Bright Spring

Zhu Gaoxu picked up the ink brush on the inkstone and started writing on Sheng Yong's memorial.When everyone saw this, they saluted and thanked each other and left.

After the people left Dongnuan Pavilion, the servant who had been dismissed before came in a maid.After Zhu Gaoxu finished writing the reply, he noticed that only one person came in, and subconsciously felt a little strange.

He raised his head and glanced, and immediately recognized that this maid was the one who was a little bit gone before.

"You came in by yourself?" Zhu Gaoxu asked.

The palace maid remained silent for a while, and finally she spoke, her words were a bit awkward: "Eunuch Cao, Eunuch Cao called the slaves to serve the Holy Majesty with tea and water."

"You don't want to be on duty in Qianqing Palace anymore, and you can change to Xianfei Palace later, just say it's my intention." Zhu Gaoxu said casually.

The maid was a little confused, and tremblingly said: "Did the servant do something wrong?"

Zhu Gaoxu said: "I'm afraid there are people here in Qianqing Palace who don't like you. Wouldn't it be more comfortable to change places?"

After he finished speaking, he picked up another memorial and looked at it as if nothing had happened.With his attention shifted, he temporarily put aside what happened just now.

After a while, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly thought of the maid next to him, and when he looked up, he saw her standing there in a daze.

Zhu Gaoxu asked nicely, "What's your name?"

"Ah..." The maid came back to her senses and hurriedly said, "The servant's surname is Cheng, and I don't have a name."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded, and then glanced at the fabric of her breast.Cheng raised her hand lightly, covering it up in embarrassment.Zhu Gaoxu brought up the Zhubi and wrote a word on the memorial: accurate.

He pointed at the imperial case, and said without raising his head, "Paperweight."

"Oh!" Cheng suddenly handed over a nephrite paperweight.

"Your Majesty didn't know slaves before, why should you care about my good or bad?" Cheng suddenly asked boldly.

Zhu Gaoxu put down the things in his hands, looked at the girl in her teens and said, "You don't have to think too much. In our Ming Dynasty, laws and regulations were often not the most important criterion for judging right and wrong. The rules I have to abide by are different from those of others. no the same."

Cheng's face was blank.Zhu Gaoxu said kindly: "Go."

"Yes." Cheng seemed a little confused, curtsied step by step, and retreated.

Soon the eunuch Cao Fu came in with a few people, and he looked like he didn't know anything.Zhu Gaoxu picked up Sheng Yong's memorial and said: "The ministers have already discussed it, and there is no need to send it to the cabinet. Take it to the Minister of General Affairs and ask them to arrange for a horse to send it out immediately."

Chapter 8 The Fallen City

In the city of Kasuya County in Chikuzen, groups of heavy infantrymen of the Ming army were marching in formation, and they were not walking fast.On the seemingly deserted road, the neat footsteps of the Ming army came one after another, and there was a lot of movement.

The armor of the soldiers is complete, and this kind of clothing is incomparable in Japan and the samurai class.The few passers-by who couldn't distinguish the situation suddenly encountered such a group of people and knelt down on the side of the road to avoid the road, not daring to go forward to provoke them.

The Ming army did not arrest the samurai officials in the city; so Ouchi Sheng did not make any mistakes, nor did he go to see Yao Fang without authorization.

He stood some distance away from the main road, watching the military appearance of the Ming army silently, thinking about something without saying a word.

Katsuo Ouchi did not participate in the great battle in the Hakata area. He and some samurai stayed behind in Kasuya County.But Tao Jing, the lord of the city, followed the governor to the battlefield, and his whereabouts are still unknown.

The troops of the Ming army came to the mansion of the city lord one after another, and stopped in an open space.

After a while, two more infantry came.They were wearing two kinds of clothes, blue and gray; although these people didn't wear armor, and their clothes and hats were also very strange, but they were very neatly dressed, and the material could be seen to be very good.Some of them were holding brand new guns, and some were carrying musical instruments.

Sure enough, the music started to play very soon. A group of people were playing horizontal blowing, and others with brass percussion instruments cooperated.The grand rites and music spread almost throughout the entire city.Several sergeants held a blue and yellow sun and moon tuantuan dragon flag, and pulled it up to a flagpole with a sliding rope.

As soon as the ceremony and music were over, officials in round collars came over and began to read the Chinese Army's Announcement, Military Law, and other decrees in both Chinese and Japanese.

The general content is that the soldiers of the Ming army are not allowed to disturb the people and plunder, and the military law is implemented as in the Ming Dynasty.The local Japanese civil and military officials who did not resist were all forgiven and innocent.The Japanese people who hide the spies will be implicated and are guilty of the same crime as the spies; those who report anonymously to the Ming army will be protected and rewarded with copper coins.

