I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Its internal problems have become so deep that they are difficult to reverse."

"Its corruption is so severe that it cannot be salvaged by producing one or two wise rulers or three or four famous ministers."

"The vast majority of the retainers were only concerned with making a living and had no ideals whatsoever."

"Even the smallest thing can drag on for months; they're incredibly inefficient."

"If we cooperate with the shogunate, we will only be held back. It is better to go it alone."

Although Kinoshita Rin kept criticizing the shogunate, Seito showed no sign of getting angry.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that he not only didn't want to oppose Kinoshita Rin, but actually wanted to nod in agreement!

His emotional connection with the shogunate consisted only of a few close friends, led by Katsura Rintaro, and the mother and son—the latter being the closest.

Seito had absolutely no good feelings towards the shogunate itself.

He worked his way up from the bottom, so he witnessed firsthand the darkness and injustice within the shogunate.

No human being with a sound mind would like such an extremely corrupt feudal regime.

Seido was not the kind of pedantic Confucian scholar whose mind was filled with Neo-Confucianism. He would not abandon reason and blindly support the shogunate just because the shogunate paid him a salary.

Kinoshita Rin continued speaking:

"Just when I had given up hope of an 'alliance,' you appeared."

"I must say, you came at just the right time."

“I am not interested in any of the alliance conditions you have proposed, except for ‘jointly resisting the persecution of the Party by the law’.”

"So, I've been waiting anxiously all this time."

"Although I waited a long time... fortunately, the result did not disappoint me."

"Regarding this alliance between us, you do not need to make any concessions to us."

"We don't need any of those 'dividends' or 'priority development rights'."

"You only need to do one thing well: completely eliminate the Fa-Zhu Party!"

At this point, Kinoshita Rin suddenly raised her voice.

“Aki, I’m very serious about this all-out war against the Fazhi Party.”

“If one day you break your promise and no longer take ‘eliminating the law and punishing the party’ as your mission, then… you should be prepared.”

"Such a serious betrayal cannot be resolved simply by 'withdrawing investment'."

"I will do everything in my power to get revenge on you."

"To make you deeply regret your foolish actions."

"I hope you will always remember what I just said."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng's expression immediately turned stern.

"Ms. Kinoshita, please rest assured."

"I am taking this all-out war against the Party and the law very seriously!"

Kinoshita Rin narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Aoto's expression while a smile curled at the corners of her lips:

"Very good, your expression is good."

"Alright, let's end the talks on the 'alliance' here for now."

"Next, let's talk about... your marriage with A-Wu."

Qing Deng, who was righteous and awe-inspiring just a second ago, was petrified the next second, his facial features frozen.

“From this moment on, our identities are no longer ‘Master of the Gourd House’ and ‘Lord of Qinjin’, but ‘Grandma’ and ‘the brat who came to propose marriage’.”

"So, from now on I'll be calling you 'kid,' you don't mind, right?"

Qingdeng silently lowered his head and said weakly:

"Please, please go ahead..."

“Very well, then…”

Kinoshita Rin's expression suddenly changed, becoming exceptionally cold and terrifying.

"You brat, answer me honestly, did you and A-Wu do it?"

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

P.S.: The "Osaka trip" is almost over. Next up is the much-anticipated Aoto's wedding! Yay! (Leopard excited.jpg) It's just a pity I'm broke... otherwise I really wanted to hire an artist to draw the heroines in their white kimonos! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Chapter 780 The Invincible Warrior! The Engagement is Set! The Wedding is on New Year's Eve! [4400]

"What...! Grandma! What are you asking?!" Before Qing Deng could respond, Kinoshita Mai was the first to get angry.

Her face immediately turned red, as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her cheeks, and translucent steam seemed to rise from the top of her head.

Asking directly "whether you have done it"... in the Edo period, this was indeed an extremely bold question.

No sooner had Kinoshita Rin finished asking than Aoto hurriedly replied:

No! Absolutely not!

"..."

Kinoshita Rin did not speak.

She lowered her eyelids—a sharp, knife-like gaze and a heavy, mountain-like pressure fell on Qingdeng's shoulders.

Her gaze was like a hook, as if she wouldn't stop until she hooked out Qingdeng's soul.

Despite feeling immense pressure, Qingdeng did not flinch or back down.

He straightened his chest, tried his best to put on a natural expression, and silently endured Kinoshita Rin's gaze, appearing "fearless in the face of danger."

In fact, he did not lie, so he naturally had no reason to feel guilty.

As of now, he and Kinoshita Mai have not yet gone to Wushan together.

Most likely, it was because she had been advised by her grandmother that Kinoshita Mai always adhered to the bottom line that "this is something that can only be done after marriage."

However... Qing Deng's answer found a loophole.

He and Kinoshita Mai never crossed that final line.

But... they did everything else imaginable!

Hugs, kisses... these are just the most basic and insignificant actions.

In short—they had a blast!

Qing Deng felt... no! He was certain! If he were to reveal the details of his "private conversations" with Kinoshita Mai, the consequences would be extremely severe...

So he cleverly chose to play dumb—he would answer whatever you asked; if you didn't ask, he wouldn't say anything.

"...It seems you weren't lying."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Kinoshita Rin abruptly changed the subject.

"However, it seems you're hiding something as well."

Instantly, a few drops of cold sweat seeped from Qingdeng's forehead...

Fortunately, the other party didn't press the matter further, but instead changed to a leisurely tone and started a different topic:

"...I have no intention of interfering in A-Wu's marriage."

“I’m not like those guys who treat their children as tools.”

"First of all, I have not fallen so low as to need to 'adopt children' or 'marry into other people' in order to maintain my livelihood and power."

"Secondly, for some reason, I really dislike the kind of behavior that 'kidnaps' children and 'imposes one's own will on children'."

She paused, then turned to Qingdeng and asked:

"Kid, did A-Wu tell you how I adopted her?"

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then immediately replied:

“I know a little. But she rarely goes into details, so I don’t know much.”

Kinoshita Rin nodded slightly.

"Then, I'll take this opportunity to tell you all about it."

She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words.

When she spoke again, a look of reminiscence appeared on her cheeks.

"Although it may sound like I'm bragging, I really am a very passionate person when it comes to my work."

“When I was just a teenage girl, I traveled around, started from scratch, built this gourd house, and worked hard to make it bigger.”

"The reason for doing this is not to make a lot of money, nor to become some great person."

"I just enjoy the feeling of 'challenging myself'."

"And so I kept working, working, and working again."

"When I came to my senses, I already had two gray hairs on my head."

[Note: "Er Mao" refers to black hair mixed with white hair, a term used by the ancients.]

"Originally, I didn't have a strong interest in the matter of 'raising offspring'."

“I was prepared to be infertile for life” long ago.

"However... perhaps it was fate, but 15 years ago in the spring, I met A-Wu."

"At that time, I was taking a walk in the streets of Osaka on a whim, and I happened to pass by a shrine—right at the entrance of this shrine, I found this child."

"She was only 3 years old at the time, wearing tattered clothes, standing there blankly and alone, with no one around her."

"It's obvious—she was abandoned here by her parents in the hope that the shrine would take her in, preferably as a shrine maiden, so that she could learn a way to make a living."