I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He darted to the window.

The rest of the group, led by Qing Deng, followed.

Outside the window, on the street, a group of people were dancing strangely while singing loudly.

The song only has one line in its lyrics: Isn't this better?

*******

*******

Leopard wasn't feeling well last night, and was quite tired... so she went to bed around 10 p.m.

So, I'm very sorry! Today's update is a little shorter (crying leopard head.jpg)

I hope Leopard isn't a hepatitis B carrier...

Chapter 559 Arrival in Kyoto! Meeting between the two armies! Kyoto women are amazing! [4800]

"Isn't this good? Isn't this good? Isn't this good?"

The lyrics are always the same line.

The dance moves had no rhythm or cadence whatsoever.

How weird.

In addition, many of them wore bizarre and outlandish makeup.

Some people apply lip gloss all over their chin, but leave their lips bare.

[Note: Lip rouge can be understood as lipstick from the Edo period.]

Some women apply heavy geisha-like makeup to only half of their face, leaving the other half bare.

Even more extreme, some people paint their entire face in bright colors, making even circus clowns feel ashamed.

Not only their makeup, but their clothing was also very strange.

Men wearing women's clothing, women wearing men's clothing, wearing only one sleeve, bare upper body, wearing only a loincloth... such attire would seem too extravagant even on a Kabuki stage.

From any perspective, it looks like the walls of a mental hospital have collapsed and the patients have escaped.

This group of strangely shaped "mentally ill patients" formed a long line—about 180 people—and danced as they moved forward, passing right under Qing Deng's nose.

He jumped so wildly that he completely forgot himself, appearing quite frantic.

Their single lyric, "Isn't this good enough?", resonated throughout the dormitory.

More and more Shinsengumi soldiers noticed the strange noises outside and leaned out of their windows, casting curious and puzzled glances at the bizarre dance troupe below.

Keisuke Yamanami blinked:

"Is this... a grand parade of the Kabuki?"

Hijikata Toshizo curled his lip:

"What era is this? There are still eccentrics in the capital region?"

Kondo Isami continued:

"Could this be some kind of celebration?"

Hijikata Toshizo chuckled:

"Is it really possible that the festival held by the people of the capital region, who have always been arrogant and consider themselves elegant, consists of wearing strange costumes, makeup that would make even demons and ghosts look ridiculous, and dancing bizarre dances?"

Qing Deng was also very curious about this sudden "dance parade".

To clear up his confusion, he summoned the staff at the market.

Upon hearing the news, the inquirer of Otsu-juku arrived—an old man over sixty years old.

[Note: Wenwu: The person in charge of the Wenwu market]

"Mr. Wenwu, what's going on here? Is this a unique celebration among the people of the capital region? It's quite distinctive..."

As he spoke, Qingdeng leaned against the window frame and gestured towards the "dancers" who had not yet gone far outside the window.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wenwu's face immediately turned bitter, and he let out a long sigh:

"Oh dear, gentlemen, you don't understand! This is not our celebration! What kind of celebration would turn out like this?"

Upon hearing the perfectly standard Kyoto Kotoba spoken by the maid, Aoto involuntarily shuddered and trembled three times—he wondered when he would be able to overcome the psychological trauma inflicted on him by the maids who served the palace.

Whenever he heard the name Kyokotoha, the grumpy faces of the gossipy women around Miyako would appear in his mind.

After letting out another long sigh, Wenwu explained softly:

"Although I don't know when it started, I'm sure this farce started in Tokaido."

“Men, women, young and old, regardless of their status or age, would sing ‘Isn’t this good?’ and dance along the street.”

"If it's just dancing and singing, then that's fine."

"But they often forcibly broke into the homes of landlords and wealthy merchants, demanding food and drink and disrupting public order."

"I heard that a wealthy family's house was ransacked by these guys a while ago."

"It's terrifying..."

"I heard that this song and dance is used to vent dissatisfaction with the rule of the shogunate."

"People in the Kyoto region generally dislike the shogunate for opening the country's doors and allowing Westerners to visit, but they can't openly express their opinions, so they can only do it in this way... um!"

