Swallow Return

Liu Yun didn't expect these old friends to help him fight against Oda Nobunaga, but it wouldn't hurt to leave a channel for future contact.

After saying goodbye to them one by one, Ryuun left the construction site in Azuchi Castle and returned to the Sasaki Mansion to continue his preparations.

Then, on the same day, news came back from the front lines.

As expected, the battle ended with a victory report from the Oda clan, but it was a Pyrrhic victory with heavy losses.

Five thousand died and more than ten thousand were wounded. Among them, more than ten high-ranking samurai with a fief of 1,000 koku or above were killed, including six members of the Oda clan.

Given this regrettable outcome, there is certainly no possibility that Nobunaga would have been in a good mood and shown leniency.

Sure enough, a few days later, Liu Yun received a letter inviting him to a banquet.

Furthermore, he specifically pointed out that he would invite Sasaki Ryuun to visit him immediately after the completion of Azuchi Castle's keep, to have a serious discussion about the events of the past two months, without involving anyone else.

This subtly hints at the "Feast at Hongmen" scenario.

However, considering it was a gesture of courtesy before resorting to force, Liu Yun readily accepted the invitation, taking into account the possibility of achieving peace.

Of course, he also didn't forget to instruct his family to prepare for their escape.

Chapter 274 What is Qingliang Palace?

Just over ten days ago, when Ryuun met with Hideyoshi Hashiba, Azuchi Castle was still a dusty construction site.

It's still a construction site. Only the foundation is complete; the walls and pathways are still very rough and it's not ready for use yet.

The biggest difference from the last time is that the castle tower, which is tens of meters high, has a clearly visible framework. Only the details have not yet been completely filled and painted, but its majestic and imposing presence can already be seen.

The endless camps outside the city suggest that in addition to artisans and laborers, there are tens of thousands of troops stationed there, making it significantly larger than the last time.

Liu Yun encountered a patrolling samurai and was led inside. There, he discovered a medium-sized square courtyard, about thirty to fifty paces long and wide, next to the castle tower. It was already completed and occupied. The walls and gate were decorated with intricate brushstrokes and were kept very clean, making it a veritable haven amidst the swirling dust.

It was broad daylight, under a clear blue sky, yet Liu Yun noticed that the courtyard was surrounded by lanterns, with faint light shining through them. He wondered what kind of trick they were playing.

Besides the strong smell of candle smoke, there was also a very faint but noticeable fragrance in the air.

It appears that someone inside is burning incense.

Liu Yun vaguely sensed that what was being burned was the "Ranshatai" that he had painstakingly retrieved from the Shosoin Repository of Todai-ji Temple in Nara last time.

However, there's no basis for this; it's just wild guessing.

Outside the courtyard, over a hundred elite soldiers from the Oda clan stood guard, each with a focused expression as if facing a formidable enemy.

Some of them knew Liu Yun, but they didn't come up to greet him.

They wouldn't even offer a polite smile or a friendly glance.

It is clear that Oda Nobunaga should be in the courtyard on the side of Azuchi Castle's keep.

Moreover, it must be some kind of supernatural or bizarre ritual or ceremony, which is why it looks so serious and eerie.

Just as they were making these wild guesses, the other side must have heard the news that "Sasaki Ryuun is coming," because the courtyard gate quietly opened, and two high-ranking samurai in brocade robes came out to greet them.

The first was a short, monkey-like man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks; he was none other than Hideyoshi Hashiba, whose face was expressionless.

The other was tall and broad-shouldered, with a dignified appearance. He had long, elegant eyebrows and was frowning with some worry.

Upon seeing Ryuun, the two simply explained, "Prime Minister (Oda Nobunaga) has been waiting for a long time. Lord Sasaki, please come in."

There were no further words.

It was as if he completely regarded Liu Yun as a complete stranger.

Niwa Nagahide at least managed to express some regret and concern with his eyes, but Hashiba Hideyoshi completely ignored him, displaying the behavior of a mere tool.

It's as if they're in a hurry to sever ties.

Liu Yun had already anticipated this, so he wasn't particularly surprised and simply replied, "Thank you both for your hard work."

Then he stepped straight into the doorway.

Passing through the corridor and around the side rooms, in the semi-open sleeping quarters, you can see one large and eight small incense burners, arranged in an incomprehensible shape, all shrouded in wisps of smoke.

But there were no waiters to take care of them.

Then came Oda Nobunaga, dressed in a hunting robe, holding a paper fan behind his back, gazing into the distance with his back to the door, seemingly lost in thought.

Whether he didn't hear the noise or was deliberately pretending, he didn't react at all to the arrival of the guests.

Liu Yun didn't bother to greet anyone. Instead, he looked around and saw that the surroundings were antique and elegant, with carved railings and jade steps. All the buildings were made of neat and uniform wooden structures, with intricately carved decorations on the eaves and brackets. The walls were covered with paintings and spells. Although he couldn't quite understand them, he guessed that they must all be very valuable.

After looking around for a while, Oda Nobunaga's voice, which was feigned indifference but couldn't hide his pride, was heard: "Ryuun, you've seen the world, you should know what this layout means, right?"

He didn't turn around when he said this, only showing his back, but you could tell from his tone that he was very pleased with himself.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun thought to himself that Oda Nobunaga was a very demanding person. Since he was proud of the layout of this place, there must be a reason for him to be proud.

However, after looking around for a long time, I only felt that the furnishings in the courtyard were very expensive, and I didn't have any other impressions.

