Chapter 28

"I am Kōko, the second daughter of the Karahashi family."

The unreasonable demands from Seiki were successfully resolved by the financial power of the Shinchi family. It seems that Ita, who is not a noble, earns his living by acting as a mediator.

Shōshin thought that the girl standing before him looked very much like the one in the example portrait. He knew that if he continued searching, no matter how much time he had, it would never be enough. It was impossible for there to be a woman exactly like the one in the portrait, and Seiki must have known that too. However, he thought that she should at least have a similar atmosphere.

Shōshin thought that if he were to marry such a beautiful woman, he would be overjoyed. He instinctively understood the greatness of money.

"If he complains, I'll tell Lady Kyōko," he thought.

Seiki was a man who did things his own way, but he was weak only for his elder sister, Kyōko. If the bride didn't please her, he thought he could ask Kyōko to do something about it. He was not compromising; he was just too busy with other things, he told himself.

"I am Shōshin of the Shinchi family. Kōko-sama, what is that hairstyle?"

"The man who will be my husband likes this hairstyle."

Kōko's hairstyle, a twin-tail, was very similar to the one in the portrait. Shōshin was again impressed by the power of money, which could make a noble lady's daughter adopt such a hairstyle.

"May I ask how old you are, Kōko-sama?"

"I am fifteen, but what of it?"

"No, it's just that it's very wonderful."

Before leaving the Shinchi family, Shōshin had been forced to listen to the 'profile' of the woman depicted in the portrait, as told by Seiki. Apparently, the girl in the portrait was fourteen years old. The age difference was only one year, and Shōshin decided that this met the conditions.

"Once the wedding preparations are complete, we will come to Ise. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, I look forward to meeting Seiki-sama."

Well, in a sense, it might be enjoyable, and he might not get bored with someone like him, Shōshin thought. He respected Seiki for his abilities and thought his appearance was not bad. Of course, he would never say this out loud, as it would be disrespectful to his lord's younger brother.

"Shall we proceed with the preparations?"

"Yes, please."

Shōshin decided the amount of the engagement gift and the annual allowance to the Karahashi family, and also dealt with the task of converting the large amount of Yongle Tongbao coins loaded on the ship into bit money.

"But the court nobles are so poor..."

The Shinchi family decided to send an annual allowance of 100 kan to the Karahashi family, and they were overjoyed when they heard this. Shōshin was genuinely taken aback, as 100 kan was only enough for a mid-level commander or official in the Shinchi family.

"I receive more than ten times that amount."

"Looking forward to your next visit."

After finishing his business, Shōshin was seen off by Tsuda Sōkatsu, and he returned to Shinchi with Kōko and her dowry, which was extremely meager and made him want to cry.

The ship arrived safely in Shinchi without any trouble, and Seiki and Kōko met.

"I am Kōko. Seiki-sama, please treat me well."

"Kōko-chan, you're so kawaii~"

Shōshin decided not to mind Seiki's strange comment when he met Kōko. It seemed that Seiki liked her, which was the most important thing.

After all, his current fortunate situation was partly due to the strange Seiki. People build mental shelves to live, and Shōshin felt that he had grown a little more mature after completing this task.

"The wedding ceremony is scheduled for an auspicious day."

"That's up to you, Shōshin."

Shōshin was also in charge of Seiki and Kōko's wedding ceremony. He had been doing a lot of work lately, but it was also because everyone was busy that he was given the task.

The wedding ceremony was attended by representatives from the Oda and Matsudaira families, as well as Fujitarō, Ichimasa, and Toshiie, making it a grand affair. Everything went smoothly, and Seiki returned to his life of rarely going out.

"Is Kōko-chan doing okay?"

"Seiki isn't a bad person."

"I know that, but..."

Kyōko was worried, and Hikaru supported his brother, but it seemed that the couple was getting along well, and Shōshin was relieved. The other retainers were also relieved, thinking that an heir would be born soon.

However, Shōshin should have noticed why Kōko got along so well with Seiki so quickly.

"Seiki-sama, please look. We have completed a battlefield yaoi manga combining the techniques of the Karahashi family, who even served as a Doctor of Literature, with the patterns brought by Seiki-sama, featuring 'Mōsuke as the seme and Ichimasa as the uke.'"

"I'm not interested in that kind of story, but it's a great technique. If we print it and sell it to female enthusiasts, we can make a good profit."

