Chapter 157: I Hope He’s Not at Least Rotten to the Core!
The world rarely offers a perfect solution, and Yuan Ye could not have it both ways.
A Man repeatedly confirmed that A Qing had no intention of marrying Yuan Ye as his principal wife, nor would she ever marry him as such; it would be a burden to her. The next day, after waking, Yuan Ye observed A Qing’s expression several more times and found her to be as usual, showing no signs of sadness. He then gave up dwelling on it—this era was quite accommodating to “superiors” like him; everyone assumed he should marry several girls, one principal wife plus several concubines, and even a dozen or so maids, ideally to produce offspring daily.
Since there were no emotional factors involved, if one were to weigh the options purely from a utilitarian or developmental perspective, quickly regaining strength and continuing to grow should naturally be the top priority.
After all, when Yuan Ye was studying and taking notes in Takeuchi Manor, he had once envisioned changing history and preventing many tragedies. He had even attempted to harm that monkey, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, back then. However, his mindset was different then, and he lacked power, so he could only engage in minor schemes, digging small pitfalls for the monkey. But now, he possessed a territory entirely his own and many loyal subordinates. He began to feel that some of his past visions had a chance of realization and was willing to make some effort for it.
Compared to preventing tragedies that would claim tens of thousands or even tens of millions of lives, personal feelings and the “status” that A Qing did not care much about were entirely unimportant.
Moreover, this would probably not harm Inu-hime, that unfamiliar little girl.
Before he was cast into this era, apart from Oichi, he had never heard of Oda Nobunaga having any sisters. It was highly likely that in history, Inu-hime, also used as a political marriage pawn, was married off to some Owari local lord during Oda Nobunaga’s early development period and her entire family perished soon after. Otherwise, her original husband, as a family member of Oda Nobunaga, should have held some status within the Oda Danjō no Chū family and left a name in history.
By marrying into his household, perhaps Inu-hime could live for a much longer time.
As for offspring, that was a matter for the distant future, difficult to predict, and could be addressed after observing the situation for a few years. In any case, Inu-hime was only eleven years old, even younger than A Qing. If he married her, he could only observe her for now. As A Man had said, if they could get along, they would; if not, he would simply support her, and it wouldn’t matter if it cost a bit more money.
Yuan Ye’s mind cleared, and feeling that he could assuage his conscience, he readily agreed to the suggestion of marriage alliance between the two families when he met Niwa Nagahide and Maeda Toshiie that day, without any further hesitation. The two sides then began formal “negotiations.”
Yuan Ye led them to tour the battlefield of the “Battle of Xin Wanjin” while stating that he had an alliance with the Imagawa family, and was currently within the Imagawa family’s sphere of influence. Until the Imagawa family completely withdrew from Chita District, he could not assist the Oda Danjō no Chū family in attacking the Imagawa family. However, he was willing to pledge that he would never assist the Imagawa family in attacking Owari.
This was a matter of stance; unpleasant truths had to be stated upfront. He was by no means a vassal of the Oda Danjō no Chū family.
Niwa Nagahide was somewhat disappointed by this, but he could accept the promise that Yuan Ye would not become the “vanguard” for the Imagawa family. Subsequently, Yuan Ye expressed his desire to restore his freedom of passage in Owari, allowing him to purchase raw materials and sell goods through Atsuta, Shimazu, and Nagoya Castle, thereby sharing the convenience and wealth brought by trade routes.
Niwa Nagahide actively bargained with him, agreeing that Yuan Ye’s demands could be met, but stipulated that a portion of goods, including gunpowder and matchlock guns, must be supplied to the Oda Danjō no Chū family as a priority, at a price at least fifty percent below market value. Furthermore, the two families would be united, not attacking each other, and if one party were attacked or experienced a rebellion within their territory, the other would have an obligation to provide aid—excluding wars related to the Imagawa family and their affiliated forces, due to Yuan Ye’s oath.
Oda Nobunaga and his father-in-law, Saito Dosan, currently had a similar “alliance.” When the Yamaguchi family defected from the Oda Danjō no Chū family, it led to a large-scale invasion by the Imagawa family. Saito Dosan then sent reinforcements to Owari, deterring the Imagawa family from advancing further. Niwa Nagahide was essentially following this precedent.
After Yuan Ye consulted with A Man, A Qing, Endo Chiyo, Maeshima Shichiro, and others, he bargained further with Niwa Nagahide. They finalized the quantity of goods to be supplied at a low price and raised the price to seventy percent. Simultaneously, he reclaimed the confiscated assets from Wanjin, and only then did the two sides reach an agreement.
Niwa Nagahide immediately dispatched Maeda Toshiie to personally deliver the report to Oda Nobunaga. Upon receiving Oda Nobunaga’s approval, the alliance was formally established.
From this point on, the two sides were considered allies, needing to support each other in the future and no longer needing to be overly wary of each other. It was a mutual endeavor, a win-win situation—Yuan Ye wished to rejoin the trade routes to restore his development speed and avoid a financial deficit, while Oda Nobunaga desired a long-term, stable supply of gunpowder and to prevent being attacked along the Shirakawa Entrance line. Both parties achieved their objectives.
As for Inu-hime, she was not mentioned much during the negotiations. After all, as long as both sides were willing to form a marriage alliance, the wedding could be discussed at leisure. Even if she were to perish during the wedding preparations, it would have no impact. Oda Nobunaga had more than one sister; he had several younger ones. She was simply the eldest among those not yet betrothed. If she were to perish, another could easily be substituted.
