying force.

It is said that the Muromachi shogunate in its heyday a hundred years ago dispatched guards several times to sweep up the bandits entrenched in Kinai.He once listed the elusive thief, Layman Guoxin, as a priority target, but unfortunately, this person was too cunning to catch his tail, and in this life, Layman Guoxin was a woman. Walking around Kinai to commit crimes for the witch, she gradually gave up the traditional route of robbers and embarked on the evil path of murder and robbery.

This rumor has completely departed from the scope of "rumors". It is obvious that he is familiar with the fact that the power of the Guoxin Layman is deliberately released. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the Guoxin Layman released part of the ** in exchange for the people to give up demonization in order to restore his precarious reputation. .No matter which one it is, it is enough to show that this woman is very troublesome.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki was very jealous of this woman, especially when he learned of the strange death of Ashikaga's foster relative.The enthusiastic mood suddenly cooled down. The goal of guarding day and night during the few months in the East Temple was that the layman Guoxin would attack him. He set up heavy guards inside and outside the East Temple to protect his safety. The extent of the day and night of the step-by-step sentry part, he never shows his face on the streets of Kyoto on weekdays.

After accomplishing this step, there was still no way to stop Layman Guoxin from appearing strangely, but he still received the short letter that was hidden in his sleeve, and the small and exquisite letter that appeared on his desk silently still carried the woman's unique Ashikaga Yoshiaki immediately realized that it was meaningless for him to hide and go. It was as easy as layman Guoxin wanted to kill him, no matter where he was hiding, he could still kill him, so he came here.

"So Your Highness came as promised, and I didn't disappoint my concubine!" The soft whisper-like voice came to his ears, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki suddenly trembled, and looked up to see the woman dressed in red and white shrine maiden costume and wearing a bow tie Standing in the quiet room, this woman appeared in front of him without a sound, how could he not be surprised.

He took a deep breath to warn himself not to be nervous, and repeatedly hinted that this woman was just an ordinary person, and she dared to ask him out because he had a plan, and then he raised his head and felt much calmer.

Carefully looking at the woman's plain face without makeup, Ashikaga Yoshiaki who regained his composure couldn't help but frowned in disgust: "You are Izumo Akuni? It is said that you are a rare beauty, why don't you know why you don't show any color when you meet her?" A woman is like not wearing clothes if she doesn't wear makeup?"

According to the traditional aesthetics of this era, women who do not wear makeup are unqualified. As long as they are not women in the village of Yufu Town, women with a little bit of class or a little bit of love for beauty must wear powder to go out. , without makeup is like a woman walking naked on the street, which is very indecent and disrespectful, especially when meeting a general on a formal occasion.

But layman Guoxin is something that ordinary women can't compare to. He showed his face and said with a smile: "Izumo Ah Guo is just a name for this concubine to walk in the world. If Your Highness wants to call this concubine a cat or a dog, it's the same. I'm not a concubine. A wandering girl who betrays her looks, she has nothing to rely on while wandering in the capital, and she doesn't have to tease Fen Dai in front of the king."

Ashikaga Yoshiaki seemed to dislike Koshin Layman's eloquent mouth, and said with a sneer, "What a glib tongue, not only cruel and ruthless to kill, but also proficient in the art of sly words, killing Yu Na You are the culprit for nephew Tererwakamaru and younger brother Ashikaga's foster brother!"

Layman Guoxin's eyes flashed, and he said with an innocent face: "It's not wrong for people to be killed by my concubine, but I can't bear the responsibility of being the culprit. Not a woman like a concubine."

"Smart words and sophistry! Matsunaga Tanmasa's stigma should have been concocted by you, so I wouldn't be so stupid as to believe those rumors!" Ashikaga Yoshiaki put on a sullen face and didn't believe the words of layman Guoxin at all.

To be able to bypass layers of defenses and leave a message to make an appointment with him further proves that this woman is beyond comparison to ordinary dead men.

From when he came to Xiangguo Temple to now.Always endured the disgust in my heart without attacking.It is because he is afraid of the unpredictable killing technique of the Guoxin layman.Ashikaga Yoshiaki's mad death is really shocking. To offend such a woman must have great courage, at least Ashikaga Yoshiaki does not have such courage.

