I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

7 days later—

Wenjiu three years (1863), January 25th——

On this day, the newly established organization under the Zhenfu Prefecture, the Xinxuan Chamber of Commerce, which Qing Deng and others looked up to with bated breath, officially opened!

“Lord Niou, why not use the opening ceremony of the Shinsengumi Trading Company as a publicity stunt? We must let everyone in Kyoto know that Niou now owns a trading company!”—At the strong suggestion of Iwasaki Yataro, Aoto ordered him without hesitation to spare no effort in promoting the establishment and opening of the Shinsengumi Trading Company over the next seven days.

After a vigorous publicity campaign, most people in Kyoto now know that Niou Tachibana Aoto will officially establish a new organization in the form of a chamber of commerce on March 25th.

Therefore, when the newly selected Chamber of Commerce officially opened, countless people flocked to join in the excitement.

Mibu Township, which is usually inconspicuous and has no presence except for Mibu Kyogen, suddenly became bustling with activity.

[Note: Mibu Kyogen: This is a silent drama performed annually at Mibu-ji Temple. Famous for its wild and unrestrained pronouncements, it is known as Mibu Kyogen. On the stage of the Dainenbutsu-do (Great Buddhist Hall) at Mibu-ji Temple, local Mibu residents wear masks and dance to the rhythms of instruments such as crocodile-mouth instruments, flutes, and taiko drums.]

The area inside and outside Rensheng Township was packed with people, a constant flow of people.

Qing Deng mobilized the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth squads in one go, and cooperated with the constables of the Kyoto Magistrate's Office to finally maintain order.

The so-called opening ceremony was nothing more than Qing Deng personally going up on the stage, saying a few bland official words, and then personally writing and replacing the plaque for the newly selected Chamber of Commerce.

Aoto and Iwasaki Yataro didn't seem to care much about the simple ceremony.

Form or such is not important.

All that's needed is for the people of Kyoto to know that this new organization, the Shinsenshokai, exists.

After delivering a dry speech, Qing Deng personally picked up a brush and wrote the plaque for the newly elected Chamber of Commerce in full view of everyone.

Unlike in ancient China, in Japan's Edo period, door plaques were not usually hung above the main gate. They were usually hung on the side of the gate, and the writing was not horizontal, but from top to bottom and from right to left.

On the huge plaque, one foot wide and two feet long, the right side reads "Gyeonggi Garrison Office," and the left side reads four slightly larger Chinese characters: "New Selection Chamber of Commerce."

[Note: One shaku in the Edo period was approximately equal to 30 centimeters in modern times]

The office of the Shinsen Chamber of Commerce is located not far from the Shinsen Village Office.

Yagi Gennojo, a wealthy landowner in Mibu Township who wanted to befriend Aoto, generously gifted a Yagi family property to Aoto free of charge after learning that Aoto was going to establish a new organization.

Although the house is not very large and its appearance is not particularly grand, it is more than enough to serve as the office space for the still relatively small New Selection Chamber of Commerce.

The various factions in Kyoto were already closely watching Aoto's every move.

After uprooting the Nanmu Group, things calmed down for only a short while before they caused such a huge commotion again... The attention of all factions instantly focused on this newly established chamber of commerce.

On this day, various factions, including the Satsuma Domain, Choshu Domain, and Tosa Domain, sent spies to watch the opening ceremony of the Shinsenshokai.

The leaders of various factions were surprised by the establishment of the new Chamber of Commerce, but they didn't pay much attention to it.

Saigo Kinosuke (Satsuma Domain), Takasugi Shinsaku (Chōshū Domain), Takeichi Hanpeita (Tosa Domain), and others were more or less aware of the Shinsengumi's financial crisis.

Therefore, they were already certain that in order to ensure the stable operation of the new electoral group, Qing Deng would actively take various measures to save himself.

However, Qingdeng's self-rescue method was actually to go into business... which was beyond their expectations.

Anyone with a sound mind knows how difficult it is to do business.

Anyone who dares to claim that "doing business is easy" or "business is simple" is either ignorant of their own limitations or is simply bragging.

Qing Deng's work history has long been thoroughly investigated by various factions.

It wasn't until he was promoted to the position of attendant to the Imperial Household and the Minister of Personnel that Aoto formally entered politics, so his work experience was not difficult to obtain.

Therefore, it is not difficult to find that Qing Deng had very little contact with business-related matters before.

Since entering politics, apart from the military, the work that Qing Deng has been most involved in has actually been contracting engineering projects!

For example, when the Kanda irrigation system in Edo was blocked, it was Aoto who personally led the team to clear the pipes.

The lack of work experience led Saigo Kinosuke and others to have great doubts about whether Seido could handle the complexities of business.

After the opening ceremony of the Shinsengumi Chamber of Commerce, Saigo Kinosuke and others learned from their spies that the first president of the Shinsengumi Chamber of Commerce was a young man named Iwasaki Yataro.

Saigo Kichinosuke and the others naturally had no idea who Iwasaki Yataro was.

So they immediately launched an investigation.

The results of the investigation were quite surprising to them.

This Iwasaki Yataro was previously just an underground ronin from the Tosa Domain! He was a "three-nothing" person—no official position, no qualifications, and no background!

Everyone from all factions was utterly baffled by Qing Deng's incredibly strange personnel appointments.

Is there no talent left in the Zhenfu Prefecture?

Although the Zhenfu Prefecture is still small, it shouldn't be so small that it can't find even one decent person, right?

Why recruit a ronin from the Tosa Domain?

