Owari Yumeki Golden Day

"Look at what you have accomplished." After all, I am one of the important ministers directly serving under the Oda clan, so it's no big deal to criticize Yamanouchi Kazutoyo above me.

"Hehehe..." Without arguing at all, Yamauchi Kazutoyo just laughed foolishly.

The Nijō Palace was nearing completion, and once it was, the Oda clan's army would retreat to Gifu. With the fortified city and a garrison of a thousand or two thousand men, Ashikaga Yoshiaki and the shogunate would no longer be in danger.

Back in Gifu, proposing marriage is no small matter. If someone else went, Shichibei wouldn't be able to "bully others with his power". With just the Gujo Hachiman Endo family, we still have some psychological and status advantages.

In Japanese culture, a matchmaker, especially one involved in a political marriage, is considered to be a guarantor. When Hideyoshi became the lord of Nagahama Castle, he took many of the daughters of Kunihiro as concubines. Nene wrote to Nobunaga, saying that her marriage to Hideyoshi was arranged by Nobunaga.

What did Nobunaga do? Not only did he personally write back to Nene, he also summoned Hideyoshi and gave him a stern scolding. While Nobunaga, as Hideyoshi's lord, was more concerned about his subordinates becoming obsessed with women and unable to continue their service, this indirectly illustrates the special status of matchmakers in Japanese culture.

In the future, if Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Chiyo quarreled, Shichibei would mediate as an "elder" and act as a temporary peacemaker. He even had certain rights to participate in the new family formed after marriage.

These two are considered the epitome of harmonious marriages during the Japanese Warring States Period. It is highly unlikely that Shichibei would have been involved in mediating their quarrels.

More than half a month later, the Nijo Palace was officially completed, and even the three-story castle tower was built. The palace where Yoshiaki usually lived was directly built by dismantling the academy and palace of Honkuji Temple, just like the old style.

Yoshiaki happily moved to the Imperial Palace. The lords and daimyo of Kinai, because of Nobunaga's powerful military force that defeated the Miyoshi Three, rushed to the Nijo Palace in Kyoto to congratulate Yoshiaki as soon as they received the notice.

Akitaka Hatakeyama, one of the two guardians of Kawachi, also came. He was a little unhappy because the other guardian, Yoshitsugu Miyoshi, became the son-in-law of the Ashikaga family of the Muromachi shogunate.

It's easy to understand. When Ashikaga Yoshiaki was still a young monk, he was fleeing everywhere and Hatakeyama Akitaka took care of him regardless of the dangers. He was always by his side and never left his side. Of course, Yoshiaki was also very close to Hatakeyama Akitaka. He initially gave him the name Akitaka, but later changed it to Akitaka.

When Yoshiaki returned to Kyoto, he and Nobunaga appointed their family as the guardian of half of Kawachi. Now Hatakeyama Takamasa has abdicated and handed the title of family head to Hatakeyama Akitaka, while he himself serves as the so-called gomi-kaku.

To put it bluntly, the purpose was to get Hatakeyama Akitaka and Ashikaga Yoshiaki close. The Hatakeyama family and the Yamana family were almost the same, both existing like candles in the wind. The power of the family was held by the Shugodai Yusa clan, who was just a facade.

The closer they are to the shogunate, the louder the Hatakeyama family head will be, as the shogunate is now quite powerful. If they are no longer close to the shogunate, the shugodai will dare to assassinate them and replace them with someone more obedient.

So, Hatakeyama Akitaka himself didn't marry the daughter of the Ashikaga family, so why did he marry Miyoshi Yoshitsugu first?

Don't laugh. In fact, in the feudal era, this kind of thing could be brought to court before the general.

Haven’t you seen that some European monarchs and princes, in order to seize a widow with a rich inheritance, not only engaged in literary lawsuits, but also actually beheaded and killed people with real guns and knives.

It turns out that Nobunaga is waiting for Ashikaga Yoshiaki here...

As a member of the guards, Shichibei observed the inauguration ceremony for quite some time. Later, he accompanied Nobunaga to meet Ashikaga Yoshiaki. He witnessed Hatakeyama Akitaka and Ashikaga Yoshiaki's temper tantrums.

