'You mean you don't want to talk in the open?'
'That's right.'
'Well then, you'll have to come with us to the guardhouse.'
They probably suspected him of being a spy. Just in case he was going to put up a struggle, one of the men called out toward the road, where a mounted samurai, who appeared to be their leader, and another ten foot soldiers were waiting.
'This is just what I'd hoped for. Lead on.' With that, the swordsman started off quickly.
In Gifu, as in every other province, security checks at the river crossings, in the castle town, and at the borders were strict. Nobunaga had only recently moved to Gifu Castle, and with the complete change of administration and laws, the duties of the magistrates were numerous. Although some complained that the patrolling was too strict, there were still many former retainers of the deposed Saito clan in the town, and the plots of enemy provinces were often at an advanced stage.
Mori Yoshinari was well suited to the post of chief magistrate, but like any warrior, he preferred the battlefield to civilian duties. When he went back home in the evening, he would heave a sigh of relief. And he would show his wife the same weary after-work expression every night.
'A letter came for you from Ranmaru.'
When he heard the name Ranmaru, Yoshinari smiled. News from the castle was one of Yoshinari's few pleasures. Ranmaru was the son he had sent as a child to serve in the castle. It was clear from the very beginning that Ranmaru would be of no real service, but he was an attractive boy and had caught Nobunaga's eye, and so he had become one of his personal attendants. Recently he had been mixing with the pages and seemed to be performing some sort of duties.
'What was the news?' Yoshinari's wife asked.
'Nothing, really. Everything is peaceful, and His Lordship is in a good mood.'
'He didn't write anything about being sick?'
'No, he said he was in excellent health,' Yoshinari replied.
'That boy is cleverer than most. He's probably being careful not to make his parents
worry.'
'I suppose so,' Yoshinari said. 'But he's still a baby, and it must be a strain for him be at His Lordship's side all of the time.'
'I imagine he'd like to come home from time to time and be spoiled a little.'
At that point a samurai appeared and announced that soon after Yoshinari had returned home something had occurred at his office, and that some of his subordinates had come to confer with him even though it was late at night. The three officers were waiting at the entrance.
'What is it?' Yoshinari asked the three men.
The leader made his report. 'Toward the end of the day, one of our patrols arrested a suspicious-looking swordsman near the Nagara River.'
'And?'
'He acted very obediently all the way to the guardhouse. When we questioned him he stubbornly refused to give his name or native province, and said that he would only do so if he could speak to Master Yoshinari. He went on to say that he was not a spy, and that a relative of his—a woman—had been working in the Oda household from the time His Lordship resided in Kiyosu. But he would not say any more unless he could meet with the man in charge. He was very stubborn.'
'Well, well. How old is he?'
'About forty.'
'What kind of man is he?'
'He's rather impressive. It's difficult to think of him as being just one of these wandering swordsmen.'
A few moments later the arrested man was brought in. He was led to a room at the back of the house by an elderly retainer. A cushion and some food were waiting for the guest.
'Master Yoshinari will be with you soon,' said the old retainer, taking his leave.
Incense smoke drifted into the room. The swordsman, his clothes stained from the journey, realized that the incense was of such quality that had the visitor not been cultivated enough to have a refined sense of smell, it would have been wasted. He waited silently for some sign of the master of the house.
The face that had been obscured by the sedge hat that afternoon was now silently contemplating the flickering light of the lamp. No doubt, he was too pale for the patrol to believe that he was a wandering swordsman. Also, his eyes were peaceful and mild—not what you would expect of a man whose daily life was the sword.
The sliding door opened, and a woman, whose clothes and demeanor showed that she was not a servant, gracefully brought him a bowl of tea. She placed the bowl in front of him without a word, then withdrew, closing the sliding door behind her. Once more, if the guest had not been important, such courtesy would not have been extended.
A few moments later the host, Yoshinari, came in and, by way of greeting, excused himself for having kept his guest waiting.
The swordsman shifted from the cushion to a more formal kneeling position. 'Do I have the honor of addressing Master Yoshinari? I'm afraid I created a bit of trouble for your men with my thoughtlessness. I have come on a secret mission from the Asakura clan in Echizen. My name is Akechi Mitsuhide.'
'So it is you. I hope you'll excuse the rudeness of my subordinates. I was surprised myself by what I heard a little while ago, and I hurried to meet you.'
'I didn't give my name or home province, so how did you know who I am?'
'You spoke of a certain lady—your niece, I believe—who has served in His Lordship's household for some time. When this was reported to me, I guessed it must be you. Your niece is the Lady Hagiji, I believe. She has served Lord Nobunaga's wife since she accompanied Her Ladyship from Mino to Owari.'
'Indeed! I am impressed by your knowledge of such details.'
'It's only my job. We routinely look into such things as the home province, lineage, and the relatives of everyone from the senior ladies-in-waiting to the servant girls.'
'That's sensible enough.'
'We looked into Lady Hagiji's family background as well. At the time of Lord Dosan's death, one of her uncles fled Mino and disappeared. She always spoke sadly with Her Ladyship about a certain Mitsuhide from Akechi Castle. This much has come to me. So when my subordinates informed me of your age and appearance, and told me that you had been walking around the castle town for half a day, I put it all together and guessed that it was you.'
'I must congratulate you on your powers of deduction,' Mitsuhide said with a relaxed smile.
Yoshinari glowed with satisfaction. More formally he asked, 'But, Master Mitsuhide, what business brings you so far from Echizen?'
Mitsuhide's expression turned grave, and he quickly lowered his voice. 'Is anyone else here?' He looked toward the sliding door.
'You don't need to worry. I've sent the servants away. The man on the other side of the door is my most trusted retainer. Other than a man keeping guard at the entrance to the corridor, there is no one else here.'
'The fact is that I have been entrusted with two letters for Lord Nobunaga, one from Shogun Yoshiaki, and the other from Lord Hosokawa Fujitaka.'
'From the shogun!'
'This had to be kept secret from the Asakura clan at all costs, so I'll leave you to imagine how difficult it's been to come this far.'
The previous year, Shogun Yoshiteru had been assassinated by his vice-governor-general, Miyoshi Nagayoshi, and Miyoshi's retainer, Matsunaga Hisahide, who had usurped the shogun's authority. Yoshiteru had two younger brothers. The elder, the abbot of a Buddhist temple, was murdered by the rebels. The younger brother, Yoshiaki, who was then a monk in Nara, realized the danger he was in and escaped with the help of Hosokawa Fujitaka. He hid for a while in Omi, renounced the priesthood, and took the title of fourteenth shogun at the age of twenty-six.