The person most shocked by this was Takechi Hanpeita.

He simply couldn't understand why Tachibana Seito valued this guy so much, who had previously held no status in the Tosa Domain and was no different from a puddle of mud.

In short, based on all the known intelligence, the leaders of the major powers unanimously made the same judgment—the New Selection Merchant Guild will probably be like a stone thrown into the sea, making a muffled "plop," and then... nothing more.

This was probably just a rough attempt by Tachibana Seito to see if he could support the Shinsengumi through business—that's what they all thought.

Therefore, the major powers did not take the New Chamber of Commerce seriously, merely sending people to monitor its subsequent movements without taking any further action.

Ironically, seven days ago, after Aoto announced the goods that the Shinsengumi would sell to the Shinsengumi generals in an emergency meeting, the quick-witted Kiyokawa Hachiro immediately realized how terrifying the energy was hidden in that small piece of silver.

After the meeting, he not only immediately shared the contents with his cronies, but also tried to pass on the relevant intelligence to the major pro-imperial factions in Kyoto, hoping to make them clearly aware of the enormous threat posed by the Shinsengumi.

However... because he had not yet established contact with any power, he had no way of passing on intelligence, even if he wanted to...

At this moment, Saigo Kinosuke and the others never imagined that this merchant guild, which they had taken for granted, would unleash such a terrible storm in the future...

……

……

Kyoto, Gion, Hyakuya——

In some ways, geisha in the Edo period are very similar to idols in modern society.

She has a beautiful face, is skilled in various arts, makes a living by "selling dreams," and is forced to graduate once she is no longer young.

Moreover, like idols, geisha need to constantly practice their skills and strive to improve themselves when they are not working.

During the day, the geisha often gathered together to practice singing and dancing, or to study hairstyles and clothing and discuss the latest fashion trends.

Today, at this very moment, the geisha of Hyakka-ya are practicing a new song together.

As more and more samurai from all over the world flock to Kyoto, the geisha of Gion are now working hard to learn and sing folk songs from various regions in order to cater to their tastes.

Ziyang also participated in today's practice.

"Oh? Miss Ziyang, you changed your mirror?"

The sound instantly drew the attention of everyone present.

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

It's gotten colder in Guangzhou again... This month has been really tough. I got sick at the beginning of the month, spent the middle of the month recovering, and just when I was finally starting to feel better, the weather got colder again. I've turned back into a useless leopard who can't live without my warm bed... (crying leopard head.jpg)

Chapter 626 The Silver Mirror That's Taking Kyoto by storm! The Shinsengumi Trading Company is giving Kyoto a little shock! [4200]

As the top dog of Gion, Shiyo's strengths naturally extend beyond just her stunning beauty.

Geisha are not the same as courtesans.

Since prostitutes sell their bodies, having a pretty face is enough for them.

Those who buy sex don't care at all about the personality or talents of the prostitutes they are with; as long as they are beautiful, seductive, and exciting enough, that's all that matters.

Geishas, ​​however, are not like that.

For geishas who make a living by performing, good looks alone are not enough.

Therefore, geisha in the Edo period and modern idols are really similar.

For these two professions, a pretty face may bring temporary popularity, but to make customers willingly spend money on you in the long run, excellent inner qualities are essential.

Geisha have four basic skills: singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, and chatting.

Here, "chatting" refers to the ability to have pleasant conversations with guests, to naturally pick up on various topics, and to avoid awkward silences.

The reason why Shiyo was recognized as the "Number One Geisha of Gion" was that, in addition to her stunningly beautiful face, she also mastered the four basic skills and even her taste in clothing to the highest level in the industry.

The geisha at Hyakka-ya are currently practicing a popular song: "Sakura" (Cherry Blossom).

Looking around the practice site... while it can't be described as a complete mess, it's certainly a chaotic mess.

Some people were off-key, some couldn't get the pitch right, and some were both off-key and couldn't get the pitch right.

Such a chaotic scene is understandable.

When multiple people are playing a piece, and most of them are not familiar with the music, it is easy for confusion to arise.

Just then, amidst the chaos, melodious piano music suddenly rang out from a corner of the room.

Those who frequently listen to music know that the music played by top performers possesses a special magic.

Whether the audience is at leisure or busy, they will be involuntarily drawn to the music the moment they hear it from the hands of a master.

In this chaotic "ensemble" that resembled a car crash, the moment this clear and beautiful piano melody appeared, it was like a crane suddenly appearing in a chicken coop, or a seal unexpectedly appearing in a school of cod.

The gap between the two sides is so vast that it can be described as a dimensional reduction attack.

Everyone else paled in comparison to this musician.

Her piano playing steadily carried the melody of the entire performance, gradually calming the previously chaotic and disorderly atmosphere.

Gradually, all the courtesans present stopped what they were doing and stared intently at the performer who had caused the atmosphere to change drastically—Ziyang, who was holding a shamisen and plucking the strings with all his heart.

Inside and outside the room, there was no other sound except for Ziyang's zither music.

Ziyang's right hand deftly manipulated the plectrum, while his slender fingers on his left hand traversed the neck of the instrument.

With her exquisite skill, she grasped the "prelude, break, and separation" of the melody with extreme precision, sometimes as rapid as a cascading waterfall, and sometimes as gentle as a trickle.

[Note: "Preface to the Preface" is a traditional term passed down through generations in Japanese traditional music arts such as Gagaku and Noh, dating back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573). It refers to the tempo levels and variations in pace.]