Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Because it was held after the grand wedding of Nobuo and Komatsu-hime, it was relatively simple. Yoshikawa Tsuneyoshi also bid farewell to his father, Yoshikawa Motoharu, and received the character "Hiro" from Oda Nobuhiro, changing his name to Yoshikawa Hiroie. He received 5,000 koku of rice and served as a retainer under Oda Nobuo. Or, more accurately, his mother's clothes...

Crowd.

As one of the hostages handed over by the Mori clan to the Oda clan, Hiroie Kikkawa had no choice but to follow Oda Nobuo around. There was absolutely no possibility of him returning home in the short term.

Mori Motonari's eighth son, Suetsugu Motoyasu, was in a similar situation. Because Izumo Province was granted to Amago Katsuhisa, his 2,400 kan of Izumo Suetsugu's estate were converted. Now, this same estate has been handed over to Oda Nobukatsu as the commander of the Makai clan, also receiving a grant of 5,000 koku. Whether he can succeed depends on his own abilities.

"How could the Prime Minister act in this way?" When Shichibei returned to Kishiwada Castle and sat down with several of his senior retainers, Todo Takatora was the first to "fire a tirade."

Since the Ataka father and son had become independent, Shichibei lost his territories in Izumi Sakai Minami-sho and Awaji Shichiku, and was compensated with 63,000 koku of land in Kii Province's Iwamuro. Therefore, it was necessary to dispatch a deputy governor, establish town offices, and select local soldiers to guard the area.

Iwamuro Castle is a real castle, just like Wakayama Castle. You have to choose a castle magistrate or call in a castle officer. It's a serious matter, and it needs to be discussed openly.

"Eh!" Takenaka Hanbei raised his hand, signaling Todo Takatora to say less.

“If it were a matter of force, that would be one thing, but we have already secured our safety and security.” Hara no Nagayoshi spoke a fair word.

Those Yorimitsu who were confined in Kii Province, and who were recruited from various regions, were at least nominally still Nobunaga's vassals, Kawamura Yorimitsu. Therefore, it would be reasonable for them to be reassigned or allowed to become independent. However, it is unreasonable to confine Ataka Kiyoyasu to Motoyomitsu, who had already become a retainer, within Shichibei's territory.

"My lord has his own reasons." Shichibei could already guess the reason.

It was almost certain that Oda Nobukatsu wanted to strengthen his own retainers in preparation for his succession. Nobunaga's retainers were all being dispersed throughout the country, stationed as spies. He wouldn't be leaving many capable people for Nobukatsu; he'd have to find them himself.

It was rare for Nobukatsu to ask him for help. Before this, Nobukatsu had acted very obediently, following Oda Nobuhiro on his expedition to Kozuke without complaint, earning both merit and hardship. Now that he had spoken up, Nobunaga had no choice but to swallow his pride and ask Shichibei for the man. Besides, he had already compensated Shichibei with 63,000 koku, which was quite a good amount of compensation.

It's this kind of forceful extortion of retainers that's ugly, really ugly.

"His prime minister took a liking to it and came to demand it. But what if he takes a fancy to Kishiwada Castle? How are we supposed to react?" Todo Takatora, who usually...

He was quite calm and composed, but the main issue was that the matter was handled in a very improper way.

"Alas, such willful behavior is indeed the source of chaos." Takenaka Hanbei, hearing that Nobunaga had stopped cursing, did not stop him.

Nobunaga can't be scolded, so can't Nobukatsu either? These days, the heavens and earth are truly reversed. Shichibei started as a lowly stable boy in Owari, serving Nobunaga hand and foot, doing all sorts of lousy, lowly jobs, and only managed to climb to his current position with great difficulty.

"It's more than just the source of trouble; the situation at home was never very stable to begin with." Anyway, there were no outsiders. Although Nagayori was promoted by Nobunaga, he had already been silenced by Shichibei. Besides, this was an insult to Nobuo.

Around this time last year, the Oda clan experienced a large-scale rebellion that swept through the Kinai and Noo regions. Akechi Mitsuhide and Azai Nagamasa joined the rebellion, immediately drawing in Takeda Motoaki, Kyogoku Takatsugu, Tsutsui Junkei, Abe Sadayoshi, and other mercenary groups from Koga, Iga, and Negoro.

Half of the Oda clan's base of operations in the Kinai region was wiped out by a combination of destruction and attack. Not only did Oda Nobutada die in battle, but Murai Sadakatsu and his son also died, Inaba Ittetsu died in battle, and the organizational structure of the Gifu army was completely destroyed.