…………
Kiyosu Castle is an ancient structure with over a hundred years of history, originally built in the twelfth year of the Ōei era (1405), under the orders of Shiba Yoshimasa, the Shugo Daimyo of Owari and Echizen. It was initially constructed as a subsidiary castle to Shimotsuke Castle, the Shugo’s residence in Owari. In the eighth year of the Bunmei era (1476), Shimotsuke Castle was burned down due to internal strife within the Oda family, who were the Shugodai. By the tenth year of the Bunmei era (1478), the Shugo’s residence was moved to Kiyosu, and Kiyosu Castle has since become the administrative center for the four southern districts of Owari Province.
Therefore, this castle was initially very small. The Kiyosu Oda clan carried out numerous expansions thereafter, resulting in a somewhat peculiar overall structure for Kiyosu Castle. In addition to the normal four city walls, there was an internal wall that divided the entire castle into north and south baileys of unequal size.
Previously, the Kiyosu Oda clan, the Shugodai, resided in the larger northern bailey, while the Shiba clan, who had fled, lived in the southern bailey. Both locations had palace-style residences. Like Nagoya Castle, Kiyosu Castle at this time did not have a tenshu (keep). It would only be when Oda Nobunaga died at Honnō-ji and his son Oda Nobukatsu ascended to power, further expanding Kiyosu Castle, that a double-moated main keep, a smaller keep, and a shoin-style residence would be constructed.
Now, the Kiyosu Oda clan is extinct, and the Shiba clan is essentially gone. Both the north and south baileys belong to Oda Nobunaga. He resides in the northern bailey with his attendant vassals, while his mother, Lady Tsuchida, and his wife, Nohime, are confined to the southern bailey.
They are truly confined. Nohime has some freedom, but his mother is not even allowed to step outside the gate.
Inu-hime, as an illegitimate daughter whose birth mother died early, naturally lived with the principal wife and her elder sister-in-law, effectively being confined to the southern bailey. Given Oda Nobunaga’s personality, he was not a good brother and generally ignored these half-sisters, leaving them to fend for themselves. He only remembered them when political marriages were needed.
She is eleven years old this year and is currently hiding in her side chamber, pretending to be invisible, carefully sewing a pair of socks to present to her stepmother, Lady Tsuchida. At this moment, her maidservants, A Naka and A Shita, rushed in with panicked expressions, exclaiming, “Your Highness, something terrible has happened! We heard… we heard that Lord Kazusa-no-suke has already arranged a marriage for you. You are to be married off!”
Just as she was about to tell her maidservants to be more discreet and not run around, Aken pricked her finger, instantly feeling dizzy and barely noticing the pain. When Aton, who was a year older than her, had her engagement arranged, she had already felt uneasy. She hadn’t expected it to happen so soon; it had only been two months, and now it was her turn. She hadn’t even undergone her tooth-blackening ceremony yet and, theoretically, was not an adult, so she shouldn’t be married off so early.
She was lost in thought for a long while before regaining her senses. Biting her lower lip lightly with her teeth, she cautiously asked, “Is it true? Who is it?”
“We heard it’s that family that sells cloth,” A Naka replied. Unable to leave the premises, she could only gather hearsay and rushed back to deliver the news with incomplete information. “I think it’s the Nohara family?”
As she spoke, she looked at A Shita, who quickly nodded, “It’s that family. It should be the head of the family, Lord Nohara Saburo.”
Speaking of selling cloth, Aken immediately remembered who it was.
About a year ago, when she was still at Nagoya Castle, a type of cloth with extremely bright and rare colors began to become popular there. Many varieties with unique colors and patterns were rare treasures. Her household had also purchased a batch, and the resulting garments were indeed beautiful, appearing much more luxurious than ordinary cloth. However, she, being such an invisible person, never got any. She had secretly envied it back then. She never imagined she would now be marrying into a family of cloth merchants…
She recalled for a moment and asked softly, “The Nohara family? Where is the Nohara family? Is it in Nagoya Castle?”
A Naka and A Shita exchanged glances and hesitated, “It seems to be in a place called Wanjin…”
“Where is Wanjin?”
A Naka and A Shita exchanged glances again and shook their heads in unison. They did not have access to much external information and had grown up by Inu-hime’s side, their sole responsibility being her care. If Inu-hime didn’t know a location, it was difficult for them to know either.
Aken bit her lower lip again and, after a moment of hesitation, cautiously asked, “Then, what kind of person is he?”
A Naka and A Shita hesitated for a moment and said nothing. According to the gossip they had overheard, Nohara Saburo had a terrible reputation. He was said to be greedy and lustful, a despicable individual who had drifted to Owari and specialized in opportunistic schemes. From the samurai discussions that many household servants had secretly overheard, Nohara Saburo was indeed such a person, perhaps only slightly better than a vagrant, and not by much.
Aken did not receive an answer, but the three mistress and servants had grown up together since childhood. Looking at their expressions, she could guess the general idea. Her delicate face immediately showed a look of sorrow. She felt her fate was truly unfortunate—her mother died early, and her wet nurse, Madam A Shang, also passed away from illness the year before. She was left alone, lingering in this dismal household, and now she was to be married into an even worse family. She could only lament her bitter fate.
Hopefully, he is not a person who is rotten to the core!
She lowered her head, her eyes slightly reddening, and could only think this.
