Chapter 1638: Dead Taoist Friends Don’t Die Poor Taoists
Hojo Ushimasa lowered his head and huddled in the pool without speaking. Yoshigan looked at half of her swan-like elegant long neck exposed on the water, and felt angry in his heart.
He pointed to the utensils on the table by the pool and said.
"I'm really confused by you. Go and get me a glass of water."
Hojo Umasa stuck his mouth out from the water and explained.
"Sage, that's not water. It's fruit wine for drinking in the soup. Fresh fruits for brewing are picked from the surrounding mountains."
Yoshigan glanced at Hojo Ushimasa and sneered.
"How long has it been, and you still have the time to worry about these minutiae? I asked you to get it, so you go!"
"Hi."
Hojo Umasa obediently moved to the edge of the pool, and then jumped up like a hibiscus. At that moment, the waterfall fell. The charming figure made Yoshigage's eyes widen, and he subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Yiyin couldn't help but secretly complained that he looked good and had a good figure, but there was something wrong with his brain, which gave him a headache and he didn't know how to end it.
Hojo Umasa didn't know that Yoshigin was peeking at her from behind, and the two were honest with each other. On the contrary, she didn't know where to put her eyes, and she didn't dare to look at Yoshigan's body anyway.
When she turned around with the utensil in hand, half-crouched in front of Yiyin, and put the plate on the edge of the pool, Yiyin's eyes turned green.
Yoshigan took a deep breath, unable to suppress the heat in his heart any longer, and pulled Hojo Umasa into the pool.
Hojo Umasa was so frightened that he turned around and did not dare to speak behind Yoshigan's back. When Yoshigan saw her reaction, he couldn't help but laugh.
If this was Takeda Shingen, he would definitely follow the trend and be more proactive than Yoshigan. In the final analysis, the Hojo clan is still a little too pure, and her appearance makes Yoshigan feel more fresh.
Yoshigan shook the wine vessel, poured two glasses of water and wine, picked up one and brought it to Hojo Umasa, who had his back turned to him.
"Give."
"Thank you...thank you saint."
Hojo Umasa took the water and wine and wondered whether she should drink it. Then, she felt something sticking to her skin behind her and her heart trembled.
It turned out that Yiyin was carrying her on his back and sitting behind her, with a man and a woman leaning against each other, each holding a glass of water and wine in their hands.
Yiyin took a sip of water and sighed.
"What do you want me to do?"
Hojo Ushimasa lowered his head and took a sip and said.
"I don't know either. I just know that if I don't say it today, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to say it again in my life."
Yiyin took out a breath and took another sip.
"Is this your own idea, or is someone guiding you behind your back?"
Hojo Ushimasa hesitated, drank the water and wine in the glass, and gritted his teeth.
"I came here myself, but... But Higashi Musashi's gift is indeed the sincerity of the retainers."
Yiyin smiled helplessly.
He knew that this matter was not simple. Even if Hojo Ushimasa was impulsive and without the support of the Hojo retainers, she would not dare to act like this.
The samurai family values family property most, and the fourth generation samurai like Hojo Ushimasa were taught a strong education since childhood. Even if the girl is stubborn, she does not dare to go against the tradition.
Of course, Oda Nobunaga's kind of pervert is not included in this list, she is really... that kind of super brave.
Yiyin's heart was in confusion, he sighed and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.
Hojo Umasa plucked up the courage, turned around and filled up his own wine glass, and then filled another glass for Yoshigan. He was so impulsive that he hugged him from behind and murmured in his ear.
"Saint, please don't worry, I will accept the punishment. No matter how you deal with it, the Hojo family is willing to do it.
It’s just that today I can express what I have been hiding for many years, and I feel very happy.”
Yiyin smiled bitterly and shook his head, silently feeling the softness behind his back.
You are happy, but I am miserable. If the Hojo family's arrogance and rudeness are severely punished, the entire Kanto political situation will be shaken again.
But after being forced by the Hojo family, he acquiesced to Hojo Ushimasa's confession and let her sleep on the bed. This also set a bad example for other samurai families.
