Chapter 1568: Shogunate Infighting

"Of course I also want to consider our descendants' future, but... the Great Han Empire is now at the height of its power, and it likely won't agree to overly harsh terms." Naitō Shigeyori had originally been wary of Sakai Tadakatsu, but now he could no longer afford such concerns. "Moreover, such a move would also severely wound Japan. For one thing, Kyoto's silk-weaving industry relies on raw silk imported from the Great Han to sustain itself — Japan's domestic raw silk can only meet half the annual demand. If we reduce the trade volume between the two nations, the various silk-weaving workshops in Kyoto will surely struggle to survive. Should all industries fall into depression, I fear Japan would suffer as well."

Although his protest did not quite conform to the usual rules of deliberation, it was so well-reasoned that no one took issue with his manner, and instead they sank back into thoughtful silence.

"What you say does have merit." Ii Naotaka nodded, discreetly putting a stop to the dispute between the two Elders. "We must indeed consider conditions within the country and cannot rashly restrict trade between the two nations too severely. Very well, I will leave the overall planning to you. Submit a report to us once you have a draft."

"Understood. We will discuss and produce a concrete plan as quickly as possible." Seeing the unreasonable demand withdrawn, Naitō Shigeyori finally felt relieved.

"Does anyone else have a differing opinion?" Ii Naotaka lightly tapped the table before him with his fingers — a habitual gesture of his, signaling that he had already made his decision.

No one spoke further. Although the proposal still had quite a few flaws, it was clear that the Great Elder was inclined to finalize it, and no one was keen to openly dispute with the Great Elder again. Besides, no one else had a better plan to offer.

"Good, then we shall proceed accordingly." Ii Naotaka waved his hand, and the matter was settled.

Though it would later need to be written up as an official document and submitted to the Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu for imperial approval, given Ii Naotaka's prestige, the Shogun would generally approve it directly.

With such an important matter concluded, the hall suddenly fell silent once more.

No one proposed leaving, yet no one continued speaking either, as if everyone were sitting here in meditation together. Everyone understood that what followed was, in truth, the real focus of their overnight deliberations. The diplomatic dealings with the Ming Empire earlier, while important, had merely been a pretext.

But precisely because the stakes were so immense, for a time no one was willing to speak first.

No one knew how long this eerie silence lasted before a cough suddenly rang out in the quiet hall. Cough after cough came from Inaba Masakatsu's mouth, each one betraying the frailty of a man mortally ill.

"Would the Governor of Tango care to return and rest first?" Ii Naotaka cast a rather concerned glance at him. "It is already late. Preserving your health should take precedence..."

Although the Shogunate had its own bureaucratic system, its offices lay outside the Ritsuryō system and carried no formal court rank. Therefore, the Shogunate's senior ministers generally also held court offices. Governor of Tango was the court office Inaba Masakatsu currently held, ranked at Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. It was merely an honorary title and did not require him to actually serve as provincial governor in Tango Province.

The Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, now held the rank of Junior First Rank, serving as Minister of the Left and concurrently as Major Captain of the Left Inner Palace Guards — possessing both an extremely high court rank and nominally occupying one of the highest military offices of the Imperial Court. As the Shogunate's chief retainer, Ii Naotaka was now Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade, serving as Middle Captain of the Left Inner Palace Guards.

"Thank you... thank you..." Inaba Masakatsu swayed unsteadily as he gave his thanks. But so utterly drained was he that his head wobbled and his speech came out halting and stammering — a sight that truly stirred pity in those who watched.

This young man truly does not have long to live. The thought flashed through nearly everyone's mind.

Yet he had no intention of abandoning today's purpose on account of his body. "But... matters of state cannot... cannot be delayed because of my health. Please... please continue."

As he spoke, he looked toward Matsudaira Nobutsuna, who had remained silent all along, so unobtrusive as to be almost imperceptible. Compared to his failing body, his gaze was far more resolute, as if he had already steeled himself with great determination.

Seeing Inaba Masakatsu in this state, the one whose heart ached most keenly was precisely Matsudaira Nobutsuna. In his youth, he had been assigned as an attendant to the then-young Tokugawa Iemitsu, serving alongside Inaba Masakatsu at Iemitsu's side, and the two had forged a deep friendship. After Iemitsu rose to power, the two of them, as trusted confidants, were both elevated by Iemitsu to the high office of Elder.