At this point, Wenwu finally realized what was happening and raised his hand to cover his mouth.

An awkward silence filled the room.

To criticize the shogunate in front of the Shinsengumi, one of the shogunate's military units... such behavior is the best interpretation of the word "courting death".

Hijikata Toshizo and the others couldn't help but cast meaningful glances at the inquirer.

Qingdeng smiled and defused the situation:

"Mr. Wenwu, there's no need to be nervous. Thank you for your explanation. You've worked hard. You can go now."

"Yes, yes! I'll take my leave now!"

Wenwu bent down, lowered his head, supported himself with three fingers, and respectfully bowed to Qingdeng and the others before fleeing the room as if escaping.

After the questioner left, Qingdeng turned his head and looked at the dance troupe outside the window again.

At this moment, only a small part of the bizarre and colorful dragon dance was still visible in Qingdeng's field of vision.

The monotonous singing of "Isn't this good~~" gradually faded away.

Looking up, all that could be seen in Qingdeng's eyes was a receding figure.

Hijikata Toshizo stood beside Aoto with his arms crossed.

"Using absurd song and dance to vent their dissatisfaction with the shogunate's rule... Tachibana, the situation in the Kyoto region is worse than we expected."

Yamanami Keisuke picked up the conversation:

"The people's hearts are not with us..."

Qingdeng smiled calmly:

"This is something we expected from the start, isn't it?"

Perhaps it is due to the regional character, but the people of the capital region, who consider themselves "the people of the king's land" and have an overwhelming sense of superiority, generally hold rather conservative political ideas.

Whether they were high-ranking officials or ordinary people, Westerners were regarded as filthy pigs and dogs.

Therefore, they naturally despised the Shogunate, which bowed and scraped to the Western countries and allowed Western barbarians to set foot on their land.

"I was prepared for the shift in public sentiment in the capital region."

At this point, Qing Deng changed the subject, his eyes and tone becoming sharp.

"What I'm more concerned about is whether this song and dance performance, and the riots that arose from it, were spontaneous acts by the people, or were they secretly orchestrated by some behind-the-scenes force..."

Cheong Dang never forgot that the Gyeonggi region was the stronghold and activity center of the Fa-chū-dō party.

Hijikata Toshizo and the others looked at each other, and they all noticed a solemn expression on each other's faces.

After a short while, Qingdeng took a deep breath, then turned around and sat back down in the center of the room.

"Alright, let's get back to business."

The group sat down in a circle again.

"Tomorrow, we will officially move into Kyoto."

"We must pay more attention to our military appearance and discipline. We must reiterate to all soldiers the fourth rule of the 'Shinsengumi Law' that we must never harass the people of Kyoto."

"Furthermore, you must not let the dazzling world of Kyoto cloud your judgment."

"Until things settle down, no one should approach places like Shimabara without permission."

After saying that, Qing Deng glanced at Hijikata Toshizo intentionally.

Hijikata Toshizo's lips twitched slightly.

"...Understood. I will endure it as much as I can until things settle down."

Yoshiwara in Edo, Shimabara in Kyoto, and Shinmachi in Osaka—the three major geisha districts of the Edo period.

Among them, Shimabara has the longest history, being the earliest brothel district in Japan with a certain scale.

Like Yoshiwara, Shimabara was Kyoto's only officially licensed brothel district.

Although people always call it Shimabara, its real name is not Shimabara at all.

Its official name is "Nishi Shinyashiki". Because the area's shape is similar to Shimabara Castle and the chaotic state after its relocation is similar to the "Shimabara Rebellion", it is commonly known as "Shimabara".

[Note: The Shimabara Rebellion was a major uprising by peasants and Catholics on the Shimabara Peninsula and Amakusa Island in Kyushu against feudal oppression and religious persecution by the shogunate. It also known as the Amakusa Rebellion. It broke out in 1637 and failed the following year.]

Although Hijikata Toshizo gave a verbal guarantee, Aoto couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance at him.

When talking about Kyoto, one cannot help but mention the women of Kyoto.

Kyoto has a cultural atmosphere that is completely different from Edo.

To give a vivid example...