If others are jealous and try to imitate Yiyin, how can Yiyin survive in the future? Everywhere he goes, there are warriors offering land to ask for grass, making Yiyin seem to be out for sale, how ugly it is!
Yiyin complained.
"Accept the fight and accept the punishment? What you said is simple. If the superior can do whatever he wants, why should I be in such a difficult situation?"
Hojo Ushimasa chuckled.
"Yes, when my mother was still alive, she often scolded me. She even scolded me for being careless while eating tea and rice. The Hojo family would definitely be destroyed by my hands."
Yiyin was silent for a while and sighed.
"The tutoring is very strict."
Hojo Ushimasa swallowed another gulp of water and wine, and threw the cup into the distance, causing a splash of water.
"No matter what I do, my mother is not satisfied, and the retainers have no confidence in me, so I am eager to prove myself and lead Sano...
From then on, I knew that I was completely finished. Even if I could inherit the Hojo family business, I would just be a puppet who listens to the words of the retainers.
I used to hate you very much. It was you who ruined my efforts and made me become as miserable as I am now.
In those years, I have been collecting information about you, trying my best to know myself and my enemy, hoping that one day I can take revenge on you and get back everything I lost.
But the more I see you, the more I admire you.
The Owari Shiba clan was wiped out. As a man, you went through a lot of hardships and finally restored the family business, no, you brought it to a higher level.
Compared with your experience, my starting point was so superior, but I ended up like this.
I am far inferior to you.
I am obsessed with your bravery, wisdom, and appearance, and I dream of becoming an outstanding military leader like you. I... really admire you, and I love you."
Yoshigan listened to Hojo Ushimasa's sincere feelings behind him, and looked at the ripples in the water glass in front of him, which seemed to be a reflection of his own mood swings.
Women in a male-dominated world are always asking, what kind of woman do men like the most?
In fact, the answer is very simple. The woman that a man likes most must be beautiful enough and worship him wholeheartedly.
Those who are beautiful enough on the outside to satisfy men's physical needs and worshipful enough on the inside to satisfy men's psychological needs are what men love most.
But this demand cannot be met by Yiyin in the female world.
The female warriors around Yoshigami can be said to be fat and thin, and there are endless beauties of all kinds, especially Yukimori Yamanaka and Masanobu Takasaka, who are the two most beautiful female warriors of the new and mature generations.
But all the Hime Warriors have a problem. Their admiration for Yoshiun comes from a world dominated by women, which cannot satisfy Yoshiun's spiritual needs of male chauvinism, coming from a world dominated by men.
The Takada sisters, Maeda aunt and nephew, they hated themselves for being incompetent and failing to protect Yoshigami, allowing him to be ruined by Oda Nobunaga.
Oda Nobunaga and Uesugi Kenshin, how much they want to conquer Yoshigan and make him the little man behind them.
Even Takeda Shingen and Hosokawa Fujitaka, who were impressed by Yoshigan, measured their relationship with Yoshigan from the perspective of feminism.
There are also Akechi Mitsuhide, Yamanaka Yukimori, Shima Katsumeo, etc., the Hime Warriors who have a physical relationship with Yoshigan. Their thoughts are to stand in front of Yoshigan and protect their lovers from the wind and rain.
Have you ever discovered such a problem? All Ji warriors have a deep-rooted mentality that women are superior to men.
Even if Yiyin as an individual is considered stronger than himself by the Ji Warriors, as a group of men and women, all the Ji Warriors agree that men should be protected.
The Hime Warriors in the world of women, they are men without Jill, and they are masculine in their thinking. People like them cannot satisfy the spiritual needs of Yiyin's masculinity.
But today, Hojo Ushimasa's admiration and admiration are more like that of a weak woman in a male-dominated world, who sincerely admires the omnipotent man and longs to be with the powerful him.
How to describe this feeling? It’s probably because Yiyin could only eat Japanese food every day after time travel, but one day, he discovered hot pot skewers.
Would he be willing if he didn't take a few bites?
Yiyin's hands were shaking a little. His reason told him that he should not be soft-hearted. If others were to be soft-hearted, he would be in trouble later.
But there was another cat's paw scratching the tip of his heart, tempting him to try hot pot skewers.
