Opening a New Source of Wealth!

With Chubei and his son dead, Yamauchi Kazutoyo naturally no longer had to return the money he had promised to repay to the village elders of Inagi Estate.

From beginning to end, Yamauchi Kazutoyo had dealt only with Chubei. Even if the matter was dragged into the open, he could flatly deny everything. The dead could not testify, after all.

As the saying went, every grievance had its source and every debt its debtor. If those people had objections, they could go demand payment from Chubei and his son. Yamauchi Kazutoyo certainly would not stop them...

By the time they reached Matsukura Castle, nearly ten days had passed since Yamauchi Kazutoyo had set out.

Maeno Tokiyuki had been waiting outside the castle since early morning, anxiously glancing again and again at the empty road ahead.

"Lord Maeno, today is the final deadline."

"You said you would repay the money today. Don't try to fool us."

"Though your father is the lord of Matsukura Castle, Myōkō-ji Temple is no shabby roadside shrine. If you break the rules, do not blame us for casting aside old ties."

The incessant muttering at his ears gave Maeno Tokiyuki a splitting headache.

Myōkō-ji Temple was a Rinzai sect temple in Nakashima District of Owari, belonging to the Myōshin-ji branch. As one of Owari Province's foremost great Zen temples, it was not someone Maeno Tokiyuki could afford to offend.

In this era, the main lenders were the great temples, followed only then by wealthy merchants.

After all, if one owed money to the Buddha, one truly did not dare default.

"Rest assured, everyone. My nephew is already on his way back. We will definitely repay the money today." Maeno Tokiyuki wiped the fine sweat from his brow, his gaze stretched so far it nearly pierced the horizon.

No one knew how much time passed before a group of figures finally appeared on the road ahead.

Maeno Tokiyuki stood on tiptoe and craned his neck. Once he saw who it was, tears nearly spilled from his eyes.

"Iemon, you're finally back!"

"I missed you to death!"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo reined in his horse and pointed to the mounts behind him. "Uncle, I did not fail my mission. The annual tribute from Inagi Estate has been collected."

"I know, I know. You already told me in your letter."

"Good, good! As expected of the Yamauchi family's qilin. Your uncle truly did not misjudge you!" Maeno Tokiyuki seized Yamauchi Kazutoyo's arms with both hands, overcome with excitement.

The qilin was likewise regarded by the Japanese of this era as an auspicious beast. For example, Oda Nobunaga's signature mark was the character for "qilin."

Yamauchi Kazutoyo held out his hand behind him, and ten Koshu one-ryō gold coins were placed in it.

"Uncle, here are forty kan. This is Inagi Estate's annual tribute ledger. Please keep them together."

Pulling Yamauchi Kazutoyo along, Maeno Tokiyuki proudly introduced him to the monks behind them. "Revered masters, this is Iemon, son of my elder brother, Yamauchi Tajima-no-kami."

"Why say so much? Where is the money?" a young monk demanded, glaring with eyes wide.

Maeno Tokiyuki resentfully handed over the Koshu gold that had only just reached his hands and had not even had time to warm.

The monk did not reach out to take it, yet his face was no longer stern, and a smile returned to his lips. "Ah, ah, the patron is indeed a man who keeps his word."

"Yet this poor monk has left the secular world. How could I accept such yellow and white worldly things?"

Pah!

Shameless!

Maeno Tokiyuki truly wanted to slap him across the face. Before the money was repaid, they had shown him not the slightest courtesy. Now that they saw the money, he was a "patron" again, was he?

"Our temple is preparing to repaint the Great Buddha. If Lord Maeno is willing, we ask that the patron make a trip to Myōkō-ji Temple and offer this as a donation to our Buddha." The monk pressed his palms together, looking as though he regarded wealth as dung.

Maeno Tokiyuki could only nod. "Within three days, I will send someone to Myōkō-ji Temple."

"In that case, this poor monk shall take his leave. May we meet again if fate permits!" With that, the monks turned and left.

That truly was the custom of this era. Private loans could not be called loans, nor could one write an IOU. They had to be called "investments."

The reason was that daimyo often issued something called a Tokuseirei, somewhat like an ancient Chinese emperor's general amnesty. The Tokuseirei's primary purpose was to erase local debts.

In other words, once a daimyo or lord issued a Tokuseirei, nobody within the domain needed to repay borrowed money, and any collateral would be returned without compensation.

This tradition had originated in the Kamakura Period. Its original purpose had been to look after impoverished vassals, but it gradually evolved into a means for the shogunate to rake in wealth.

The Muromachi shogunate went even further, directly declaring that as long as one handed over a tenth of the debt owed, it would issue a Tokuseirei to erase that debt. Once this floodgate opened, there was no stopping it.

As a result, creditors became less willing to lend, while interest rates on private loans continued to rise. As interest rose, debts grew ever larger. The more one owed, the less one could repay, and then another wave of Tokuseirei would arrive...

Local warriors and daimyo later began copying this practice as well. Before long, Tokuseirei became an "evil policy" that left daimyo and debtors grinning from ear to ear while creditors cursed their mothers inside.

