Zhou Zhu really spent a lot of money on tonight's celebration banquet. Not only did he provide for everyone's food and drink, he also invited artists to perform.
When Qing Teng came back from using the toilet, the artists invited by Zhou Zhu happened to come. They performed a funny performance that was very similar to belly dancing in the center of the room, making everyone in the room laugh.
Qingto sat back in his seat and found Saito sitting next to him with a sullen expression.
"Saito, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Saito also attended the celebration banquet.
Saitomoto refused to sit at the same table with Aonto and the others, saying, "I'm not a member of the Imperial Guard Hall, so I'd better wait outside the room."
But Seitori ignored Saito. He said to Saito:
"During the time you and I stayed together in the Trial Guard Hall, didn't you also help with some trivial matters like 'cleaning the floor of the Trial Guard Hall's dojo'? In this way, you can be regarded as half of the Trial Guard Hall. People. Okay, feel free to attend the celebration banquet with us."
With Shusuke's permission, Qingto semi-forced Saito to sit next to him, allowing Saito to enjoy the lively celebration atmosphere with him.
"...I'm not feeling unwell." Saito said softly, "I just feel a little embarrassed."
"I am not a member of the Trial Guard Hall, but I am sitting here attending the banquet with you..."
Hearing this, Qingdeng couldn't help but laugh.
"Saito, I've already told you that you are half a member of our Imperial Guard Hall, and this is what the master has personally admitted."
"Stop thinking about whether or not these things are happening. Just relax and enjoy the celebration banquet."
"This is a rare lively banquet. It would be a waste if you keep a sullen expression."
"Let's watch the performance. It's quite interesting."
Having said that, Qingdeng stopped drinking and drank tea instead, while sipping tea, he looked at the artists performing "belly dance" in front of him with relish.
Saito raised his head and looked at the performance in front of him.
Then he slowly turned his eyes and looked at the laughing people around him.
Saito, who was usually expressionless and stern, now had a faint smile slowly appearing on the corner of his mouth.
After a moment, he looked away.
Like Qingden next to him, he was drinking tea and watching the "belly dance" performance intently.
However, he didn't seem to appreciate this kind of art at all, and his brows continued to frown at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.
…
…
At this moment——
Edo, Okemachi, Little Chiba Sword Hall, Bathroom——
Wow!
Sanako, who was naked and naked, knelt down next to the tub in an extremely standard posture, picked up a basin of cold water and poured it on herself.
After pouring 4 basins of cold water on her body in one breath, making everything from the top of her head to her tiny toes wet, Sanako closed her eyes and folded her hands on her thighs.
The head is held high and the waist is straight.
As a well-known sect in the Japanese kendo community, Chiba Sword Hall is neither short of fame nor money, so Chiba Nobuyoshi was very generous and opened a private bathroom at home.
Sanako loves to be clean, no matter in summer or winter, she will definitely take a bath once a day.
And every time she takes a bath, she has a habit - before washing her body and formally taking a bath, she will kneel down next to the tub and pour cold water over her body, letting the coolness of the cold water stimulate her brain and nerves .
After pouring cold water all over your body, close your eyes and think carefully about your gains and losses today, think about the mistakes you made today, and think about ways to prevent yourself from making these mistakes again in the future.
At this moment, after Sanako closed her eyes, scenes from today's game quickly passed through Sanako's mind one by one.
——If... I could hold off Tachibana-kun and Souji for a little longer today, the result of the game might be very different...
——If I hold on a little longer, Shannan-kun and the others will be able to come to support me.
——With the support of Shannan-kun and others, there is a chance to reverse the decline and defeat Tachibana-kun and Souji...
Sanako kept reviewing today's battle, counting his shortcomings and mistakes.
The hands folded on the legs slowly clenched and tightened.
——In the final analysis, my strength is still not enough...
——If I could be stronger, strong enough to deal with Tachibana-kun and Souji at the same time, I wouldn’t lose today’s game.
