I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Kinoshita Mai pouted her red lips and pulled her mask back up.

In the next instant, she leaped into the boundless night...

……

……

Edo, Hitotsubashi Residence—

"Chunyue, what brings you here so late at night?"

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi cast a neutral glance at Haruaki Matsudaira in front of him.

Matsudaira Haruaki smiled slightly:

"Lord Hitotsubashi, I just wanted to talk to you about... Tachibana Aoto."

********

********

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Thank you so much to reader 【Imperial Glory C】 for the generous donation! It's been a long time since this book has welcomed a new patron, and I'm truly touched (crying leopard head.jpg).

To thank everyone for their strong support, Leopard will definitely work hard to recover and get back to its best physical and mental condition as soon as possible!

P.S.: I really want to write the action scenes soon! The dialogue scenes are so boring! Writing them is so tedious! (Angry Leopard.jpg)

Chapter 621 Will Qingdeng Become the Next An Lushan? [4200]

In the large room, apart from the general's advisor Yoshinobu Hitoshi and the political president Haruaki Matsudaira, there were no other outsiders.

Genuine private conversations.

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi is the current head of the Hitotsubashi family, one of the "Three Great Ministers".

His status is already prestigious, and on top of that, he currently holds the post of a general, also known as "Deputy General".

Currently, throughout the entire shogunate, apart from Tokugawa Iemochi, he holds the highest position.

As for Matsudaira Harugaku, he was not only the chief of the shogunate with power comparable to that of a daimyo, but also the lord of the Fukui Domain, who possessed a territory of 32 koku, with troops, money, and provisions at his disposal.

As the leader of the "Hitotsubashi faction," Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's status was naturally higher than Matsudaira Haruaki's.

Whether in public or in private, Matsudaira Haruaki has always held Hitotsubashi Yoshiki in high esteem.

In everything, he respected Yoshiki Ichibashi, even walking half a step behind him.

However, because they were on the same side, and because they shared similar thoughts and political beliefs, they had a very good personal relationship.

Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu was the son of Tokugawa Nariaki, the former lord of the Mito Domain.

Tokugawa Nariaki hoped that his son would become the shogun, so he adopted Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu into the Hitotsubashi family, which was the most promising candidate to inherit the shogun's mantle at the time.

As for Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and Tokugawa Iemochi's unfortunate defeat in the struggle for the shogunate, and Tokugawa Nariaki's death before he could see his son become shogun, that's another story.

Because he was born in Mito, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi was familiar with Mito studies from a young age.

The core idea of ​​Mito Gakuen can be summed up in two words: reverence for the emperor. His writings are all permeated with this ideology.

Therefore, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi, who had a profound knowledge of Mito studies, was a thorough believer in the imperial tradition.

He recognized the Emperor's status and affirmed the existence of the imperial court—this was also the ideology of Matsudaira Shungaku.

Matsudaira Shungaku held the Emperor and the Imperial Court in high esteem and was a well-known supporter of the Emperor. His views were the same as Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's: the shogunate was important, but the Imperial Court was also important.

How to view the Emperor and the Imperial Court—this is precisely the core conflict between the "Nanki School" and the "Hitotsubashi School".

Although both sides are supporters of the "union of public and military forces", their focuses are different.

Led by Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and Haruaki Matsudaira, the "Hitotsubashi faction" advocated that "the Imperial Court and the Shogunate are equally important, and we must never be enemies with the Imperial Court."

In contrast, the "Nanki faction"... their attitude towards the imperial court can be summed up in one sentence—the Emperor? How many divisions does he have?

The "Nanki faction" has always believed that the unification of the imperial court and the military is inevitable, but the shogunate must take the lead, and the imperial court should just obediently act as mascots as before.

Friends are easy to find, but true confidants are hard to come by.

The shared ideology and ideals made Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and Matsudaira Haruaki very close.

Despite their clearly defined superior-subordinate relationship, their interactions in private were very casual, much like those between Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi.

At this moment, the two sat down with their knees touching.

Matsudaira Haruaki casually crossed his legs.

Although Yoshiki Hitotsubashi's posture was much more formal, it could not be described as dignified.

"Lord Hitotsubashi, I just wanted to talk to you about... Tachibana Aoto." — The moment Matsudaira Haruaki uttered the name "Tachibana Aoto," Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's gaze narrowed slightly.

