When Takeda Yoshinobu woke up from his sleep, it was already the afterglow of dusk outside.
She unexpectedly found that her father, who was always busy, was still at the head of her bed. She was so happy that she got up, hugged Yiyin's waist, and shouted.
"Father, Father."
Takeda Yoshinobu was so happy that he completely didn't notice that the tatami next to his bed was already wet, as if it had been wetted by some water stain.
When she was overjoyed, her stomach began to growl again, and she said to Kosaka Masanobu.
"Chang Xin, I'm hungry."
The afterglow lingered on Takasaka Masanobu's face, her face was rosy and her eyes were as charming as silk. She nodded and said.
"I'm going to prepare dinner right now."
Yiyin stopped her and said.
"Bring over three portions and let's eat together."
Kosaka Masanobu hesitated.
"The saint is dining with His Highness, how can I be qualified to accompany him?"
Yiyin shook his head and said.
"There are no outsiders here, so why are there so many rules? If I ask you to eat together, you will eat together. You have consumed a lot just now and need to replenish your strength."
Kosaka Masanobu felt shy and happy, nodded slightly, and went out to arrange dinner.
Takeda Yoshinobu asked cutely.
"Father, if you are not busy or leaving today, will you accompany me?"
Yiyin glanced at the damp spot on the tatami, and his waist was still a little sore. Maybe it had lasted too long, and it was almost dusk before he knew it.
He said against his will.
"I miss my little baby, so when you wake up, I will spend more time with you."
Takeda Yoshinobu smiled innocently and brightly, burying his head in Yoshigan's arms.
"I like, like my father, sir."
Yiyin was a little ashamed while holding the child. He was obviously interested in the sex, but he just didn't have time to leave.
"Me too, I like Yi Xin too."
Yiyin looked at the child's innocent eyes and suddenly asked.
"Yoshinobu, do you like your sister?"
Takeda Yoshinobu tilted his head, obviously not understanding what Yoshigan meant, and Yoshigan explained again.
"I mean, if you have many sisters in the future, will you be kind to them?"
Takeda Yoshinobu clapped his hands and said with a smile.
"Sister, okay, let's play together."
Just now, Yiyin's face softened, and a faint sigh from Kosaka Masanobu came from behind him.
"Sage, it is a bit too cruel for you to ask His Highness like this."
Yiyin's face froze, and he turned around to see Kosaka Masanobu with a resentful look on his face.
Masanobu Kosaka had just finished ordering the kitchen and came back here. He happened to hear Yoshigami's words. Masanobu Kosaka, who had long regarded Takeda Yoshinobu as his own flesh and blood, couldn't help but interject.
Yiyin couldn't say anything angrily to this beautiful warrior princess who had made love with him just now, so he could only smile bitterly.
"Nowadays, few people dare to accuse me as bluntly as you."
Kosaka Masanobu kowtowed to the ground and said.
"The foreign minister is guilty, but it concerns the future of His Highness, so I have to speak out and honestly."
Takeda Yoshinobu didn't understand what the two of them were talking about, he just enjoyed Yoshigan's touch.
Yiyin touched his daughter's little head and asked helplessly.
"What you said, can I still harm my daughter?"
Kosaka Masanobu said.
"Your Highness Uesugi is a fierce female, and the powerful warriors inside and outside the Shiba family who covet the beauty of the saint are not easy to deal with.
It is her blessing that His Highness can have fun under the throne of a saint. But leaving His Highness Takeda since childhood, isn't it a lack for her?
The saint should know better than me about the blood relationship between the Wu family.
The saint asked the little highness to love the sisters she has never met, but will those sisters also love her? Is their mother willing to educate their sisters and let them treat my little highness well?
Saint, if you let Your Highness love her future sisters unilaterally, wouldn't you be harming her?"
As Yoshiyin listened, he couldn't help but clenched his fists and said angrily to Kosaka Masanobu.
"Shut up! Shut up!"
Takeda Yoshinobu seemed to be frightened, hugging Yoshigan and crying.
The future that Kosaka Masanobu showed for Yiyin seemed to bring out the deepest fear in his heart.
