The scorching sun was in the sky, but behind the imperial palace was untimely silence. Weeds have invaded the untended garden for a long time, covering up the small gazebo in the middle of the pond. Iemitsu sat silently in the gazebo. Her dark, grey commoner’s clothes were engraved in the wasteland like a stone carving. The carriage was already parked miles away. Nobody knew her visit today, except that person who forced her to let go.
Her hand caressed the stone table’s texture. The former mirth was pages covered in dust, following her fingertips and turned over again. The former emperor often came here to drink tea and have a rest, laughing and cursing at them who were fighting in the courtyard, those ridiculous and carefree years. Her thoughts followed the suffocating wind and brought back the reality. She put her gaze to her palm but did not see any dirt.
He has been here.
And he came here often.
The happiness she thought would emerge only let her exhale a few dry laughs as if satirizing him who fiercely abandoned her in the memory, who also could not escape from his persistence at the end.
“ Iemitsu Tokugawa, Mizunoo said he wants to see you. Follow me.” The mysterious man in a white robe stepped on the silent air and arrived. Nobody knew his origin, only said that he was the overlord’s best drinking buddy. He was the only one who could enter Mizunoo’s bedroom.
Obviously, Iemitsu at this time did not care about these.
“ I know.” She got up, patting the meaningless nostalgia, stepping out of the withered yellow weeds.
The door made of pure gold was pushed. His palace was luxurious as usual, but except for their paces’ echoes here, there were no others around.
Gorgeous, hollow, just like him.
“ Mizunoo, I brought the princess here. I’m going to have a drink.” The man’s arbitrary voice left, leaving the two who were deep in the memories.
“ Tokugawa greets the overlord.” She saluted, followed by a long silence.
Mizunoo looked at her whom he had not seen for a long time. Her formerly insolent only remained the obedience to superiors, or rather, the disinterest towards those emotions.
It was he who used despair to cut off her edges and corners, but he felt that any apology was insignificant.
She was observing his room. Different from the splendor outside, the time here seemed to stop at the moment they broke up, ancient and lonely.
Such a proud man like him should be the moon held by all the stars, receiving love from the world, but she felt this cool breath was the finest to him.
They were merely looking at each other, looking at that familiar stranger. The thoughts should be depressed and resentful vanished at this moment.
As if those pains were merely madness at a young age.
As if those obsessions were merely clouds and smokers in the past.
Here was the most ordinary room, and the ones standing in the room, were merely him and her, nothing more.
Everything was said in unspoken words.
“… Let us go.”
“ Okay.”
The breeze blew over them, taking away their long-gone fate.
Jianxue ate breakfast and came to the study where Kasuga was.
“ Did you have a good sleep last night?” Kasuga seemed to be in a good mood. His tone was brisk.
“ Not bad.”
She tried to probe Kasuga’s expression, but she did not get anything. The business recently was clearly the same as usual.
“ The assassin we caught yesterday, as expected, is the imperial court’s stooge.”
So it was something about the imperial court.
“ She has negotiated with the mastermind. There should be fewer assassins in the castle in the future, but these sorts of assassinations started years ago, hence rumors of unrelated people are flying everywhere. The power of public opinion cannot be underestimated. Other dignitaries may also use this to get rid of the General family.”
“ So it is not completely safe.”
However, it was not her turn to deal with these trivial matters. For Iemitsu, it was as easy as flipping one’s palm.
“ Although you are just a shadow warrior, if something happens to you, it will lead to a leaderless government. If the outside world finds out that we let a shadow warrior rule the city, other families may take advantage of this and blackmail us.”
Why did Kasuga tell her this?
“ In order to preemptive strikes, we have to take a risky move and pay some rewards.”
Rewards?
Jianxue was confused.
“ So tomorrow, as the general, please name Young Master Takatsukasa as your husband.”
“ What?”
Kasuga spitted out unexpected words, making her stunned.
The assassin incident has clearly subsided. Everything could be discussed in the long run.
However, not only the naming, Kasuga even asked her, who was a shadow warrior, to act in person.
“ This… the damage to the government will be even more serious if I spend the night with the general’s husband.”
