I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As for Kinoshita Mai and Kiryu Boss, they returned to the Gourd House first.

Returning to her long-lost hometown, Kinoshita Mai felt extremely excited.

Upon setting foot on Osaka soil, he exuded an indescribable joy.

Not only that, even the language template has been switched back to the "Osaka dialect" mode.

Aoto rarely hears Kinoshita Mai speak Osaka dialect.

So when Kinoshita Mai spoke fluent Osaka dialect, Aoto found it particularly interesting and novel.

A delicate and beautiful young woman who usually speaks standard Mandarin suddenly starts speaking with a strong Northeastern accent—that's probably the kind of contrast she creates.

……

……

The next day, early morning—

The innkeeper, Kiryu, arrived alone to greet Aoto.

"Tachibana-kun, did you sleep well last night?"

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"I never have a bad night's sleep."

With the blessing of his natural "sleep god" talent, Qingdeng has long forgotten what "insomnia" and "poor sleep quality" feel like.

Qingdeng knew that today would be a crucial day, so he went to bed early last night and had a long sleep that he hadn't had in a long time.

Thanks to this, Qingdeng is now in excellent spirits! Both his body and mind are at their peak!

"Ah That's good."

Kiryu nodded, then gave a strange, wry smile:

"You're going to have a tough day. Anyway, be prepared!"

*******

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Chapter 773 Qingdeng's greeting gift is a fight! [4600]

In Iwakura, a northern suburb of Kyoto, lies an unassuming bungalow, housing a teahouse.

"Mr. Gui, please sit down, there's no need for formalities."

The middle-aged man made a "please" gesture.

"Then... I shall respectfully accept your offer."

The young man straightened his clothes and then sat down facing the middle-aged man—there were no other outsiders in this elegant tea room besides the two of them.

The middle-aged man addressed the young man as "Mr. Gui"... The latter's identity was already obvious.

It was none other than Katsura Kogoro, one of the "Three Heroes of Choshu"!

Katsura Kogoro was covered in dust, his hair was messy, and his face was covered in patches of black and white.

At first glance, I thought he was some country bumpkin from the countryside.

Now, the Changshu Domain has been labeled a traitor by the imperial court, and the people of Changshu have become utterly despised.

In order to sneak into Kyoto, Katsura Kogoro had to disguise himself as an unremarkable country samurai in order to avoid being noticed.

As the de facto rulers of the Choshu Domain, the "Three Heroes of Choshu"... namely, Katsura Kogoro, Takasugi Shinsaku, and Kusaka Genzui, all topped the recently released "wanted list" issued by the shogunate.

Their wanted posters were plastered all over the streets and alleys of various cities and towns, and the bounty for all three was the same - the reward for killing them was 100 taels of gold; the reward for capturing them was ten times that amount, 1,000 taels of gold!

Of course, this series of bounties on the "Three Heroes of Choshu" is merely for creating a "stirring atmosphere" and is unlikely to have any real effect.

Regardless of the fact that they are all top-notch swordsmen, it is already extremely difficult to pinpoint their exact whereabouts.

They're all unpredictable people; who knows where they are now or where they'll go next.

Following the "August 18th Coup," the allied states of Hatatsu, Aizu, and Satsuma deployed heavy troops to blockade Kyoto and guard against infiltration by Choshu people.

However... in feudal times when high-tech means were lacking, even the most stringent blockades would always have loopholes.

Ancient Japanese castle towns did not have castle walls for protection.

The full name of the castle town is "castle town", which means "the town below the castle".

Only the residences of lords, such as Edo Castle, Osaka Castle, and Takatori Castle, had walls.

As for the towns surrounding the castle, they had no defensive structures and could be entered and exited at will.

Without city walls, there are no city gates, and it is impossible to seal off the town by "strictly controlling the city gates".

In other words, to completely blockade Kyoto, every road connecting Kyoto to the outside world would need to be strictly controlled... It's obvious that this is simply unrealistic!

Therefore, there are countless ways to infiltrate large towns like Kyoto.

Thus, although somewhat reckless, Katsura Kogoro successfully infiltrated Kyoto without any major incidents.

"Mr. Gui, it's been such a long time since we last met."

The middle-aged man spoke up, half-jokingly.

"At that time, you were a spirited leader of the pro-shogunate faction, while I was a highly regarded pro-shogunate courtier."

"But now, you've become a desperate and desperate fugitive, while I've become a monk forced into seclusion."

"Alas, is it fate? Or destiny?"

Katsura Kogoro smiled slightly and calmly responded to the middle-aged man with the opening poem of "The Tale of the Heike":

“‘The bell of Gion Shrine rings out, telling of the impermanence of all things.’”

