I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Kyubei stood beside Kondo Shusuke, his aged face, filled with mixed emotions, looked as if tears might stream down his face at any moment.

Since moving into the Shieikan, the honest and kind-hearted Kyubei has been assisting Mrs. Abi, Miss Acho, and Inoue Genzaburo in managing all the big and small chores of the Shieikan.

As their status rose, the "distance" between master and servant grew further and further.

Kyubei couldn't help with Aoto's work or affairs.

Qingdeng was no longer able to communicate and interact with the other party as frequently as before.

However, Kyubei didn't care at all.

He worked diligently and did his best to share Qingdeng's burdens.

Even when Qing Deng neglected him temporarily due to his busy schedule, he never uttered a single complaint.

Aoto was always deeply grateful for Kyubei's silent dedication.

Last night, he made a special trip to see the other party, and the two had a long talk.

At that moment, Qing Deng held Jiu Bingwei's hand and thanked him in an extremely solemn and sincere tone, which moved the old servant to tears.

The hardships of traveling in this era are truly exhausting.

There were no smooth asphalt roads, only bumpy dirt roads that were dusty on sunny days and muddy on rainy days.

Although there are plenty of post stations along the Tokaido route where you can rest and avoid sleeping outdoors, walking from Edo to Kyoto on foot is still a great challenge to your physical strength.

Kyubei was already quite old, and it was impossible for him to go to Kyoto with Aoto; he could only stay in Edo.

After selling almost all of his personal belongings, Qingdeng specially set aside 20 taels of gold to give to Jiubingwei, both as a thank you for his many years of hard work and as a pension for his retirement.

After all... once you go to Kyoto, it wouldn't be surprising if you died anywhere or at any time.

Therefore, it's always a good idea to make arrangements for your funeral in advance.

The ranks continue to advance.

In order to get a few more glimpses of Aoto and the others, Kondo Shusuke and his group continued on their way.

After walking a while longer, Qingdeng suddenly spotted three beautiful figures.

Three very familiar beautiful figures...

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It's a pity that seals can't be ridden, and they can't charge on land either, otherwise I would definitely design Qingdeng's mount as a seal!

Yesterday's speech actually incorporated elements from three works: Shakespeare's Henry V, the film Independence Day, and Pushkin's poem "To Chaadaev".

Chapter 555 Hijikata: "Tachibana, watch closely, this is how a harem is built!" [5600]

Sae and Yae—these twin lolis stood in a very conspicuous position.

They stood at the very front of the procession, facing directly at the officials maintaining order.

Perhaps to avoid being noticed, their iconic shrine maiden outfits were replaced with ordinary everyday clothes.

Sae crossed her hands in front of her, remaining as quiet and graceful as ever.

Yae, on the other hand, crossed her arms and pouted.

Looking at the two sisters with whom he had a long-standing friendship and had worked together for a long time, Qing Deng couldn't help but smile.

Just the day before yesterday, he made a special trip to the Moon Palace Shrine to bid farewell to Prince Tenshōin, Lord Tenkura Osamu, and the Nie sisters.

"Miss Sae, senior, please take good care of yourselves."

"Hmph, why make it so solemn? It's just a trip to Kyoto, not like I'm never coming back."

“Mr. Tachibana, although Yae said that, she was actually sad for a long time after she learned that you were going to Kyoto.”

"Wa ...

"In the new Oniwabanshu, you are the person she is closest to besides me, so please understand her reluctance to part."

"Shut up!"

"By the way, Mr. Tachibana, I'll miss you too."

"You're lying! Your expression and tone don't suggest you're reluctant to part!"

"After all, I'm not like some idiot who wears his heart on his sleeve."

“呜哇啊啊啊啊啊啊啊！”

The two sisters couldn't bear to part with Qingdeng—and so could Qingdeng.

One reason is that they have a very deep friendship.

Even setting aside their "colleague relationship," they are very close friends who get along well.

On the other hand, they were also extremely envious of their excellent ninja skills.

In terms of fighting ability, the two sisters are not particularly outstanding.

