I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1100 Qingdeng's Promotion! Left Minister Kazusa-suke! [4900]

Today's main event is not just the Queen's coronation ceremony.

To boost morale and to demonstrate the grandeur of the new dynasty, Prince Kazuhiro will hold a grand ceremony to reward meritorious officials immediately after the enthronement ceremony!
The emperor did not overlook any of the meritorious officials and rewarded them all.

The person who provided this "list of heroes" was naturally Qing Deng.

In this exciting award ceremony, the person who received the most awards and attracted the most attention was Qing Deng himself.

He personally added his name to the top of the "list of heroes"... Although it was embarrassing, Qing Deng had a clear conscience.

If I don't take the credit, then who else can claim this honor?

If Qingdeng wanted to, he could easily shout to the assembled officials in the palace, "If I were not here, I wonder how many would claim to be emperor and how many would claim to be king!" and no one would dare to contradict him.

In fact, this "list of heroes" had already been leaked through various channels several days ago.

Upon learning that he was among those listed, Matsudaira Katamori went directly to Seido and expressed his deepest shame and remorse.

His reasons were quite valid—he was powerless to suppress Saigo Kichinosuke, which first caused the "Chōshū Conquest" to fail, and then lost the Emperor and the Crown Prince. It was only because of his incompetence that the situation in the country deteriorated again and again. Even if he had made some contributions before, they had long been wiped out, and he was truly ashamed to accept any reward.

Admittedly, Matsudaira Katamori's recent performance has been lackluster, but for various reasons, Aoto still added his name to the "list of heroes".

“You could have received a much greater reward; this is the best you can get after all your merits and demerits have been balanced,” Qing Deng said, trying to comfort you.

Thus, after much persuasion from Aoto, Matsudaira Katamori finally agreed to accept the Empress's reward.

The imperial court's rewards mainly consisted of promotions in official rank, much like awarding medals—a small medal might not seem worth much, but its emotional value was immense!

No one thinks they have too much money, just as no one thinks they have too many honors.

Matsudaira Katamori was promoted from Lieutenant General of the Left Guard, Rank 4, to General of the Right Guard, Rank 3. From now on, he would no longer be "Lieutenant General of Aizu," but "General of Aizu"!
Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, Kondo Isami, and others also received the rewards they deserved.

Hijikata Toshizo was awarded the title of Dazaifu Doctor (Junior 7th Rank, Lower Grade).

Yamanami Keisuke was awarded the title of Junior Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat (a rank of Senior Eight).

Isamu Kondo was awarded the title of Eight Provincial Governors and Dajiebu (below the eighth rank).

From a certain perspective, all the heroes, including Matsudaira Katamori, were merely supporting characters—their only duty was to highlight the one and only "red flower."

The protagonist of today's award ceremony was predetermined long ago.

Finally... when Qing Deng got up and moved to the front of the Takamitsudai, a strange tranquility enveloped the hall.

All the officials in the hall held their breath, staring intently at that tall, slender figure.

Admiration, envy, anticipation... a variety of gazes focused on Qingdeng.

Everyone wanted to know just how amazing the honors this peerless prodigy would receive!

Under the eager gaze of everyone in the hall, the imperial envoy (the official responsible for reading the imperial edict) slowly unfolded the edict in his hand, paused briefly, and then, in a calm and measured tone, read aloud, word by word:
The imperial edict reads:
"Your loyalty and diligence are well-known, you have assisted the court and made outstanding contributions, which pleases me greatly."

"Now, I hereby bestow upon you the surname of a court official, promote you to the position of Left Minister, and concurrently hold the position of Senior General, in recognition of your merits."

"Ranks and rewards are given for merit, and positions and emoluments are bestowed upon those who are virtuous. We must be diligent and cautious in fulfilling our duties as trusted advisors, so as to live up to the trust placed in us by the Emperor."

"Announce it to the whole world, and let all know it."

In an instant, everyone in the hall seemed to stop breathing.

Despite being mentally prepared, the contents read by the messenger still made everyone in the hall gasp!
All such imperial edicts are written in "Senmei-tai"—a special Japanese writing style—which is very different from Chinese and everyday language. It not only contains obscure words and phrases, but also has a particularly strange intonation when it is read aloud, so it is not easy to understand.

