Chapter 43: Yukiko's Attempt to Kidnap Tsuru
Although Kozuki Oden could no longer claim the title of the shogun's son, the blood ties between them could never truly be severed. Kin'emon was also one of Oden's followers, and with this connection, Tsuru felt she would not be harmed.
Thinking this through, she gradually calmed down.
She took a few steps toward Ren and bowed.
"This humble woman, Tsuru, greets the Daimyo-sama." Taking the chance, Tsuru also carefully observed the famed Daimyo of Kuri. Her first impression was that he was handsome, followed closely by a sense of coldness.
In truth, Ren himself was not particularly cold. However, Muzemi, following the principle that speaking and acting less led to fewer mistakes, deliberately minimized both speech and movement, which made him appear much colder than he really was.
Still, seeing Tsuru bow so formally, Muzemi raised his gaze and said softly, "There's no need for such courtesy." He then gestured subtly, signaling the samurai to remain where they were.
After greeting the Daimyo, Tsuru returned to the teahouse to prepare tea and food.
There were more than 30 people traveling together this time. While that number was not especially large, she was running the teahouse alone, so it was still quite busy. If it had been people from another village, they likely would have grown impatient by now.
Shutenmaru sat for a while and soon felt hungry. He stood up, walked inside, and said loudly, "Hey, proprietress, do you have any sake? I don't like tea."
Shutenmaru was practically addicted to alcohol. However, ever since becoming one of the leaders of the Tenryu Bugyō, his drinking had been strictly controlled.
These former bandits were now responsible for maintaining order in Kuri as a form of atonement for their past deeds. They received food and lodging but no wages. Yukiko never cut corners when it came to food, but she absolutely refused to provide alcohol.
Although Tsuru ran a teahouse, she did keep a small amount of sake. There wasn't a samurai in Wano who didn't like it. Fortunately, this sake had very low alcohol content, and drinking a little would not cause intoxication.
Just as Tsuru bent down to look for it, she heard Yukiko's cold voice.
"Shutenmaru, what are you doing?"
At the sound of her voice, even the towering Shutenmaru could not help but shiver.
In terms of strength, even 3 Yukikos together would not be Shutenmaru's match. But in terms of status, he did not dare be disrespectful. At that moment, hearing Yukiko speak, he broke out in a cold sweat and frantically signaled Tsuru with his eyes not to say anything.
Tsuru saw his eyelids twitching so hard they were nearly cramping and found it somewhat amusing. In any case, Shutenmaru had spoken loudly enough that Yukiko had already heard everything.
"Go wait outside," Yukiko said sharply. "You want to drink at a time like this? Do you want to delay the Lord's official business?"
"One or 2 cups won't make me drunk," Shutenmaru protested hurriedly. That amount would barely count as a mouthful, much less cause trouble. Yukiko, however, did not care and directly chased him out.
Tsuru laughed softly. These samurai looked fierce and intimidating in full armor, but in reality, they were quite interesting. More importantly, they did not abuse their power.
This made Tsuru feel that the rumors she had heard about Kuri were likely true.
She had long heard that public order in Kuri was excellent, that doing business there meant no underworld harassment and no oppression from samurai. As long as taxes were paid, there were essentially no extra expenses.
Unlike the Flower Capital, where in addition to taxes, underworld groups also demanded protection fees. The shogun's forces usually ignored those groups, and if you did not pay, trouble would inevitably follow.
Things had improved somewhat in recent years. When Hyogoro controlled the underworld of the Flower Capital, there were restraints on those groups. In the past, even paying honestly did not prevent harassment.
Six months ago, Tsuru had considered moving to Kuri to do business. However, she could not be sure whether the rumors were true, and after operating here for so long, she could not make a sudden decision. Later, once Kuri fully stabilized, it became difficult to settle there.
She had never expected that Yukiko, who had passed through several times half a year ago, actually came from the Daimyo's Mansion of Kuri.
Tsuru had long heard of the "Ice Princess of Frost Bloom," but she had not known that it referred to Yukiko herself.
"I never imagined Miss Yukiko held such a noble position," Tsuru said sincerely. "This humble woman has long heard the illustrious name of the Ice Princess of Frost Bloom, as thunderous as legend."
"Don't mention it," Yukiko said tiredly. "I don't know which scoundrel spread it."
If not for this sudden fame, she would be going out to sea with Ren right now, instead of heading to the Flower Capital with that old witch, Kurozumi Orochi.
Tsuru chuckled and brought over a plate of three-colored dango and tea, placing them beside Yukiko. "It's a very fitting title for Miss Yukiko."
Yukiko had a good impression of Tsuru. In truth, she knew Tsuru had some connection to that blond delinquent who followed Oden, but it was nothing worth worrying about.
She had already thoroughly investigated the people around Oden. The 2 handsome boys had been picked up by Oden in Ringo. The ninja with a face as large as Orochi's had once belonged to the Oniwabanshu, but after repeated rejections, he fled to the mountains and eventually turned to robbing passing women.
Kanjuro was a spy planted by Orochi, a fact known to very few people, and Yukiko was one of them.
Kin'emon and Denjiro were both small-time hooligans from the Flower Capital. After the Mountain God incident, they willingly followed Oden. As for the Mountain God itself, the one Oden had split in half, it had not actually died. Ren learned of this later but ultimately did not bother going into the mountains to look for a pig.
"The taste isn't bad," Yukiko said after taking a bite of the three-colored dango.
Tsuru was slightly surprised. This was the first plate she had made, and she had assumed Yukiko was taking it to the Daimyo. She had not expected Yukiko to start eating it herself.
She did not dwell on it and simply said, "The rest aren't ready yet. You'll need to wait a little longer. The red bean soup is still simmering."
Yukiko nodded. Tsuru's cooking was actually quite ordinary, not the kind that made food shine after being prepared. But sometimes, it was precisely that ordinariness that made it taste better.
"I say, Miss Tsuru," Yukiko said while eating, "have you ever considered going to Kuri to do business?"
In truth, Yukiko was being a bit greedy. She had once been so poor she nearly had to sell herself, and naturally, she had rarely eaten anything sweet. Now, faced with soft, sticky desserts, she could not refuse them.
This time, Yukiko fully intended to lure Tsuru into moving to Kuri.
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