“ Young Master Takatsukasa has no right to speak in his family. I can control this matter.”
“ But, why him?”
“ What do you mean ‘why’? It is a matter of time before Young Master Takatsukasa becomes the general’s husband. Last night, I asked him to stay in your room to increase the credibility of the nomination.”
What the hell did Kasuga mean?
She looked at Kasuga but saw that his eyes did not have the indifference he used to guide his subordinates, but his growing impatience with foolish people. What he said just now was by no means literal.
What would that mean?
If Takatsukasa became the main husband while she was in power, it would not be of any benefit to the government, or did Kasuga expect that Takatsukasa would take some actions that could be used by the government in order to avoid the title?
“ The reward I’m referring to will be given to the girl saved by the general.” Kasuga said suddenly as if reminding her: “ Do you understand?”
The reward was for her? But it was not her expectation to make Takatsukasa the main husband.
Wait, if she was still not at a loss, then she would definitely take action, and the most direct way was…
“ Do you want me to force him out of the palace? Are you sure he will go as we want?” She seemed to be pleasantly surprised by Kasuga’s strategy, but she was also puzzled by it.
Because this was not beneficial to the government, Kasuga would not do unequal business.
“ Finally, your mind has come back.” Kasuga smiled with satisfaction: “ I know what he is like, and he will definitely do this. You don’t need to know about the rest.”
“ Thank you, sir.” She closed her mouth obediently: “ However, why did you tell me in such a roundabout way? Didn’t you just call me a shadow warrior?”
“ The existence of shadow warriors is not a rare thing.” Kasuga leaned into her ear: “ But rewards beyond their status, yes.”
“ I see.”
“ I’m going to send the guards of the study to other places to support, and I will leave everything to you.” Kasuga stepped out of the door: “ Please be sure to choose a well-matched main husband, Master Iemitsu.”
The door was closed. The papers on the table rustled due to the slight wind and finally fell silent.
What Kasuga said before he left was to tell her to choose Kujou. According to his big boy character, he should be willing to cooperate with the performance.
She paced back and forth, thinking about all the things he would do for her, and sighed softly.
She was going to lie, setting him free in a way that would hurt him.
If the plan went well, he could receive her repayment, even if this method was not what he hoped for.
He would never blame her. She knew it, but that was what annoyed her as if the sin she would commit could not be repaid by his resentment.
Takatsukasa was so tolerant of her, and she liked him for that.
Scorching, but let the snow free.
Let her go back to the Room of Sunflower. No amount of thought would help.
Kasuga’s method was indeed straightforward and simple.
It was so simple that she could not get anything except his relief.
Sorrow prevented her from going back to her room, and she could only stand in the corridor.
“ What are you doing here?” A voice came, and she turned around to look, only to see a blue kimono.
“ Mr. Natsu.” Looking at Natsu in front of her, she felt a little strange. Because since Takatsukasa persuaded Natsu, he never took the initiative to talk to her again.
So, how did Takatsukasa convince Natsu?
“ Mr. Natsu.”
“ What?”
“ Why did you give up on revealing my identity?” She lowered her voice, and Natsu just looked down at her coldly.
“ What? That guy didn’t tell you? It’s a very simple deal, as long as you leave the palace, that guy will become my prop.”
The surprise was fleeting.
“ He wants to help me take charge of Ooku,” Natsu noticed her slightly opened eyes and raised the corners of his mouth.
“ Isn't he… the one who wants to leave the most?”
“ That guy promised me that as long as I don't tell your secret, he will stay in Edo Castle for the rest of his life.”
“ How come..."
He gave up the dream he had been chasing all his life?
Natsu’s words weighed her down like a boulder. Her stiff fingers had nowhere to vent.
“ You just think you’ve found a treasure.” Natsu chuckled: “ To that idiot, your future seems to be more important than his own.”
Natsu’s teasing tone did not arouse her desire to refute, so he could only shrug his shoulders in the end.
Takatsukasa rescued her again.
But this time, for her, he gave his life.
“… I won’t let you get what you want.” Just looking up was a new decision, and Natsu twitched his eyebrows.
