Ji Yun, Jingzhe, and several others followed behind Qin Yining as they came to the front hall. At this time, all four sides of the folding screens had been pushed open, and the gentle morning light fell softly on the emerald brocade chair covers. The wooden walls seemed to reflect a lustrous glow, and all the vessels and furnishings were chosen to be the most exquisite and magnificent. Upon stepping foot inside, one immediately felt the entire room radiating brilliance.

Qin Yining turned back to ask Ji Yun, “You arranged this?”

“Yes, we went to the daimyo’s mansion, thinking it would be like a palace, but when we looked, it was clearly just like a big country gentleman’s home. That Lord Ishikawa also has the nerve to consider himself a personage. Today when he comes, we’ll first dampen his arrogance, lest he be conceited and still put on airs with you.”

Jingzhe laughed upon hearing this, “Aren’t you afraid he’ll get improper ideas?”

“What’s there to fear? There are over a thousand people outside. What improper thoughts would he dare have? Even if he had the audacity, he no longer has the capability.” Ji Yun’s smile contained a hint of smugness.

Qin Yining smiled slightly, but her mood wasn’t as completely relaxed as everyone else’s.

She always felt that after burying Sakurai, she would have to leave this land. Although this was Sakurai’s homeland, it was ultimately separated by vast distances, making future meetings difficult.

Sakurai had long been gone. But at this moment, Qin Yining truly felt that they were now forever separated by death.

Human encounters were very strange. Some people, even after knowing each other for years, remained like strangers. Some people developed immediate dislike upon first meeting without understanding each other. And some people felt a natural affinity upon first sight.

When she first met Sakurai, although he looked disheveled and dirty, he wasn’t disagreeable. Through subsequent contact, she even found him to have quite a distinctive personality.

If she had known at their first meeting that he would later lose his life for her sake, perhaps she shouldn’t have sent him to settle at the manor from the beginning. Keeping him by her side and treating him well—at least then he would have understood the situation and wouldn’t have immediately plunged into the battle.

But money couldn’t buy early knowledge. Qin Yining’s heart was now filled with regret.

The group soon arrived on deck. The rising sun gradually ascended, coating the tower ship docked at the pier and the nearby twenty-nine large and small warships in a layer of golden radiance. Several hundred people had already gathered on the beach in front of the dock, led by Ishikawa Sanao wearing a black wide-sleeved crossed-collar long robe—already extremely low-key compared to his attire during their first meeting. Behind him were his samurai and soldiers, as well as common people of Mizusawa Kingdom who had come of their own accord.

Qin Yining stood on the deck, looking at these people before her, and gave Gao Delai a few quiet instructions.

Gao Delai immediately nodded in acknowledgment, quickly descended the ship, walked to Ishikawa Sanao’s side and said, “Lord Ishikawa, please come with me to bring out the memorial tablet.”

Ishikawa Sanao’s expression changed. In front of his subordinates and the common people, asking him to go request Sakurai’s memorial tablet—he was ten thousand times unwilling in his heart and couldn’t help but irritably roar:

“I’ve already agreed to bury Sakurai Hideaki! What more do you people want? Have your people bring down the memorial tablet and ashes, and we’ll all go bury them together and be done with it! Where do all these rules come from!”

Gao Delai’s expression darkened upon hearing this, then he sneered and said in Japanese, “You’d better behave yourself. Since you’ve already agreed to bury Sakurai, then do the job properly. Hemming and hawing here—in the end won’t you still have to follow our master’s instructions?”

“You!” Ishikawa Sanao reached for his sword hilt, about to draw his blade.

As soon as he made this motion, the Elite Tiger Guards behind Gao Delai all became battle-ready, startling Ishikawa Sanao into trembling and stopping his action.

Qin Yining couldn’t understand what Ishikawa Sanao had said, but hearing them arguing loudly in Japanese on the ship for a long time without coming up to request the memorial tablet, she grew impatient, disembarked and asked with a frown, “What’s wrong?”

Gao Delai immediately told Qin Yining about Ishikawa Sanao’s stubbornness.

Qin Yining sneered, “Did I give you a third option yesterday?”

Hearing Qin Yining speak so domineeringly, Gao Delai himself felt his blood boiling and translated this to Ishikawa Sanao in a firm tone.

Ishikawa Sanao’s face instantly flushed red, glaring at Qin Yining through gritted teeth as he said in Japanese, “You woman, don’t go too far!”

Qin Yining heard this and remained unmoved, “You haven’t seen what going too far really looks like. Do you want to experience it?”

As Qin Yining spoke, she casually stepped aside somewhat, fully revealing the soldiers and warships standing behind her to Ishikawa Sanao.

Looking at these people, Ishikawa Sanao’s anger gradually turned to helplessness and submission. He understood more clearly than ever before this point: in the face of absolute military force, he had no room for negotiation whatsoever and could only follow orders.

Ishikawa Sanao said nothing.

Qin Yining said, “Very well. Before going to bring out Sakurai’s memorial tablet and ashes, please loudly tell the people what you did to Sakurai back then. Don’t think of playing tricks—you must explain everything clearly, down to the smallest detail.”

Ishikawa Sanao felt he had suffered the greatest humiliation of his life, yet circumstances were stronger than people, and he dared not disobey in the slightest, because if he dared say a single “no” at this moment, all his previous submission would have been in vain.

He still needed to preserve his life. As long as he lived, as long as this group of people left, he would still have a chance to turn things around.

Ishikawa Sanao could only grit his teeth and, without a single word of rebuttal, loudly recounted the events of that year.