"No matter what my concubine says, I won't let His Highness trust you? If that's the case, why do you say so much?" Guoxin layman noticed Ashikaga Yoshiaki's stern nature, and smiled contemptuously: "Your Highness is here to reprimand my wreckage. The Ashikaga family still want to find a way to break the chaos in Kyoto?"

Perhaps the contempt of Layman Guoxin was so conspicuous that Ashikaga Yoshiaki was so angry that he almost called the guards outside the door. Fortunately, he was alert enough to react in time so as not to cause a catastrophe. He muttered in his heart: "Patience is a virtue." .Irritability is a mistake. I paid for my irritability once. I can't fall twice in the same place."

Thinking about himself, Ashikaga Yoshiaki's face gradually returned to normal, coughing pretendingly reserved, and said, "I would like to hear a good opinion."

Guoxin Layman once again ignored the majesty of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and said with a light smile: "In my shallow knowledge, I think that His Highness's core interest is to ascend the throne as the Great General of Conquering Barbarians, and everything else is not important, including supporting His Highness. The Miyoshi family is the same, I wonder if His Highness thinks so?"

Ashikaga Yoshiaki nodded calmly, and said: "Brother died unexpectedly in the Nijo Imperial Palace. It completely disrupted Yu's overall plan, and all generations of ministers loyal to the shogunate died. There is no one close to Yu, including the guards outside the door. Same, maybe it's because of this that you can easily sneak into the Toji Temple!"

At this time, he is not the domineering Ashikaga Yoshiaki, as if he returned to the powerful young monk in the Ichijo-in Temple of Kofuku-ji Temple a few months ago, showing the posture he used to meditate in the temple, watching Xin didn't care about Layman Guoxin's intentional or unintentional provocations at all, and made up her mind to see what kind of medicine was sold in her gourd.

Layman Guoxin did not disappoint him, and after a short pause, he said softly: "I am just a messenger, bringing their greetings to some samurai who are still loyal to the shogunate. There may be everything His Highness needs."

Ashikaga Yoshiaki regained his spirits, and immediately calmed down, stared at Koshin Layman, looked carefully and said: "Still loyal to the shogunate, who is it? Why did that person choose you as a contact person?"

"If the concubine answers Your Highness, would you be surprised that only the concubine can go in and out of the forbidden place in this capital?" Layman Guoxin spread his hands and said proudly: "The answer is that simple."

"You are very confident..." Ashikaga Yoshiaki's eyes flashed with disgust, "I don't like such confident people, especially a woman."

Layman Guoxin sarcastically said: "I don't really appreciate His Highness's arrogance, especially I don't appreciate His Highness's act of usurping the throne at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and in the wrong way... None of this is important, the important thing is that the concubine As a very reputable businessman, he will definitely bring what should be brought.”

"A businessman? Imai Sohisa may be, but you are definitely not!"

"Concubines are not the same as merchants in Sakaimachi. Their main job is merchants, and their side job is tea maker and cultural person. Concubines' main job is assassins, robbers, and their side job is businessmen."

Yoshiaki Ashikaga frowned tightly, stared at Layman Guoxin for a moment, and said, "Who is the one talking? I am very interested in him."

"His name is..." Layman Guoxin's mouth slightly twitched: "Akechi Hinata Mamoru and Akechi Mitsuhide who were born in the Mino Toki clan represent Asai Bizen Moriden, Asakura Jingoden, and your brother-in-law Takeda Jibu-dono sends his highness greetings."

……

On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, Kamakura was very windy and windy. In Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, Sanskrit sounds burst out, and sandalwood incense wafted up. Nikko Mountain’s bisected monk was in charge of Nankobo Tenkai. Buokae Sessai, Okamoto Zenzhe and other monks gathered here to perform rituals for the dead Ashikaga Yoshiki.

