Edo, Xiao Town, Tsukinomiya Shrine, a certain room in the shrine——
"Mr. Tachibana, please have some tea."
Shazhong, who was kneeling beside Qingdeng, gently pushed a cup of hot black tea with strong aroma in front of Qingdeng.
"Thanks……"
After Qingden thanked Sha Zhong softly, he raised his head and scanned the layout of the room he was currently in.
The environment is clean and tidy; the selection and placement of furniture are very particular; there is a beautiful landscape painting hanging in the niche...a guest room with good decoration taste.
"Master Yu Du, Mr. Orange."
Shazhong hugged the empty tea tray, lowered his head, and bowed lightly to Qingdeng and Tianzhangyuan.
"My little girl has taken leave of absence. If you need anything, please feel free to call me."
After saying that, Shazhong stood up and left without any hesitation or sloppiness.
The moment Shao overlapped and closed the sliding door, Qingdeng looked at Tianzhang Yuan, who was alone in the same room with him and sitting face to face with him.
Sitting in Tianzhang Courtyard, two steps away, directly opposite Qingdeng, he also had a cup of black tea in front of his knees.
Between the two of them, there was a plate of Japanese confectionery that was particularly exquisite in shape and smelled particularly fragrant.
"Tangerine-kun, come and have a taste."
Tianzhangyuan smiled and pushed the plate of wagashi in Qingdeng's direction.
"This plate of wagashi is a first-class treasure purchased from an old store above with decades of history. It tastes so good."
Above: The Kanto people’s customary name for the Gyeonggi region.
Although Kyoto has long ceased to be the political and economic center of the country, as an ancient capital with a thousand-year history and the residence of the emperor, Kyoto still has unparalleled cultural influence.
People in Kyoto often call themselves "subjects living at the feet of the emperor" and are notoriously arrogant. He regarded people outside the capital as country people and ridiculed their clothes and accents. All foreigners who come to Beijing will inevitably be looked down upon and ridiculed by the locals.
What's more, they regarded the Edo shogunate, which had usurped the emperor's political power, as an "enemy of the court" and directly referred to all Kanto people as "East barbarians".
People from Guandong often feel a sense of psychological vulnerability when facing people from the Gyeonggi region. "Shangfang" is often used as a general term for the Gyeonggi area.
"Thanks……"
Qingden glanced at the plate of wagashi... He thanked Tianzhangyuan for warmly inviting him to tea and snacks.
Whether it was snacks or tea, the rich aroma made people want to eat... However, Qingdeng didn't have the leisure or appetite to taste these delicacies.
"His Royal Highness Tianzhangyuan...I'm sorry for my presumption."
Qingdeng turned the turbulent thoughts in his heart into a voice with "Ha", and his originally straight waist bent slightly as he sighed.
"What is all this about?"
"What's going on?"
Tianzhangyuan's eyes narrowed slightly... Her expression made the charming look on her face even more intense.
"..." Qingto glanced at the sliding door on the right, then lowered his bass line and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, Saashige, Yae, and that Amakura Owl know that you are the current Grand Odaishou of the shogunate: Tianzhang Courtyard?"
"Of course they know." Tenzōin nodded and said without thinking, "They know that I am both Tenzōin, the grand palace of the Edo shogunate, and I am also the Miyi of Tsukinomiya Shrine: Utoshi shrine maiden."
Well... the questions are mounting.
"You Yi?"
Qingdeng noticed an unfamiliar term that Tianzhangyuan just complained about.
"What are you supposed to be?"
"Oh, Tachibana-kun, don't you know the duties of the shrine?"
"I haven't had a deep understanding of the shrine's culture..."
"You should be a clergy level in the shrine."
Tianzhangyuan smiled and talked eloquently.
"In a shrine, the person with the highest status is the 'Gong Si'. You can understand 'Gong Si' as the leader of a shrine."
"Going down from 'Gong Si', there are 'Quan Gong Si', 'Ni Yi', 'Quan Mi Yi'... The one with the lowest status is the 'Miko' whom people come into contact with most often."
"As the level rises, the colors of the hakama worn by priests will continue to change."
"An ordinary shrine maiden who is at the lowest level in the shrine wears a scarlet hakama."
"Further up, there are dark green hakama, light onion hakama, purple hakama, purple hakama embroidered with white patterns, and white hakama embroidered with white patterns."
"The top-level white hakama, only a few or less than a hundred people across the country are qualified to wear it. Those who can reach this level are basically gray-haired old people."
"To put it simply and plainly - Tachibana-kun, you can think of me as the 'senior shrine maiden' of Tsukinomiya Shrine."
"Although in terms of identity, I am a shrine maiden just like Saye and Yae."
"But in terms of priesthood level, I am quite different from those two sisters."
"They are just ordinary miko. They can only wear scarlet hakama."
