Yashiro the Blind

"Yes."

Naoto frowned slightly and echoed his words.

The Tsutsui clan and Matsunaga Hisahide were longtime enemies, fighting back and forth for seven years, with the flames of war spreading throughout Yamato. Their hatred ran deep and they were irreconcilable...

In fact, the reason why the Tsutsui family so readily stood on Ashikaga Yoshiteru's side this time was initially to use the righteous cause of supporting the shogun to take revenge on their nemesis.

If you were to suddenly tell them that Matsunaga Hisahide had sent a secret letter expressing his intention to surrender, you can imagine how these monks from Tsutsui would react.

This is also why Ashikaga Yoshiteru read the letter overnight and rushed over at dawn:

Although there are several factions within Shigiyama Castle, only the Tsutsui, Ii, Iga, and Yagyu families have become truly powerful.

Among them, Yagyu Muneyoshi was a straightforward and blunt warrior, so discussing this matter with him wouldn't be very meaningful. With that in mind, Ashikaga Yoshiteru could only discuss it privately with Naotora and Yashiro to see how to make a decision.

"Accepting Matsunaga will inevitably anger Tsutsui, but if we refuse Matsunaga, we cannot guarantee a successful start in the upcoming battle of Hanoi... This old fox has really given us a dilemma."

“Or perhaps… this is Matsunaga Danjo’s real purpose?” Yashiro suddenly asked.

"You mean—" Ashikaga Yoshiteru's expression changed slightly, and he exchanged a glance with Naotora, also seeing a hint of surprise on the composed woman's face.

"With just a letter, there's no better way to sow discord between His Highness the Lord and Lord Tsutsui than this 'cheap and effective' tactic. Moreover, the bait Matsunaga Danjo has thrown out is truly tempting; even knowing it's bait, we still can't help but be tempted..."

"Does this mean that Matsunaga Hisahide is not genuinely interested in joining our side?" The general frowned.

"Hard to say."

This time, it was Naotora who spoke up, "I have heard people say that the Miyoshi clan is not a monolithic entity. Matsunaga Danjo, as an outsider, was able to rise rapidly in rank because he was favored by the magistrate, but this also caused him to have a bad relationship with other retainers, especially the Miyoshi clan."

She licked her slightly dry lips and said, "After the doctor's death, the two sides put this conflict directly in the open... It's not impossible that Matsunaga Danma wanted to take this opportunity to change sides and eliminate Miyoshi Hyuga-no-kami and others whom he considered thorns in his side."

People's hearts are hidden behind their skin, which is the most difficult thing to fathom, let alone a cunning and calculating character like Matsunaga Hisahide.

The three discussed the topic for a while longer, but still couldn't draw a conclusion. Then they thought that even this speculation and dilemma might be part of the other party's calculations.

"It's troublesome..."

Ashikaga Yoshiteru sighed softly, then his expression turned serious. "In any case, let's treat this as a real matter for now. Even if, as Yashiro says, it's just Matsunaga Hisahide's scheme to sow discord, all schemes in this world are a mix of truth and falsehood. Who can guarantee... that he didn't have any similar intentions at all?"

"Moreover, this handwritten letter is still in our hands. Whether it's true or false, it's not something Matsunaga Dansei can explain away with just a few words," Yashiro added with a smile.

"In other words, our most pressing issue now is how to persuade the Tsutsui family. Considering the grudges between them, this may not be easy, and... in addition, there is something about the Tsutsui family that I find somewhat puzzling."

Naoki seemed to be deep in thought.

"What is it?" Ashikaga Yoshiteru was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Masazutsui family head, regarding Lord Shunsho's affairs."

If it were Yashiro, even when facing the Shogun, he would still keep things in suspense and whet people's appetites.

However, Naotora was an honest man and didn't engage in such formalities. When the general asked, he immediately explained frankly, "In the past month, although I had many contacts with the samurai of the Tsutsui family, I had never seen Lord Junsho in person..."

"So it seems that I have only met Shunzhao a few times, and each time I have not been able to say more than a few words. As for most of the time, I have been dealing with Tsutsui Shunzheng and Shunguo."

Ashikaga Yoshiteru blinked, realizing something was amiss. "According to the Tsutsui family, the head of the family fell seriously ill several years ago and was unable to receive guests, so he handed over the family affairs to his two younger brothers... Miss Naotora, do you perhaps think there's something wrong with this?"

"If it is because Lord Junsho is unwell and has to be regent, then there is no problem. But... I wonder if Your Highness has noticed that almost every time there is an event involving the Tsutsui family, Lord Junsho Tsutsui always brings his elder brother's child, Fujikatsumaru."

