Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

We still need to focus on Nobunaga. It's said that the shogunate once created a Mutsu governorship specifically for the Date clan. If that's true, it would be a precedent. We could have the imperial court create an Oo-no-kami (Nobunaga's Abomination) position for Nobunaga, with a rank of Junior Fourth Grade, which would make a difference.

Sigh, it's too difficult and hard to operate. Nobunaga didn't have a trustworthy person in Kyoto to operate it for him.

Forget it, since Hideyoshi has already stirred this up, why should Shichibei get involved? Let Hideyoshi handle it. We're not cut out for diplomacy anyway; dealing with the Imperial Court is a complete waste of time and energy.

Wait, if it's not possible to grant Nobunaga the titles of duke, marquis, or earl, is it possible to grant him the title of meritorious retainer?

Scratching his head, he realized that Japan didn't have the concept of honorary titles for its officials. It's only in feudal societies with highly developed bureaucratic systems like those of neighboring countries and Rome that this kind of elaborate system seemed appropriate. Other countries simply didn't need it; they didn't require so many fancy embellishments to add to the honorary titles bestowed upon feudal bureaucrats.

Even the Ottoman Empire, which inherited Constantinople, failed to grasp this system and ultimately largely abandoned it. I've heard that later, several descendants of the Byzantine Empire sold various titles and ranks, and there were quite a few buyers, including the King of Spain, the King of France, and dukes of Italy.

"If we don't have a title for a hero, can we make one?" Shichibei thought to himself. He said he wouldn't care about it anymore, but that night he happily trotted to the door of Sakuma's residence.

After all, Nobunaga's reward is still delicious.

Hisamatsu Toshikatsu, who was guarding the gate, saw Shichibei and asked if he wanted to pay his respects to Nobunaga. "Just go in," he replied. "Nobunaga's probably off dancing and entertaining himself somewhere."

That's true, it's already dark. Nobunaga could either wash up and go to bed early, or entertain himself. While washing up and going to bed was certainly an option, Nobunaga was, after all, over thirty. Even for someone with boundless energy, coming every day would get boring.

Nobunaga was pleased to hear the report upon entering. He was bored, and having someone to chat with was a welcome relief. Whether it was Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, or the future Ieyasu, they all supported a large number of retainers. This served two purposes: to house former high-ranking officials and to provide companions for conversation.

To be honest, it's true that a larger proportion of highly educated people come from wealthy and influential families. This is partly because their families have a tradition of cultural refinement, and partly because they receive a better education.

Chatting and bragging with this kind of person at least gives you something to talk about, and they know how to engage with your topics. The third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, loved chatting and bragging with Tachibana Muneshige the most because all the heroes of the Sengoku period were dead, and only Tachibana Muneshige was of a high enough level, had experienced it, was cultured, and could organize his thoughts, so of course he loved chatting with him.

Once Shichibei sat down, Nobunaga didn't speak, waiting for Shichibei to start a casual conversation. Entertainment was scarce; idle chatter could help pass the long night.

Nonsense, Shichibei directly gave Nobunaga advice.

"Our lord's alliance with the Forbidden City is indeed a long-term plan, but it does not benefit our current reputation." He started by saying this to put on airs and set a high standard.

"Hmm." Unfortunately, Nobunaga was wise enough to refuse advice and didn't fall for Shichibei's hook at all. His "hmm" was very soft, as if he were just watching a play and waiting for Shichibei to pull the trigger.

“A mediocre official position is not worthy of our lord. The court will not grant him the position of Palace Attendant.” That Seven Guards could only speak to himself.

Given Nobunaga's current standing, securing a fourth-rank official position shouldn't be a problem, though it would still require spending money and having Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Yoshida Kanesuke speak favorably of him. After all, the Oda clan were originally just wealthy landowners in Owari, where fifth or sixth-rank positions could be bought easily, while fourth-rank positions depended on military strength, political influence, and family background.

As for the three noble titles, forget about it. Unless Nobunaga shaved his head and became a monk, the court would not agree. The Kyoto court is in ruins, and this is all the stuff it has that can be sold for a few bucks. If it belittles itself, it will starve to death in three to five days.

"Therefore, we should follow the example of the governor of Yuezhou, Uesugi, and seek the emperor's clear praise and issue a proclamation to the various states." Shichibei glanced at Nobunaga.

"Hmm?" Nobunaga became slightly interested, but his enthusiasm hadn't quite taken hold yet.

