I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"In that case, the three of us should work together to prevent infighting."

"Moreover... even considering only my deep friendship with Xiaosi, I am unwilling to blame Xiaosi."

It must be said that these words are very much in Sanako's style.

As a textbook example of a virtuous and gentle woman, the philosophy she was taught from childhood was to be a perfect and supportive wife.

She helps her husband manage the household and fosters friendly relations between wives and concubines, allowing him to focus all his energy on his career without any worries.

After hearing Sanako's words, Ama hesitated.

She would sometimes lightly bite her lower lip, and sometimes continue to cast her "deep" gaze at Qingdeng.

It was obvious—she didn't seem willing to let Qingdeng off the hook so easily.

However, his eyes gradually regained their clarity, no longer appearing muddled.

At this moment, Sanako's face hardened again, and she said in a serious tone:

"Tachibana-kun, I'm not getting angry because the object of my affection is Tsukasa."

"If it were someone else, I wouldn't let it go so easily."

"From now on, don't let me find you going to brothels or pleasure quarters."

“It’s one thing for A-Wu and Xiao-Si, but I can’t accept you playing around with prostitutes.”

No sooner had Sanako finished speaking than Qing Deng straightened his back instantly, and said in a righteous voice:

"Of course! I assure you, I will never have any dealings with prostitutes in my entire life!"

Qingdeng disliked places of entertainment, so his words were not made up to fool the other party, but rather came from the bottom of his heart.

As he made the resolute guarantee, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, and he thought to himself that he should be safe and sound now.

For the first time, he realized that Sanako, who was always planning and drawing circles, was actually so understanding!

Thanks to her understanding, his heart, which had been pounding, gradually calmed down, and the cold sweat that had soaked his entire nightgown slowly stopped.

As luck would have it, just as Qingdeng finished speaking, a loud noise suddenly came from outside the window.

Whoosh—smack!

Whoosh—smack!

Whoosh—smack!

……

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing cry, like the whistling of an arrow, rang out from the sky.

Immediately following was a tremendous, explosive sound.

At the same time, multicolored light shone in from the window, illuminating the faces of Qing Deng and the others.

Qingdeng and the others instinctively looked in the direction of the sound—it was quite lively outside the window!

Clusters of fireworks shot up with a "whoosh," reaching their highest point before bursting into countless colorful flowers with a "pop."

Red, yellow, white, blue... a dazzling array of colors, incredibly vibrant.

The dazzling light dispelled the darkness and ushered in the day.

As fireworks rose into the sky, the excited shouts of children could be faintly heard from afar.

Looking at the bustling scene outside the window, Qingdeng paused for a moment, then chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"I almost forgot... today is Lunar New Year's Eve..."

As he spoke, he opened the cabinet next to him and took out a simple pocket watch—the hour and minute hands overlapped, exactly at midnight.

如此，现在已不再是1863年的12月30日，而是1864年的1月1日！

[Note: The Edo period used the lunar calendar, so there was no 31st day of each month; there were only the 29th or 30th.]

"Happy New Year, Tachibana-kun, Mai, and Sanako!"

Souji's cheerful voice attracted the attention of Qing Deng and the others.

Sanako and Ama exchanged a glance, and then offered their sincere New Year's greetings one after the other.

Qingdeng glanced at the three women, then put away his pocket watch with a peaceful smile on his face.

"Yes, Happy New Year!"

He had barely finished speaking when he unconsciously let out a long breath—he involuntarily recalled the past year.

Overall... this year has been exceptionally busy.

At the beginning of the year, he formed the Shinsengumi and traveled around to expand it, while also suppressing a rebellion in the Iga region.

In the middle of the year, the Aizu and Satsuma Domains joined forces to launch the "August 18th Coup," expelling the pro-imperial faction from Kyoto and swiftly annihilating the Tenchu ​​Group, which was causing trouble in Yamato.

At the end of the year, he was busy building up the Qin Jin Domain. He finally managed to bring together the Qin Jin Domain and the Hulu House. On the last day of the year, he successfully held his wedding with his three daughters.

Although it was an incredibly busy year, it was also a year full of meaning.

That year, he became the Commander of the Capital Garrison.

That year, he became the leader of the Eighth Prince, who controlled the gateway to Kanto.