Tsutsui Fujikatsumaru, who would later become Tsutsui Junkei, was born in the 18th year of the Tenbun era. He was 16 years old this year and had not yet come of age, so people still called him by his nickname.

A fifteen or sixteen-year-old child is not exactly young. Someone like the older sister Nagao Kagetora next door, who is already on the battlefield conquering territories at that age, seems too early to be the head of the family, no matter how you look at it.

If the father, as the head of the family, had died early, it would have been fine, but now Tsutsui Junji is still alive. Although he is seriously ill, Ashikaga Yoshiteru had met him a few times before. In his memory, this head of the Tsutsui family had a ruddy complexion and a gentle voice. Although he was not particularly strong, he could obviously live for several more years if nothing unexpected happened.

In this situation, it's hard not to think that Tsutsui Junsei and others are so obviously building up support for the young emperor.

"I hadn't thought much of it before, but after you mentioned it, Miss Naotora, I feel there's something really fishy about this. In your opinion, what exactly is going on?" Ashikaga Yoshiteru asked again.

Naotora shook his head: "I cannot say for sure either, but based on common sense, there are only two possibilities. Either the Tsutsui brothers, Junsei and Junkoku, have joined forces to sideline their elder brother and attempt to seize power... But if that's the case, they shouldn't have allowed His Highness to meet Lord Junsho directly, and when they did meet, Lord Junsho would have no reason not to ask you for help. In that case, only another possibility remains—"

At this point, Naotora paused slightly, seemingly hesitating whether or not to reveal his further speculation.

Yashiro continued for her: "The real Tsutsui Junzhao is dead. The current 'head of the Tsutsui family' is most likely just a figurehead put on for outsiders."

"Shadow Warrior?"

"Indeed, Tsutsui Junzhao is exceptional in both literary and military affairs. At a young age, he led his troops to unify Yamato. But precisely because of this... once news of his death spreads, the various forces in Yamato that have only recently submitted will surely launch a full-scale counterattack. Coupled with Matsunaga Hisahide's invasion, if it were a young woman, she probably wouldn't directly announce the death of her family head. Instead, she would keep it a secret and find a shadow warrior who looks similar to stabilize the situation as much as possible."

The blind girl explained her reasoning in detail. Unlike Naotora, her words were not just based on speculation, but also on another piece of history in her mind as evidence—although Yashiro did not know much about the Tsutsui family, she remembered that in the scenarios of the Battle of Okehazama in various games, the head of the Tsutsui family was Junkei, not Junsho.

Only in stories about the eastward spread of firearms or early depictions of Nobunaga's coming of age can one glimpse the figure of this Yamato hero.

So when she learned that Tsutsui Junzhao had actually lived to this point, she was truly astonished. At first, she thought it was the influence of the butterfly wings again, but then she suddenly remembered an anime she had once watched.

Or rather, a Japanese proverb that appeared in that anime:

"The original Muami."

The subtitle team thoughtfully added a note explaining that the proverb originated from the Sengoku period in Japan. When the lord of Yamato Province, Tsutsui Junsho, died young, his clansmen chose a monk named Momomi, who looked and sounded just like Junsho, to act as a body double. The truth was only revealed when the young lord, Junkei, grew up. Momomi then returned to the temple and continued his life of Buddhist meditation.

Later, people gradually began to use this proverb to describe people and things that had been completely wasted.

What was originally just a relatively obscure piece of knowledge unexpectedly proved useful at an inopportune moment. Combined with the words of Naotora and Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Yashiro's initial suspicions had almost become a certainty.

It is likely that Junjiro Tsutsui is indeed dead.

"...If this is true, then we only need to persuade either Tsutsui Junsei or Junkuni to win over Matsunaga Hisahide, and that should not provoke too much opposition."

Ashikaga Yoshiteru pondered for a moment before speaking.

“That’s true,” Naotora agreed, but there was a hint of worry in his tone, “However…”

"but?"

"If that 'Lord Tsutsui Junsho' in Koriyama Castle is truly just a figurehead, judging by the timeline, he's probably been in that position for quite some time. And Lord Fujikatsumaru has reached the age of coming-of-age... It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality, especially now that Tsutsui's army is abroad and the country is vulnerable, perhaps..."

The woman then posed a question that Yashiro had never considered:

Having served as Tsutsui Junsho's Muami for so many years, is he still willing to give up power and return to his original life?

