I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The Teradaya Incident – ​​a bloody incident that occurred a year earlier (1862).

After the death of Shimazu Nariakira, the former lord of the Satsuma Domain, the position of lord was succeeded by his nephew, Shimazu Tadayoshi.

Since Shimazu Tadayoshi was still young, the actual power in the domain was held by his father, Shimazu Hisamitsu.

Thus, Hisamitsu Shimazu entered the political arena as the "Father of the Satsuma Domain".

Hisamitsu Shimazu was a staunch advocate of "public-military integration".

His ideal political blueprint was for the shogunate and the imperial court to reach a reconciliation, with the Satsuma Domain becoming a prestigious "third power".

In order to present the suggestion of "unity of public and military forces" to the court in person, he personally led more than a thousand vassal soldiers to the capital on March 16, 1862.

Despite Shimazu Hisamitsu's rather explicit expression of his political stance, some people still do not understand his true intentions, and others regard him as the leader of the "Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians" faction.

Led by Arima Shinshichi and Tanaka Kensuke, the anti-shogunate patriots sought to take advantage of this opportunity to launch a movement to overthrow the shogunate, thereby influencing their feudal lords to oppose the shogunate.

On April 23 of the same year, they gathered at Teradaya in Fushimi to discuss their next steps.

Upon learning of this, Shimazu Hisamitsu immediately dispatched his retainers with domain troops to dissuade them, but Arima Shinshichi and others refused to listen, the negotiations broke down, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle.

As a result, six of the patriots died on the spot, and three later committed suicide by disembowelment. On the side of the feudal lords, one person died and many were injured.

After the Teradaya Incident, the leaders of the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" faction in the Satsuma Domain were wiped out in one fell swoop, and the Satsuma Domain's pro-imperial and expulsionist forces never recovered. The center of the pro-imperial and expulsionist movement shifted from the Satsuma Domain to the Choshu Domain.

In this incident, one person stood out—Ms. Otose, the proprietress of Teradaya.

Otose was born in 1829 and is currently 34 years old.

This Teradaya shop is a long-established business with a history of six generations.

Otose is the wife of Teradaya Isuke, the sixth owner of the shop.

The hotel faced difficulties not only because her husband was a libertine, but also because he loved to drink and died young.

After that, Otose ran Teradaya by himself.

In this patriarchal society, the hardships faced by a woman without a father, husband, or children, running a boat rental business all by herself, are unimaginable.

Surprisingly, however, Otose had a knack for business.

In addition, she is also a very shrewd and sophisticated person.

In Fushimi, a place teeming with all sorts of people, she not only thrived but also, through tireless effort, made the old shop a resounding success.

The infighting among the Satsuma samurai... in any inn, this would be a heartbreaking and senseless tragedy.

Who would want to stay in a hotel where many people have recently died?

Ordinary people can hardly bear to see death.

The dripping blood, the scattered limbs... this scene is enough to make one's soul fly away.

However, early the morning after the "Teradaya Incident," Otose methodically directed the servants to replace the damaged tatami mats and paper doors, wash away the bloodstains on the floor, and quickly restore the shop to operation.

At that time, his calm and composed demeanor in the face of bloodshed and dismemberment left a deep impression on people.

Such bold courage is truly admirable.

From then on, everyone knew that the proprietress of Teradaya was an extraordinary heroine!

Looking at Aoto and Kinoshita Mai talking, Otose smiled helplessly:

"I see... You're tourists here for sightseeing..."

After uttering a soft sigh, she turned to the side so that Aoto and Kinoshita Mai could see the depths of the shop more clearly.

"As you can see, this shop is nothing special; it's just a very ordinary liveaboard."

"Aside from being a bit old and having a lot of people die here last year, there's nothing special about it... well, the latter is quite special."

At this point, she raised her right thumb, poked her chest, and adopted a half-joking tone:

"And I, Tōse, am just as remarkable."

"People always call me a 'heroine'... I am far from deserving of that title!"

"At that time, my servants and I had to force ourselves to stay alert and suppress our nausea to finally clean up the whole shop."

"Compared to me, who basically only used my mouth, the servants who picked up the damaged paper sliding doors and tatami mats and washed the bloodstains off the walls and floors with their own hands deserve more praise."

"I'm just a 34-year-old widow who runs a mediocre liveaboard business. I'm not worth your special trip!"

