I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1000 "Sheng Qing, please be my half..." [4500]

A pure white dress without a single speck of color, a wide white cotton hat...clothing with such distinct features that it is impossible to mistake it.

It is indeed the traditional wedding dress of Japanese women - white wedding dress.

Looking at Tianzhangyuan in white wedding gown, Qingdeng first widened his eyes, then blinked hard, repeatedly checking his vision, as if he saw something incredible.

"Yuyi, what are you doing..."

Tian Zhangyuan kept staring at his face without blinking.

His eyes showed an expression of intense shock.

With a chuckle, she showed a very pleased expression.

"Hehe~~ Husband, your expression is really nice. It's worth my expectation."

After saying that, she took out a cloth bag from behind her like a magician.

"Here are your clothes, change into them quickly."

"Clothes? What clothes?"

"You'll know it when you see it."

At this point, Qing Deng's confusion had reached its peak.

From that moment on, everything he experienced was characterized by suddenness.

I came to this strange shrine without anyone around...

Suddenly I saw Tianzhangyuan wearing white wedding gown...

I received a new piece of clothing unexpectedly...

Although he felt puzzled, his body had already moved consciously - his right foot took a slight step forward.

Once you take the first step, the rest will be easy.

He slowly approached Tianzhangyuan, sat down in front of it, and bent over to open the cloth bag - there was a set of clothes inside.

Bright colors, smooth and delicate fabrics... you can tell at a glance that this dress is precious.

Of course, compared to the quality of the clothes, Qing Deng was more surprised by its name.

"Montsuke haori hakama..."

After the murmur, Qing Deng's facial expression became strange.

This was the formal attire for men during the Edo period, and was also the formal attire for men’s weddings.

Qing Deng picked up the hakama with patterned feathers and examined it carefully from top to bottom.

As expected, the Tachibana family crest: gentian leaf, was embroidered on the front, back, sleeves and other places of the haori.

Qing Deng looked at the dress in his hand, then raised his head to look at Tianzhangyuan in front of him.

In an instant, the fog in his mind dissipated.

Such a situation, such an atmosphere... Unless Qing Deng's head was caught by the door, it was impossible for him not to understand Tianzhangyuan's intention.

No wonder… No wonder he always had an indelible feeling of strangeness before entering this shrine.

When it was just getting dark, Tianzhangyuan suddenly became very proactive, and kept saying to him, "I want to go there," "Let's take a detour," and so on.

It turns out... all of this was intentional.

To guide him to this neighborhood, to guide him to this shrine, to guide him to... to this wedding.

At this time, the voice of Tianzhangyuan came:
"Husband, don't just stand there."

Qing Deng raised his head and met the bride's gentle eyes.

"Go change your clothes quickly, don't keep the bride waiting."

Qing Deng didn't say anything... Although he didn't say a word, there were indescribable emotions flowing in his eyes.

He silently picked up the set of Monzuki hakori and returned to the room he had just been in.

……

……

When Qing Deng returned to Tian Zhang Yuan, he was already dressed.

Plain clothes become gorgeous dresses.

It’s worth mentioning that the suit fits her incredibly well.

From the width of the shoulders to the length of the legs, it was flawless and fit Qing Deng's body perfectly.

He couldn't help but wonder if Tianzhangyuan had secretly measured his body size while he was asleep.

The two sat side by side, with their backs to the shrine and facing the spacious hall.

A shrine, a couple in wedding attire...at first glance, it looks like a wedding.

However, this "wedding" did not have any guests or clergymen. It was just the two protagonists and was extremely deserted.

Qing Deng glanced around the scene and asked:

"Yuyi, where did you find this shrine that happens to be empty?"

Tianzhangyuan said unhappily:
"How can there be a 'shrine that happens to be empty' in this world... I just gave some benefits to the clergy of this shrine and asked them to leave for the time being."

After saying that, she made a special "money" gesture.

"The world is in a bad state. Even the clergy have become so easy to bribe."

After a brief chat, both of them fell silent.

The silence was soon broken.

After a moment, Qing Deng suddenly raised a serious question:
"...Yuyi, let me confirm, is this part of today's 'playing house'? Or... are you serious?"

Tianzhangyuan curled up the corners of his mouth, as if smiling.

“So far, it’s the former.”

Having said this, she raised her two soft hands, gently stroked the front of her clothes, and continued half-jokingly:

"I've wanted to wear the White Wedding Dress for a long time."

"As expected, it is a holy garment that symbolizes 'purity'."

