"Fang Juwan, don't make trouble anymore." A young woman who still retained her charm put down the brush in her hand and scolded the children playing nearby. Several maids who were responsible for taking care of the children looked at each other and hurriedly knelt down to apologize.
I saw that the castle tower that was supposed to be solemn and solemn was now a mess. A Cuju was kicked hard into the room just now, smashing a pile of wet-ink-stained papers on the table in the corner. A child
He smiled a little uneasily, and seemed to be saying something like, "I'm really bad at kicking."
"It's not your fault." The young woman sighed and asked the maids who were lying on the ground to stand up. She pulled the child who was still jumping on the ground over and gave her a few hard taps on the buttocks with a ruler.
Down.
"Mother, why do you hit me?" The child was also stubborn. Instead of crying, he asked dissatisfiedly. He was very mature at a young age.
"If you do something wrong, you will be beaten." The young woman looked at the place where she had just been beaten with some distress, but still maintained a serious tone.
"Mom, please tell me what I did wrong." The child struggled to escape from his mother's hands and stood upright in front of the young woman, looking directly into her eyes.
"Look at the good deeds you have done!" the young woman pointed angrily at the mess in the corner and the Cuju, "The official document that my mother spent a long time approving was all in vain with just one Cuju! You still said you didn't do it?
Made a mistake?"
"That's because I kicked it crookedly." The child said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone. "Originally, this Cuju kick was intended to bounce off the door beam!"
"You still have the nerve to say that?" The young woman became even more angry, "Look at your brothers, they are all learning the etiquette and martial arts that the martial arts family should learn. You are the only one who knows how to kick Cuju! Can you be a little more motivated?
!You are a child of the Wu family!"
"Why do the children of the Wu family do things they don't like to do!" The child curled his lips and said, "Governing the country is so troublesome and meaningless! My brothers like to govern the country, but I just like to play Cuju. Everyone
Everyone is doing their own thing, what’s the problem?”
"Then your whole life is worse than a street Cuju actor!" The young woman shook her head in disappointment, "Do you rely on Cuju to make a living? Are you worthy of being a samurai? Are you worthy of being a heir of the Imagawa family?"
"The child doesn't understand." The child was stunned for a moment by his mother's disappointed tone, and then continued: "Are my father and brothers happier and contented than those who play Cuju on the street? I see my father and brother, their faces are gloomy every day.
, there are endless things to do. But those people who play Cuju on the streets are free and happy."
"Why do you think so? Did the teacher I hired for you teach you bad things?" The young woman was shocked. "Do you think that the majestic leader of a country is not as good as a street Cuju actor?"
"The child feels that the most important thing is to be free, to be able to do what he wants to do, and to see what he wants to see." The child seemed to have noticed his mother's extreme dissatisfaction, and his tone became slightly weaker, "Brother, obviously before
She has also been playing Cuju with me. Since I have to deal with official duties, I no longer have time... How pitiful is that."
"You..." The young woman was so angry that she was speechless.
"If the mother really doesn't like the child, the child should become a monk." The child pursed his lips and whispered, "After becoming a monk, you will have nothing to do with the world. You no longer have to worry about the martial arts or official business. You can do whatever you want.
What are you doing! Let my mother and brothers handle these troublesome national and family affairs."
"Haha, madam, there is no need to be angry." Just when the young woman was about to get angry, hearty laughter suddenly came from outside the door.
"Madam, Master Xuezhai would like to see you." A maid outside the door said.
"Please come quickly." The young woman hurriedly asked the maid to open the door, and saw a monk in white Buddhist robes walking in with a smile and lovingly touched the child's head.
"Master, why are you here?" the young woman asked.
"I heard that Madam is planning to change Fang Juwan's teacher?" the monk said with a smile.
"Exactly, this child doesn't know what he has been studying all day long." The young woman whispered dissatisfiedly.
"That's why I came here." The monk bowed and chuckled.
"Eh? Master, had you known what happened today?" the young woman asked in surprise.
The monk nodded slightly, but didn't say much.
"I heard that Fang Juwan is planning to become a monk?" The monk looked at the child again and smiled.
"Exactly, I don't want to be bound by these official duties and state affairs. How happy it is to be free." The child raised his face and said loudly as if to contradict his mother.
"Fate, Amitabha." The monk clasped his hands together, "Why don't you let Fang Juwan become a monk and practice with a poor monk? Wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?"
"This..." The young woman was a little embarrassed, "We still need to discuss it with His Highness..."
"Your Highness, you have already agreed." The monk nodded and said, "This poor monk is here to ask for Madam's consent."
"Since Your Highness has your destiny, why do you have any objections to me?" The young woman was stunned for a moment and said with some reluctance.
The monk saw the excitement on Fang Juwan's face and smiled kindly. He bent down, stared into Fang Juwan's eyes, and said softly: "But don't be happy, Fang Juwan. You can never be free in life.
Yes."
"Teacher, why is that so?" Fang Juwan changed his mind quickly, "As long as I don't care about anything and run away alone, wouldn't it mean that I can be free?"