Hearing Otose's self-deprecating remark, Aoto smiled:

“Miss Otose, you are too modest. If you call your appearance ‘faded beauty’, it will make those who are truly faded feel ashamed!”

Because Kinoshita Mai was present, Aoto couldn't openly praise other women in front of her.

His statement was not empty praise or blatant lying, but a statement of fact.

Whether it was due to her meticulous skincare or her natural beauty, Otose's skin was very fair and delicate.

Thanks to her beautiful skin, she looks like she's only 27 or 8 years old.

Her smooth, glossy hair was tied into a bun, a symbol of a married woman.

Her figure is the kind that is "slightly plump, but not fat," and you can feel the full, fleshy, and warm skin under her clothes with just your naked eye.

Every gesture she makes exudes the unique charm of a mature woman.

A female boss + a young widow + a still-attractive appearance... this buff is almost maxed out!

To be fair, for a mature woman like Otose, the faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes are one of her unique charms.

Although Otose is just a boat owner, she is by no means a rich woman.

But her buffs are enough to make countless people shout "Wife! Freeloader! Hungry! Mmm~" and "How am I any different from that traitor Cao Cao?!"

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Deng Shi covered his mouth and chuckled:

"Haha, samurai sir, you're quite the smooth talker! Hmm?"

Suddenly, as if she had discovered something, she blinked hard a few times and then stared intently at Qingdeng's face.

"Oh my, no wonder he looks familiar, isn't this Lord Niou?"

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow, looking surprised.

Before he could raise any questions, Otose burst into hearty laughter.

"Lord Niou, on the day you led the Shinsengumi into Kyoto, I specially put aside my business to watch the spectacle! So I was fortunate enough to see your esteemed presence!"

"Hahaha! I never imagined that my humble boathouse would be so fortunate as to welcome Lord Niou!"

"'A shop once visited by Lord Niou'... Hahaha! That's a much more famous name than 'the site of the Teradaya Incident'!"

Otose seems to be a woman who loves to laugh.

Whenever she smiles, her bright eyes squint into slits, revealing her healthy white teeth.

Her cheerful and outgoing personality further highlights her unique charm.

Qingdeng smiled helplessly.

Since Otose has recognized me, there's nothing I can do about it.

He looked around—there was no one else entering or leaving the shop.

Looking around, there was no one else in the shop's entrance hall except for the three of them.

After confirming that no one else had noticed what was happening, he raised his right index finger, pressed it to his lips, and gestured for silence to the person in front of him.

"Miss Otose, please keep my visit here a secret for now. I am currently on a clandestine visit."

"Oh, I see... Okay, I understand!"

Otose nodded vigorously, then put his hands on his hips and said loudly:

"Your Excellency, I have long admired you."

"Since we have the honor of meeting, we should treat each other with great respect."

"If you don't mind, please stay a moment while I serve you a cup of tea!"

Otose's sudden invitation caught Aoto and Kinoshita Mai off guard.

Kinoshita Mai turned her head to the side and cast a questioning look at Aoto, as if asking, "Is it okay?"

After thinking for a while, Qingdeng nodded slightly.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you."

Otose smiled happily.

"Okay! Please follow me!"

With that, she turned around and led Aoto and Kinoshita Mai towards the second floor of the shop.

"It's already the end of the month... the perfect time to eat tofu dregs."

After muttering this to himself, Otose turned and called out towards the depths of the shop:

"Ah Long! We have guests! Bring a plate of wagashi (Japanese sweets), a plate of tofu dregs, three teacups, and a pot of fine green tea!"

"End of month? Tofu dregs? Is there any custom associated with these two?"

Before Otose could answer, Kinoshita Mai preemptively explained:

"This is a custom in Kyoto. The pronunciation of tofu dregs is the same as 'empty'. Eating tofu dregs at the end of the month is both a joke about having an empty wallet at the end of the month and an expression of people's wish that 'the empty wallet will be full again next month'."

Otose turned his head, his surprised gaze falling on Kinoshita Mai.

"Young lady, you seem to know Kyoto quite well!"

"That's right, exactly!"

"Eating tofu dregs at the end of the month is a long-standing custom in Kyoto!"

"The tofu dregs at Han Dian are delicious, you definitely won't be disappointed!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng smiled bitterly to himself.

—Is it hoping that "my empty wallet will be full again next month"...? That certainly reflects my current situation...

At this moment, Otose suddenly asked Aoto:

"Sir, if I may be so bold as to ask, what brings you to my humble abode?"