I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As Qingdeng was secretly pondering the strange events, Ziyang smiled slightly and calmly replied to his question:

"I am here to meet you now as Ms. Sumire of the Great Salt Party, so if it is not difficult, I would like you to call me 'Ms. Sumire'."

His tone was calm and composed, his demeanor dignified and neither servile nor arrogant.

Whether it's her tone of voice or her every move, she's like a shrewd and capable businesswoman!

Compared to her charming and alluring demeanor at the banquet in Gion, she was completely different! It was as if she had become a different person!

Such a stark contrast left Qingdeng feeling somewhat confused, unsure whether the "charming" persona at the banquet or the "robust" persona she displayed now was the real her.

Although Qingdeng had a lot of questions he wanted to ask the other party one by one, in this extremely urgent situation, he naturally knew the priorities.

"So, Miss Sumire, please forgive me for getting straight to the point—how much do you know about the conspiracy of the Zunran faction tonight? Where is the meeting place of Miyabe Teizō, Katsura Kogoro, and others?"

Ziyang… now she should be called “Miss Jin”—she was a sensible person, knowing what was most important right now, so she adopted a serious tone and said, word by word:

"Unfortunately, I do not know the location of the meeting between Miyabe Teizō, Katsura Kogoro, and others."

"But I know that Miyabe Teizō and others have stored a sufficient amount of kerosene in a warehouse in the southern suburbs of Kyoto!"

"This kerosene is for burning Kyoto tonight!"

"Although the exact time of the arson is unclear, as far as I know, the person in charge of leading the burning of the city tonight is Yoshida Toshima, who is deeply trusted by Kusaka Genzui and Miyabe Teizou!"

"Just now, I learned the exact location of this warehouse!"

"I am prepared to go here immediately to seize the kerosene!"

"However... I have far too few men under my command."

"The only people who can go into battle are Mr. Ebina and one other person."

"That warehouse was heavily guarded, and many of the guards were highly skilled martial arts experts."

"Unfortunately, our Great Salt Party cannot take over the warehouse on its own."

"Therefore, Tachibana Yasuki, I need your strength!"

"To have your support would be like having the strength of ten thousand people!"

“We provide intelligence, you provide force, and together we will seize that ‘oil depot,’ eliminate those brain-dead patriots, and ensure that tonight’s ‘Yamahoko Patrol’ can be held smoothly—this is my cooperation proposal.”

“We protected the people of Kyoto, and you also dealt a blow to the pro-imperial faction. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”

Ziyang succinctly explained the intelligence she possessed, as well as her cooperation plan and intentions.

Now that things have come to this, Qing Deng naturally has no doubt about the accuracy of the other party's information.

Based on the information currently available, the situation is quite clear – the radicals of the pro-democracy faction have devised a strategy of "openly repairing one side while secretly repairing the other".

On the surface, it was a negotiation with Katsura Kogoro, who was unwilling to take extreme measures.

In reality, they had secretly dispatched a hidden force, preparing to plunge Kyoto into an extremely hot hell while Katsura Kogoro was tied up.

Both morally and logically, Qingdeng could not stand idly by and watch such a tragedy happen!

If those lunatics succeed in setting the fire, then even if Qing Deng eventually finds the meeting place of Miyabe Teizou and the others, it will be a complete and utter defeat.

As the commander of the capital region, Qing Deng was unable to protect even the capital city which was so close at hand, and his reputation was completely ruined.

Therefore, there is no need to worry anymore!

Just as Qing Deng was about to nod in agreement to the other party's cooperation request, Miss Jin spoke up again:

"Tachibana Yasuki, I almost forgot to mention, I have one condition."

"Tachibana Yasuki, I only trust you."

"As for your subordinates, I don't trust a single one of them!"

"Therefore, the only person who can fight alongside us is you."

"As for your remaining men, I will neither meet with them nor allow them to participate in this battle!"

*******

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Like a leopard crying.jpg) I didn't sleep well last night, so there will be fewer updates today...

Ziyang is actually Miss Jin—this was foreshadowed in many previous chapters. In one of the earlier chapters, when Leopard Zi mentioned that many geishas and courtesans were spies, he was already hinting at Ziyang's true identity.

The name "Miss Violet" first appeared in [the story/episode].

