The old and the young were shocked when they heard the words.

Liu Yun, who had been silently closing his eyes and stood beside him, opened his eyes, showing doubt and confusion: “My layman?”

Seeing this, the middle-aged Luotuo samurai was overjoyed at first, and hurriedly bowed down and said, “Exactly! You went to Enjoji Temple in Kyoto as the second son of the Sasaki family 15 years ago to become a monk and worshiped Zen Master Shunshan as your teacher. Later, you followed Shunshan The Zen master moved to another place… I have been looking for it for a long time, only to find out that you are in such a remote place in Ou… Now the situation of Sasaki’s family is imminent, so I have to ask you to go back!”

After he finished speaking, the old monk hesitated for a while, and responded with an ambiguous tone: “We did come to Ou with Senior Brother Shunshan from the Yuancheng Temple in Kyoto, but the monks didn’t ask about Hongchen and didn’t know the origin of Senior Nephew Liuyun. .”

The little monk also nodded to indicate that it was true.

But Liu Yun lowered his head and fell into thought.

He’s the only one who doesn’t know!

As a transmigrator, when I came here, I only got a physical body, and I didn’t inherit my memory, and I didn’t listen to my master later, so I never knew that I still have family in this world.

Chapter 2 The Desperate Widow

The territory of the Omi Sasaki family is located in the north of Omi, on the east bank of Lake Biwa, and on the south side of the Seta River.There is no exact name, it is conventionally called “Sasaki Village”.

Benefiting from fertile fields and river water, it is a very dynamic gathering place.

There are continuous paddy fields within a radius of a thousand paces, divided into many small pieces, separated by horizontal ridges and boundary cards.

Then there are the sparse two or three hundred houses, most of which are simple thatched huts, and floating reeds can often be seen in the air.

The “Sasakikan”, the center of the territory, was built on a small slope about [-] feet high on the shore.There is a courtyard surrounded by a wall, and there are seven wooden and stone buildings of different sizes.

The most spacious house in the middle is regarded as the “Royal Palace”, and the rudimentary platforms on the four corners are tentatively regarded as “Arrow Scull”.

Rather than calling it a “city” or a “hall”, it’s better to call it a cottage, a fortress, or a dirt enclosure—even so, it has survived for many years, and it still stands today.

It is said that when the Sasaki family was at its most prosperous, there were hundreds of samurai under his command, leading thousands of people.

But now the family is in the middle of the road, and the maintenance is bleak. It is a rare and inaccessible situation. Obviously, it cannot be compared with that time.

On an autumn afternoon, a woman in white sat on the corridor on her knees.

The woman was wearing plain sleeves and no blouse. She looked lean and clean, and she was beautiful and graceful. Even if there were no guests beside her, she kept her legs together in an orderly manner.

At the same time, she was worried and sad, and she didn’t know what to think.

She looks like a grudge against her husband.

But she reached into the placket, and what she was holding was not a lover’s letter, but a short knife.

The handle is four and a half inches long, and the sheath is five inches and three minutes long.

So pocket-sized, let alone going into battle to kill the enemy, it would be awkward for a strong man to hold it in his hand.

This weapon is used for women’s self-defense.But more often, it is the virgin woman who uses it to end her life when she has no choice but to avoid being insulted by villains.

A line of small characters is engraved on the wooden handle: “Hanakaiin Iori”.

This was the name of the woman in white before she got married.

This is a gift prepared by parents at the 12-year-old coming-of-age ceremony.

Not long after, both parents contracted serious illnesses and passed away one after another.

Suddenly she was no longer the eldest lady overnight.

The grandfather didn’t like Iori at all, and slapped the table many times and scolded: “The children of the Huakaiyuan family, disregarding the right wife, did not give birth to children, but were seduced by female monsters to give birth to evil seeds, which is really shameful to the family! “

The grandmother was soft-hearted, and would secretly send some food and clothes, but she did not dare to be in front of her grandfather.

Therefore, after only receiving a hundred thousand gifts, she hurriedly married the daughter of the imperial family to an unknown country warrior, right?

Her husband’s name is Sasaki Kotaro. He is very quick-tempered, doesn’t know how to read, likes to drink, and often beats people. Occasionally when he gets drunk, he will say, “It’s a waste to exchange a hundred dollars for a woman! I really don’t know what my father thinks, so many The money is enough for me to visit the whale house for the rest of my life!”

This is really hurtful.

However, from Iori’s ears, “the guy who got a hundred bucks back” is still much better than “the wicked son of a banshee”.

Even if not recognized, at least get the feeling of being needed.

After all, the “Mrs. Iori of the Sasaki family” that Ming media is marrying is not a “bad breed” who is always worried that she will be driven out, mixed with the blood of monsters.

Even if he gets punched, he finally has a home.

Unexpectedly, after only two years, Iori’s husband suddenly fell on the battlefield and could never return.

During that time, the Asai Clan, the head snake in the north, was no match for the Oda Clan, a strong dragon crossing the river. Thousands of soldiers were killed, and large tracts of land were seized.

The Sasaki family, as a vassal of the Asai clan, was also affected.

Her husband’s father, the previous head of the Sasaki family, had retired and had to come out again.Then, after assessing the situation, he and the other “time-savvy people” changed schools and surrendered to the Oda family.

Unexpectedly, the blessings are unparalleled, and the misfortunes do not come singly.

Before the official recognition of the Oda family, the old family owner also died of a serious illness.