"And I am Niyi from Tsukinomiya Shrine, so I can wear purple hakama."
Qingdeng, who listened carefully to Tianzhang Institute’s science popularization, nodded gently:
"So that's it... No wonder the color of your hakama is different from that of Saju and the others..."
A question was successfully resolved.
But the "fog" that trapped Qingdeng's brain has not eased at all...
"Your Highness Tenjoin, if that's the case... then I can't understand it even more. Why do you, who is the Grand Odaisho of the Shogunate, appear here? Why did you suddenly transform into the 'superior shrine maiden' of this shrine?"
"Cackle, cluck, cluck~"
Tianzhangyuan glanced at Qingdeng's eager look for immediate answers, covered his mouth and chuckled as if he was amused.
The laughter was as strange as ever but not unpleasant.
"Tachibana-kun, it seems that you have quite a few questions."
"There are so many questions I want to ask you..."
Infected by Tianzhangyuan's friendly, easy-going and unassuming demeanor, Qingdeng has habitually adopted a more casual attitude towards Tianzhangyuan, like interacting with ordinary friends, to deal with the "Mother of the Nation".
Tianzhangyuan smiled brightly, picked up the black tea in front of his knees, and took a sip.
"Oh well."
"I originally planned to explain everything to you in a long article."
"Now that I think about it, it seems good to switch to a 'you ask and I answer' format..."
"Junior-kun, just ask whatever you want to ask, and I will tell you everything you want to know."
Now that this woman has said so...then Qingdeng is no longer vague and polite.
After thinking for a moment, Qingdeng said in a deep voice:
"Then...His Royal Highness Tenzōin, please answer the question I just asked. Why do you, who is the Grand Odaisho, appear in this shrine as Miyi?"
"Hmm... Well... where should I start talking about this..."
Tian Zhangyuan smiled and took another sip of tea, then slowly put the teacup back to its original position.
"Tachibana-kun, do you know 'Yitingban'?"
Qingdeng was stunned for a moment, and then replied without thinking:
"of course I know."
This name is also very popular.
Yutingban - the intelligence agency directly under the general!
On the surface, the job of the Imperial Guard is to stay at Fukigami Palace and be responsible for patrolling and guarding the courtyard.
But in fact, they are agents under the orders of the general who specialize in secret reconnaissance, intelligence collection and other covert tasks!
The main task on weekdays is to help the general monitor the ministers and the lords of the feudal states in various places.
From a functional point of view, Yutingfan is very similar to the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty in China - an intelligence agency + directly responsible to the emperor/general + supervising officials on behalf of the emperor/general.
Because the work content of the Miteiban is very similar to the work content of ninjas in public perception, many people jokingly call the Miteiban the "royal ninja force" of the Edo shogunate.
"Since Yuanhe and Yanwu, the world has been at peace. For more than two hundred years, there have been few major wars."
Tianzhangyuan spoke calmly.
"Whether it is the Imperial Guards like the 'Third Division', the general troops such as the Archer Group, the Iron Cannon Group, the Small Ten-man Group, or the New Group, all the standing armies of the shogunate are only composed of the shogun's direct ministers... …that is, recruiting soldiers from among the bannermen, the imperial family, and their descendants.”
"The purpose of this design is to ensure the source of troops and the loyalty of the generals to the shogunate and the general."
"But gradually, the drawbacks of this recruitment system, which is no different from 'hereditary', gradually became apparent."
"The long-term peace with no battles to fight has caused the various branches of the shogunate to deteriorate day by day."
"Take the most severely corrupted 'Third Division' as an example——"
"The main responsibility of the 'Third Division' is to personally protect the shogun. Therefore, in addition to the large division that sends several troops to garrison Nijo Castle and Osaka Castle in Kyoto every year, all the 'Third Division' troops are stationed in Prosperous Edo.”
"As soon as you leave the military station, you will see a colorful world with Yoshiwara, Okokaba, casinos, and countless izakayas."
"Everyday work is also very easy."
"No matter which general he is, he leaves Edo Castle only a handful of times throughout the year. So he only needs to stand guard and watch in Edo Castle every day."
"There is no need to worry about the general being attacked."
"Edo Castle is completely built according to the standards of a military fortress. It is impossible for thieves to sneak into Edo Castle."
"And the fact is indeed true. Since Edo Castle was built, no one has ever been able to successfully pass through the layers of barriers that pass through Edo Castle and reach the general."
"You will not be sent to backward areas with difficult living conditions, and the work content is easy... The superior conditions of the 'Third Division' have attracted a large number of people who are either incompetent or do not want to engage in dirty or tiring work. A descendant of Hatamoto."
"These morons have used family connections, and even directly used money to bribe relevant personnel and infiltrate the 'third group'."
