I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The Kondo couple certainly wouldn't interfere with Aoto's marriage.

Although Ms. Okita Hikaru did not say it explicitly, Aoto could clearly sense that she did not object to his idea of ​​having "three legal wives".

As for Sanako's family, that's easy to handle too.

Chiba Jutaro, Chiba Eijiro... they were all juniors and had no say.

The only person who could make the final decision on Sanako's marriage was her father, Chiba Sadakichi.

Aoto and Chiba Sadakichi were old friends.

He had known about the other party's criteria for choosing a son-in-law long beforehand.

First of all, Sanako must be the legal wife.

Secondly, Sanako's husband must be a reliable and loving husband.

Finally, the other party must have a certain level of financial capability, so that Sanako won't starve.

In general, Chiba Sadakichi's requirements were basically a copy of Kinoshita Rin's ideas on choosing a son-in-law, with little difference between them.

What a coincidence! Qingdeng perfectly meets all the conditions! Not a single one is unqualified!

Aoto firmly believed that when he showed his utmost sincerity, and when necessary, pressed his forehead hard against the tatami mat and desperately shouted, "Please hand over Sanako to me!", he would surely win Chiba Sadakichi's heart and ultimately succeed!

If all goes well, Qing Deng plans to hold a grand wedding within the next two months, where he will "marry three wives at the same time".

He thought Kinoshita Rin's idea of ​​"holding the wedding on New Year's Eve" was quite good.

Welcoming the New Year on a sweet, tiring, sweaty, and breathless wedding night...it doesn't feel bad!

Incidentally, the reason why Aoto was in such a hurry to get married was entirely to stabilize the morale of the Shinsengumi and the Hatatsu Domain.

It's definitely not about experiencing the ultimate pleasure of being a husband as quickly as possible!

Unbeknownst to them, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai walked into a long alley bustling with people.

This long alley seems to be a "pub street", with izakayas of all sizes located inside.

Nighttime is the domain of drunkards.

This was especially true during the Edo period, when entertainment options were scarce.

"Going out for drinks with friends" was one of the few forms of nightlife during the Edo period.

Every izakaya in the alley was lit up, illuminating the entire long alley as if it were daytime.

"Drink some more! Drink some more!"

"Look at this Bintaro, he got drunk after only a few bottles, he's really lame."

"That Bintaro is such a loser!"

"From what you're saying, you seem pretty brave?"

"Just kidding, I'm super strong, okay? I can drink a lot!"

……

They may be alone or in small groups.

It could be laughter or howling ghosts.

Countless drunkards frequent this alley, adding a lively and bustling atmosphere.

This lively scene made Qingdeng feel quite nostalgic.

When he was practicing swordsmanship at the Shieikan, he often went out drinking with Kondo Isami and others, getting completely drunk.

Qingdeng never drank too much, so he rarely got drunk.

A very few individuals—mainly the Chief—are always drinking too much, and it's common for them to black out, always requiring Qing Deng to carry them home.

Just as Qingdeng was secretly reminiscing and feeling sentimental—

Hey! Look! They're Westerners!

"Tsk! How come there are barbarians here?"

"This guy's eyes are blue... How disgusting!"

"Hey! You barbarian! Get out of here! You're not welcome here!"

"Get out! Do you understand our language? We're telling you to get out!"

……

The sudden burst of insults caught Qingdeng's attention.

Qing Deng looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw a handsome middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes.

*******

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Chapter 785 The Blonde Girl "Alice de Orleans" [4500]

With golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and strikingly different features from those of people from the East, this was undoubtedly a foreigner from the West.

More than ten drunkards, their faces flushed and their steps unsteady, surrounded him from all directions.

The former made no attempt to hide his hostility, glaring fiercely at the latter.

This stranger was very tall, about 1.9 meters, with broad shoulders and a thick chest, making him the best example of the phrase "tall and strong".

Standing in the middle of this group of drunkards, one is inexplicably struck by the comical feeling of "giants coming to Lilliput".