"We are also improving the patterns and story for a male audience."

"Good, I hope the next new release sells well."

"Yes! And I'm still deciding who to pair with Seishō-sama."

"Ah, Seishō. How about Kōfuku?"

"Isn't that too easy?"

"It could be."

These two, with their similar interests, were soon called a 'like-minded couple' by Kyōko. Kōko, in addition to being Seiki's wife and the mother of his children, became a successful businesswoman for Shinchi Publishing, gaining many customers.

Kōko, it turned out, had a hidden talent for being a fujoshi.

In the eighth year of Eiroku, the Oda family's development of Mino and Owari progressed, and the Shinchi family's development of Ise Shima, Iga, and part of Kii also advanced.

They connected and expanded the roads between the Oda and Shinchi territories, jointly carried out flood control projects, and exchanged people for new land development, mining, and town construction.

They also abolished most checkpoints and increased the number of places for free markets. The established guilds resisted, so they issued permits to new businesses to create competition and gradually reduce the power of the existing guilds.

Although the existing guilds resisted, the overall scale of business was expanding, so it wasn't a major issue. The increase in transaction amounts, but the decrease in market share, was a trap set by Nobunaga.

"I wish we could acquire the unique technology of the Shinchi family, but that might be too much to ask..."

The road construction in Mino, Owari, Ise Shima, Kii Shingu, and Iga Yamazato was progressing rapidly, and Nobunaga realized that he was deliberately making the army's movements faster to avoid raising Hikaru's suspicions about the Oda family.

While the Shinchi family's unique technology, such as the improvement of Tanegashima and large cannons, was gradually spreading, it was too much to ask for more.

The Oda family was already getting the best results in the current situation.

Just when it seemed that the peaceful days would continue, a political change occurred in Kyoto.

On May 19th, the successor to the late Miyoshi Nagayoshi, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, along with the Miyoshi Triumvirate (Miyoshi Nagayasu, Miyoshi Masanori, and Iwanari Tomomichi) and Matsunaga Hisahide, attacked the Kyoto Nijō Palace, and Shogun Yoshitaka was killed.

This is commonly known as the Eiroku Incident.

Even though the power of the Ashikaga shogunate had declined, the assassination of the shogun by his vassals in broad daylight plunged the Kinai region into chaos.

Hikaru was urgently summoned to Gifu by Nobunaga.

"Mits may have feelings for Yoshitaka, but this is a major event."

Even in the chaotic era, the Ashikaga shogunate existed and had a certain authority. With its weight gone, the Kinai region was now in great turmoil. Nobunaga mentioned the possibility of the Oda family being drawn into the Kinai chaos.

"Is Matsunaga Danjō, who is close to Mits, one of the conspirators?"

"His son, Hisahide, participated in the army that assassinated Yoshitaka. Even if he didn't know, he is still responsible. He will be rumored to have been involved in the plot."

He is the head of the Matsunaga family, which controls Yamato. It wouldn't be acceptable for his son to have moved the army on his own.

"Whatever the case, it's a fact that we have no immediate course of action."

Yoshitaka's death had no immediate impact on the governance of Mino and Owari. There was a possibility that the Kinai chaos would spread to Mino and Owari in the future, but they couldn't take action until it actually happened. The development of Owari, Mino, and Ise Shima was significant, so they could only promote development to prepare for any eventuality.

"We can only wait and see how the situation develops. If we build up our strength, we can respond to any situation."

"That's true."

A man watched their conversation with dissatisfaction. It was Shibata Katsuie, the third-ranking retainer of the Oda family.

He was third in rank after the chief retainer Hayashi Hidesada and the second retainer Sakuma Nobumori. There were also hereditary retainers and clan members, so even though he held a domain, Hikaru's rank was low. However, this was only because Nobunaga feared disrupting the harmony of the retainer group. Hikaru, who had married Nobunaga's sister Oichi and became his brother-in-law, was effectively the number two in the Oda family.

Katsuie disliked Hikaru because he knew this. There was also the reason that Hikaru had married the woman he liked, Oichi. Moreover, her pregnancy made him even more angry.

"What are the concerns you, Mits, have?"

"Long Island is still strong, even though it has weakened. And the situation in Iga..."

For three consecutive years, the residents of Long Island, who had been subjected to extreme tithes due to the divine punishment disturbances, were dissatisfied. Some had abandoned their faith and fled to the Shinchi domain, but Long Island maintained its population for military purposes by relocating believers from other regions. However, the new arrivals were not well-received as they were immediately subjected to tithes. Many of them quickly abandoned their faith, converted, and fled to the Shinchi domain.