——I must... be stronger...
——As long as I am strong enough, whatever happens today... or whatever happened in the past... the outcome will be different...
Sanako's eyes, which were originally closed, slowly opened.
Her eyes, as bright and beautiful as the stars in midsummer, now shone with a hint of depression and sadness.
His appearance... seemed to bring back some bad memories.
The head that was held high was lowered, and the chin almost touched her collarbone.
The candle on the lampstand standing in the corner of the bathroom was swaying slightly at the moment.
The flickering dim candlelight hit Sanako's body from top to bottom.
It stretched Sanako's lonely figure very long.
…
…
Chiba Sword Hall, Chiba Nobuyoshi's room——
Father and son Chiba Sadayoshi and Chiba Jutaro sat face to face.
Chiba Nobuyoshi, who was dressed in pajamas, asked Chiba Jutaro in front of him with a faint smile:
"Jutaro, what do you think of today's game?"
"...Father. If I think about it carefully - a large part of the failure in today's game was due to mentality."
"If our fighting spirit and mentality had not been shaken by the long-term inability to attack the defense line of the trial defense hall, then the outcome of today's game should be very different."
"Yes." Chiba Nobuyoshi nodded lightly, "Jutaro, since you can think of this, it means that you have indeed a clear understanding of today's game."
The corners of Qianye Dingji's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a shallow smile.
"The reason why I agreed to the priest of Yushima Tenmangu Shrine and allowed the Little Chiba Sword Hall to hold the 'Red and White Battle' at the 'Plum Blossom Festival' was because I simply wanted to take care of and satisfy my old friend. It’s just a wish to have people have fun at the Plum Blossom Festival and boost public sentiment.”
"After all, the God of Yushima Tenmangu Shrine and I have been friends for many years. He has helped me a lot in the past, and I am embarrassed to ignore his request."
"I never expected that today's game would bring so many unexpected surprises."
"For me, today's defeat is a great defeat. It makes me and you deeply realize how terrible it is to underestimate the enemy."
Chiba Nobuyoshi's tone gradually became serious.
"Today, too many people in our Little Chiba Sword Hall came into the game with the mentality that 'we will definitely win this game' and underestimated the enemy."
"Because you underestimated the enemy too much, you immediately panicked when you discovered that the enemy was far stronger than you thought. You could only use 60 to 70% of your 100% strength."
"All martial arts are like this - courage is far more important than strength."
"As long as you are full of courage and are not afraid of death and danger, even if you are facing a strong person who is far superior to you, you will still have a chance to defeat him."
"This is why the Satsuma Show-style style that 'never teaches people how to defend or dodge, but only teaches people how to risk their lives to attack' is so frightening."
"Today's defeat reminds me: from now on, I must put more effort into correcting the mentality of some people in the museum."
Having said this, Chiba Nobuyoshi suddenly paused.
"Speaking of which - Jutaro, has Sanako been in a better mood now?"
"Sanako, she's going to take a bath now." Chiba Jutaro replied, "Her mood... doesn't seem to have improved yet. Before she went to take a bath, I saw that she still had a stern face."
"That's it..." Chiba Nobuyoshi smiled helplessly, "Sanako is so strong, and she lost a game today with so many people watching... She must be extremely unhappy now."
"Jutaro, please remember to pay more attention to your sister in the future and enlighten her when necessary."
"...Father." Chiba Jutaro seemed to have remembered something at this moment, his expression changed slightly, "Speaking of Sanako...Father, I want to tell you something."
"Huh? What's the matter?"
"Father." Chiba Jutaro raised his head and asked Chiba Nobuyoshi with a somewhat eager look, "What do you think...Tachibana-kun?"
Chiba Nobuyoshi's expression was startled.
Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at his son with a meaningful look.
"...Jutaro, you shouldn't have...included Tachibana-kun in your 'preparatory brother-in-law list', right?"
