I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In short, Qingdeng's relationship with him ended there.

Whether Ikeda Toritaro lives or dies, whether he and that courtesan can find peace and happiness... all of this is no longer his concern.

The best connection between them would be never to meet again in their remaining years.

After seeing Ikeda Toritaro off, Aoto began to handle the trial of the Kiyoka Party.

There's really nothing to deal with.

The Shinsengumi Law explicitly stipulates the following: Anyone who betrays the enemy shall be executed on the spot!

It's written in black and white, and it's clear at a glance.

With the assistance of Ikeda Toritaro, Aoto has a large amount of evidence that "Kiyokawa Hachiro is plotting a rebellion".

The evidence is overwhelming; there's nothing to investigate.

Two days later, Kiyokawa Hachiro and his accomplices were taken to Sanjo Kawara and beheaded as a warning to the public.

Even at the moment of his execution, Kiyokawa Hachiro was still shouting, "I have done a great service to the Shinsengumi! Let me meet Mr. Tachibana!"

……

……

With Choshu gone and the Tosa loyalist party wiped out, Kyoto welcomed a long-awaited period of peace.

The pro-shogunate faction won a complete victory, and the tense atmosphere in Kyoto was no longer filled with the tension of impending war.

Soon, production and daily life in and around Kyoto began to gradually return to normal.

Recently, people can be seen having lively discussions in social venues such as izakayas, teahouses, and public bathhouses.

The topics they discussed were remarkably consistent.

From military and political bigwigs like Saigo Kinosuke and Matsudaira Katamori to ordinary people, everyone was eagerly anticipating the shogunate's reward for Seido!

What is certain at present is that Qingdeng will definitely become a powerful ruler who establishes a state.

If he doesn't become a great name this time, it would be truly an injustice.

Therefore, the main focus of the military and political leaders was on where Qing Deng would be enfeoffed and how much land he would receive.

The location of Qingdeng's fiefdom and the extent of the territory he received will greatly influence the political landscape for years, or even decades, to come! It cannot but be closely watched by all parties.

Amidst everyone's eager anticipation... unexpectedly, before the shogunate's reward arrived, the imperial court's honor came first!

On September 5, the Emperor issued an imperial edict.

This imperial edict was hundreds of words long, with all sorts of awkward phrases that made one's tongue twist and one's head ache when reading it.

In summary, it can be said that Tachibana Moriharu defeated the enemy in Yamato, brought peace to the world, and rendered meritorious service to the nation, hence he was granted the surname "Sukune"! His official rank was promoted two levels, becoming the governor of Aki!

From now on, Qingdeng will have a brand new name—

Genjuku Neji Tachibana Yagi Morishige Tomomori!

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Another 6,000 leopards today! Leopard has been so generous lately, it would be a real shame if you didn't vote for him! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

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

Volume 3 is finally coming to an end!

By the time the next volume comes out, Qing Deng will be getting married.

As you can probably tell, Leopard has been promoting Qingdeng's wedding lately.

Chapter 754: Being granted the title of Dajin! 30 stone of land! Domain name: Qinjin! 【5000】

Aki—also known as Aki Province, was one of the ancient provinces of Japan, also called Geishu. It was located in the western part of Oshima Island, Honshu, and bordered Choshu Domain.

Local officials in each country were collectively called "Guo Si," equivalent to a regional governor, in charge of all government affairs, including administration, justice, and security. The head official was called "Shou," and the deputy head official was called "Jie."

The so-called "Kami of Aki" is the highest administrative official of Aki Province, with a rank of Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade.

The officials in charge of state affairs were also divided into different ranks.

Japan comprises 66 countries, which are categorized into four groups based on population: large, upper, middle, and lower.

The governor of Aki belongs to the upper kingdom, and the governors of the upper kingdom are all of the fifth rank.

Qing Deng's original official position was Vice Minister of War, a sixth-rank official.

From the sixth rank down to the fifth rank down... directly skipping the sixth rank up, a promotion that skipped ranks!

This is already a very significant promotion!

Of course, these official positions bestowed by the imperial court were all honorary titles, also known as "nominal titles".

The fact that Aoto was appointed as the governor of Aki Province does not mean that he has the power to govern Aki Province.

In fact, that land in Aki Province already had a de facto ruler: the Hiroshima Domain, which had a population of 426,000 and was ruled by the Asano family.

If the imperial court can't even govern the capital city under its feet, how could it possibly have the ability to enfeoff its officials?

The Emperor and his ministers are good for nothing but empty talk and rhetoric.

The imperial court's bestowal of titles and rewards was basically just an expression of its attitude.

It expresses how much importance one attaches to this person, as well as their current status.

The specific content of the official position is not important, since it has no real power anyway.

Only the rank of an official position matters!

Take Aizu as an example.

