On May 13, the 11th year of Eiroku, the Miyoshi family's 15,000 troops crossed the Katsura River and entered Koizumi Castle near Kyoto to garrison. From time to time, they sent more than 1,000 troops to bully and intimidate pedestrians near Tobaguchi.

The remaining defenders also received orders from Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and fully cooperated with the Shangluo army's military operations.

As the saying goes, cicadas wake up before the autumn wind blows. Those who reacted most quickly were the ministers, wealthy businessmen, and intellectuals walking in Kyoto. They fled Kyoto in groups with their families, indicating that this disaster was inevitable. In just a few days,

During the day, the sky over Kyoto, which was peaceful and peaceful, was shrouded in thick clouds of war, and there was an imminent threat of a mountain rain.

At this time, Ashikaga Yoshiuchi also came to Shoryuji Castle, which is only across the river from Kyoto. This young samurai has just turned thirty this year. Just like his father who has unrealized ambitions, he also has a lofty heart.

As soon as he arrived at Shoryuji Castle, he enthusiastically proposed to go to the Katsura River. Miyoshi Yoshitsugu had no choice but to take more than a hundred cavalry attendants to go out with the reserve general.

May is the time when spring and summer turn. The warm sun is emitting bright sunshine with boiling heat. Standing on the bank of the Katsura River, I am blown by the cool breeze, and the dryness in my heart is also taken away by the strong summer wind.

From the Katsura River River, you can just see Kyoto across the river. Looking southeast along the Katsura River is the Sai Kawara at the junction of the Katsura River and Kamo River. There are densely packed stone towers made of rubble that have been built for thousands of years.

A small Jizo pagoda that was used by Kyoto residents to house their children who died in infancy.

Ashikaga Yoshiuchi stood on the bank of the river and murmured to himself: "This is Kyoto, the Kyoto where my father longed to come back. For this reason, he would rather abandon his comfortable life, abandon his mother and insist on returning to Kyoto!"

In order to return to Kyoto, my father fell ill and my mother shed tears. How should I describe you? Kyoto."

Hearing the authentic Shikoku accent of the current Prince Hirashima, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu felt inexplicably close and loved. He rode his horse and walked over and said with a smile: "Kyoto is an exciting, longing and beautiful city full of countless dreams.

I believe His Highness Gongfang will definitely like Kyoto!"

"Excited? Yes! I am excited, excited, and dreamed about for a long time. Perhaps there is no place more attractive than Kyoto!" He stared at the beautiful city in the distance and fell into memories.

Since the establishment of the Muromachi shogunate, the Ashikaga Shogun family has created two hundred years of glory in Kyoto. The heyday of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in Luen Garden still makes every Ashikaga clan fascinated. If it is said that the Minamoto Yoshi family first made the world's samurai family

Willing to surrender, Minamoto Yoritomo established the Kamakura Shogunate and became the actual ruler of the samurai family. Then the Ashikaga Shogun family spent two hundred years telling the world what it means to be as noble as the emperor.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was truly on par with the Emperor, and was given the posthumous title Taijo by the imperial court. This was an honor unimaginable in the past. Except for the Emperor who abdicated and the Emperor who died and was posthumously named, there were only a few Nakamichi who died.

Or the prince who did not become the emperor for various reasons received the posthumous title of Taijo Emperor after his death.

The rulers of the imperial court during the Heian period, including several Fujiwara family ministers who were Sekihaku Taisei, did not enjoy this kind of respect. Taira Kiyomori, who was at his peak for a while, did not enjoy this kind of respect. Genji Yoritomo, the seventh generation leader of the Kawachi Genji family, did not enjoy this kind of respect. Ashikaga Takauji, who founded the Muromachi shogunate, did not enjoy this kind of respect.

I have never enjoyed it, only Ashikaga Yoshimitsu did it. He did what no one before him could do, and created a precedent for the martial arts to reach its peak.

Ashikaga Yoshiuchi spread his hands as if to embrace the world, and said boldly: "Every descendant of the Ashikaga family cherishes the dream of going to Luka. As a member of Ashikaga Renedazo, I also cherish the same dream and long to use my hands.

To create a prosperous era of resurgence of the shogunate, this is the ambition of every Ashikaga family member! It is also the ambition of my adoptive relatives!"

"His Majesty, you must be able to do it with your high morale!" The contempt in Miyoshi Yoshitsugi's eyes flashed away, probably because he wanted to laugh at this ambitious idiot who likes to daydream. He looked back at Kyoto City in the distance and said to himself: "This

We still don’t know who owns the world, but at least let me, Miyoshi Yoshitsugi, sit down and talk about it first!”