"Father, don't you think Tachibana-kun and Sanako are a good match?"
"First of all, Tachibana-kun's age is very suitable. He is 18 years old this year, and Sanako is 22 years old. Tachibana-kun is only 4 years younger than Sanako, so there is not much age difference."
"Secondly, Tachibana-kun's appearance and height are very good. Tachibana-kun is very tall, a head taller than Sanako. He also looks good, with regular facial features. The only shortcoming is that Tachibana-kun has no It doesn’t hurt to have a fresh look on your hair.”
"Then, Tachibana-kun returns to the public in Sadacho, Edo Kitabansuo, and has a pretty respectable job. If Sanako gets married, there is no need to worry that Sanako will live in embarrassment."
"Last and most important, Mr. Tachibana is truly a rare and outstanding talent."
"Father, from the recent rumors about Mr. Orange and what you saw on the field today, you should be able to tell, right? Mr. Orange is indeed a brave, resourceful, wise and courageous man."
"He has the courage to not shy away from the axe, but also the resourcefulness to strategize."
"Yongta told me before: Tachibana-kun is a man whose swordsmanship talent is not inferior to that of Souji."
"I didn't believe it at the time, but after witnessing Tachibana-kun's swordsmanship on the field today, I am convinced: Yong did not lie. Tachibana-kun's swordsmanship talent is indeed quite amazing."
"Father, can you believe it? A little more than a month ago, Mr. Orange, he had almost no knowledge of swordsmanship. In just over a month, Mr. Orange has mastered his swordsmanship to such a level. It's really incredible. What a genius!"
Chiba Jutaro became more and more excited as he spoke.
"A talented person like Mr. Ju will definitely have a bright future in the future!"
"I already asked Mr. Tachibana when I first met him. He doesn't have a family now, and he doesn't have an engagement."
"Father, among a thousand people... no, there may not be one outstanding talent among ten thousand people. We must focus on it!"
"Jutaro, calm down." Looking at his son who was getting more and more excited as he talked, Chiba Nobuyoshi couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Look at how nervous you are...are you so anxious to get your sister married as soon as possible?"
"Of course!" Chiba Jutaro said without hesitation, "Father, Sanako is 22 years old this year."
"Go around Edo and ask - how many daughters of the samurai family are there who are neither married nor engaged until they are 22 years old?"
"In a few years, when Sanako gets a little older, it will be difficult to find a good family for her."
"Now is the time to be nervous about Sanako's future!"
Chiba Sadaki smiled helplessly: "I don't object to you helping Sanako find a suitable and outstanding man."
"But don't look for random partners for Sanako."
"How long have you and Tachibana-kun known each other? Have you carefully investigated his character? You haven't even conducted a detailed investigation of his character, and you want your sister to be renamed 'Tachibana Sanako'?"
"Father, you heard wrong. I didn't say that Sanako and Tachibana-kun should be combined now." Chiba Jutaro corrected, "What I just said was that 'Tachibana-kun deserves special attention'."
"Of course I know I can't let a man who is both beautiful on the outside and a loser on the inside be my brother-in-law."
"I have made up my mind: starting from tomorrow, I will focus on investigating Mr. Tachibana's character."
"As far as I know so far, Tachibana-kun's character shouldn't be that bad."
Chiba Jutaro smiled slightly.
"Today, he directly asked Brother Duomen in front of everyone to take back his rude remarks about the trial defense hall."
"The character of a person who dares to maintain the dignity of his own sword hall is worth looking forward to."
"...I admit that Mr. Tachibana is indeed a very capable person." Chiba Sadaikichi said slowly, "If his character is also very good, then I would be happy to let such an outstanding hero be Chiba Sadaikichi. son-in-law."
"but--"
Chiba Nobuyoshi changed the subject.