However, everyone in the hall understood the specific details of the rewards and honors.

This time, Qing Deng received three rewards in one go—the surname "Chaochen" was bestowed upon him! He was promoted to "Minister of the Left" and given the title "Kazusa no Suke"!
Any one of them is enough to amaze people!
The "Eight Surnames" were already a dead name, and their granting ceased during the Heian period (794-1192).

The reason why Qingdeng was previously granted the title of "Sukuni" (the third rank of the eight surnames) was entirely due to special circumstances and special treatment.

At that time, Aoto thwarted the Choshu people's plot to "burn down Kyoto" (the Ikedaya Incident), and then repelled the Choshu people's invasion (the Summer Siege of Kyoto). His merits were so great that the court did not know how to reward him, so it had to restart the "Eight Surnames" and bestow the surname "Sukune" upon him as a sign of favor.

This was already a special case, but unexpectedly his rank was even promoted!

"Court Ministers" are the second rank among the "Eight Surnames," higher than "Hidden Gods" and second only to "True Men."

"True Man" is generally not bestowed upon outsiders, so "Chaochen" is the highest-ranking surname that a subject can obtain.

Once dominant figures like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, when boasting about themselves, only dared to call themselves "court retainers," not "real men."

While being granted the title of "Court Minister" is certainly gratifying, it is undoubtedly more prestigious than the title of "Minister of the Left"!
Qing Deng's original official rank was Third Rank Left Guard General, but now he has been promoted several ranks and skipped a major grade, becoming a Second Rank Left Minister!
There are two official positions of the second rank: the Left Minister and the Right Minister, with the former being of a higher rank than the latter.

Unless it was an exceptional case like Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the higher-ranking officials, such as the Regent (Senior Rank 1) and the Grand Minister of State (Senior Rank 1 and Junior Rank 1), could only be held by members of the Five Regent Families of noble lineage.

[Note: The Five Regent Families: The highest-ranking families among the nobility. The first two great regent families were the Konoe and Kujo clans. The latter three great regent families were the Takatsukasa, Nijo, and Ichijo clans.]

In other words, "Minister of the Left" was the highest official position that a mere subject could be granted!
As for Kazusa no Suke, he, like Aki no Kami, belonged to the "local official" category.

The highest-ranking official in each country is called "Governor" and the deputy governor is called "Jie".

The Kazusa Governor is the Vice-Governor of the Kazusa region.

However, Kazusa, Hitachi, and Ueno were the three provinces of the prince, and no "governor" was appointed in these three provinces. Therefore, the "suke" was the actual highest-ranking official in these three provinces.

Among the five provinces, seven circuits, and sixty-six provinces, Kazusa, Hitachi, and Kōzuke were the highest-ranking major powers, with Kazusa being the most prestigious.

In summary, the prestige of Qingdeng's latest series of honors can be roughly summarized as follows:
The eight surnames represent the highest-ranking "court officials".

In terms of central government positions, the highest rank was "Left Minister".

In terms of local official positions, the highest rank is "Shang Zong Jie".

In short, the palace basically handed over all the honors and official positions it could to Qingdeng! In a true sense, there was nothing left to reward or bestow titles upon!
When Qingdeng announced this series of new titles to the world, people couldn't help but marvel at his lofty status and noble identity.

Even though I've long been accustomed to the unparalleled power of "Nioh," I'm still moved by his illustrious achievements time and time again!
However, to everyone's surprise, the promotion of "Niou" did not end there!

Just a few days after the successful conclusion of the enthronement ceremony and bestowal ceremony for the Kazu-no-miya, the shogunate's rewards arrived!

The series of military achievements that Qing Deng made several months ago, including severely damaging the Qibingtai, defeating the Faki coalition, saving Edo, expelling the "Hitotsubashi faction", pacifying Mito, and subjugating Oshu, as well as the recent achievement of "recapturing Goryokaku" to quell the rebellion, have yet to be rewarded as they deserve.

The reason for the delay in awarding the prize is mainly due to the unstable situation, which leaves no time or energy available.

Another reason was that Tokugawa Iemochi was seriously injured and unconscious, and no one was able to preside over the meeting. Looking at the entire shogunate, besides Tokugawa Iemochi himself, who else was qualified to reward or punish Seito?
Although the situation is not yet stable, it has calmed down a bit.

