I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

“Look, I am already a widow whose husband has died.”

Then, she turned her head to the side—and her short ponytail, which only reached her shoulders, caught Qing Deng's eye.

"She is also a nun who has already removed her makeup."

“I am Atsuhime Tenshōin, the Ōmitai-no-sho of the Edo Shogunate.”

"If I were to find a new love, those old fogies in the shogunate... especially Lord Honjuin, they would surely tear me apart."

"In addition, I also bear the heavy responsibility of working with Jia Mao to clear the world, so I really don't have the leisure to take care of personal matters."

"Although it was not my intention, now that I have taken this position, I can only do my best, do what I can, and fulfill my responsibilities."

"In short, I will never experience love between men and women again for the rest of my life."

"In that case, thinking about such questions will only add to your troubles."

"Besides, constantly thinking about these kinds of questions isn't good for your health."

Tenshōin's tone became playful again.

"Although I am not young, I am far from having lost my human desires."

"Even though you can no longer touch a man, you keep thinking about him... your body will get so hot and restless that you won't be able to sleep~~"

*******

*******

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

She's a succubus on the outside, a little devil on the inside, a mature older sister who loves to talk dirty—she's the best! No wonder she's the main heroine of this book! (Leopard High.jpg)

Chapter 677 High-ranking officials of the shogunate want to visit the Shinsengumi headquarters! [5100]

At this point, Tenshoin deliberately glanced at Aoden with a sidelong look.

She wanted to see what kind of interesting reaction the other person would have after hearing her ambiguous remarks.

However... things did not go as planned.

Qingdeng lowered his eyelids, and the light in his eyes beneath his long eyelashes became dim and unclear.

She was taken aback at first, then revealed a calm smile.

“…Sheng Qing, don’t make that face.”

"My life before that was indeed a mess."

"But now, the situation is very different."

"'Shimazu Yoichi' will not be coming back, but the story of 'Tenshōin Atsuhime' has only just begun."

"To be honest, I am quite satisfied with my current life."

At this point, a hint of tenderness appeared on Tianzhangyuan's pretty face.

"Although I have a lot of work every day and I'm very tired, and there are one trouble after another, many happy things have also happened."

"Although the old friends have passed away, we have also made more and more new acquaintances."

"I now have an adopted son, trustworthy subordinates like Sae and Yae, and I also have... I have..."

Her voice became intermittent, as if she was composing her next words.

A moment later, she raised her gaze, looked directly at Qing Deng in front of her, and said, word by word:

"And I've also found a friend I can rely on."

"I am very satisfied with my current life."

"So satisfied that they don't even want to change it."

"Let the dreams of your youth fade away with the passage of time."

"Now I only focus on one thing - to do my best to assist Iemochi, to fulfill my duties as the Ōmikado, so that the people of this land can live a good life with enough to eat and wear."

"This is my only dream right now~~"

Tenshōin became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, his every gesture brimming with boundless passion and vibrant energy.

She was slow to realize that she seemed to have gotten too excited, so she quickly sat up straight and put her soft hands back on her lap.

"Haha, sorry, I've been chattering on and on since just now."

"You must be tired of hearing these old stories of mine from years ago, right?"

“Under normal circumstances, I would never casually tell people about my past.”

"It's not even an interesting anecdote. Using it as a topic of conversation will only make the atmosphere dull."

"Perhaps it was because the beautiful scenery just now put me in a good mood that I couldn't help but blurt out all the things that I should and shouldn't have said."

"Alright, let's end this dull 'storytelling session' here for now~~"

Looking at Tianzhangyuan's cheerful appearance, Qingdeng unconsciously smiled, and the gloom in his eyes gradually faded away.

"...Your Highness, to be honest, I've been thinking about what words I could use to offer you some comfort."

"It seems I was overthinking it."

Upon hearing this, Tenshōin immediately put his hands on his hips and said, feigning displeasure:

"Sheng Qing, don't underestimate me."

