"The imperial office is dissatisfied with you? What should we do?"
Takada Yangno smiled coldly and said.
"Hakuchi Santao came back to investigate closely. Such a secret matter could reach my ears far away in Sakai Port.
Guess who is thinking about it and must find a way to let me know the news?
Akechi Mitsuhide, this bastard, planned the Kyoto Incident. Now, she wants to drag everyone into the water and take the blame with her.
How could I know nothing about such a big movement in Miyoshi-joglow in Sakai Port? When I chose to turn a blind eye, I was already trapped by Akechi Mitsuhide, and now I have to take the blame.
I will go to see the Lord, and I will let him understand that I love him, and no one can deprive me of my right to love him. Not even him."
Takada Harano's eyes seemed to be burning. She had worked hard in Sakai Port for three years and finally had the ability to straighten her back and speak.
She could obey Shiba Yiyin's orders and not fight for anything. As long as the master ordered her to die, it would be fine. The only thing she would never give in was the marriage.
Takada Harono España will never give him up to anyone willingly, no one! I would rather die than give up on this love!
Seeing her resolute attitude, Imai Munehisa felt bitter in her heart. Finally, the day came when Takada Haruno, who had endured three years of forbearance, decided to face her master directly and fight for a place as a bride.
Imai Muneku knew long ago that this day would come sooner or later, but when it did come, she still couldn't help feeling panicked.
"Master Takada, we are not the Akechi family. The Iga Maeda family has land, population, and military strength that are enough to make the lord fearful. We only have shops, caravans, and insignificant untouchables.
To say something presumptuous, the merchants and rogues under our command do not hold enough weight in the Lord's heart. Does he care about the Imperial Palace?"
Imai Munehisa was a businessman, and she knew very well what the Wu family considered a businessman. That was pigs and dogs kept in pens to keep fat, and when necessary, they were pulled out and slaughtered for meat.
Is it possible to expect the samurai family to bow down to pigs and dogs and compromise with pigs and dogs? With Takada Haruno's achievements in business, can the imperial office pay attention to her and tolerate her arrogance?
Takata Yono said with a smile as bright as a flower.
"It's up to you to help me.
Please sort out the accounts related to the Hokuriku Road trade route and bring them to me, especially the various participating powers and the specific figures they lent to me."
Imai Munehisa took a breath, Takada Haruno was playing a little too big, she was planning to threaten Shiba Yoshigan and give her a chance to marry into the family.
The Hokurikudo Trading Route is no longer the Hokurikudo Trading Route of the Shiba family. The trading route was split into countless shares in exchange for loans from Sakai Port and Kyoto's earthen warehouses.
Behind these well-funded warehouses are various forces spread throughout recent times. These include the shogunate samurai family, the Miyoshi family, the Ichigo clan and other shogunate samurai families, local samurai families, and even Buddhist sects.
This stall has become a mess, and Takada Harano is inseparable.
No one's money falls from the sky. The prosperity of the Hokuriku Road trade route allowed Takada Haruno to arouse the greed of these forces, and the amount of copper coins they spent was already astronomical.
If you kick out Harano Takada, who will fill this big hole? Even if others can fill it, it will only happen if the various forces that invest money are willing to believe it.
In samurai society, trust is an extremely valuable thing. If Yoshihiro Shiba does not want the Hokurikudo trade route to become a mess, he must consider Takada Harano's appeal.
In other words, although Takada Harano does not have land, population, or military power, she does have a combination of gold mines and bombs.
Either get rich or explode.
Imai Munehisa was still frightened by this, and Takada Haruno's madness made her, a big businessman who has been doing business for generations, dumbfounded.
Shiba Yoshigan, a traditional martial arts family, would definitely be frightened when he saw Takada Haruno taking out such a large loan and taking on a lot of debt, right?
This is a huge debt that has never been seen before in the martial arts society.
———
The trio of Yamato domestic Yamashiro, Akechi Mitsuhide, Niko Katsuhisa, and Maeda Yoshida reunited again.
The owner of the city where the Sibo family resides, Sibo Yiyin, has not returned. The chief seat is vacant, and the three of them sit separately and have a very unpleasant conversation.
Maeda Yoshida pointed at Akechi Mitsuhide and shouted.
"Why don't you speak? Aren't you always eloquent?
The Lord has returned from Tokaido. He would rather stay in the Oda family and join forces with His Highness Oda to go to Luo than return to the nearby Shiba territory and take charge of the overall situation.
You should tell me what to do now!"
Maeda's anger stems from fear.
She originally thought that the Kyoto Incident caused by Akechi Mitsuhide would definitely be self-defeating and make her master hate and alienate her.
In this way, not only can he get rid of Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the general who hinders his marriage, but he can also kick out Akechi Mitsuhide, a competitor for his marriage.
Maeda smiled and watched Mitsuhide Akechi busy, waiting for Yoshihiro Shiba to come back, and then add insult to injury. Someone was competing to do the hard work, so he stepped on others on the shore.
But she never expected that the third husband of Momochi was sent back to investigate by Shiba Yoshiyin, and he was right on the spot. A little Fujibayashi Xing shook the whole thing to its core.
