He Should Be Thanking Me!

The Maeno clan of Owari was divided into two branches. Though both bore Maeno as their surname, they did not descend from the same line.

Maeno Muneyasu and his son Maeno Nagayasu belonged to the Yoshimine lineage. Their branch regarded itself as descendants of Yoshimine Asomi, neither Minamoto, Taira, nor Fujiwara.

The other branch was an offshoot of the Togashi clan, the shugo of Kaga Province, whose ancestors had been Fujiwara. Maeno Tokiuji and Maeno Tokiyuki of Matsukura Castle belonged to this line, also known as the "Tsubouchi clan."

Through marriage alliances, adoptions, and other means, the two houses had formed the "Maeno clan," with Maeno Muneyasu serving as the head of the entire family.

Maeno Muneyasu and Maeno Tokiuji were blood brothers, and their mother was the aunt of Yasui Shigetsugu of Miyago Village. Thus, Maeno Tokiyuki, Yamauchi Kazutoyo's uncle, was considered Yasui Shigetsugu's cousin and was also related to Hachisuka Masakatsu and Asano Nagakatsu.

After staying in Maeno Village for two days, Yamauchi Kazutoyo had finally sorted out the relationships between the various families from Maeno Muneyasu's explanations.

With that, he felt even more confident about the plan ahead.

Three days flew by in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the twenty-first day of the fourth month of Eiroku 2.

Maeno Tenmangu Shrine outside Iwakura Road was packed with people. Commoners and warriors arriving for the flower-viewing gathering came in an unbroken stream.

The Maeno family truly wielded considerable influence across northern Owari, in places such as Niwa District and Haguri District. At Maeno Muneyasu's earnest invitation, it was said that even Oda Nobukiyo of Inuyama Castle had sent retainers to attend.

At the same time, Yamauchi Kazutoyo was finally joined by Hachisuka Masakatsu.

"Iemon, everyone's here. When do we move?" Hachisuka Masakatsu was a man of few words and ruthless action. The moment they met, he impatiently asked.

Looking at the seven or eight burly men behind Hachisuka Masakatsu, each gripping a long-handled nodachi, Yamauchi Kazutoyo silently took out a rough map and spread it flat on the ground.

The map marked the roads and house layouts within Yamajiri Village. Though crudely drawn, the crucial information was clear at a glance.

Seeing how thoroughly Yamauchi Kazutoyo had prepared, Hachisuka Masakatsu said dismissively, "He's only an otomi. There are just four or five people in his household. Is there any need to be this careful?"

"Exactly!"

"We'll rush in, and anyone who refuses can be hacked to death. With this many of us, are we afraid of messing up?"

The young men from Miyago Village who had come with Hachisuka Masakatsu joined in the clamor.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo replied calmly, "Even a lion must use all its strength to catch a rabbit. A cautious ship sails for ten thousand years. Little Roku should understand that better than I do, shouldn't he?"

Hachisuka Masakatsu had no idea what a lion was, but he did take the latter saying to heart.

"Iemon has thought it through. I was too rash."

As he spoke, Hachisuka Masakatsu turned to the others. "When the time comes, all of you follow Iemon's orders. Don't act on your own."

"Yes!"

Hachisuka Masakatsu clearly held great authority among these men.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo nodded in thanks, then pointed at the map. "There is only one main road through Yamajiri Village, and Chubei's house stands right in the middle of it."

"I've been there. There's fencing around the house, but the wall at the back courtyard is low enough to climb over."

"Leave a few men outside to keep watch, have two guard the front gate, and the rest will enter the house with me."

"Good!" Hachisuka Masakatsu nodded in agreement.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo turned to Horio Yoshiharu. "Kichisuke, are the relay horses you arranged in position?"

Horio Yoshiharu nodded. "I already had Father hire four relay horses and eight laborers from the Ikoma Residence. They should arrive at the village entrance soon."

The previous night, Chubei had told Yamauchi Kazutoyo that the annual tribute had been fully collected. The grain, pottery, vegetables, and fruit handed over by the farmers of each village had all been sold in Kiyosu Castle in exchange for money.

The system currently practiced in various regions was still the kan-daka system, with annual tribute settled entirely in copper coins.

If Inagi Estate's tribute had all been paid in copper coins, it would have amounted to one hundred thousand coins, weighing nearly half a ton. Such a sum could hardly be carried back to Matsukura Castle on people's backs, so Yamauchi Kazutoyo had asked Horio Yoshiharu to contact the Ikoma family, who worked in transport.

"Most of the villagers have gone to Tenmangu Shrine now. Time waits for no one—we move at once!"

"Let's go!"

The group of twelve quietly entered the village. Though they encountered some women and children along the way, everyone in the village knew that a Maeno family magistrate would be coming to collect the annual tribute that day, so no one grew suspicious.

Chubei and his son had waited at home for quite some time, their expressions growing increasingly anxious.

