I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

To put it simply, if you treat the people well, the people will naturally treat you well in return.

As it turns out, Qingdeng's series of actions were correct.

After yesterday, the public opinion surrounding Qingdeng underwent a complete 180-degree reversal.

On the day Aoto led the Shinsengumi into Kyoto, he was still a rustic-looking Eastern barbarian riding a big, silly ox.

And now, he has become the benevolent and just King Ren.

From "the old-fashioned Eastern barbarians" to "the righteous and benevolent King"... the speed of the change was even more exaggerated than the headline of a Paris newspaper after Napoleon's return to France!

Aoto's reputation reversed, which in turn greatly improved the reputation of the Shinsengumi.

For the high-ranking officials and nobles of Kyoto, what made Aoto so terrifying was not his high status or his independent military and financial power, but that he was only responsible to Tokugawa Iemochi!

What does it mean?

This means that, apart from Tokugawa Iemochi, no one can criticize Aoto's actions!

In Kyoto, and in the vast capital region, no one, no force, has the right to supervise him, judge him, or punish him.

Even if Aoto committed heinous and wicked acts that were universally condemned, all anyone could do was write a letter to Edo and report Aoto to Tokugawa Iemochi.

However, anyone with even a slight understanding of the current political landscape of the Tokugawa shogunate knows that Aoto is Tokugawa Iemochi's most trusted confidant and a mainstay of the "Nanki faction".

Just from the fact that Tokugawa Iemochi defied pressure and opposition to give Aoto the green light and granted him many exaggerated privileges as the governor of the capital region, it is clear how much he favored Aoto.

Reporting Qingdeng to Tokugawa Iemochi... How is this any different from asking, "Who are you here! Why are you accusing me?"

This truly embodies the principle of "acting first and reporting later, granting special authority."

Through the "night raid on the Nanmu Group" the night before last and the "public execution" yesterday, Qing Deng has publicly declared to the world that he is not a coward.

With such a ruthless and decisive personality, coupled with the exaggerated privileges of "special permission to use power"... how could anyone not be afraid of such a ruthless character? How could anyone not try to curry favor with him?

Tonight's welcome dinner is a great opportunity to get to know Qingdeng and build a relationship with him.

Every single important person present rushed to toast and offer their blessings to Qingdeng.

Qingdeng accepted all toasts without hesitation. Whenever someone offered him a drink, he would respond enthusiastically and down a cup in one gulp, a stark contrast to his cold demeanor at the execution ground the day before.

Seeing this, the people relaxed – Qingdeng’s attitude sent a particularly important signal to them: Qingdeng did not exclude the Kyoto elite class!

As people relax, they become more engaged in the banquet, making the atmosphere even more lively.

Just then, someone suddenly spoke up:

"Oh dear, without geishas to liven things up, it's definitely not quite the same!"

His words seemed to have turned on a switch.

Immediately, a cacophony of voices arose:

"Yes, we really can't live without geishas!"

"Yes, yes!"

"It's not too late yet! Let's send someone to Gion to invite a geisha!"

"Tonight's banquet is a welcome feast to celebrate Lord Tachibana's arrival! The geisha we've invited can't be too low-class!"

"In that case, let's go and invite the most beautiful woman in Kyoto!"

"Ah! This is good!"

"Yes! Let's invite the most beautiful woman in Kyoto!"

Listening to their conversation, Qing Deng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

The beauty crowned "number one"... Looking back, only Sanako has ever enjoyed such a reputation.

Driven by curiosity, he subconsciously asked:

"The most beautiful woman in Kyoto? Who is she?"

Yoshisuke smiled obsequiously and interrupted:

"Lord Tachibana, the most beautiful woman in Kyoto is none other than the legendary geisha, Shiyo, who has recently become incredibly popular and whose beauty surpasses that of the entire Gion!"

*******

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As you can see, the Kyoto arc is getting better and better. The storyline is slowly unfolding, new characters are gradually appearing, and Qing Deng is preparing to start training his troops!

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Chapter 581 Qingdeng, are you captivated by the new character's good looks again? Take a break! [4600]

Such an easy opportunity to show off in front of Qingdeng, and if I'm lucky, I might even let Qingdeng seize it. How can I let it slip through my fingers?

After Noriyuki Ryōsuke seized the initiative, the others immediately rushed to speak:

"Speaking of this Miss Ziyang, we're quite familiar with each other!"