He was one year older than Inaba Masakatsu, yet now he had to watch helplessly as the other approached death — the feeling was truly hard to bear.

But precisely because it was so hard to bear, he could all the more keenly understand the other's state of mind.

He subtly pinched his right hand, hidden beneath the low table before him, letting the pain jolt his nerves, which had grown somewhat numb from exhaustion. Then he raised his head and looked toward the Great Elder, Ii Naotaka.

"My lord, we have recently been receiving deeply troubling reports..." His gaze was utterly unwavering. "They concern the Grand Counselor in Kōzuke."

Here it comes at last.

Not only Ii Naotaka, but even the other silent Elders felt a chill in their hearts.

Indeed — this was the true matter of grave importance they had gathered to discuss through the night.

The Grand Counselor referred to Tokugawa Iemitsu's sole surviving younger brother, Tokugawa Tadanaga. His childhood name was Kunichiyo, and in his early years he had been deeply favored by his parents, to the point of threatening Iemitsu's position as heir. It was only through the decisive judgment of their grandfather, Tokugawa Ieyasu, that Iemitsu was able to remain the successor and ultimately inherit the office of Shogun.

After Iemitsu inherited the great office, Tokugawa Hidetada, who had retired to the position of Ōgosho, brought his two sons, Iemitsu and Kunichiyo (by then renamed Tokugawa Tadanaga), to the capital for an audience with the Emperor. Tokugawa Iemitsu became Minister of the Left, while Tadanaga was granted the court title of Grand Counselor. From then on, Grand Counselor became Tadanaga's byname.

Having lost the struggle for succession, Tokugawa Tadanaga naturally harbored resentment, but with the outcome settled, he had no choice but to accept reality. Fortunately, their father Tokugawa Hidetada was still alive at the time, so his treatment remained fairly good. The Shogunate granted him a fief spanning the three provinces of Suruga, Tōtōmi, and Kai, with a total yield of 550,000 koku — a considerably high allotment among the Tokugawa Shogunate's shinpan domains.

However, Tokugawa Iemitsu, now Shogun, had never for a single moment forgotten the hatred his younger brother had once brought him. He sought every means to move against Tokugawa Tadanaga, and a few years later, on charges of arbitrarily killing his own retainers and innocent commoners, had him dismissed back to his fief and ordered into confinement, forbidding him from leaving his domain without authorization. He was not even permitted to visit Edo when their father Tokugawa Hidetada lay critically ill.

After their father Tokugawa Hidetada died, Iemitsu cast aside all restraint. He immediately convicted Tokugawa Tadanaga on further charges, stripped him of all his domains, and exiled him to Takasaki Castle in Kōzuke Province, placing him under house arrest there. All his previous privileges were revoked, reducing him to the status of a criminal.

Yet even having gone this far, Iemitsu still seemed unsatisfied.

Today's meeting, stretching late into the night, was most likely convened to determine Tadanaga's fate once and for all.

Precisely because everyone understood the inside story, Ii Naotaka, who held a relatively detached position, and the two Elders of the Sakai clan had simply chosen to keep their mouths shut. After all, Inaba Masakatsu and Matsudaira Nobutsuna, as the Shogun's most trusted confidants, would do the speaking.

"What reports? What has happened with the Grand Counselor?" Though everyone knew full well, Ii Naotaka still asked calmly, sighing inwardly.

"The Grand Counselor, exiled to Takasaki Castle, has not reflected upon his crimes. On the contrary, he has been voicing grievances against the Shogun." At this moment, Inaba Masakatsu suddenly answered. His speech had returned to a normal pace — clearly, he was now fully focused. "According to his guards, the Grand Counselor's temper remains extremely violent. He punishes his attendants at the slightest provocation and shows no sign of repentance... Moreover, he has maintained contact with his former retainers, which suggests he is still secretly carrying out—"

By this point, everyone knew what he was about to say next. The atmosphere grew even more frigid.

As if answering everyone's unspoken thoughts, after a foreboding pause, Inaba Masakatsu finally spoke with immense resolve. "In light of this, I believe the Shogunate would be best advised to make preparations in advance, so that when the time is right, decisive measures may be taken to address the situation..."

