I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The number of six feet was linked to the status and position of the passenger.

The general's sedan chair was carried by five men of six feet each at the front and back.

Depending on their status and position, there were four, three, or two six-foot-tall men in front and behind.

Some daimyo teams would also bring along a substitute (a person who takes turns carrying a 6-foot-long sword).

The mounted samurai of the Kozoku group walked past Aoto one after another.

Before long, an incredibly luxurious sedan chair slowly came into view.

The mounted samurai of the jury group surrounded the palanquin, flanking it like stars around the moon.

This sedan chair, named "Zonggang Dailiu Tu," was a special sedan chair that only the General of the Expedition could use.

Without needing any prompting, Aoto and Matsudaira Katamori dismounted one after the other, knelt on one knee, and bowed to the general secretary... or more accurately, to the people inside.

Kondo Isami and the others behind them also lowered their bodies.

The general outline gradually slowed down and finally stopped in front of Qing Deng and Matsudaira Katamori.

With a thud, the Lu men steadily lowered the sedan chair.

As soon as the sedan chair landed, the attendant stepped forward, flipped up the roof of the sedan chair entrance to reveal a sliding door, and then pushed it open with a "whoosh".

The moment the sliding door opened—

"Qingdeng, Rongbao, it's been a long time."

Both the voice and the footsteps that followed felt incredibly familiar and comforting to Qingdeng.

"You may all get up."

Aoto and Matsudaira Katamori responded in unison, and then stood up at the same time.

His gaze left the ground and moved to the person in front of him—a familiar young face suddenly came into view.

Dressed in magnificent robes, Tokugawa Iemochi scanned Aoto from head to toe, his gaze sweeping over him.

"Qingdeng, you don't seem to have changed much."

Qing Deng shrugged and chuckled.

"We haven't seen each other for years, what could have changed?"

Qingdeng went to Luoyang on February 1st of this year.

In other words, only a little over two months have passed since I left Edo.

Although it wasn't a very long time, perhaps because so much had happened in the past two months, Aoto couldn't help but feel a sense of "reunion after a long separation" when he saw Tokugawa Iemochi again.

At first glance, it appears that Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi were merely exchanging simple pleasantries.

The content of their words was nothing special, no different from "Have you eaten?" or "Yes, I have."

But for the others present... the scene they saw was not like that.

Matsudaira Yu subconsciously glanced sideways at Aoto with a surprised look.

Even Kondo Isami and others who were familiar with Aoto couldn't help but raise their eyes and stare at Aoto in astonishment.

They never expected that Qing Deng would speak to Tokugawa Iemochi in such an intimate tone, as if he were talking to a close friend, and the latter naturally echoed his words.

The matter itself conveys an unusual message.

The Governor of the Capital Region was a top confidant of the Shogun; Tachibana Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi had a close relationship—these things were already common knowledge.

Even so, only at this moment did everyone present realize just how close the bond between the ruler and his subject truly was.

Throughout history, scenes of harmony between rulers and their subjects have been common.

However, such a scene of ruler and subject interacting freely like close friends without any barriers is truly rare.

The special relationship between Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi was unexpected, but also quite reasonable.

When Aoto was still an unknown figure, he encountered Tokugawa Iemochi, whose ruling position was weak... The two, who were extremely complementary, naturally formed a close alliance.

One serves as a spear; the other as a shield.

One launched a strong offensive to open up the situation; the other stabilized the rear and provided strong support.

They are not only friends of similar age, but also comrades-in-arms who share weal and woe.

Even setting aside the element of friendship, if we only consider interests, Aoto has no reason not to be close to Tokugawa Iemochi.

Aoto, Tokugawa Iemochi, and Tenshōin—the three of them are an absolute community of shared destiny.

In the Edo period, family background was everything.

Regarding Qing Deng's background... to put it bluntly, he was just a nobody with no power, influence, or connections.

In such a rigidly class-based society, no matter how talented a person is, they will have little chance of advancement unless they receive help from a powerful figure.

Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin were his benefactors.

Without the backing of Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, how could Seidō have risen to such prominence, and how could he have transformed from an unknown servant into a powerful regional governor in just three years?