But temples did not fear that.

Especially since some major temples possessed the privilege of "shugo non-entry," meaning a daimyo's Tokuseirei had no effect on them. Thus, temples gradually took control of private lending.

Merchants who lent money no longer called it lending either. Instead, they "invested" money in someone, and what was repaid was called the return on their investment, thereby avoiding the risks of a Tokuseirei.

Only after the monks had gone far away did Maeno Tokiyuki finally let out a full breath.

"Eh, Iemon, who are these people behind you?" Maeno Tokiyuki examined the men behind Yamauchi Kazutoyo.

He knew Sobue Kan'emon and Gotō Kichibē, but he had never met Hachisuka Masakatsu or Horio Yoshiharu.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo quickly introduced them. "Uncle, these two are my closest friends, as dear to me as my own hands and feet. They came with me to Matsukura Castle to seek work."

"So they are Iemon's friends. Then do not stand around. Come into the castle with me."

Under Maeno Tokiyuki's arrangements, the goods brought back from Yamajiri Village were temporarily unloaded at the harbor outside Matsukura Castle. He did not ask where those goods had come from.

The promised forty kan had been received, and the annual tribute had been collected without incident. Maeno Tokiyuki was very pleased with Yamauchi Kazutoyo's performance.

Once they had returned home and taken their seats, Yamauchi Kazutoyo first asked after the family's recent situation.

Only after learning that everyone was well did Yamauchi Kazutoyo continue, "Uncle, did you read the letter I sent you?"

"I did." Maeno Tokiyuki sighed. "It was hard on you too. To help me resolve this trouble, you risked your life."

After learning the details from Yamauchi Kazutoyo's letter, Maeno Tokiyuki had felt a chill run down his back. He might not have been particularly capable, but he was not a fool.

If Inagi Estate's annual tribute could not be collected smoothly and Oda Nobunaga of Kiyosu Castle held him accountable, Maeno Tokiyuki would be taking the blame for Maeno Nagayasu and become a political sacrifice.

After understanding this, Maeno Tokiyuki suddenly felt disheartened.

"Let us not speak of that for now. What plans does Iemon have for the future?" Maeno Tokiyuki took the initiative to ask.

After such an incident, according to the prior agreement between Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Maeno Muneyasu, he was certainly no longer suited to remain at Matsukura Castle.

Collecting the annual tribute from Inagi Estate was equivalent to the Maeno family snatching something from Oda Nobukiyo's very pocket. Thus, the Maeno family feared retaliation from Oda Nobukiyo of Inuyama Castle.

Having secured his first pot of gold, Yamauchi Kazutoyo was unwilling to remain at Matsukura Castle farming. As for what came next, he had already made up his mind.

"Uncle, I want to acquire several boats to transport goods on the Kiso River, but I need you to help me obtain permission from the castle lord." Yamauchi Kazutoyo's eyes shone with expectation.

Making a living on the Kiso River was not as simple as owning boats. One also needed a transit permit. Otherwise, not only could one's goods easily be confiscated, one would not even be able to dock at ports along the route.

The middle reaches of the Kiso River were essentially controlled by the Kawanami League. Without the Maeno family's recognition, Yamauchi Kazutoyo's boats could never find work.

"How many boats do you need?" Maeno Tokiyuki asked after a brief hesitation.

"How much does it cost to build a boat at Matsukura Castle?"

Maeno Tokiyuki knew this well and immediately answered, "The Kiso River is considered a large river, and small boats capable of carrying thirty koku can pass through it."

"I can help you obtain the timber, but you will have to pay for the shipwrights yourself."

"The craftsmen at Matsukura Castle earn around two hundred mon a day. Building one small boat would require at least five or six craftsmen working for ten days."

Yamauchi Kazutoyo made a rough calculation. Building one boat would cost around twelve kan, would it not? That was nearly equal to the Yamauchi family's annual expenses.

But what business could be done without investment? If one could not bear to put down capital, then one could only keep farming.

"Uncle, I want three boats!" Yamauchi Kazutoyo swiftly made his decision.

Maeno Tokiyuki nodded lightly. He had already looked over that annual tribute ledger and roughly knew how much money Yamauchi Kazutoyo possessed.

Yet he was not envious. After all, Yamauchi Kazutoyo had earned it with his life, and he had also resolved Maeno Tokiyuki's urgent crisis.

"Consider the timber needed for the three boats a gift from me. I will have people begin cutting it shortly."

"I will contact the craftsmen. Iemon only needs to prepare the money."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Yamauchi Kazutoyo hurriedly bowed in thanks.

Maeno Tokiyuki helped Yamauchi Kazutoyo up. "Get up quickly. We are family. Why speak so formally?"

The more he looked at this nephew, the more he liked him.

Compared to the adoptive father who had dug a pit for him, Maeno Tokiyuki suddenly felt that the Yamauchi family might be his true final home.

All that talk of family prestige was false. Only this blood-thicker-than-water affection was real!