Chapter 118 Is it a blessing or a curse?
“Father, please don’t ask such questions again. It’s an insult to me, and also… an insult to the Prince.”
Upon hearing Narita Ujinaga's question, Kaihime sat bolt upright and spoke with utmost sternness. The murderous aura emanating from her sent chills down Narita's spine.
"Kai, what have you been through this past year? How come... your killing intent is so fierce!"
"Father, Kai only killed a lot of orcs, how can he be worthy of being called 'fierce killing intent'? We were just watching from the bottom of a well before." Kaihime's tone softened. After all, he was her father. She had been agitated and stern just now, and now she regretted it.
"Kai, it's not that your father insists on asking this question, but it concerns the attitude of our Narita family among the various powers in Japan. You don't know, the conflict between the Toyotomi family and the Hojo family is already inevitable!"
Looking at her father's graying temples, Kaihime sighed deeply and said, "There is no longer a Crown Prince Heng. His Highness has officially inherited the title of Prince Heng, and I... am now the Prince's personal maid."
"What kind of maid?" Narita asked his daughter, disregarding any potential rudeness.
"A maid who plays chess with me." Kaihime was speechless at her father, so she simply lowered her eyelids and ignored him.
"oh!"
Narita received a somewhat satisfactory answer, but it was enough for him to make a further judgment.
The father and daughter began to discuss the situation in Fusang after Kaihime left, as well as the sensation caused by the Fusang mercenaries who had returned from Daxia a few days ago.
Not long after Kaihime left, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was nearly sixty years old, sent someone to propose marriage, wanting to take the young and beautiful Kaihime as a concubine, and incidentally cause some trouble for the Hojo clan.
As a result, Kaihime disappeared without a trace. The Toyotomi envoy then set out with another objective: to incite Narita Uchinaga to rebel and join the Toyotomi clan. For a year, Narita Uchinaga had refused, but the Toyotomi clan persisted, sending envoys time and again to persuade him to defect. This time, they happened to encounter Kaihime returning home.
A few days ago, a large number of Japanese mercenaries returned to their homeland, bringing back enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. The rumors they brought back were even more unbelievable.
His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty actually bestowed precious rubbings and vital energy potions upon those peasants who weren't even warriors. Moreover, those peasants had all entered the Daoist path as if their ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke. One of them was even a well-known idiot in Hirado.
The most outrageous one is Kaihime. She entered the Dao naturally without using any rubbings or "medicines," and even had an ambiguous relationship with the Crown Prince of Heng. It's simply unbelievable.
While others disagreed, Toyotomi Hidetsugu completely disbelieved that the precious rubbings and "medicines" of Great Xia were extremely sought after on the black market. Nobles from Japan and Korea had been secretly sending people to Great Xia to purchase them for years, but unfortunately, they could hardly compete with the old and powerful families of Great Xia. Occasionally, they would manage to buy one at several times the price, and they would celebrate wildly.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's successor, Toyotomi Hidetsugu, had used three precious rubbings of the "Broken Record" and a vital energy potion, but unfortunately, he hadn't even seen the beginning of his path. How could he possibly believe that a mere woman could naturally attain enlightenment?
What's even more suspicious is that neither the fool nor the clever Inoue Hideo returned to Daxia. They both reportedly went to Dayuan to follow the Crown Prince Heng. Isn't this a sign of the Hu people? Those two might have already died in the Rakshasa Kingdom.
Hearing Narita's long explanation, Kaihime ignored Narita's probing gaze, picked up the sake pot on the table, and with a gentle force, the solid porcelain turned into porcelain powder, which fell onto the table in a flurry.
"Father, should I go and move the stone statue at the entrance inside?" Kaihime's soft words made Takeda Ujinaga's eyes light up, like a gambler with a good hand eyeing his opponent's bulging purse.
"Your Highness Prince Kai... could you lend a hand to the Narita family?" Narita licked his lips, continuing to probe. He knew his own daughter well; he had two younger sisters, and she would not allow the Narita family to fall into dire straits.
"Prince Heng is unwilling to get involved in the struggle between the Japanese daimyo, but His Highness asked me to bring you a gift, which is on the carriage."
"Nomura, go and move the things from the carriage, but don't disturb anyone!" Narita ordered his trusted samurai.
Soon, Nomura brought the two wooden boxes into the room. "My lord, there are two different kinds of boxes. There is only one of these exquisite ones, and there are fifty of the rest."
Although Narita was very anxious, he maintained his composure, remained seated, and gestured for Nomura to open the box.
Inside the ordinary box was a set of dark armor, simple in design and sturdy in material. Narita suppressed his excitement and had Nomura put it on.
Compared to the elaborate Japanese armor, the armor of the Dayuan was easy to put on. This was one of Qin Mo's original design requirements. In times of war, wearing cumbersome armor would be a waste of soldiers' lives in an emergency.
Seeing that only Nomura's eyes were showing, Narita turned around, drew his katana from the rack, and slashed it hard at Nomura's chest. A streak of blinding sparks flashed, and a serrated mark was left on the blade, while the armor only had a shallow scratch.
"There are fifty of these boxes?" Takeda Ujina's voice trembled. He only had one castle, and poverty had limited his ambition. But now... things might soon be different.
Kaihime waved for Nomura to leave, then opened the exquisite box and took out a beautifully crafted suit of armor for Narita to wear. "This was made by a master craftsman for you, based on my memory of your height. I don't want you to fight on the battlefield; I only want it to protect you for the rest of your life."
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