Swallow Return

That's just how men are. Like a precious work of art, even if it's quietly placed in a cabinet, they may not be in a hurry to appreciate or play with it, but they can't tolerate outsiders coveting and touching it.

Of course, this doesn't mean to put down play...

For this reason, Ryuun ordered Hayami Seibei to be summoned, but he didn't give him a friendly look.

Hayami's and Eguchi's residences are both within a hundred paces of Sasaki Mansion.

A moment later, the person arrived.

When Hayami Seibei entered, his forehead still hadn't grown much hair, making his appearance quite comical.

But this fellow showed no embarrassment whatsoever. With a serious and righteous expression, he bowed to Liu Yun and said, "Greetings, my lord! When I first met you, I was so excited that I judged you by your appearance and mistakenly thought you were unfit to inherit the family's responsibilities. That was a misjudgment. Now... I have experienced your martial arts firsthand, and your attitude towards temples and shrines has shown you great wisdom. You are truly the best choice to lead the Sasaki family to revival. Therefore, I apologize and request to serve under you."

After saying this, he knelt down on the ground in a dogeza posture and remained there for a long time.

Hearing this, Liu Yun was a little surprised: "What did you see from their attitude towards temples and shrines?"

Hayami Seibei, prostrate on the ground, replied, "I can see that you have a full understanding and foresight of the characteristics of the Oda clan and the situation in Omi Province."

Eguchi Sukezaemon rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "That Hayami guy is always so good at talking big and spouting all sorts of profound nonsense."

Ryuun glanced at her, silenced Eguchi, and then ordered Hayami, "Get up and explain in detail!"

Hayami Seibei slowly rose and calmly replied, "Others may think that Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei has deep roots, and that offending those monks would likely result in punishment from the Oda clan. However, I believe that the Oda clan will soon take action against Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei. Given Lord Danjo's (Oda Nobunaga's) style, your attitude will not only not be punished, but will be commended."

Liu Yun neither agreed nor disagreed, but nodded and said, "Continue!"

Hayami Seibei pondered for a moment, cleared his throat, and continued, “Most of the merchants in the Omi region are controlled by the monks of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei. The Asai clan, previously unfamiliar with this practice, tacitly approved of it, even colluding with the monks to deal with the Rokkaku clan, who sought to control the merchants. But now the Asai clan is besieged in Odani Castle and their days are numbered; Omi has fallen to the Oda clan. The Oda clan rose to power in Owari by controlling towns like Tsushima and Atsuta; they will not stand idly by while the monks monopolize the merchants' profits, and they will act sooner or later! Right now, the Asai clan hasn't completely lost power, so the Oda clan is still patiently enduring. But the Asai are not far from their complete downfall…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yun looked at this guy with new respect.

You have a keen eye to see the hidden conflict between the Oda clan and Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei!

He was far superior to that brute, Eguchi Sukezaemon.

No wonder he was unwilling to serve the Sasaki family and instead tried to climb the social ladder by marrying Kinoshita Tokichiro.

A quick-witted samurai is bound to be ambitious.

This person is available.

The prerequisite is that you can keep them in check.

Liu Yun was very confident about this.

With its own military strength, it is not afraid of these retainers doing anything improper in the short term.

After pondering for a moment, Ryuun made his decision and said, "Hayami Kiyobei, although your abandonment of the Sasaki family that day, intending to curry favor with others, was due to special circumstances and understandable, your sins cannot be lightly forgiven. I will strip you of your past salary and serve you as a commoner again. Are you willing?"

Hayami Kiyobei ​​nodded and bowed without hesitation: "What harm is there in giving up such a small salary? I believe that following you will bring countless opportunities to achieve merit and be rewarded in the future."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun's opinion of this person rose even higher, but he also became wary and cautious.

He didn't show it on his face, but smiled and said, "That's very good. I hope you will serve me wholeheartedly in the future."

Hayami Seibei bowed and said "Yes," then asked, "I heard from the villagers that because the other party was obstructing our construction of a new temple, my lord went to cause trouble at the nearby Kosho-ji Temple this morning?"

Liu Yun nodded and replied, "Indeed."

Hayami Seibei immediately suggested, "Although Kosho-ji Temple is the last temple of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, its reputation isn't very high. Even if you deal with them, it might not make your stance known to more people—especially not to Oda Danjo (Nobunaga). Why not immediately send someone to Yokoyama Castle to visit Lord Kinoshita and ask him to put pressure on Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei on behalf of the Oda clan? In that case, Lord Kinoshita will most likely relay his message to Oda Danjo..."

Liu Yun thought that although doing so wouldn't make much difference, it would be icing on the cake, so he nodded and said, "Alright, I'll leave this to you."

A hint of excitement flashed in Hayami Seibei's eyes as he kowtowed, accepted the order, and left.

……

This series of conversations left Eguchi Sukezaemon, Aotabo, and the others completely bewildered, unable to understand what was being said.

Iori understood.

Moreover, they have clearly been persuaded and have come to believe in the judgments of Ryuun and Hayami Seibei.

Therefore, her heart was in turmoil and she was completely unable to calm down.

Their expressions were also one of utter astonishment.

Her gaze as she looked at Liu Yun became quite complicated.

If his actions against Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei were indeed rewarded by the upper echelons of the Oda clan, then Ryuun's status and power would surely rise rapidly.

Now, simply because of his martial arts skills, he has been valued by Kinoshita Tokichiro, and the question of succession in the Sasaki family has been easily quelled.