If Oda Nobunaga hadn't been alive, the Oda clan would have collapsed.

Having just calmed the unrest in people's hearts, he's already getting cocky again, doing such a disgraceful thing. What are his subordinates supposed to think? Especially what are Shichibei and Kawamura's retainers supposed to think?

"As long as our lord is still alive, then everything is fine." Shichibei decided not to pursue the matter further, as there was no point in doing so.

Rebellion? You're kidding me. To rebel over something like this is too childish. Besides, we didn't rebel when there was a great opportunity to do so before, and now we're rebelling? That's just asking for death.

"How many more years can the Prime Minister's reign last?" Tōdō Takatora asked the most profound question.

Everyone fell silent. What was said was indeed true. And at a certain level, it was no secret. Didn't Hideyoshi Hashiba and Nagahide see it? They could see it perfectly well, they just chose not to say it.

When Mori Ranmaru was allowed to shave his forehead, come of age, and leave the koju (a branch of the household) to become the head of the koju, everyone, including Shichibei, already had some guesses.

On the contrary, when I saw Oda Nobuhiro the other day, although he was already one-eyed, he seemed to be in pretty good condition overall. He was also working hard for his son, who was born late in life. If it weren't for having a boy, he would have retired long ago. It's like he's burning himself out to light up his son's life.

However, Oda Nobuhiro was getting old, and who knew whether he or Nobunaga would pass away first. If Nobunaga passed away, the Oda clan would at least still have Oda Nobuhiro as a pillar of strength.

Just as Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, there was still Maeda Toshiie. With Maeda Toshiie around, although there were undercurrents beneath the surface, everyone was in a state of suppressed activity.

Who can blame Maeda Toshiie? He's highly skilled, has a strong rank, and commands a staggering 1.2 million koku of rice. He's influential and can be targeted at any location.

Oda Nobuhiro was another example. He was of decent skill and rank, controlled the entire Shinano province, and had the authority to command all the generals on the eastern front. If he were alive, it's hard to say whether the Oda clan would have fallen into chaos.

"Even if the Prime Minister passes away, there will still be Prime Minister Kaizu." Shichibei still believed that the Oda family's rule could be maintained.

"How long can Prime Minister Kaizu support us?" These were the words of Takenaka Hanbei.

By the way, Oda Nobuhiro is currently undertaking a large-scale renovation of Kaizu Castle. Originally, Kaizu Castle could only hold about ten thousand people, since it was originally Kosaka Masanobu's residence, which only held eight thousand. Now, Oda Nobuhiro plans to cram in at least twenty to thirty thousand people, making the original Kaizu Castle seem small.

After the renovation is completed, it will be renamed. I don't know if it will continue to be called Kaizu, or be changed to Matsushiro Castle? Or Matsushiro Castle?

"Alas, since ancient times there has been no power that has not been destroyed, nor a country that has not changed. For now, peace and stability are enough." Shichibei didn't want to argue about this, and simply waved his hand.

But to everyone else, the words sounded like, "Haha, could it be that Shichibei has already begun to engage in the next round of competition after Oda Nobunaga's death?"

It should be noted that this year is the ninth year of Tensho, which is 1581 AD, and Shichibei is only thirty-five years old. This is the biggest advantage. Mori Motonari, Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, and Hojo Ujiyasu are all dead, and Oda Nobunaga, Hashiba Hideyoshi, Takigawa Kazumasu, Niwa Nagahide, and others are all approaching or over fifty.

Compared to them, Shichibei has the potential to compete in the next season and has ample time to enter the game.

The Kawamura family could definitely be the first team to prepare for the playoffs!

Whether preparing for war is useful or not is another matter; let's prepare for war first. The senior officials, each with their own thoughts, temporarily set aside this discussion and instead began talking about the Iwamuro Castle in Ki Province.

The castle governor of Iwamuro Castle was Hatakeyama Sadamatsu; it's unclear whether he followed Hatakeyama Nobutaka to Nagato after his transfer. The actual person in charge of local administration was Yu.

As the deputy governor of Kishu, Kawa Naoharu is unlikely to consider moving to Nagato.

If the two are unwilling to leave, then we must negotiate with them to get them to withdraw from Iwamuro Castle. They're local bullies, after all; they definitely need to be dealt with.

Some people take drastic measures, while others handle it gently; it depends on the situation.

So who should go? Shichibei thought for a moment and then asked Hara Nagayori if he was willing to make the trip. He would lead his troops into Iwamuro Castle. In any case, Shichibei's forces were all around. If anything happened, he could just give an order and mobilize them to come to the aid of Iwamuro Castle.