"After putting on this white wedding gown, I feel like my heart has become pure."

Judging from Tian Zhangyuan's tone, it seemed like she was wearing the White Wedding Dress for the first time.

Qing Deng subconsciously turned his head and cast a puzzled look at the other person.

Didn't you wear the White Wedding Dress when you married Tokugawa Iesada? Qing Deng didn't say it explicitly, but his eyes made his thoughts clear.

Tian Zhangyuan instantly understood the deep meaning in his eyes and explained slowly:
"Of course I wore the white wedding gown when I married Tokugawa Iesada."

"It's just that... I don't remember anything that happened that day."

"It's like I have amnesia. I can't remember any details at all."

"But there is one thing I remember very clearly - that wedding was so tiring for me."

As she spoke, her shoulders slumped, revealing a vivid, exaggerated expression of distress.

"Although the wedding of the Shogun was grand, both the host and the guests suffered."

"The guests were all trembling with fear."

"When to stand, when to kneel, when to bless loudly... every step has detailed regulations."

"Most of the time, guests have to kneel down. It is normal to kneel down for more than an hour or even longer."

"Not to mention the bride and groom who are the protagonists."

"In many stages, the bride and groom have to sit upright and respectfully, like puppets. No unnecessary movements or expressions are allowed."

"After the wedding, I felt like I had lost all feeling in my waist. I couldn't even bend, and I had to have someone support me as I walked."

"I don't remember any details about the wedding, but the pain is vivid in my memory."

"If I had a choice, I would prefer a relaxed and joyful wedding."

"By the way, Tokugawa Iesada is even more impatient than I am."

"Before marrying me, he had already had two wives."

"Including the one he married me, he has already held three weddings. I'm tired of it."

After complaining about the terrible wedding she had just had, she let out a long sigh.

Then, she raised her eyes slightly and looked straight into the void in front of her.

"Come to think of it... the reason I forgot about this wedding, besides because I hated it, must be because I regarded it as my 'funeral'."

"After all, from now on, there will no longer be a 'Shimazu Atsuko' of Satsuma Domain in this world, only the 'Atsuhime' of the shogunate."

Qingdeng listened quietly and acted as a qualified "listener" silently.

He knew Tianzhangyuan's past very well.

Just like a puzzle, in many previous conversations, Tianzhangyuan told Qingdeng about his past bit by bit, and gradually put it together into a complete picture. The carefree girl in the past...

Dreaming of "marrying the best man in the world"...

For political purposes, she was adopted by Shimazu Nariakira as his daughter...

She was forced to marry Tokugawa Iesada and became a "nail" planted by the "Ichibashi faction" into the shogunate...

He hated Ichibashi Yoshinobu and was attracted to Tokugawa Iemochi, so he betrayed the "Ichibashi faction" and joined the "Nanki faction"...

Even at the cost of personal happiness, he also wanted to clarify the world's ambitions...

It is not easy to recount this woman's past.

Who could have thought that the unruly girl who played wildly on the beach would become the most powerful woman in the shogunate in the future?

At this time, Tianzhangyuan said suddenly:

"…Husband, it's all your fault."

The sudden blame made Qing Deng stunned.

Facing Qing Deng's doubtful gaze, Tian Zhangyuan continued to speak:
"On the day I said goodbye to my parents and set off for Edo, I made a secret resolution: I must become the wisest emperor in history."

"As long as I can bring peace to the world, I am willing to do it even if I can never go back to my hometown, even if I have to marry a disgusting man, even if I have to be a widow for the rest of my life."

"That's my determination."

"I have even thought of my own comments for future historians - a beautiful and intelligent woman with a far-sighted vision, resourceful and decisive. She is willing to sacrifice her own happiness in order to bring peace to the world."

"However... because of your appearance, my determination to 'willingly remain a widow' has been shaken..."

Having said this, she paused for a moment, turned her head and stared at Qing Deng, their eyes meeting.

In the darkness, her beautiful eyes sparkled.

"To be honest, I didn't have any special feelings for you at the beginning."

"I just think you are an amazing person. You have made great achievements at such a young age. You are a pillar of society. I want to train you, support you, and help you. That's all."

"Because you are much younger than me, for a long time I have considered you as my 'funny little brother'."

"However... before I knew it, 'meeting you' became the thing I look forward to most in my daily life."

"Maybe this is what they call 'love grows over time'."

"Now that things have come to this, I will not hide it anymore. That day, when I learned that you were promoted to the position of 'Gyeonggi Pacification Envoy' and would be heading to Gyeonggi soon, I felt extremely unhappy."