If Oda Nobunaga considers him a talent again in the future...

A sense of crisis quickly spread through Iori's heart.

There's no time to be reserved anymore!

Suddenly she lowered her head and quietly gritted her teeth, as if making some kind of decision.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Small Goals and the Three-Finger Salute

Having taught the blind Kōshōji a lesson and subdued the quick-witted Hayami Seibei, Ryūun was in high spirits, but still felt unsatisfied. He ordered his servants to bring more food and wine, and enjoyed an "afternoon tea" in the courtyard of the Sasaki residence.

Japanese sake, in theory, evolved from the yellow wine of Tang China, but after many years of development, its brewing process has developed its own unique characteristics.

The finest sake is extremely pale in color, clear and transparent, smooth and refreshing, with a slight sweetness. Compared to the spirits of later generations, it is more like an easy-to-drink beverage.

Liu Yun didn't particularly like this thing, but he simply couldn't find any other substitutes on hand.

Obviously, there was no cola or soda, coffee had not yet been introduced, and dairy products were not on the Japanese diet.

Tea was quite common, but it was all dried and ground into powder. To people from Tang Dynasty China in the 21st century, the taste was rather strange.

Therefore, only sake is the most pleasant to drink.

While Liu Yun was drinking and eating, Yi Zhi asked for permission. After receiving it, she lowered her head and knelt down beside him, holding the account book, and carefully reported the inventory situation that she had not finished explaining earlier.

Sasaki Village is located in a remote area with an underdeveloped economy, and still practices taxation in kind.

Inside the warehouse, besides gold, silver, and copper coins, there were also rice, miscellaneous grains, various crops, pickled fish, and all kinds of aquatic products, all of which were the annual tributes paid by the people.

Some blacksmiths were so short of money that they had to pay with a brand new hoe.

Despite the mess, it was thanks to Iori's careful management that things were sorted out.

Liu Yun absolutely refused to manage it himself.

For example, a wealthy farmer named "Baji" owned a house, a pickled fish shop, five paddy fields, four barley fields, one vegetable field, thirty fruit trees, a fishing boat, two fishing nets, a pack horse, an ox, and two donkeys.

I'd like to ask, how much annual tribute does this guy need to pay? How can it be reduced or exempted if there's a disaster? What if the rice paddies are normal, the fruit trees are infested with insects, but the fish harvest is abundant?

Just thinking about these questions makes my head feel like it's going to explode.

Therefore, Liu Yun had no intention of thoroughly investigating the accounts; he only did a quick check to make sure there were no major discrepancies.

Iori spoke cautiously, but he only gave simple instructions from time to time, such as "Hmm," "Do it this way," and "As usual."

Finally, some clear instructions were given regarding the overall tax rate for next year and arrangements for the disabled.

Of course, the specific implementation is still left to Iori.

While drinking and listening to the report absentmindedly, Liu Yun suddenly felt that this scene was very much like a scene between a female assistant and a domineering CEO!

The saying goes, "When there's work to be done, the secretary does it; when there's nothing else, well..."

It's quite interesting to think about.

Should we put this statement into practice?

Under the influence of alcohol, Liu Yun felt a little itchy.

but--

As I listened, I suddenly realized a big problem.

That is, Sasaki Village's income doesn't seem to be enough to support his current lifestyle!

Pickled radish and pickled kelp are free to eat, they don't cost much.

The problem lies with the alcohol.

The villagers' homemade, low-quality wine cost about forty coins per liter, but it had a rather sour and astringent taste. The wine sold by nearby wine merchants was one hundred coins per liter, but it was not sweet, fragrant, or smooth enough.

What Ryuun is enjoying now is a fine product transported from the Nara and Ishiyama areas, called Sōbō sake, which costs as much as 700 mon per liter.

Moreover, this wine has a low alcohol content and is very mild.

Liu Yun has a good alcohol tolerance; he can easily drink three liters a day.

Seven hundred cash per liter, three liters would be two thousand one hundred cash, or two strings and one hundred cash.

According to Iori's report, the annual tribute collected by the entire Sasaki village, when converted into silver, is only three to four hundred kan. Most of it has to be used for daily expenses, leaving a surplus of about one hundred kan.

That's enough for two months' worth of alcohol.

He's a minor lord, yet he can't even afford wine!

Liu Yun immediately set a small goal—

"Freedom of wine for monks" must be achieved!

Whether it's leveraging one's strengths to acquire a fiefdom through military merit, or following the commercial route like other transmigrators, one has to think of a way.

Otherwise, how can one's thoughts be clear?

However, we must be patient for now before achieving our small goals.

……

It took Iori quite a while to finish explaining the family's inventory income and expenditure.

Liu Yun got a general idea, took the ledger back, glanced at it twice, and, finding no problems, nodded and returned it.

At this point, he felt slightly drunk and, having heard a lot of numbers, felt quite tired.

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened, and although it was afternoon, it looked like evening.

Liu Yun decided to take a nap.

These past few days have been filled with either traveling or fighting, while also having to consider the current situation and plan routes. I really need a rest.

Next, he had the servants prepare hot water, and then he planned to go to his bedroom to get a bathrobe.

Iori quickly followed and served her attentively.

Just as Liu Yun was about to walk from the corridor into the doorway, she immediately knelt down on the ground, carefully handed over the wooden clogs, and reached out to help her take off her leather shoes.