Uesugi Kenshin's so-called praise was essentially granting him the Emperor's Heavenly Cup and the so-called authority to subdue the rebellious forces in the Kanto region. In short, it was merely a supplementary measure to strengthen his position as Kanto Kanrei.

But Shichibei's idea was different; he was following the approach taken by the neighboring mainland, which was to give the ship the title of "Heroic Ship".

The saying goes that the position of Grand Commander of the Military Affairs of the Capital and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is the foundation; the privilege of wearing a sword and shoes in the palace, being able to pay homage without being named, and not having to bow when entering the court are the process; the bestowal of the Nine Bestowments and the establishment of the state are the youthful experimental version; and the abdication is the final result.

Actually, there's sometimes a small detail involved, like being awarded the title of "Meritorious Official Who Restored Heaven and Rebuilt the Nation with Utmost Loyalty and Righteousness." Once you're qualified to restore heaven and rebuild the nation, you're practically all-powerful.

Of course, Nobunaga didn't need a title like "Restoring the World," but "Unparalleled in History" or "Master of Both Flower and Fruit" would be fine. Later, when he went out, Nobunaga could carry a flag with the title bestowed upon him by Emperor Ogimachi.

It's useless; it's just for show.

But what Nobunaga needed right now was something to put on a show. The high-ranking officials were too expensive for the court to provide, and Nobunaga didn't care about the lower-ranking ones. So he had to start from the sidelines and play the Emperor card first: "I've been granted an official title by the Emperor."

In the future, when we go out to fight, you will be a prefect, and I will be a prefect, but I will be a prefect who combines the titles of Hua Shi (a high-ranking official) and Hua Shi (another high-ranking official).

"Hmm...that's interesting." Nobunaga nodded after listening to Shichibei's long explanation.

"Besides, after sponsoring the prince's coming-of-age ceremony, all he needs is a title, which might not cost a penny," Shichibei continued.

The prince's coming-of-age ceremony cost two to three hundred kan, and the gratitude and favors extended to the court nobles who attended the ceremony. Having spent five hundred kan on the imperial court and received an imperial title from Emperor Ōgimachi, how could they possibly ask for money back?

That can't be right.

"It's feasible!" Nobunaga finally nodded.

As soon as he nodded, someone immediately sent a message to Kyoto, finding Kinoshita Hideyoshi, who was visiting the nobles at the introduction of Yoshida Kaneyou. Shichibei spoke a lot in front of Nobunaga, but when the message reached Hideyoshi, it was simply a sentence.

The Emperor had to bestow upon Nobunaga the title of "Unparalleled General of All Time".

That's right, Nobunaga thought. I've already spent money, and all I bought was an account. If I'm stingy with something like this, only wanting something pretty and substantial, that would be so tasteless. Since I've already asked for it, I'll go for the highest grade, something unparalleled throughout history. I'll start bragging, and when I do, I'll make sure it's all the rage.

Hideyoshi couldn't refuse Nobunaga's sudden request. He asked Yoshida Kensuke if it was feasible. Yoshida Kensuke, who had been apprehensive about Nobunaga's unreasonable demands, readily agreed upon hearing this.

It's guaranteed to be an inscription by Emperor Ogimachi, and it even comes with a special seal.

If you don't come down within three days, we won't take any money from the Oda family.

Yoshida Kaneji, recommended by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was quite efficient and enthusiastic in his work. After Hideyoshi, on behalf of Nobunaga, donated 300 kan of gold to the imperial court to sponsor the first prince's coming-of-age ceremony, the emperor, delighted, bestowed the title on him that same day.

However, he was reluctant to show it directly to Hideyoshi, saying it was a great honor and praise. Instead, he wanted to send a special envoy to Gifu Castle or Komakiyama to publicly display it in front of Oda's senior retainers.

So when Shichibei finally sat down at the Sakuma residence again, he saw two "white-faced demons" dressed as court nobles, their makeup really thick.

Logically speaking, it's not a ceremony or a sacrifice, so what's the point of all this? But that's not the point right now. The point is the so-called imperial edict read out by the two dukes and ministers, and the scroll with the bestowed title written on it.

As the scroll slowly unfurled, the title "Unrivaled General of All Time" was written very neatly on it. Because it was written quite large, it was displayed before Nobunaga's two retainers.

Hey!

Everyone was amazed; they hadn't known that this could be bought.

98. If you have the ability, you should take on more responsibility.

Even the members of the Oda clan looked so surprised, let alone the other daimyo and samurai who heard the news. Nobunaga thought the effect was quite good and was rather pleased with himself.

