"Sir, it's urgent."
The sound at the door interrupted the couple's romance. The feelings just now have not faded away. It was only an hour, but it seemed like a lifetime had passed. Imagawa Jigen said goodbye to Ginkgo with great reluctance and welcomed Hayasaka Nao into the house.
"An urgent letter from Suruga." Nao Hayasaka took out the letter from his arms and handed it to Imagawa Ujimoto. "The ninja discovered that Imagawa Yoshima also seemed to have left Himagawa Castle and his whereabouts are unknown. Master Yukisai suspected that he might also It’s up to you to go to Luo to seek a ruling from the family governor of Gongfang Hall.”
"Third brother is here too?" Imagawa Shiyuan was shocked when he heard this. Looking at the familiar handwriting of Taiyuan Xuezhai, his mind suddenly became clearer. "Where is he?"
"The specific location is unclear, but the time he set off to Luo should be at least half a month later than us." Hayasaka Nao repeated Taiyuan Xue Zhai's judgment, "Master Xue Zhai urges you to act quickly, although Ni Yutai is here The relationship in the palace has been taken care of in advance, but it would be terrible if Imagawa Yoshima were to beat him to it and use his eloquence to convince Gongfangdian."
"Is it a replica of the war over the governor? I persuaded my mother, who originally supported me, to come to his side." Naturally, Imagawa Shimoto didn't want to make the same mistake again, and immediately started to change clothes, "I was delayed for a long time on the road, maybe I have been My third brother has caught up. Then we will go to the imperial palace to ask for a meeting, hoping to be summoned tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
·
On a pavilion not far from Imagawa Ujimoto's hotel, Imagawa Ryozen crossed his arms and led a group of ninjas, watching coldly as Imagawa Ujimoto and others hurried out under the moonlight.
"As expected, you are acting according to history and seeking the support of the shogun. But I didn't expect that you would go to Luo in person. It seems that my arrival has produced a butterfly effect, causing the history to subtly deviate. But it's no use, butterfly. After all, you can’t fly out of the cobweb.”
Imagawa Yoshizhin waved his hand, and the ninjas behind him disappeared into the night and headed for the ambush site prepared in advance. He himself was about to leave, but he bumped into a young man running past on the road. Obviously the force of the impact was not very strong, but Imagawa Yoshima felt as if electric current had passed through his body, and he was numb for half a second.
"Be careful and watch the road when you walk." Imagawa Yoshizhin was a little dissatisfied, but still told him in a graceful manner.
"Thank you." After the young man found out that he had bumped into a samurai, he didn't show the panic expression of a commoner, which also surprised Imagawa Yoshizhin - in this era, samurai were fully qualified to kill civilians who collided with them on the street.
He took a closer look at the young man in front of him: he had long hair and was not shaved, so he was definitely not a monk; he was not shaved or carried a sword, so he was definitely not a samurai; he had not blackened his teeth, drawn his eyebrows, or powdered his face. Not a minister either—probably just a commoner. It's just that the high-spirited look on his brows shows that he was raised in a pampered way - could he be the son of a wealthy businessman?
However, Imakawa Ryojin was in a hurry and didn't bother much. He just vaguely felt that the young man's temperament was a bit strange.
After Imagawa Yoshima left, the young man stood there in shock for a long time, with an incredible expression on his face. He first stroked the part of his body that had just collided with Imagawa Ryoshi in disbelief, and then thought about something in his mouth over and over again.
After a long silence, he finally sighed in a low voice:
"The man with divine power...how could it be him?"
·
Imagawa Ujimoto, along with Hayasaka Nao, Kira Usei and Taro Shen Kentaro, hurried across the Kamogawa River under the moonlight and arrived outside the Nijo Imperial Palace where the general was. Years of war have caused Nijo Imperial Palace, the center of the world in the past, to lose its former grandeur, but the due vigilance is still there. Imagawa Ujimoto told the guards the purpose of his late-night visit, gave his name, handed over the handwritten letters from Taiyuan Sekssai and Shouguini, and requested notification - Kira Wei heard the real name of Imagawa Ujimoto for the first time. Kentaro Nariwada and Shen were shocked, and understood why Imagawa Shimoto wanted to conceal his name - the Miao character "Imagawa" was really too dazzling.