The crying and shouting child gets the milk. Hatakeyama Akitaka doesn't have a wife, so what's wrong with asking Ashikaga Yoshiaki for a wife?

Even if she wasn't a biological daughter of the Ashikaga family, it would be a good idea to have Ashikaga Yoshiaki ask the nobles, the Nijo family or the Konoe family, for an adopted daughter. Or if that didn't work, he could ask the daughter of the Sasaki family or another famous family for an adopted daughter.

But where could Ashikaga Yoshiaki go to find her in such a hurry? At this point, he might have realized that he had been reckless in betrothing his sister to Miyoshi Yoshitsugu.

After all, there is only one Ashikaga woman, but she has territory, strength, and more than one fans who can cry and make a fuss.

Litigation within the shogunate was originally handled by a special government office, the Seishoku, but now it fell to Oda Nobunaga, the shogun's regent. Naturally, Ashikaga Yoshiaki turned to Nobunaga, but Nobunaga ignored him, simply watching. Since no petition had been submitted, he could pretend he knew nothing.

Quiet.

After parting on bad terms, Nobunaga immediately ordered Shichibei to return to Gifu to fetch the princess and bring her to Kyoto. Hmm? Which princess? The one who was supposed to be betrothed to Gamō Ujisato, a son-in-law from the Warring States period?

Because that princess is only eight years old this year, she is not old enough to be betrothed. She was betrothed to Princess Tokuhime of Tokugawa Nobuyasu because they were both young, so they just made do with it for now.

No, it's another Ji Jun.

This made Qibing stunned. "How many children did you have, Nobunaga? That was public knowledge. How could there be a greater princess?" Nobunaga didn't explain, but just wrote a letter and asked Qibing to pass it to Lady Nohime.

He said that a suitable princess would come, and asked Qibingwei to go and come back quickly, bring the person there, and get the job done.

Well, Shichibei had no choice but to ride back to Gifu to greet this princess who was completely different from his impression. Nobunaga stayed in Kyoto and started his own show.

He acted as if this was a difficult matter to deal with. Previously, Ashikaga Yoshiaki had betrothed his sister to Miyoshi Yoshitsugu without informing Nobunaga. Now that things had gone wrong, he could approach Nobunaga again, who was "completely unaware" of the whole situation, so it was naturally impossible for him to do so.

Then Ashikaga Yoshiaki asked Nobunaga to solve the problem. Of course, Nobunaga had to put forward conditions. For example, the public servants on duty were not allowed to report to Yoshiaki without Nobunaga's permission.

For example, without Nobunaga's signature, litigation matters involving samurai were not allowed to be submitted to the shogunate and the imperial court for public discussion and debate.

In short, there are nine clauses in total, which are aimed at reducing Ashikaga Yoshiaki's authority and strengthening Nobunaga's control over the old order of the shogunate. They are temporarily called the Nine Articles of the Palace.

It depends on whether Yoshiaki is willing to accept it. If you are willing, Nobunaga will help you mediate the matter with Hatakeyama Akitaka.

On the other side, high up in the hills of Hatakeyama, Nobunaga also sent someone to secretly agree. "You asked to marry the daughter of the Ashikaga family, simply to strengthen your connection to the center of power. Now, I, Nobunaga, will cut to the chase and directly betroth my daughter to you. What do you think?"

Needless to say, Hatakeyama Akitaka was so excited that he almost jumped three feet high. It was a completely unexpected surprise. If he became Nobunaga's son-in-law, then he would have it in his life.

Just looking at Nobunaga's current prestige, it's possible he could become the ultimate ruler. As his son-in-law, Hatakeyama Akitaka would not only be able to secure a high status within the new order, but also carry on the family fortune.

Anyway, it's just a matter of playing both ends. Nobunaga is a man with many means, it just depends on whether he uses them or not.

After returning to Gifu, Shichibei entered the residence in Tilia Valley to pay a visit to Lady Nohime, and finally found out who the so-called Princess was.

She was the youngest daughter of Dosan, raised by Nagai Michitoshi. After the fall of Seki Castle, the girl was raised by her elder sister, Lady Nohime. Now she could be used as the daughter of Oda Nobunaga for marriage.

It looks a bit familiar.