Today, Ōtsu is the "temporary capital" of the Edo Shogunate, and all the core departments of the Shogunate have moved here.

If a ceremony to confer titles and awards is to be held, it should be located near Otsu—it is impossible for Aoto and the others to travel all the way back to Edo just to hold a ceremony.

However, Qingdeng's mansion was ultimately too small and not of the proper rank, while Otsu Castle was not yet completed, with only the walls having been built.

Therefore, with Aoto's approval, the shogunate's ceremony to reward meritorious service was ultimately held at Nijo Castle in Kyoto (the shogun's temporary palace in Kyoto).

After a brief discussion, it was decided that Tianzhangyuan would act as the general and personally preside over the relevant ceremonies.

There's no need to go into the details, since nobody cares anyway.

Just like the imperial rewards given a few days ago, people only care about what kind of reward Seido will receive. Compared to the imperial court, the shogunate doesn't have as many honorary titles—but the latter's material rewards are far beyond what the former can match!

The shogunate's detailed rewards and honors for Seito are as follows:
He retains all his original official positions and concurrently serves as "Grand Elder"! He is granted an additional 35 shi of land!

The Dairo was the highest-ranking official position in the shogunate, not a permanent one, who was in charge of all national affairs and was usually held by only one person.

Because the "Dailao" was a special position temporarily established during major crises or political turmoil, only a handful of people in the history of the Edo Shogunate officially held the position of Dailao. The last person to hold this position was Ii Naosuke, who was unfortunately assassinated.

Thus, Seito became the 7th Dairo in the history of the Edo Shogunate!
In fact, for Qingdeng, the position of "senior" was nothing more than icing on the cake, better than nothing.

Before the shogunate split, the "Hitotsubashi faction," led by Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, could still keep Aoto in check to some extent.

Now that the Hitotsubashi faction has left and Tokugawa Iemochi remains oblivious, looking across the entire Southern Shogunate, there is no one or any force that can challenge Aoto!
Let alone a mere "big boss", he was already the de facto "General Who Conquers the Barbarians" of the "Southern Shogunate"!
However, with the added title of "elder," Qing Deng will undoubtedly find it much easier to act in the future, and will be able to legitimately use his official position to suppress others.

In terms of material gains alone, the newly granted fief of 35 shi (a unit of dry measure) is the most valuable reward!

The newly added 35 koku of fiefdom all came from the already extinct Mito Domain.

The former territory of the Mito Domain consisted entirely of fertile land in the Kanto Plain, bordering the Pacific Ocean. It was suitable for developing agriculture, industry, shipping, and overseas trade, making it one of the highest quality lands in Japan.

With the addition of the original 40 shi fief, the Qinjin domain under Qingdeng's rule now has an astonishing 75 shi fief!

Currently, the only domains that can surpass the Hatatsu Domain in terms of the amount of koku (a unit of rice measure) are the Kaga Domain of the Maeda family (102.5 koku) and the Satsuma Domain of the Shimazu family (77 koku).

At this point, Seito had reached the undisputed pinnacle in both the shogunate and the imperial court's official systems!

Currently, Qingdeng's full list of titles is as follows:

Left Minister, Kazusa no Suke, Aki no Kami, Elder, Army Commander-in-Chief, Kyoto Garrison Commander, Hatazu Domain Lord, Shinsengumi Commander-in-Chief, Eighth Prince, and a thousand men of one heart, Minamoto no Asomi, Tachibana no Aoto, Moriharu.

As for the titles held by the common people, they are countless!
Recently, after Qing Deng subdued Aoyu, he received a new unofficial title – “Guardian of the East” – which, as the name suggests, means the guardian deity of the East!

Since Tokugawa Ieyasu's rise to power, no vassal has ever wielded such astonishing power!

The phrases "having the emperor's authority" and "the law prevails" are all perfectly applied to Qing Deng!

It's definitely "unprecedented," as for whether it will be "unparalleled"... we can wait and see!
Of course, Qing Deng's extremely high status inevitably attracted controversy.

