June 3, the twelfth year of Astronomy (1543), Okabe Castle in Suruga Province. Imagawa Yoshimoto brought Okabe Motonobu as a bodyguard to the Okabe family's home city, and personally visited Okabe Oyatsuna, the important minister of the generation. After inspecting a circle of territory, Okabe Otsuna also personally prepared a banquet to entertain Imagawa Yoshimoto. Of course, you never want to see a drop of "wine" at the Okabe family's "wine banquet". All the cups are filled with tea. Okabe Oyatsuna himself was a fanatical supporter of Prohibition, and even Okabe Motonobu also contracted this problem - he was simply incompatible with the Asahina family, where both father and son were addicted to alcohol.
Unlike the talkative Asahina Tenno, Okabe Oyatsuna is completely a boring gourd who is not good at words. However, there were so many retainers of the Okabe family sitting in the hall, and it was really awkward not to say a word, so Imagawa Yoshimoto could only try his best to stir up the topic and liven up the atmosphere. And Okabe Motobu also seemed to see the difficulties of the family governor, and tried his best to seize any opportunity to talk to Imagawa Yoshimoto - but Imagawa Yoshimoto still wished that he would shut up - because Okabe Motobu's words were really difficult. As always, it was too cold, and it was simply the topic ender:
"I cannot thank the Okabe family for their continued devotion to the Imagawa family, no matter how many times I say it."
——"That's right. There is no need to say more in the House Governor's Hall."
"I haven't been to Okabe Castle to visit you since I took office. I'm sorry for the long absence."
——"Aren't you ignoring political affairs? Not coming is normal, but coming here is abnormal. It doesn't matter, even if you don't come, our Okabe family will do our job well."
"How are the crops in the territory growing this year?"
——"I have been serving you at Imagawa Pavilion, and I have just come back. How do you know what the crops in the fields are like?"
"Okabe, you are really quick to talk. If you can talk, talk more."
——"I have received an award from the House Governor's Hall. I have really been practicing my rhetoric and grammar very hard in the next few years, and I have finally made some progress. It's really hard work that pays off!"
Imagawa Yoshimoto was so choked by Okabe Motobu that his face almost turned green. He wished he could pull out Okabe Motobu and scold him, but at this moment he could only pinch his nose and continue to have trouble with him. Talk to him.
Of course, in the eyes of the retainers of the Okabe family, this was a different story.
"The main hall has really grown a lot." Okabe Hisatsuna turned sideways and whispered to Okabe Sadatsuna next to him: "In the past, the carefree and carefree young master actually came to the retainer's residence in person to establish relations. Even if the situation is embarrassing , still trying its best to maneuver."
"Maybe it's because of the rebellion of Mikawa Tooe that the main hall decided to turn back the prodigal son." Okabe Sadatsuna also nodded, and then laughed softly, "It's just that the young master is really not good at chatting. I really can't." Will it offend the main hall?"
"No matter how bad the hall is, he still has a gentle temper. It's rare to see him get angry." Okabe Hisatsuna also laughed.
·
After the banquet, the retainers of the Okabe family dispersed, leaving only Okabe Chitsuna, Okabe Motonobu and his son, and Imagawa Yoshimoto. After briefly chatting about territory and future strategies, Imagawa Yoshimoto finally asked the question he was most concerned about during this trip:
"Sakyo Susumu (Okabe Chitsuna), why are you still willing to dedicate your loyalty to me when I am so neglectful of my business?"
But as soon as the words came out, Imagawa Yoshimoto noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere in the room - Okabe Otsuna was obviously embarrassed and speechless, frowned, and his face looked very embarrassed, while Okabe Gensuna beside him Xinze laughed:
"What, the Governor's Palace is not as good at talking as I am."
Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but feel that he was a little reckless. It was too abrupt to ask such a question directly. For a staid old-school samurai like Okabe Oyatsuna, expressing his loyalty to his master's family through words on such an occasion was almost like disgusting flattery. But Asahina Taino's words had such a huge impact on Imagawa Yoshimoto that he couldn't wait to confirm the issue with other important officials in the family, so he asked it rashly.
"Jiro, get some drinks." However, Okabe Oyatsuna glanced at Okabe Motonobu and ordered in a low voice.
Imagawa Yoshimoto and Okabe Motonobu were both shocked when they heard this. Okabe Motonobu wanted to speak, but after being glared at by Okabe Oyatsuna, he obeyed the order and left. And Imagawa Yoshimoto asked the questions in their minds:
"Hasn't Sakyo Susumu been abstaining from alcohol for decades? How could he suddenly break his abstinence and drink alcohol?"
"Since Your Highness has asked a question, as a retainer, no matter how embarrassed I am, I have no reason to shirk the blame. I can only answer truthfully. It's just that it's really hard to say such things, so I can only use wine to embolden you. I hope Your Highness won't be surprised." Okabe Otsuna. Even when answering such everyday questions, he still uses complete honorifics meticulously.
After a long time, Okabe Gennobu finally came back with a bottle of strong liquor that had been there for who knows how long. He brought it to Okabe Oyatsuna's table, and then said with a wry smile: "Father, your prohibition on alcohol is prohibited in the castle tower. Ling, I really can’t find any wine. I got this bottle from the servant’s private wine collection.”
