Oda Nobunaga was sitting in her room, with the sliding doors open on all sides. The spring and summer wind had not yet warmed up to the point where it made people feel irritated, but her heart was burning.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki finally gave in. Under Akechi Mitsuhide's persuasion, she chose to put aside her pride as a general and come to Tofukuji Temple to meet Oda Nobunaga in person. Now, she has arrived outside the temple.
Looking ahead, Oda Nobunaga's eyes gradually became empty.
It was also in this room that day that Yoshigan Shiba suppressed his self-deprecation and made humble pleas. He even did not hesitate to humble himself in front of Hideyoshi, wanting to repeat the humiliation he suffered in Owari.
All this is thanks to this ungrateful Ashikaga General. The country is about to perish, the master is stupid, and the loyal and loyal are exhausted.
In troubled times, as long as he could achieve his goal, Oda Nobunaga didn't care how many people would die, he didn't care about the so-called dignity of the general, and he didn't care about the emptiness of the Genji lineage in Kawachi that lasted for five hundred years.
In her mind, there was only Shiba Yiyin's sad smile at that moment, as if the whole world had dimmed, become lifeless and meaningless.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the outer corridor.
Mori Ranmaru respectfully invited Ashikaga Yoshiaki into the room. Oda Nobunaga didn't even look at Ashikaga Yoshiaki, but just waved to Mori Ranmaru.
Mori Ranmaru bowed and left, leaving no one in the entire courtyard except Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Oda Nobunaga.
Oda Nobunaga didn't speak, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki gritted his teeth and sat down without speaking. Until this moment, she was still thinking about the majesty of her general.
I don't know how much time passed, but Oda Nobunaga's dilated pupils refocused. She picked up the documents on the slips beside her and threw them in front of Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
"Lord Gongfang, you have not yet returned to secular life, and your understanding of the politics of the Wu family is shallow. This has led to the instability of the government, and you often make trouble at night.
Now that I'm here, I naturally want to help the shogunate stabilize the political situation and restore the dignity of the law. I also ask the general to set an example, starting from myself.
Here are the nine imperial decrees in the palace, which are the rules of conduct that I have prepared for the general with painstaking efforts. Please keep them in mind and don't cause me any more trouble."
Ashikaga Yoshiaki sat directly opposite Oda Nobunaga, trembling with humiliation.
Although she was persuaded by Akechi Mitsuhide, she was indeed willing to compromise. But Oda Nobunaga's attitude towards her was like a helpless subordinate who wanted to set rules for her.
It’s too much!
She is the noble Ashikaga Shogun. The Ashikaga family, which has ruled the samurai family for two hundred years, has been in the world for two hundred years. How has it ever been so nakedly humiliated!
Ashikaga Yoshiaki snorted coldly.
"The shogunate has its own laws, so there is no need for His Highness Oda to worry about it on your behalf."
Looking at Ashikaga Yoshiaki's angry eyes, I remembered that I once sat in the same position and was forced by Ashikaga Yoshiaki to have no choice but to prove his innocence and become a monk and stay chaste.
There seemed to be flames burning in Oda Nobunaga's eyes. She stood up suddenly, took two steps forward, and slapped Ashikaga Yoshiaki hard on the face. The force was so strong that she knocked Ashikaga Yoshiaki to the ground.
"Who do you think you are! What qualifications do you have to negotiate terms with me! Ashikaga General hahaha!
I can establish you, depose you, or even kill you. Don't be ignorant of praise, my patience with you is very limited."
Ashikaga Yoshiaki has a special status. He was raised as a disciple in Kofukuji Temple since he was a child, and he has never suffered any grievances.
After escaping from Kofukuji Temple and heading towards the path of becoming a shogun, although there were several frightening journeys, going to Luoyang and entering the capital was actually very smooth, and I didn't suffer any physical hardship.
At this time, Oda Nobunaga slapped her in the face, which made her feel dizzy and tinnitus. She was stunned for a long time without thinking of resisting.
After all, she has never received a traditional martial arts education. She was trained in a pile of books to become a Dagouni. As the saying goes, a scholar is useless, but at the critical moment, she lacks the determination and ruthlessness of Samurai Ji.
If Ashikaga Yoshiteru were here, even if he risked his life to maintain the dignity of the Ashikaga Shogun family, how could he be so miserable?
When Oda Nobunaga saw her cowering in embarrassment, he suddenly felt very worthless for Yoshigami Shiba. Such a thing can actually force you to leave Kyoto. What are you afraid of?
Ashikaga Yoshiaki's tinnitus slowly disappeared and he murmured to himself.
"This is different from what you promised. You promised Akechi Mitsuhide not to embarrass me."
Oda Nobunaga smiled coldly, pointed at the document containing the Nine Articles of the Imperial Order in the palace on the ground, and said coldly.
"pick it up."
Ashikaga Yoshiaki saw that she did not answer his question directly, and his fear became even more intense.
Oda Nobunaga stared at her and shouted.
"pick it up!"