Chapter 816 Attack on Ikedaya! The Bloodbath Begins!

Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge (west of Kamogawa), Ikedaya——

"Taitosuke! Taitosuke! Where are you?!"

"Boss, I'm here!"

"Tai-no-suke, put the kitchen work aside for now. The stairs are dirty, go and wipe them clean!"

"Yes, I'll go right away!"

As he spoke, Yamazaki took off his cooking utensils and strode out of the kitchen, heading towards the stairs.

[Note: Kappo-ki: A special cooking cover worn during the Edo period]

On the surface, Yamazaki still appeared obedient and submissive.

But in reality, he was already cursing in his heart.

—Damn it…! There’s absolutely no chance…!

After discovering that the meeting place of Miyabe Teizō, Katsura Kogoro, and others was Ikedaya, Yamazaki Susumu had been looking for an opportunity to pass on this important information.

However... the endless heavy workload kept him completely occupied, leaving him no opportunity to go out.

The Shinsengumi's long-sought targets, such as Miyabe Teizō, Katsura Kogoro, and others, are now right before their eyes.

As long as we notify the garrison, we can wipe out this group of guys in one fell swoop.

But as a result, he found himself trapped in this dilapidated hotel, unable to send out intelligence...

This indescribable sense of frustration made Yamazaki Susumu become impatient.

—Let's just go all out!

Forget about this damn job! Just leave Ikedaya and head back to the outpost to deliver the message!

The moment the thought arose, he immediately rejected it.

—No, no... I almost did something stupid...

—The hotel is busy right now. If I leave directly, the owners will immediately notice and become suspicious.

Such behavior is no different from openly declaring, "I am a spy for the pro-shogunate faction."

This will undoubtedly stir up trouble, making those guys on the second floor afraid to stay here any longer.

—They fled before our main force could arrive.

—I absolutely cannot leave this place without permission; I must come up with a foolproof plan…

—Damn it! If only a Shinsengumi member happened to be passing by right now!

With a rag and a bucket in hand, Yamazaki walked toward the stairs, racking his brains for a solution.

As he passed a screen, he caught a glimpse of a few pale green hues swaying outside the shop out of the corner of his eye…

—Hmm? That's…!

In that instant, as if struck by lightning, he stopped abruptly, turned his head, and looked out through the gap in the screen at the shop entrance—or rather, at the familiar figures striding toward him—his eyes widened in shock, then filled with joy.

……

……

Outside Ikeda's house——

"Kondo-san, we've arrived."

Souji took a step forward, glanced at the thick plaque with the three characters "Ikedaya" written on it, and then turned to nod to Kondo Isami.

Inoue Genzaburo, his hand on the sword at his waist, moved to Souji's side, muttering to himself:

“Ikedaya…I remember that not long ago, the business of that store suddenly became very popular.”

"In order to find out the truth, Mr. Tachibana specifically ordered Vice Captain Yamazaki to lie in wait here."

"Thinking about it that way, this is very likely the meeting place of Miyabe Teizō, Katsura Kogoro, and others..."

As soon as Inoue Genzaburo finished speaking, Nagakura Shinpachi, who was standing to the side, gave a helpless smile:

"There are countless hotels and izakayas frequented by those who uphold righteousness. Uncle Yuan, I think you'd better not have too high expectations, lest you be disappointed again later."

Kondo Isami spoke up to continue the conversation:

"No matter what, we must not be careless or let our guard down."

As he spoke, he strode forward, preparing to push open the door of the Ikedaya shop—

"Director Kondo, wait!"

A hurried voice suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a nimble figure emerged from the dark alley next to the Ikedaya like an eel and quickly ran to Kondo Isami's side.

Kondo Isami stared intently at the man's face, then a look of sudden realization dawned on his face:

"Oh, it's Yamazaki-kun."

Before Kondo Isami could inquire about his purpose, Yamazaki Susumu eagerly blurted out:

"Chief Kondo, along with 35 others including Miyabe Teizō and Katsura Kogoro, are currently in the innermost room on the second floor of the Ikedaya Hotel!"

The atmosphere at the scene changed instantly after those words were spoken!

Everyone, including Kondo Isami, was stunned, then looked at each other in disbelief—they all saw intense excitement on each other's faces.

found it!

We've found the meeting place!