"No matter how good Tachibana-kun is and how suitable he is to be my son-in-law, Sanako needs to like Tachibana-kun...at least he must not resist spending the rest of his life with Tachibana-kun."
"If Sanako doesn't like Tachibana-kun, then no matter how good Tachibana-kun is, I will never agree to let Sanako marry Tachibana-kun."
"The same is true for other men. If Sanako has no intention of starting a family with them, she can only give up."
"I would rather let Sanako continue to be a loner than let Sanako get married with someone she doesn't like."
"Father, I understand what you are saying..." Chiba Jutaro sighed with a depressed look, "Of course I will not force Sanako to marry anyone regardless of her mood."
"Alas..." Chiba Jutaro raised his hand and scratched his hair, "I just hope that Tachibana-kun's character is as good as his ability, and that he can have a chance to capture Sanako's heart..."
"You are so optimistic about Tachibana-kun, do you want your sister to be renamed 'Tachibana-san'?" Chiba Nobuyoshi raised his eyebrows.
"Tachibana-kun is the best among the young people I am currently optimistic about." Chiba Jutaro smiled, "And he and I get along quite well, so naturally I value him the most."
"Jutaro, you just said that starting from tomorrow, you will focus on investigating Tachibana-kun's character... How do you want to investigate?"
"Humph." Chiba Jutaro laughed intriguingly, "I have my own way."
…
…
Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town, on a certain road returning to the Imperial Guard Hall——
"Drink more... drink more...!"
"Look, look at Master, he's drunk after just drinking so much wine... Hahaha..."
"You have no right to laugh at Master, he's drunk." Qingden complained angrily to Okita, who was lying behind him, his face so red that it felt like blood would ooze out.
The time now is probably around 10 o'clock in the evening.
The lively celebration banquet was over, the banquet was dismissed, and everyone went back to their homes.
Shusuke, Kondo, and Okita all drank quite a bit.
Kondo and his son were so drunk that they couldn't even walk, while Okita was the most drunk and couldn't even stand up.
Saito and Abi did not drink, and Qingto was not drunk but still kept a certain level of sobriety. In desperation, Qingno and the others could only try to "move" Okita and the others back to the trial defense hall.
Abi supported Shusuke, Saito supported Kondo, and Aoto carried Okita, who was drunk and lying limply.
Fortunately, the wines of these three people were pretty good. Shusuke and Okita occasionally talked nonsense, and Kondo kept quiet throughout the whole process. It was not too difficult to "move" them back to the trial defense hall.
"Really..." Abi, who was putting one of Zhousuke's arms around his neck, snorted angrily, "It's shameful to be so drunk!"
As soon as A Bi finished speaking, Qingdeng turned his head and defended Zhou Zhu and the others with a smile:
"Master's wife, they were too happy, so they just drank a few more drinks."
Tonight, Shusuke, Kondo, Okita... to be precise, almost all the old people who had stayed in the trial defense hall for a short period of time were very happy and quite noisy at the celebration banquet.
Qingdeng quite understands their joy.
Qingto had just joined the Shiwei Hall for less than 2 months, so he had not personally experienced the defeats that the Shiwei Hall had faced when they faced the Genbukan and Xiaochiba Sword Hall.
Compared with Aoto, Kondo, Okita and other old people in the trial defense hall must have more mixed feelings and excitement about today's big victory.
In this case, it is not difficult to understand why they were so noisy, so happy, and drank so much wine at the celebration banquet tonight.
Hearing what Qingdeng said, Ah Bi lowered his head and glanced at Kondo, who was drunk but still had a happy smile on his face.
"……snort."
After making a gentle "hum" with his nose, Abi stopped talking and concentrated on helping Zhouzhu.
call……!
At this time, a cool night wind blew.
"Hmm..." Maybe he felt cold. Okita, who was lying behind Qingteng with his eyes tightly closed, slightly tightened his arms around Qingteng's neck.
After letting out a small belch, Okita hung his chin on Qingto's right shoulder.