This must be the first time he's seen this princess. Shichibei feels she looks familiar. Could it be that he's seen her before? That shouldn't be the case. During the attack on Seki Castle, he was part of Nobunaga's main force, not the one personally leading the assault like Kawajiri Hidetaka and Mori Kanari.

It's strange, is there really someone in this world who feels like an old friend the first time they meet?

After reading Nobunaga's letter, Lady Nohime merely nodded. As a samurai woman, how could she not know the fate of samurai women? Princess Tokuhime was only a few years old, yet she had already married far away to Mikawa Okazaki. Now her own sister was also marrying far away to Kawachi Takaya Castle. After this marriage, there was no telling whether she would ever see him again.

She sat there feeling melancholy, while Shichibei secretly observed Ji-kun. He looked so familiar. When had he seen him before? Shichibei was particularly curious now, and he loved observing people.

Perhaps having been noticed, His Highness returned Shichibei's gaze several times. A beautiful teenage girl, besides being well-nourished, had a considerable amount of collagen in her face, making her face as delicate as a baby's.

Although she is not tall, about the same height as Shichibei, in this day and age, a woman over 1.4 meters tall is considered tall.

Tut tut...

If he was really to be paired with Hatakeyama Akitaka? Shichibei recalled that Hatakeyama Akitaka was not ugly and his family was very noble, so perhaps he was a good match.

Who knows?

"Hideko, come and pay your respects to Lord Kawamura." Lady Nohime put down the letter and called her sister over.

"Greetings, Lord Kawamura." Saito Hideko, or now Princess Oda Hideko, bowed respectfully to Shichibei.

When she slowly raised her head, the creases in her upper eyes actually made Shichibei's heart tremble. She was so beautiful. Although her appearance was not the most outstanding, the youthful beauty in that moment immediately touched Shichibei.

Shichibei quickly bowed his head and returned the gift to Hideko-sama. Nobunaga's daughter was not yet within Shichibei's reach. Furthermore, judging by Nobunaga's intentions, this princess would soon be betrothed to Hatakeyama Akitaka.

Forget about having any inappropriate thoughts, even looking at her twice would be wrong. Quickly suppressing his thoughts, Shichibei apologized to Lady Nohime. He only had half a day to pack up, as he had to leave for the capital tomorrow.

170. Retreating from Gifu and finally getting married

Nobunaga was in a hurry, so he couldn't just use a sedan chair to carry the princess to Kyoto slowly for ten days or half a month, so he just harnessed the cart and set off. The sooner it was over, the more at ease he would be.

Princess Hideko, however, was very curious, probably because it was her first time traveling far away. Furthermore, Lady Nou had undoubtedly told her that she was marrying Hatakeyama Akitaka, the lord of Takaya Castle, and she felt uneasy, so she often approached Shichibei.

He didn't ask anything outlandish, just whether Shichibei had ever met Hatakeyama Akitaka, what kind of person and talent Hatakeyama was. And where was Takaya Castle? Was it a mountain castle? A flat castle? Was the area below the castle prosperous?

Anyway, it's about understanding her future life. After learning that Hatakeyama Akitaka is a young talent, neither ugly nor old, Princess Hideko secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

These political marriages often involved young women in their teens and twenties marrying men in their forties or fifties. Matsunaga Hisahide, who we met recently, was in his forties when he married Miyoshi Nagayoshi's daughter, who was in her early teens.

Across the pond in Europe, many Habsburg women married men in their fifties and sixties. Political marriages were all about profit, not love. And for these aristocratic women, marrying and having children meant they had something to rely on for the rest of their lives.

Not all Habsburg daughters were sought after. According to later statistics, 30 or 40 Habsburg daughters never married. They ended up either entering a monastery to live out their lives in solitude or dying in depression behind high walls.

So, marrying a young, decent, and well-established aristocratic man is the best way out for aristocratic women these days.

"I heard that Kawamura-dono will marry my uncle's daughter?" Princess Hideko was just trying to strike up a conversation, so they just kept chatting.

"Yes, it's all thanks to my lord's kindness." Shichibei was actually still somewhat grateful.