“ What did you say?”
“ I will never let Taka be slaughtered by you.” She said. Her tone was clear and cold.
Passing by Natsu, she did not want him to use her peace to make a fuss.
She had no future.
After receiving the edict, all the people of Ooku gathered in the lobby, discussing this unusual gathering.
She sat in the upper seat. Her palms were wet with sweat.
“ Today, we will name the main husband of the general from among you.” Kasuga’s awe-inspiring voice resounded in the hall, and the discussion became more heated.
“ What?” Takatsukasa, who was sitting in the front row, looked confused.
And she foresaw the trajectory of time.
“ Mr. Man, please.” Kasuga handed Eikou the edict.
Eikou respectfully read out the edict with the name of the main husband: “… the person with the following name will become the main husband of the third general Iemitsu Tokugawa,”
Eikou paused. His pupils shrank, and then he smiled lightly: “… Jun Natsu.”
“ Wu!”
There was an uproar, even Takatsukasa could not hide his astonishment.
Not only Takatsukasa, Kasuga also frowned: “… What?”
The lobby became more and more noisy, and she pursed her lips.
The stage of lies has opened.
“ Natsu, come here.”
“ Yes.” Natsu replied quietly, unable to tell whether it was worry or joy.
“ I choose you as my main husband.”
“ I thank the general for the gift.” Even under the attention of everyone, Natsu was still natural and unrestrained.
As long as the main husband was named, it should be able to satisfy Kasuga’s strategy.
And Natsu also achieved the goal of becoming the main husband.
Takatsukasa would soon be free.
Under the order of Kasuga, everyone walked out of the lobby one after another. She looked at those figures and let go of her hands.
“…” When leaving, Takatsukasa also took a look at her and then walked away.
She wondered how he felt.
“ What are you doing?” Kasuga’s incomparably cold voice sounded in the lobby where only they were left: “ Didn’t I say to choose a well-matched person?”
She did not answer but merely looked back at Kasuga.
As Kasuga said, she changed the content of the edict before the announcement.
What she did was equivalent to a very risky bet.
“ Putting aside the candidate for the main husband and naming a candidate for the side husband as the main husband, what are you planning?”
“… If your purpose is to alienate the Takatsukasa family, then it doesn’t matter who I choose, right?” She did not intend to make excuses, but she also did not want to tell the truth: “ I am willing to bear all the consequences.”
“ Enough.” Kasuga’s icy eyes could not read any emotion: “ Since you have named, you must take responsibility. You are very clear about the next event.”
“ Yes.” She replied, lowering her eyes.
“ Young Master Natsu is not easy to persuade. You have to deal with him by yourself.”
As soon as she left the lobby, she saw Takatsukasa waiting for her in the corridor.
“ Taka.”
“ Is that the decision made by Master Kasuga?” Takatsukasa’s calm voice made her feel guilty.
“ I decided.”
“ You?”
Sorry, Taka.
“ I’ve stopped you several times before.” He lowered his head, unable to see her flashing pain.
“ Um.”
“ You know what the consequences will be, but you still choose to do it?”
“ Um.”
“… It’s for me.” He clenched his fists tightly: “ Master Kasuga originally ordered you to name me as the main husband, right? I know it just by looking at the reaction of Master Kasuga.”
He stepped in.
“ Why do you take it upon yourself!” He trembled his voice, not to get angry at her in this unmanned corridor.
“… I’m sorry for doing this kind of thing without telling you. But, all this time, Taka has been at the mercy of others and detained in this palace. You don’t have to lose the freedom you long for because of me.”
“ What are you talking about?” He frowned wonderingly.
" Natsu told me about the deal between you and him.”
A shaken look appeared on Takatsukasa’s face.
“ If this is only to let me get out of the palace safely, that you have to take away your freedom for the rest of your life, then I don’t want to do that.”
Although these reasons were just her clumsy lies, her wishing thinking was absolutely true.
And he would believe everything about her.
“ I want Taka to be happy, so I’m sorry.”
Because she liked him.
“… Idiot.” He looked at her with eyes full of sorrow, swaying in pain: “ You think I will be grateful that you do this, do you think I will be happy!”