On the one hand, he warmly received the two envoys who came to deliver the imperial edict, and on the other hand, he hosted a banquet for the important retainers of the Oda clan. Although he hadn't yet bought the official position by giving Nobunaga to Miyako, he certainly boosted his reputation once again.

The two angels were overjoyed, regardless of whether they were inwardly cursing Nobunaga as a bumpkin from Owari and the Oda retainers as country bumpkins. But that didn't stop them from outwardly accepting Nobunaga's ten large gold coins with composure, even covering their mouths with their folding fans and laughing "oh oh oh."

Naturally, it was because Nobunaga was sensible that their trip wasn't in vain. Waiting in Kyoto, each person only received two kan of cash as a token of gratitude. But coming to Owari to deliver an imperial decree earned them five large gold coins—that was fantastic!

Hideyoshi has also returned from Kyoto. And you know what? After spending a few days in Kyoto "wearing a crown like a monkey," this "bald rat" has picked up a bit of culture. He's learned the trick of covering half his face with his sleeve and then chuckling.

Thanks to Oda Nobunaga's donation of 300 kanmon, the coming-of-age ceremony for the first prince was successfully held. The prince was granted the title of Prince Seihito, making a respectable appearance in Kyoto.

Prince Naruhito thus developed a favorable impression of Nobunaga, greatly admiring him and even writing him a private letter. The contents of this letter are unknown, but it likely contained words of gratitude for establishing a friendship. After all, their relationship was still in its early stages, and they hadn't yet reached the point of complete confiding in each other.

Historically, up until the Honnoji Incident, Prince Seihito, along with his lyric poet Satoshi Shōba and others, were surrounded by Akechi Mitsuhide inside the Nijō Palace, along with Oda Nobutada and Murai Sadakatsu.

Nobutada was defeated and prepared to commit seppuku. Prince Naruhito, who already had a son, was prepared to commit seppuku with Nobutada. According to him, he was the crown prince whom Nobunaga had installed, and now that Nobunaga had been killed, he had to be buried with him.

Mitsuhide had already been convicted of regicide, so killing another prince wouldn't have made much difference. It was Satomura Shōba who came forward to plead for him, saying that Prince Seihito was the supreme ruler of the country, and if Mitsuhide forced him to his death, even the imperial court would declare Mitsuhide an enemy of the court.

Thus, the scholar Guang ordered that Satoshi Shoba be allowed to flee with Prince Chengren. Prince Chengren, barefoot, wearing only his pajamas and without his crown, fled into the palace in utter disarray. Once he was gone, Nobutada, having lost his cover, quickly committed seppuku.

By the way, during the brief lull Prince Chengren was pulling in his sleeve, someone managed to escape through a dog hole.

How Nobunaga replied to Prince Naruhito was Nobunaga's business; the main thing everyone was doing was asking Hideyoshi about the situation in Kyoto. Although the Oda clan had sent people to Kyoto to find out what happened after Ashikaga Yoshiteru was assassinated, at that time their main focus wasn't on appreciating the sights of Kyoto, but rather on asking around about how Ashikaga Yoshiteru died.

Hideyoshi's trip to Kyoto was mainly for "fun," visiting court nobles and attending gatherings. He must have thoroughly enjoyed Kyoto's sights and culture; tell us, you country bumpkins from Owari, about it!

Then they saw Hideyoshi cover his mouth with his sleeve and imitate the laughter of the court nobles in Kyoto. His performance amused everyone, who clapped and laughed. They had thought the court nobles were such refined people; it turned out they were nothing special.

Demystifying the situation will take time; for now, we're just sitting together and laughing. What happens when we conquer Kyoto? The daughters of ordinary noble families will only be able to become concubines for these men.

Besides "dressing up," Hideyoshi also sent gifts to his important retainers. Although Kyoto had fallen from grace, as a major center of handicraft production, it still had a large number of "Kyoto goods" that were unavailable in the countryside. When Princess Tokuhime married into Mikawa, Shichibei was responsible for preparing the "Kyoto goods" and "Tang goods" in her dowry.

However, the gift wasn't delivered by Hideyoshi, but by Nene. Nene had recovered from the painful labor and, under the guise of taking the child to visit neighbors, went around making house calls.

As a daughter of the legitimate Oda clan, Nene had many close female friends, all of whom had become wives of generals, magistrates, and castle lords. Hideyoshi's marriage to her was truly the most important step in his life.

Without Nene, Hideyoshi wouldn't even have been qualified to fully integrate into the core of the Owari samurai group. Moreover, Nene was a very intelligent and quick-witted woman, and quite popular.