"How can it be that easy?" The monk shook his head repeatedly, "Everyone is destined to shoulder the responsibilities given to him by the Buddha from the moment he is born. You cannot hide or escape. Just like your father, he must
You must take on the responsibility of being the governor of the Imagawa family, otherwise the whole family may suffer disaster. Just like your brother, he must take on the responsibility of being the heir, otherwise the family will not be able to continue, and he may not be able to protect the safety of the family.
.And since you were born as a heir of the Imagawa family, you are destined to become your brother's wing, and even do more. These are all destined by fate and cannot be avoided."
"Aren't there many house governors who live in seclusion when they get old? Then they can just ignore everything and do what they want to do freely." The child argued.
"It's not that easy, haha." The monk laughed, "Fang Juwan, let's see which reclusive family governor doesn't still have to weigh the pros and cons for his family behind the scenes."
"Then when can I get rid of this destined responsibility? It's so annoying. I just want to play Cuju, sing songs, wander around and see the world." The child muttered, "I don't want to.
I have been doing these boring things all my life, and I don’t want to waste my time on these political affairs.”
"Fang Juwan, do you believe in fate?" The monk suddenly asked with a smile.
"Life and death are determined by destiny, and everyone's fate has already been determined." The child said softly, "Isn't this the Buddhist theory of cause and effect and reincarnation? Don't you believe it, teacher?" The child pursed his lips and asked, "So, teacher! What is it?
When can we be freed?"
"Only when you die can you find relief... Hahahaha... After you die and leave the world, you can do whatever you want." The monk was amused by the child's appearance and laughed. The young woman frowned slightly, as if she didn't care about the monk.
Not shy but somewhat dissatisfied.
"Then when can I die?" the child argued reluctantly.
"Even a poor monk doesn't know." The monk stopped laughing, his expression suddenly became serious, he clasped his hands together and said softly: "Only gods and Buddhas who transcend time and know everything can tell you."
Not long before Yu Qiupei arrived at Futama Castle, it was early morning on June 2, the third year of Eiroku (1560), at the Sunpu Castle Castle Tower.
The troops under the direct control of the Imagawa family, led by several senior samurai, returned to the castle town of Sunfu Castle in Suruga yesterday. Several samurai rushed back to the Sunfu Castle castle tower overnight to ask for a meeting with Shougini, who was wearing hemp and mourning. They would spend more than ten days
Before that, Shouguini reported everything that happened on the Tongzhama front line to Shouguini in tears. Perhaps it was because he was too old to stay up late. Shouguini asked a few questions at the beginning, but it continued like this.
Several warriors continued talking, while Shouguini sat aside and listened silently like an old monk. On her wrinkled cheeks, her eyes were almost narrowed to a slit, and it was impossible to tell whether she was awake or asleep.
The warrior couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Such a heavy state affairs could not help but be shouldered by this old man who had gone through many hardships and was old and frail.
After a long conversation all night long, Shouguini comforted the warriors with a few words, then said that he was tired and wanted to rest, and asked them to go to see Imagawa Clan. The warriors left one after another, and one of them stayed for a while, and then
He left quickly and closed the door.
However, after the warriors left, Shouguini did not go to rest. He just sat there silently, maintaining the same posture that he had maintained all night, kneeling motionless. The breeze outside the window was stroking the flame of the candle.
, swaying slightly on the candlestick, and the shadows on the wall flickered. She slowly clasped her hands together, closed her eyes tightly, and her lips trembled slightly, as if she was chanting the Buddha's name, but she did not make a single sound.
The jet-black rosary hung on her right wrist, motionless like her body.
The maids waiting at the door waited for a long time but did not see Shouguini come out. They quietly looked in from the half-open window. They saw Shouguini's back still maintaining a motionless posture, sitting on his knees. Several people whispered softly.
After some discussion, they gently opened the door and wanted to help Shouguini to rest.
When the maids came to Shouguini's side, they found that she was already in tears. They were stunned for a moment and froze in place for a while.
They are all old servants who have served Shouguini for decades, and this is the first time they see Shouguini crying. When her father died, she did not cry; when her husband died, she did not cry; Imakawa
She didn't cry when His Highness Ujiteri died; even when Imagawa Yoshimoto died not long ago, she didn't cry. But today, she didn't know why, but she cried. The old man who had been strong all his life cried like a child
Same.
Another gust of wind blew, and Shouguini's cassock was shaken by the wind, and a piece of paper fell to the ground. Due to the dim light, several maids could not see clearly what was written on the cut paper. They could only vaguely see what was written on the paper.
His handwriting is wild and uninhibited yet flexible.
"House..." several maids asked tentatively.
"It's nothing, don't worry." Shou Guini's sobs stopped suddenly and she whispered.
"Go tell the governor." Shouguini's voice was lifeless and he changed the subject: "There is no need to insist on checking the list of missing samurai and ninjas, and there is no need to harshly blame the defeated generals to calm people's hearts."
"Go and tell the ministers that the autumn harvest will be as usual." Shouguini whispered again.
"House..." Finally, a maid couldn't help it anymore and asked softly: "Don't you want to take a rest? Don't work too hard, your body..."
The room suddenly became quiet, with only the slight sound of candlelight swaying in the wind.
To be continued...