She had no choice.
“ I only want to see your smile, why can’t you understand…” Bitter words flowed out of his mouth, and then he sighed: “… It was my fault to make a deal with Natsu without telling you. However, you also did this kind of thing without telling me, so we are evened.”
“ Even…”
He held her hand, not knowing who was the one trembling slightly.
“ If you want me to be happy, then come with me.”
Sensing the human presence, Natsu looked up from the book, only to see Hakage standing at the door of the room.
“ The general’s guard, what do you want from me?”
“ Mr. Natsu didn’t set off to search. Obviously, the whole palace is in chaos because the general disappeared on her first night.” Hakage grinned at Natsu’s usual attire, even reading a book: “ You didn’t even prepare the bedding. It seems that you knew that Master Takatsukasa would take the ‘general’ away, but you still let her go.”
“ What do you really want to say?”
“ I mean, Mr. Natsu is really a good person.” Hakage’s smile revealed inexplicable joy.
“ How did you come to such a conclusion?” Natsu sighed helplessly, and his eyes fell on the book again.
“ I should have hunted them down too.” Hakage put away his smile. His eyes were gloomy, and glanced outside: “ However, I want to give them a little more time.”
The warmth of him and her holding hands dispelled the silent cold night below the city.
“ Taka, is this really okay?” Jianxue asked hesitantly, but Takatsukasa turned his head and gave her a glare.
“ You’re still talking about that. Do you still want to stay in Edo Castle?” He asked back, stopping.
“ No… I don’t…”
But she would return to that place eventually.
His expression was serious: “ You, if I hadn’t brought you out of the palace, would you really plan to spend the night with Natsu?”
His eyes flickered, obviously angry.
“ This…”
She knew clearly that he would take her out, so she never thought about the rest. Everything just went according to plan, but she could not speak to him about these.
“ Answer.” He grabbed her hand so tightly that it hurt her.
The night could not send any excuses. She bit her lips anxiously: “ I, I don’t know…”
He looked down at her faltering appearance, and his expression became more serious: “ Then what are you going to do? Let him do whatever he wants to you?”
He tried his best to suppress his voice, so as not to let his anger wake up the sleeping people.
“ No…”
The fire in his eyes blended with the moonlight, with eagerness and one-sided uneasiness, representing his broken emotions.
It turned out that he would be angry too.
He would be angry because of her.
The pain of hurting him spread in the blood, but her sword could not cut it.
She was used to drifting with the crowd, and every step was a step of depravity.
But he took her hand and gave her what she wanted.
“ You would let him do whatever he wants?” He asked again, staring into her eyes.
She thought she had already made up her mind.
If Natsu could not cooperate with the plan, she was willing to accept everything, but…
Her consciousness was nothing but self-deception.
Aware of the fact that she has been unwilling to face up to it, she could only accept it honestly.
“ I can’t.”
The bitterness of hesitation made her voice much softer.
Hearing her answer, he smiled softly: “ That’s good.”
Why?
He put away the anger just now and followed her footsteps.
“ Taka… Don’t you think I’m stupid?”
“ No, I understand your intentions. The reason why you are so desperate is for me.” He looked at her with extremely calm eyes, piercing her heart.
“ Taka…”
He was really too gentle.
“ Thank you.”
She was merely a coward who made a decision but did not dare to carry it out.
“ I also forgot to tell you, thank you.” Compared with her cowardice, his smile was so sincere: “ Okay, let’s find an inn.”
The red sleeves brushed off her inferiority complex and followed his steps.
“ Um.”
Although there was still a haze in her heart, worrying about the follow-up of the plan, she still held his hand without hesitation.
An unexpected visitor arrived at Kasuga’s room.
“… It’s Asato.” Kasuga sensed his breath and moved his eyes to him.
“ It’s really not peaceful in the palace.”
“ As usual.” Ignoring Asato’s interested tone, Kasuga changed the subject: “ I clearly entrusted you to report the situation of Master Iemitsu to me every day, but these few days, I haven’t seen your report to me. What’s going on?”
