The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

In the autumn of the tenth year of Yonglu (1566).

When news of Nobunaga leading an army of 50,000 out of Gifu reached Kyoto, Mori Nagayoshi was watching the falling leaves in the courtyard of Honbonji Temple.

That day was the seventh day of the ninth lunar month.

The sky over Kyoto is a clear, deep blue, just like the waters of Lake Biwa.

During this period, Nagayoshi spent most of his time maintaining order in Kyoto.

Hosokawa Fujitaka and Akechi Mitsuhide were responsible for dealing with the Imperial Family and the nobility.

Inside the Honhonji Temple, Hideyoshi Hashiba was brandishing a bamboo sword. Nagayoshi was dozing against a pillar.

"Lord Mori, shall we go out and have some fun?" Hideyoshi, who was covered in sweat, suddenly suggested.

Hideyoshi was notorious for his womanizing. Now, far from Nene and the battlefield, he clearly had nowhere to release his boundless energy.

"You mean you're looking for women? Aren't you afraid Ningning will cause you trouble?"

Hideyoshi changed the subject, saying, "Kyoto is safer now, and I've heard there are more merchants coming from Sakai-cho. It's very lively."

"Okay, I'm bored anyway, I'll go shopping with you!"

The two then went out and headed towards Suzaku Avenue.

Suzaku Avenue was indeed more bustling than usual today.

Merchants from the town set up temporary sheds to sell glassware from the southern barbarians and to perform monkey shows.

Nagayoshi and Hideyoshi walked side by side, and Hideyoshi's eyes never left the waists of the women passing by.

Changqing saw a group of people gathered ahead and stopped in his tracks.

The crowd dispersed in a semi-circle, leaving an open space in the middle. In the center of the open space stood a simple wooden platform, covered with a faded red cloth, where several women were playing and singing.

Changqing stopped.

He saw the woman in the very center.

She knelt on the edge of the red cloth, head bowed, playing the dragon flute.

The wind came from the north, lifting a wisp of hair from her temple, and a strand of hair got caught in her long eyelashes.

She tried hard to focus on her performance, but couldn't resist the itch, and her winking and gesturing made her look quite cute.

"Kyoto is truly amazing... there are so many beautiful women!" Hideyoshi stopped and clicked his tongue.

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion arose at the back of the crowd.

Changqing turned to look.

Four or five samurai pushed through the crowd, fully armored, with katanas hanging at their waists, their steps heavy and steady.

The one in the lead, a man in his early twenties, had a smile on his face, but his eyes were fixed on the group of women on the stage.

"Where did these women come from! Who gave you permission to perform here!"

The warrior jumped onto the platform, which made a muffled thud.

"Come, come, let me take a look. Since we're selling anyway, why not sell anything else...?"

He reached out and touched the woman's face.

The woman tilted her head slightly, and the samurai grabbed at empty air.

Her expression was indifferent, like frost on withered grass in winter.

"stop."

Changqing heard his own voice rolling out of his throat.

The samurai turned around and sized him up. He was a newly recruited ronin by Ashikaga Yoshiaki and did not recognize Nagayoshi or Hideyoshi.

Seeing their ordinary attire, he assumed they were just wandering ronin from Kyoto.

"What are you?"

Changqing did not reply.

He went up on the stage.

"This is Kyoto. Lord Nobunaga has decreed that the people must not be disturbed."

The samurai paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Oda Nobunaga? Isn't that just the shogun's subordinate? A mere ronin, do you want me to find you a way in?"

Before Nagayoshi could get angry, Hideyoshi lost his temper first.

Hideyoshi's scabbard struck the samurai's shoulder, and the samurai cried out, almost kneeling down.

"You stray dog!" Hideyoshi was clearly showing off his power. "While I was waiting at Okehazama, you little brat were probably still a thug!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

"How dare you! Is Kyoto ruled by the Oda family?!"

The samurai drew his sword with a snarl, and Hideyoshi, not to be outdone, drew his own sword.

