He changed Tiwat

These farmers want more than just grain!

General Imagawa astutely noticed this.

The victory at Asada Village, in retrospect, was merely a small display of Shinkuro's military talent, but for those involved, it was the beginning of a disaster.

The general could not allow such a resourceful person to roam freely in the mountains.

He summoned Miura Uemon and his son Miura Yoshishige, gave them a good scolding, and said that the Asada Village Rebellion was caused by the Miura family's perverse actions. He also ordered the Miura father and son to eliminate Shinkuro's "rebels".

It was dusk when the Miura father and son left the retreat, and a sudden downpour began.

According to the regulations of the shogunate, ministers of the third rank or above in the court could be granted the privilege of riding in a two-person palanquin inside the castle tower by special decree, which was called "kaku".

The "jialong" is a specially made chair. The back and sides are sealed with a single piece of wood, leaving only the front open for people to sit on. In rainy or snowy weather, a cover can be added on top, and a curtain can be added in front. Two bamboo poles pass through the sides of the chair, allowing two people to carry it by hand or shoulder.

It was raining heavily today, and some observant palace servants had already brought a "cage" to wait for Lord Miura outside the study.

Currently, apart from the Shogun, only Miura Dainagon has the honor of riding in the "kaku" (a type of palanquin) in the entire castle tower. His son, Miura Yoshishige, is not qualified to ride in the "kaku," and a palace servant holds a large umbrella for him and stands next to the "kaku."

Miura Uemon looked at the "cage" and the umbrella.

Can the curtain on the "cage" and the umbrella really keep out today's heavy rain?

Miura Uemon didn't even glance at the palace servants, and walked straight from the stone steps of the study towards the rain-soaked sky.

Seeing this, Yoshishige Miura quickly took the umbrella from the palace servant, opened it abruptly, and chased after his father, covering his head with the umbrella.

Miura Uemon stepped down the stairs and then stopped, looking not at his son behind him, but at the white rain: "Take the umbrella away."

"Father!" Miura Yoshishige's cry was almost like a heroic sacrifice. "You always sheltered the general from the wind and rain, and your son has always been sheltering you from the wind and rain!"

Miura Uemon slowly turned his head to look at his son, his head and face soaked with water, whether from rain or tears, it was hard to tell: "Yoshichi, let me tell you, in Suruga there is only one person who can command the wind and rain, and that is the Shogun! There is only one person who can shelter me from the wind and rain, and that is me, not you! None of you and the people you employ can shelter me from the wind and rain, they are all just stirring up trouble!"

"Throw away that umbrella in your hand. It can't save you, and it can't save the Miura family."

After saying that, Miura Uemon continued walking forward with difficulty, despite the torrential rain lashing his head and face.

All that remained before Yoshishige Miura's eyes was a vast expanse of white water. Then, he loosened his grip, and the umbrella immediately tumbled away in the wind and rain.

He let the torrential rain lash him as he followed his father's barely visible figure.

After Xingqiu finished writing this passage, she felt quite satisfied and presented it to Brother Han, who was sitting opposite her with his eyes closed, saying, "Brother Han, what do you think of this passage?"

Han Fulai spent the first half of the night busy on the deck, setting up the magic array to be used the next day. This was his first time trying Qimen Dunjia since he learned the Lingbao Qimen from the Yelan family.

The extraordinary formation that Master Boyang set up at the bottom of the giant abyss could trap even immortals and gods. He certainly couldn't reach Master Boyang's level, but it should be enough to achieve his tactical objectives. However, he was, after all, a novice, and setting up the formation was very difficult, leaving him quite exhausted.

Upon hearing Xingqiu's voice, Han Fulai took the manuscript and read it through, then smiled and said, "It's really well written. Hmm... it would be even better if you added another paragraph."

"How do I add it?" Xingqiu asked curiously.

"Write it like this..."

Han Fulai took the brush and added another passage of dialogue between Miura Uemon and his son to the manuscript paper:

“There are things in this world that one can tolerate, but there are things that one absolutely cannot tolerate. For over twenty years, I have walked on thin ice, shielding the general from swords and spears. If the general truly intends to discard his old minister like worn-out shoes this time, I fear there will be no one left to protect the general from the storms of life. My conscience is clear, and Heaven bears witness! If you truly kill me, and kill you, we will both be gone. Who will then be able to protect the general from the storms of life?”

"Huh...?" Xingqiu looked at the dialogue written by Han Fulai and pondered, "Does Brother Han mean to emphasize that the Miura family also has selfish motives?"

"Of course." Han Fulai smiled. "We can't go too far. We have to save face for that general. After all, the general can't be wrong, so the only one who can be wrong is the subject."

The cherry blossom-colored amulet in his arms jumped slightly, as if it had heard what he said.

Is this the result that the pink-clad priestess wanted? Han Fulai thought silently.