Akechi Mitsuhide, this bastard, must have been tricked by her, otherwise how could Anzu Fujibayashi escape? Is it difficult to silence a ninja?
Fortunately, now, the third husband of Momochi has found out everything and brought the confession to the master. Akechi Mitsuhide, on the other hand, took the initiative to reveal the news to Maeda Benefit.
Fujibayashi knew too much. She even knew that Takada Haruno and Maeda Yoshihiro stood still during the Kyoto Incident and secretly contributed to the flames.
This is going to make Maeda's scalp numb. Mitsuhide Akechi, this shameless guy, wants to drag everyone together to take the blame!
Fujibayashi An did many shady things for Akechi Mitsuhide, and Akechi Mitsuhide did not hide the entire plan of the Kyoto Incident from her.
Now that the oral confession has been handed over to the Lord, not to mention the ugliness of the Ninagawa family and the Hosokawa family, outsiders, Maeda Yoshino and Takada Haruno are also involved.
Maeda was trying to gain more than she could lose, and she was afraid that her master would hate and alienate her because of this. The unlucky consequences of Mitsuhide Akechi that she imagined at the beginning would all happen to her now.
Facing the anger of Maeda's interests, Akechi Mitsuhide pretended to be helpless and said.
"As of now, I have no choice.
The Lord stayed at the Oda house and did not return. He summoned Takada Haruno to come to see him. It seemed that he was planning to deal with us one by one.
Thunder, rain and dew are all your kindness.
Since the Lord is dissatisfied with us, we have no choice but to suffer, what else can we do?"
Listening to Akechi Mitsuhide's helpless but actually shameless words, Maeda wished he could punch her in the face that seemed to always have a smile on it.
What are we? You did this all by yourself, do what I did!
Maeda Yoshi's breath was heavy, and Nizi Katsuhisa on the side shook his head secretly.
If they had known this, why bother in the first place? Even though they knew that Akechi Mitsuhide was not a thing, Maeda Yoshida and Takada Haruno still fell into it.
In the final analysis, it was because of their hidden selfish desires and luck that they were taken advantage of by Akechi Mitsuhide, causing a terrible mess.
Nizi Katsuhisa has received a letter from Yamanaka Yukimori. She is escorting the master back and is at Oda's home. The master is very appreciative of Nizi Katsuhisa's loyalty and responsibility in the past two years.
With the tip from Yamazaka Yukimori, Nizi Shengjiu was able to stay out of the incident and gloat over their misfortune.
These bastards, taking advantage of their master's absence, acted daringly. Nizi Shengjiu wiped their buttocks, which was very tiring.
It's good now, the master is back to deal with you bastards. Yesterday we were having a lot of fun, today we are making a list.
Mitsuhide Akechi sighed, trying to deal with the really flustered Maeda. She also knew what Katsuhisa Nizi was saying who was silent on the side.
The fact that the master did not return was also beyond Akechi Mitsuhide's expectations. She was assisted by Fujibayashi Mukuro's middle team and was very well-informed.
Once the Lord takes action, he is extraordinary.
He summoned Takada Yono to come to see him, used Yamanaka Yukimori's letter to stabilize Niko Katsuhisa, and turned a blind eye to Akechi Mitsuhide and Maeda's interests.
This set of boxing combinations, with orderly priorities, made Akechi Mitsuhide feel a little appreciative. After not seeing each other for two years, the master has grown a lot in Kanto.
Akechi Mitsuhide had nothing but contempt for these two profit-minded fools, Takada Haruno and Maeda Mamoru.
The dispute over marriage did not exist in the first place. The strategy of occupying the magpie's nest was the future planned by Akechi Mitsuhide for his lord.
But now it seems that the master is very angry about his unauthorized actions, and he has his strategy. This disrupts Akechi Mitsuhide's arrangement, and she is also thinking about what to do next.
The three concubines gathered to discuss, but they all had their own agendas, and of course they couldn't come up with a reason.
In the end, we had to leave unhappy.
———
Akechi Mitsuhide returned to the new home village of Kitaiga, where Fujibayashi Mukuro was already waiting for her return.
As he walked inside and looked at the cabin where Takada Yukino was recovering from his injuries, Akechi Mitsuhide asked.
"How is it going?"
Fujibayashi Mukuro bowed and said.
"Takada Yukino-sama heard that the Lord was in Gifu Castle in Mino Country, so he set off directly.
However, she is weak and her injuries have not yet recovered. Are you asking me to suggest that she go to Meinong Country? Is the risk too great?
After all, she still bears the golden seal given to her lord by General Ashikaga. If something unexpected happens on the way, what should we do?"
Akechi Mitsuhide walked into the room, sat down peacefully, and said casually.
"Didn't you send someone to protect her?
The country of Shancheng is now in chaos. The Sanhao family cannot control the situation at all, and the Luka Pass is in vain.
No matter how bad Takada Yukino's health is, taking a boat will be no problem, right? As long as we can safely cross the Seta River in Yamashiro, the rest of the journey will be peaceful.
