I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In an instant, the entire corridor became eerily quiet.

Not only did the talking stop, but even the footsteps stopped.

Kinoshita Mai's eyes widened as if she were petrified, her two delicate little feet stuck to the ground, her whole body standing stiffly upright.

Qingdeng also stopped in his tracks.

He turned to the side, looking at the girl in red with a half-smile.

About five seconds later, the girl's astonishment finally turned into a sound:

"What did you say?!"

"Shh, don't be so loud, or you'll wake up the others."

Kinoshita Mai ignored Aoto's reminder—her little face was flushed red with impatience—her two little hands were clenched into fists, raised in front of her chest, and she waved them alternately.

"Qingdeng! How could you do this?"

"Logically speaking, shouldn't we first figure out how to make money before spending it lavishly?"

Why are you doing it the other way around?

Why do you spend money recklessly first, and then think about how to make money?

Qing Deng seemed to have guessed Kinoshita Mai's strong reaction, chuckled a few times, and shrugged.

“Ah Wu, we can save money on anything, but we cannot cut a single penny on the soldiers’ training and food expenses.”

"To be prepared for the worst at any time—this is the duty I, as the commander-in-chief and governor of the capital region, must fulfill."

"I conceived my strategy and future military building plan based on the expectation that 'the Satsuma Army, Choshu Army, Hoju Party, and Daishio Party will attack together tomorrow.'"

"Therefore, no matter what, even if I'm short of money and haven't figured out a way to make money, I will spare no effort to rapidly improve the Shinsengumi's fighting strength!"

At this point, Qing Deng smiled and reached out to gently comb Kinoshita Mai's hair.

"Ah Wu, there's no need to worry about money."

"The 3000 taels of gold that the General entrusted to us, plus my 500 taels of gold in savings, and the 400 taels of gold that Yagi Gennojo just gave me, total nearly 4000 taels of gold."

"Even at the current rate of spending, such a large sum of money is enough for us to live on for a very long time."

After speaking, Qing Deng withdrew his hand from combing Kinoshita Mai's hair, his expression serious.

"I'll take another tour of Kyoto's streets tomorrow to see what products can make a lot of money!"

*******

*******

Because the dumpling-filled glutinous rice balls were so delicious, I devoured them with gusto, and before I knew it, I'd forgotten about the time and the update (crying leopard head.jpg).

Although it's a bit late, Leopard still wishes everyone a Happy Winter Solstice! *slaps slaps slaps slaps slaps* (slaps leopard belly.jpg)

PS: Historically, the light blue haori was only worn for a little over a year before being abandoned by the Shinsengumi because they thought it was too unfashionable. The Shinsengumi wore black haori in later periods.

Chapter 599 Qingdeng, you're being fickle again? Take a break! [4500]

The next day—

On January 24, 1863 (the third year of the Bungu era), in the early morning—

Kyoto, Mibu-go, a street adjacent to the Shinsengumi's headquarters—

The weather is fine.

Looking up, I saw a faint golden light flowing down from the top of the sky, half of which was transparent and half of which was shimmering.

"Mmm...the weather is so nice!"

Kinoshita Mai stretched lazily in the sunlight, her red dress appearing even more vibrant under the warm glow.

"Ah Wu, you seem very happy?"

Kinoshita Mai turned her head to the side, looking excitedly at Aoto who was walking beside her:

"Of course! It's been so long since we went out together!"

As she spoke, she moved her lotus feet slightly and stood a little closer to Qing Deng, her shoulder almost touching Qing Deng's arm—the height difference of 20cm+ made it difficult for Kinoshita Mai to touch Qing Deng's shoulder even when she stood on tiptoe.

Only when she is alone with Qingdeng can she temporarily get rid of her introverted, shy, and timid nature and show her innocent, adorable, and obedient side.

Looking at Kinoshita Mai's radiant smile, Aoto first smiled, then his expression turned serious:

"Ah Wu, I kind of regret bringing you out."

Kinoshita Mai was stunned.

"why?"

"With such a beautiful young woman by our side, we're bound to attract a lot of attention. We might just enter the bustling city and our identities will be exposed because of all the attention we're getting."

To be honest, as soon as he said that, Qingdeng felt goosebumps rise on the skin beneath his clothes.

That's so cheesy!

I can't believe I could utter such cringeworthy, cheesy pickup lines.

If you were to say this to Souji, you would first hear a dry laugh to ease the awkwardness, followed by Souji's very polite thank you.

If you were to say this to Sanako, she would give you a speechless look that says, "I don't know what to say."

But if I were to say it to Kinoshita Mai...

"Ugh...!"

Kinoshita Mai let out a soft moan after being "attacked," instinctively lowering her head to hide her flushed face, with faint wisps of steam rising from the top of her head... the long-lost "Steam Princess."

Qingdeng had planned to go out alone today.

However... last night, after learning that Aoto was going to make another trip to Kyoto to look for business opportunities that could make a lot of money, Kinoshita Mai insisted on going with him without any explanation, as if she was saying, "If you don't agree, I will sever our friendship."