Higo Province was a large country; throughout all of Japan, there were only 13 large countries like it.

Therefore, the official position of "guardian of a great power" is extremely precious and is never given to others lightly.

The Aizu Matsudaira family bore the heavy responsibility of "holding the northeast," which is why they were able to inherit the position of Higo no Kami (governor).

This reflects the importance and trust that the shogunate and the imperial court placed in Aizu.

Although there are no explicit regulations, according to long-standing practice, the "National Supervisor" position was usually bestowed upon daimyo.

Qingdeng was appointed governor of the upper kingdom in one fell swoop... Everyone had already sensed the political signal hidden in this!

What is certain at present is that the imperial court has received inside information from the shogunate.

Qingdeng will surely become a great name.

Moreover, it was a powerful daimyo with a vast territory!

In short, being appointed Governor of Aki only made Aoto's title shine even brighter.

From now on, it will no longer be "Orange Soldiers".

He has acquired a new honorific title.

According to convention, if one is appointed as "XX Guardian", one can refer to oneself as "XX" or "X Prefecture".

For example, Matsudaira Katamori was the governor of Higo Province, so he could refer to himself as "Hishu", "Matsudaira Higo", or "Matsudaira Hishu".

Similarly, from now on, others can call Qingdeng "Anju", "Ju Anyi", or "Ju Anju", and Qingdeng can also refer to himself by these names.

Tachibana Yasuki... Aoto was quite satisfied with the new title he had received; it sounded quite nice.

The common people's attention was focused on Qing Deng's official position as "An Yi Shou".

For ordinary people who lack education, the reward that Qing Deng received was easy to understand; it simply meant becoming the nominal highest-ranking official in Aki Province.

As for the other reward Qingdeng received... namely, "being granted the surname 'Su Ni'", the common people did not know much about it.

Sumi? What is that?

Lord Niou, would you like to change your name to "Sukune Aoto"?

In fact, anyone with even a slight understanding of Japanese politics can immediately tell that, in terms of sheer prestige, "Kami of Aki" is far inferior to "Sukune"!

Upon learning that Aoto had been appointed "Governor of Aki", neither Saigo Kichinosuke, Matsudaira Katamori, nor any of Japan's military and political leaders were surprised.

However, upon learning that Qing Deng had been given the surname "Su Ne," they were all astonished.

"Sukuni" is one of the "Eight Surnames".

In ancient Japan, "uji" indicated the clan or profession from which one came, while "sei" indicated one's status and position based on their relationship with the Yamato royal power.

Simply put, a "surname" is a noble title used to signify status and distinguish social class.

Initially, both the "clan name" and the "surname" were bestowed by the Emperor. The main "surnames" were "臣" (shin), "连" (ren), and "伴造" (banzo).

After Emperor Tenmu ascended the throne, he revised the surname.

In October of the thirteenth year of the Tenmu era (684), Emperor Tenmu issued an edict stipulating: "Change the clan names of all people and create eight different surnames to confuse all the surnames under heaven. The first is Zhenren, the second is Chaochen, the third is Sumi, the fourth is Jicun, the fifth is Daoshi, the sixth is Chen, the seventh is Lian, and the eighth is Daozhi."

And so, the "Eight Surnames" were officially born.

The order of the "Eight Surnames" is determined based on the closeness of each clan's ancestors or their relationship with the imperial family, and from high to low they are Zhenren, Chaochen, Sukne, Jisun, Daoshi, Chen, Lian, and Daozhi.

In reality, the first four surnames were the ones that were actually granted the privileges, while there are no instances of the latter four surnames being granted them in historical records.

Although the granting of the "Eight Surnames" was discontinued in the Heian period, successive shoguns, including Toyotomi Hideyoshi who served as the Taiko Kanpaku, still used the surnames of "court men" to refer to themselves.

In other words, it's about embellishing one's own image to elevate one's status and position.

From the Heian period to the present, the imperial court has not granted the "Eight Surnames" to outsiders for several hundred years.

Today, the ancient "Eight Surnames" have reappeared, and Qing Deng has become the first person to obtain the "Eight Surnames" in five hundred years... This is truly unbelievable.

Upon learning of this, Saigo Kinosuke, Matsudaira Katamori, and others sent people to investigate.

Soon, they learned the truth—the recent movement to honor and suppress the imperial court had restored its authority, making it no longer the insignificant mascot it once was.

In addition, the power of the shogunate was severely weakened, and the constraints on the imperial court were greatly reduced.

Therefore, the ministers decided to revive the ancient practice of bestowing "eight surnames" upon meritorious officials in order to enhance the court's presence.

The surname Qingdeng was bestowed was "Su Ni," which was of the third rank, second only to Zhenren and Chaochen.

Although he was given a surname, this does not mean that Qingdeng will change his name to "Sumi Qingdeng" from now on.