On the afternoon of May 24, the fifth year of Tianwen (1536), the group left Kyoto and embarked on the road back home. Although we encountered a lot of troubles on the way here, the journey was full of joy and laughter. Although the return journey was smooth sailing, Imagawa Yoshimoto and Ginkgo were unhappy - they knew that the time of separation would eventually come. Every step forward is one step closer to separation. But as the governor of the family, Imagawa Yoshimoto could not waste time - because Imagawa Yoshimoto already knew that he was not in his territory.
The couple spent almost every night together, hoping that in this limited time, the bond between the two would be entangled as tightly as possible. Until the night they arrived at the hotel in Shinano South, Imagawa Yoshimoto and Ginkgo almost ended up crying, with tears instead of sweat soaking their bodies - because they knew in their hearts that this would be the last time they spent together. One night.
June 10th, the fifth year of Tenmon (1536), at the junction of Shinano Kingdom and Mikawa Kingdom.
"Sir, don't send me any more." Ginkgo looked at Yoshimoto Imagawa, who had been sent all the way to Shinano Territory, tried hard to hold back the tears in his eyes, and forced a smile to Yoshimoto Imagawa, "There will be another one eventually. Too much. We are far away, and we have to spend the night in the mountains. I have sweated so much, how can I bear it if I don’t take a shower, sir?"
Imagawa Yoshimoto opened his mouth, but still couldn't say anything - he remained silent on the way to see him off. As a woman, Ginkgo kept forcing a smile to maintain the atmosphere. Imagawa Yoshimoto felt uncomfortable, but couldn't speak. In the end, even the words "Don't send me away anymore" that meant parting were uttered by Ginkgo, which made Imagawa Yoshimoto feel that he had failed to shoulder the responsibility of a man.
"Life is like this. Sometimes we work extremely hard to pursue something, but in the end we are unable to do anything. On the contrary, some things that we don't care about eventually fall into place." Ginkgo held back tears, hoping to leave the last memory to Imagawa Yoshimoto. The impression he made was his own smile, "That's why I said, why should you pursue your own pursuit? In the end, it will only increase your sadness. If you are lazy all your life, you will not be sad."
"Miaomiao, mommy is gone, you have to take care of yourself in the future." Ginkgo came closer to Imagawa Yoshimoto and gently stroked the little orange cat sitting on Imagawa Yoshimoto's shoulder. Miaomiao seemed to be aware of the parting atmosphere and screamed listlessly.
"Goro, don't worry." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo also took a step forward, patted Imagawa Yoshimoto on the shoulder, and said with a heroic smile, "Whoever my sister marries, I will send someone to poison that bitch. If my sister remarries, I will kill her again. When my sister Kefu’s reputation is known throughout Yuexin, my sister will no longer be able to marry, and my father will probably not be able to do anything either. Then come, Wulang. If you propose marriage, my father will definitely dump my sister on you like a hot potato, won't it be settled?"
"Haha, Torachiyo..." Imagawa Yoshimoto was amused, but with tears in his laughter, he also patted Nakasugi Torachiyo's shoulder and hugged him, "Good brother, I'm sorry to trouble you on this journey. See you later.”
"Next time we meet, I might call you brother-in-law." Nakasugi Tora Chiyo did not forget to tease Imagawa Yoshimoto, and at the same time he called his ninjas and Imagawa Yoshimoto's bodyguards to leave, "Get out of the way first. The two of them talk."
After everyone knowingly left a space for the couple to be alone, Imagawa Yoshimoto could no longer bear the reluctance in his heart. Countless poems about separation and farewell flooded his heart, and it was only at this moment that he truly realized the sadness and pain. He took a step forward and hugged the soft body tightly into his arms, as if there was no need to separate. Ginkgo buried her cheek in Imagawa Yoshimoto's arms and listened, listening to Imagawa Yoshimoto's panicked and rapid heartbeat, and shed tears.
"Is this love?"
Ginkgo murmured, and her voice was just as incredible as when she, a little girl in the mountains, saw the sea for the first time, "Life is really wonderful. There are layers of barriers between two hearts, but they can pass through such The thin words and expressions, even the monotonous heartbeat, convey one's love to the other party so completely and clearly. Is this the power of love? It makes people connect with each other, makes people fall in love, and makes people just stay together. You can feel indescribable happiness without doing anything, and people are willing to share everything with each other, give everything for each other, without asking for anything in return... You will always remember me, sir?"
"Of course, just like Miss Ginkgo."
The two embraced each other for a long time in the green mountain forest, as if praying that their love would be as evergreen as the green leaves and never fade. I don't know how long it took, until the sun set in the west, it finally dawned that parting was inevitable.
"Sir, is there anything else you want to tell me at the end?" Ginkgo raised her head, tried hard to collect her emotions, and looked at Imagawa Yoshimoto.
"Sleep well, eat well, cover yourself with quilt when sleeping, don't fall asleep in strange places, eat more vegetables..." What Imagawa Yoshimoto blurted out was a bunch of trivial matters, which made Ginkgo chuckle.
"Okay sir, why are you talking about these things? Tell me what you want to tell me most."
