Imagawa Yoshimoto smiled and left his two subordinates, preparing to go back to his bedroom. He did not criticize Akai Kuroko too harshly. After all, for an old-school samurai like Akai Kuroko, it was normal to look down on farmers. Imagawa Yoshimoto himself is a semi-monastic samurai, and does not have such strong samurai plot, so out of etiquette and the Buddhist concept of "all living beings are equal", he treats Kinoshita Tokichiro more politely.
But in the Imagawakan Castle Tower, most people, like Akai Kurotaka, would not give Kinoshita Tokichiro any good looks. They would basically call him "little monkey" or "stinky monkey" when meeting him, and never look him in the eye. This is evident from the fact that even a good old man like Himura Hiroyuki, who is keen on complimenting others, would subconsciously call Kinoshita Tokichiro a "monkey".
"Hey, is the little monkey running errands again?"
"Smelly monkey, don't block the road!"
Just as Imagawa Yoshimoto was thinking about this, the voices of the Imagawa family's Hatamoto bodyguards scolding Kinoshita Tokichiro came from upstairs. Of course, Kinoshita Tokichiro always apologized with a smile on his face, which made everyone less angry.
"Tokichiro, are you here?" - A little girl's voice suddenly came from upstairs. It was rare to call Kinoshita Tokichiro by his name, which seemed particularly abrupt among the sounds of "monkey". Imagawa Yoshimoto recognized the voice of Xiaokui - the orphan he rescued from the battle of Xiaoduzaka, and has been working as a maid for Ginkgo ever since.
"Xiao Kui?" Kinoshita Tokichiro was surprised when he heard Xiao Kui's voice: "Didn't you go shopping?"
"I'm back now. I'm taking care of Madam and His Highness's cat." Xiaokui replied with a smile, while the sounds of Mo Qiu and Miao Miao could be heard upstairs.
Imagawa Yoshimoto had already walked upstairs. Kinoshita Tokichiro and Xiao Kui hurriedly saluted after seeing Imagawa Yoshimoto.
"You don't have to be so formal at home." Imagawa Yoshimoto smiled and shook his head, looking at the two children in front of him - yes, they are similar in age. In this castle tower full of adults, they are the only ones who can play. Went together.
"Tengjiro, Xiaokui!" At this moment, another sound came from the corridor. I saw Goro Imagawa holding a Cuju, followed by the little follower Asahina Matsuchiyo, trotting and greeting excitedly: "Let's go to Cuju!"
——Imagawa Yoshimoto almost forgot that his own son was also a child of the same age as them. It’s not bad to have a few more playmates. Otherwise, Imagawa Goro would always be alone in the castle tower, and it would be unpleasant to play with adults after all.
"Okay, young master!" Kinoshita Tokichiro immediately responded excitedly.
"Three people can't beat the young master." Xiao Kui was not interested, "Besides, I have to take care of the cat."
"Just leave it to Miss Mochizuki." Asahina Matsuchiyo muttered nonchalantly, "Isn't Miss Mochizuki always responsible for taking care of the cats?"
"Sister Mochizuki has something to do." Xiaokui hesitated, "Tojiro, you go with the young master and the second young master Asahina, I won't go."
"Okay!" Kinoshita Tokichiro then smiled and took two steps forward, and like a magic trick, he took out two pairs of small cloth shoes from his arms, "Young Master, Young Master, let's change shoes now!"
"Didn't I tell you that you don't need to keep our shoes in your arms all the time." Imagawa Goro patted Kinoshita Tokichiro's shoulder and pushed him to the stairs together, while smiling, "I don't lack hands. If you don’t lack feet, why bother you with everything?”
"This is what I should do for the young master!" Kinoshita Tokichiro responded loudly.
"Come on, you must have just carried Akai-sama's shoes in your arms. They are so ugly. I don't want the smell." Imagawa Goro pinched his nose and smiled pretending to be disgusted. The three of them were talking, laughing, and running downstairs.
"Be careful not to let grandma see you playing again." Imagawa Yoshimoto warned Imagawa Goro's back.
"I know!" Imagawa Goro replied carelessly while smiling, "I have asked Uncle Sena to help me cover!"
·
Back in the bedroom, Ginkgo was taking a nap while leaning on the mattress. Imagawa Yoshimoto sat down next to her and gently pushed her awake.
"Good morning, sir..." Ginkgo stretched out, rarely feeling angry that Imagawa Yoshimoto had disturbed her sweet dream. She rubbed her eyes, and after gradually regaining consciousness, she asked: "Where is Guishu? I called her to help before.
"
"Wangyue? Xiaokui said she has something to do."
"Oh... oh oh oh!" Ginkgo was stunned for a moment before she reacted, and then she laughed. "She and I have asked for leave, and they are going to have a private meeting with their lover. Hayasaka finally came back from the expedition with you. , they have a chance to meet."
"Koichiro?" Imagawa Yoshimoto also smiled when he talked about the gossip of his subordinates, "Where are they two?"
"No matter what step it takes, they are all orphans. They can marry them if they want, or if they want to, it all depends on our wishes." Ginkgo looked at Imagawa Yoshimoto, "What should I say? Let's marry them secretly. Both of them. They are chamberlains, so it is not convenient for them to appear in public, so they can just do it in private. They should be very happy to have us attend."
