I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Mr. Dongcheng, it's been a long time."

As he spoke, Qingdeng raised the wine glass in his hand.

Seeing this, the fat man sitting next to him also raised his glass.

With a crisp clink, the two wine glasses gently touched together.

“Tachibana-kun… no, I should call you ‘Your Highness’ now. You don’t need to be so polite. You are now my direct superior, and your politeness makes me feel awkward.”

A bulky body, messy hair, and a sallow complexion... This eye-catching appearance belongs to none other than Aoto's old acquaintance: Toujou Shintaro!

Criminal investigators who are skilled at solving cases and have keen insight are extremely rare.

If Nishino Hosojiro hadn't died, he would have been a good candidate.

Although Hosojiro Nishino has a bad temper, his criminal investigation skills and his strong sense of justice are exactly what Aoto needs most right now.

If he becomes the Kyoto governor, he will definitely put in his utmost effort and not stop until the "Chōshū Madmen Group" is completely wiped out.

What a pity... he is gone, and these daydreams are meaningless now.

Finally, after careful searching and repeated discussions, the final choice was made: Shintaro Tojo.

And so, with an order from his superiors, Shintaro Tojo left the Edo Hokuban-sho, where he had served for more than a decade, and went to Kyoto to take up the post of "First Generation Kyoto Supervisor".

Once upon a time, Aoto was a close friend of the town's leader, and Toujou Shintaro was a close friend of the town's leader, with the two having a superior-subordinate relationship.

Now, their relationship has reverted to that of superior and subordinate, only the order of their positions has been reversed.

That being said, Shintaro Toujou hadn't really bullied Aoto much before.

Therefore, Qingdeng didn't have that kind of exhilarating feeling of "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate a young man's potential" or "Hahaha! You've finally met your match!"

After more than half a year, Shintaro Toujou's appearance is still the same, so shabby that it's unbearable to look at.

His enormous belly had grown even bigger, and his bird's nest-like hair seemed even more disheveled.

However, despite his appearance, he is, after all, a member of the Hokuban-sho-cho clan.

Although his skills are not enough to be called a "super detective", his experience in criminal investigation is far beyond what ordinary people can achieve.

In conclusion, Shintaro Toujou is a rare and capable individual.

Upon learning that the person in charge of "the first generation Kyoto director" was Shintaro Tojo, Aoto couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Because the Kyoto Magistrate was deemed inadequate, Aoto specifically proposed the creation of a new position.

If the person sent to assist him is also an incompetent good-for-nothing, then Qingdeng will truly be left speechless with despair.

In the period that follows, he and Shintaro Toujou will join hands to fight against the treacherous villains.

Therefore, it is definitely right to maintain good relationships with each other.

To show his respect for the other party, Qingdeng specially ordered people to prepare a grand welcome banquet for today.

The restaurant they were currently in was the largest and most prestigious restaurant in Gion, bar none.

Its lavish decor alone was enough to deter ordinary people from approaching it.

Besides Aoto, his important subordinates who were able to spare the time—such as Yamanami Keisuke, Nagakura Shinpachi, and Harada Sanosuke—also came to attend today's welcoming banquet.

As for the food, it can be as plentiful as you want.

Unlimited rice, fresh sea bream, rich miso soup, fine sake... Judging from the sheer luxury of the dishes alone, this was the most extravagant feast in the Edo period!

Good food, good dishes, good wine... and today's welcome banquet is not just about that.

When discussing high-class banquets in the Edo period, one group is indispensable—

Just as Aoto and Toujou Shintaro were clinking glasses, suddenly, light, quick, and pleasant footsteps rang out from outside the room.

A moment later, with a soft "whoosh," the paper sliding door of the room was gently pushed open.

Immediately afterwards, one after another, beautiful women dressed in gorgeous kimonos, with flower-shaped hairpins and sashes around their waists, entered like butterflies flitting among flowers, gracefully moving to stand before Qing Deng and the others.

Without a doubt, they are the very face of Gion—the beautiful geisha!

They truly lived up to their reputation as symbols of "beauty," "elegance," and "vitality." Their mere presence brought a splash of color to the room and enlivened the atmosphere.

After more than ten geishas appeared, they lined up in two rows in the center of the room, facing each other.

Then, they bowed slightly, as if welcoming their emperor.

From a certain perspective, they were indeed welcoming their emperor.

Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap...

A brand new, incredibly pleasant sound of footsteps came from the direction of the corridor.

The strength of the footsteps is soft yet graceful.

A graceful and elegant way of walking.

Just hearing those footsteps makes one instinctively imagine: the owner of those footsteps must be an absolutely stunning beauty!

In fact, it is true.

A moment later, Qing Deng and the others all felt that the lights in the banquet hall had become even brighter.