That year, he became a powerful daimyo who controlled a region and possessed a fiefdom of 30 shi (a unit of dry measure).

That year, his dream of "building a big family" finally came true.

In just one year, a lot of things happened.

Compared to a year ago, Qingdeng is now a completely different person.

He not only became a unique pillar of the shogunate, reaching the highest position among his ministers, but also married three beautiful wives.

Some say that Qingdeng is "successful in love, war, and officialdom"—and that's no exaggeration!

In the eyes of others, Qingdeng is now a winner in life that is hard to match.

Let alone thinking about catching up with him! She doesn't even have the courage to be jealous of him!

After exchanging New Year's greetings, the man and three women turned their gaze out the window again, quietly admiring the dazzling fireworks.

During the Edo period, the scene of "setting off fireworks" was not common. It was only possible to see it during New Year's Day and fireworks festivals.

The flickering sparks convey a direct sense that the old year has passed and the new year has arrived.

Of course, Qingdeng and the others did not spend too much time sightseeing.

After all... tonight is their "wedding night"!

Suddenly, Sanako muttered in a very low voice, barely audible:

"A moment of bliss on the night of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold... We can't dawdle any longer..."

Neither A-Mai nor Souji heard her voice.

Because of his talent "Sensor of Wind +4" and his sharp ears, Qing Deng heard everything clearly.

When Qingdeng looked at her curiously, he saw that she seemed to have made up her mind, sitting upright with her legs together and her hands naturally placed on her thighs.

Immediately afterwards, facing Qingdeng, she placed three fingers on the ground and solemnly and slowly lowered her upper body—

"I am a novice and I hope you will guide me in the future!"

She lowered her head very low, revealing her smooth, white nape. The two sides of her dress parted slightly under the influence of gravity, revealing a more intimate and alluring view.

Sanako's actions stunned Aoto and the other two women.

Then, Qing Deng, a beat slow, remembered that in ancient Japan, women with even a little bit of manners would say this solemn, vow-like phrase to their husbands on their wedding night.

Seeing this, A-Mai and Souji blinked their beautiful eyes a few times, then seemed to come to their senses, hurriedly straightening their postures and then imitating them by bending their upper bodies down:

"I am but a humble woman, please guide me in the future!" *2

Looking at the three women who immediately lowered their bodies and adopted a submissive posture, Qing Deng was flattered and at a loss for words.

He really didn't know how he, as a husband, should respond when his wives said those words...

What should I say now?

—You can't exactly say, "My dear wives, please rise," can you?

Just as Qing Deng was pondering to himself, Sanako, who was opposite him, suddenly straightened up.

"Alright... all the proper etiquette has been done."

When she sat up straight again, her expression returned to its usual indifferent state, devoid of joy or sorrow.

She stared intently at Qingdeng, then fired a dagger-like question:

"Tachibana-kun, there's a question I've been wanting to ask since earlier—why did you make that 'relieved' expression?"

She tilted her head, looking at Qingdeng with a strange expression, her eyes filled with confusion.

"You seem to have misunderstood something."

"I just said I wouldn't blame Xiao Si. When did I say I would let you off the hook?"

"He says 'I love you all,' but behind my back he abandons me and A-Wu and secretly has fun with Xiao Si..."

"I'm not going to let you off so easily."

"Trying to get away with this...you're dreaming!"

The more Sanako spoke, the lower and colder her tone became, as if her words were filled with frost.

In that instant... it really was just a blink of an eye! Qing Deng's body suddenly froze as if he had been petrified!

The cold sweat that had just stopped suddenly surged up again.

Qing Deng subconsciously raised his eyes and cast a pleading look at the commander.

Oh dear, this ceiling is just too much! Souji looked up at the ceiling with an "innocent" expression, his eyes unblinking, completely ignoring Aoto's distress signal.

Ever since Sanako "betrayed" her, A-Mai's face has been etched with a gloomy expression.

Now, she was taken aback for a moment, then slowly revealed a joyful expression, her gloomy look completely gone.

She and Sanako cast "deep" glances at Aoto, their eyes once again turning terrifying and horrifying.

Perhaps sensing danger... at this moment, the "combat instinct" accumulated from years of battles came into play!