I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1197 Epilogue: The Wedding of Seito and Tenshōin Elodie
November 15, 1868 —

Otsu, Judi—

It was the dead of winter, and snow was falling heavily.

The stark contrast between the freezing cold outside and the lively atmosphere of the wedding banquet was striking.

"Back then, a bullet pierced my stomach without missing a beat. The pain was almost as bad as a seppuku! Do you want to know why I know the pain of a seppuku so well? Well, that requires telling the story from the beginning! Back when I was still an official in the Matsuyama Domain of Iyo..."

"Huh? Sanosuke, why is your glass empty? This won't do! Today is a joyous occasion! How can we not drink?"

As expected, Nagakura Shinpachi preemptively shoved the bottle neck into Harada Sanosuke's mouth, interrupting his "chanting," and chugging the wine down his throat.

Not far away, Kondo Isami poured sake for Hijikata Toshizo while speaking to him in a serious tone:

"Ah Sui, you're not getting any younger, isn't it about time you got married?"

Hijikata Toshizo shrugged:

"I'm not interested in marriage."

"For me, marriage would only tie me down and take away my former freedom."

"Besides, I'm still young, only 33 years old this year, and I have a long future ahead of me."

"Uncle Yuan, who is already 39 years old this year and is still single, is the one who should get married as soon as possible."

After listening, Kondo Isami nodded seriously:

"Yeah, that's true."

The sudden roll call startled Inoue Genzaburo, who choked on his drink and it went into his trachea.

After coughing violently a few times, Inoue Genzaburo said with a look of embarrassment:
"I'm well past the prime age for marriage. What woman would be interested in an old man like me?"

Hijikata Toshizo burst into laughter:

"Uncle Yuan, that's not how it works. Many women like mature and stable older men."

Heisuke Todo suddenly interrupted:

"What's more, you're the captain of the sixth division of the Shinsengumi. With your qualifications, you could attract countless outstanding women."

At this moment, accompanied by a noisy shout, the completely drunk Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke, Serizawa Kamo and others left their seats and ran to the center of the wedding banquet, dancing an ugly but jubilant dance under the guise of "adding to the fun".

Seeing this, Yamanami Keisuke looked helpless:
"Hey, take it easy, you guys. Even though today is a joyous occasion, don't go too far."

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"It's alright, it's a special day, even if it gets a little too much, it's fine! Everyone, have fun!"

Aoto, dressed in a formal suit (monzuki haori hakama), sat gracefully in the main seat.

Tenshōin and Elodie, dressed in pristine white kimonos, sat on either side of Aoto.

After marrying Sanako, Mai, and Souji, Aoto held his second wedding—marrying Tenshōin and Elodie!

The whole story of how Qing Deng and Elodie got together was truly dramatic.

Long ago, Qing Deng realized that his feelings for Elodie were not just simple friendship or mentorship.

However, due to their relationship (master and apprentice) and Elodie's young age, Qing Deng was unwilling to face this feeling.

Elodie was the same; constrained by societal expectations, she kept her distance from Qingdeng and hesitated to take another step forward.

The fierce and near-defeat Battle of Otsu became the turning point in their relationship.

Not long after the Battle of Otsu, perhaps because she had just escaped death, Elodie's thinking underwent a major change. She no longer suppressed her feelings for Qingdeng and began to actively express her love to him.

However, all her "offensives"—whether direct or roundabout—were evaded by Qing Deng, who pretended to be confused.

This stalemate continued until one day, by chance, she obtained a yellow paper written by the famous author Sojiro.

[Note: Yellow paper: Yellow-covered erotic publications with embroidered images popular in the Edo period]

After suppressing her embarrassment, she read through every paragraph of the yellowed paper and suddenly had an inspiration.

In the end, she resolved her emotional entanglement with Qingdeng in a very bold and unexpected way.

One night in January 1867, Elodie, dressed in a thin bathrobe, sneaked into Chingden's bedroom and slipped into his bed like an eel.

At that moment, Qingdeng, who was startled awake from his sleep, was so shocked that he almost cried out.

Elodie's actions were incredibly audacious—because Sanako, Tenshōin, Omai, and Souji were all sleeping next to Aoto!
If I accidentally wake up the four women, I really don't know how I'll handle the situation.

However, Elodie was completely reckless, clinging tightly to Qingdeng's neck and whispering to him with a flushed face.

It's really inconvenient to go into details about what she said.

In short, after hearing this, Qing Deng no longer hesitated and hugged Elodie tightly.

(…20,000 words omitted…)
After more than half an hour, an exhausted Elodie chuckled to herself:

"Great...they didn't hear me..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sanako's soft moan drifted over:

"...Where do you get the confidence to say 'they didn't hear it'?"

Tianzhangyuan followed immediately:
"You don't think you were being quiet when you cried out in pain, do you?"