"It's a piece of cake." Hara no Nagayori was, after all, a samurai with a salary of 30,000 koku and more than a thousand men under his command, capable of undertaking the combat mission of one flank.

This kind of takeover work was not difficult for him. Kishu had shaved his head so many times, Hatakeyama Sadamatsu and Yukawa Naoharu would make their own choices, they wouldn't just raise an army and defend the castle, would they?

"Go quickly and come back quickly, don't linger too long," Shichibei simply instructed.

After taking over the territory of Iwamuro Castle, Shichibei now has a direct fief of over 120,000 koku. That's quite a large territory; he'll probably need to find a way to recruit more retainers and install more samurai.

545. Seeking gardeners by imperial decree

After cuddling his eldest son, Shichibei sat down and chatted with Lady Takaya. "You Hatakeyama people have really made something of yourselves. During the Muromachi Shogunate, you were Kanrei and Shugo no Takamon, and now you're a provincial governor under the Oda regime. You've done right by your ancestors."

As a result, Mrs. Takaya leaned against the armrest and said that Nobutaka Hatakeyama would definitely not stop there.

"Hmm?" Shichibei put the baby down and handed him to a maid, asking her to find a wet nurse to feed the child.

"Although Jiroshiro is young, he has high aspirations." No one knows a son better than his mother. Lady Takaya and Hatakeyama Nobutaka have relied on each other for so many years, and she actually has some understanding of Hatakeyama Nobutaka's ambitious but incompetent character.

Shichibei, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much for his adopted son. Besides, the boy was almost old enough to start elementary school when he arrived, and he knew perfectly well that his father was Hatakeyama Akitaka, so it was impossible to raise him as a complete child.

Lady Hatakeyama wouldn't have said these things to Shichibei before, but now, haha, it's probably because she and Shichibei have a child together. How do you say it in Japanese? It's because of this bond that they can open up and share their innermost thoughts.

"It's good that he has ambition." Shichibei could only give these adopted sons some initial capital; the rest they had to work hard for themselves.

Hatakeyama Nobutaka was able to curry favor with Oda Nobuo on his own, and even went to Yoshida-Koriyama Castle as a hostage, and worked tirelessly to facilitate the marriage between Mori Terumoto and Oda Nobunaga. He had already done a great deal of work.

"But..." Mrs. Takaya sighed slightly, feeling that her son did not have the magnanimity to match her.

“Things are always accomplished step by step like this. He’s still young and has plenty of opportunities to try and fail.” Shichibei thought to himself that Hatakeyama Nobutaka and Oda Nobuo were as close as brothers, and might even have a close relationship where they slept in the same bed. What was there to be afraid of?

If he makes a minor mistake, he can certainly be forgiven if he begs for forgiveness from Oda Nobukatsu. Besides, what serious mistake could Hatakeyama Nobutaka possibly make? He can neither be a senior retainer of the Oda clan nor a general or vice-general of an army. In the end, he can only serve as an assistant to Oda Nobukatsu, handling peripheral matters; he won't cause any major trouble.

"I hope so." Mrs. Takaya certainly hoped her son would do well, and he was indeed getting better step by step, so what else could she say?

"The new prime minister of Kochi is a rising star. He is also attracting capable men. The direction will not be..."

"Too much of a deviation." Although Shichibei was dissatisfied with Oda Nobuo's forced acquisition of the Atake family, he could also see that Nobuo had a strong desire for power.

Before seizing ultimate power in the Oda regime, Nobukatsu's burgeoning lust for power will keep him relatively prudent. Even if their ship veers slightly off course at this point, it won't stray too drastically. Generally, it will still stay on the right track, just at different speeds.

Didn't you see he's already pulled Ataka Kiyoyasu into his fold? Ataka Kiyoyasu, despite being crippled, managed to raise over 20,000 koku for the Ataka family; he's quite a figure. If he were to give Oda Nobukatsu proper advice, he might be able to guide Nobukatsu onto the right path.

"You're right," Mrs. Takaya replied, but her mood wasn't particularly high.

"My lord, a letter has arrived from Kyoto." Saegusa Morinaka hurried over, knelt on the veranda, and interrupted Shichibei and Lady Takaya's conversation.

"Bring it here so I can see it." If it's a letter from Kyoto, then everything should be fine.

Even when Emperor Ogimachi visited the Azuchi Seiryoden, Shichibei was not in charge. The person actually in charge of the matter was the newly appointed Kyoto Shojidai, Matsui Tomokazu, with the assistance of the Right Brush Kusunoki Masatora, the Takagi Hosokawa Akimoto, and the Tango no Kami Nagaoka Fujitaka (Hosokawa Fujitaka).

