I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He was about to continue the conversation when he was interrupted by Tenshōin:

"Alright, alright, Sheng Qing, let's do this—just treat what happened as a happy accident."

"I could tell you were enjoying yourself just now, weren't you?"

That mischievous smile, which had just disappeared, reappeared on Tenshōin's pretty face.

"If only I could have taken a picture of you with a Western camera, the result would have been a masterpiece, a family heirloom!"

Qing Deng smiled wryly:

"Spare me... If you really take a picture of my expression just now, I might smash your camera and burn your photos at all costs."

Tenshōin revealed a satisfied expression.

"Alright, let's put this matter behind us."

She had barely finished speaking when she abruptly changed the subject.

"Oh, right, didn't that girl say the scenery outside is beautiful right now? Let's take a look together."

As she spoke, she reached out to lift the curtain.

Qingdeng is almost developing PTSD-like feelings towards the "curtain" object.

Seeing that Tenshōin was about to lift the curtain, he subconsciously reached out his hand, trying to stop him.

Seeing this, Tianzhangyuan comforted him, saying:

"Sheng Qing, don't worry. You heard everything just now, right? They've already gone far away and won't be discovered."

After saying that, she parted the curtain, revealing a narrow gap, and pressed her left eye against it—after a moment, she showed a look of great surprise, her eyes widened suddenly, and her body stiffened abruptly.

"Your Highness?"

Tenshōin's reaction puzzled Seidō.

So, just like Tenshōin, he reached out and lifted the curtain beside him, bringing his right eye close to the curtain.

Because he had been in a dimly lit environment for a long time, his eyes were not able to adapt to the light for a while.

Everything in front of me was a white blur, and I couldn't see anything clearly.

He had to furrow his brow, lower his eyelids, and use his thick, long eyelashes to filter the light.

As his eyes gradually recovered... a vibrant and beautiful scene slowly unfolded before his eyes.

A huge freshwater lake shimmered with a bluish light under the clear sky.

Lake Biwa is known as the "Lake of Life" and is considered a symbol of Japan, just like Mount Fuji.

The lake water sparkled, and the light reflected from the ripples danced and shone brightly.

A vast expanse of fertile, warm spring fields stretches from the sedan chair side all the way to Lake Biwa, spreading out along its shores.

The April sun poured down without reservation, blurring the boundary between the fertile fields and the blue sky, as if they had merged together.

The gentle breeze blowing from the lake was both refreshing and pleasant.

Looking further into the distance, one can vaguely see a grid-like pattern of green rice paddies, interspersed with low houses and wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. Wild deer waddle along the lakeshore, and soft white clouds are set against the bright, sunny blue sky...

A peaceful and harmonious scene.

A scene of kites soaring and fish leaping.

The three women were right—the scenery outside was indeed stunning and worth seeing.

On such a clear day, with such a beautiful scene of clouds and mist, one can't help but feel the wonderful feeling that "if you walk straight along the road beneath your feet, you will be able to soar straight into the sky."

Gazing at the beautiful scenery of Tenshō-in Temple, she blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, as if to confirm whether there was something wrong with her eyes.

"Sheng Qing, look! What a beautiful view! It's completely different from the scenery in Satsuma and Edo!"

She said this, then unconsciously reached out and grabbed Qingdeng's sleeve with great force, as if she was worried that Qingdeng would run away.

Her sudden and unusual behavior startled Qingdeng.

He turned his head to look at his sleeve, which was being tightly gripped, and then cast a surprised look at the other person.

That mischievous, devilish smile, that signature sly expression—all gone.

At this moment, all that met Qingdeng's eyes was a pure smile and a childlike joy that leaped from her eyes.

Although she expressed her emotions rather restrainedly, she conveyed her feelings of being moved to Qingdeng truthfully and thoroughly.

This is the most authentic reaction.

When overwhelmed by unparalleled beauty, people become speechless and flustered.

Because it was a feeling that words could not describe.

Tenshōin, whose attention was captivated by the beautiful scenery, remained lost in thought for a long time.

She stared intently, her eyes shining with the same luster as the shimmering light.

Qingdeng couldn't bear to disturb her, so he remained silent and let her hold his sleeve.

As the procession continued forward, the beautiful scenery gradually faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into a dense forest.