"Harutake, has Tachibana Seito made another big move?"

Matsudaira Haruaki picked up the iron chopsticks beside his leg, and while poking at the coals in the stove in front of his knees, he answered unhurriedly:

"No. Tachibana Aoto has been behaving himself lately."

"After destroying the Kusunoki Group, he did not make any significant moves other than sending troops to wipe out its remnants."

"I have come here tonight to inform you that, after my detailed investigation, I can now confirm that Tokugawa Iemochi truly intends to let Tachibana Aoto fend for himself."

“After Tachibana Ao ascended to Kyoto, Tokugawa Iemochi did not provide him with any substantial assistance.”

"Neither sending capable personnel to assist him, nor providing him with funds, equipment, or other supplies."

"As a result, Tachibana Seito had to find his own way to generate revenue in order to fill the Shinsengumi's military needs."

"Although I had received rumors about it before, I never expected that Tokugawa Iemochi would actually 'let Tachibana Aoto run wild'."

At this point, Matsudaira Haruaki curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a half-smile.

"Hmph, I don't know if he's just carefree or too confident in Tachibana Aoto."

After listening, Yoshiki Ichibashi fell into deep thought.

After a short while, he said in a low, deep voice:

"...This is bad."

After saying that, he slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked to the window not far away, frowned slightly, looked into the distance, and a faint look of worry appeared on his face.

Matsudaira Haruaki's sudden and bizarre remarks caused him to involuntarily show a puzzled expression.

"'Not good'? Lord Hitotsubashi, why do you say that?"

"...I understand Tokugawa Iemochi less and less."

Yoshiki Ichibashi narrowed his eyes, his tone deep and serious.

"Haruyuki, you should never underestimate Tokugawa Iemochi."

"I ask you: Why did Tokugawa Iemochi indulge Tachibana Seito so much?"

"Although Tokugawa Iemochi is still young, he is not a weak and incompetent ruler."

“Even when he was still the lord of the Kishu Domain, he was already a wise and virtuous ruler known far and wide.”

“After I took office as a general, I had a detailed conversation with him and observed him closely.”

"His knowledge and eloquence once greatly surprised me."

"Therefore, I dare to assert that he... Tokugawa Iemochi was absolutely a qualified monarch."

"That's why I really don't understand his intentions..."

Why did he grant Tachibana Seiden such great and heavy privileges?

"At first glance, it seems that he is ignoring Tachibana Aoto and letting him fend for himself."

"However, from another perspective... Tokugawa Iemochi's 'hands-off' approach gave Tachibana Aoto a great deal of autonomy."

"If... Tachibana Seito really had a stable source of income, just imagine what that would be like."

"At that time, Tachibana Aoto will have an independent and powerful army that does not need to rely on others."

“Except for not having his own territory, he will be no different from a lord of a domain.”

"What was Tokugawa Iemochi's motive for allowing Tachibana Aoto to wield such great power?"

“A mere subject…and a powerful regional governor at that, wielding excessive power…it’s impossible that a wise man like Tokugawa Iemochi wouldn’t be unaware of the dangers involved.”

"Logically speaking, he shouldn't have done such a thing..."

After he finished speaking... a silence so deep you could hear a pin drop dominated the room and the outside.

After a moment of silence, the latter said in a deep voice:

"...Lord Hitotsubashi, I think you're worrying too much."

“I have considered what you have said.”

"I only recognize this because Tokugawa Iemochi trusts Tachibana Seito very much."

"After all, Tachibana Aoto was Tokugawa Iemochi's most trusted confidant..."

Just as Matsudaira Haruaki was about to continue speaking, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu gently shook his head.

"...No, that's not right, that's definitely not how it is."

"Tokugawa Iemochi's reason for doing this was definitely not based on simple trust."

"As far as I know, Tokugawa Iemochi did not hold any important hostages that could threaten Tachibana Aoto."

"They were neither a close in-laws nor childhood friends."

"They've known each other for less than three years at most."

"Why did Tokugawa Iemochi trust Tachibana Seito so much?"

After speaking, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, slowly turned around and stared intently at Haruaki Matsudaira.

"..."

Under Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's sharp questioning, Matsudaira Shun'gaku fell silent.

A tense atmosphere instantly formed.