Edo, Okemachi, Little Chiba Sword Hall——
Whoops! Whoops! Whoops!
The sound of the bamboo sword cutting through the air rhythmically echoed in the dojo.
Wearing a white and blue kendo uniform, Zuo Nazi stood in the middle of the empty dojo, repeatedly practicing the most basic technical movement in Japanese kendo: sozhen.
Under the hem of the skirt, a pair of bare feet with fair skin and full insteps are very beautiful.
The warm sunlight fell from the window, illuminating the crystal beads of sweat dripping down from Zuo Nazi's beautiful face to her pink neck.
She is like a perfectly programmed robot.
The strength with which the sword is held each time, the height with which the sword is raised, and the amplitude of the sword swing are all as if they have been carefully designed and are always so precise.
Continuously vibrating without any mistakes... Zuo Nazi's solid swordsmanship foundation and profound strength foundation are evident.
As time goes by, the shadow of the sun tilts invisibly.
When the sweat spread over Zuo Nazi's collar and gradually began to wet her bulging chest, she finally put down the bamboo sword in her hand because she successfully completed the predetermined training goal.
"Very good... in good condition..."
After saying this, she walked to the edge of the dojo, took the water bottle and sweat towel, and rested while looking at the sky outside the window.
"The weather is really cold today..."
——Speaking of which... Starting from today, Mr. Ju's New Year's holiday has officially ended. He should be working nervously in the government office where Huo Fu Thieves reformed. I wonder if he dressed warmly today?
As soon as this thought came out, Zuo Nazi was stunned for a moment.
Then, she shook her head vigorously as if she wanted to get rid of something on her forehead.
The high ponytail tied behind his head and hanging down to his waist then drifted and flew.
--Not good, not good! Chiba Zuo, why are you thinking so wildly again?
Zuo Nazi said coldly and seriously in his heart in a tone like a third party:
——Has Ju Qingden paid attention to keeping warm? What does this have to do with you?
——Abandon your trivial thoughts and continue practicing your sword!
Zuo Nazi took a long breath, and his expression and mood returned to calm.
She picked up the bamboo sword again and prepared to return to the center of the dojo to continue practicing Su Zhen.
But at this moment, rapid footsteps sounded outside the dojo.
"Zuo Nazi! Zuo Nazi! It's not good! It's not good!"
Chiba Jutaro opened the door of the dojo with an anxious expression and panting.
A shadow of displeasure suddenly appeared between Zuo Nazi's delicate brows.
She didn't like anyone interrupting her practice.
However, she also knew in her heart that something big must have happened when Chiba Jutaro came to her anxiously.
So, she asked quickly:
"Brother, what's wrong?"
Chiba Jutaro swallowed hard to moisten his dry throat. A few drops of sweat almost dripped down her chin to the ground, and he didn't bother to wipe it.
"Zuo Nazi! Ju, Ju Jun, he was sent to prison by an official!"
Snap.
The bamboo sword fell to the ground.
Zuo Nazi's eyes, which were originally steady and firm, instantly became hollow and blank.
He seemed to be staring blankly at something in front of him, or he seemed to be looking at nothing at all, with a dull expression.
It took quite a while before Zuo Nazi regained the reserve of the female warrior.
"Brother! What happened?"
Zuo Nazi stepped over the bamboo sword at his feet and rushed to Chiba Jutaro.
"Why was Mr. Orange arrested by the police?"
…
Similar scenes appeared all over Edo...
…
Edo, Chishiya——
"Uh huh huh~~"
Kinoshita Mai was combing the big orange cat's hair while humming a tune she composed on her own accord.
Wow.
Suddenly, the shop door opened.
"Ah, Mr. Kiryu, welcome back! Huh? Mr. Kiryu, why do you look so serious? Have the prices of fruits and vegetables in the vegetable market increased again?"
"...Young Master." Kiryu put aside the vegetable basket in his hand calmly, "Listen to me calmly -"
…
Edo, the settlement of Westerners——
"What? Miss Leroy, are you telling the truth? The master has been thrown into prison?"
Ignoring the coldness of the floor, Elodie jumped up from the chair and stepped directly on the ground with a pair of tender feet without socks.
Seeing this, Le Luo Yin hurriedly said:
"Miss! The floor is very cold. You will catch a cold. Please go back to the chair or put on your socks!"
"My body is not so weak that I will catch a cold just by stepping barefoot on the ground! Leave my feet alone, tell me quickly, what crime did the master commit? Why was he taken to prison? "
…
Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town, Test Guard Hall——
"Hey! Harada-kun, please explain clearly quickly!"
Souji was anxious for a moment, and subconsciously grabbed Harada's clothes with both hands and shook him hard.
Kondo, Hijikata, Saito, Nagakura...everyone from the top and bottom of the Imperial Guard Hall gathered around Harada at this time.
"Soji, calm down."
A big hand fell on Souji's right shoulder unexpectedly.
"How do you want Harada to talk like this?"