It was only at this moment that Tenshōin slowly came to his senses and belatedly realized that he was tightly gripping Aoden's sleeve.

"Ah, sorry... I think I got a little too excited..."

Qingdeng said "It's nothing," then couldn't help but ask in return:

"Your Highness, is this your first time in Otsu?"

Tensho-in shook his head.

“No, this is my second time here. I came to Otsu once in 1856.”

Anzheng 3rd year—Upon hearing this, Qingdeng immediately fell silent.

He was well aware of what this point in time meant for the Tianzhang Academy.

That year, Tenshōin was adopted by the Konoe family and renamed "Fujiwara Keiko". She was then officially married in Edo.

Tenshōin was born into a collateral branch of the Shimazu family in Satsuma. Although she was later adopted as a goddaughter by Shimazu Nariakira (the former lord of the Satsuma Domain), her family background was still insufficient for her to marry the shogun.

According to custom, starting with the wife of the third Tokugawa shogun, Takatsukasa Takako, the wife of the shogun, the Tokugawa shogun's residence was usually brought in from the five regent families (Ichijō, Nijō, Kujō, Konoe, and Takatsukasa) or the imperial family, as a tacit agreement of trust between the imperial court and the shogunate.

Even women from samurai families, such as the Odai-sho, must be adopted as daughters of the five regent families to enter the inner palace.

In ancient Japan, it was very common to change one's father, mother, surname, or name.

One reason is the extremely high infant mortality rate caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

Even if you give birth to 10 children in a row, all 10 children could die within a short period of time.

The 12th shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, is a prime example. He had 28 children, but only one, Tokugawa Iesada, survived.

Such a terrifying mortality rate meant that if people didn't adopt godchildren, they simply couldn't preserve their family line.

Secondly, it is due to traditional Japanese values.

Compared to blood ties, Japanese people place more importance on family names.

As long as the family name can be preserved and the family can continue, blood ties are completely irrelevant.

Thus, "adopting children" and "adopting offspring" gradually evolved into an important part of Japanese political culture.

Everyone's children are given away and replaced; they don't care about blood ties at all.

Aoto has a ready example right next to him - Matsudaira Katamori was adopted into the Aizu Matsudaira family as a stepson, and his father was Matsudaira Yoshitake, the lord of the Takasu Domain in Mino Province.

In 1856, Tenshōin went to Kyoto and became the stepdaughter of Konoe Tadahiro, one of the Five Regent Families. She changed her name to Atsuhime-kun and her given name to Keiko. Shortly afterward, she married into the Edo government through a marriage alliance.

Qingdeng remained silent.

Tensho-in began to mutter to himself.

She smiled slightly, her tone becoming calm and indifferent:

"That year... although I was just passing through, I did pass through this place once when I went east to Edo."

"However, I wasn't in the mood to appreciate any beautiful scenery at the time."

"On the way to Edo, the thought of marrying a well-known idiot caused me unspeakable pain."

"I want to talk to someone, but there's no one around, and I don't know who to turn to."

"I want to get angry, but I don't know who to vent my anger on."

"I want to forgive, but I don't know who to forgive."

"I can only drift along like this, living my life in a daze until now."

As she said this, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Qingdeng with a sweet smile.

"Sheng Qing, I don't think I've ever told you this before, have I?"

"I... want to marry the number one man in all of Japan."

"Let me think. It was when I was about to have my coming-of-age ceremony. My father... ah, my biological father—Shimazu Tadakatsu, the 10th head of the Izumi family, a branch of the Shimazu clan, not Shimazu Nariakira."

"On the eve of my coming-of-age ceremony, I was so worried that I couldn't sleep."

"Once my coming-of-age ceremony is over, I will officially become a young woman who can get married."

That night, I don't know why, I kept thinking: What kind of man will my future husband be?

"I thought about it again and again, and couldn't sleep."

"So my father asked me: Yu Yi, what kind of man do you hope your future husband will be?"

Without hesitation, I answered: I hope my future husband will be the number one man in Japan.

Tenshōin's expression gradually softened.

"Thinking back on it carefully, I was really quite naive back then."

"Even though they are about to have their coming-of-age ceremony, they still act like little girls, constantly saying such silly things."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but interject:

"Your Highness, why do you want to marry the number one man in Japan?"

"Huh? Is that even a question?"