The commander smiled wryly:
"I suspect you all knew we were already awake, so you deliberately made such a loud noise to tease us."

Ah Wu said irritably:
"You were biting your lip so hard, yet you still managed to make that loud scream... You were biting your lip for nothing!"

The four women stood up from under the covers, shifted their positions, and looked down at Qingdeng and Elodie, who were surrounded by them, with a fierce glare.

It turned out that they had already woken up when Elodie slipped into Qingdeng's bed.

In other words, they were forced to listen to the entire process of Qingdeng and Elodie deepening their relationship while pretending to be asleep, all while remaining fully awake...

It would be impossible for them not to find the ordeal unbearable.

And so, led by Sanako, they took turns pinning Aoto to the ground...

(…50,000 words omitted…)
That night, Qingdeng experienced firsthand the true value of the proverb, "There are only oxen that die from exhaustion, but no fields that can be plowed."

The above is the entire process of how Qing Deng and Elodie established their relationship.

In contrast, no such dramatic events occurred between Qing Deng and Tenshōin.

After all, they had already consummated their marriage before the decisive battle between the East and West, only lacking a formal title.

With the help of Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin was able to return to secular life and was no longer a nun.

After that, things became much easier.

Marrying Omikado... it's impossible not to cause controversy.

However, with the Southern Dynasty now destroyed and Qing Deng ascending to the throne of "the people of the world," no one and no force dares to criticize Qing Deng's actions.

Someone once commented: Niou's current power is even greater than that of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo shogunate!

Moreover, the Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi, the Empress, and the Imperial Palace all welcomed the union of Seito and Tenshōin—the highest leaders of the Edo Shogunate and the Kyoto Imperial Court had nothing to say, so why should any Tom, Dick, or Harry have a say?

In short, all obstacles to Qing Deng's marriage to Tenshōin and Elodie have been cleared away.

After months of preparation, we are holding a grand wedding today!

Almost all the relatives and friends related to this wedding came.

Tenshōin brought her still-living birth mother from Satsuma.

Elodie's grandfather, Antony, and his maid, Leroy, were also present at the table.

The old servant of the Tachibana family, Kyubei, the members of the Shinsengumi, the members of the Karasu-ya, the members of the Chiba family, the members of the Kōbu-sho, the high-ranking officials of the shogunate led by Katsu Rintaro, the lords of the domains led by Matsudaira Katamori, the cadres of the Ōshio party led by Ōshio Heihachirō, the seniors led by Arima Hideyuki... all the high-ranking officials, elders, and friends who were familiar with Aoto came to congratulate him.

The huge banquet hall was packed with people, bustling with activity. Among them were many important figures, truly a gathering of distinguished guests.

The most distinguished guests were undoubtedly the Tokugawa couple.

Tokugawa Iemochi and Prince Kazu sat side by side in the spot closest to the aoto—both in public and private terms, they were both qualified to sit in this position. In public terms, they were the Shogun and the Emperor, respectively.

Personally, they were Qingdeng's adopted son and daughter-in-law.

At this moment, Tokugawa Iemochi stood tall and raised his cup to Seito and Tenshōin.

"Father, Father, Mother, congratulations."

From this day forward, Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi are now truly father and son!

Calling a young man only four years older than himself "father"... the complexity of Tokugawa Iemochi's inner thoughts is truly difficult to describe in words.

When Tokugawa Iemochi said "Father" to Aoto, he still couldn't help but stutter and couldn't say it fluently.

Qing Deng felt the same way. Suddenly having such a grown adopted son... Qing Deng also felt strange.

His adopted son was the Shogun, and his daughter-in-law was the Emperor... Throughout the entire history of Japan, such an explosive family relationship is unprecedented and likely to remain so!

Qingdeng and Tenshoin exchanged a smile and raised their glasses in response.

"Thank you, and congratulations! I wish you and your unborn baby a safe and healthy pregnancy."

As Qing Deng spoke, he turned his gaze toward He Gong's noticeably swollen belly.

After more than a year of recuperation, Tokugawa Iemochi has largely recovered.

To be able to recover from a deep coma like that of a vegetable... it is no exaggeration to call it a "miracle".

At Qing Deng's suggestion, Kazuya has completely abandoned her extremely unhealthy official life and, while ensuring a balanced diet, practices naginata techniques with Tenshōin every day.

Although Tenshōin's naginata technique wasn't particularly refined, it was more than enough to teach Kazumiya.

As a result, her originally very thin body, which looked as if a gust of wind could blow her away, gradually became plump, gained a lot of weight, and looked much healthier than before.

Because her health improved, she and Tokugawa Iemochi were finally able to conceive their child.

According to the doctor's diagnosis, the due date is about 4 months later.

—So, in four months, I'll be a grandfather...?

At the age of 26, becoming a grandfather with grandchildren to hold... Just thinking about this made Qingdeng's lips twitch, and indescribable complex emotions welled up in his heart again.