Looking at the rippling drink, Yiyin finally chose to drink it all in one gulp.
Go to hell, if you have wine today, you will be drunk today, and you will be worried tomorrow!
———
Sakai Port.
The Seto Inland Sea is wrapped in the island country, just like an inland sea.
The absence of wind and waves allows the island country's flat-bottomed boat technology to sail on the sea like a river. The absence of wind and snow allows the island's ice-free port to still bloom with flowers in winter.
The citizens of the castle town are busy and work hard every day just to make a living.
Compared with the endless wars outside, the customs established by the samurai family in order to obtain a large amount of commercial taxes at least ensured the peace of Sakai Port, and the townspeople were willing to endure exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in exchange for peace.
It's just that the taxes that are becoming more and more onerous year by year are ultimately miserable.
At the townhouse, the two owners were complaining about the difficulty in doing business.
"Business at Yoshida House is booming recently, and you have made a fortune."
"Don't be ridiculous, how can the business of Nightingale House be better than yours? I heard that many Ji warriors from Settsu came to spend a lot of money. You are the one who really made a fortune."
The owner of Nightingale House waved his hand and said with a wry smile.
“These are all sales that have no repeat customers.
The Oda family has obtained permission from the shogunate to attack the Settsu Kingdom. They are about to fight again. Those Hime samurai who have no future today are not here to have fun, but only want the last happiness before death."
The owner of Yoshida House sighed.
"When will this battle be over?"
The owner of Nightingale House curled his lips.
"No matter how we fight, it's none of our business. Sakai Port is the territory of the saints. It's under the control of the Hosokawa family. No one dares to come here to cause trouble."
The owner of Yoshida House frowned.
"That's what I say, but the hearts of the Hosokawa family are too dark.
In charge of the conduct of the castle town, I asked for twenty guan of incense money a month. When the Miyoshi family was there, it was only 5 guan, and the Oda family only had 12 guan at that time.
My male cousin only pays a few tens of pennies per customer, and the incense fee alone costs twenty guan a month. All kinds of taxes must be paid, and the money I earn can be regarded as a filial piety to the prison, so what should I eat?"
The owner of Nightingale House sighed.
"Isn't that right? He's getting more and more sinister.
Recently, they have talked about building a civilized port town and changing the law to increase taxes. They really don't treat us who raise male cousins as human beings, and they are breaking the bones and sucking out the marrow.
We have done all the bad things, and they have made all the money. They want both face and money, but they just won’t give us a way to survive, so why bother with the largest port city, the Pearl of Kinki, bah.”
The owner of Yoshida House sighed.
"I've been thinking about it these days. It's hard to do things in the town here at Sakai Port. How about crossing the river to the plains or Takai and trying another place?"
The owner of Nightingale House whispered.
"Don't mess around. Someone has already tried it, and several of them were stabbed to death by the Renshenglang bastards, claiming they were tax evasion.
I heard that the Takada family and the Hosokawa family are now united to clean up small businesses, and they are cramping and peeling off their skin. It's okay for us who are doing side jobs, but it's more difficult for serious business people.
The boss is short of money right now."
The owner of Yoshida House said angrily.
"It's neither possible to stay nor to leave. This is to force us to have no way to survive. How did Kinki Pearl end up like this? What about the mercy of the saint that we promised?"
The owner of Nightingale House scoffed.
"You believe this too?
The saint's compassion is compassion for the samurai family, and compassion for the Ji warriors in Shiba's establishment. Who are pariahs like you and me, worthy of a saint's look?
I heard that when Shiba Oda started the war, the saint spent a lot of money, it must be this amount."
The owner of Nightingale House drew a number, which made the owner of Yoshida House take a breath.
"four million?"
"Well, the whole four million dan, I heard it was all raised by Mr. Takada Haruno.
So, in the end, this money has to fall on the heads of untouchables like you and me. Spo’s food stamps are no longer falling, but the prices are soaring and taxes and miscellaneous taxes are rising. In the end, it’s not us who have to foot the bill?
You and I don't know anything else, we just know how to raise a male cousin. Don't think of any other way out, just take it one day at a time, just in case things get better in the future."
