I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I'm tired! I'm going to rest!"

Tokugawa Iemochi silently watched her go.

At this moment, he had dropped his playful expression, and his look turned into an indescribable helplessness.

A moment later, he looked up at the sky and sighed deeply:

"Oh...this...this...what am I supposed to do..."

……

……

Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin arrived in Kyoto in the morning.

As for Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and Haruaki Matsudaira, they came a little later.

They didn't manage to enter Kyoto territory until the afternoon.

Qingdeng didn't need to go out of his way to greet these two people.

He didn't want to greet the two of them either.

Although they are political enemies, they always try to show a certain degree of "friendliness" and "harmony" in public.

If possible, Qing Deng wants to avoid this kind of boring "performance".

The specific time for the high-level talks between Tokugawa Iemochi and the Imperial Court has been set for the day after tomorrow... that is, the morning of April 29th.

This date was designated by the imperial court.

It is said that, considering that Tokugawa Iemochi and his entourage had come from afar, a day was specially set aside for them to rest properly and relieve their fatigue from the journey.

Of course, given Tokugawa Iemochi's personality, he certainly wouldn't just sit idly in Nijo Castle and let time slip by.

He immediately made a decision: to use this precious day to properly visit the culmination of Qing Deng's hard work—the Shinsengumi's garrison!

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

P.S.: I'd like to share a joke that perfectly illustrates the stereotypes people have about Kyoto residents: When Kyoto residents say "after the war," they don't mean World War II, but rather the Onin War (1467), which marked the beginning of the Sengoku period.

Chapter 678 The Conflict Between the Emperor's Personal Guard and the Shinsengumi! [4300]

On January 28, 1863 (the third year of the Bungu era), in the early morning—

Kyoto, Nijo Castle, Honmaru——

Aoto, dressed in a flying cockroach suit... ah, no, in a samurai formal suit with two large shoulder pads, waited outside the citadel.

He was not alone.

Beside him stood Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, Haruaki Matsudaira, Katamori Matsudaira, and other retainers of the shogunate, all dressed in formal attire.

At this moment, they stood in neat rows according to their social status, silently waiting for Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin to appear.

Last night, Tokugawa Iemochi suddenly issued an order: "I want to inspect the Shinsengumi headquarters."

Prior to this, neither Aoto nor anyone else had received any relevant instructions, nor had they heard that Tokugawa Iemochi had any intention of inspecting the Shinsengumi's headquarters.

In other words, this was a thorough "surprise inspection".

Furthermore, based on the simple idea that "since we're already here," Tokugawa Iemochi decided to inspect the large garrison currently stationed in Kyoto, in addition to inspecting the Shinsengumi's headquarters.

The Ōbangu – along with the Shoingu and Koshigu – were known as the three major guards of the Tokugawa Shogun, collectively referred to as the "Sanbangu".

In terms of status alone, the "Sanbangu" (Three Divisions) ranked at the very top of the shogunate's various standing armies.

Although nominally the various units of the "Third Division" are of equal rank, in reality, their status is hierarchical.

Among the three units, the highest-ranking unit is the Koshina unit.

The page corps, whether in peacetime or wartime, is responsible for the general's personal protection.

Secondly, there's the academy program.

The academy's guards also provide personal protection for the general, but only during wartime.

Normally, they would wait in the Torama room of Edo Castle.

The lowest in status are the major groups.

In short, the duty of the major division is to defend the city.

The large guard consisted of 12 groups, responsible for guarding Edo Castle, Osaka Castle, and Nijo Castle in Kyoto.

Two groups were stationed at Osaka Castle, two groups at Nijo Castle, rotating annually, while the remaining eight groups were stationed in the camp or at the Ninomaru of Edo Castle, serving as the vanguard of the entire army during wartime.

Compared to the junior staff and the academy staff, the work of the senior staff is undoubtedly much more arduous and difficult.

Every now and then I have to go on long business trips, whether to Kyoto or Osaka, and I have to stay for a whole year before I can go home.

The journey just to and from the camp was enough to make those pampered Manchu princes suffer terribly.

Moreover, staying in Kyoto and Osaka is far less comfortable than staying in Edo.

In terms of sheer prosperity, Kyoto and Osaka are no less bustling than Edo.

However, in the entertainment industry, Edo was truly unrivaled.

Casinos, red-light districts, geishas, ​​kabuki actors, puppet shows, storytelling... you name it, they have it.