This performance started on June [-] and will continue until the end of September. During the [-]-day puja, the three main powers, Nagen and the general of the guard house, Ashikaga Yoshitoki, will bathe in Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine Fasting, praying for Ashikaga Yoshiki, Keishuin and the shogunate spirits who died in vain, and praying for them to ascend to Kotenhara and become gods.And then ascended to the Western Paradise and obtained the fruit of Arhat, Bodhisattva, and Buddha.

Hundreds of Kwantung warriors kneeled in the solemn hall of worship.Everyone maintained a respectful and pious attitude to recite the scriptures.Going back and forth again and again without feeling tired, Satake Yoshitomo knelt down, his legs were numb, and he quietly walked out of the queue with his head bowed and his waist down. He looked up and saw a dozen warriors sitting cross-legged on the porch, moving their legs and feet, watching their expressions I knew that I was a fellow sufferer who felt sorry for each other.

These samurai looked up at Yoshishige Satake, and seemed to realize that he was not someone they were familiar with, so they turned their heads and whispered, "His Royal Highness made a great wish to recite sutras a thousand times in Tsuruoka Hachiman Palace to save the dead. One hundred A thousand times a day, ten times a day, it is really a long process."

"That's the "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vows Sutra". It takes more than half an hour to read it once, and more than six hours to read it ten times a day. It doesn't seem like much, but it's actually quite a lot. I heard that His Highness Gongfang still reads official documents every day. , Dealing with government affairs is very hard!"

"In contrast, it doesn't seem so harsh for me to wait a hundred days and recite it a thousand times."

"Not necessarily. Didn't you find it very strenuous for those old warriors to chant? One thousand times is also a difficult number for them!"

Satake Yoshigetsu pursed his lips.Ignoring their laughter and yelling, just as he was about to turn around, he ran into Hojo Shizheng walking out.The two looked at each other and subconsciously avoided each other's eyes. It was not a day or two since the Hojo family and the Satake family were separated. Every time he saw Hojo Shizheng, he would take the initiative to avoid it. Get used to this strange relationship where rivals have turned into colleagues.

Yoshishige Satake felt that it was time to go back and continue to complete the remaining 600 times of chanting. When he passed Hojo Tokimasa, he heard: "The air in the porch is not as stuffy as it is stuffy in the house. It is better to rest here if you go back in such a hurry. a little while."

"It's better to be respectful than to follow orders." Yoshitsune Satake turned around and sat down cross-legged again. The two looked at each other awkwardly for a while, and then turned their gazes to the distant mountains and forests in unison.

At this time, there was a strong wind and heavy rain outside Tsuruoka Hachiman Palace. At the end of the corridor, you can see the big ginkgo trees under the big stone steps being blown by the storm, like a helpless child swaying left and right. The guards in Hachiman Palace are wearing coir raincoats. The samurai sitting in the corridor was lucky compared to struggling to march in the storm.

"Did Hitaroku Jieden see the three enshrined swords?"

"I see, the boy Kirie Anzuna, Onimaru Kunisuna, and Mikazuki Munekin, those are family treasures passed down from generation to generation by the general's family."

Hojo Shizheng said: "Not only that, but the boy Kiri Yasuna also has a name Kekirimaru."

Satake Yoshiro nodded and said: "His Royal Highness is a pious warrior, and he has great regrets for the death of His Highness General. These days, His Royal Highness has always been thinking of His Highness General's kindness, so His Highness General bestowed these three before his death. A Taidao, and the imperial teacher's letter."

Hojo Shizheng recited: "Since Kamakura destroyed my ancestors and other temples, and led 50 troops under his command to pacify the world, our Ashikaga family has been well-known and powerful, and there have been more than [-] plants in the country. When it was destroyed, Yu Xin often lamented that there were no ambitious people to inherit the ancestral business and revitalize the Wu family.

My late father Wansongyuan Zeng said: My Ashikaga family has thousands of people, and one family has more than a hundred. They may be brave or resourceful, but for more than a hundred years, courage and wisdom cannot be obtained. The court thought that the prosperity of the shogunate was in Yu's mind, and it was only when he came to Kyoto today that Yu understood the painstaking worries of his father before his death!