Qin Yining couldn’t understand what he was saying so forcefully, but fortunately Gao Delai could understand. When he noticed Ishikawa Sanao being evasive or deliberately concealing something, Gao Delai immediately darkened his face and posed questions, asking questions in Japanese in front of everyone. Ishikawa Sanao found it awkward to answer but could only steel himself to speak clearly.

In this way, how Ishikawa Sanao had wanted to instigate war back then, how he had ordered Sakurai Hideaki to assassinate another country’s daimyo, how he had framed Sakurai Hideaki after discovery, and how he had caused Sakurai Hideaki to leave his homeland—the entire process was recounted in detail.

When Ishikawa Sanao’s words ended, both the people and the military erupted in an uproar.

A soldier who couldn’t contain himself immediately called out loudly, “Daimyo, is what you said true? Was Sakurai Hideaki really wronged?”

With one person asking, everyone followed suit.

The sea breeze rushed toward them, as if it could carry each questioning voice even farther.

Ishikawa Sanao’s face was iron-blue. He gritted his teeth wanting to deny it, but Gao Delai was staring at him so intently, as if watching him lie so he could then expose his lies publicly for mockery.

Either way, he would be mocked. Ishikawa Sanao now had some thoughts of giving up resistance, only wanting to finish the matter quickly.

He ignored the questioning from the people and soldiers, striding directly toward the tower ship.

Seeing him act thus, Qin Yining sneered once and led her people to follow behind Ishikawa Sanao. They quickly crossed the deck and arrived at the front hall.

Upon seeing the furnishings inside, Ishikawa Sanao first felt amazement, then unprecedented envy.

He felt that as the daimyo of Mizusawa Kingdom, what he had seen, heard, and known was already the limit. He hadn’t imagined that a mere woman from Southern Yan could possess so many soldiers, own such magnificent tower ships, and have thirty such warships at once!

Ishikawa Sanao thoroughly felt the disparity in strength and could only follow Gao Delai to the cabin where Sakurai’s memorial tablet was placed.

Inside the room, a rich aroma of incense candles permeated the air. Ishikawa Sanao raised his eyes and saw Sakurai’s memorial tablet and the urn of ashes placed behind it. Having originally been someone who killed without blinking and had never felt guilt before, he now also felt some remorse.

Sakurai Hideaki had been a qualified ninja.

Actually, thinking carefully, Sakurai had never wronged him in any way.

The conscience in his heart reminded him of how much Sakurai Hideaki had once done for him. But this conscience was quickly replaced by other emotions.

He even harbored great resentment toward Sakurai.

If not for this Yan Dynasty woman clamoring to bury Sakurai, they wouldn’t have come to Mizusawa Kingdom, and he wouldn’t have lost so much face!

Qin Yining instructed Gao Delai, who then said, “Since you’re here to request the memorial tablet, please act according to proper etiquette, Lord Ishikawa. First kowtow and offer incense to Sakurai.”

For that instant, Ishikawa Sanao even felt he couldn’t kneel down.

But just as he was about to stiffen his neck and find an excuse, Gao Delai had already kicked Ishikawa Sanao in the shin.

With a thud, the wooden floor made a loud impact sound that made everyone around feel pain for him.

“I advise the daimyo to be more straightforward.” Qin Yining frowned, “If you delay the proper business, perhaps I’ll want to have my troops stay in your Mizusawa Kingdom for a few more days.”

Ishikawa Sanao ground his teeth until they creaked.

For that moment, he truly wanted to disregard everything, directly draw his blade to kill, and dismember this woman who had forced him into such a desperate situation.

But he ultimately remained cowardly.

Ishikawa Sanao helplessly kowtowed and spoke a long passage very quickly in words Qin Yining couldn’t understand.

Gao Delai couldn’t quite keep up with Ishikawa Sanao’s speed and only conveyed the general meaning to Qin Yining—nothing more than some words of apology and repentance.

Qin Yining sneered.

She knew that Ishikawa Sanao felt no regret whatsoever and bore no genuine remorse toward Sakurai from his heart. He was merely submitting under her military intimidation with no other choice.

But what did that matter?

If he didn’t regret it now, that was fine. She had ten thousand ways to make him regret his past actions.

After being forced to speak words of repentance, Ishikawa Sanao rose and respectfully carried the memorial tablet and ashes. The group left the tower ship and, under the gaze of the common people, slowly walked onto the beach, then stepped onto the mountain path, heading directly toward the burial site that Ishikawa Sanao had chosen.

Qin Yining walked behind Ishikawa Sanao’s group, with over a hundred guards beside her.

Even so, seeing that the nearly thousand people stationed on the shore showed no intention of leaving the dock, Ishikawa Sanao still breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Yue walked to Gao Delai’s side and spoke a few words in a low voice.

Gao Delai immediately said, “Having common people present as witnesses during the burial will suffice. Lord Ishikawa’s soldiers should remain on the shore.”

Hearing this, Qin Yining couldn’t help but admire Xie Yue’s thorough consideration and turned back with a grateful smile.

Xie Yue smiled, “Since we didn’t bring soldiers, Lord Ishikawa needn’t bring them either. Having attendants help you with the task will suffice.”

Gao Delai conveyed these words to Ishikawa Sanao. Ishikawa Sanao wanted to object but knew that whatever he said now would be useless. He could only send the two hundred-plus soldiers following behind him back to the shore to wait. Around him remained only several samurai and attendants, plus over a hundred ordinary people who had come to watch the excitement.

Soon, the group arrived at a quiet location.

Just as Qin Yining and the procession were about to proceed further inward, Jingzhe suddenly stopped, placing one hand in front of Qin Yining while listening carefully to the surrounding sounds.

Qin Yining also heard something unusual at this moment, “It sounds like… some kind of creaking wooden sound.”