"Who is hiding it?" Okabe Oyatsuna asked coldly.
"Father, are you going to punish him?" Okabe Motonobu suddenly became alert, then leaned over and saluted, "I guarantee in every possible way that there will be no punishment, so he is willing to take out the drink."
"There are laws in the family." Okabe Otsuna looked at Okabe Motonobu reluctantly, "Who is it?"
"Didn't my father himself drink alcohol against the law?" Okabe Motonobu was unwilling to name the man, so he argued with some difficulty.
"The laws must not be violated. I will punish myself accordingly in the future." Okabe Oyatsuna nodded calmly without any hesitation, "Tell me, who is it?"
"Then wouldn't I have caused Sakyo Jin to violate the law, and would also bring trouble to the servants?" Imagawa Yoshimoto suddenly felt a little regretful, and hurriedly spoke out to help.
"This is my family matter. Your Highness does not need to think too much about it. In order to fulfill the master's orders, the Okabe family has sent countless people to hell for more than a hundred years. What does some punishment count?" Okabe Oyatsuna shook his head. Shaking his head, he obviously did not betray Imagawa Yoshimoto, but continued to stare at Okabe Motobu: "Tell me, who it is."
"As the saying goes, be strict with yourself and be lenient with others. Father, you have been strict with yourself, so you should also be lenient with others and let that servant go?" Okabe Motobu said in a very inappropriate way: "It couldn't be colder." Geng tried to explain it away, but of course it had no effect - Imagawa Yoshimoto on the side almost laughed.
"Who is it?" Okabe Oyatsuna didn't mean to forgive at all.
"I don't know." Unexpectedly, Okabe Motonobu would simply go ahead and challenge me, "Father, please punish me for concealing and covering up."
"Okay." Okabe Oyatsuna looked quite satisfied when he heard this, and nodded simply. Then he picked up the wine bottle and took several sips down his throat.
"Come in Sakyou!" Imagawa Yoshimoto raised his hand out of goodwill - although he didn't like drinking, he could tell from the pungent smell of this bottle of wine that it must have a lot of stamina. This way of drinking is probably not going to knock someone down directly.
"Your Highness, the Governor, is overly worried." Unexpectedly, after Okabe Okabe drank a large pot of wine in one go, his face didn't even turn red. How could he be drunk at all? He was completely different from Asahina Taino, the old drunkard who got drunk on his face after drinking even a little bit and stayed drunk all day long.
"I didn't expect Sakyo Shin to drink so well?" Imagawa Yoshimoto was immediately surprised, "I've never seen Sakyo Shin drinking before, I'm sorry."
"That's because I used to drink alcohol when I was young and got into trouble, and I have stopped drinking since then." Okabe Oyatsuna took a long breath, slowly put the wine bottle on the table, and then turned to Imagawa Yoshimoto: "This is exactly what I am doing next. Something I want to tell His Highness."
"Huh?" Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't react, "What Sakyo Susumu means..."
"I loved drinking when I was young, and I drank until I was completely drunk." Okabe Otsuna glanced at the empty sake bottle on the table, which seemed to have brought back some bad memories, and his expression became serious, "Father, I tried to persuade you several times, but I was young and energetic at the time and didn’t take it seriously. Until that time, I got drunk after a banquet at Imagawa Hall and accidentally injured the then young master.”
"Young Master?" Imagawa Yoshimoto calculated the time, raised his head and said, "Is it my brother?"
"It is the First Master (Imagawa Ujiteru)." Okabe Okabe nodded, and moved his right hand with some difficulty, "It was dark that day and night, and I couldn't see anyone clearly. I was staying at the Imagawa Mansion as a hostage. At night, after getting very drunk with my colleagues, we got into a fight on the streets of Honmaru over some trivial matter."
"According to the laws of the Imagawa family, as long as a fight breaks out and is discovered by the security officer, it will be punished with death regardless of whether it is right or wrong. It is the so-called "noisy success or failure". So after seeing the fight taking place, a passing young man stepped forward to stop it. But I was drunk at the time and my brain was unclear. In a moment of anger, I actually injured the young man who was trying to break up the fight. After seeing the blood, he calmed down. After looking through the light of the lantern, I realized that the young man was actually the young master of the family. "
"At that time, I was already stunned. This is basically an undisputed death penalty. My colleagues who were fighting with me were so frightened that I ran away on the spot. However, I feel that as the eldest son of the Okabe family, it would be really unreasonable for me to flee in fear of crime after committing a crime. It was too humiliating for the family and it was inevitable that the world would laugh at him, so he did not run away. Instead, he knelt down and begged for death. Not long after, the security officer heard the news and came. Although I was unwilling in every way at that time, I felt that I had not yet made any achievements. It would be a waste to die drunk, but I am ready to die."
"At that time, I asked the late master to allow me to commit seppuku in order to preserve my last honor." After Okabe Otsuna said this, he paused. A rare expression appeared on Furui Muha's face, and then he grinned. He shook his head and said:
"But the First Lord said: "Is there any reason for a loyal and upright minister to be buried here?" Then he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, sent the security officers back, and told them that nothing happened here. In this way, I saved my life. "
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Chapter 235 Okabe (1) Free to read.