Hideyoshi took two steps forward, about to yell a curse, but was grabbed by the wrist by Nagayoshi.

"Hashiba-sama. Don't worry!"

Hideyoshi turned around and saw Nagayoshi's cold gaze, so he immediately chose to shut up.

Who would argue with a dead person?

He took two steps back, ready to watch the show.

Changqing looked down at the samurai who had staggered to his feet.

"My name is Mori Nagayoshi. You should have heard of me. What's your name?"

The samurai shuddered, gritting his teeth and remaining silent.

Mori has been maintaining order in Kyoto lately, so how could he not know that?

"To which general does he belong?"

He still didn't answer, and the other samurai, under Mori's pressure, also put away their swords.

"It's better that he has no backing... Everyone heard it; he didn't give his name. He's probably a spy working to disrupt the peace in the capital!"

The other warriors looked at each other, about to speak up to defend their leader.

But as Changqing uttered the last word, he drew his sword and pierced the man's throat.

"Mikazuki Munechika" seemed to sense his homeland, shining brightly in the sunlight.

The warriors were terrified, but dared not attack Changqing, and quickly scattered.

"Who said you could leave! Get me a plank of wood!"

Soon the wooden board arrived, and Changqing asked the performance owner for pen and ink, and began to write on the board.

Hideyoshi stood behind Nagayoshi. He didn't know many characters, so he barely managed to read them word by word.

"Mori Nagayoshi, under the orders of the Shogun and Oda Owari Governor, is to maintain the security of Kyoto. All troops in Kyoto, regardless of rank or position, are forbidden from rushing about, making noise, or disturbing the people. Anyone who violates this order will be executed immediately."

Changqing then summoned the warriors.

"Copy this signboard ten times and put it at every major intersection!"

"Yes!" the samurai quickly replied.

They had all heard of Mori Nagayoshi's formidable reputation. If things went wrong and Nagayoshi held their master accountable, they would only lose even more face.

……

After the matter was resolved, the onlookers applauded and cheered!

The women on stage dared not linger, lest they cause further trouble.

The boss who brought them out to perform was a middle-aged man. He offered half of today's reward money to Changqing, but Changqing refused.

Nagayoshi even made Hideyoshi pay five strings of cash as "compensation for mental distress" to the boss.

This drew cheers and jubilation from the people.

"Lord Mori!"

"Lord Mori is such a kind person!"

"With Lord Mori here, there's hope for peaceful days ahead!"

Hideyoshi looked pained.

It's like losing money to promote someone else's business!

"You should thank Lord Hashiba! It was Lord Hashiba, Lord Nobunaga's right-hand man, who paid for it!"

Nagayoshi's repeated refusals and modest remarks pleased Hideyoshi greatly.

However, at that moment, the women quietly left.

The woman put away the dragon flute and bowed her head to Changqing.

She walked past him, her sleeve brushing against his clothes, leaving behind a refreshing fragrance.

He had smelled this scent when he accompanied Nobunaga on a visit to Atsuta Shrine.

When Nagayoshi came to his senses, he found that Hideyoshi was no longer there.

He probably followed the group of women away...

The following morning, ten wooden signs appeared overnight on nine major east-west avenues in Kyoto, including Suzaku Avenue.

Some literate merchants stopped to read aloud, while some illiterate farmers stood on tiptoe to look.

When the news reached Honbonji Temple, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was playing chess with Hosokawa Fujitaka.

Upon hearing this, his hand holding the chess piece hovered in mid-air.

"Mori... Nagayoshi?"

"Yes," the messenger replied, bowing his head.

Yoshiaki lost one son.

"They actually killed my samurai and used him to establish their own reputation! The despicable Oda clan!"

By this time, Hosokawa Fujitaka had already reached a consensus with Akechi Mitsuhide: Yoshiaki's abilities were simply not commensurate with his ambitions.

No matter what, Mori Nagayoshi was Ashikaga Yoshiteru's second, thus preserving the shogun's reputation.

"General, you're overthinking it..." Fujitaka responded with a move of his own.