Though his wording was exceedingly veiled, every person present understood its meaning with perfect clarity. And precisely because they understood so clearly, no one immediately responded — the so-called decisive measures meant nothing less than ordering the Grand Counselor to commit seppuku, or simply killing him outright.

No one knew whether these charges were true, but everyone knew the relationship between Inaba Masakatsu and the Shogun. For him to speak these words was tantamount to conveying the Shogun's own will.

Everyone was aware that the Shogun bore a deep grudge against his own younger brother. So when, after the Ōgosho's death, the Shogun convicted Tokugawa Tadanaga on various charges of uncertain veracity, confiscated his domains, and banished him to distant confinement, these Shogunate senior ministers had not voiced excessive objections.

They had assumed the Shogun would be satisfied having gone that far. They had not imagined he would actually want to hound his own brother to death.

No one whispered among themselves, but all eyes converged on the Great Elder, Ii Naotaka. For everyone also knew that, in truth, this was the Shogun probing his stance.

Yet Ii Naotaka sat fixed in place, motionless, as if turned to stone. He knew in his heart that the moment he voiced his agreement, Tokugawa Tadanaga would be dead before long.

But he was unwilling to voice such agreement.

The late Ōgosho, Tokugawa Hidetada, was the lord he had served for many years. On his deathbed, Hidetada had appointed him Great Elder and granted him a role in major governance. While this was meant to allow him to exercise his talents, it also carried the unspoken weight of entrusting matters left behind. The one thing the Retired Shogun could not set his mind at ease about before dying was his two sons. He had feared that once he was gone, his eldest son Iemitsu would utterly destroy his younger son Tadanaga.

Events had proven the Retired Shogun's worries to be entirely justified. Barely a year after his death, the Shogun had convicted this younger brother, confiscated his domains, and placed him under confinement. And now, he was so impatient as to demand his very life.

It was precisely because of this connection that he had been consistently unwilling to endorse Inaba Masakatsu's proposal.

Of course, he also knew that the current Shogun had long been firmly in power, and with the Retired Shogun already deceased, his wings were fully grown. There was no way he could forcibly reject the other's proposal, so he could only choose to keep his mouth shut.

His earlier suggestion that Inaba Masakatsu retire first was, on the surface, out of concern for the other's health, but in truth it was also an attempt to continue stalling this agenda. Yet it seemed that Inaba Masakatsu — or rather, the Shogun himself — no longer wished to delay and was determined to set Tadanaga's death date as soon as possible.

But his silence could not satisfy the Shogun's close associates.

"I wonder what view my lord holds on this matter?" Matsudaira Nobutsuna cast aside his previous silence and detachment, addressing Ii Naotaka with an almost confrontational directness, as if demanding an immediate decision from him.

"This matter is of immense gravity... The Grand Counselor is of the Tokugawa shinpan. We would do well not to pass judgment lightly." After a moment's hesitation, Ii Naotaka still chose to evade the crux of the issue.

"Precisely because... precisely because the Grand Counselor... is of such exalted status, the Shogunate... must all the less show leniency... otherwise..." Inaba Masakatsu suddenly began coughing again, though he struggled to finish his words. "If... if even the shinpan cannot be made an example of, then... then who under Heaven will sincerely submit to the Shogunate's discipline?"

After he finished, he broke into another violent coughing fit, and when he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, it was stained with quite a few traces of blood.

Everyone now understood clearly: Inaba Masakatsu was determined, before his own death, to take Tokugawa Tadanaga's life with him, so as to relieve his lord of this burden.

"The Governor of Tango speaks reason." Matsudaira Nobutsuna immediately chimed in, further bolstering their side's momentum. "The Divine Lord, when he was alive, once said that to spare the realm from descending once more into the chaos of the Warring States era, the Shogunate must reestablish the discipline of the realm and uphold that discipline at all costs. The Grand Counselor, as a direct-line Tokugawa, has a duty to set an example for all under Heaven. In other words... if he has broken that discipline, then the Grand Counselor should likewise face the corresponding punishment, lest we contravene the Divine Lord's original intent."

He was an Elder of Matsudaira lineage. For him to take this stance was tantamount to signaling that the collateral houses had no intention of interfering with the Shogun's handling of Tadanaga — and it further intensified the pressure on the others who had yet to declare their positions.