However, the guard said that the general Ashikaga Yoshiharu was not in the Nijo Imperial Palace at the moment, but was out hunting, and would inform him after the general returned. In desperation, Imagawa Shigen had no choice but to turn back the way he came.
"No wonder His Highness has always been mysterious and secretive about his life experience." Kentaro Tian Shen followed behind Imagawa Shigen and said carefully, "When the word 'Imagawa' comes out, it means that you are a direct descendant of a famous family in the world, and I want to take advantage of you. There are countless people who are looking for trouble for you, and it’s hard to guard against them.”
"Yes, God knows where I will encounter an assassination. My third brother is ruthless and has wanted to get rid of me for a long time. I don't dare to disclose my whereabouts. It's hard to guard against hidden arrows." Imagawa Shimoto himself was also worried. He said with emotion, "And my third brother is so clever and calculating that he seems to be able to predict the future. He can always guess what I am going to do next and set up an ambush in advance."
"Then did he expect that His Highness would come to Kyoto?" Ji Liang Weicheng muttered casually.
Before he finished speaking, he could only hear the tiles above the roofs on both sides making strange noises. Everyone was stunned when they saw this, and they all stopped and listened to the source of the sound.
After a while, I saw two rows of ninjas standing on the eaves!
"Be careful!" Kentaro Tianchen shouted quickly.
Immediately afterwards, kunai and shuriken were thrown down like raindrops. With quick eyesight and quick hands, Kentaro Tian Shen stood in front of Imagawa Shimoto and drew his sword to block again and again, fending off this round of attacks. But the ninjas were not hesitant and immediately swarmed up.
"Weicheng, can you say a few words less?" Imagawa Shiyuan's face was full of black lines, and he took the lead and ran away without saying a word. The ninja who came to pick him up was in a neighborhood not far to the south. As long as he got there to meet him, it would be no problem. However, being unfamiliar with the terrain of Kyoto, he accidentally ran into a dead end. When he turned around and wanted to exit, he found that the ambush ninjas had already come over and blocked the entrance.
"Your Highness, will you lead the way?" Kira Hesei complained as he drew out his two swords and guarded Imagawa Shihei. Hayasaka Nao and Taro Shen Kentaro also took up guarding postures. Imagawa Ujimoto sighed and also drew his sword out of its sheath.
"There is really no way..."
Imagawa Ujimoto sighed and said: "But the ninjas on the opposite side only look like a few dozen people. Let's hold on to the alley for a while, and reinforcements will arrive."
Before he finished speaking, he saw many ninjas emerging from the eaves on both sides of the alley, looking down at the living targets below.
"Your Highness, could you please say a few words?" Kira Usei responded unceremoniously to Imagawa Shimoto, put the sword in his right hand back into its sheath, grabbed a door of a household facing the street in the alley, and ignored it. The people in the room exclaimed, taking down the door panel and covering it above their heads, blocking a series of hidden weapons thrown at them.
"Your Highness, hide in that house!" Hayasaka Nao looked at the approaching ninjas and turned to Imagawa Gendao anxiously, "You can't guard against hidden weapons in the sky in the alley."
"Aren't we going to catch a turtle in a urn when we enter the house? We'll be doomed if there's a fire." Imagawa Shimoto shook his head. When he was struggling, he suddenly saw another door of another resident being pushed open. A head popped up in the room and greeted in a low voice: "Sir Shinagawa, come here."
Imagawa Shigen was stunned when he saw this, and immediately recognized that it was the businessman who resold his horse a few days ago. In desperation, he had no choice but to grab a life-saving straw and hid in the house with three guards under the attack of hidden weapons in the sky. The businessman closed the door behind him, then immediately opened a secret door behind the wall and asked one of his servants to hide in with Imagawa Shimoto and others. After the last person got in, the businessman hurriedly jumped into the secret door, then closed the door tightly and covered it with a stone slab.