Liu Yun was never good at flattery that came out of thin air, and he had come prepared to turn hostile today, so he didn't bother with formalities and bluntly asked back, "I'm sorry, I can't see it. May I ask, Your Highness, what does the layout here signify?"

Upon hearing this, Oda Nobunaga seemed both surprised and annoyed. His back trembled slightly, and he said irritably, "The layout here is identical to that of Seiryo-den in Kyoto. You are, after all, a retainer of the Oda clan with a fief of ten thousand koku. Can't you even see that?"

oh……

It turns out it's the same as the Seiryo-den Temple in Kyoto...

But the problem came again.

What is Qingliang Hall again?

Is it important?

Judging from Oda Nobunaga's incredibly sophisticated demeanor, he must have been imitating some particularly meaningful tourist attraction.

But Liu Yun still didn't understand.

So he had no choice but to continue asking, "What place is Qingliang Hall?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly, and the atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward.

With a "snap," Oda Nobunaga snapped his folding fan in two, turned around and glared angrily at Ryuun, gritting his teeth but unable to utter a word.

That's understandable.

What grudge could be more unforgivable than being interrupted while showing off?

However, Liu Yun was truly ignorant and unable to cooperate, so he could only ask for advice with sincere eyes.

They just stared at each other, wide-eyed.

After a moment, Oda Nobunaga grunted, waved his hand left and right twice, and patiently explained, "The layout here is the same as the Seiryoden Hall in the Kyoto Imperial Palace, do you understand?"

I understand, I understand.

It's consistent with the Imperial Palace!

Someone decorated their home to resemble the Imperial Palace, which is certainly something to be proud of.

Liu Yun suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "So that's how it is. You built a courtyard here that is exactly the same as the Qingliang Hall in the Imperial Palace. Is it to show your loyalty to the court?"

These words were spoken without careful consideration.

These days, all the warriors in the world no longer take the imperial court seriously, but they still constantly talk about their loyalty to the court. Liu Yun heard this so often that he was inevitably influenced by it.

Logically speaking, isn't imitation the best form of tribute?

So, it's fair to say that Oda Nobunaga built this courtyard to express his loyalty to the imperial court, right?

But unexpectedly—

Oda Nobunaga's expression worsened, to the point of becoming ferocious and distorted.

It's like finding a bite of rotten meat in a worldly delicacy, or the expression of someone who lifts the veil of a beautiful woman only to discover she's actually Sister Feng.

Liu Yun, however, had no idea why, and simply responded with a calm gaze.

After another period of silent staring at each other, Oda Nobunaga reluctantly said, word by word, "Of course, it's to show my loyalty to the Imperial Court... To express my loyalty, I plan to invite Your Majesty to stay here occasionally. You should understand now!"

After this explanation, Liuyun finally understood.

He immediately blurted out, "So that's what they mean by 'holding the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords'!"

Oda Nobunaga finally breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his body with a proud expression, and remained silent, as if waiting for praise.

However, Liu Yun did not make any further statement. In his view, although the act of "holding the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords" was indeed very powerful, many people had put it into practice since Emperor Wu of Wei, so it did not need to be written about in particular.

But I never expected that I would be in Japan now.

Throughout Japanese history, whether it was the heads of the court nobles in earlier years or the leaders of the samurai families of the Genpei and Taira clans, they all once controlled the government and held absolute power, but none of them managed to completely usurp the imperial family's authority.

Oda Nobunaga's idea of ​​"inviting" the Emperor to live in Azuchi Castle was truly groundbreaking.

Unfortunately, deep down, Liu Yun still subconsciously adheres to the ways of the Celestial Empire.

The psychological advantage that Oda Nobunaga deliberately tried to create before discussing serious matters was completely useless.

Chapter 275 Nobunaga's Bet with the Yokai

After chatting for a while, Liu Yun finally realized that Oda Nobunaga wanted to use this place to recreate the environment of the Imperial Palace's Seiryoden Hall to create a psychological advantage. He just hadn't grasped the underlying meaning, leaving the other party feeling like he was playing a game of wits with thin air.

This is quite awkward.

Although Liu Yun had indeed mentally prepared himself for a falling out before he arrived.

But we're all people of status now. Even if we fall out, it doesn't stop us from exchanging pleasantries and building up the atmosphere before taking any action.

For example, on the night of the full moon, at the top of the Forbidden City, Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng had a life-or-death duel. Before the actual battle, they stared at each other for a long time on the rooftop and said famous lines such as "My sword is your sword" before the atmosphere was set and they finally started fighting.

Now... I've disrupted Oda Nobunaga's planned rhythm right from the start, making all his carefully prepared foreplay a waste of time, and I feel a bit rude about it.

Therefore, Liu Yun pondered for a moment, bowed slightly, and said solemnly, "I'm sorry, I was just listening casually and didn't really understand. Now that I've thought about it carefully, I really think that your act of replicating the Seiryoden Hall of the Imperial Palace in Azuchi Castle is a grand undertaking unprecedented in the history of Japan, full of courage and admirable!"

While speaking, he tried his best to show a serious and solemn expression.

However, judging from Oda Nobunaga's reaction, he did not feel comforted by this.

Instead, they seemed even more annoyed.

Previously, his face was merely distorted and ferocious; now it was twitching violently.

Perhaps it's because... Liu Yun's acting skills are limited, revealing that his praise was merely polite and not genuine.

There's nothing we can do about that.

After all, Liu Yun isn't a professional actor.