The Seiryoden was built under the supervision of Niwa Nagahide. Its main building was moved from the Gobo Chudo of Ishiyama Osaka Castle. The building is quite magnificent and grand, without any problems.

"Huh?" Once he unfolded it, Shichibei knew what it was about.

Nobunaga requested that Emperor Ōgimachi make an imperial tour to Azuchi, which was scheduled to begin in the early spring. After the tour, he would proceed with the abdication process, elevating Crown Prince Naruhito to the throne. The tour would continue the following year, with the emperor residing at the Seiryoden Palace, eventually becoming a tradition.

There is a very small issue here, so small that no one had ever mentioned it before, not even the court officials themselves.

Where did Emperor Ogimachi live after his abdication?

The inner palace should be given to Prince Naruhito to reside in. Emperor Ōgimachi can't possibly follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, find a large temple, become a monk, and then, relying on the temple's strong influence and economic and military power, establish an insei (cloistered government) to control the country.

The major temples of Yamato and Kii provinces had long been ravaged by the wars. Now, even Negoro-ji and Kongō-ō-ji on Mount Kōya have been destroyed, and Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei near Kyoto is still not allowed to be rebuilt. No one dares to rebuild it, and Nobunaga is still alive.

Since there was no powerful temple to allow the retired emperor to become a Buddhist monk, the only option was to build a palace to house him.

You ask why the imperial court never thought of this issue? It's because going back to the Nara, Kashiwabara, and Tsuchimikado emperors, all three emperors passed away normally, and their crown princes succeeded to the throne.

Why didn't they hold the abdication ceremony? Because Japan was in the chaotic Sengoku period, and the imperial court didn't have the funds to hold one. When an emperor died, there was no money for a proper burial, and he died in the summer; the coffin lid couldn't even hold him down properly.

Without money, a grand ceremony could not be held, so much so that none of the living nobles have ever experienced such a thing, let alone imagined it.

Only after Nobunaga explicitly stated his intention to abdicate did the imperial court hastily begin preparations for the abdication ceremony. Then, the question arose of where the abdicated Emperor Ōgimachi would reside.

Due to the war in Kyoto, the original imperial palaces were either burned down or destroyed in the war. Therefore, it is now necessary to build the "Sento Imperial Palace" and to house the abdicated emperor.

The term "Sento Gosho" does not refer solely to the two imperial palaces in Tokyo or Kyoto in later times. It refers to any imperial palace where a retired emperor resided.

It's said to be a place for immortals to reside, regardless of its actual location; it's just a name. Occasionally, "Immortal Cave" is even used as a euphemism for an emperor.

For example, the retired Emperor Hanazono directly converted the Myoshin-ji Temple in the northwest of Heian-kyo into the Sento Palace. In addition, Sento Palace is the official name publicly known, but it also has a separate name in private. The retired Emperor Hanazono's Sento Palace is called Hagiwara-in.

Emperor Go-Mizunoo's Sento Palace was called Sakuramachi-dono, and with the assistance of Kobori Enshu, a garden was built. Later, new buildings such as the Kasugata-tei and Yoshin-tei were added. After Emperor Taisho abdicated, Emperor Shōkō moved him to the Ōmiya Palace.

Nobunaga had only one task at hand: to send Shichibei to Kyoto to oversee the large-scale construction of the Sento Palace to house the soon-to-abdicate Emperor Ogimachi.

"How did this kind of thing fall on our shoulders?" Shichibei doesn't know how to build a large garden, so we have to find two "gardeners" to make it happen.

"..." Saegusa Morinaka didn't know that Shichibei had ended up in such a position.

Alright, send someone to invite Tsuda Munekichi, Imai Munehisa, Takeno Munekazu, and Ishigami Tsuguyoshi from Tsuruga. First, one...

After the charter is finalized, other matters will be considered.

If we don't have the skills, we can't take on this task. Please, Nobunaga, find someone more capable; we're not refusing.

Tsuda Munekichi and the other two arrived very quickly, as they were in Beicho. Upon learning that the Sento Palace was to be built for the retired emperor, they were all extremely surprised, as this had not happened in Japan for over a hundred years.

Not only were there no existing buildings to reference, but none of the people who had seen them survived. The contractor was left to design and build according to their own ideas.

When Ishigami Tsuguyoshi arrived, he was also completely baffled, as he indeed had no experience with this. The Ishigami family were considered cultured, with generations of Chinese poetry skills passed down, but they were still helpless when it came to building the Sento Palace.

Send someone to invite Karasuma Mitsunori.