Ashikaga Yoshiuchi said enthusiastically: "I thought of something very important. Since I was about to go to Luo as a general, I had to change my name, so I decided to find a name with an auspicious meaning and asked the senior monks of Sakai Town to make a decision.

What does Jingzhao Palace think of using the word "honor"?

"Eiyoshi means lush vegetation, which is extended to the prosperity of the family business, respect and love, what a good name!" Miyoshi Yoshitsugi thought about his new name Ashikaga Yoshiei, and felt that this idiot was really like that.

Ashikaga Yoshiuchi nodded with satisfaction: "So let's announce this news when we get back! Maybe it can boost morale!"

"Follow the order."

Probably because he felt that becoming a general to conquer the barbarians, marrying a noble daughter, and reaching the pinnacle of his life, Ashikaga Yoshinori was in a very good mood. He rode his horse for half a circle along the river bank, and his interest was not diminished. He turned east and west for a while and looked around.

, you won’t feel bored at all when visiting the castle town near Shoryuji Castle.

However, this dangerous pass made the Miyoshi family's horses extremely tired. Wherever Hirashima went, they had to clear the way from the front room and crowd behind him. When he didn't follow the routine and scare him away, he forced them to change positions back and forth to ensure the safety of Ashikaga Yoshihiro.

, I ran around for a long time under the sun on a hot day. I was tired, exhausted, thirsty, and looked eagerly at my lord for help.

At this time, there is a small gathering in Shoryuji Castle Town, which is held every ten days. There are countless people from the town, merchants, travelers and even nearby villagers. I don’t know how many interesting things attract Ashikaga Yoshiki. Miyoshi Yoshitsugi is also worried about this.

After running on for an eternity, he said, "His Highness must have spent a day running around. Why don't we just turn back to the city and rest? Your Majesty has already prepared fruit and food, and a beautiful maid is waiting for Your Highness to come."

"You're not busy, you're not busy! Look what's that performance in front of you?" Ashikaga Yoshitsune stared wide-eyed at the shrine maiden dancing the sacred dance in the distance.

The priests followed several musicians to play solemn Kagura, and they performed the most common divine dance. The general theme was to pray for good weather, good weather, peace and prosperity for the country and the people.

Similar shrine activities are held almost every month every year. The nearby shrines specially go out to thank the villagers for their donations, whether it is Ashikaga Yoshinori or Miyoshi Yoshitsugu.

I have seen it many times. It is not a big deal for top samurai like them to summon the shrine maidens to dance and sleep with them.

But the miko who caught his eye seemed completely different from before. They seemed to have a magical power that attracted the attention of Ashikaga Yoshiki. The red and white miko uniforms highlighted the graceful figures of the miko, especially the head miko.

Her gorgeous appearance was unforgettable, and she almost made the young Mr. Hirashima look stupid.

The moment he saw the beautiful witch gently stretching her waist, it seemed as if the whole world had changed to only the figure of the woman, and the plain Kagura was like a sultry and erotic music. Listening to it made his blood soar. Unable to control his lust, Ashikaga Yoshiuchi murmured: "There is such a beautiful woman in this world. I have never seen such a beauty and cannot imagine it."

After saying that, he turned over and dismounted and slowly went up to meet him. Miyoshi Yoshitsugi called out urgently: "Your Highness, everyone on horseback, hurry up and follow."

Dozens of horseback samurai dismounted and chased after them. After only a short time delay, they looked up and couldn't find Ashikaga's sworn relatives. All they saw was a crowd that stretched as far as the eye could see. The dense crowds of people crowded together in the dark were disturbing to watch. Miyoshi Yoshitsugu scolded angrily: "Didn't I ask you to clear the way in front and crowd behind to protect His Highness Kōkō? Why are you giving up at this time! Go find someone immediately! If you can't find His Highness Kōkō, there is no chance of survival. !”

"Ha!" Most of the stunned horseback crowd separated from their horses and got off their horses, pushing and shoving into the huge crowd to search hurriedly.

There was really no temper at all in the meeting held once every ten days. The samurai could not kick the townspeople arbitrarily. They could only use their bodies to squeeze out a path and shout to His Majesty Kongkata. However, in a street with such a large flow of people, there were still many people on both sides. There are many stalls and shops selling their own products, and they are crowded with people shopping and watching dances. Finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Miyoshi Yoshitsugi was so anxious that he wanted to kill someone with a knife. His only sense warned him not to be impulsive and to calm down. He groaned angrily: "These shrine maidens are so evil. Why didn't I hear anything about this Kagura and Divine Dance?" What’s special? Did you find anything different?”