Even with the cold gaze, Asato did not show any fear, merely shrugged.
“ It was just stopped by Master Iemitsu, you know.”
“ I thought so.” Kasuga sighed softly.
The little carriage stopped outside the woods.
Takatsukasa took Jianxue’s hand and walked down the city street at night.
Everything was too unreal.
At this moment, she was actually walking with him in the outside world.
She could not help but have the illusion that maybe they could have such a future too.
However, she…
As long as she could still see his face in the end, nothing else mattered.
Time never waited for anyone, and he stopped again.
“ You back off.”
Takatsukasa blocked her behind, facing the slightest danger in the air, just like before.
Putting away her delusions, she followed his gaze.
Here it came.
The orange-haired boy struggled with bitterness and antagonism and then stood firm.
“… Hakage.”
“ Master Takatsukasa, Miss Yang,” Hakage blocked their way, looking at them seriously: “ I’m here to bring you two back to the palace."
“ What if I say no?” Takatsukasa glared at him sharply, and Hakage lowered his eyes.
“ Please. I don’t want… to confront you.”
The people in the scam were unable to escape.
The boy who did not know anything could only suffer at the moment.
“ You are still naive.” An unfamiliar voice came.
“… Wu!"
Hit.
Nobody saw her gently waving hand, then her nape neck suffered a hard hit.
“ Snow!"
Her consciousness followed the night breeze and dispersed.
Asato came forward, taking over her fallen body.
“ Who are you!” He said angrily.
“ Asato, why are you here…"
“ Let go of her!”
Asato rolled his eyes at Takatsukasa who attacked him, pulling out a dagger, then, pointing the dagger towards Jianxue’s throat.
Takatsukasa stopped immediately.
“ Sorry, pardon me.” Asato looked at immobile Takatsukasa, carrying Jianxue on his shoulders: “ Kasuga entrusted me to bring her to him.”
“ Master Kasuga has already entrusted me with this task. Why did he send Asato?” Hakage frowned in confusion.
“ Oh… because there is an emergency at Edo Castle.”
“ Emergency?”
“What's going on?” Takatsukasa also asked.
“ If you think you care, go back to the palace.” Ignoring the two whose expressions changed drastically, Asato took Jianxue and disappeared into the darkness.
Everyone in the play had a different interpretation of the story.
“ Have to go back quickly.” Takatsukasa also set off immediately.
Was every move she made the road to the core, or the moat in the strategy of others?
The story itself did not have any meaning.
When she woke up, she was already lying in the Room of Sunflower, the general’s room in Edo Castle.
The remaining dizziness brought her back to reality. Her eyes flashed with helpless struggle.
“ It’s really gratifying that you came back so early, general.” That cold voice came. She got up quickly.
“ Mr. Kasuga.”
Kasuga looked at her upright sitting posture. The light in his eyes flickered with unknown emotions.
Kasuga was a smart person. He was probably planning something.
“ You actually named your main husband and sneaked out of the palace without authorization. You are becoming more and more like Master Iemitsu.” Unsurprisingly, Kasuga merely satirized a few words.
Then, he handed over a letter.
“ This is?”
“ A letter from the general.”
Why did Iemitsu write to her?
She accepted the letter suspiciously and read it carefully: “ Sister Iemitsu is sick?”
" It’s just an excuse. Master Hyuuga also has a similar illness.”
“ Why did you spread this lie?"
“In order for you to come and live in the palace freely.” Kasuga smiled: “ You are very smart. If you have nowhere to go in the future, you can come to be the right-hand man of Master Iemitsu.”
Although Kasuga was strict and unkind, he cherished the talents, making Jianxue chuckle because of this rare appreciation.
“ Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Kasuga. If there is a chance, the girl will come back here.”
This promise must be a dream that could not be realized.
“ The people for the next step are all in place. Tomorrow, please complete the last scene of the main show.”
“ Okay, but I will trouble you with the aftermath.”
“ That’s fine. It’s my duty.”
Kasuga closed the door, leaving the last unfulfilled moon to her.
[ To Be Continued ]
Iemitsu Tokugawa
Mizunoo
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