Imagawa Yoshimoto fell into silence. There were obviously many things he wanted to ask, but if it was the thing he "most wanted to ask", he couldn't pick it out for a while. In the end, he caught the flash of thought in his mind:
"Although Ginkgo doesn't agree, I think you still have to find your own pursuit, otherwise life will be very tiring."
"Okay sir, I will look for you." Ginkgo responded softly, using her cherry lips wet with tears to place a final kiss on Imagawa Yoshimoto's cheek like a dragonfly. The two stared at each other, wishing they could carve each other's features and skin into their minds and never forget them. Because they all know that this is the last time they will see each other.
The green leaves rustled in the evening breeze.
"Goodbye, sir."
·
On June 14, the fifth year of Tianwen (1536), Imagawa Yoshimoto returned to Imagawa Hall with a gloomy face. When he entered the castle tower, he suddenly heard the sound of a woman laughing from Taiyuan Xuezhai's room on the third floor. Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was already in an extremely bad mood, quickly went upstairs and opened the door. He saw a drunk Taiyuan Xue Zhai hugging two disheveled girls on the left and right, letting them take turns to drink for him. Wine feeds meat.
"Ha, Chengfang, you're back?" Taiyuan Xuezhai greeted drunkenly while patting the woman's butt in his arms, "How is it? Is the girl brought back by Yuanjiang different from Suruga's? "
"Ask them to go out." Imagawa Yoshimoto turned his face away from the messy scene and tried his best to maintain courtesy and whispered, "I have something to talk to the teacher about."
Taiyuan Xuezhai was very familiar with Imagawa Yoshimoto, and he keenly sensed that his apprentice's mood could not be worse, so he sent the women out with some regret, while he randomly cleaned up the lip marks and rouge on his body.
"I heard from the ninja who reported earlier that everything went well. Not only did he get the royal letter from the governor of the Judgment Family, but he also received the Tongzi of Gongfang Palace as a gift beyond expectations. Why are you looking so grim?" Taiyuan Yuksai motioned for Imagawa Yoshimoto to sit down, but Imagawa Yoshimoto remained motionless. So Taiyuan Xuezai stood up and came to Imagawa Yoshimoto's side, "No way, is that 'interesting story' that the ninja brought back true? Your boy has a lifelong love affair with a girl who is traveling with him?"
Imagawa Yoshimoto said nothing, but Taiyuan Xuezhai already knew the answer.
"Tell me, which family is the girl from?" Taiyuan Xuezhai patted Imagawa Yoshimoto on the shoulder.
"I don't know, but she may be from the area around South Vietnam and Northern Shinano, and her father seems to have found a family for her, and she will get married soon." Imagawa Yoshimoto was confused and asked anxiously, "With us With the status of the Imagawa family, can I propose marriage to a wealthy family in Yuexin? Is it too far away?"
"In the troubled times of the Warring States Period, only strength was recognized. As long as you are strong enough, you can marry the general's daughter." Taiyuan Xuezhai spoke openly about the naked interests in marriage, "Like the Imagawa family in the heyday of your father-in-law, other than the The more I believe it, the more powerful people from the Mutsu region it would be to be able to join the Imagawa family."
"But now the Imagawa family is in civil strife, and the east part of the river has been captured by the Hojo family. You only have less than 200,000 koku of territory left in your hands. How can you ask the more trustworthy wealthy family to abandon the near and far away to form an alliance with you? The Imagawa family itself is also suffering from internal and external troubles. If you are not careful, you may encounter disaster. How can you convince your father to allow you to use your marriage, an important bargaining chip, to pursue an affair with your children? Your father must be thinking of letting you marry Kai, Minami Shinano or Mikawa. , Owari, and the daughter of the Musashi wealthy family, provide the Imagawa family with a strong support within easy reach."
"So as long as I put down the civil strife as soon as possible, take back Hedong from the Hojo family, and restore the Imagawa family to its heyday, I will have a chance to win that lady?" Imagawa Yoshimoto was obviously not defeated by the difficulties described by Taiyuan Xuezai.
"Haha, is it possible that you have to work hard like a good housekeeper?" Taiyuan Xuezhai also became happy when he heard this, "The beauty of the country is really a problem in the world. My disciple, who has no cold feelings about the country, actually wants to do it for the sake of the country. A woman is serious? That’s fine, why do I care about you, a brat, as long as you govern the country well?”
"Then I will publish the imperial letter given by Kōbōden now, and then go to Yuejiang to quell the rebellion in the name of justice." Imagawa Yoshimoto took out the document given to him by Ashikaga Yoshiharu from his arms, and was eager to take action.
"Don't worry yet." Taiyuan Xuezhai raised his hand to stop him, "As soon as your imperial letter comes out, we and Imagawa Yoshima will be in a fight to the death. But now we have just suffered a big defeat and still need to recuperate. Wait for preparations After it’s perfected, it won’t be too late for you to show your judgment.”
"Where do I have time to wait? I don't know when the young lady will get married." Imagawa Yoshimoto whispered anxiously.
"If you don't wait, you will be defeated, and then you will be completely blown away." Taiyuan Xuezhai grabbed Imagawa Yoshimoto and said without hesitation, "You kid, be honest and obedient, don't make trouble, and when Yuanjiang is pacified, you can learn from me." I will write to you in person to propose marriage. Don’t tell your mother about the young lady yet. If your mother finds out, I will tell you about the next marriage immediately."
