I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

It is well known that, due to genetic factors, the appearance of the Kyoto Imperial Family has always been rather unremarkable.

In terms of appearance, Princess Kazuya, who is neither beautiful nor ugly, but whose only redeeming quality is her skin, is already considered one of the best among the royal family.

In fact, compared to the closeness of one's heart, the level of physical appearance is relatively easy to judge.

Generals' marriages were almost never based on free choice; they were almost always political marriages.

How much genuine affection can there be in a marriage forced together for political purposes?

Most of the time, they are only superficially compatible, and they dislike each other.

From this perspective, Tokugawa Iemochi was already quite lucky; his genuine friendship with Prince Kazu was truly rare.

In contrast, generals throughout history... often did not have such luck.

Therefore, in many cases, the general was not always enthusiastic when having sex with the imperial concubine or other concubines.

And so, this strange rule came into being.

Admittedly, the original intention of this rule was good.

Unfortunately, from the very beginning, these rules were rife with blatant formalism.

If it's really to prevent the general from slacking off, then why put up a screen?

Wouldn't it be clearer and more intuitive to just lean in and look closely?

To avoid suspicion, a screen was specially erected to block the view.

As a result, blocked by the screen, I couldn't see anything, I could only hear the sounds.

Are these "supervisors" so capable that they can tell whether the general is slacking off just by listening to his voice?

Can't the general shout a few random things?

Wanting both, it's all so inexplicable.

These strange and troublesome rules, which are difficult to change but impossible to alter, were very common in the shogunate, especially in the inner palace.

In short, after Tokugawa Iemochi and Kazumiya both crawled into bed, the three "supervisors" who were attending to them immediately took the screen that had been prepared in advance, set it up on the ground, and then sat behind the screen in a "品" shape.

Initially, neither Tokugawa Iemochi nor Princess Kazuya were comfortable with the feeling of being "supervised".

But gradually, after accumulating experience, they became adept at treating "supervisors as nothing".

……

……

About half an hour later—

Tokugawa Iemochi and Princess Kazuya nestled together, sharing each other's body heat.

No matter how bizarre the rules of the Ooku (inner palace) were, they couldn't be so bizarre as to require someone to supervise even the shogun's sleep.

After the business was finished, the three "supervisors" slowly withdrew.

Only then did Tokugawa Iemochi and Princess Kazu finally have some time that was theirs to enjoy without being disturbed.

Tokugawa Iemochi gently embraced Prince Kazu, his lips brushing against the prince's ear:

"Kamiya, I'm sorry, it's all my fault for being so dull and causing you to be neglected."

Tokugawa Iemochi's breath brushed against Princess Kazumi's ear, causing her to let out a soft moan, unable to contain her emotions.

"My lord, you flatter me! I have never felt wronged!"

"You don't need to worry about me, please spend more time on state affairs!"

Kazumiya was not a eloquent person.

Therefore, the dialogue ended there.

After the two fell silent, the sound of their light breathing filled the room.

There was neither chirping of insects nor the sound of wind outside.

Because the candles inside had been extinguished, there was no sound of candles burning.

In the dark bedroom, they could only sense each other's presence.

With her eyes closed, Kazumiya lay in Tokugawa Iemochi's arms, savoring every precious moment.

Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she opened her eyes slightly, her gaze filled with contemplation and hesitation.

A moment later, her voice broke the silence:

"...Your Highness, may I have a chat with you?"

Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Iemochi chuckled in disbelief.

"Of course, we're husband and wife, there's no need to be so reserved, just say the word."

Tokugawa Iemochi's smile and words put Prince Kazu at ease, freeing him from any worries.

After carefully choosing her words, she spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Your Highness, I would like to speak with you about... General Tachibana."

"Tachibana-kun? What happened to him?"

“Your Highness, in recent years, even though I am confined to the inner palace and rarely go out, I have heard about your favoritism towards General Tachibana.”

"I am ignorant of state affairs and politics."

"Therefore, I do not understand your specific intentions in promoting General Tachibana."

"only……"

He Gong paused, his eyes filled with hesitation as he made a final struggle—a struggle that was ultimately futile.

After a moment, she gently bit her lip and continued speaking:

"Although this is just my guess, I always feel that... your unreserved delegation of power to General Tachibana seems to indicate that you intend to hand over the entire shogunate to him..."

At the end, Kazumiya probably realized that her remarks had been too presumptuous, so she hurriedly added:

"Your Highness, everything I have said above is merely my own rambling. Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way!"

After saying that, she buried her face in Tokugawa Iemochi's arms, not daring to say another word or even look up at him.

Fortunately, the scolding and unbearable atmosphere that Kazumiya had anticipated did not materialize.

Instead of reprimanding Prince Kazuya, Tokugawa Iemochi burst out laughing.

"Ha, ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

First came a few soft chuckles, then a hearty laugh.

Driven by curiosity, Kazumiya slowly raised her confused gaze, looking at the laughing Tokugawa Iemochi with a puzzled expression, at a loss for what to do.

About 10 seconds later, Tokugawa Iemochi, who had been laughing heartily, slowly said, while suppressing his laughter:

“Kamiya, to be honest, before you, many people asked me: ‘Why do you favor Tachibana Aoto so much?’”

"The people who caused this problem also include Tenshōin."

Upon hearing the name "Tenshōin," Kazumiya's expression subtly changed.

For various reasons, her relationship with Tenshōin was not very good.

Although she looked surprised, she quickly composed herself and continued to listen attentively.

At that moment, Tokugawa Iemochi cast a playful glance at her.

“Kamiya, you are the only one who can say, ‘You seem to be intentionally giving the entire shogunate to him.’”

He had barely finished speaking when Gong said in a trembling voice, filled with fear and trepidation:

"Your Highness, I'm so sorry..."

No, you don't need to apologize.

After interrupting him, Tokugawa Iemochi slightly lifted the blanket and sat up.

Kazumi sat up straight with him—during which, Tokugawa Iemochi very considerately tucked the blankets in to cover her naked body.

"To be honest, I didn't want to reveal my thoughts to others so soon."

"But... now that things have come to this, I'll reveal to you my true purpose in promoting Tachibana-kun."

"Actually, Kazumiya, what you just said is both right and wrong."

“I do not intend to hand over the entire shogunate to Seito—because, more accurately, I intend to entrust the entire realm to him.”

Upon hearing this, Kazumiya was immediately stunned.

"Eh? Your Highness, what does this mean?"

Tokugawa Iemochi smiled slightly:

"Kamiya, before I explain in detail, let me tell you about my past."

“I succeeded as the lord of Kishu when I was 4 years old, and at the age of 13, with the support of the Nanki faction, I became the 14th Shogun.”

"Going to Edo to succeed to the position of shogun is the first time in my life that I have traveled far from home."

"On the way from Kishu to Edo, I witnessed too much poverty and desolation."

"A tenant farmer who works hard but remains destitute."

"A shop that is deserted and struggling to survive."

"And wherever you go, you're bound to encounter ronin and beggars."

"Thanks to this valuable journey, my horizons have been broadened considerably."

"Thanks to this valuable journey, I am not the kind of 'ignorant king' who has never left Edo Castle in his entire life and does not even know how much an egg costs."

"It turns out there are so many poor people in this world."

"Their blood and tears are too painful for me to bear to look at."

"Therefore, after taking control of the shogunate, I made a grand vow: to enable all the people of the world to live a good life."

"For this reason, I racked my brains and tried every possible method."

"However... I have tried very hard, but with little result, or even nothing at all."