"I don't want you to go to Gyeonggi... I want you to always be a 'sidekick and a servant of the imperial court'."

"This way, we can see each other more often."

After expressing all his true feelings in one go, Tian Zhangyuan took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"That's it, anyway."

"I had clearly made up my mind, but your appearance aroused all my long-suppressed feelings."

"What I said to you before - when Choshu is destroyed, I will go to Otsu with you - is the concrete confirmation of my 'private affair'."

"I originally thought that after the destruction of Choshu, the Sonjo Movement would suffer a devastating blow. Although I can't say that I can rest easy, it will at least allow the world to be stable for a while."

"By then, I should be able to put down the heavy burden on my shoulders and pursue my own happiness."

"I didn't expect that all my thoughts would be in vain..."

"The 'Choshu Expedition' failed, Edo suffered heavy damage... Now even the Emperor and the Crown Prince have been kidnapped..."

"The successive incidents have made the world more chaotic."

"At this critical juncture, it would be inappropriate for me to disregard human ethics and marry a minister."

"But even so, I still want to go to Otsu with you, and want to wear this white wedding dress for you!"

At this point, she suddenly strengthened her tone.

"So, my husband... no, Tachibana Moriharu, you choose."

"As I just said, up to now, this 'wedding' between you and me is still just a part of 'playing house'."

"If you have no intention of marrying me, then let this 'wedding' end up as 'playing house'."

"After tonight, it's business as usual."

"But what if..."

Suddenly, Tian Zhangyuan's voice stopped abruptly.

It wasn't that she couldn't go on.

It was purely because of the influence of external force - Qing Deng pounced towards Tianzhangyuan!
He opened his arms, hugged her tightly, and then... lowered his head.

Under the moonlight, the two figures merged into one.

The breath of both parties sprayed on each other's faces in a chaotic rhythm.

Qing Deng has always been the type who prefers to do rather than talk.

Therefore, before Tian Zhangyuan finished speaking, he took action impatiently and expressed his intentions with a decisive attitude.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

Qing Deng opened his eyes and slowly raised his head... He did not let go of Tian Zhangyuan in his arms.

Tianzhangyuan closed his eyes and took a long time to recover from this "raid".

After a while, she slowly opened her eyes as if waking from a dream.

"..."

"..."

They looked at each other, but no one spoke.

Although neither of them said a word, an indescribable atmosphere of comfort lingered between them.

About 3 minutes later, a new sound came out from Tianzhangyuan:
"Sheng Qing, do you know why I want to lead today's 'playing house'?"

"why?"

"Because I thought that if you refused to marry me, I would at least have been your wife for half a day. Even though it was just a fake, it would still be a beautiful memory for me for the rest of my life."

Qingdeng laughed dumbly:

"Why do you think I would reject you? So, after playing the role of my wife for so long, how do you feel?"

"I'm exhausted! I don't want to live like this anymore! After actually trying it, I found that such a 'peaceful life' is not always good."

She frowned and complained bitterly:

"I don't like doing housework! Whether it's cleaning or cooking, I hate it!"

"After today, I don't want to touch a broom or a kitchen knife anymore."

After complaining, she seemed to remember something and added softly:

"But... I really like this feeling of peace and tranquility of being able to depend on each other and spend the rest of our lives together."

Qingdeng nodded lightly.

"Well, I agree."

He said as he hugged the other tighter.

"Yuyi, is this really okay?"

"what do you mean?"

"Is it really okay to hold such a lonely wedding?"

Holding a wedding at a shrine - a very typical "Shinto-style wedding".

Because of its large scale, many steps and high cost, only wealthy families can afford to hold a "Shinto-style wedding".

Which "wedding ceremony before the gods" is not accompanied by loud gongs and drums? Which one is not crowded with guests?
Such a simple and deserted "wedding ceremony in front of the gods"... Qing Deng didn't know whether others had seen it, but he had never seen it.

"It doesn't matter."

Tian Zhangyuan shook his head slightly.

"The grandness of a wedding is just an appearance."

"My wedding with Tokugawa Iesada was grand enough, wasn't it? But I don't miss that wedding at all."

"It doesn't matter how the wedding went."

"Anyway, I am satisfied."

After saying this, she pursed her lips deliberately, and a smile that was half shy and half playful appeared on her cheeks.

Then, she took the initiative to hold Qing Deng's cheek, raised her head and greeted him——

Amidst her moans, she could be heard whispering:

"Sheng Qing... please be my half..."

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