Because of his imposing figure, the drunkards around him, despite their ferocious and menacing appearances, couldn't help but swallow hard, their eyes flashing with fear.

It's worth mentioning that this stranger's attire was quite interesting.

In the West today, the so-called "gentleman's culture" is in full swing.

Whenever they go out, in order to show their social status, men always wear black suits, or even gorgeous tailcoats, top hats, and carry a cane that is of no use except to trip themselves up.

In contrast, this stranger was not wearing such classic clothing, but rather a Japanese-style outfit.

Yellow kimono, gray hakama, black cloth socks, high-toothed wooden clogs... everything was there.

The kimono on the upper body is tucked in with the front lapels folded to the right.

The hakama (traditional Chinese blouse) on the lower body is also folded into five folds representing "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness".

Judging from his attire alone, he looked more Japanese than any Japanese person.

Although Qing Deng didn't know the origin of this stranger, he guessed that the other party was probably a merchant who had lived in Osaka for a long time.

Osaka Bay is one of Japan’s busiest ports.

Osaka is a "commercial capital" famous for doing business.

This naturally attracted countless overseas businessmen.

Every day, countless merchant ships from the West raced and competed on the waters of Osaka Bay.

Therefore, apart from Nagasaki, which has always been a gateway for foreign exchanges, and Edo, where embassies were concentrated, Osaka had the largest number of Westerners.

In short, it's not unusual to encounter Westerners on the streets of Osaka.

In terms of atmosphere, Osaka, with its strong commercial atmosphere, is undoubtedly much more open than Edo and Kyoto.

Most businessmen are like this—as long as there's money to be made, they don't care who the other party is or where they come from.

Even so, swept along by the tide of the times, it was destined that the ideas of "Westerners are evil barbarians" and "Westerners have destroyed the peace of this country" would take root and spread in Osaka.

A significant number of Osaka residents harbored strong resentment towards Westerners and treated them with great malice.

Of course, the hostility of these Osaka townspeople towards Westerners was not entirely due to ideological opposition.

The sudden arrival of Westerners did indeed have a very negative impact on the townspeople of the "commercial capital"... especially on the small and medium-sized merchants.

Western countries have basically entered the industrial age.

"Goods from large factories" are not only produced in huge quantities, but also of high quality and low price, naturally giving them a crushing victory over "goods from handicraft workshops".

Faced with this unprecedented new challenge, the large and powerful business tycoons are handling it with ease.

But for small businesses, or even those that rely solely on a single shop for a living, life is miserable.

Business became difficult, incomes plummeted, merchants went bankrupt one after another, and the economy declined... indirectly impacting the lives of ordinary people as well.

As a result, the townspeople naturally vented their resentment on the Westerners—in fact, it was indeed the latter's fault.

"Everyone! Please calm down!"

Suddenly, the stranger spoke up, speaking loudly in Japanese.

As soon as he spoke, everyone present, including Qing Deng, was taken aback.

The reason is simple—this person's Japanese is extremely standard! Almost no accent whatsoever!

If you only hear his voice but don't see his face, you might mistake him for a storyteller with a clear and resonant voice.

Despite being a Westerner, he could speak fluent and standard Japanese... which inexplicably reminded Qing Deng of Elodie.

"I was just passing through this place by chance, and I meant no harm!"

As he spoke, he raised his arms, making a "surrender" gesture, with a smile on his lips, looking completely harmless.

"I don't want to fight against you! Please let me leave!"

As he spoke, he turned his body so that everyone present could see his kind expression.

Because of the angle, Qing Deng hadn't been able to see the person's face.

Now, because the other person's face had turned towards him, Qing Deng was finally able to see their face clearly.

Overall, he's a very handsome middle-aged man.

He was around 40 years old, very handsome, with a short beard on his chin, and his already sculpted features looked as if they had been carved by a knife.

His nose, which was both straight and high, and his sapphire-like eyes were particularly exquisite.

Logically speaking, men of this age are usually out of shape and develop an unsightly belly.