Some say Qingdeng's achievements overshadow the emperor's, while others say he is ambitious... Ultimately, it all boils down to one thing: Qingdeng's position is too high! He already possesses the power to overthrow the dynasty!
No need to wait until later, it can happen now! If he had the will now, he could seize the throne of "General Who Conquers the Barbarians" at any time!

This caused great concern among those who relied on the Edo Shogunate for their livelihood.

People with rigid thinking are unwilling to lower themselves to serve Qingdeng.

Those with flexible minds have already shown deference to Qing Deng, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to claim credit for supporting the emperor when the "Otsu Shogunate" is established in the future!
To the west, Choshu attacked Aoto without restraint, squeezing out every bit of sarcastic language from the Japanese language.

In comparison, the opposition from the east was much smaller; even if there were opinions about Qingdeng, they only dared to discuss them quietly.

Firstly, the east side is Qingdeng's territory, and unless someone is tired of living, no one dares to act recklessly on Qingdeng's land.

Secondly, in order to overthrow the Zunrang camp, the power of "Renwang" cannot be lost.

Being defeated by Choshu versus accepting the rule of Seido... For many ministers of the "Southern Shogunate," the former was undoubtedly far more terrifying than the latter!
Whether Aoto will overthrow the shogunate remains to be seen.

In contrast, Choshu explicitly shouted the slogan of overthrowing the shogunate!
After weighing the pros and cons, it was an extremely difficult decision, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue serving "Nioh".

……

……

Hatazu Domain, Ōtsu, Tachibana Residence, Tokugawa Iemochi's bedroom—

Aoto and Kazumiya sat side by side beside Tokugawa Iemochi's bed.

"Your Majesty... Ah, no, Your Majesty, thank you for your hard work."

Kazuya smiled slightly:
“Lord Zuo, there’s no need to be so formal. Just call me ‘He Gong’.”

[Note: Zuofu: the honorific title of Minister Zuo. "Youfu" refers to the right minister, and "Neifu" refers to the internal minister. 】

Qingdeng tilted his head slightly, observing the other person subtly.

Compared to before, Kazuya really seems like a completely different person.

Her complexion had improved considerably; it was unclear whether she had emerged from the grief of her brother's passing or had managed to suppress her sorrow through sheer willpower.

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, He Gong smiled slightly:
“I’m not suffering. All I do is wear a heavy robe, sit on the high platform, and receive the divine sword and imperial seal from the priest.”

"Compared to those who truly work hard, my efforts are nothing to boast about."

"I still have many shortcomings, please forgive me."

Qingdeng shook his head and said in an unquestionable tone:
"No, Your Majesty...and Palace, I was not flattering you. You did a truly excellent job, even better than I expected."

"To be honest, I never imagined that you would have such a heroic and imposing presence after putting on that imperial robe."

Recalling the scenes he had witnessed in the Zichen Palace, Qing Deng couldn't help but shudder.

Besides her complexion, Kazuhime's spirit and energy also underwent a tremendous change!
Less naive, more mature; less impulsive, more composed!
That imperial robe seemed to possess a special magic power; once it was put on, it instantly transformed an innocent girl into a valiant heroine!
Qing Deng gave a half-joking, wry smile:
"I thought it would take me much longer to convince you to ascend the throne, but I never expected you to agree so readily."

Kazuya blinked her beautiful eyes, a complex expression appearing on her cheeks.

"Actually... the moment I sat on the Takamidai, I started to regret it."

"Even now, the regret in my heart has not disappeared."

"That imperial robe was more cumbersome than I imagined...that divine sword and that imperial seal were heavier than I imagined..."

"But... Jiamao trusts you a lot."

At this point, she reached out her slender hand and gently stroked Tokugawa Iemochi's face.

“I promised Jiamao… Since Jiamao has placed his complete trust in you, I have no choice but to risk my life to accompany him.”

Qingdeng couldn't understand what He Gong meant by these words.

He only instinctively realized that there was probably some kind of agreement between the Prince and Tokugawa Iemochi—an agreement that involved him!

At this moment, He Gong turned her head, their eyes met, and she cast an inquiring look at him.

"Master Zuo, things have come to this point, there's no turning back. Can you dispel the lingering regret in my heart?"

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously:

"Of course! I will never let you and Jiamao down!"

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