"Okay, I'll pick an auspicious day." Imagawa Yoshimoto walked to the cabinet, took out a calendar that he hadn't read for a long time, and started studying it.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and Hayasaka Nao came outside to ask for permission.
"You're back so soon?" Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at the door in surprise, "I finally came back and had time to be alone with Mochizuki. I have to work again after I come back."
"How dare you abandon public service for personal reasons." Hayasaka Nao lowered her head shyly.
"My wife and I are planning to marry you, and the date will be half a month from now. What do you think, Xiaoqirou?" Imagawa Yoshimoto pointed to a pretty good day on the calendar.
"Ah? This... thank you, Your Highness!" Nao Hayasaka was stunned for a moment before she realized what she was doing, and then she quickly knelt down to thank her.
"Do you want to talk to your father?" Imagawa Yoshimoto asked casually, "She is a kunoichi from Mount Kai. I don't know if the old man will be prejudiced."
"Hey...ah? Your Highness!" Hayasaka Nao was startled by these words, then lowered his head and leaned over and replied: "Iaji has died long ago... Your Highness, could it be..."
"Ah, that's not what I meant. I meant to go and have a look at your father's tomb." Imagawa Yoshimoto apologized for his gaffe - did Hayasaka Nao think for a moment that Imagawa Yoshimoto had resurrected his mother through some religious ceremony? Or do you think Imagawa Yoshimoto is possessed by a ghost?
"That's natural. After all, it's for the sake of passing on the family lineage." Hayasaka Nao breathed a long sigh of relief after hearing this. She seemed to be thinking of her mother, and there were slight tears in the corners of her eyes.
"It's a pity that both you and Mochizuki have sensitive identities, so I can't help you achieve success. It's been really hard after following me for so many years." Imagawa Yoshimoto sighed and looked at Hayasaka Nao even more apologetically.
Imagawa Yoshimoto has many cronies, each of whom is responsible for different affairs. Taiyuan Xuezhai, as the family governor, is fully in charge of all government and military affairs; Shougui Ni, as the mother of the family governor, handles the family affairs within the Imagawa Pavilion and the Imagawa clan; Feimura Yangha and Akai Heigao are the writing and writing of Ma Zhongzhong. According to the deputy director, matters related to the Imagawa family's direct control of the flag are basically handled by the two of them; Lengquan Weihe is the diplomatic monk of the family, and he is mainly involved in external exchanges.
As for the younger generation, Sena Ujitoshi is the family elder who assists Imagawa Yoshimoto in handling government affairs, and his authority is close to that of Taiyuan Xuezai; Nakuno Ujitaka manages the household, supervises and assesses the words and deeds of the family's samurai; Hayasaka Nao is the captain of the guard, Responsible for commanding Imagawa Yoshimoto's personal bodyguards and accompanying ninjas, and arranging the formation and daily life of Imagawa Yoshimoto.
After all, he is the chamberlain responsible for the safety of the family governor, so it is better not to be famous - and Mochizuki Takaki is also Ginkgo's personal bodyguard, so it is also not suitable to be exposed to the public.
"That's right! Your Highness doesn't have to be like this." As always, Hayasaka Nao worked hard and never complained, never making any unreasonable requests to Imagawa Yoshimoto.
·
On October 17, the twelfth year of Tenmon (1543), Imagawa Yoshimoto and Ginkgo held a simple wedding for Hayasaka Nao and Mochizuki Takaki at the shrine outside Imagawakan. The attendees were also Imagawa Yoshimoto's bodyguards. and the maids of Ginkgo. It is a good story to be able to tie the knot between the family governor and the mistress's close confidant.
The wedding was over and the guests dispersed, leaving only the taciturn couple sitting opposite each other in the house under the candlelight.
"Please give me your advice in the future." Hayasaka Nao lowered his head. He couldn't say anything during normal dates, let alone such a grand day. After holding it in for a long time, he could only say this sentence, "If you have any requests, just ask. ,Miss."
"I have only one request." Mochizuki Takaki spoke softly after hesitating for a while.
He said, "Don't lie to each other, don't hide anything."
"Miss?" Hayasaka Nao looked at Mochizuki Takaki in confusion.
"I have been living in lies for the first half of my life. I lied to this and that, betrayed this and that, and ended up with nothing. If my wife hadn't forgiven me and kept me by my side, I wouldn't have known where I would have gone." Mochizuki Guishu recalled his past, and in the end it just turned into a long sigh: "Lies can bring nothing. Even if you have them for a short time, you will eventually lose them. I don't want to live like that anymore. Even if I have to lie, I still want to There is a place where the truth can always be told, and a person who can always tell the truth.”
"Yes." Hayasaka Nao nodded and made a promise in a low voice: "From now on, I will never deceive the lady again."
"What about before today?" Mochizuki Takaki smiled bitterly, and then shook his head, "That's all, don't ask too much about some things, that's fine."
"No, I will confess to the lady." Hayasaka Nao pursed her lips, and finally made up her mind, "I have something to ask the lady to help me with."