Yes, those Ji warriors are willing to love him, but they have no love for each other, and they will not teach their daughters to love the daughter of their love rival.
Yoshigan suddenly became furious in fear, and Takeda Yoshinobu hugged him and cried. Yoshigan took a deep breath and said softly to Takeda Yoshinobu.
"Yi Xin is not afraid. My father and Chang Xin are joking. It's okay, it's okay."
Takeda Yoshinobu glanced at Yoshigan, and then at Kosaka Masanobu who was prone on the ground, shaking his head in disbelief.
Yiyin sighed.
"If you still can't get up, do you want me to help you up myself?"
Kosaka Masanobu straightened up, his face turned a little pale, and said softly.
"The foreign minister has overstepped his bounds and made rude remarks, and is willing to commit seppuku to apologize."
Yiyin looked at this beautiful woman who was as beautiful as a flower. She had gone to Wushan with him just now. How could he be willing to destroy the flower with his own hands now?
Everything Kousaka Masanobu said is true, and she sincerely considers Takeda Yoshinobu.
Even though that bastard Mitsuhide Akechi had caused so many troubles behind the scenes, even causing the death of Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Yoshihiro didn't really do anything to Mitsuhide Akechi, let alone Masanobu Kosaka.
In the final analysis, he still has the outlook of male-dominated modern society in his bones. Compared with Ji Ji's ruthlessness, his heart is too soft and he cannot be as ruthless and righteous as an emperor.
Yiyin sighed.
"I know you are telling the truth, but you have to worry about my father's mood.
What father likes to see his children turning against each other and seeing the family business in turmoil?
Don't always be a foreign minister. You are Yoshinobu's direct minister. For the sake of her future, you just gave up your future in the Takeda family, and a generation of generals stayed in this small courtyard to raise their children.
I see your sacrifice in my eyes and remember it in my heart. I have never regarded you as an outsider, do you have to ask me to give you a Spo method to be considered one of my own?"
Kosaka Masanobu's eyes were red and he bowed.
"The saint is kind, but I must strictly abide by my duties and should not overstep my bounds."
Yiyin snorted.
"Even if there is no such thing as righteousness, you are still my woman. If you want to say something, you can say it. If you say something wrong, I will protect you. Who dares to do anything to you?"
Yiyin's sincere words made Kosaka Chang feel confident, and she said emotionally.
"The luckiest thing in my life is to be favored by a saint."
Yiyin scoffed.
"Nonsense, I don't have any respect for you. It's obviously Takeda Shingen and you who forced me to do this."
Yoshigan's sudden teasing made Kosaka Masanobu's face turn red. She glanced at Takeda Yoshinobu who was confused and said angrily.
"Sage, His Highness is still here."
Yiyin smiled and said.
"What? I can't tell you what you did? Okay, okay, I won't say anything anymore. The dignified General Takeda is really shy."
Yoshigan was so gentle that he wiped away the tears that Yoshinobu Takeda had just cried out of fear, and said in a deep voice.
"I will not let my children be hostile to each other, absolutely not. What does the indifference between the Wu family and the cruelty of the Wu family blood have to do with me?
I am Bishamonten, and my children are all noble descendants of gods. Our relationship is different from that of the Samurai family.
We are different!
Believe me, Chang Xin, the future of our children will not be what you think, please believe me."
Kosaka Masanobu smiled.
"The saint has descended from heaven and is so powerful that I naturally believe you. It was me, Meng Lang, who talked nonsense and caused trouble to the saint. I am very sorry."
Yiyin said to the wet puddle next to the bed.
"Next time you dare to talk nonsense, I will punish you with this gesture."
Kosaka Masanobu lowered his head and pursed his lips, looking shy and afraid to speak.
———
After dinner, Yoshigami and Kosaka Masanobu sat side by side on the porch, watching Takeda Yoshinobu play wildly in the room accompanied by the servants.
Yiyin asked casually.
"Is everything going smoothly these days when I'm not in Kyoto?"
Kosaka Masanobu hesitated and said.