However, when it comes to infiltration and intelligence gathering, no one in the new Oniwaban can surpass them.

The Shinsengumi is lacking in everything, both funds and talent.

For this reason, Qing Deng once considered poaching the two sisters.

However, he consciously suppressed the thought as soon as it popped into his mind.

The two sisters are extremely loyal to Tenshōin, and they are also Tenshōin's most trusted and capable assistants.

They could not abandon Tianzhang Academy, and Tianzhang Academy could not release them.

Just as Qing Deng spotted Sae and Yae, he noticed a graceful woman standing behind the two sisters.

She wore a light blue kimono with a light blue sash that gently hugged her waist, highlighting her impressive bust size. Her overall style exuded elegance.

Standing beside the two sisters, and possessing a hot figure that rivals Sanako's... the identity of this woman is already obvious.

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow in surprise, then couldn't help but smile.

To be able to see Tenshōin again on the eve of leaving Edo... this truly surprised and delighted him.

Tenshōin wore a low-brimmed straw hat that completely covered his face.

From an outsider's perspective, their face is completely obscured.

However, even so, her existence still attracted a lot of attention.

There was no way around it; those two items that could be draped over a belt were simply too eye-catching.

Those standing around Tenshōin probably never imagined that the most honored woman in the shogunate was right before their eyes.

When the man and the ox were less than 10 steps away from Tianzhang Temple, the latter slightly raised its head—instantly, Qingdeng felt a gentle gaze.

Immediately afterwards, Tenshōin pulled a Chinese fan from his belt, raised it to his chest, and then slowly opened it.

On the fan were four large Chinese characters: "武运昌隆" (meaning "May your military prowess flourish").

Looking at these four words, Qingdeng chuckled and then nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Your Highness Tenshōin, please take care of yourself," he replied with his eyes.

……

Ironically, almost at the same time, the front and rear armies experienced a strange situation that was remarkably similar yet slightly different.

"Mr. Shannan!"

“呜呜呜……呜呜……呜呜呜……”

"Mr. Shannan! Please be safe and well!"

A dozen or so girls chased after Yamanami Keisuke, their faces filled with sorrow, and many of them were weeping with tears in their eyes.

As one of the three most handsome men at Shieikan (the other two being Souji and Hijikata Toshizo), Yamanami Keisuke has always been very popular.

His refined and gentle demeanor, along with his warm and approachable smile, captivated countless young women.

The vicinity of Shieikan has long been home to a large number of infatuated women who admire Hijikata Toshizo, as well as many people who are infatuated with Souji.

After Yamanami Keisuke joined Shieikan, a large number of infatuated girls gathered around him.

How many girls have confessed their love to Yamanami Keisuke? Even he himself probably can't count them all.

Keisuke Yamanami has no intention of starting a family at the moment, so he always politely declines when a girl proposes to him.

Kondo Isami, who co-commanded the rear army with Yamanami Keisuke, joked.

"Yamanan-kun, aren't you going to respond?"

Although Yamanami Keisuke felt helpless, his kind nature prevented him from hurting the feelings of the girls who had come all this way to see him off, so he could only wave goodbye repeatedly.

On the other hand, a similar scene of "flowers in full bloom" unfolded in the front ranks.

However, its form and content are completely different...

……

"Hey! Hijikata Toshizo! What's going on with these women?!"

"Sui San... Waaah... I... I trusted you so much, and you actually... actually..."

"Hijikata-kun! Didn't you say I was your only love?!"

"Get out of my way! Don't block my path! I am Mr. Hijikata's lover!"

"Stop talking nonsense! I am Hijikata-san's lover!"

……

Nearly twenty girls were arguing on the street, each one arguing until their faces were red and their necks were thick.

The arguments of a very few individuals were so intense that they were almost about to come to blows.

From elegant young ladies from prominent families to spirited daughters of martial arts families, and even simple and honest village girls... you can find girls of all types and ages here.

Women arguing... and nearly twenty girls arguing in public—such a scene is rare even in modern times, let alone in the strictly regulated Edo period.