Qingdeng couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had no choice but to agree.

As soon as the sky began to lighten, the two quickly prepared to go out.

There's not much to say about Qing Deng's attire; it's a very ordinary outfit—a burgundy haori, a black scarf, a white undergarment, and black hakama, with only a Vairocana and a wakizashi hanging at his waist.

Thanks to his outstanding achievement in "annihilating the Kusunoki Group", Aoto's fame and prestige in Kyoto soared.

However, due to limited information channels, the vast majority of Kyoto's residents still did not know what Aoto looked like.

Although portraits of Seito are widely distributed throughout Kyoto, ...forgive my bluntness: these portraits are simply too ugly! They completely fail to capture the spirit he should have!

Japanese traditional art has never fully developed the skill tree of "figure painting".

Therefore, portraits drawn using Japanese painting techniques are simply unwatchable.

If one could recognize Qing Deng based on such a severely distorted portrait, that would be truly unbelievable.

However, the information that "Niou always carried two katana at his waist" has become widely known.

This feature was far too obvious. Therefore, in order to avoid being recognized and causing unnecessary trouble, Qingdeng had no choice but to temporarily defile the spirit and place it on the cold knife rack, taking only Vairocana with him when he went out.

On the other hand, Kinoshita Mai... dressed up nicely.

Her pretty face was lightly powdered; she wore a bright red dress with delicate embroidery; a pale yellow belt hugged her slender waist, which was without an ounce of fat, supporting her ample breasts; and her delicate feet, wrapped in snow-white socks, lightly stepped on exquisite red-buttoned wooden clogs.

It seems she considers today's outing as a long-awaited date with Qingdeng.

Although today's outing is not for leisure, but for research and business... it's also a good choice to spend some time with Kinoshita Mai.

A few days ago I was with Sanako, and today I have Kinoshita Mai by my side... Isn't this exactly the "family-style life" that Aoto longs for?

After temporarily suppressing the shyness aroused by Qing Deng's "corny pickup lines," Kinoshita Mai asked:

"Qingdeng, where should we go now?"

Qingdeng answered without hesitation:

“There’s nothing to see in ‘Luozhong’. All you see are mansions of wealthy merchants and secluded courtyards of nobles. So let’s go straight to ‘Luowai’.”

In Kyoto, people often use "Rakuchu" and "Rakugai" to distinguish the different areas of Kyoto.

These two are not formal administrative regions and have no clear regional boundaries; they are merely common terms used by the public.

After Emperor Kanmu (737-806) moved the capital to Heian-kyo (present-day Kyoto), he began to build a new capital city modeled after Chang'an and Luoyang of the Tang Dynasty.

The right capital was designed based on the city of Chang'an and was called "Chang'an". The left capital was designed based on the city of Luoyang and was called "Luoyang".

Later, Chang'an gradually declined, and people migrated to Luoyang. As a result, Luoyang became the center of the capital.

As "Chang'an" was replaced by "Luoyang", people began to refer to the entire capital city as "Luoyang". Zuojing was renamed "Luozhong", and the capital area outside "Luozhong" was called "Luowai".

Towards the end of the Sengoku period, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) seized power, he began to vigorously renovate the capital city in order to revitalize Kyoto.

He ordered the construction of a city wall called "Oto-i" to encircle the entire city of Kyoto. The area within Oto-i was named "Rakuchu" and the area outside was named "Rakugai"—these are the "Rakuchu" and "Rakugai" of Kyoto today.

"Rakuchu" extends from Kamigamo in the north to Toji Temple in the south, bordered by the Kamiya River in the west and the Kamo River in the east.

There is a saying in Kyoto that only "Rakuchu" is the true Kyoto, and "Rakugai" cannot represent Kyoto.

This shows that people in Kyoto really love to engage in regional discrimination!

Not only do they discriminate against outsiders, but they also divide locals into different classes, based on their social status and social standing.

Mibu Township is located in the "central part of Luoyang," and it takes quite a distance to travel from there to the "outer part of Luoyang."

Thanks to the Komaki couple's kind guidance and detailed introduction a few days ago, Aoto has a general understanding of the situation in Kyoto and its surrounding areas.

Therefore, after setting off, he led Kinoshita Mai straight south without hesitation.

His goal was clear—Fushimi, a place with a thriving population and prosperous commerce!

Fushimi: Located in the southern part of Kyoto, this place holds extremely special significance for the Tokugawa family.

During the Heian period, the Fushimi area was the villa of Kyoto nobles.

By the end of the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had built Fushimi Castle here in his later years, and it began to develop as a castle town.

Fushimi prospered because of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and it also witnessed his downfall—Toyotomi Hideyoshi eventually died in Fushimi Castle.

After that, Fushimi Castle became a base for Tokugawa Ieyasu to monitor the Toyotomi family in Osaka.

The Battle of Fushimi Castle, which took place on the eve of the Battle of Sekigahara, saw the Western Army first attack Fushimi Castle, which was owned by Tokugawa Ieyasu, resulting in its destruction.