"Everything else is fine, except that one time His Highness came down with a fever. The nuns from Nanzen Temple took the initiative to come to deliver medicine and also chanted sutras and prayed for His Highness for a whole day."
Yiyin raised his eyebrows.
"Nanzenji Temple? Is it Master Soden?"
Kosaka Masanobu nodded.
"Hi, it's Master Chongchuan. She asked me to say hello to you on her behalf."
Yiyin smiled and said nothing.
Children are particularly prone to fever, especially when the seasons change and the weather changes. It's not a strange thing. It's just that the Nanzenji Chongchuan was so weird that even Kosaka Masanobu noticed something was wrong.
When did it become the turn of outsiders to inquire about the affairs of the Shiba Residence? Takeda Yoshinobu had a fever, so even if he invited someone to see a doctor, he would go to the hospital on his own initiative.
There are many educated people in the temple, and there are indeed many nuns who are good at medicine, but it is absolutely impossible for them to know what happened in Sibo's mansion.
Unless someone tips them off.
As the highest-ranking abbot of the Rinzai sect, Nanzenji Tōden brought people here to see Takeda Yoshinobu and chanted sutras and prayed for the whole day.
Publicly and privately, Yiyin should express his gratitude and give her a chance to meet. In this matter, Akechi Mitsuhide should be the one who helped behind the scenes and sent the news to Nanzenji Temple.
Yiyin sighed.
This Akechi Mitsuhide always says that everything has nothing to do with her, but why is there her shadow everywhere? The same goes for Nanzenji Takaden, and so does Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Thinking of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Yoshigan asked.
"Have you heard about the general's departure from Beijing?"
Kosaka Masanobu nodded.
"I heard about it. The news has spread all over Kyoto. It's hard not to want to know."
Yiyin frowned.
“Are people in Kyoto unstable?”
Kosaka Masanobu smiled.
"You should ask the Shiba family's ninja who is responsible for Kyoto intelligence about this matter."
Yiyin shook his head and said.
"Let's chat casually."
The Ninjas of Kyoto are part of the secrecy group Fujibayashi Mukuro, and Yoshigan has handed over the command to Akechi Mitsuhide, so what else is there to ask?
It's nothing more than Akechi Mitsuhide's standard answer, and Yoshihiro just wants to hear other people's thoughts.
Kosaka Masanobu smiled.
"People in Kyoto are stable, and neither the Hime warriors nor the townspeople inside and outside the shogunate care about this matter.
The Battle of Shiba Oda had just been fought, and the samurai families of the shogunate each led their troops back to the army, and they were all focusing on the busy autumn harvest.
Who cares about the general of Nijo Castle? Without the general, the dances dance and the horses run, but there is no food, and the whole family will starve to death.
As for people's hearts, everyone knows that you are the backbone of the shogunate, and as long as you are still looking after Kyoto, there is nothing to worry about."
Yiyin shook his head and sighed.
"Ashikaga Shogun sat in the shogunate and ruled the world for two hundred years. I didn't expect to end up in this situation."
Kosaka Masanobu shook his head.
"This is the general's fault.
When the ancestors were still alive, although the samurai lords in various places had already gone their own way, they would still more or less pay tribute to the shogun during festivals and festivals, respecting Ashikaga Shogun as the head of the samurai clan.
Ever since Miyoshi went to Luo and killed his ancestors, the orthodoxy of the Ashikaga Shogun family has become unclear.
You, the current general, helped her succeed to the throne of Shangluo, granted her the sword and royal seal, and protected her as Shuang, the surviving son of the ancestors.
But how does she treat you?
In order to deprive you of your Odaisho status and kick you out of the direct line of the Genji family in Kawachi, she actually indulged in rumors and poured dirt on you, a widow of the ancestors who treated her with great kindness.
Although the martial arts families in the world are silent, it does not mean that everyone is blind. What happened in Kyoto will sooner or later spread throughout the world.
The general is so mean and ungrateful that he can't even tolerate his own brother-in-law. Who would be willing to respect her?
