"Teacher, is it really necessary to kill so many people? Is it necessary to go to the extent of genocide?"
Also in the crowd of onlookers, Imagawa Shigen couldn't bear to continue watching, so he turned his head and whispered to Taiyuan Xuezhai.
"Do you think being a teacher is cruel?" Taiyuan Xuezhai did not answer, but asked instead.
"Cruel and unkind." Imagawa Ujimoto commented briefly.
"Chengfang... you think being a teacher is cruel, but actually being a teacher is the greatest compassion in troubled times... Monks have always been compassionate. Killing them is to save more people." Taiyuan Xuezhai was magnanimous. Putting his hands behind his back.
"Do you know how many people died in the Imagawa family's civil strife this time? At least a thousand people died in Suruga. Among the thousand people who died, who didn't have a mother at home? Who didn't have a family member in his arms? Who didn't have a child? It's just that they all died without you being able to see them. Countless innocent people have died in places where you can’t see them. Don’t their deaths make you sad?”
"The whereabouts of Imakawa Yoshima are now unknown. He probably escaped before the city was destroyed, right? These Fukushima family samurai are all loyal to him. Once Imagawa Yoshima comes back to cheer up, they will inevitably start a war again. And you this time If we don’t severely punish the rebellious families, there will only be more rebels next time. When the war breaks out, hundreds of people will be destroyed and their families will be destroyed. If the male members of the Fukushima family are wiped out, only more than fifty people will die, but they will die immediately. It can eliminate future troubles and scare Xiaoxiao. If we avoid the next war, won't we save hundreds or thousands of people? Which is more serious or more serious can be known with just one call."
"Here's nonsense and shameless talk." After hearing this, Imagawa Shimoto fell into silence, but after a long time he still retorted, "Old man, you went out to look for flowers, drink wine and eat meat, couldn't you find out some kind of 'food and sex' Does your high-sounding rhetoric prove that you are right? What is the difference between this excuse and the previous one?"
"Haha... After all, people's hearts are not made of iron. If you do too many bad things, you won't be able to bear it. You have to find some righteous and awe-inspiring excuses to convince your conscience and make yourself feel better." Taiyuan Xuezhai smiled bitterly twice, but his smile was Gradually he restrained himself and said, "But what I said just now is not all an excuse."
"But I feel like my hands are stained with blood and I can't wash them off no matter how hard I wash them." Imagawa Shimoto looked at the children around him who were in pain and wiped his hands on his clothes uneasily.
"You're afraid of getting your feathers dirty, I'll come here for you, it's okay." Taiyuan Xuezai shook his head, feeling that the topic was a bit heavy, so he looked at the execution ground and asked casually, "Fukushima Katsunari, who betrayed his family in order to save his family, Which one do you appreciate more, Fukushima Eunari, who left for Tadayoshi's family? With your character who regards the family as trivial, you must appreciate Fukushima Katsunari more."
"Valuing your loved ones and your family are two different things, right?" Imagawa Ujimoto said, as Taihara Xuezai said, "The Fukushima family treated him well, and traitors are despised after all."
"Haha...what kind of traitor is not a traitor? Be it loyalty, righteousness, ethics, or concepts such as humiliating ministers to death, aren't they all values shaped by those in power to serve themselves? When the emperor is in charge, it is Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. When the shogunate was in charge, it was the way of the samurai family and dedicated to serving the public. When the shogunate is also overthrown, another set of values will be respected in the world."
"When have you ever seen values that do not serve the ruler? Sacrificing one's country, one's city, one's honor, and integrity are all lies compiled by those despicable meat-eaters, inculcated from childhood to adulthood, and then sent to those who are loyal and upright. Those fools are just going to die so that they can keep the profits they made from living like nothing else."
Taiyuan Xuezhai was laughing, but his laughter was bone-chilling, as if he was laughing at all the princes, generals, ministers and loyal ministers and heroes throughout the past thousands of years. "It's enough to live well for yourself and protect the people and things you truly cherish in your heart. Those The samurai who dare to break through the constraints of values and would rather bear the world's infamy and bear the world's scorn in order to protect their families are the most remarkable. Chengfang, don't let your life be controlled by those externally imposed values."
Imagawa Ujimoto remained silent for longer this time. I don't know how long it took before he slowly said, "But I think... there are still some intrinsically righteous values that are worth abiding by."
"Of course everyone can have their own answer, as long as it is what you think about, any values will be fine." Taiyuan Xuezai patted Imagawa Ujimoto's shoulder and pointed to Fukushima Katsunari's tree in the distance again. Next to the family members who were watching - his wife and young children, "Then answer it again? Would you rather be Fukushima Eunari or Fukushima Katsunari? In any case, at least Fukushima Katsunari's family is still alive. Isn’t it?”
Imagawa Ujimoto looked in the direction Taiyuan Xue Zhai pointed, and saw the half-grown little boy leaning under the big tree, watching countless relatives and elders being executed in the past, and watching his father being scolded. Being showered with rain, being humiliated in every possible way, and crying constantly - is this something a half-grown child can bear? But even so, he still gently patted his mother's back and comforted her, revealing a maturity that belied his age.
Imagawa Ujimoto then left the crowd and walked towards the tree. When the women and children under the tree saw Imagawa Ujimoto coming, they hurriedly knelt down and saluted, but Imagawa Ujimoto said it was not necessary. He bent down, hugged the child slowly, and asked softly: "What's your name?"
"Fukushima...Achiyo. Ieyan said that from now on the Yuanfu will be called Fukushima Anchi." Fukushima Achiyo timidly replied.