The girl had always been the same girl, first adopted by Oda Nobuya, then by Oda Nobuhiro, her status rising again and again. If the concept of an Oda clan member were expanded, Shichibei could actually be considered a member of the Oda clan. Once she gave birth to a child, she would be eligible to be adopted by Oda Nobuhiro.

"It's great that I can live in Gifu Castle for a long time." Perhaps thinking about marrying far away, Princess Hideko still felt a little nostalgic.

"Hatakeyama Kingo-dono is also a good match." What could Shichibei say? He could only perfunctorily answer.

“…”Hime Hideko didn’t answer, but leaned against the small window of the ox cart, looking at the streets of Omi thoughtfully.

It was May, and Omi was at its most beautiful season. Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, was bathed in a cool breeze, and a poet might be inspired to compose poetry upon seeing the rice paddies crisscrossing its banks.

"Come to think of it, I have also seen my uncle's sister." After being silent for a moment, Princess Hideko spoke again.

"Actually, I have seen him before..." Shichibei had only seen him once, so his impression of him was not very deep.

Vaguely, as if, perhaps, probably, she looked like a very thin girl. She was literally thin, and small in stature. She probably hadn't been hungry since childhood; her family definitely had no problem getting enough to eat.

Just like Shichibei, Hideyoshi, and Koroku, they all grew up on a diet of rice, dried fish, and seaweed. Koroku, a sturdy man over 1.7 meters tall, was a fierce warrior, unstoppable on the battlefield. Shichibei and Hideyoshi could only hold up shields to protect Koroku from cannonballs and arrows.

This is really unreasonable. I am not lacking in protein.

"Oh!" After hearing Shichibei say that he had seen it too, Princess Hideko immediately became interested.

"How's it going? Did you guys talk?"

"We talked a few words, but they were all about business." Although his impression was shallow, it did not prevent Shichibei from simply narrating it to Princess Hideko.

"She was like this. I always lived in the Linden Valley Residence, and she could move around for a while outside the city. When flowers bloomed in the residence before, she came to accompany me to appreciate the flowers." Princess Hideko said with some reminiscence.

Their statuses were different, after all. Besides, Princess Hideko was also Lady Nouhime's adopted daughter, a treasure Nobunaga used to secure a marriage. Meanwhile, Shichibei's fiancée was merely the daughter of the Oda clan's elder. While her movements were also restricted, she wasn't restricted within Gifu Castle. She could have gone to the academy to admire the flowers and socialize with other noble women.

"I see..." Shichibei didn't intend to explain anything, he just wanted to join in the conversation.

"Hey, do you know her name?" Princess Hideko raised her chin slightly, and looked at Shichibei who was riding a horse to guard the ox cart on the side of the road with a very innocent and somewhat proud look.

Qibingwei subconsciously turned his head to look over, it was really beautiful.

"I don't know." He lowered his head, wondering why he always saw this.

"Then I'll tell you in secret, come here." I thought Shichibei was shy, but Hideko became even more excited.

"No, no, no, you'll know after we get married." Shichibei almost felt amorous, but he didn't dare to go closer, so he just refused.

"It's boring. You're also a fool." Shichibei refused like this. Hideko was naturally unhappy and cursed him in a sullen manner.

Sadly, Shichibei ignored her. Instead, he waved his rod and rushed to the front of the group, inquiring how far it was to the next post station, the stable. He had to reach Otsu today, so that he could get Hideko to Kyoto before noon tomorrow. The trip had already taken several days, and Nobunaga's plans for Kyoto might have already taken shape.

And hurry up.

Shichibei's idea was spot on. Nobunaga used both his strength against Ashikaga Yoshiaki and his tactics against Hatakeyama Akitaka, effectively manipulating both sides. Having no immediate solution to Hatakeyama Akitaka's marriage proposal, Ashikaga Yoshiaki reluctantly accepted the position of the so-called Donna-go Kujo.

Of course, Nobunaga's military prowess, as evidenced by his rapid journey from Gifu to Kyoto on a snowy night, further impressed and intimidated Ashikaga Yoshiaki. He also established an image of exceptional military luck and unparalleled military strategy in the eyes of the imperial court and the people of Kyoto.

After all, since the governor had supported the shogun in coming to Kyoto, it was only natural that they should share power. Nobunaga was now semi-publicly wanting to share power, and no one actually thought it was a big deal.