You can find all sorts of entertainment in the streets and alleys of Edo.

The saying "Edo people don't keep money overnight" reflects both the regional character of Edo people and the highly developed entertainment industry in Edo.

There are so many entertainment options and so many places to spend money that people from all walks of life can find something to enjoy, making it impossible to save any money.

Therefore, the soldiers of the Daibangu were all eager to avoid the task of "regularly stationing troops in Kyoto and Osaka".

The order was issued last night.

The operation took place this morning.

Even if you try to cram at the last minute, you can't come up with anything fancy in just one night.

In other words, what everyone is about to see is the true face of the Kyoto-based geisha and the Shinsengumi.

Qingdeng quietly raised his gaze and stole a glance at the sky above.

The sky was a deep blue, the clouds were soft and fluffy, and the sun had risen a little higher.

Nearly half an hour has passed since he stood here...

Qingdeng suppressed the urge to yawn, inwardly grumbling:

—Sigh…It’s just changing clothes, why are you taking so long…!

According to that damned system of etiquette, both the Shogun and the Grand Master of Ceremonies must wear appropriate clothes for the appropriate occasion.

Special costumes were provided for all sorts of activities and scenarios, including handling official business, sleeping, meeting with officials, meeting with nobles, hunting, riding horses, and in private.

According to incomplete statistics, the clothing used by Tokugawa Iemochi on a daily basis included, but was not limited to: iron-me hempen robe, crested inner lining robe, riding robe, nofu (traditional Japanese dress), obi (belt), obi-zushi (belt band), tatami (foot straps), crested veil, white veil, white foot bag, and dark blue foot bag...

The bizarre and wonderful names are simply dazzling.

However, compared to Tenshōin's wardrobe, Tokugawa Iemochi's "storage" is simply insignificant!

When she first joined the new Imperial Guard, Aoto couldn't understand why Princess Tenshōin went to the Moon Shrine every few days. She seemed to enjoy it.

Initially, Aoto's guess was that there were too many rules in the Ooku, and the lively and active Tenshōin would definitely prefer the freedom of "outside the Ooku".

It wasn't until some later day that Qingdeng learned the correct answer from Tenshōin.

She truly disliked the cumbersome rules of the Ooku.

However, to be more precise, she couldn't stand the pace of life where she had to change clothes more than ten times a day!

The rules of the Ooku (inner palace) are even more numerous than those of the Imperial Household.

According to the rules within the Ooku, Tenshōin had to change into several sets of clothes just to get up, wash, and eat breakfast.

And unfortunately, the designs of these clothes are all very complicated.

Inner garment, outer garment, outer robe, haori... one layer upon another, one layer over another.

Or the sleeves are so wide that you could stuff a person inside.

Or the hem could be long enough to be used as a broom; by walking around the corridor, you could clean the corridor floor spotless.

In short, the clothing worn by the Omiya-sho is basically the type that "it would be impossible to put on without the help of others."

Even if it's just wearing the simplest and most ordinary clothes, it still requires a group of servants to run around and take care of everything.

I basically didn't get anything done all day; I just spent the whole time changing clothes.

There are many other similar insane rules in the Ooku (inner palace).

For example, you can keep pets in the Ooku, but every pet you keep must be female.

For example, when the imperial envoy was eating, he could only eat one bite of each dish, and a new dish would be served after he finished one bite.

For example, when eating a crucian carp, after each bite, no matter how much fish meat is left, you will definitely get a new plate of crucian carp. In one meal, you can consume dozens of crucian carp.

When Aoto served as "a servant and attendant to the emperor," he had to frequently contact people in the inner palace because he was in charge of all affairs in the inner palace.

Over time, he developed a significant psychological trauma related to the Ooku.

"If you stay in this place too long, your brain will eventually break down"—this was Aoto's only comment on the Ooku.

Tenshōin will also participate in today's "troop review".

Since it's an outdoor activity, one should change into clothes specifically designed for "going out".

Qing Deng and the others are now waiting for Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin to change their clothes.

After waiting for quite a while, the mother and son finally arrived.

Qing Deng didn't understand clothing, so he couldn't accurately name the specific garments worn by Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin.

Tokugawa Iemochi was dressed in all black, while Tenshōin was dressed in all blue—that was Aoto's perception.

To be honest, Qingdeng couldn't tell the difference between their current clothes and their usual attire.