"No!" There were only a dozen horseback samurai left shaking their heads. They said to themselves that the master is really good at joking. We have to tighten our spirits to be prepared for someone to attack and assassinate us. How can we bother to listen to whether Kagura is appropriate? How special is Shenwu? I lost my mind just now because I was distracted for a while, and if I were distracted for a while longer, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu might be lost too.

Miyoshi Yoshitsugu said angrily: "What the hell is going on! The dignified Lord Hirashima couldn't walk when he saw a group of village witches? This is wrong! I had a three-day banquet in Sakai Town a few days ago, don't talk about this. The shrine maidens from the humble rural shrine and the shrine maiden from the Kasuga Shrine were also invited, as well as the famous monkey musician from Yamato Kingdom, but they didn't notice anything unusual about His Highness Kōkata."

Just as the Miyoshi family samurai were looking around anxiously, suddenly there were screams and noises from the crowd in front. Then a burst of intermittent screams interrupted the shouts and noises, and the townspeople who were coming and going broke out and screamed and scattered as hard as they could. Running away, the whole street suddenly became chaotic. The group of witches in red and white clothes also fled in the blink of an eye.

The horseback samurai captured several townspeople and asked sternly: "What's going on! What happened in the front!"

The townspeople were so frightened that they trembled all over. They knelt down and kowtowed: "In front... there are dead people in front! A samurai master robbed the sacrificial wine and drank it. He vomited blood and died on the spot. He vomited blood and screamed. It was so scary! Little It was the first time I saw such a terrible thing, and my legs were so scared that my legs went weak! This is the punishment of the gods and Buddhas!"

Miyoshi Yoshitsugi's eyes bulged, and he gritted his teeth and said, "What kind of clothes is that samurai wearing? What kind of outfit is he wearing? Does he have a sword on his shoulder? What kind of hair is he wearing? Tell me!"

The townsfolk trembled and described their clothes and hair styles. Even if they were confused and unclear, they still scared the Miyoshi family samurai and turned blue. They were dressed like Ashikaga Yoshitsugu who had just disappeared. Miyoshi Yoshitsugi covered his head.

Cursed: "This must be a trap! The purpose is to kill His Highness Gongfang! Immediately send someone to contact Pu Daizhong to hold an evaluation meeting in Shenglong Temple City, something big has happened!"

Something big happened. A murder occurred in Tokaichi, the castle town of Katsuryuji. A well-dressed aristocratic samurai vomited blood and died suddenly in broad daylight. At least hundreds of people witnessed the tragic sight of him vomiting blood and screaming in pain. It is said that the man vomited blood.

Sansheng fell down on his back and died. His death was so tragic that it is easy to think of many ghost stories from the Heian period. It is difficult to make it sensational.

In less than half a day, news of the murder in the castle town of Katsuryuji Temple spread to Kyoto, and was exaggerated into several bizarre versions by the evildoers. The most common one was that the samurai robbed the sacrificial wine and was punished by God and died on the spot.

It is outrageous to say that this man was possessed by some evil spirits hidden at the bottom of the Katsura River. He tried to challenge the majesty of gods and Buddhas but was punished and died on the spot.

Several horseback warriors under Miyoshi Yoshitsugu happened to squeeze into the front row at the time of the incident to witness the incident. Unfortunately, when they squeezed to the front, it was too late to rescue them, and they only had time to see Ashikaga Yoshichichi acting like he was drunk.

He staggered out of the crowd and walked to the team of shrine maidens who were performing the divine dance. Like a prodigal, he wanted to touch the face of the chief shrine maiden.

After being easily dodged by the chief shrine maiden, she staggered to the altar and the offerings placed on the four-wheeled cart. Ashikaga Yoshichichi picked up the sacred wine and drank it in one gulp, then staggered again.

After walking a few steps, he began to vomit blood. While vomiting blood, he held his throat and screamed, until he vomited three liters of blood and fell to the ground.

From breaking into the miko team to vomiting blood, the whole process only took a few short breaths. During the process of vomiting blood, the priest and miko threw away things and even turned around and ran away. The townspeople exclaimed in unison and filled the street with uproar and noise. The Miyoshi family samurai...

Time had already rushed to Ashikaga Yoshichichi's side, and it was already too late to take any rescue action.

The person he took out for fun also disappeared and died mysteriously under his nose. The Miyoshi Family Tree members all looked at him with something strange in their eyes. Miyoshi Yoshitsugi suddenly felt that his whole person was not well, and the Miyoshi trio and Matsunaga Hide

His face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He came to Shenglong Temple City excitedly and heard the bad news. It was like a bolt from the blue.