What's more, she is not the orthodox heir of the Ashikaga Shogun family, but she returned to secular life from Kofukuji Temple and calls herself an Ashikaga Hashi.
Even though her bloodline is undisputed, there are still many things that can be criticized about her family status, and there are good reasons for the samurai daimyo to disown her as the Ashikaga shogun."
Yiyin sighed.
"That's all in the past, so don't mention it. In short, I have a clear conscience towards my ancestors and the Ashikaga Shogun family. If the general wants to leave, just let him go."
Seeing Yoshiyin's lonely face, Kosaka Masanobu also remained silent, not knowing how to comfort him.
After a while, Yiyin laughed.
"Why are you talking about these bad things all of a sudden? It really puts your good mood in a bad mood.
Forget it, it's time for me to go back, there are still many government affairs waiting for me to handle."
Yoshigan stood up to leave, and Kosaka Masanobu stood up and whispered.
"Sage, there is actually something else..."
Yoshigan waved to Takeda Yoshinobu in the distance, motioning for her to come over.
"You say it and I listen."
Kosaka Masanobu said with an embarrassed look.
"His Majesty Takeda received a letter a few days ago, saying that he wants to dedicate the territory around Iwamura Castle to you as a god to enshrine the saint."
Yoshigan's face froze, he hugged Takeda Yoshinobu who rushed towards him, and looked back at Kosaka Masanobu.
Is this a tribute to God? This is throwing the blame on oneself!
Mino Country faces Iwamura Castle, a mountainous town in Shinano Country. The Toyama family, a local wealthy family, was betrayed by Takeda Shingen, which became a thorn in the heart of Oda Nobunaga.
If this thorn is not removed, there will be a gap on the east side of the Nongwei Plain.
Obviously, Takeda Shingen also knew how big a threat Iwamura Castle was to the Oda family, but this matter was not easy to talk about.
The Takeda family could not return Iwamura Castle. The Toyama family defected to the Takeda family. The Takeda family sold Iwamura Castle. What should the Toyama family do?
The Takeda family can withdraw, but it is impossible for these local wealthy families who have taken refuge with the Takeda family to leave their homes and go to the Koshin Mountains to chew on rocks.
With Oda Nobunaga's temper, the first thing he would do to take back Iwamura Castle would be to kill all the traitors' families.
If Takeda Shingen casually gives up on the Iwamura Jo Toyama family, his reputation will be ruined. Who will dare to casually agree to her betrayal in the future? Aren't they afraid of being betrayed by the Takeda family?
But if they insist on defending Iwamura Castle, the Takeda family has no confidence.
The logistical supply of Nakasendo has always been a problem. It is impossible for the Takeda family to put too many troops in Iwamura Castle. The importance of Iwamura Castle to the Nobi Plain will make Oda Nobunaga continue to invest troops.
The two sides are going through one another, and Iwamura Castle cannot be saved in the end. Sooner or later, the Takeda family will have to lose its reputation.
Therefore, Takeda Shingen simply regarded Iwamura Castle as an offering to the gods and gave it to Yoshigan, which was equivalent to throwing the pot on Yoshigan's back.
The Shiba Oda family is negotiating. The issue of Iwamura Castle is originally an issue between the Oda and Takeda families, and Yoshigan is not prepared to intervene. But when Takeda Shingen throws the blame, Yoshigan really has to take the next step.
In all matters related to Shinto, Yoshigan must remain strong, not to mention that Takeda Shingen sent troops to Iwamura Castle, which indeed helped Yoshigan a great favor in the Battle of Shiba Oda.
He couldn't push away the matter of Iwamura Castle, and he had to protect it. He couldn't let Oda Nobunaga do whatever he wanted.
Yoshigan sighed, pinched Takeda Yoshinobu's little face, and said.
"Your mother is such a vixen, full of schemes."
Takeda Yoshinobu pouted and retorted.
"Mother, okay."
Yoshihiro looked at Kosaka Masanobu and sighed.
"Why are you looking so embarrassed? It's none of your business. Write a letter and tell Takeda Shingen that for my daughter's sake, I will take the blame."