I took a look at Hideyoshi's first child; he seemed quite healthy. He had grown from the wrinkled little thing he was at birth to a round and adorable baby. I wondered if he was just naturally good-natured and not afraid of strangers; when he saw Shichibei, he simply stared at him.

If this child grows up healthy and strong, and reaches fifteen or sixteen years old, it's uncertain which family he will be married to. In this way, Hideyoshi will have a grown son-in-law who can be taken along, and this son-in-law will certainly have the support of Nene, that is, the support of Kato, Fukushima, Asano, and others.

It probably won't be assigned to Toyotomi Hidetsugu...

If he had been given to Toyotomi Hidetsugu, the outcome would have been unimaginable.

While Nobunaga was holding the baby, someone ran in from outside. Looking up, he recognized Nobunaga's page, Mori Denbei (older brother of Mori Nagayoshi and Mori Ranmaru). When asked what was the matter, Nobunaga asked Shichibei if he had a detailed map of the road from Kiyosu to Tsushima that had been measured back then.

Or to put it more bluntly, didn't Shichibei hire a bunch of kids to measure the entire area along the street back then? It was just a casual measurement; Shichibei wasn't exactly a land surveyor. He submitted it all to Nobunaga later, so why is he asking for it again now?

Because Murai Sadakatsu had packed up all the materials and documents and sent them to the Gifu Castle library, and there were no copies at Komakiyama Castle, he came to ask Shichibei if he had any, as Nobunaga needed them immediately.

how?

Yes, it definitely exists, because Kawamura-ya was a horse-riding courier. The carefully measured street data along the route was naturally preserved very completely.

However, it should be noted that it's only lent to Nobunaga for review, and must be returned to Kawamura-ya later. This is considered business data, and since there's no backup, losing it would cause significant problems with accounting.

Upon hearing this, Mori Denbei told Shichibei to take the records and documents to Nobunaga himself, as there might be some trade secrets involved.

Since she had other business to attend to, Ningning took her leave with the child, as she had other places to visit. Shichibei, carrying documents, turned a corner and headed to Sakuma Residence.

Seeing Shichibei arrive with documents, Nobunaga immediately took them and began flipping through them. As for what it was about? Nothing much, Nobunaga just wanted to befriend Prince Naruhito. Making friends isn't just about words; you have to show some genuine sincerity.

Specifically, the plan was to take any former estate in Owari Province that the imperial court had previously owned and select, and restore it to Prince Naruhito under the name of a royal residence, for his daily expenses.

To reiterate, only the "protection money" is being restored; it doesn't mean the entire manor and village will actually be handed over to Prince Chengren.

Therefore, Nobunaga would always write a letter to Prince Naruhito, informing him of the village's location, its boundaries (north, south, east, and west), and its approximate size. After providing a brief introduction, he would then express his willingness to return it to the Imperial Court.

The main point is to show your sincerity. You can even go back to the old accounts of the Imperial Court and say that I, Nobunaga, truly support you and there was absolutely no invasion.

Sigh, Shichibei thought it was something serious, suddenly they wanted to check the size of the village and fields. After asking which village it was, Shichibei went straight up and turned to the page in the book that recorded those villages.

We're in the business of relaying information, how could we not know these bus stops? Ask those bus drivers, they can announce the stop names better than a comedian on stage.

The papers were handed to him by his left and right, and Nobunaga carefully copied them down, then casually closed the document and placed it at his feet.

"My lord, um, the book..." This won't do. This is my only record. I've given you the original, and you're taking the backup too.

"Huh? Oh, here you go, it's just the ledger." Nobunaga didn't react at first, but Shichibei kept pointing at his feet.

"This is the very foundation of Kawamura-ya's existence." Damn it, this road data is the very basis.

"You remember things quite meticulously." Nobunaga then unfolded the document and began to carefully examine it.

"Kawamura-ya relies on this for its livelihood."

To be honest, even if we're in a monopoly business with no competition, we still need to understand pricing to control price fluctuations, right? Besides, the money we make...

To earn more, you need to recruit more people.

"Once you've finished with things here in Komaki, go and prepare the streets from Kiyosu to Tsushima. Remember to set up the post stations and stables." Nobunaga closed the document and gave the order directly.

Although this matter had been on the agenda for a long time, there was no money to handle it at the time. However, after the autumn harvest, Shichibei still had to take on the task of delivering the annual tribute rice.

"Well..." No matter how much Shichibei tries to explain, he only has two arms and two legs, and he might not be able to handle it all.