Seeing the charcoal-like faces of the three Miyoshi and Matsunaga, Miyoshi Yasutoshi couldn't help but feel gloating and wanted to ridicule a few words, but his father Miyoshi Yasunaga held his arm and restrained his impulse. A knowing son is like a father. Of course Miyoshi Yasunaga knew that his legitimate son

Because of his nature, if you don't hold him back, he will definitely cause big trouble. Ridiculing political opponents will attract people's resentment, but Miyoshi Yoshitsugu will not be able to bear the consequences if he makes Miyoshi angry.

No one dared to question the house governor for causing trouble. No matter how brave they were, they would not dare to cause trouble at this moment. Maybe Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was waiting for such a daredevil to laugh a few times and say a few inappropriate words, and then use the topic to make use of the situation and catch him.

Cut off your hair to release the anger in your heart, and you cannot be the one who wants to kill someone.

The evaluation room of about a hundred people was quiet, and all the members of the Miyoshi family tree pretended to be deaf and mute and refused to answer, forcing Miyoshi Yoshitsugi to feel even more uncomfortable because his anger could not be vented. He cursed loudly: "A few days ago, my family was still in Sakai Town.

We entertained Lord Pingdao and his family. During the several-day banquet, all kinds of beauties were like crucian carp crossing the river. I didn’t see the soul and divine blessing of Lord Pingdao. This must be someone using a treacherous plot to frame our family!"

Matsuhisa Nagahide stroked his chin and said thoughtfully: "What my lord said is true. Many important ministers in the family were present when we hosted the banquet for Lord Hirashima. I happened to be lucky enough to be one of them. From my perspective, Lord Hirashima has great ambitions and does not like to drink.

He is definitely not a mediocre person who was deceived by that mere witch. Judging from the explanations of several witnessing samurai, there is no doubt that there is a conspiracy. It is a pity that there is too little information to determine how it was carried out."

"Obviously, the wine was poisoned to lure His Highness into the poisoned wine, and then he died from the poison. There should be no need to think about how to do it!" Miyoshi Yasujun's words were sarcastic on the surface that he was old and confused.

Matsushita Nagahide sneered: "Then there is a question, why did His Highness Gongfang drink poisoned wine, or break into the dance team performing the dance in broad daylight to steal the poisoned wine to drink? His Highness Gongfang is not a drinker.

You are not a lustful person, so why did you suddenly become greedy for the beauty of the miko, steal the sacred wine, and drink it like crazy?"

Miyoshi Yasunaga suddenly pressed Miyoshi Yasunaga's shoulders to signal his son to shut up. He stroked his beard and smiled three times and said: "What's so difficult about this? Everyone says that death in trouble is a punishment sent down by gods and Buddhas! The common people don't know about the deceased.

His identity, how could we not know that the deceased was Lord Pingdao after experiencing it personally? I believe you all are also very clear about the reason for the divine punishment."

Miyoshi Yasutoshi's father-in-law, Miyoshi Nagafusa, took over the conversation and spoke plausibly: "Why did the previous Lord Hirashima, who was in good health, suddenly suffer from an incurable disease like stroke after learning certain things? Why did the current Lord Hirashima succeed to the throne?"

Within three months, his temperament suddenly changed. He molested a witch in a busy street and drank the sacred wine so that he died suddenly on the spot. What is this, if not a punishment from the gods and Buddhas?"

The "ciluo" naked attack only went so far as to name the three of them, the three good people, and Matsunaga Hide, for committing evil deeds. Gods and Buddhas had already issued stern warnings even before they committed evil deeds. If they were allowed to do whatever they wanted, they might cause even greater trouble.

Disasters, such as bringing disaster to the Sanhao family, a genocide crisis that is more dangerous than the death of a family.

"What a ruthless scheming and vicious method. He used clever techniques to remove all the blame for the lord's crimes and poured all the dirty water on us. It is simply abominable!" Miyoshi shivered with anger.

Pointing at Miyoshi Yasuda, he cursed: "You are framed and framed. We have not done anything, so why did we commit evil deeds? This is clearly someone who predicted our actions and sudden death. Any punishments from gods and Buddhas are completely nonsense."

!”

Sanhao Kangchang laughed and said: "Whether it is a punishment from the gods or Buddhas will be judged by the world. What I, Kangchang, want to say is that you should think clearly about how much significance Shangluo really means to us. Although the Gathering of Lights Courtyard is already
To be continued...