"Okay, Fukushima. Remember, you will be a great samurai in the future, protect your family like your father, and protect those who are important to you. I am not a good master, and neither is the Fukushima family. You will You need to find a truly kind and righteous man to serve as your lifelong lord." Imagawa Ujimoto stood up slowly and touched Fukushima Achiyo's hair, "I think you can do it."
·
After the capture of Huacang Castle, Imagawa Clan led his army back to Imagawakan. This is the first time that he, the current leader, has officially entered the city - last time he escaped from the city in a panic. On the street, samurai and ashigaru cheered for the new leader, but Imagawa Ujimoto didn't care about it, just indifferent.
"You shouldn't act like this." Shougini, who was walking behind Imagawa Shimoto, pointed out coldly, "It will make the retainers feel that you are unapproachable. As a family governor, you must respond to the loyalty of retainers. Once is okay, if it is If you do this again and again, won’t the Imagawa family be disloyal?”
"What does the Imagawa family have to do with me?" Imagawa Ujimoto responded coldly, not liking her mother's attitude. "You forced me to come here. Not long ago, you looked down on me and planned to execute me. Now, Do you just expect me to be like a qualified superintendent? Have you given me a decent apology? Or do you expect me to work hard for this cold-blooded family? The qualified superintendent of this cold-blooded family should be my cold-blooded third brother , you can go find him."
"Those words of violence." Shouguini looked at Imagawajimoto coldly, and Imagawajimoto looked back at him without fear.
"As the governor of the Imagawa family, you must shoulder your own responsibilities." Shougui Ni reiterated again in response to Imagawa Ujimoto's gaze.
"I have said countless times that I can't do it. I just want to be a leisurely monk. I have no interest in being a household governor. Now I am forced to be a household governor. First you forced me to come back and take over the throne, and then you forced me to become a household governor. If you want to survive, you have to fight for the position of the house governor. Do you still expect me to willingly play the role of a good house governor? It’s hard to be tough, so mother, please don’t force yourself to do something difficult."
"Is this how Master Xue Zhai taught you?" Shou Guini raised his voice, unable to contain his anger, "It's time for you to reflect on yourself."
"The teacher taught him a good person of flesh and blood, not a ruthless tool." Imagawa Shigen said a few words and then rode away alone, "The one who should reflect on you is mother, right? You did this to yourself. His own flesh and blood? Tiger poison doesn’t even eat its seeds!”
Seeing that Imagawa Yoshimoto was so presumptuous towards Shouguini, Ah Chang, a close maid who had followed Shouguini for decades, couldn't help but want to scold him, but Shouguini raised his hand to stop him. Looking at Imagawa's Yuan Yuan's retreating figure, Ah Chang couldn't help but whispered a little aggrievedly: "Yutai Palace, you treat the Fourth Young Master like this, but he doesn't appreciate it, and still..."
"Stop talking about it. Let some secrets rot in your heart. After you die, they will disappear and no one will remember them." Shou Guini regained his former calm and said calmly.
"But Yutai Palace has suffered this injustice for no reason. This servant is really..."
"Have I suffered too many grievances for the sake of the Imagawa family? This is not the least." Shouguini's eyes rippled slightly, but in the end he said nothing.
·
After entering the castle tower, the little surname in the castle tower led him to the room where the master lived - Imagawa Ujiteru hadn't left for long, and the layout of the room was still the same as when he was alive. Imagawa Ujimoto sat down on the tatami, recalling the appearance of his brother whom he had not seen for more than ten years, but he could only recall his childish appearance when he was a child.
"What kind of person is my brother..." Imagawa Ujimoto took out the green-edged folding fan from his waist, tapped the palm of his hand with the fan handle, and looked at the layout of the room. Imagawa Ujiteru lived a rather simple life, far less luxurious than Imagawa Ujikami did back then, and the decoration in the house was also very simple.
The only eye-catching decoration on the table is the Imagawa family's heirloom Chidori Incense Burner - the burner body is blue, the cover is dark, and there is a jade miniature carving of a bird on it. Naturally, Imagawa Ujimoto would never forget the Chidori Incense Burner. He had been very fond of it when he was still living in Imagawakan when he was a child. He lit the incense and sniffed the familiar fragrance - he didn't know whether he missed the fragrance here, or the warmth of living in the same room with his parents and brothers in the fragrance here.
"Chengfang, why haven't you come out yet?" Just when Imagawa Shiyuan was in a daze, Taiyuan Xuezhai's voice came to mind outside the door.
"What's the matter, old man?" Imagawa Shiyuan opened the door and found Taiyuan Xue Zhai and several people with minor surnames behind him holding official documents as high as mountains in their hands.
"The Imagawa family has been in chaos for the past ten days, and there are a mountain of things that have not been dealt with. We are waiting for you, the new family governor, to make a decision." Taiyuan Xuezhai saw that Imagawa Shimoto's face didn't seem to be very good, so he wanted to make a joke to lighten it up. , "Let's get it done quickly. As a teacher, I have to go to the whale house in the castle town to find the girls. It's been a long time since I've been to Imagawakan. The girls miss me so much!"
"What does the matter of the Imagawa family have to do with me?" Imagawa's Yuan Wenyan, who was already in a bad mood by Shou Guini, completely exploded. If it weren't for the excellent self-cultivation under Taiyuan Xuezhai's upbringing, Imagawa's Yuan would have almost lost his temper. He was about to curse, "Old man, if you like to do the Imagawa family's official business, you can do it yourself. If your mother wants to do it, let her do it! It has nothing to do with me anyway! Didn't we make an appointment a long time ago?"
After saying that, he closed the door firmly.