"Mr. Hijikata..." Souji turned his head and glanced at Hijikata behind him, then bit his lower lip and let go of Harada.
"Harada." Hijikata took a step forward and stood directly in front of Harada, "Tell me everything you know."
"Well..." Harada looked troubled, "I don't know much... I just happened to hear a few words from passers-by when I was out for a walk."
"It doesn't matter." Hijikata said, "You can tell me as much as you know."
"Then...Mr. Tachibana is currently being held in the prison in Kodenma Town. If I remember correctly...the charge seems to be 'abuse of power and unnecessary killing of members of the team'."
"Abuse of power? Unnecessary killing of soldiers in the team?" Hijikata pondered, "In other words, Tachibana-kun was arrested by the government for taking someone's life... Harada, do you know the name of the person Tachibana-kun killed? ?"
"Ah, I have an impression of this. I remember that person seems to be from somewhere..."
Harada folded his arms in front of his chest, concentrating on thinking, and his face turned red from suppressing it.
"No...I can't seem to remember..."
Just when Harada was about to give up, out of the corner of his eye he suddenly caught a glimpse of the red feather fabric on Saito's body.
In an instant, his eyes widened.
"Ah! I remembered! It was Akabane! The man killed by Mr. Tachibana was named Akabane Koichiro!"
…
…
Home confinement, exile and death were the main punishments in the judicial system of the Edo shogunate. In principle, there was no "punishment sentence" of "detaining you for as many years as you want".
The prison in Kodenmacho was the largest prison built by the shogunate.
After being briefly interrogated, the arrested suspects were deemed to have committed crimes and were immediately sent to jail for further interrogation and investigation.
In other words, a gaiyashiki is a detention center or prison for prisoners who have not yet been sentenced.
But at the same time, there was also a torture chamber in the prison house. Therefore, the process of interrogation and investigation can be said to be punitive.
The prison house in Kodenmacho is divided into the east prison and the west prison, and the interior is subdivided into several areas. The place where the prisoner is admitted is determined according to the identity and gender of the prisoner.
The Hatamoto samurai was imprisoned in Yangyashiki.
Imperial family members, monks, clergy and doctors were imprisoned in Yangwu.
Other ordinary townsfolk, farmers, ronin, etc. were imprisoned in the large prison, second prison and common people's prison in the east and west.
Women, regardless of their status, were locked in the Yangwu in the west, so it was called the women's prison.
Although the prisoners are all suspects who have not been convicted, life in the prison is extremely difficult.
Due to poor sanitary conditions, many people died in prison after falling ill.
To ordinary people, the jailhouse in Kodenma Town is a "hell on earth."
…
…
Edo, Kodenma Town, Yangyashiki——
"Have you committed adultery with the proprietress of Kikuta House? Why don't you get it quickly?"
"S-Sir! It's unjust! It's unjust! I'm really innocent! The boss's wife said that the drain in her house was blocked and asked me to go to her house to open the drain. I stayed in the kitchen of the boss's wife's house that day and didn't go. I haven’t been anywhere, let alone the boss lady’s room! I really haven’t done anything disgraceful!”
"Hmph! We found your crotch cloth in the room of Kikuta House. The proof is irrefutable! You still dare to quibble! Come on, put another stone on his leg!"
"Wait, wait a minute! No! No! My legs are dying, please forgive me...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
"
…
Screams, moans, scolds, begging, curses... the "symphony" composed of these sounds continued to permeate the air of the prison room.
Qingdeng originally wanted to close his eyes and relax, but it was too noisy outside.
Recuperate... I definitely can't support it anymore.
In desperation, Qingden simply opened his eyes and stood up.
As he raised his eyelids, the unfamiliar ceiling suddenly came into view.
"This tatami is quite comfortable to lie on..."
A major feature of a highly class-solidified society like Edo is that "class is evident in every aspect of life" - even in prison.
The highest-grade prison, the Yangyashiki where Aoto currently lives, is specially used to imprison Hatamoto samurai. It is so luxurious!
Not only is it a single room, but the environment is clean and the air is fresh.
Tatami mats, bedding, toilets... all kinds of daily necessities are available.
In comparison, the lowest common people's prison... Qingdeng had been to the common people's prison several times when he was still in the "three chapters" of the execution office. To be honest, if I have been there once, I don’t want to go there a second time.
The air in the civilian prison seemed to be gelatinous, wet, sticky and smelly.
It is normal to hold a dozen people in a cell, and holding twenty or even thirty people is nothing new.
For civilian prisons, the shogunate adopted a management method of "treating prisoners with prisoners".
To put it simply, one person is chosen to be the "boss" in each cell.
All matters in the cell are decided by this "boss".
The shogunate's approach made every cell in the common people's prison a small society.
If there is a society, there will naturally be hierarchy and bullying.
Refusing to flatter the "boss" in the cell, and thus being humiliated and bullied - this type of news is not uncommon.
Many people who died in civilian prisons did not die of illness but were tortured to death by other people in the cells.
