Chapter 134 - 85: Married Miserably!

Chapter 134: Chapter 85: Married Miserably!That night, at Oda Nobunaga’s residence. Oda Nobunaga was drinking alone, attended by Ikegami Keisuke, with extremely thinly sliced sashimi to accompany the drinks, paired with the "Ultra-Fresh Soy Sauce" just delivered by Harano’s people—soy sauce simmered with kelp extract, the MSG content outrageously high—together bringing out a savory, salty, and tender flavor that he found immensely satisfying. Eating Harano’s soy sauce reminded him of what had happened at noon. He’d recently formed a special unit called the "Banquet Brigade," with its captain being Banquet Demon Gokushinmaru. This fellow had hidden away for years and secretly got married, even had a child, and now wanted a radiant future for the kid. After being tempted a couple of times, he agreed, changed his name, and joined the Oda Danjo Chonosuke household, becoming one of Nobunaga’s attendants, just waiting to earn enough merit for a permanent post. But Gokushinmaru had always been a free spirit, totally unaccustomed to harsh military discipline and definitely not used to fighting in formation. No matter how skilled, he had a hard time being a competent military general. After some trial and error, he suggested forming the "Banquet Brigade"—a squad made up of the same sort of rebellious, unruly old crooks from the Kawamata Group and the Hosokawa Faction, specializing in gathering military intelligence. They were sort of like the Great Tang’s "Treadwhite Army," or Great Ming’s "Night Patrol." And, of course, they could be used for raids and infiltration operations—for example, sneaking into enemy territory to burn down food stores, that kind of thing. Nobunaga had high hopes for this squad, given that he’d twice been caught by surprise by the Matsudaira family and the Imagawa family, only finding out the enemy was at his doorstep when it was almost too late. He was eager to track those two formidable foes, and maybe even cause them some grief, so he spared no expense or manpower. But because the unit was so new, it still needed time to integrate and train; for now, they were stuck in Nagano Castle, only able to gather local gossip. That included some news about Harano, though it was pretty basic. Since returning to Takeshige Manor, he apparently hadn’t left once, seemingly intent on holing up there forever. All he did was produce soy sauce, supposedly using some secret method, churning out a huge supply and making a tidy fortune. Other trivia, like teaching literacy to the maids and Lang Faction at home, digging deep pits in the backyard, or hiring a new clerk, didn’t even merit a mention. Nobunaga hadn’t really cared—what was a few hundred kan a month to him? But then, out of nowhere, Harano popped up again, this time at the far-off Asano Family, which piqued Nobunaga’s curiosity. At noon, he’d even asked Gokushinmaru to send someone to see what Harano was up to—pure idle curiosity, since these two together couldn’t possibly plot a rebellion. The new, improved soy sauce was wonderfully tasty and novel. Seeing that, Nobunaga felt that Harano was truly his kindred spirit—they both came up with bizarre, freakishly good things that ordinary folks could never dream of. As he was finishing up the meal, he turned to Ikegami Keisuke and asked, "So, what was he actually up to this afternoon?" Ikegami Keisuke first gave him a hot cotton towel to wipe his hands, knowing Nobunaga so well that he didn’t even bother asking who "he" meant. He simply produced a lacquer-sealed scroll and handed it over. Nobunaga wiped his hands absentmindedly, saw the seal intact, broke it open, and after reading the contents, said speechlessly, "This guy actually..." The "Banquet Brigade" was newly formed and aimed to become a "Special Operations Reconnaissance Brigade," but when it came to subtle intelligence work, they still had a way to go. This time, their clumsy poking around led them astray by Asano Nagasuke and others, who also suspected that Harano went there for Ningning’s famed beauty! Well, you couldn’t really blame them, or Asano Nagasuke, for being superficial. The main thing was, when Harano saw Ningning, his eyes lit up, practically beaming like a big bad wolf spotting a little girl. Naturally, Asano Nagasuke, Ah Man, and the two nanny maids of Ningning and Ah Cheng all misunderstood the situation, and who could blame them? Nobunaga believed it, too. After all, he couldn’t think of any other reason why Harano, the kind of "Hermit Master" who never left his house, would go hang out with a clumsy archer general like Asano Nagasuke. As a result, he felt bored and figured that looking into this was a waste of his time. He wasn’t interested in women at the moment, so the fact that Harano made a special trip just for a matchmaking meeting was especially disappointing—he’d expected something more dramatic or strange, maybe even a bit of fun, but there was absolutely nothing to it. He was about to toss the scroll aside, but just as he did, something popped into his mind and he paused, pensively asking Ikegami Keisuke, "I remember that a couple of years ago, that little girl who offered me rice cakes—didn’t we send her to be raised by the Asano Family?" Ikegami Keisuke recalled the matter immediately. Just about two years ago, in the biting winter wind, a little girl had thrown herself in front of Nobunaga’s horse, nearly getting trampled to death but keeping calm, presenting a piece of poor-looking rice cake. He nodded, "Yes, and her younger sister too—they’ve both been with Lord Asano, and they’ve been doing quite well." Keisuke was the one who’d handled the matter from the beginning, and even chose "that old bachelor" Asano Nagasuke for the job. Being thorough by nature, he checked in from time to time to see how the sisters were getting along, whereas Nobunaga, being too busy, nearly forgot all about it. Now that Nobunaga was sure, old