With the historical evidence from another timeline, the answer to this question should have been obvious. Yet, for some reason, a sense of foreboding flashed through the blind girl's mind. It was as if a storm was brewing…

Dark clouds filled the sky.

……

Benedict!

The sound of the wooden fish drum could still be heard in the quiet room.

The man in the monk's robe sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, chanting incantations as if his entire mind was immersed in the scriptures. But at a certain moment, the chanting suddenly stopped, and only an exceptionally tall shadow, illuminated by the lamplight, fell onto the opposite wall.

There seemed to be many figures outside the door.

"who?"

He spoke in a deep voice.

The person outside the door remained silent.

"What's the matter?"

The monk asked again.

This time there was a response: "My master has come to ask for your advice, Lord Shunzhao... no, Lord Muami, regarding our proposal from last time, I wonder what your thoughts are?"

The voice was chilly, like a cold wind that seeped into one's heart.

The small hammer used to strike the wooden fish stopped in mid-air.

The monk lowered his eyelids slightly.

……

Chapter 422 Fish Belly with Bones

The interior and exterior were separated only by a thin paper door. The flickering lamplight cast a swaying shadow of the person sitting cross-legged, making him look somewhat like a Buddha in a high hall—or perhaps a demon.

The monk, who was mistaken by most people for Tsutsui Junsho, moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just silently lowered his head, lowered his eyelids, and looked at the small hammer in his hand and the wooden fish lying quietly.

Not a word.

The person squatting outside the door couldn't contain himself any longer: "Lord Muami!"

"Only Tsutsui Junzaki remains here."

The monk suddenly spoke.

The man was taken aback for a moment, then, as if sensing some unspoken meaning, his tone suddenly became more joyful: "Then, Lord Shunzhao, you're agreeing..."

Before he could finish speaking, the monk coldly interrupted him: "It is precisely because I am Tsutsui Junshō that I cannot agree to your proposal. Even though I am of meager ability and cannot fight against foreign enemies and wipe out the bandits like the real Lord Junshō, I am not so despicable as to collude with the enemy and betray my master for my own selfish desires!"

His voice was calm at first, but it grew more and more agitated as he spoke, until finally it was almost a shout: "Please go back, and tell that Lord Matsunaga Danjo that these ten years of glory were nothing but a dream, and that Muami is still just Muami. Please put away some unnecessary thoughts!"

"..."

The person outside the door remained silent, but did not leave as the monk had suggested.

The person inside the room stopped urging them and seemed to completely ignore them. They raised their small hammer and struck the wooden fish with a rhythmic, soft sound that gradually calmed the turbulent ripples in their hearts.

"Avalokitesvara..."

The chanting of sutras had just begun.

Suddenly, another voice came from outside the door: "Master Muami is indeed of noble character... but if the things you have done in the past are exposed, I wonder how you will explain them?"

"When have I ever done anything wrong that requires explanation?"

"The Venerable Master has lived a life of integrity and has never done anything wrong. He only used his power to secretly protect a few disciples of the Yixiang Sect who were being persecuted. The Buddhist teaching says, 'Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.' Over the years, you have saved countless lives, not just dozens or hundreds. Your merits are immeasurable... I believe that once the eminent monks of Xingde Temple know about this, they will surely praise you highly, won't they?"

Upon hearing these words, the monk's previously icy expression melted away as if the snow of late winter had been suddenly exposed to the sun. He abruptly turned his head, glaring fiercely at the figure outside the paper door: "How...how did you know!"

"If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. Although the Tsutsui brothers Junsei and Junkuni are somewhat talented, they are still far inferior to their elder brother. They are so focused on finding a shadow warrior who looks and sounds exactly like Lord Junsho that they have overlooked the shadow warrior's own stance..."

The messenger's voice carried a hint of amusement, "Who could have imagined that the leader of the Kofukuji disciples, the absolute ruler of Yamato, would be impersonated by a remnant of the Ikko-shu sect for over a decade? And yet, for such a long time, no one noticed anything amiss... Is it that the Tsutsui group was blind, or that Lord Muami was hiding his true identity too well?"

"you……"

The monk's face was grim, all the composure and determination he had shown until now had vanished, leaving only a forced panic in his eyes—the secret hidden deep in his heart for many years had been suddenly and brutally exposed, so it was no wonder he couldn't react better.

The Ikko-shu, also known as Jodo Shinshu, has a relatively short history compared to other Buddhist sects, with its founder Shinran only three hundred years ago. However, with its unique concept of "being able to be reborn in the Pure Land without much trouble or effort," it spread like wildfire throughout Japan as soon as it emerged. A monk named Mokuami resolutely chose to convert to this sect amidst this wave of popularity.

