I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"..."

Qingdeng pondered silently, lost in thought.

……

……

In a grove of trees outside Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Rakudong—

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!"

Okada Izo leaned against a tree trunk, panting heavily.

The heavy, rapid breathing sounded as if it might spew out coarse sand at any moment.

Takeshi Hanpeita sat on the large rock beside him, his head drooping, his expression blank, without a trace of energy.

To cover Takeshi Hanpeita's escape, Okada Izo and the others risked their lives, fighting with abandon.

Okada Izo truly lives up to his reputation as the swordsman who bears the name "Izo the Man-Slayer".

His unwavering belief in "defending Teacher Wu Shi to the death" unleashed a formidable fighting power far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Even the tried-and-true Mandarin Duck Formation could hardly withstand its sharpness.

He managed to tear a small opening in the Shinsengumi's encirclement, allowing Takechi Hanpeita to escape.

Although they achieved their goals, the price they paid was undeniably heavy.

At this moment, only Okada Izo remains by Takechi Hanpeita's side...

"Teacher Wu, let's take a short break..."

After saying that, Okada Izo collapsed to the ground, lying in a "T" shape, greedily inhaling air to recover his energy as much as possible.

Takechi Hanpeita glanced sideways at Okada Izo before coldly saying:

"...Izo, don't worry about me, just run for your life."

His words were like an electric current, sending a jolt through Okada Izou's body.

"That won't do!"

Okada Izo sat up abruptly, his expression agitated and serious:

"Teacher Wu, you are my benefactor!"

"It is because of your discovery and cultivation that I am where I am today!"

"Otherwise, I would still be a piece of mud that no one cares about to this day."

At this point, Okada Izo paused for a moment, then continued with deep emotion:

"I'm not very educated... I don't even recognize many Chinese characters..."

"While other comrades were analyzing world affairs, I had nothing to do but sit on the sidelines and stare blankly."

“The other comrades looked down on me... thinking I was a useless brute.”

"Only you, teacher, are different!"

"You've discovered my swordsmanship talent!"

"You nurtured me!"

"And they even found me the job that's perfect for me!"

At this point, Okada Izo clenched his fists, his gaze gradually hardening.

"People call me a killer, a murder maniac... I don't care about their opinions or insults at all!"

"All I know is that swordsmanship is everything to me!"

"All I know is that my teacher is my benefactor!"

"From the moment I joined the Tosa Loyalist Party, I swore an oath: I will become your sword! I will cut through all thorns for you!"

"For this, I'm willing to kill! I'm willing to take on any dirty or hard work!"

"Even if I'm called a 'human killer,' even if I have to pay with my life, I'm willing to do it!"

"Therefore, teacher, please stop saying things like 'You run away and don't worry about me.'"

"I will not run away until you are out of Kyoto and completely safe!"

Takechi Hanpeita stared blankly at Okada Izo—a barely perceptible look of guilt flashed in his eyes.

He opened his mouth, as if preparing to say something.

However, as soon as he opened his mouth—

"Takeshi Hanpeita, Okada Izo, come out now. I know you're here. Stop making a futile struggle."

A clear, melodious male voice suddenly came from outside the woods.

Okada Izou did not recognize the boy.

But Takeshi Hanpeita was all too familiar with it.

That's Qing Deng's voice!

*******

*******

It almost evolved into a 6,000-pound leopard! Please, for the sake of how hard the leopard has worked, vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg) Requesting monthly votes! Requesting recommendation votes! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

P.S.: Dragon Boat Festival is here! I'm taking tomorrow off to spend the holiday with my family~ (Leopard excited.jpg)

Actually, I've always felt that Okada Izo was one of the character models for Himura Kenshin.

Because of Okada Izo's ending... well, never mind, let's just keep reading.

Marriage views in the Edo period [Free]

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm taking the day off today to spend the afternoon with my family.

Leopard only just got home and finally has time to write.

Taking advantage of my day off today, I'd like to talk to you about marriage views in the Edo period.

Like ancient China, ancient Japan did not have the concept of polygamy; instead, it had a system of "one husband, one wife, and multiple concubines."

If you have the ability, you can take as many concubines as you want without any problem, but you can only have one legal wife.

Unlike ancient China, ancient Japan had a very unique sexual culture.

Simply put, the concept of chastity in ancient Japan was very contradictory.

On the one hand, the upper class placed great importance on chastity.

On the other hand, the lower and middle classes were very open-minded and did not place much importance on chastity.

In some rural areas during the Edo period, there was even a kind of magical ritual.

Simply put, it means that everyone in the village squeezes into the same room and "celebrates" to their heart's content until dawn.

The waitresses in the restaurants in the town (not the rice-serving girls, but the most ordinary waitresses) often "sell themselves" as a side job. When it gets late at night, they are led to bed by some rich guy in the restaurant.

This shows that the lower and middle classes in the Edo period were not so rigid and reserved in that respect.

In fact, this point is also reflected in this book.

Sanako and Kinoshita Mai are both highly educated upper-class women, so even though they have become lovers with Aoto, they have not yet crossed the final line with him.

On the other hand, the commander-in-chief is not like that.

Souji comes from a proper lower-ranking samurai family, so she doesn't have many mental burdens.

After confirming her relationship with Qingdeng, she immediately started having fun with Qingdeng.

There was a famous saying during the late Edo period: "Men have no gods three inches below their navel."

Simply put, it means "all men are lecherous".

Any person of importance or influence has a multitude of women.

For example, Qingdeng's good friend, Katsu Rintaro, had a bunch of concubines, and whenever he went on a long trip, he would always have several of them accompany him.

This phenomenon was quite normal during the Edo period.

It was abnormal in the Edo period that some people were high-ranking and powerful but did not get married, or only married one or two women.

Therefore, it is not difficult for Aoto to marry Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, and Souji; in fact, it is quite simple.

As mentioned earlier, Sanako and the others didn't mind Aoto having a harem at all.

Sanako doesn't mind if Aoto marries Kinoshita Mai and Souji after marrying her.

The same applies to the other two women.

Because in their worldview, it's perfectly normal for a man like Qing Deng to have a harem, and there's nothing wrong with that.

They might have their own grievances, but they wouldn't openly express them—otherwise, they would be labeled as "jealous."

As the old saying goes, don't try to apply modern thinking to ancient times, especially to ancient times in a foreign country.

If you were to transmigrate into this book and say to Sanako and the others, "You need to wake up! You need to become independent women! Allowing Aoto to have a harem is too degrading for you!" they would definitely think you're crazy.

If Qingdeng only marries one woman, what will happen if the entire family line ends?

The extinction of one's lineage—whether in ancient China or ancient Japan, this was an extremely terrible thing.

This was especially true during the Edo period.

Once a family line dies out, regardless of whether you belong to the upper or lower class, you will be wiped out.

The reason why Qing Deng hasn't been able to marry Sanako and the others yet is simply because he's made things difficult for himself by insisting on saying, "You are all my legal wives."

Sanako and the others could accept a harem, but the idea of ​​"three wives" was still too outrageous in their eyes.

In their minds, there can only be one legal wife.

Once the three of them can overcome this mental hurdle, Qingdeng will be able to finally build a "big family" as she wishes.