Now the problem is big.

The Sasaki family, as an external force that temporarily changed the gate, had no relationship with the new owner of the Oda family. At this time, they lost all the male members of the direct line and were in a situation of extinction.If there is no accident, the territory will be confiscated, and the family name will be cut off.

In other words, Iori not only became a widow, but also faced a situation of homelessness.

After the incident, Iori was in chaos and at a loss.

The only hope is that a second son of the Sasaki family was sent to the temple to become a monk, and he might be able to find it and return to the secular world.With a legitimate heir, there is hope to be recognized by the Oda clan, and then continue the family name and keep the territory.

At least part of it can be saved.

In this case, Iori can still maintain the identity of the widow of the previous family owner for the time being.

Still have a home to stay in.

It’s just that after so many years, no one can tell what kind of situation the second son is.

There’s little hope, but it’s better than no hope at all.

So the retainer Eguchi Sukezaemon was ordered to leave.

Then there was no response for 30 days.

On the other hand, the grace period that was finally obtained by sending someone to Oda’s house to intercede was only one month.

The deadline is tonight, and it’s already imminent.

If the territory is confiscated, what should I do?

Go back to her parents’ home in Kyoto, or Tuoshen Temple, or try to remarry?

In the current world, none of these options are easy.

As time passed, Iori became more and more desperate, and gradually recalled the memory of being scolded by her grandfather in the past.

His hands and feet were trembling, and his whole body was cold.

Compared with the pain in the body, what is more uncomfortable is the daze in the heart.

Don’t know where to go, where to go.

Why did it fall so far?

After thinking about it, it’s probably my fault, right?

Perhaps it was because of his fate that he had an aura of calamity, killing his parents and killing his husband.

Iori, who was in deep thought, held the handle of the knife in his hand, and gradually became a little dazed.

Suddenly, a man’s voice came from outside the door.

“Is Mrs. Iori there?”

She was startled, and after careful identification, she realized that it was her own.

But immediately became nervous again—even though it was one of his own, he might have brought back bad news.

……

Iori forcibly pressed down and felt uneasy, summoned two tall and powerful servants, and opened the closed courtyard door.

Coming in is a very capable samurai named Hayami Seibei, who is also a retainer of the Sasaki family.

When everyone was discussing before, this guy felt that finding the second son who was sent to the temple back then was a needle in a haystack.

Thinking of this, Iori sent him to Tokichiro Kinoshita in Yokoyama Castle to get information about the relationship.

The lord of Yokoyama Castle, Tokichiro Kinoshita, is currently a powerful figure who manages Kita Omi on behalf of the Oda clan.

If the Sasaki family wants to continue, they must obtain the approval of this person.But Iori is a woman, and it is not convenient to show her face, so she can only let the retainers walk on her behalf.

After many days, Hayami Kiyobei ​​finally came back, but he didn’t know if he brought back good news?

Iori looked at the door slowly opening, and felt uneasy in her heart.

At this time, Hayami Seibei’s face was a little complicated. As soon as he stepped into the door, he bowed down and said solemnly, “Madam, I came back today with Mr. Hashuka-sama under Mr. Kinoshita. The territorial issue needs to be dealt with immediately. , the Oda family will not allow any more delays!”

Iori was stunned when she heard the words, and then she saw that there were many people behind her.

The first thing that caught my eye was the twenty Shigaru who were wearing a kasa, wearing a scorpion, and holding a spear.They lined up in two columns to enter the door without any explanation, and then formed a circle with tacit understanding, guarding the entrance and exit, obviously well-trained.

Then, a tall, tall warrior slowly paced over. He looked potbellied and leisurely.

This person is wearing a suit that fits his body, and has a feather weave on the outside. The handle and sheath of the saber around his waist are richly engraved with patterns, obviously belonging to the sequence of high-level samurai.

Iori had met once and knew that this person was called Masataka Hashisuka.

Sasaki Village was born in Kitaomi, and in the establishment of the Oda clan, it was managed by Yokoyama Castle Tokichiro Kinoshita.

And Masakatsu Hashika is said to be the right-hand man of Tokichiro Kinoshita.

To a large extent, this guy can decide the fate of the Sasaki family.

Thinking of this, Iori suddenly tightened, forced a calm salute, and said, “The presence of Lord Beesuka really makes the Sasaki family shine. I don’t know what you are doing today?”

“Madam, you don’t need to be more polite, you don’t need to be more polite!” Masataka Hashisu smiled and looked very easy-going. He walked a few steps to the eaves and sat down on the corridor.

His attitude was very easy-going, but the content he said was very heavy: “In fact, there is nothing else, just patrolling around and solving a few remaining problems. By the way, I made an appointment with the Sasaki family to give me a month. Time to find an heir. Now that the deadline has come, I haven’t seen any heirs, so… according to the rules, the territory has to be confiscated.”

Hearing this, Iori lowered her head and was silent for a while, then took two steps silently, knelt down and sat down with her legs together, her right hand still clenching the hilt of the knife hidden in her coat, and responded, “I shouldn’t have questioned the bees. Mr. He… But if my concubine is not mistaken, it will be a full month until the beginning of this night!”

Her voice was small, even trembling, but very firm.

“Hey… let’s do it!” Masayoshi Hashuka looked around casually, with a look of boredom and a little sympathy on his face: “It’s probably Shin Shi, so it’s okay to wait for two hours.”

“Thank you Hashisuka-sama.” Iori bowed and bowed.