"I am Atsuhime Tenshōin, who has dealt with troublesome figures such as Shimazu Nariakira, Honjuin, Ii Dairō, and Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu."

"If I were the kind of weak person, I wouldn't have been able to hold on until now under so much pressure."

No sooner had Tianzhangyuan finished speaking than footsteps sounded from afar outside the sedan chair.

Immediately afterwards, a respectful male voice came in:

"Commander, we are almost at the capital. The General has ordered that we rest for a while and tidy up our troops. Please wait a moment."

Qingdeng nodded slightly and replied, "Okay, I understand."

……

……

The three bridges mark the end points of Donghai Street and Zhongshan Street.

Kyoto is divided into "Luozhong" and "Luobei".

In a broader sense, Kyoto encompasses both the central and outer parts of the city.

In a narrow sense, Kyoto—which is also the Kyoto most recognized by the "natives" of Kyoto—is "Rakuchu".

Although the former concept has taken root in people's minds, the latter still holds a place in people's traditional thinking.

The Kamo River is an important dividing point between "Rakuchu" and "Rakugai".

The area east of the Kamo River is called "Rakugai" (outer part of Raku), while the area west of the Kamo River is called "Rakuchu" (central part of Raku).

Generally speaking, you can only truly enter Kyoto by crossing the three bridges that span the Kamo River.

The bridgeheads on both sides of the Sanjo Bridge were already crowded with Kyoto residents who had come to join in the fun.

The Tokugawa Shogun returned to Kyoto after nearly 230 years... This was not only a historic political event, but also a major social event closely related to the future lives of the people of Kyoto.

The negotiations between the Tokugawa Shogun and the Imperial Court that followed, and the results of their discussions, would largely determine the future fate of Japan!

Is it to expel the barbarians?

Or should we continue with the current policy of appeasement?

Thinking of this, the Kyoto gentry and commoners who had come to join in the fun couldn't help but swallow hard, their faces involuntarily filled with a solemn emotion.

Finally, to everyone's eager anticipation, Tokugawa Iemochi's procession to Kyoto slowly came into view.

The lead gunmen, carrying their rifles, walked past with heads held high and chests out, full of pride, under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

The following units, including the foot soldiers, the junior officers, the first-strike archers, and the first-strike arquebusiers, also tried their best to show their might and heroic spirit.

In order to display the general's majesty to the greatest extent and leave a good impression on the people of Kyoto, Tokugawa Iemochi specially ordered the entire army to stop and rearrange their military bearing as they were about to enter Kyoto.

The formation of the troops was undeniably orderly and imposing.

However... the reaction of the onlookers was very calm.

They stared coldly and expressionlessly at the Shogun's procession heading to Kyoto.

Such a scene... is worlds apart from the jubilant celebrations that followed when Qing Deng defeated the Ise bandits and returned victorious.

However, this is to be expected.

Throughout history, people in Kyoto have disliked people from the Kanto region.

Although from a historical perspective, the people of Kyoto were not good at fighting and were always conquered by the people of Kanto.

The Edo Shogunate was established on the powerful military strength of the Bando samurai.

However, the Kyoto people's view of the Kanto people has remained unchanged—that is, they look down on the Kanto people.

This is partly due to cultural factors; Kyoto culture has a certain degree of xenophobia.

On the other hand, the people of Kanto did not consider the people of Kyoto and Osaka to be one of their own.

In terms of proximity and relationship, neither Kyoto nor Osaka were the core territories of the shogunate.

The shogunate's base of support always consisted of the eight provinces of Kanto.

As a result, the people of Kyoto naturally had little affection for the Tokugawa shogun.

Even worse, some people cast disgusted glances at Tokugawa Iemochi's marching convoy to Kyoto.

To prevent any accidents, the Kyoto Shojidai and Kyoto Town Magistrate deployed their largest security forces, setting up long and tight cordons along both sides of the street to prevent thieves from getting close to Tokugawa Iemochi.

The grand procession of generals slowly made its way through the silent crowds of Kyoto residents who lined the streets to see them...

……

……

Kyoto, Nijo Castle——