"Thanks to the 'blessing' of these moths, the 'Third Division' quickly became corrupted and degenerated."
"The 'Third Division' has now completely become a place where the idle and indolent banner disciples come to get their qualifications and hang out."
"More than 90% of the Banshi are not working hard, have low fighting spirit, and are mentally lethargic. They just want to lie on the merits of their ancestors and wait to die... This is the true portrayal of the 'Sanban Group' today."
Qingdeng nodded slightly in agreement.
In yesterday's competition, the performance of the "Third Division" warriors left a deep negative impression on Qingden.
The martial arts competition was about to begin, and they were still chatting casually as if it had nothing to do with them.
And judging from their chats, it seems that they often visit gold-selling caves like Yoshiwara.
After the competition started, he looked like he had no fighting spirit throughout the whole process. It didn't matter if he won or lost, and he just wanted to get off work as soon as possible.
Such people are not qualified to take on the important task of "Shogunal Guards" no matter how they look at it.
"The current situation of the 'Third Division' is just a microcosm of the shogunate army."
Tianzhangyuan opened his red lips again, lowered his eyes and stared at the tea cup in front of his knees.
The tea, which was as calm as a mirror, clearly reflected the beautiful eyes of Tianzhang Yuan with their twinkling eyes.
"All the troops currently in the shogunate, without exception - are all corrupt, but to varying degrees."
"Including secretive troops like Yu Tingfan, it is difficult for them to hold big positions now."
"Since its establishment during the reign of the third shogun Iemitsu, this force, which has a history of nearly two hundred years and has made countless illustrious military exploits, has long lost its former prestige."
"With such generals and such an army, how can we talk about combat effectiveness? How can we talk about protecting the shogunate?"
Tianzhangyuan's tone gradually became more passionate.
Before she could finish talking, she changed the subject.
"Right now, foreign powers are pressing forward step by step, and a group of chaotic parties led by 'Respecting Patriots' are ready to move, and the country's situation is in danger."
"In this critical environment, the army is the confidence and cornerstone of the shogunate to eliminate evil and correct the situation, and to quell chaos and bring peace to the town."
"In order to prevent the shogunate from falling into the dilemma of having no generals to adjust and no soldiers to use in the future, the shogun is determined to make great efforts to rectify all the chaos in the shogunate army and correct all the unhealthy trends in the shogunate army!"
"However, the various armies headed by the 'Third Division' have deep roots and a large number of children from big families are mixed among them."
"The general has inherited the position of general who conquered the barbarians, and it has only been less than two years since he was fully prepared."
"The short time he took the throne means that the general's foundation in the shogunate is still shallow."
"If you rush to use strong medicine and use the 'Third Division' and other troops rashly, it will only be counterproductive."
"In comparison, Yu Ting Fan is much easier to deal with."
"The Imperial Guard does not select its members from direct ministers of the shogunate, so there is less resistance to reform."
"The Oteiban, who specializes in collecting intelligence, is the eye of the shogunate and has an incomparable important position. It is urgent to restore its combat power."
"Therefore, the General has listed Yu Tingfan as the first target of rectification."
"But the degree of corruption in Yutingfan is far beyond our imagination."
"The personal qualities of many banshi are so poor... let alone carrying out secret missions, if you ask them to help deliver a letter, they may lose the letter."
"The difficulty of rectification is far greater than expected."
"After much thought, we decided that instead of repairing a dilapidated house, it would be better to knock it down and start over!"
Speaking of this, the corners of Tianzhangyuan's mouth curled up slightly, creating a mysterious arc.
"The General gave up on reorganizing the Yutingban and instead rebuilt a new secret force, the 'New Yutingban'!"
"As a Grand Odaisho, I don't have much else but a lot of time."
"So, under the entrustment of the General, I took on the task of establishing and operating the new Yutingban."
Tianzhangyuan pointed to the tatami under his knees.
"This Tsukigong Shrine is the headquarters of the New Imperial Palace."
"Everyone you meet in the shrine is a member of my new Imperial Palace."
"Including Sae and Yae, who just brought you into the club. These two sisters are female ninjas that I spent a lot of effort training."
"We are dressed like clergymen just to hide ourselves from others."
Qingdeng's neck suddenly stiffened.
From just now, a large amount of information rushed towards him like a tsunami...
*******
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Sorry! I didn’t write enough 8,000 words today! The leopard head is gone! QAQ (leopard's head chopped off.jpg)
I was not in a good state yesterday. When I wrote more than 7,000 words, I felt that the second half of the content was not very satisfactory, so I deleted them all, leaving only the current 4,400 words... (This is the truth and is absolutely not false. If you fake it, the author will never be able to find a girlfriend QAQ)
The author will definitely keep the leopard head tomorrow! (The leopard head grows out.jpg)
(End of chapter)
