1041 Episode 140 - Fireworks are over

Side: Kazuma Hisato

A few days have passed since the fireworks ended. The invited guests are starting to leave. In the case of the acting head of the family, they didn't stay that long before leaving.

The Miki family of Hida was selling their face by giving gifts here and there, but when the Anekoji family returned, they left together.

It seems they need someone who is well educated.

I don't want to be asked to compose waka poems.

There is a reason why the deputy left so quickly, though Sukekiyo-san was laughing. The nobles are holding tea ceremonies and poetry parties after the fireworks, but I don't have the skills to participate in them. Some of the vassals of the Imagawa and Asakura families are indeed well-educated, but the deputies of the Ogasawara and Kiso families in Shinano do not have such skills.

The head of the Miki family was there earlier, and he seemed to be trying to sell his face and appeal to the people, but he seemed to be totally useless in that area, and he was small at the tea ceremony and singing party before the fireworks.

Oh, Gukyo-san also came early and inspected Owari, so he left before I did. He had just been replaced, and his work seemed to be difficult.

I'm Saburozaemon Tachibanaya. It is a great pleasure to meet you.

That's all well and good, but Mr. Magara is going back with the nobles of Echizen, so I came to greet him. I asked him if he was going to participate in the martial arts tournament, but he said he was coming back before that.

I asked him to stop by again before he left, so that I could give him some souvenirs, and he asked me for a favor. He asked me to meet with the merchant of the Asakura family. I also heard at the banquet the other day that Nobukage Asakura had ordered him to buy some rare items for me.

I wondered who the merchant was, and when I asked his name, I found that he sounded slightly familiar. In the historical record, he was a merchant who followed Oda after the fall of the Asakura family.

I decided to meet him in person because of my friendship with Mr. Magara and Mr. Sotaku, but he greeted me in a very formal manner. It's amazing how much influence the title has.

Tachibana-ya in Echizen is a large store that deals in medicines and sake.

I asked Mr. Minatoya to sit with me to discuss business, but when I told him the name of the store, he already knew about the products they sold. As expected of former Ominato residents.

Sake and medicine," he said. If you don't mind the high price, I can make various arrangements. I'll let you and Minatoya talk about the medicinal items later, but how about some golden wine and plum wine?　I believe that the gold-colored medicinal wine is only sold to people whose identities can be verified, and the plum wine was only given to the Asakura family in Echizen.

I can't ruin Sotaku-san and Magara-san's faces. We can sell medicines as long as they are not some of the most dangerous drugs. And then there's alcohol. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

Plum wine is not so popular, but it is not sold to ordinary merchants because it is not produced in large quantities, and because it uses sugar and white liquor, which are expensive ingredients.

However, I can feel Sodake's greatness when he sends an apothecary to the Imperial Merchant. It would be a problem if it were an arms dealer, but if it were medicine, there would be no problem selling it at our discretion.

I'm sure you're right!　Of course, I don't mind the asking price.

His face changed when he heard about the golden wine and plum wine. Golden liquor is indeed becoming popular in its own right. It's still in short supply, though.

However, golden liquor and plum wine are mainly used as gifts by Yoshinori and Nobuhide, or sold only to places with which they have friendly relations, such as Rokkaku, Kitabatake and Miyoshi. Oh, there is Ishiyama Honganji, though.

Also, plum wine. We also make and sell plum wine in Hojo, though we try to keep the price low.

How about Owari pottery, Magara-dono?　Those are also pricey, but since you are none other than Magara-dono, I don't care how much you pay.

Magara-san, who came with me to introduce Tachibanaya-san, must not be very interested. She just listened to me and Ms. Tachibanaya as if she was someone else, so I decided to involve her a little.

"What?　Thank you very much.

You still don't get it, do you? You don't understand. Magara-san's position in Echizen would change depending on what she could bring back here.

If you buy some porcelain from Owari, Enkei-san will be satisfied. There are many new products, and the best ones are basically sold only as gifts or to people with whom I have friendly relations.

I want to cherish the relationships I have made. I'll make sure that Magara-san goes home with a big smile on her face.

Side: Saburozaemon Tachibanaya

At first, Magara's bad boy didn't look too happy, but when I asked him if I could be Hisato-sama's retainer, he managed to get me in touch with Hisato-sama.

I heard that Hisato-sama does not meet with merchants from other countries by himself. I have heard rumors that he entrusts his business to Minatoya-dono, who was recruited from the Ominato clan. I thought it would be impossible, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy to meet him.

He was young. He seemed to be older than Magara's bad boy, and although I had heard that he was over twenty, he looked more like a teenager.

I was surprised to see that the house was covered with tatami mats, but other than that, there was nothing extravagant about it.

It is the end of a merchant's life if he is neglected by Lord Kuon. That's what everyone who knows the current state of Sakai, once one of the most important cities not only in the Kansai region but also in Japan, says.

If I am not careful, not only my head but also the lives of my family members will be lost. I was prepared for this, but I was surprised to see how young and mild he was.

Thank you for your concern.

"It's just a coincidence.

The other thing that surprised me was the fact that His Highness was talking to the bad boy from Magara in a friendly manner. I had no idea that he liked this bad boy. Do you like martial arts?　I also heard that the martial arts tournament in which Magara's bad boy played an active role was thought up by Hisato-sama.

But I didn't expect you to sell me the golden wine. There is a rumor that a previous lord drank it at the time of his death and said it would make him feel better, and there have been calls for it in Echizen, but it has never been available.

I have heard that Soteki-sama has been drinking it as a gift from Oda.

I'm sure you will be fine with Magara-dono being here, but Tachibanaya-dono, please be careful on the way back. The journey to Mino is fine, but I have heard that Kita Omi is a little difficult. If it is known that you have returned with our family's goods, you may be targeted.

Haha, thank you very much.

Finally, I felt the blood drain from my veins. You are in Owari and already know about the three counties of Kita Omi?

It was also frightening to see that he had no pretense of dignity, despite his status as an official from the Imperial Court. It is rumored that he has a close relationship with the Sekishiro-sama and the Omi-sama. I thought he would be more frightening than that. ......

I have met many people as a merchant, but I have never felt so fearsome as I do now with Sodake.

How does the Asakura family plan to deal with such a man?

If it is Sotoku, so be it. So long as it is Sotaku-sama. But .......