"There is a secret passage here that leads directly to the south block. The focus of the secret passage is another warehouse I bought a few blocks away." The businessman lit a torch and explained to Imagawa Ujimoto, and then led a group of people in. Secret passage. At this time, the main entrance of the merchant's house seemed to have been breached. A bunch of ninjas were rummaging around in the house. It was only a matter of time before they found the secret door. Imagawa Shigen had no choice but to follow the merchant and move forward along the secret passage.
"Why is the boss here?" Imagawa Ujimoto asked in a low voice.
"Didn't I say that after I was kicked out of Jucheng, I was reduced to doing some small business in Kyoto?" The businessman replied honestly, "The house in that alley is my residence."
"Why did the small businessman save me? Why did he participate in such an assassination that would obviously get him into trouble?" Imagawa Ujimoto asked in a low voice again, "You may not even know how powerful the person you offended is? Just now, Mr. Just stay at home and don't make any noise."
"Haha, I know who I offended, and I also know who I saved. This is the reason why I saved you, and also the reason why I came out to stop Mr. Hu that day." The businessman turned his head and glanced Imagawa clan Yuan. By the light of the torch, Imagawa Shimoto felt that the businessman looked more and more familiar, but he couldn't remember him anyway.
"Do you think he looks familiar? His Highness Imagawa?" The businessman chuckled and announced the name of Imagawa Shigen. Several people following him were surprised when they saw this. If it weren't for the narrow tunnel, they would probably have drawn their swords and come out on guard.
"Who are you?" Imagawa Ujimoto stopped and looked at the back in front of him very warily.
"Why are you so open-minded, fourth brother?" The man in front of him also stopped walking, turned around, and smiled at Imagawa Shigen.
Imagawa Ujimoto finally realized why the warrior's face looked familiar but he couldn't remember who it was - because that face looked exactly like himself in the mirror.
·
"You are... the fifth brother? The... Takeohmaru who was adopted into the Owari Na Furuno clan?" Imagawa Ujimoto recognized Imagawa Ujitoyo - according to the rules of Tenkaichi Miaoji, he should be called Na Furunoji Yutaka now.
"Sure enough, fourth brother still remembers me. When you were a child and I wasn't sent away, we played Cuju together all day long. Do you still remember?" Furunojiyong continued with a smile.
"Why are you here? I heard before that you inherited the position of your adoptive father and became the lord of Na Furuno Castle, and then..." Halfway through Imagawa Ujimoto's words, he suddenly remembered when Na Furuno Ujimoto met him at the Meino Inn a few days ago. narrated encounter.
"Yes, the city was stolen. The one who took advantage of the love between father and son to plot against me was Oda Nobuhide. Later, his legitimate son, Master Ji, was said to have been born in my Naguno Castle. How ironic. "The Furuno family laughed twice and continued to move forward slowly, but the pace was obviously heavier:
"After I was kicked out, I relied on my connections to live in Kyoto and started a small business. I met you, fourth brother, in Meinong a few days ago. I recognized you, but fourth brother didn't. Come out of me. That’s why I risked my life to save Fourth Brother. I didn’t expect Fourth Brother to doubt me just now.”
"I'm really sorry." Imagawa Ujimoto apologized to his brother very sincerely, "I didn't think about it at the time."
"I heard that the fourth brother is fighting with the third brother for the governor of the family? The Imagawa family split into Suruga and Toe, and the east part of the river was taken over by the treacherous Hojo family?"
"I'm really ashamed." Although Imagawa Shimoto is not interested in family interests at all, it is still shameful that the two countries that his father and brother conquered now only have half of the country left in his hands.
