"He is audacious, and he's becoming presumptuous." Nobunaga's expression did not show real resentment toward Hideyoshi, even though he had censured him verbally. Nevertheless, when Katsuie and the other generals of the northern campaign had finally returned, Nobunaga became truly angry.

First of all, even though Hideyoshi had been ordered to remain under house arrest in Nagahama Castle, instead of manifesting his penitence, he was having drinking parties every day. There was no reason for Nobunaga not to be angry, and people conjectured that at worst, Hideyoshi would be ordered to commit seppuku, and at best he would probably be ordered to Azuchi Castle to face a court-martial. But after a while Nobunaga seemed to forget all about it and later never even mentioned the incident.

*  *  *

In Nagahama Castle, Hideyoshi had gotten into the habit of sleeping late. Certainly, by the time Nene saw her husband's face every morning, the sun was high in the sky.

Even his mother seemed worried and commented to Nene, "That boy just isn't him­self these days, is he?"

Nene had trouble finding an answer. The reason he was sleeping late was that he was drinking every night. When he drank at home, he would quickly turn bright red after four or five small cups, and hurry through his meal. Then he would gather together his veterans and, as everyone's spirits rose, would drink late into the night, unmindful of the hour. The result was that he would fall asleep in the pages' room. One night, when his wife was walking down the main corridor with her ladies-in-waiting, she saw a man walking slowly toward her. The man looked like Hideyoshi, but she called out, "Who is that over there?" pretending not to know him.

Her surprised husband turned around and tried to hide his confusion, but succeeded only in looking as though he were practicing some sort of dance. "I'm lost." He lurched over to her and steadied himself by grabbing her shoulder. "Ah, I'm drunk. Nene, carry me! I can't walk!"

When Nene saw how he was trying to hide his predicament, she burst out laughing. She spoke to him with feigned ill temper. "Sure, sure, I'll carry you. Where are you going, by the way?" Hideyoshi got up on her back and began to giggle.

"To your room. Take me to your room!" he implored, and kicked his heels in the air like a child.

Nene, her back bent at the weight, joked with her ladies, "Listen, everyone, where shall I put this sooty traveler I just picked up on the road?"

The ladies were so amused they were holding their sides as tears streamed down their cheeks. Then, like revelers around a festival float, they surrounded the man Nene had picked up, and amused themselves all night in Nene's room.

Such events were rare. In the mornings, it quite often seemed to Nene that her role was to look at her husband's sullen face. What was it that he was concealing inside of himself? They had been married for fifteen years. Nene was now past thirty, and her husband was forty-one. She was unable to believe that Hideyoshi's bitter expression every morning was simply a matter of mood. While she dreaded her husband's bad temper, what she earnestly prayed for was the ability to somehow understand his afflictions—even just a little—and to assuage his suffering.

In times like this, Nene considered Hideyoshi's mother to be a model of strength. One morning her mother-in-law rose early and went out into the vegetable garden in the north enclosure while the dew was still heavy on the ground.

"Nene," she said, "it'll be a while before the master gets up. Let's pick some eggplants in the garden while we have the time. Bring a basket!"

The old lady began to pick the eggplants. Nene filled one basket, and then carried over another.

"Hey, Nene! Are you and Mother both out here?"

It was the voice of her husband—the husband who so rarely got up early these days.

"I didn't realize you were up," Nene apologized.

"No, I suddenly woke up. Even the pages were flustered." Hideyoshi wore a bright smile, a sight she had not seen for some time. "Takenaka Hanbei reported that a ship with an envoy's banner is on its way from Azuchi. I got up immediately, paid my respects to the castle shrine, and then came here to apologize for neglecting you in recent days."

"Aha! You've apologized to the gods!" his mother chuckled.

"That's right. Then I have to apologize to my mother, and even to my wife, I think," he said with great seriousness.

"You came all the way here for that?"

"Yes, and if you would only understand how I feel, I wouldn't have to go through the form of doing this anymore."

"Oh, this boy is cunning." His mother laughed outright.

Although Hideyoshi's mother was probably somewhat suspicious of her son's sud­denly cheerful behavior, she was soon to understand the reason.

"Master Maeda and Master Nonomura have just arrived at the castle gate as official messengers from Azuchi. Master Hikoemon went out immediately and led them to the guests' reception room," Mosuke announced.

Hideyoshi dismissed the page and began picking eggplants with his mother. "They're really ripening well, aren't they? Did you put the manure along the dirt ridges yourself, Mother?"

"Shouldn't you be hurrying off to see His Lordship's messengers?" she asked.

"No, I pretty much know why they've come, so there's no need to get flustered. I think I'll pick a few eggplants. It would be nice to show Lord Nobunaga their shiny emer­ald color, covered with the morning dew."

"You're going to give things like this to the envoys as presents for Lord Nobunaga?"

"No, no, I'm going to take them this morning myself."

"What!"

Hideyoshi had, after all, incurred his lord's displeasure and was supposed to be penitent. This morning his mother began to have doubts about him and soon was almost worried to distraction.

"My lord? Are you coming?" Hanbei had come to hasten Hideyoshi, who finally left the eggplant field.

When the preparations for the trip had been made, Hideyoshi asked the envoys to accompany him back to Azuchi.

Hideyoshi suddenly stopped. "Oh! I've forgotten something! His Lordship's present." He sent a retainer to fetch the basket of eggplants. The eggplants had been covered with leaves, and morning dew still clung to the purple beneath. Carrying the basket with him, Hideyoshi boarded the ship.

The castle town of Azuchi was not yet a year old, but fully a third of it had been finished and was already bustling with prosperity. All travelers who stopped here were struck by the liveliness of this dazzling new city, its road spread with silver sand leading to the castle gate; the masonry steps made of huge stone blocks; the plastered walls and the bur­nished metal fittings.

And while the sight was indeed dazzling, the grandeur of the five-story donjon was beyond description, whether seen from the lake, from the streets of the town below, or even from within the castle grounds themselves.

“Hideyoshi, you've come." Nobunaga's voice resounded from behind the closed slid­ing door. The room, set amid all the gold, red, and blue lacquer of Azuchi, was decorated with a simple ink painting.

Hideyoshi was still at some distance, prostrating himself in the next room.

"I suppose you've heard, Hideyoshi. I've set your punishment aside. Come in."

Hideyoshi edged forward from the next room with his basket of eggplants.

Nobunaga looked at him suspiciously. "What's that?"

"Well, I hope this will please you, my lord." Hideyoshi moved forward and put the eggplants in front of him. "My mother and wife grew these eggplants in the garden at the castle."

"Eggplants?"

"You may consider them a silly, strange present, but since I was traveling by fast ship, I thought you would be able to see them before the dew evaporated. I picked them from the field this morning."