Katsura Kogoro risked his life to sneak into Kyoto in order to meet this middle-aged man.

This shows that this person is no ordinary person.

In fact, it is true.

This middle-aged man is indeed a remarkable celebrity—a powerful courtier who has gained considerable prominence in recent years: Iwakura Tomomi.

Iwakura Tomomi came from a humble "half-family".

According to convention, those from "half-family" backgrounds were destined to be excluded from high-ranking official positions and generous salaries.

However, thanks to his outstanding talent, he gradually gained the trust and favor of the higher-ups and became an important member of the court.

A year ago, he strongly advocated for the "union of the court and the military" and urged Princess Kazuya to marry Tokugawa Iemochi, thus facilitating the alliance between the imperial court and the shogunate.

Miyamoto was unwilling to go to Edo, and even made the harsh statement, "Even if I become a nun, I will not marry into the Kanto region."

In order to force Kazumiya to submit, Iwakura Tomomi used every means possible, including bribery and coercion, and finally succeeded in isolating Kazumiya. With no other options, Kazumiya had no choice but to agree to the marriage.

Iwakura Tomomi's "wholehearted support for the 'Koubu Gatai' (a system of public and private alliances)" behavior unsurprisingly aroused great dissatisfaction among the pro-imperial faction.

The pro-revolutionary faction identified him as a treacherous minister who brought disaster to the country and the people, and listed him as one of the "four traitors" who must be eliminated in this lifetime.

After Kazumiya married into Edo, Iwakura Tomomi, who was promoted to Right General of the Imperial Guard, also went with her.

Later, the movement to promote respect and righteousness in the Gyeonggi region intensified.

The pro-democracy faction strongly demanded that Iwakura Tomomi be severely punished.

Unable to withstand the pressure, the imperial court had no choice but to order him to resign, become a monk, and forbid him from leaving the palace.

Thus, Iwakura Tomomi was forced to live in seclusion in Iwakura Village on the northern outskirts of Kyoto, leading a life of retirement indifferent to worldly affairs.

Of course, his "indifference to worldly affairs" only remained on the surface.

In reality, he had been secretly observing the situation in the world, maintaining contact with the imperial court, and actively engaging with major powers such as Choshu, Satsuma, Aizu, and Shinsengumi.

He had once invited Aoto to his home for dinner, but Aoto declined, citing "being too busy" as the reason—not as a polite gesture, but because he was genuinely busy. At that time, Aoto had just quelled a rebellion in the Ise region and was busy with the aftermath and the subsequent military expansion plan.

Anyone with a discerning eye could immediately see that Iwakura Tomomi was a rare talent and pragmatist in the imperial court.

He is pragmatic, down-to-earth, decisive, and responsible. He is not the kind of dreamer who only talks big, and is far superior to people like Mitsuyoshi Mitsuyoshi.

Knowing full well that he would offend the pro-government faction and could potentially lose his life, he still forcefully pushed forward the process of "union of public and military forces"—this kind of courage alone far surpasses that of ordinary people.

In terms of political stance, Iwakura Tomomi, who supported the "union of the public and the military," was undoubtedly a member of the pro-shogunate faction.

Although the pro-shogunate officials in the court were incompetent, they were not so weak as to waste such talents.

Previously, despite the pro-shogunate faction's relentless pressure, the pro-shogunate nobles still clung to Iwakura Tomomi.

The reason he was only dismissed from his post instead of being killed was, in effect, to protect him in a roundabout way.

Nowadays, the pro-shogunate court nobles, led by Sanjo Sanetomi, have been driven out of Kyoto, and the pro-shogunate court nobles who have now come to power are mostly mediocre.

In order to ensure the dignity and normal operation of the imperial court, the pro-shogunate nobles had no choice but to rely on Iwakura Tomomi.

Thus, Iwakura Tomomi gained immense influence that was disproportionate to her status.

It's no exaggeration to say that compared to the emperor, who has no presence whatsoever, and the other court nobles who are utterly useless, Iwakura Tomomi is the one who can represent the power of the court today!

Although he is currently retired, his return to public life depends entirely on an imperial decree.

When the time is right, the imperial court will surely reinstate him and strengthen its own power.

Therefore, the imperial court was not a mascot without its own consciousness; they were quite cunning.

The person who can influence the will of the court is not in the Imperial Palace, but in an inconspicuous village on the northern outskirts of Kyoto... It is both ridiculous and ironic.

"Mr. Iwakura, I won't waste any more words."

Katsura Kogoro bypassed pleasantries and spoke solemnly and earnestly:

"I'm here to discuss cooperation with you."

Iwakura Tomomi chuckled to himself.

"Cooperation? Mr. Gui, you overestimate me. I'm just a retired gentleman now. What can we possibly discuss with you?"