"Tangerine-kun..."
"Um?"
"Today... thank you very much..."
Okita's eyes now opened a small gap.
The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and little lights of joy appeared in his eyes that were blurred by drunkenness.
"If it weren't for you... our trial defense hall would have lost again in today's game..."
Qingden Wan'er: "There is no need to thank you like this. After all, I am also a member of the Trial Guard Hall. Working hard to earn glory for the Trial Guard Hall is what I should do."
"Hehe..." After letting out a silly laugh, Okita closed his eyes again and hugged Qingto's neck tighter, "If... I can do it in future swordsmanship competitions... It would be nice to have a good time like today..."
——Are you having a good time...
The smile on Qingden's face now showed some strange emotions.
——Today’s match… really can’t be compared to that battle with Suehiro Moriyo…
In today's match against Chiba Kenkan, Aomori also had several extremely fierce matches...
However... none of today's battles brought the same feeling of blood spurting throughout the body, nerves being highly tense, and any carelessness or mistake leading to death... as when Aoto and Suehiro Moriyo fought.
After Okita muttered, he didn't speak anymore - he fell asleep on Qingto's back.
The group of people walked in silence all the way.
Finally - the shadow of the Trial Guard Hall caught Qingdeng's eyes.
But at this moment, Qingdeng suddenly discovered: standing at the door of the trial defense hall was a figure that was quite familiar to him.
"Arima-sama?"
Arima, who was leading his entourage with box bearers and gun bearers, heard the sound and turned his attention.
"Oh." Arima smiled, "Tachibana-kun, you are back."
…
…
Trial Guard Hall, living room——
"Tea, please."
Arima bowed politely to Abi who brought him hot tea.
After bowing his head and returning the gift to Arima, Abi left the living room holding the tea tray.
With Abi voluntarily withdrawing, Arima and Qingteng were the only two people left in the hall.
"Ji Jun, did you go out drinking together tonight? Did something good happen to you?"
"Well..." Qingdeng smiled helplessly, "This is a long story... Anyway - let's talk about the business first. After we finish talking about the business, I will slowly talk about some of the things we have encountered today. What a good thing."
"Arima-sama, you came to visit late at night. You must have something important to tell me, right?"
Arima nodded slightly.
"Because it's very late now, I'll try to be as brief as possible."
"Mr. Ju, I came here unexpectedly tonight to remind you that there was a little accident in the 'Elder Examination' in a few days."
"Little accident?" Qingdeng was stunned.
Today is February 25th, and there are only three days left before the "Daelao Assessment" held by the Grand Elder on March 1 to examine the performance of all officials in the "Three Chapters" of the Edo South and North Administrative Offices.
"What accident happened?" Qingdeng asked, "Aren't you going to take this assessment?"
"On the contrary." Arima sighed silently, "This 'elder examination'...has become more grand."
"This assessment is planned to be handled by several close associates of Elder Jing Yi."
"However...I have now received definite information."
"Elder Jing Yi...will personally participate in and preside over this assessment meeting."
"...What?" Qingdeng was silent for a moment, then poked his head forward slightly with a look of astonishment on his face.
"Elder Ii will personally participate in and preside over this assessment meeting." Arima repeated what he just said.
"...Which Mr. Jingyi?"
"Besides Mr. Ii Naoki, is there another Mr. Ii in this world?"
"Arima-sama, are you sure you're not mistaken...?" The look of surprise on Qingto's face couldn't stop, "How could Elder Ii personally participate in and host an event of this level?"
What is the identity of the elder Naoki Ii?
He is the current "prime minister of the country".
The dignified "Prime Minister" personally participated in and presided over the evaluation meeting of these capital police officers?
No matter how you hear this, it sounds ridiculous.
"I'm not mistaken." Arima said, "I'm pretty sure what I just said are the exact facts."
