I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Understood."

Yae grinned:

"This mission... I love it! This is the kind of mission a ninja should be doing!"

The two sisters, having gladly accepted the order, closed the door and quickly left.

Tenshōin strained his ears, listening to their footsteps.

The instant she could no longer hear anything, she collapsed to the ground like a deflated balloon.

"Is this what a young man's body is like...? It's even more robust than I imagined..."

"Or is it that... only Qing Deng's body is this sturdy?"

She muttered to herself as she raised her hands and cupped her burning cheeks.

*******

*******

I forgot to mention this in the last chapter. The haiku by Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu was copied by Leopard Leopard, who was lazy and simply copied a historical haiku by Hijikata Toshizo. The original was "cherry blossoms," but Leopard Leopard changed it to "plum blossoms."

In historical fact, Hijikata Toshizo was a person who loved writing haiku, and he even gave himself the pseudonym Toyotama.

Chapter 504 Qing Deng's poetic talent is renowned throughout Edo! Qing Deng survives an assassination attempt! [4700]

Edo, a certain izakaya—

After taking a large gulp of wine, a young man lowered his voice and said mysteriously to those around him:

"Hey, did you guys know? Something really big happened yesterday."

"Huh? What's up?"

"That thing."

"What nonsense! Stop giving me half-truths! Explain yourself clearly!"

The young man successfully captured the attention and appetite of all the diners in the restaurant with just a few words.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the young man did not rush to speak.

After leisurely taking a few sips of his drink, he said unhurriedly:

"Just yesterday, the Great Tree Master held a 'Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet' at the Fukiage Garden in Edo Castle..."

The young man has excellent speaking skills.

He recounted Qingdeng's "two poems that amazed the audience" in a concise yet very clear manner, and added some embellishments to the original facts.

For example, it exaggerated the arrogance of Matsudaira Shungaku when he "requested" Tenshōin to display his work.

For example, the reactions of Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and Matsudaira Shungaku to Seidei's haiku and Chinese poetry were exaggerated to the point of being dumbfounded and their jaws nearly dropping in astonishment.

After the young man finished speaking, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted inside and outside the store.

"Well done, Niou! I've had my eye on those two bastards, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and Matsudaira Haruaki, for a long time!"

"Damn it! It's all their fault for changing the 'Sankin-kotai' (tribute to the emperor) to once every three years, which has drastically reduced the number of people coming to Edo, making my business much harder to do!"

"This is the first time I've known that Niou can write poetry."

"Yes, me too."

"I never imagined he was a man of both literary and martial talents."

"Sigh... I'm increasingly convinced that Tachibana Seito is truly a genius."

"Hahaha, he might really be the 'incarnation of Niou'."

"But... I quite like Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and Haruaki Matsudaira. They're both very courageous..."

Suddenly, the eloquent and enthusiastic young man interjected:

"You know nothing! These two are staunch supporters of the Emperor! Especially that Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu! He studied Mito school from a young age, so much so that his brain was damaged! In their eyes, the Imperial Court is more important than the Shogunate! Believe it or not, if the Imperial Court and the Shogunate were to meet a crisis at the same time someday, they would definitely sell out the Shogunate immediately and wholeheartedly support the Imperial Court!"

No sooner had the young man finished speaking than another man—whose face was flushed from drinking—drunk and shouted:

"Exactly! Those two are traitors! They're paid by the shogunate, yet they speak up for the imperial court!"

"I hate the imperial court and the people of the capital the most!"

"What does the fate of the imperial court have to do with us Edo people!"

"That's right! Any Edo citizen with a sense of patriotism should stand firmly with Lord Ōki and His Highness the Great!"

"Yes! Lord Ōki and His Highness the Great Imperial Palace are the ones who can turn the tide and save the situation!"

The young man watched with a smile as the group, under his careful guidance, turned their fighting against Yoshiki Hitotsubashi and Haruaki Matsudaira.

Just then, a gentle breeze drifted into the shop, lifting a corner of the young man's clothing and revealing the ninja outfit of the new Oniwaban...

……

Edo, a certain teahouse—

"Hey, did you guys know? Just yesterday, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and Haruaki Matsudaira were thoroughly humiliated by Niou."

"Oh? Tell me about it!"

……

Edo, a certain bathhouse—

"Hey, did you guys know? Niou has exceptional poetic talent!"

……

"Hey, did you guys know? Niou's poems have amazed many scholars of Chinese classics and Sinology!"

……

"Hey, did you guys know? Niou isn't just a genius swordsman, he's also a genius poet!"

……

"Hey, do you guys know what?"

……

"Hey, do you guys know what?"

……

……

Edo, Okemachi, Kochiba Sword Hall —

"Ju-kun, it is said that you can compose a poem in seven steps like Cao Zijian of the Tang Dynasty? If there is a chance in the future, please let me witness your skill."

Sanako smiled and cast a teasing glance at Aoto, who was sitting next to her on the veranda.

……

……

Edo, Senjiya (Kiryu the shopkeeper is away) —

As Kinoshita Mai wiped the dirt off her feet, she stared at Aoto, who was lifting his hakama, with shining eyes.

"Qingdeng! People say you can compose a poem in five steps, is that true?"

……

……

Edo, Koishikawa, Kohinata-Yanagi-cho, Shieikan, Souji's room—

"Tachibana-kun..."

Aoto and Souji, now back in nature, snuggled together in their warm blankets.

Suddenly, Souji raised his head and looked straight at Aoto.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Qingdeng returned the look with a puzzled expression, still somewhat confused.

"Ju-kun, can you really compose a poem in three steps?"

The commander asked this question in a very serious tone.

Judging from her serious and earnest demeanor, she really wanted to know the answer to this question.

……

……

Edo, a settlement for Westerners —

"Master, it is said that you can create timeless poems anytime, anywhere. Can you show me your skill right now?"

Elodie blinked blankly, her sky-blue pupils shining with innocent light.

Qingdeng's lips twitched, unsure how to respond...

……

……

Under the covert influence of Tenshōin, the anecdote that "at a banquet full of luminaries, Seidō overwhelmed everyone with a haiku and a Chinese poem" spread rapidly with a fission effect, from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand, and from a thousand to ten thousand.

In no time, Qing Deng's poetic talent became famous throughout Edo.

As we all know, rumors can easily become more and more distorted if not spread properly.

The saying "three men can make a tiger" perfectly illustrates this point.

Tenshōin only wanted to take this opportunity to annoy Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and Matsudaira Harugaku.

But gradually, the focus of public discussion shifted to Qing Deng.

At first, it was only said that Qingdeng was both a scholar and a warrior, capable of both swordsmanship and poetry.

Before long, the content was changed to "Qingdeng has extraordinary poetic talent".