"The Great Counselor has behaved improperly for many years, showing no regard for his superiors. The Shogun has tolerated it time and again. This time, allowing him to quietly reflect on his faults so that his future conduct may be observed was already an immense act of grace... To think that he still shows no repentance is truly disheartening." Naitō Tadashige immediately followed up with his own declaration, and his words were exceedingly blunt. "If there is indeed misconduct, it should absolutely be dealt with severely."

"What the Governor of Izu says is indeed correct. For the sake of the realm's stability, the Shogunate must uphold discipline and order, without restraint due to anyone's status." At this point, Sakai Tadayo spoke. "However, the Great Counselor is, after all, a high official of the court and a member of the Tokugawa collateral houses, so caution must come first... A thorough investigation is best — a complete inquiry into the Great Counselor's conduct since his exile to Takasaki Castle, lest anyone be deliberately lodging false accusations to sow discord. Moreover, whether the Great Counselor has engaged in seditious acts is a matter of grave importance; it would perhaps be best for the Shogun to personally dispatch a special envoy to investigate."

His words were perfectly balanced, offending no one, yet beneath the surface he had already expressed his stance of unwillingness to interfere in the Shogun's family affairs and that the matter should be resolved by the Shogun himself. This was tantamount to declaring that he had no intention of participating in the disposition of Tadanaga and would stand by and allow the Shogun to decide as he pleased.

"I hold the same view." The moment he stopped, Sakai Tadakatsu immediately chimed in, and his attitude was far more blatant. "The Great Counselor was disrespectful toward the Shogun even back then, and his temperament is exceedingly obstinate. It is very likely that after his exile he did indeed engage in further seditious acts. If confirmed to be true, a heavier punishment would not be excessive..."

The Sakai clan was one of the highest-ranking fudai daimyo houses. No matter who served as Shogun, they were always key assisting ministers of the Shogunate, so their stance was far more detached, and they were unwilling to be drawn into this kind of murderous feud within the Shogun's own family. However, since they were now subjects of Tokugawa Iemitsu, they simply deferred to his personal will so as to avoid defying him.

The Elders voiced their stances one after another, and their attitudes were remarkably uniform. The pressure bore down once more upon Ii Naotaka, making him feel even more ill at ease throughout his entire body.

He did not wish to go against the late Ōgosho's dying wish and watch helplessly as the Great Counselor met his end at the hands of his elder brother. Yet standing alone against the combined will of the Shogun and all the Elders was simply too great a pressure to bear.

Under this unbearable weight, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead — a rare sight. Had this matter not been of such monumental importance, how could he possibly have held out to this degree?

"The matter is of grave importance. It should indeed be investigated in detail — no leniency whatsoever, but also no unjust condemnation. After all, the Great Counselor is a member of the Tokugawa collateral houses, and moreover, he is the Shogun's only younger brother... Let it be so: I shall personally conduct the investigation. If the Great Counselor is indeed guilty, we may then discuss how to punish him."

He knew that most of the accusations against Tadanaga were baseless, so by insisting on investigating personally, he could certainly help clear him of the charges — or at the very least, spare him from further incrimination. At the same time, given his position, it was entirely proper and justified for him to personally investigate Tadanaga.

Furthermore, he left half a sentence unspoken — Tadanaga was Iemitsu's only younger brother (although the previous Shogun had an illegitimate son, Hoshina Masayuki, he was not entered into the Tokugawa family register and thus, by clan law, was not a brother of the Shogun). The Shogun currently had no heir; should any mishap befall him, Tadanaga ought to remain alive to succeed to the Shogun's seat, lest it plunge the Shogunate into internal chaos.

Yet it was precisely for this reason that Iemitsu and his confidants desired this younger brother's death all the more. Naitō Tadashige was Iemitsu's tutor; Inaba Masakatsu and Matsudaira Nobutsuna were his attendant pages. All three were central figures of Iemitsu's faction and had long since become mortal enemies of Tadanaga's camp. How could they possibly be willing to let Tadanaga live, leaving even the slightest possibility of him inheriting the Shogun's position?

"What the Great Elder says is most wise. However, the Great Elder assists in the great governance and has countless affairs to attend to each day. There is surely no need to personally handle such minor matters. Allow me to take direct charge of this affair." The moment he heard this, Matsudaira Nobutsuna's expression swiftly changed. As a member of a collateral house himself, he indeed had the standing to speak to the Great Elder with less than full deference.