Because she was pregnant and could not drink alcohol, Kazumi substituted water for wine, smiling sweetly with her eyes crinkling:
"Dear Father and Mother, I wish you and your unborn children a safe and healthy life!"

Upon hearing this, the facial expressions of Tenshōin, Elodie, and Sanako, Omai, and Souji, who were sitting to the side, all underwent subtle changes.

Sanako, who has given birth once, remained relatively calm.

Although A-Wu had also given birth, her shy nature caused a bright red blush to rise on her cheeks.

Even the usually carefree Elodie became unusually shy, lowering her head slightly to hide her burning red face.

The commander smiled and gently patted his belly.

A look of happiness appeared on Tenshōin's face, and he subconsciously leaned slightly towards Aoto.

Although their bellies are not yet showing, the doctor gave a clear diagnosis a while ago: all five of them are pregnant with Qingdeng's child!

The reason why all five were correct can be traced back to a hot spring trip two months ago.

After completely eliminating the "Southern Dynasty" and completing all the cleanup work, Qing Deng, whose burden was finally lightened, finally fulfilled his promise to the commander-in-chief—to go on a happy honeymoon trip!

In November 1867, he took Sanako, Omai, Souji, Tenshōin, and Elodie, with whom he had just established a relationship, to the famous Hakone Onsen for a ten-day honeymoon.

According to the doctor's calculations, all five women conceived during their ten-day, ten-night hot spring trip.

To be honest, Aoto doesn't remember much about Hakone hot springs.

I can't remember the smell of sulfur, nor the temperature of the hot spring water.

I don't even remember how many pools I've been in.

When recalling this trip, all the images he could remember were flesh-colored scenes that he couldn't describe in detail!

On the first day of the trip, right after checking into the hostel, Qing Deng displayed unprecedented enthusiasm, making the trip very lewd... ah, no, very intense.

Just how hard did he work?

To put it simply—even Souji, who has difficulty conceiving due to her physical condition, became pregnant with Aoto's child.

Or to put it more directly—despite having a host of talents such as "+20 Yuan Yang", "+20 Qiang Jing", "+29 Tie Yao", and "+20 Qiang Ji", when setting off to return to Da Jin, Qing Deng could only lie on Luo Bo's back due to lower back pain and was unable to sit up at all.

In short, all five women are pregnant, and the Ju family is growing bigger and bigger, which is cause for celebration.

It is worth mentioning that the most excited person when she received the doctor's diagnosis of "confirmed pregnancy" was Tianzhangyuan.

At that moment, she couldn't contain her joy and burst into tears. Qingdeng stayed with her for a long time before she calmed down.

Once upon a time, she was reduced to a political tool and believed that she was no longer destined for "happiness".

A few years ago, she would never have imagined that she could break free from the constraints of her identity as "Omiya-sho" (a high-ranking official), marry the person she loved, and become pregnant with his child.

To become the bride of "the world's number one man"—her childhood dream has truly come true!

……

……

The wedding banquet continued, and the celebrations continued.

From men to women, from high-ranking officials to ordinary citizens, everyone was immersed in the lively banquet.

Qingdeng smiled as he surveyed the entire room, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Around this time eight years ago, he transmigrated to this world.

Recalling the confusion and loneliness of eight years ago... it felt like a lifetime ago.

Before he knew it, everything he had experienced after transmigrating—his comrades-in-arms at the Edo Hokuban-sho, the captain of the third squad of the Fire Thieves, the servant and envoy of the Imperial Palace, the governor of the capital region, the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi, the lord of Hatatsu Domain, and the ruler of the land—appeared before his eyes one by one like a revolving lantern.

"What a wonderful journey..."

After murmuring, Qing Deng, gradually feeling invigorated by the atmosphere, picked up a glass full of wine and slowly stood up.

"Everyone!"

Seeing that Qingdeng had something to say, everyone fell silent and all eyes turned to him.

"Thank you so much for coming!"

"I am deeply moved to see so many familiar faces today!"

"I really want to say something to express my joy!"

"But I'm at a loss for words; I really can't think of the right words!"

"So let's express our joy with actions!"

"Now, raise your glasses! Let us drink to the fullest!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present stood up and raised their glasses.

Qingdeng raised his glass to its highest point and then shouted in a spirited tone, "Cheers!"

Everyone: "Cheers!!!"

Drops of crystal-clear water splashed out, reflecting the joyful faces on everyone's faces.

*******
*******
A lively and joyful storyline is the perfect way to conclude this book. (Leopard Hi.jpg)

Thank you all for your continued support! This concludes the story of this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

However, whether it is "Shura" or "Nioh", their legends have only come to a temporary end.

Please be sure to check out Leopard's new book, "America: The Great Chase of 1924"!

Please be sure to check out Leopard's new book, "America: The Great Chase of 1924"!

Please be sure to check out Leopard's new book, "America: The Great Chase of 1924"!