"Although it is not clear why Mr. Jing Yi, who is so busy on weekdays, would find time to attend an event that a person of his level should not personally participate in..."
"But I personally think..."
Arima raised his eyes and looked directly at Qingden.
"Ji Jun, Mr. Jing Yi is most likely here because of you."
"That's why I came here overnight to tell you about this, just to give you a reminder and make you mentally prepared in advance."
"If anything has happened in our prison recently that deserves the close attention of Mr. Jing Yi... then it is naturally your pioneering work, Jun Ju, in defeating a large number of 'radical anti-barbarian' thugs."
"Did the famous Elder Jing Yi come here just for me..." Qingden twitched the corner of his mouth, and then said in a half-joking tone, "Ha... I really don't know whether I should feel honored or nervous."
"The above are just my guesses. Mr. Ii may have gone to this event for other reasons." Arima said calmly, "In short - Tachibana-kun, just make relevant mental preparations in advance. good."
"In addition to being mentally prepared, Mr. Ju, you can also look forward to the 'elder assessment' in a few days."
A faint smile appeared on Arima's face.
"You have made such great achievements. As usual, you will be given a very generous reward."
"Elder Jing Yi might personally give you a reward at the assessment meeting in a few days."
Qingden smiled and said jokingly: "Sir Arima, it has been nearly a month since I returned to Edo. This reward is really coming too slowly..."
…
…
3 days later——
The seventh year of Anzheng (1860), March 1.
Today, Qingdeng put on the military uniform embroidered with their Orange family's crest: trousers.
During the Edo period, almost all samurai families had their own family crest.
Going back thousands of years, Aoden's ancestors were a branch of the Minamoto clan, one of the famous "four major clans" during the Heian period (794-1192).
Therefore, as a descendant of the Genji family, Aoto's family crest is the representative family crest of the Genji family that has been passed down for thousands of years: the gentian leaf.
Qingdeng's original dress had been reduced to ashes in the flames when his home was burned.
The clothes he is wearing today are new clothes that he commissioned a clothing store to make for him after receiving the gift money from the French Legation.
After putting on his trousers, combing his hair and face, and putting on his sword, Aoto left the test hall with Kondo, Okita and others seeing him off, and strode towards the venue of today's "eldest examination": Kitabansuo.
After entering Beibansuo, where a full month had passed, and turning into a "conference hall" specially used for holding important meetings, Qingden saw many faces that were either familiar or unfamiliar.
Because this was a meeting to evaluate the performance of all the "three chapters" officials of the Edo South and North Offices, colleagues from the "three chapters" of the south office also came.
Although everyone is a "policeman" in Edo, Ayoto and his colleagues at Nanbansuo are not very familiar with each other. After all, they are not in the same system and have little contact with each other.
After Qingdeng appeared in the conference hall, he immediately became the focus of the audience.
Those who don’t know Qingdeng very well, such as those at Nanfan Institute, discussed in a low voice:
"Look, that person is Tachibana Aoden from Kitabansuo."
"So young..."
…
People who know Qingden or have a certain understanding of Qingden, such as everyone from Beibansuo, have complicated expressions:
"That idiot has really transformed..."
"Sigh... If I had run to Yoshiwara every day, my stupid son who only knows how to play with women could be like a fool... Ah, no, he could also wake up and change his past like Mr. Tachibana."
…
When Aoto arrived at the conference hall, everyone from the "Arima Group" who had the closest relationship with Aoto: Arima, Inodani, and Ushiyama were already waiting in the hall.
Seeing Qingdeng coming, the horse, pig, and cow immediately raised their hands to greet Qingdeng, asking Qingdeng to come to them quickly.
"Tachibana!" After Qingteng came over, Inodani immediately patted Qingteng's back enthusiastically, "You have been bringing us surprises very frequently recently... I have heard about it. A few days ago, you led The Trial Guard Hall defeated the Little Chiba Sword Hall."
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