Qing Deng's current power is not enough to make him ignore the targeting and infighting of any political forces.

If he were to lose the support of Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, he would truly be like a rootless duckweed.

At that time, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, Haruaki Matsudaira, and others will reveal their ferocious faces and sharp claws, and attack him en masse.

Aoto cannot do without Tokugawa Iemochi—and vice versa, the latter cannot do without the former.

Power originates from the bottom up, never from the top down.

Popular support and the backing of elite forces are the foundation of power.

If neither of these two is present, then any monarch is nothing more than a fragile paper tiger, easily punctured.

Aoto and Katsura Rintaro—one a key figure in the Tokugawa army, the other the founder of the Tokugawa navy—were both confidants of Tokugawa Iemochi and his most trusted retainers.

Anyone who wants to cause trouble for Tokugawa Iemochi has to consider the two gentlemen standing beside him.

In short—as long as Qing and Lin are still alive, no one will dare to openly challenge Tokugawa Iemochi.

The Shinsengumi, led by Tachibana Aoto, and the naval fleet commanded by Katsura Rintaro... no force would want to confront both of these forces simultaneously.

Once Tokugawa Iemochi loses Aoto's external support, his rule will be greatly shaken.

In short, Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi are now like the tomato and egg in scrambled eggs with tomatoes—stuck together and indistinguishable.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Tokugawa Iemochi turned around gracefully to face Kondo Isami and the others.

"Everyone, you must all be getting impatient waiting, right? Thank you so much for your hard work."

This was the first time that Kondo Isami and others had come into close contact with their supreme leader.

At this moment, they all had the same thought:

—The general is so kind… He doesn’t seem like the supreme ruler of the Edo Shogunate at all.

Tokugawa Iemochi continued the conversation:

"Alright, let's get going. If we dawdle, we won't be able to reach Kyoto before dark."

The massive procession, which had just stopped, came back to life.

The neighing of horses, the clanging of machinery... the noise of people and the neighing of horses blended together.

Kondo Isami and others joined the queue.

Aoto and Matsudaira Katamori turned and walked toward their respective mounts.

But at that moment, Tokugawa Iemochi suddenly called out to them.

"Qingdeng, Rongbao, you should not ride your bicycles for the rest of the journey. Take a sedan chair instead."

As he spoke, he waved to his entourage who were not far away.

Two ornately decorated sedan chairs were carried over.

Being bestowed a sedan chair by a superior is a great honor, and it is also a common way for superiors to show their favor to their subordinates.

Therefore, neither Aoto nor Matsudaira Katamori paid much attention to it.

However, Qing Deng felt that the expression on Tokugawa Iemochi's face was rather strange, whether it was his imagination or not...

Despite his doubts, he didn't dwell on it.

Since the general has bestowed upon me a sedan chair, there is naturally no reason not to ride in it.

Aoto handed the reins of the radish to Sanako, and then took three steps at a time towards the palanquin given to him by Tokugawa Iemochi.

Both his and Matsudaira Katamori's palanquins were accompanied by eight attendants.

The highest-ranking "10-person sedan chair" was reserved for generals.

Second only to it is the "8-person sedan chair".

Matsudaira Katamori was the lord of the Aizu Domain, so it was a reasonable arrangement for him to travel in an "eight-person palanquin".

Although Aoto was not the lord of a city or region, he was still granted an "eight-person palanquin"... This shows Tokugawa Iemochi's favor towards Aoto.

As soon as Qingdeng stepped into the sedan chair, he smelled a pleasant fragrance.

Immediately afterwards, he heard a very pleasant, yet very familiar, female voice…

"Sheng Qing, it's been so long~~"

"..."

In that instant, Qingdeng froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

An eerie silence enveloped him.

A moment later, he belatedly widened his eyes, staring blankly at the mature older sister sitting directly in front of him, who was greeting him intimately with a sly smile.

"...Your Highness Tenshōin, what are you doing here?"

Tensho-in chuckled.

Why am I here?

She pointed to the ground.

"This is my sedan chair."