memories surfaced. Glancing at the scroll in his hand, he mused, "So it really is her. That kid’s kind of like me, such a shame she’s a girl. Otherwise, I’d have brought her in as a page... But this isn’t bad either; it’s killing two birds with one stone." Ikegami Keisuke understood what he meant. After a moment’s thought, he agreed that Harano had a good character and would make a fine match for Ningning, so he asked, "Shall I inform Lord Asano?" The implication being that Nobunaga approved—so when Harano eventually proposed, Asano Nagasuke could just accept, or, better yet, simply go ahead and arrange the engagement proactively. Nobunaga waved him off, signaling not to do so—a waste, he had a better idea: "No rush for now. The kid’s still young, and that stiff-necked guy’s a bit like me, too proud for his own good. Just a look isn’t enough; they should spend some time together first and see how it goes. Go tell Asano, and have him..." He gave Ikegami Keisuke a careful set of instructions: go relay the message to Asano Nagasuke; while preparing for a good future for Ningning, slip a leash around Harano’s neck too, so he’d stop being so stubborn and finally come over for some proper strategizing and sleepovers. ...... After Harano fled home, he went back to his diligent self, pouring his energy into his business affairs. He used to think that raking in a few hundred kan a month was more than enough. As it turned out, a careful calculation showed that he could only raise and arm ten or so Lang Faction soldiers each month, and those were the plain kind—just armed with basic swords, spears, and regular armor. seaʀᴄh thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Granted, that wasn’t a small number. A year or two of savings would put him on par with the Hosokawa Family, making him a local powerhouse. But today, he realized that Oda Nobunaga was still ramping up his own strength—even recruiting "elite units" like Banquet Demon Gokushinmaru—which gave him a renewed sense of urgency. Judging by what Ah Man and Ah Qing said, "professional killers" like Gokushinmaru would cut him down in no time, and their threat level was through the roof. So now he wanted to upgrade his Lang Faction soldiers all the way to Iron Cannon Lang Faction in one move, or at least have the two types working together. After all, no matter how kickass your martial arts were, you’d never withstand a volley from iron cannons—the power of gunpowder was never to be underestimated! With a squad of Iron Cannon Lang Faction for self-defense, there’d be nothing to worry about in terms of safety! But it would take much more money to build up Iron Cannon Lang Faction—the iron cannons were pricey, and he’d be lucky to put together ten or so in half a year. If he didn’t make money faster, he’d never get there. So he shrank back into Takeshige Manor, brainstorming new industries. In his lab, he experimented with ways to produce new products that wouldn’t leak modern tech yet could be mass-produced. Before he’d made much headway, Asano Nagasuke paid him a visit. He was astounded when Ah Man dragged him out of the lab, but it fit with his plan to become "friends" with Asano Nagasuke, so he hurried to receive his guest personally—only to find Asano hadn’t come alone: Ningning was with him, along with her nursemaid in tow. Already close enough to visit each other? Things were progressing fast! Harano had a vague sense that something was off—the whole thing seemed to be going too smoothly—but he welcomed the guests warmly, served tea and snacks, and chatted for a while before asking, "Lord Asano, what brings you here today?" Asano Nagasuke straightened his face: "I do have a favor to ask of you, Lord Nozawa." "Oh? What is it? Please, just say the word! I’ll do everything I can to help!" Harano didn’t mind—after all, if he could trick the monkey to death, he’d rack up karmic merit and reach Golden Immortal status. He’d even lend money for that. Asano Nagasuke was momentarily stunned, but seeing Harano’s earnestly sincere face, he looked a touch embarrassed. Duty was duty, though, and this would be good for his daughter. Pointing at Ningning, he said, "Sorry to be so forward, but my daughter is clever. I’ve heard that Lord Nozawa teaches the household literacy. Would it be possible for her to seek your guidance on a daily basis?" He paused, then formally sat up straight, "Forgive my impertinence, but I truly ask this favor!" Harano was a bit surprised—so the fame of his "night school" had already spread? Well, in his own house, behind closed doors, he could do what he liked, so he didn’t care. But Ningning wanted to join as a student? If Ningning were to attend, then even if he wasn’t her official teacher, wouldn’t he at least count as half a master? And as half a master, wouldn’t it make sense for him to have a hand in her future marriage arrangements? This was going just too smoothly! Harano hadn’t expected that he wouldn’t even have to spend a year making trips to the Asano Family or put in much effort at all—Asano Nagasuke had just delivered his daughter right to the tiger’s den. Truly marvelous—looked like the heavens wanted him to achieve Golden Immortal status! Though Harano found it a bit odd—the whole thing went too smoothly—the lure of "merit" was too strong to resist. What could a little girl possibly do to him? He didn’t hesitate for a second, didn’t even think to ask for tuition, and immediately agreed: "Lord Asano, you are far too polite! With the friendship between us, please leave it to me. I guarantee I’ll do my utmost so that... Miss Ningning will truly learn something—I won’t let you down!" Yes, her first lesson would be: marriage is a lifelong affair and must be approached with caution. The top priority is looks—anyone who looks like a monkey, has facial hair, a bald forehead, is short, or whose arms reach below their knees—absolutely cannot marry! Otherwise, you’ll live a miserable life!