"Miss Shiyo is the top geisha of the Gion Hyakka-ya!"

"Besides her stunning beauty, her singing and dancing skills are also superb!"

"Two years ago—on the day she made her stage debut at the age of 16—all the flowers and wildflowers in Kyoto paled in comparison!"

"Looking across the entire Gion... no! Looking across the entire Kyoto region, there is no geisha who can compare to her!"

"Truly the number one geisha in Kyoto, the number one beauty in Kyoto!"

"Compared to her, even the most beautiful courtesan from Shimabara is nothing special!"

"Hehehe, what a pity, Miss Ziyang only sells her art, not her body. Otherwise, if I could spend a night with her, that would be..."

The guy who was deeply sorry that Ziyang refused to sell himself had only gotten halfway through his sentence when he was viciously poked several times by the elbow of the person next to him.

In any case, matters of the lower body are never something to be discussed openly.

Mentioning words like "selling oneself" or "sexual intercourse" in such a setting is undeniably vulgar.

Reminded by the person next to him, the guy immediately realized what was happening, quickly shut his mouth, and stopped talking.

Qingdeng blinked, silently processing the massive amount of information he had just received.

Although these people were talking in a very disorganized and fragmented way, he managed to understand what they were talking about—the most beautiful woman in Kyoto was the 18-year-old current top geisha of Gion, who only performed and did not sell her body: Ms. Shiyo.

Before even seeing her, Qingdeng had already automatically conjured up a beautiful image in his mind based on the information he currently had: a woman with a pretty face, elegant manners, a melodious voice, and graceful dance moves.

Just then, someone suddenly said to Aoto and Matsudaira Katamori in an excited tone:

"Lady Tachibana, Lady Higo, it's not too late yet. Let's go invite Miss Shiyo to come and entertain us!"

In the blink of an eye, voices of agreement arose:

"Yes, yes! Lady Tachibana, Lady Higo, without the geisha's company, the food tastes much bland!"

"We really need to hire geishas!"

"This is a perfect opportunity for the Shinsengumi lords to witness firsthand the beauty of Kyoto's most beautiful woman!"

……

One expectant gaze after another fell upon Aoto and Matsudaira Katamori.

Seeing the general consensus, Matsudaira Katamori was in a dilemma.

"Hmm... Inviting geishas to entertain at such a solemn banquet is not in accordance with the shogunate's etiquette..."

Although he said that, the strong "demand" for geishas from the crowd still made his expression show deep hesitation.

"...Lord Tachibana, what do you think?"

He passed the ball to Qingdeng.

"..."

Qingdeng didn't dare to reply.

He hung his head, looking down at his nose, as if he didn't dare to even breathe loudly.

To be fair, Qing Deng was quite interested in this so-called number one beauty in Kyoto.

Of course! This is absolutely not because Qingdeng is lecherous or anything, it's purely out of pure curiosity!

There was a woman whose beauty was so universally acknowledged that she was hailed as "the most beautiful woman in all of Kyoto"... Everyone would want to see for themselves just how beautiful she was, right? Right? Right?

If he could, he wouldn't mind taking advantage of the atmosphere and shouting, "Alright, then let's invite Miss Ziyang to join in the fun!"

However... this sentence was like a fishbone stuck in his throat, preventing him from uttering a single syllable.

As for why this is the case... the reason is quite simple.

Just moments before, the instant he asked out of curiosity, "The most beautiful woman in Kyoto? Who is she?", he suddenly felt three sharp gazes fixed on him.

The identities of those three gazes are obvious...

In that instant, Qingdeng realized with profound clarity what a grave mistake he had made.

Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, and Souji are all here!

Showing curiosity about the most beautiful woman in Kyoto in front of them... This is just like Wu Dalang drinking giraffe milk - jumping high and sucking (acting)!

Given this situation, it's obvious what to do next!

"...Let's skip it."

Qingdeng took a deep breath, raised his head, put on a stern face, and looked like a righteous and awe-inspiring gentleman.

"We have been stationed in Kyoto for no more than four days."

"It is really inappropriate for him to make a big fuss with geisha before he has achieved any remarkable feats."

"Let's all have a good time eating and drinking tonight!"

"Anyway, we'll be staying in Kyoto for a long time."

"If you want to have fun, you can save that for later."

Qing Deng's statement caused the atmosphere at the scene to freeze.