The owner of Yoshida House sighed and said angrily.
"What kind of saint from the Wu family is a rotten cousin? Maybe he's not as good as those of you and me who are scratchy or clean."
The owner of the Nightingale House was horrified. He covered the mouth of the owner of the Yoshida House and looked around for no one. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and cursed in a low voice.
"You don't want your life? You can arrange a saint? I shouldn't come out to drink with you, drink a few cups of yellow soup, and dare to say anything!"
The owner of Yoshida House also knew that he was quick to speak and said the wrong thing, so he apologized in a low voice.
"It's my fault, I'll punish myself with a drink."
She poured a glass of wine, swallowed it, and sighed. She had something to say, but she didn't dare to say it anymore. She stared blankly at the street outside.
The town of Sakai Port has always been prosperous, but what does this prosperous place have to do with you? Money is earned for others and kept for others.
Humph, saint, that is also a saint from the Wu family, it has nothing to do with us untouchables.
———
Not far away from where the two bosses were drinking, in the Shinsengumi station, Takada Yono put down his accounts and sighed slightly.
After Imai Munehisa bowed, he said worriedly.
"Sir, do we really want to accept this large amount of money from Guandong? I always feel that people over there are getting bolder and bolder. This is inappropriate."
Takada Yono said calmly.
"When Sibo Bank was founded, many people watched it from afar and did not dare to deposit money. I tried my best to get the money, but the amount was less than half of those rich people from Guandong.
How can we build market confidence if we don’t accept money from people in Guandong? If everyone has no confidence, how can this bank continue?
Just because of the money that Fujitaka Hosokawa plundered from Sakai Port? Just because the Shinsengumi threatened the businessmen with a knife to prevent them from running away?
For the Shiba Oda War, in just one year, we put more than four million stone food stamps on the market. Without external blood transfusion support, how could we maintain this situation?
Do you think I don’t know that those people in Guandong have problems? Do you think I am willing to accept their dirty money? But do I have a choice?"
Imai Muneji sighed.
"After all, this matter of tearing down the east wall to repair the west wall will not last long."
Takada Yono sneered.
"That's why I opened Spo Bank, and I swallowed the dirty money.
Whether it's to eat up the family or eat the dirty money, as long as I can destroy the excess Sibo food stamps, I am willing to do it.
At worst, if Kanto is allowed to run amok, what does it matter to me? I am the town official of the Shiba family, not a lackey of the Kanto court.
The chaos in Guandong was the result of their death. The collapse of the food stamps was the death of me. If you were me, how would you choose?"
Imai Munejiu grimaced.
"Did you plan to trick them to death from the beginning?"
Takata Yono shook his head and said.
"I don't have that much ability, so I have no choice but to protect myself, so I have to be prepared.
Yukino told me that she can only keep Hanzawa Naoyi safe for one year without causing trouble. The person behind Hanzawa Naoyoshi is Ii Naomasa. Xiaonizi is very stubborn and will not give up easily.
Rather than letting Hanzawa Naoyoshi come to harass me and investigate me again, it is better to divert trouble to the east and let Hanzawa Naoyoshi go to those people in Kanto.
Either the Kanto people kill Hanzawa Naoyoshi, or Hanzawa Naoyoshi overturns Kanto's bad debt. No matter what the outcome is, I can sit on the shore and watch the show peacefully.
I know too well the sage's tendency to take the overall situation into consideration. Once the economy of Kanto is in chaos, the sage will never allow another chaos to occur here, and I will be safe.
Not only can I use money from Kanto people to make up for the shortage of food stamps in Shiba, but I can also get rid of the entanglement between Ii Naomasa and Hanzawa Naoyoshi, killing two birds with one stone."
Takada Yono's cold words made Imai Munehisa couldn't help but tremble.
The water in the money and food accounts was too deep. If something happened, it would be a big deal, so Imai Munehisa couldn't avoid it. But she was Takada Harano's person, and the relationship was unclear, so she could only follow her boss and go crazy.
I just hope that in the days to come, it will be exactly as Takada Yono calculated, dead Taoist friends will not die poor Taoists, let the Kanto people die for us.