“Sara.” Kujo Takayuki looked directly at his adopted daughter and said slowly, “A family is a big tree that needs to grow new branches and leaves to multiply and thrive. Thousands of years from now, when I, when you, when our descendants die one after another and decay underground… all that will be passed down is our surname.”

"Only the family will continue forever."

"It is neither a personal achievement nor an honor."

"Only family."

"The Kujo family is the 'eternity' I want to protect. Making the Kujo family eternal is the eternal path I practice. You say this is selfish, but I think... the Shogun will understand, and the ancestors of the Kujo family will also understand."

Saro remained silent.

“Saro, you say you are only loyal to the General, but your current actions are ‘betraying’ the General.”

Kujo Takayuki gripped the "Mist-Cutting Light" tightly, as if holding a "scepter"—to him, this "divine sword" was not only a symbol of the general's favor, but also his "imperial sword".

In terms of martial prowess, he, an old man in his eighties, would never be a match for Shaluo and Yingmei, but as long as he holds this "Imperial Sword," he represents the will of the General.

Since he represents the general's will, Sara has no choice but to obey him.

Sara remained silent with her head down, a metallic taste gradually spreading from her mouth... Her lower lip was now marked with a bloody mark from being bitten.

But the pain in her heart was far greater than this pain.

"Betraying" the Kujo family to purge the court of treacherous officials for the sake of the lord of the palace was her chosen "righteous cause."

For this "greater good," she was willing to bear the name of "disloyalty and filial impiety" and eliminate the wicked and deceitful Kujo family who were deceiving the emperor... But what if the Ōgōsho-sama was not deceived? What if everything the Kujo family did was at the Ōgōsho-sama's behest and was all in service of the shogun?

So who is the "traitor"?

she was.

She is the "traitor" who stands in opposition to the Great Lord.

Kujo Takayuki's words caused her to easily lose the "righteousness" she had just found.

The Grand Master knew everything and tacitly approved of everything.

This is the Inazuma we see now, which is exactly what Lord Oogami wanted to see...

Really? Does the Great Lord really think that way?

If it's true, it means... Lord Oogami is wrong.

Could the Grand Master be wrong?

"Loyalty and righteousness" and "right and wrong" were fiercely intertwined in her mind, eventually becoming a chaotic mess.

The sight of Saro's wavering back also caught Yingmei's eye.

Ying said urgently, "Salo, there's no point in continuing to argue with him! If you can't bring yourself to do it, just leave it to me!"

As she spoke, she stepped forward with her sword, ready to strike.

Saro gently raised her hand and stopped Ying.

“Yes, Ying, you’re right. There’s no point in continuing to argue with him.” She said slowly, “Actually, more than a year ago, after that ‘duel before the emperor,’ I had my doubts… I asked myself, was carrying out the ‘Eye Hunt Order’ really the right thing to do? Even if it went against my own principles?”

"But I still made up my mind—as long as it is the path the general pointed out, who can judge right or wrong before we reach the end?"

"Holding this belief, I have steadfastly carried out the General's orders and the orders of the Heavenly Territory... But only now do I realize... The Eternal Path has no end, and this path has long been tainted by the selfishness of some people..."

She finally looked up, her piercing eyes meeting Kujo Takayuki's directly:

"Therefore, I must go see the General."

"If the General has been misled, then I will correct his judgment; if the General has issued incorrect orders—then I will correct them! At the very least, I must give an explanation for my determination so far!"

Chapter 166 The Time Is Not Yet Ripe [5k]

Upon hearing that Sara was still going to see the shogun, Kujo Takayuki's face showed deep disappointment—his plan to get Sara to "turn against" the shogun had failed.

"Hmph, stubborn and incorrigible, all for naught..." He shook his head and said, "Go if you want, no one can shake the Kujo family's position now, and the situation will not change because of you. The general is currently in the castle tower, receiving the envoy from the winter—the executive officer known as 'Lady'."

Wan Ye paused for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately warned Sara, "Sara, don't fall into his trap!"

Kujo Takayuki's abacus beads clicked loudly, and while others couldn't hear it, Manyo could hear it clearly.

After all, he was a noble samurai by birth and had seen many of the tricks used by the upper-class Inazuma nobility.

Kujo Takayuki's words sounded confident on the surface, but the real meaning was to deliberately point out that the "lady" who was the winter envoy was also in the castle tower—this was a plan to divert trouble eastward.

Sala mingled with "rebels," trespassed into the Tenryo Magistrate's Office, and killed a senior retainer of the Kujo family... If he were to break into the castle tower and clash with the winter envoy, the outcome would be entirely predictable.

At the same time, Sara will change from the position of "purging the emperor's inner circle" to the position of "rebellion," and at that time, he will become the one who "sacrifices his own family for the greater good" in the case of Kujō Takashi.

Now that Manyo and the others have perfectly achieved their initial objective, they should take advantage of the fact that the main force of the Tenryo Magistrate's guard has not yet returned, and hand over the evidence to Ms. Kamisato and the others from the Shabu Magistrate's Office for processing.