Oda Nobunaga's sharp shout scared Ashikaga Yoshiaki and subconsciously picked up the documents on the ground. Then when he realized what he was doing, his face turned red and he felt even more humiliated.
Oda Nobunaga clapped his hands twice and seemed to express his appreciation. Then he stepped forward and touched Ashikaga Yoshiaki's head and whispered.
"From today on, I will be your royal mother, helping you to control the situation and discuss the government affairs."
Ashikaga Yoshiaki lowered his head deeply and could not see her face.
Oda Nobunaga didn't care about her expression, her thoughts, or her resentment. He just sat back down in his seat.
She once rejected the post of deputy general and the post of deputy general. Today, the full-fledged Oda Nobunaga finally made it clear that she wants to be the mother of Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
A gust of wind suddenly came from outside, blowing into the airy room on all sides, lifting the sleeves of both parties, and a figure appeared in their hearts at the same time.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki thought bitterly, why would he have to suffer this humiliation if Yoshigan Shiba was not hiding in Kanto and refused to come back.
Oda Nobunaga was in a daze, thinking silently in his heart. I avenged you, do you know? Of course you don't know, but I don't care either.
———
In recent years, the dishonest Oda Nobunaga, she self-righteously taught the ungrateful Ashikaga Yoshiaki a lesson for Yoshihiro Shiba.
The nine articles of imperial rule in the palace not only filled her heart with the joy of revenge, but also allowed the Oda family to further control the shogunate and restrict the power of the Ashikaga shogun.
And Ashikaga Yoshiaki also had deep humiliation and anger buried in her heart. When she could not count on Yoshigan Shiba, she must seek new allies to deal with the increasingly arrogant Oda Nobunaga.
A dispute between Ashikaga and Oda completely pulled down the fig leaf of the shogunate, allowing the world's samurai to see clearly the weakness and helplessness of the Ashikaga shogun.
As for Shiba Yiyin, who is far away in Kanto, he is busy with his own affairs and knows very little about the recent situation.
———
Yoshigan woke up slowly and found that Yamanaka Yukimori beside him had been staring at his face. Yamanaka Yukimori saw that he was awake and quickly looked away in obsession.
Yiyin asked with a smile.
"Why are you staring at me? Haven't you seen enough?"
Yamanaka Yukimori lowered his head and looked away, answering shyly.
"It will never be enough, my lord."
Yiyin straightened up and stretched. His naked upper body was exposed from the scattered clothes, revealing his six-pack abs.
"If you don't see enough, just keep watching. Anyway, I won't lose any meat."
Yoshigan teased, and Yamanaka Yukimori lowered his head even further, almost burying it in his chest.
At this time, the two of them were at the castle tower of Tomei Castle, which was an important gateway town between China and Vietnam.
When Yoshigan followed Uesugi Terutora to Echigo Kingdom, he encountered wars and rebellions all over the country.
As a last resort, Yoshigan could only help Uesugi Terutora put down the rebellion first. Uesugi Terutora also gave Tochio Castle, an important Sino-Vietnamese town, to Yoshigan as his base in Kanto.
After that, Yoshigan's power in Kanto grew stronger and stronger, and Tobi Castle was handed over to Yukimori Yamanaka as the residence of the Kanto Palace.
The just-concluded Grand Council of the Imperial Palace was a great success. It saw the unity of Yoshigan Shiba and Terutora Uesugi. The samurai under both sides finally let go of their own worries, and the Echigo duopoly was stabilized.
After the review, Yoshigan went from the Joetsu Imperial Palace to Tomi Castle in Central Vietnam. He came here to receive several nuns who came from Kanhachishu to Echigo Kingdom to see him.
After finally getting rid of the nuns, he was just about to go back to the castle tower to rest, when he met Yamanaka Yukimori who came to pay his respects. He decided to just take a good rest, as the Kamao clan guarded the gate outside.
In the aftermath, Yamanaka Yukimori was so embarrassed by Yoshiyin, but his heart was filled with sweetness.
She thought about changing the topic and alleviating her embarrassment, so she said it smoothly.
"They are just a few nuns who came from the Guandong Plain. Why did your Majesty come all the way from the palace to see them to show that you value them?"
How could Yiyin let her pass so easily? He continued teasing.
"Of course I miss you, find an excuse to follow you back, don't you miss me?"
Even Yamanaka Yukimori's neck was red, but he couldn't say a word to retort, he could only make a mosquito-like sound from his nose.
"Hmm... I think..."
Seeing that she was in so much embarrassment, Yiyin couldn't go any further, so he said seriously.
"These people are representatives sent by Kamakura Gozan and Shinji, and I cannot ignore them.
Even if it is not for the sake of gaining religious power in the Kanto Plain, it is still for the sake of the long-term loan of the Wu Family Giri Promotion Association."
During the Kamakura shogunate period, the ruling former Hojo family had been trying to win over the power of temples for their own use and established an official temple system. The five temples that were established as official temples were the predecessors of the Kamakura Five Mountains.
To be continued...