Every prominent person in the vicinity had been invited to Tenmangu Shrine, yet neither father nor son had attended. That was hardly a good sign.

"Why hasn't the magistrate from Matsukura Castle arrived yet? I heard Maeno Village even invited sarugaku performers from Kiyosu Castle. I was waiting to go to Tenmangu Shrine and see it for myself after this was done."

"What are you so anxious about?" Chubei glared irritably at his good-for-nothing son. "When can't you watch sarugaku?"

"With so much money sitting in the house, what if something happens?"

"What could happen?" Nehei curled his lip. "Don't tell me bandits are going to attack the village?"

At that, Nehei laughed himself. He was the biggest bandit chief within a hundred li. He had always been the one robbing others—when had anyone ever robbed him?

"Once the magistrate leaves, remember to hide the money properly. The cellar's location must not be exposed. Be quick about it."

"Got it!"

The words had barely left his mouth when knocking sounded outside.

Chubei and Nehei opened the door and stepped out, only to see Yamauchi Kazutoyo standing at the entrance with several men.

"Ah, Lord Yamauchi has arrived. Please, come in, come in." With the god of wealth at their door, Chubei and his son were exceedingly warm.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo sat down inside with the bearing of a great general and asked bluntly, "Where's the money?"

Chubei bent at the waist and pointed toward the corner. "Since one hundred kan of cash is truly too much and inconvenient to carry, I took the liberty of exchanging part of it for Koshu gold in Kiyosu Castle."

As Nehei spoke, he carried over two small wooden boxes and opened them before Yamauchi Kazutoyo.

The gleaming gold instantly drew everyone's gaze. Even Yamauchi Kazutoyo revealed a surprised expression.

Inside the two boxes lay dozens of gold pieces of different shapes and sizes. Yamauchi Kazutoyo immediately stepped forward to inspect them.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo counted carefully. There were fifty-six gold coins in total. Among them were Koshu one-ryō gold pieces worth four kan each, shaped somewhat like Go stones. In Japan's Warring States period, one ryo of gold or silver was roughly equal to sixteen grams.

There were also smaller ichibu gold pieces. One Koshu one-ryō gold piece was equivalent to four ichibu gold pieces.

"Lord Yamauchi, there are sixteen Koshu one-ryō gold pieces here, worth sixty-four kan in total."

"There are also forty Koshu ichibu gold pieces, worth forty kan in total."

"The two boxes of Koshu gold come to one hundred and four kan altogether, all present and accounted for. If there is no issue, please sign and affix your seal to this annual tribute ledger." Chubei then took out a document recording in detail the annual tribute paid by the four villages.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo suddenly smiled. "Chubei, you've been so thoughtful. You even went out of your way to exchange the copper coins for gold. How am I supposed to thank you for this?"

"Eh?" Chubei cried out in surprise. "How can Lord Yamauchi say such a thing? That you allowed this humble one to handle matters for you is Chubei's honor."

"If anyone should be grateful, it ought to be me thanking you." Chubei said with a face full of smiles.

Well now, he still had to thank me. Yamauchi Kazutoyo nearly lost his composure.

To be fair, if Chubei's son had not attacked him and killed Goto's wife, Yamauchi Kazutoyo really would have been reluctant to part with such talent.

"But Chubei collected one hundred and four kan in annual tribute. Why does this record only show one hundred kan?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo held the brush without signing for a long while.

Before Chubei could speak, Nehei could no longer hold back. "Keeping the excess is my father's skill. Lord Yamauchi only needs to take these one hundred kan."

"Oh, and don't forget what you said before. The one kan that should be given to us cannot be shorted either."

This father and son were clearly no better than birds of a feather. They played this game of eating from both ends with practiced ease. They must have amassed quite a fortune over the years, Yamauchi Kazutoyo thought.

"Of course, of course!" Yamauchi Kazutoyo immediately signed his name.

But as Nehei reached into the wooden box, Yamauchi Kazutoyo pressed his hand down under his puzzled gaze.

"What? Does Lord Yamauchi intend to go back on his word?" Nehei's expression darkened.

Chubei hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Please don't be angry, Lord Yamauchi. My son has always had a fiery temper."

"However, Lord Yamauchi did indeed promise before that everything paid by the otomi and the wealthy men of the village would be returned in full. Is there some problem with that?"

Hachisuka Masakatsu and Horio Yoshiharu stepped forward without a word, their right hands already resting on their sword hilts.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo grinned. "There's no problem. It is all perfectly reasonable. This box of Koshu one-ryō gold should indeed remain here."

After pushing away the larger box worth sixty-four kan, Yamauchi Kazutoyo slapped the wooden box before him, making it thump and rattle.

Then his tone shifted, and his expression gradually darkened. "It's just that the accounts for Inagi Estate's annual tribute have been settled. Shouldn't we settle the accounts between us as well?"