“We have obtained evidence of the crimes committed by the Heavenly Ruler; let’s not cause any further trouble tonight…”

As Manyo was trying to persuade Sara, someone swept past him and rushed out the door.

Man Ye instinctively reached out, but failed to stop the other person.

The one with such fast movement speed is naturally Yingmei.

"The 'lady' was in the castle tower!"

For Ying, this time it truly meant "the enemy is at the castle tower".

Old grudges against Mondstadt and new hatreds from the Evil Eye Factory surged into her heart.

—She remembered that when she left the island, Ms. Hiiragi Chisato had mentioned to her that Hiiragi Shinsuke, the Commissioner of the Ministry of Personnel, had met with an arrogant lady… It must be the “lady”. Although she hadn’t met the “lady” since arriving in Inazuma, the “lady” seemed to have been active behind the scenes all along.

In her eyes, the Heavenly Commander and the Imperial Commander were just small fry manipulated by the Fools. The real big boss who could enter the weekly bosses was the Winter Executor, "Lady".

She has many debts to settle with "Lady".

So after hearing what Kujo Takayuki said, Yingmei went to the castle without saying a word.

Ying rushed out, and Sara naturally wouldn't fall behind. She gave Kujo Takayuki a deep look and said, "Lord Kujo Takayuki, I will report everything you just said to the Shogun... Your crimes will be judged when I see the Shogun."

Having said that, she didn't look at Kujo Takayuki again, her four wings spread behind her, and she flew away.

At the same time, Yuzuka leaped onto the roof beam with a "whoosh," whether to return to Shinri's home to report the news or to follow them to the castle tower, it was unclear.

Wanye and Goro, who were still in the room, exchanged a glance and both smiled bitterly. They had completed the mission of infiltrating and searching, but their teammate went berserk after the mission was completed. Who would have thought that?

Moreover, crucial evidence is still on Sara's person...

It seems that besides storming the Kujo residence tonight, we'll also have to storm the castle tower?

In addition, there is the question of how to deal with the nine acts of filial piety.

If you really think about it, Manyo and Goro certainly had a grudge against Kujo Takayuki.

Goro and Tenryo Magistrate are enemies. The oppression suffered on Umijima Island and the heroic souls of his comrades who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield are all things that Kujo Takayuki must pay for. Meanwhile, Manyo has been hunted by Kujo Takayuki for a long time, which has implicated many of his former friends and relatives...

Both of them actually had reasons to kill Kujo Takayuki on the spot.

But both Manyo and Goro knew very well that now was not the time to kill Kujo Takayuki.

Killing him now would be "assassination".

Even though Kujo Takayuki is dead, the Kujo family's influence remains. They can use this incident to their advantage, portraying Kujo Takayuki as a victim of a conspiracy, and then pinning the blame on the magistrate... The magistrate's family has elite "final ninja" of the "final shogunate," but they didn't send ninja to assassinate Kujo Takayuki to "purge the court of corrupt officials," probably for the same reason.

To kill him, it must be done openly and honorably in front of everyone—either by having the rebel army besiege the city and attack the enemy leader, or by holding a public trial, listing his crimes, and beheading him as a warning to the public.

Regardless of how he dies, Kujo Takayuki's time to die has not yet come.

Before leaving, Manyo left Kujo Takayuki with a message: "You will soon receive the judgment you deserve."

Kujo Takayuki simply responded with a cold laugh.

Manyo and Goro also left.

After confirming that the "assassins" had all left, Kujo Takayuki breathed a long sigh of relief.

His back slowly hunched over, barely supporting his body with his long sword.

The hilt of "Mist-Cutting Reflection" was already soaked with the cold sweat from his palms.

He knew that he had almost died just now.

Despite constantly proclaiming that he regarded family tradition as the eternal path, and despite being old and nearing the end of his life, he found himself unprepared to face death with equanimity when it came to his final moments.

Looking around, the furnishings in the study had all been overturned and destroyed in the fight, leaving a desolate scene as far as the eye could see.

His gaze finally settled on the corpse at his feet.

Takatsukasa Tokibei, the former head of the Kujo clan and his most trusted deputy, still stared at him with wide eyes, as if silently questioning him—

"A subject should die for his lord's honor"—this was the principle of loyalty and righteousness he consistently instilled in his retainers.

Takatsukasa Tokibei Tatsuru lived up to his loyalty with his life, but what about him as the head of the family?

Are we just going to let the traitor brazenly break into the Kujo family, kill his retainers, and then swagger away?

Before coming here, Takatsukasa Tokibei had advised him not to show himself, but he still insisted on facing the group of "assassins" with the puppet sword demon and Tokibei, citing the inviolability of the head of the Kujo family's authority.

The glory of the Kujo family began with boldness, flourished with sincerity, and transcended life and death. The reason why Kujo Michizane, the ancestor of the Kujo family, was able to gain the favor of the shogun was because he challenged the shogun with his sword.

Even in defeat, Kujo Michizane proved his ability and will with his sword.