To be honest, the reason why Ashikaga Yoshiaki accepted the order was because Hosokawa Harumoto had previously requested that he countersign the Shogun's documents. This was a precedent, and if Hosokawa Harumoto did not countersign, Ashikaga Yoshiharu's documents would be invalid, or not fully valid.

His own father did this, so why couldn't Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who was not a pioneering or innovative person, do the same?

He nodded, and Hatakeyama Akitaka's situation was nothing special. Oda Nobunaga was a man who had seen countless big events, so fooling Hatakeyama Akitaka was like playing a game. He acted like he was the future shogunate's leader, and as his good son-in-law, you would definitely be able to participate in the government, which made people dizzy and confused.

Although there were no serious promises, and no actual words were spoken, Xinchang hinted at something, saying that your brother-in-law is still young, and that it might be true, that it might be true, that it might be true.

What he said was that Oda Qimyoumaru had not yet come of age. Among Nobunaga's successors, Tokugawa Nobuyasu was just a local tyrant in Mikawa. Now the first choice was Hatakeyama Akitaka, who was both old and noble.

If anything were to happen, this family business and this vast world would belong to you, Hatakeyama Akitaka.

The young man was so fooled by his father-in-law that he almost knelt down and called him dad. But after all, he was still dad, father-in-law, so Hatakeyama Akitaka was not wrong to call him that.

How nice it is to have my father-in-law’s meal in advance.

No matter whether the rice was hot or cold, soft or hard, Nobunaga personally handed the bowl to him.

It is such a great blessing that no one else can enjoy it.

After Shichibei sent Princess Hideko to Kyoto and she moved into Myokaku-ji Temple, Nobunaga summoned Hatakeyama Akitaka again and officially and publicly announced that he would marry his daughter to the Hatakeyama family.

Princess Hideko's biological father was Saito Dosan, also the lord of Mino. Regardless of how Dosan usurped the Mino province, his status as the shugodai of Mino was genuine. As such, Princess Hideko, not only from a prominent samurai family but also the adopted daughter of the shogunate's regent, Nobunaga, was more than qualified to marry into the Hatakeyama family, shugodai of Kawachi.

Marry her. Nobunaga spent 3,000 kan of dowry and 1,000 kan of cosmetics and sent Princess Hideko to the Hatakeyama Kingo family in a grand ceremony.

A thousand kan of cosmetics equaled a thousand kan of territory. On the surface, Nobunaga paid for it, but in reality, it was Ashikaga Yoshiaki who paid for it. Ashikaga Yoshiaki didn't pay attention to his younger brother's emotions, and since he couldn't do anything overtly, he could only secretly reward him with some things to appease him.

The real power of the Hatakeyama family was held by Kawachi guardian Yusa Ujiya. If Hatakeyama Akitaka was given an extra 1,000 kan of territory, he would be able to place (shield) 20 samurai who would fight for him.

It is okay to kill and burn people on the battlefield, or to assassinate people in secret or to directly attack Yousa Shinjo.

Looking at Hatakeyama Akitaka happily bringing his wife back to Takaya Castle, Shichibei breathed a sigh of relief. His mission was accomplished and he could hand it in.

Why do I feel a little lost...

Well, speaking of this, Nobunaga finally remembered Shichibei's wedding. He said that since the New Year, he has been busy, either killing or being killed. He promised to help Shichibei arrange it in the second half of last year, but now he has the free time.

"We'll do it right away when we get back to Gifu," Nobunaga promised. Shichibei wasn't in a rush; it wouldn't be a problem to wait until the girl was twenty. By twenty, her pelvis and other parts of her body were fully developed, making a natural birth much less risky.

Our family business is not big, but it is definitely not small either. We still hope to have a legitimate son to inherit it.

At the very least, if you can find a decent and capable son-in-law, you still have to have a daughter to marry him off to. Then you can pass it on to your grandchildren, and the family name will never be cut off.

Back in Kyoto, even after signing the Nine Articles of the Dominaka, Nobunaga still felt uneasy. He wanted to monitor the execution, and he felt that leaving only Akechi Mitsuhide alone seemed insufficient.