In the past, the shogunate declined so that Jiangzhou Gongfang and Sakai Gongfang were two superimposed systems. Now I am the shogun, and the king is the Kwantung General, and the two systems are also superimposed. I often read the books of sages and heard "Book of Rites" that says: There are no two suns in the sky, no two kings in the earth, no two masters in the family, and no two superiors in the family, but the pillar of my family has only one ear, and the king has a strong army, a strong horse, a tiger and a hundred thousand, and the army is invincible in the sea. have to!

There are two things I have to worry about. First, what is the sacrifice of the ancestors?Second, could the shogunate palace be in Kyoto?If the two can fulfill their remaining wishes, the position of general can only be made by the king!For fear of fear, I would like to say that in the 11th year of Yonglu, on May [-]th, Ashikaga Yoshiki Monogram, Ashikaga Prime Minister Hall. "

Satake Yoshishige said with a look of surprise: "I didn't expect Sagami Shouden to be able to recite it already."

"His Royal Highness's brilliant works must be remembered."

"That's right! I just don't know what His Royal Highness is planning to do. Should he immediately send troops to sweep the world, or?" Satake Yoshishige's eyes were full of doubts.

Hojo Shizheng shook his head and said: "I think it's probably because the situation in Kinai is unclear, the second-term general who was supported has not shown his bad reputation and is not easy to act rashly, and there are riots in Yuo and Kanto from time to time. We have to guard against it. So we have to wait and see..."

Satake Yoshishige nodded approvingly.He also knows that there is a time lag in the transmission of information from Kinai to Kanto. If it is normal, the information can be transmitted in ten days and a half months. Now that there is chaos in Kinai and Kyoto is disturbing, the efficiency of the messy information collection and transmission is low It will be greatly reduced. This time it took nearly a month to learn about Yonglu's rebellion.

At this moment, if you cry again about the death of the general, it is too late for us to avenge the general's blood and hatred, so it is better to take advantage of this chaotic opportunity.Pretend to be a loyal minister to escape the evil people's slander and frame, the reason for this frame is also very easy to find, the guardian of the shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshitoki, who has suffered a lot of kindness, but pretends to be stupid when the general needs him most, It is understandable that there is a time difference for Kanto Fudo, but Kinai Sakamoto Fudo is completely unreasonable.

Assuming that Ashikaga Yoshiaki killed his brother and murdered his mother in order to usurp the dynasty is true, then Ashikaga Yoshitoki will inevitably be tainted with the notoriety of framing his benefactor in order to seek power. Due to the factors of not fulfilling his responsibility, one can even speculate maliciously whether he is fanning the flames inside and secretly supporting Ashikaga Yoshiaki to do evil things.Then take the opportunity to launch a crusade to achieve the goal of seizing the world, wouldn't it be a hundred steps to laugh at fifty steps.It just makes outsiders laugh.

The Kanto General’s Mansion had guessed that something would happen to Kyoto sooner or later, but they couldn’t guess whether the general would be exiled or imprisoned. Under this kind of predictive judgment, Ashikaga Yoshitoki’s judgment on Kyoto was mainly to stay still and send ninjas It's better to say that if it works, it doesn't work, and it can't be said that he didn't exert any strength to save Mrs. Konoe.

During meal time in the evening, the newly built buildings on both sides of Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine were opened up as new guest rooms and dining halls. The vegetarian dishes carefully prepared by chefs from Gozandaiji Temple in Kyoto made the samurai who had been exhausted all day relieved. Heart, it is said that this chef learned from the first-hand vegetarianism in the ancient temple in the south of the Ming Dynasty.

As soon as this vegetarian vegetarian with strong Huaiyang, Fujian and Zhejiang flavors came to Kyoto, it became the forbidden temple of the Wushan sect. In so many temples in Kyoto, ordinary temple masters have no chance to invite them to do a few vegetarian meals. The recent turmoil in Kyoto has spread widely, and the brand of the Kanto General's Mansion is strong enough to invite this master who has been living in Kyoto all the year round to serve in Kanto, so they can feast on their mouths.