This shows how happy Aoto is living in the comfortable and spacious Yangyashiki.
"Hey, little brother, I recognize you!"
At this time, Qingdeng suddenly heard someone calling him.
He followed the sound and saw a strong man in the cell diagonally opposite, staring directly at his face, crossing his arms and saying:
"You are the 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden, right?"
"That's right." Qingteng readily admitted, "I am Tachibana Qingteng."
"Aha! It's really you!" The strong man said in surprise, "Ever since you were sent in by the jailers, I thought you looked familiar, but I never thought it was really you!"
"Introduce yourself. Kyotaro Miyabe, please give me some advice...Ah, I'm sorry, I seemed to have said something stupid. For a dying person like me, it would be too funny to say 'please give me your advice' ”
"A dying man? What crime have you committed?" Qingdeng asked.
Although the living conditions in Yangyashiki are very good, there is really a lack of entertainment.
The number of Hatamoto samurai is already very small. The base is not large, so there will not be many people in prison for crimes.
At least as far as Qingnobo could see, except for himself and the strong man who called himself Kyotaro Miyabe, there were no other prisoners in sight.
The only person who can accompany Aoto to relieve his boredom is Kyotaro Miyabe who is talking to him now.
Anyway, I have nothing to do, so let’s have a chat with this person... Qingdeng thought to himself.
"It's not a big crime."
Kyoutaro Miyabe shrugged, his tone calm, as if he was talking about someone else's matter.
"I am also unlucky. I am unfortunately married to an adulteress."
"The adulteress invited three wild men into my home while I was out."
"After I discovered this, the adulteress knelt on the ground and begged for my forgiveness."
"Humph, forgive me? If I forgive her, then where is my face? Where is my dignity as a warrior?"
"I ignored the adulterer's begging for mercy, pulled out my family heirloom sword, and chopped up the adulterer and her three adulterers."
Kyoutaro Miyabe made a beheading gesture on his neck.
"Originally, the sentence handed down to me by the shogunate was to be beheaded in public."
"Fortunately, with the help of relatives and friends, the punishment was finally reduced to hara-kiri. Hahaha, I am so lucky. I can die like a warrior with dignity. I have no regrets."
To the samurai, any death sentence short of hara-kiri was humiliating.
Therefore, the Edo shogunate's "order to commit seppuku" is the same as the ancient Chinese "gift of three feet of white silk" - the people above are merciful and allow you to die with dignity.
"Mr. Orange, what about you? What crime have you committed?"
Perhaps he was tired from standing, so Kyotaro Miyabe lowered his body and lay on his side on the tatami.
Seeing Kyoutaro Miyabe sitting so casually, Qingto no longer maintained any posture and sat down directly, then turned his back to the sky, put his hands behind his head, stretched his legs out and crossed his legs.
Look at Qingdeng's appearance. Doesn't he look like he's in jail? Uninformed people thought he was on vacation.
"I haven't committed any serious crimes."
"Oh? Is it possible that you also slaughtered adulterers and adulteresses?"
"That's not true. I'm not married yet."
"Then what crime have you committed?"
"I just killed a ** who was disobedient in front of the battle."
"Haha? Killing the disobedient people in front of the formation...isn't this a natural and right thing to do? What crime is there?"
"Yes, but...the family behind the man I killed seemed to have some energy."
"Who did you kill?"
"Akaban Koichiro."
"Akaban? Akabane Kotaro from the Akabane family?"
Kyoutaro Miyabe sat up from the tatami, his eyes wide open.
"Mr. Tachibana, do you call this 'not committing any serious crime'? Kill Hatamoto... you will be in big trouble!"
Just now, when he was surrounded by a group of officials and heard that he was about to be arrested, Qingdeng was extremely confused.
However, he was not puzzled as to why he was arrested.
Instead, he was confused about "what he was arrested for."
Most outsiders didn't know about it, but Qingto himself knew: there were many reasons that prompted the shogunate to issue an arrest warrant for him.
For example: partnering with the Cat Monk and engaging in righteous thief activities as the "Fox Monk".
Another example: A few days ago, Ruonianji's son was beaten openly.
Another example: In the "Kai Mountain Bandit Crusade" at the end of last year, he killed Koichiro Akabane, who had been resisting him and dared to blatantly disobey military orders when the war was at its most intense.
Although he and the cat monk... that is, Kinoshita Mai became the "Phantom Thieves", the easy-to-deal with Xiaoyu Xiaoxia had either been taught a lesson, or was frightened by Kinoshita Mai's reputation and escaped from Edo. , Aoto has not gone to justice with Kinoshita Mai for a long time, so it is unlikely that the shogunate will find out that Aoto is the fox monk in the near future.
As for the second point...this is also unlikely.
Qingden didn't think that the Itakura family dared to challenge him.
So after thinking about it... the last one is the most likely.
After Qingdeng questioned the people who came to arrest him... it turned out to be the case.
Sure enough, the Akabane family united with other Hatamoto families to take revenge on him!
*******
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