Chapter 56

Looking at the retreating back of Akihiko Tokunaga, Masahiro let out a long sigh. It seemed that the benefits of being a lord were indeed great, as he now had two wives. He just hoped there wouldn’t be any trouble in the back yard.

He stepped out of the council hall and hurried to the back yard.

Speaking of which, this was Masahiro’s first time to carefully observe the courtyard where the family members lived. The courtyard was quite large, with a small pond in the middle. A small mountain spring slowly flowed down from a small hill on the north side of the courtyard, eventually converging into the pond. Around the pond, seven or eight wooden houses were arranged in a staggered manner. The largest and tallest wooden house was situated on the small hill, which was where Masahiro had stayed last night. The courtyard was surrounded by a four-meter-high mud and wood wall. At this moment, by the pond in the center of the courtyard, two girls around thirteen or fourteen years old were playing with the water, splashing each other. Not far away, under a large tree, a young woman was gently speaking to a five or six-year-old girl. It was a beautiful and poetic scene.

“Your Highness,” the young woman, Matsu, who was holding the little girl, noticed Masahiro standing not far away and quickly put down the girl, Tamako, to bow. Tamako, who had clearly been instructed by Matsu, did not shout “Big Brother” as she usually did, but instead stared at Masahiro with wide, twinkling eyes. Masahiro knew what those eyes meant; they were definitely asking if there was any good food.

The splashing by the pond caught the attention of Kikihime and Tsuru, who were also startled by Matsu’s voice. They quickly tidied their clothes and, with flushed faces, walked over to bow to Masahiro.

“Ha ha, you’re all here. Have you settled in well?” Masahiro found himself at a loss for words and asked casually.

“Your Highness, we have settled in. I, Tsuru, and Matsu are all staying in the wooden houses at the foot of the hill,” Kikihime pointed to a few wooden houses at the foot of the hill, explaining. It seemed they all planned to live close to Masahiro’s residence to make it easier to serve him.

“Hmm, is the meal ready?” To be honest, after the morning’s deliberations, Masahiro felt a bit hungry.

“Your Highness, it’s ready. I’ll go arrange it immediately,” Kikihime said immediately.

“Let’s eat here. Just spread a cloth on the ground,” Masahiro suddenly wanted to have a meal in this beautiful courtyard, which would give a sense of a picnic. The head of the household’s request could not be disobeyed, so everyone immediately went to prepare.

Soon, the food was laid out. Today’s meal was quite rich, with a bowl of mixed grain rice (finally no more porridge), a small dish of wild vegetables, a small bowl of pickled pork, and several pieces of dried fish. The pickled pork was from the wild boar they had hunted earlier, and the dried fish was from the recent drying. Apart from the mixed grains, the rest could be considered a daimyo’s menu. Since the three women were having a meal with Masahiro in this unusual way for the first time, they all seemed a bit nervous. Only after Masahiro’s repeated urging did they lower their heads and start eating in small bites. However, the little girl, Tamako, had no such reservations. She stuck to Masahiro’s side as usual, eating with large bites and mumbling, “Big Brother, there are no big fish today? There are many big fish there,” pointing to the pond in the courtyard.

“Cough... cough...” Masahiro, who was eating, almost choked on the little girl’s odd request. It seemed she had become fond of the steamed fish he had made on a whim last time. Kikihime and Tsuru were both extremely amused by the scene but, to maintain their composure, they tightly closed their mouths and tried to suppress their laughter, their bodies trembling slightly. Matsu, on the other hand, looked very nervous.

“Um, little Tamako, I’ll make it for you later!” Masahiro awkwardly said, gently rubbing the little girl’s hair with his right hand.

“Mm-hmm, Big Brother, I’ll make such big fish for you too,” the little girl said seriously upon hearing Masahiro’s promise.

“Sure, the big fish little Tamako makes will definitely be delicious,” Masahiro said happily. What a pure and innocent child. The somewhat stiff and solemn atmosphere, due to the women’s initial nervousness, became much more lively because of the little girl’s words.

The meal was quickly finished. Masahiro signaled Matsu, who was about to clear the dishes, to wait. He took out several sheets of paper from his chest and handed them to the women one by one, gesturing for them to read the contents. Kikihime and Tsuru had been personally taught by their fathers, Akihiko Tokunaga and Kousuke, and could read. Kikihime even had excellent handwriting. Matsu, on the other hand, had been discovered by Masahiro to be able to read when she was helping him organize the domain school’s documents. Upon further inquiry, it turned out that her husband had taught her. Masahiro had felt extremely regretful that Matsu’s husband had been killed, as he would have been another capable vassal. At the same time, he felt fortunate to have encountered so many people with cultural backgrounds in Kyushu, which was considered a place of exile. In this era, education was controlled by temples, and most farmers did not value reading and writing.

“Kikihime, you will serve as my secretary, responsible for recording the deliberations at each meeting. You will also manage the domain’s finances, and any disbursement of money must be approved by me. Lastly, you will manage the support for the orphans of fallen warriors. I will arrange some ashigaru to assist you, and there are detailed implementation rules on the paper. Please read them carefully,” Masahiro said to Kikihime first.

“Yes, Your Highness, I understand,” Kikihime bowed in response. In fact, Akihiko Tokunaga had already given her thorough instructions, and Kikihime was determined to fulfill her role as the lord’s wife.

“Matsu, you will arrange for the women to continue managing the fields at the foot of the hill. There are currently dozens of homeless women and farmers who cannot manage their fields alone. Please arrange for them as you did before, and request more fields from Akihiko Tokunaga, focusing on the crops I require. You will also be responsible for managing the domain’s farming tools and relief measures, and there are detailed rules on the paper,” Masahiro turned to Matsu after instructing Kikihime.

“This... Your Highness,” Matsu, seeing the lord suddenly assign such important tasks to her, was at a loss. Masahiro waved his hand, smiled at her, and gave her an encouraging look. Feeling Masahiro’s gaze, Matsu blushed and quickly bowed in response.

“Tsuru, in addition to taking care of my daily life, please help them more,” Masahiro said to Tsuru last. Tsuru, who had not expected to be given a task so soon after joining the household, her status still uncertain, was overjoyed and quickly bowed in response. Looking at the women before him, Masahiro felt deeply moved. According to modern standards, he did not intend to keep them in the back yard as mere decorations. In this era in Japan, many of the lord’s women had responsibilities, such as cleaning the heads of defeated samurai, preparing meals before battles, and organizing farmers for agricultural work. Therefore, assigning them tasks was not an outrageous idea. The deeper purpose was to keep them busy and foster cooperation among them to prevent any trouble in the back yard.

(PS: The first volume is about to conclude, and a new one is about to unfold. In the new chapters, schemes, plots, and strategies will abound; love, family, and cold-bloodedness will intertwine; and fierce, intense, and deadly struggles will ensue. Stay tuned. Dear readers, don’t leave after reading; even if you don’t have votes, add it to your bookshelf. I humbly request your support. My goal is to write over 1.5 million words, even if it means a spectacular failure. I enjoy writing and embracing solitude.)

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