Ashikaga Yoshitoki drank the white fungus and lotus seed soup slowly, caught a glimpse of Yamaoka Tokinaga and Isshiki Tokinobu's helpless faces, and said with a smile: "It's just to let you cleanse yourself for a hundred days to get rid of the impetuousness on your body, why are you upset and restless?" To be the color of trouble?"

Yamaoka Shichang bowed his head and said: "I don't dare, it's just the news from my family. A few children in the family have caused a catastrophe again. They violated the regulations by carrying a whip in a polo match. Whipping the opponent's horse almost killed someone. This minister is thinking about it. I think it’s better to bring the children here to clean up for a while.”

Ashikaga Yoshitoki smiled wryly and said: "Every family has its own scriptures that are difficult to recite! There is a Tora Chiyo in Yu's family who is also difficult to deal with. He likes to stretch his black feet when playing ball games. As far as I know, there are not three people who have been kicked. There are more than 20 out of ten, it is unknown how many people don’t know, Zhen Wang Wan is a horse racing mystery, not only to bet on horses but also to compete in person, but Hu Ji is very worried.”

"The subject thought that His Royal Highness..."

Ashikaga Yoshitoki smiled: "Do you think I don't hear what's going on outside the window and concentrate on reciting the Ksitigarbha?"

"Uh, it's just..." Isshiki Tokinobu hurriedly lowered his head in shock.

Ashikaga Yoshitoki is not a sentimental person, seeing that his cronies around him also guessed his thoughts wrongly, he couldn't help but smiled wryly and said: "There is indeed a lot of sadness, indignation, and pity in Yu's heart, but after all, Yu is the Kanto government, not the teenage A young and immature boy, what should go will be gone after all, birth, old age, sickness and death are as immutable as the sun and the moon change, His Royal Highness the General seeks benevolence and deserves benevolence, and death is worthy of death, so I am not particularly sad."

"Yes……"

Ashikaga Yoshitoki also said: "I just feel sorry for the shogunate. Even though the thirteen generations of generals were as paranoid as Ashikaga Yoshinaka and as greedy as Ashikaga Yoshimasa, they did not lose their trust in the world. The shogunate has a 200-year foundation, so I don’t know how much turmoil this news will cause.”

Yamaoka Tokicho and Isshiki Tokinobu bowed out of the quiet room, and when they came out, they realized that the two of them were soaked in cold sweat and their clothes were soaked. Yamaoka Tokicho smiled bitterly and said, "The majesty of His Royal Highness is getting deeper, and every word and deed is like the suffocation of the mountain's weight." Feeling, even my old ministers who have been with me for many years should be in awe!"

Isshiki Tokishin said: "If this is not the case, how can we suppress the heroes of the Kanto, but speaking of it, there are still people gathering to make trouble, which is really annoying!"

Shan Gang Shichang frowned and said: "Is it the remnants of the Satomi family in Fangsuo Peninsula? It is indeed a trouble. The remnants of this family will make trouble every one or two years. When he went to hide in the mountains and pretended to be a mountain fisherman, he was nowhere to be found. It was no big deal to be seen through by Mochizuki Anyun Shoudian. In recent years, the noise has become smaller and smaller. The local people have gradually become accustomed to the Kwantung General's Mansion. Governance, the remnants of the outdated Satomi clan will soon disappear."

Isshiki Tokishin shook his head and said: "No, what I'm talking about is the rebellion in Oshu. Shirakawa Yuki and Komine's party is making a fuss, and it seems that Nikaido, Tamura and other people from Oshu are involved behind the scenes. The situation from Nanluo to Beiluo is not stable, His Royal Highness has blocked the news, only a few important ministers of the court companions and court judges know this news, His Royal Highness has not decided how to deal with it for the time being."

Yamaoka Shichang suddenly felt a little unhappy: "Where did you hear the news? Why didn't I know?"

Isshiki Tokinobu curled his lips and said, "Aren't you busy with your family Zenjiro's troubles these days? You are usually busy chanting sutras and writing letters to plead with the school supervisor. How can you pay attention to this secret?" Information! If I hadn’t seen that Honda Hondoden happened to be there, I’d have been begging for nothing for a long time, and I might not have known it.” (To be continued..)