Sakamoto Castle, where the Seta River enters the mouth of Lake Biwa, is in the hands of Ashikaga Shogun's former minister Niki Yoshimasa, and the Miyoshi family cannot control it.
After entering Lake Biwa, the ship landed directly at Kita-Omi and entered Mino Country as Shiba's retainer. Neither the Asai nor the Oda families would stop the Lord's retainers from going to have an audience.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Oda Nobunaga are about to join Luo. It is not easy for the Lord to be with them.
With the great righteousness of Takada Yukino sending the golden seal, the Lord can declare his righteousness with the general's will to suppress their delusions."
The situation envisaged by Akechi Mitsuhide has been destroyed because Yoshihiro Saba refused to return and instead cooperated with Oda Nobunaga.
Although he didn’t know how the master planned to deal with him, Akechi Mitsuhide still had to continue to do what he should do.
The gold seal is a relic left by Ashikaga Yoshiteru to Shiba Yoshigan, and it is also the great honor of Shiba Yoshigan.
Akechi Mitsuhide was actually not willing to let the sick Takada Yukino give the gold seal. She also knew it was not safe, but she had no choice.
Even though she is as cunning as a fox, there is nothing she can do against Takada Yukino, a wooden fish head that does not turn around.
Although Takada Yukino is weak, she has excellent swordsmanship and firmly protects the golden seal. Akechi Mitsuhide tried his best to get her to hand it over.
In this case, let Fujibayashi reveal the news to her.
Sure enough, after hearing that his master had arrived in Mino Country just a few kilometers away, Takada Yukino immediately set off to see his master, which was regarded as achieving Akechi Mitsuhide's goal.
After saying this, the room was silent for a long time. After a while, Fujibayashi asked leisurely.
"Sir, what will the Lord do to us when he comes back?"
Akechi Mitsuhide sighed.
"I don't know either.
My lord stopped at the Oda house and refused to return to the Kinsbo Territory. It was obvious that he was extremely angry at my actions.
It's just that the Kyoto Incident involved too much, and there were countless powerful martial arts families in recent times who were deeply involved in it.
Besides, the Shiba family themselves are not clean either. I even dragged Maeda Yoshida and Takada Haruno into the trap.
The Lord is a tyrant. In order to stabilize the overall situation, he cannot publicize it to the outside world and cannot depose him internally. He can only deal with us secretly.
Takada Harano has no military background and is the easiest person to deal with. Therefore, the Lord called her to deal with her first.
After that, maybe it’s Maeda’s interests, maybe it’s me. In short, no one can expect to get through easily.”
Fujibayashi's eyes showed his helplessness about the future.
Her mother died in a conspiracy and assassination by the third husband of Baiji. She has been gritting her teeth to support the family business in the past few years. But now, her sister Fujibayashi Anzu has made a big mistake. What can she do?
She is not afraid of death, but what will happen to Fujibayashi's family business? And the tragic deaths of her mother and sister...
Fujibayashi glanced at Mitsuhide Akechi. It was this man who led his sister up the cliff and into the abyss step by step.
He endured the humiliation and shouldered the heavy burden to serve her, hoping to first kill the Third Taifu of Baidi whom he hated the most, and then plot to take revenge on her.
Now the two enemies are sitting together, worrying about how to get through. It is really ridiculous.
Akechi Mitsuhide smiled and looked at the expressionless Fujibayashi Mukuro, feeling very interesting.
The person in front of her knew clearly that she had killed her sister, and Bai Di San Taifu was just a tool. But she did not dare to hate herself, and had to help herself.
Interesting, really an interesting person.
Akechi Mitsuhide had the idea of playing a prank in his mind and said.
"The life after Bai Di San Taifu will not be easy."
Sure enough, upon hearing the name of Momochi Santafu, Fujibayashi's eyes flashed with light, and she asked respectfully.
"Sir, why do you say this?"
Akechi Mitsuhide looked at Fujibayashi Mukuro with a smile, as if teasing a puppy wagging its tail and begging for mercy.
"I told Maeda Yoshi and Takada Haruno about the fact that Momochi Santao returned to Konka to investigate the Kyoto incident.
These two idiots thought they could use my hand to kill the general and save the possibility of joining the Shiba family. Then after the master came back, they knocked me over and stepped on me a few times.
However, Fujibayashi's confession exposed them all, and now no one could escape.
Even if the master takes the overall situation into consideration and cannot punish them explicitly, he will definitely dislike their selfishness.
They dare not hate their lord, they can only hate me and the nosy Third Taifu of Baidi."
Fujibayashi Mukuro's heart was beating fast, looking forward to looking at Akechi Mitsuhide.
Akechi Mitsuhide, however, spread his hands and said helplessly.
"It's a pity that the third wife of Baidi is loyal to her lord, so she must tell her directly. She will be rewarded for her loyalty. For a while, no one can touch her."
Fujibayashi's heart sank, and his expression could no longer be tense. Are you kidding me?
Akechi Mitsuhide smiled and said nothing, no longer paying attention to Fujibayashi, but looking into the distance. She was actually in a very good mood, because no matter what, the master was back.