However, the Ikkō-ikki still possessed considerable power. Hikaru did not neglect vigilance and weakening operations.

"Is it Iga?"

"Yes..."

The Shinchi family had obtained the Yamazato district through a truce with the Rokkaku clan and was investing money in its governance. They had developed the road to Ise and were promoting development as much as possible, but it was unclear when they would see a return on their investment.

"The local samurai in other districts are noisy, demanding that we open roads and develop the land."

If Iga were completely under the direct control of the Shinchi family, they could freely carry out construction and development. However, in this era, development was difficult. For example, if a river needed flood control, the work would proceed smoothly in a region directly controlled by a daimyo. However, in another region, the local lord might resist accepting outside labor, and they would have to demand relocation, which would be opposed by local samurai with vested interests.

Since it directly affected their livelihoods, they might even resist with force. Such cases were not uncommon, making efficient development difficult.

In the case of Ise Shima, the Shinchi family had forcibly turned the local samurai into money samurai and seized their land. They all received a new residence in the Shinchi domain and a certain amount of farmland, which they entrusted to their families.

Thus, development proceeded systematically, gaining support from the local residents and strengthening the Shinchi family's control.

"They are still affiliated with the Rokkaku clan, though."

The development of Iga outside the Yamazato district was not progressing because the Shinchi family did not want to listen to the selfish demands of the local samurai and because they were not allowed to intervene due to the arbitration with the Rokkaku clan.

However, what Hikaru did not expect was that they would start saying they were willing to become money samurai. The former local samurai of the Yamazato district, who had become money samurai, were heavily relied upon for intelligence and other tasks and lived well on their salaries. They shuttled between their original residences in the Yamazato district and their new residences in the Shinchi domain, and it was immediately apparent that their clothing and possessions had improved. The local samurai in other districts became envious.

"We are trading, but..."

The Yamazato district had developed the road to Ise, and the local industry had shifted to purchasing rice from Ise and cultivating buckwheat and millet to prepare for poor harvests. They also focused on forestry and cash crops. The establishment of a Shinchi family security force base and the spending of soldiers during mountain training had improved the local economy.

"As a result, the Yamazato district may be the wealthiest in Iga."

This outcome excited the local samurai in the other three districts of Iga. Some immediately declared their allegiance to the Shinchi family.

"However, due to the arbitration, we cannot accept them. It would provoke the Rokkaku clan."

Iga, which had been under their influence for years, was slipping from their hands. It was not a pleasant feeling. Moreover, the guardian Niki clan, though their influence was minimal, still existed. There was a possibility that the Rokkaku clan would send an army under the pretext of rescuing them.

"Considering the impact of the shogun's assassination and the aftermath of the Kannonji incident two years ago, I think the Rokkaku clan's military response would be limited, but..."

"Southern Ōmi..."

The base of the Rokkaku clan, but it was a troublesome place with many temple lands on Mount Hiei. It was not a place to be easily involved in.

"Lord, what about the three districts of Iga?"

"I don't need them. Give them to Mits."

The offer to cut off the three districts of Iga seemed generous, but it could also be seen as Nobunaga pushing the difficult-to-manage Iga onto Hikaru.

"However, I will not send troops..."

Hikaru thought, but the world was not that kind.

"Lord Shinchi, we have decided to follow your banner."

After the harvest in the eighth year of Eiroku, the majority of the local samurai in Iga abandoned the declining Rokkaku clan and surrendered to the Shinchi family. Hikaru had various thoughts, but he had no choice but to accept them. To his dismay, they accepted the condition of becoming money samurai for the Shinchi family. He had hoped to reject them by saying, "Unfortunately, the conditions don't match," but reality easily shattered his hopes.

"I look forward to your loyalty..."

Living in the mountains, they possessed special skills in intelligence and sabotage. It was advantageous to hire them with money, and they understood the benefit of the Shinchi family's development of their home region, Iga. They also considered the Shinchi family's high valuation of their skills in dealing with the local samurai of the southern Ōmi Kōga district, who possessed similar skills.

"Iga won't be a plus so easily..."

Still, with the financial power of the Shinchi family, the development of Iga progressed, and the transportation between Ise improved, making it much more convenient than before.