Ouchi Sheng waited and watched for a while, then took the two servants of the family and made a detour to go home.

His wife, Mrs. Shibukawa, looked panic-stricken. Seeing Ouchi Katsuki, she quickly took out a cinnabar summons and said, "People from the Ming Dynasty came here, and we didn't understand what they said. Later, a 'samurai' took out a letter Show us the paper in Japanese, and ask your husband to go to the city lord's mansion to talk about things within today, and left this thing behind."

Ouchi Sheng took the ticket, looked it over and over again, and said, "I'll change into my clothes, and I'll go now."

Shibukawa asked worriedly, "Is there no danger?"

"Don't worry, you are waiting at home." Ouchi Katsura glanced at his wife.Recently the wife's attitude has become more submissive.The whereabouts of the city lord Dow is unknown, and the situation in Kasuya County is uneasy, so she should be very worried about her situation.

Under the attentive care of his wife, Katsuo Ouchi changed into his kimono, took two Japanese swords with him, and was about to go out.

"Husband..." His wife suddenly stopped him, and continued, "I had no choice but to do some things in the past."

"Well, I know. I was also at fault, and I have not been able to gain the trust of the family governor." Ouchi nodded very calmly, turned and walked out of the room.

With his entourage, Ouchi Katsuki came back to the castle lord's mansion.Some warriors have already come outside one after another. After being questioned by Ming officials at the door, everyone untied their weapons and walked in obediently.

The Ming army sergeant brought Ouchi Sheng to the front hall where the city lord was discussing matters.A general of the Ming army and an interpreter stood on it and asked, "Where is Dow, the lord of Kasuya County?"

Several samurai said that Dow went to the battlefield with the family governor Ouchi Shengjian and has not returned yet.

The interpreter asked again: "Dao's subordinates, is anyone coming back?"

There was no answer in the lobby at this time.

After a while, the interpreter conveyed the order of the general of the Ming army, asking the warriors to go to the hut at the back and ask questions separately.Ouchi Sheng held his breath, and went to a hut according to the requirements of the Ming people.

Like other warriors, he was a little apprehensive.Because everyone is afraid that the Ming army will deceive and gather before slaughtering.Yao Fang, whom Da Neisheng knew, also never showed up.

Suddenly the lattice door was opened, Ouchi Katsura looked up and was very pleasantly surprised.The person who came in was actually Yao Fang.

"Master Da Nei, long time no see, nice to meet you." Yao Fang clasped her fists and said.

Ouchi Katsuki sat on his knees, bowed and said in Chinese: "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Yao Fang skillfully placed the paper, pen and inkstone in her hand on the wooden case, which was the way the two communicated.

Yao Fang wrote two sentences to the effect: I have to wait for a while for the money I promised.

Ouchi Masaru: Don't worry, the situation is unclear now, and I have nowhere to hide the money.

Yao Fang: The Ming Dynasty and Japan are very likely to meet and make peace, and my country will occupy Hakata Bay, Iwami Kingdom and other places.The imperial court is not willing to rule Shi Jianguo directly, and is looking for someone who can take over.

The meaning of the official army and the middle army is that in order to restore the relationship with the Ouchi family, they want to assign Shi Jianguo to the Ouchi family in name, so they may have to find an agent in the Ouchi family.You are a warrior of the Ouchi Clan, and you have a heart for Daming, so you are a very good candidate.Are you interested in being the guardian of Iwami country?

Ouchi Katsura: I recommend one person, Tao Jing, the lord of Kasuya County.

Yao Fang looked at Ouchi Sheng with puzzled eyes, and wrote: Don't you hate him anymore?

Katsuo Ouchi leaned forward and bowed, and then wrote: There are many main combatants in various countries. After the defeat of the Japanese army, their anger has not disappeared.The Japanese who took refuge in Daming at the beginning will definitely become the target of public criticism.Japanese samurai have a very common way to treat this kind of people, assassination!

Suddenly, Yao Fang gave Da Nei Sheng a thumbs up.

Ouchi Katsura: Tao Jing was the Guardian of Ishijian Kingdom, and I went with him as a retainer.When Tao Jing was assassinated and the rumors subsided, I would assume another important position and secretly hold the real power of Shi Jianguo.

Yao Fang: This is a good way. I will report this matter to the commander-in-chief of the army.At that time, the Chinese army will arrange for a Han Chinese to become one of the subordinates of the Tao family.This person should be an official of the Japanese command envoy of the North Department of the Defense Department.