"So I said, fourth brother, you are too kind. Good people cannot survive in troubled times. Only by abandoning goodwill can we gain a foothold in troubled times. Otherwise, we will be like my brother, who will be taken advantage of by others and become dejected from the city. Drive them out." Imagawa Ujitoyo laughed twice at himself and shook his head vigorously.
"No wonder you were obviously a businessman with whom I had no connection, but you wanted to persuade me to give up your goodwill. It turned out that you were thinking of brotherhood. In that case, why didn't you recognize me at that time?" Imagawa Ujimoto, who suddenly realized, asked. One sentence.
"That day, there were two siblings with accents that sounded like they were from the mountains. How dare you recognize each other rashly? Doesn't that expose the identity of the fourth brother?" Furuno Ujitoyo suddenly turned his head and glanced at Imagawa Ujimoto subtly. , "Fourth brother and that lady seem to care about each other. Could it be that they are the ones they love?"
"Ha, you were right, but I don't have time to talk about it now." Imagawa Ujimoto looked at the secret passage that gradually came to an end, and asked Furuno Ujitoyo, "Third brother's ninjas are chasing me, fifth brother has Any way to escape?"
"I don't know if their ninjas have followed." That Furuno clan got out of the secret passage and came to a warehouse where grains were stored. Several servants guarding the warehouse were shocked when they saw the Furuno clan. He hurried over to help pull everyone out of the secret passage.
"Although the fourth brother went to Luo secretly, there should be many ninjas following him for protection, right?" Furunoji Yutaka looked at Imagawa Jimoto vigorously dusting himself off, and asked, "I'm afraid the fourth brother and his bodyguards will not change at this moment. If you show up, you'll be in trouble if you're targeted by Third Brother's ninjas. Tell me the location of your ninjas, and give me a transfer token, and I'll secretly send servants to ask them to guard the warehouse."
"What a good idea." Imagawa Ujimoto took out the token hidden in his arms, "It should be in the south block of the alley where I was attacked just now. The leader is the leader of Soto Atomic Sutra."
"No problem, please be patient, Fourth Brother." That Furuno Shifeng lit the oil lamp, handed the token to a follower, and whispered a few words. The attendant immediately and cautiously reached out the door, looked around to make sure no one was around, and then ran to the southern block in a hurry.
"I wonder why Fourth Brother came to Luo this time?" After finishing his work, Furunoji Yueng carefully closed the door of the warehouse and turned to Imagawa Ujimoto and asked.
"Ask for a righteous name. When the Gongfang Palace decides that I will be the governor of the Imagawa family, I can go back and pacify Yuanjiang." Naturally, Imagawa Clan knew everything about his brothers, and at the same time he invited him, "Takeohmaru Are you interested in going back to Suruga with me? Go home and see your mother."
"That's not necessary. I have a lot of leisure in Kyoto and don't want to go back to the Wu family. There are no good people in the Wu family. They are always fighting each other every day. If someone is not careful, the family will be destroyed. It is really tiring." The Furuno clan smiled. He shook his head repeatedly, obviously psychologically affected by the previous city theft incident.
"Do you think I want to? I don't want to be such a shabby governor. My teacher and mother forced me to do it. And my third brother is also really cruel. He used to play with us when we were young, but now he has changed his tricks. He wants to kill me. If I don't become the governor, he will only end up being killed by him. I have no choice but to be forced to become the governor." Imagawa clan leader sighed, helplessly pulled out the folding fan, and slowly tapped the palm of his hand. "There is really no choice... If you have a choice, who doesn't want to live a leisurely life? Who would want to be the governor of this house?"
"It's so dark in here, can you light some more oil lamps?" Ji Liang Weicheng complained loudly, "I'm night blind, I can't see anything with this light."
"You still won't do it?" After hearing what Kira Usei said, Nagoya Furuno immediately ordered several servants. After a while, several more oil lamps were lit.
"Then fourth brother..."
When Furunoji Toyotaka was about to speak, he found that Imagawa Jimoto had already drawn a knife in his hand and put the blade on his neck.