This wouldn't normally be considered a major issue. After all, while the Ikko-shu's ideology was somewhat radical, it resonated with the prevailing sentiments of the time. From samurai to commoners, the uncertainty of life and death made the search for salvation all the more urgent. Therefore, even among renowned samurai, including many Sengoku daimyo, there were numerous devout followers of the Ikko-shu, who actively encouraged the development of related temples and shrines within their territories…

The problem is, this is in Yamato.

Due to various historical reasons, the traditional Buddhist forces in this region are deeply entrenched and extremely powerful. Even the successive guardians of Yamato were all monks from Kofukuji Temple, known as the "Kanpu Shutsu," and Tsutsui Junshō himself was one of them.

However, the Ikko-shu sect is not an honest entity. Not only do the lowest-ranking commoners and lower-class samurai often use it to launch Ikko-ikki uprisings, but the successive leaders are also not benevolent, often waging wars everywhere to expand their influence.

Over the years, they not only invaded Sakai and defeated the Hoke sect forces in Kii, but also once stormed into Nara, where they hunted carp in Sarusawa Pond, a famous sacred site of Kofuku-ji Temple, and deer in Kasuga Taisha Shrine. They were incredibly powerful and influential for a time.

Even Miyoshi Nagayoshi's father, Miyoshi Motonaga, is said to have been surrounded by the army of the Ikko-ikki and had no choice but to commit seppuku.

Such a flamboyant act naturally aroused the suspicion and backlash of other forces. In the fierce battle, the Yamashina Hongan-ji Temple, the original headquarters of the Ikko-shu sect in Kyoto, was burned down. The head priest at the time led his followers to retreat to Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, where they continued to manage this Buddhist land in the chaotic world.

However, while Ishiyama Honganji Temple was impregnable, other places were not so lucky. In particular, the Ikko-shu disciples who had once ravaged Japan suffered a frenzied reprisal from the disciples of Kofukuji Temple and were almost completely wiped out. Only a very few people managed to escape with their lives.

Muami was such a lucky monk. After experiencing the bloody upheaval of that year, he kept the past to himself and only wanted to live a peaceful and uneventful life. However, fate played a cruel trick on him. Because his physical body resembled that of Tsutsui Junsho, he was inexplicably pushed to the position of the ruler of Yamato Province.

Even though he was just a stand-in, his daily life, including food, clothing, and other necessities, was still arranged according to the standards of the head of the family. Day after day, over this period of more than ten years, Muami seemed to have truly transformed into a person of high status. Even those who knew about it, such as Tsutsui Junsei and Junkuni, were worried that he might cling to his position and would come over from time to time to give him a warning.

Muami noticed their thoughts but found it amusing. How could Buddhists be tempted by such worldly possessions? These guys were clearly Buddhist disciples, so why didn't they understand such a simple principle?

That's why, when Muami first learned that Matsunaga Hisahide had sent an envoy to lure him with benefits, hoping to make him an inside agent, he scoffed at it. But he never expected... that Matsunaga Danjo actually had the ability to dig up old grievances from decades ago.

Muami himself was not afraid of death, but over the years, he had more or less used the name of Tsutsui Junsho to secretly stop and protect some disciples of the Jodo Shinshu sect. Whenever there was an opportunity to take advantage of the Ikko-ikki uprisings, he would try to be lenient and spare as many as possible.

This was his only selfish motive, and Muami could honestly guarantee that, to date, this selfish motive had never caused the Tsutsui family any loss; on this point, he had a clear conscience.

But will others believe it?

The answer to this question is so obvious that you don't even need to think about it.

While other daimyo might need the support of the Hongan-ji Temple to counterbalance other Buddhist sects, within Yamato Province, it was a genuine factional struggle, a fight for interests, where there was no room for mercy. The horrific scenes of that year were still vivid in their minds: the people of the Ikko-shu sect, the people of Kofuku-ji Temple, samurai, commoners…

If Matsunaga Hisahide's chosen person were to spread this secret, the Tsutsui family would most likely use this opportunity to severely suppress any resistance forces within their territory. In that case, it would not only be Kiami who dies, but also hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of ordinary people.

How many of them are innocent people who have nothing to do with the Ikko-shu but have been implicated?

"...What does Matsunaga Danse want me to do?"

After a very long time, until the faint candlelight in the room was about to go out, the monk sighed with mixed feelings and asked a question.

"It's not what my lord wants to do, but... what Lord Muami wishes to do," the Matsunaga family envoy replied.

"What would you like me to do?"