This wasn't because a few more candles were lit, but because of someone's arrival—her appearance added a dazzling brilliance to the banquet hall!

A beautiful woman dressed in green kimonos with her hair styled in a "peach-shaped" bun gracefully passed through the door and entered the banquet hall.

This woman is truly a beauty!

With exquisite features, red lips and white teeth, graceful figure, and a gentle smile, she was as fresh and refined as a lotus emerging from the water, her face adorned with just the right amount of white powder.

The dim yellow light of the candle, combined with the white powder, made her face look exceptionally delicate.

The beauty of this woman could not be more aptly described by the famous line from the Book of Songs, "Shuoren in the Wei Feng section"—"Her forehead is broad and her eyebrows are arched; her smile is charming and her eyes are bright and beautiful."

With her identity as a geisha and her stunning beauty, her identity is self-evident—Miss Shiyo, who has many accolades such as "Kyoto's First Beauty," "Kyoto's First Geisha," and "Pearl of Gion"!

She did nothing at all; she simply took a slow step and made an appearance, yet she displayed the terrifying power of "Kyoto's number one geisha"!

The geishas who just appeared were all top-tier beauties who could turn heads more than 70% of the time when they walked down the street.

But when Ziyang appeared, all the geishas paled in comparison!

Like the bright moon compared to fireflies, who can rival it?

Ziyang moved gracefully to the center of the banquet hall and led the courtesans in a slight bow to Qingdeng and the others.

Then, they dispersed and began to perform songs and dances.

By the way, geisha are geisha, and courtesans are courtesans; the two should not be confused. The former sells their art but not their bodies, and are not prostitutes.

Therefore, Qing Deng did not break his promise to his wives that he would never have an affair with prostitutes.

While eating and drinking, geisha would be invited to entertain and create a lively atmosphere—this was a classic procedure for high-class banquets in the Edo period.

In other words, Qing Deng was simply following the usual procedure!

Everyone does it this way, I'm just following the crowd! Even if my wives were here, they wouldn't be able to say anything—Qingdeng thought to himself with full confidence.

……

……

Being a geisha is a highly skilled profession.

A pretty face is the key to becoming a geisha.

But having only a pretty face isn't enough to walk this thorny path for long.

The reason why Shiyang is recognized as the "Number One Geisha in Kyoto" is not only because of her stunning beauty, but also because of her extraordinary talent!

Impeccable dance moves; a beautiful singing voice; outstanding emotional intelligence; knowledge and responsiveness to any topic... She excelled in every aspect, which allowed her to stand at the top of Gion.

When the song and dance performance began, Ziyang was seen holding a folding fan and dancing gracefully.

The locals plucked the strings of their instruments, and melodious music rose around the pillars.

A group of geisha stood behind Ziyang, acting as backup dancers and supporting characters.

[Note: Geisha refers to female shamisen players who sing songs. They do not wear their hair in a bun, do not wear heavy makeup, and wear simple clothes.]

Even a novice like Qingdeng could see how exquisite Ziyang's dancing skills were.

She wasn't simply posing or showing off her figure.

She was subtly applying force with every movement she made.

While ensuring aesthetics and elegance, it also maintains a sense of power.

Her steps were light, her figure graceful, and her expression charming.

Not to mention the person herself, even the hem of her clothes seemed to come alive, like fluttering butterflies.

Even Qingdeng, who had no interest in singing and dancing, couldn't help but get engrossed in watching.

It's a pity... Qingdeng really can't appreciate the songs, dances, and the like.

Just as he said to Hijikata Toshizo earlier today, he is a vulgar man who doesn't understand elegance.

He preferred watching tough men wielding swords to the dancing girls, at least the latter was something he was familiar with.

Of course, the geishas' superb performances certainly made the atmosphere much more lively.

After the song and dance performance, the geishas gracefully approached Qing Deng and the others, serving them food and wine, and chatting with them.

Laughter and cheers rose and fell.

It turned out that inviting geisha to entertain the guests was a wise move.

Although Aoto and Toujou Shintaro were old acquaintances, their relationship was not good enough to be called "friends".

The age gap of more than twenty years also makes it difficult for them to find topics that resonate with each other.

As far as Qing Deng knows, Toujou Shintaro is unmarried and is still single at over forty years old.

Thus, the universal topics used to fill time in conversations—"Are you married?", "How's your wife?", "How old are your kids?"—become useless.

The people who accompanied him to the banquet, such as Yamanami Keisuke and Nagakura Shinpachi, were completely unfamiliar with Toujou Shintaro and had nothing to say to him.

After exchanging pleasantries, all that's left is to chat awkwardly and half-heartedly.

Thanks to the arrival of the geisha, Qing Deng and the others were finally freed from the gloomy atmosphere.