I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

……

somewhere in Edo Castle—

Qingdeng and Tianzhangyuan walked side by side in the deserted corridor.

Suddenly, without any warning, Tensho-in murmured softly:

"With Jia Mao unconscious, 'that guy' will definitely take action... A storm is brewing..."

"..."

Qingdeng didn't reply, but just pursed his lips.

Although Tenshōin spoke in a very veiled way, Aoto immediately understood who she was referring to as "that guy"—in fact, Aoto had started paying attention to "that guy's" movements as soon as the "Battle of Edo Castle" ended!

Tokugawa Iemochi had no children.

If something were to happen to him, causing the position of Shogun to become vacant, then the successor would naturally be Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, who was defeated in the "Nanki-Hitotsubashi Contest" several years ago!

This is beyond doubt.

Legally and in terms of blood ties, the only person who can inherit the position of shogun is Yoshinobu Ichihashi; there is no other.

For the Nanki faction, Tokugawa Iemochi's near death was like a bolt from the blue.

But for the Hitotsubashi faction, Tokugawa Iemochi's impending death was incredibly good news!

As long as Tokugawa Iemochi dies, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu can rightfully ascend to power!

But now, Tokugawa Iemochi is not dead; he has merely fallen into a deep sleep…

What do Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi think about this? What do the Hitotsubashi faction think?

One thing is for sure: they will not let this go!

********

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A new month has begun! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg) Requesting monthly passes! Requesting recommendation votes! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

P.S.: Leopard doesn't know anything about medicine! Just know that Jia Mao has become a "Sleeping Beauty," don't worry about the underlying cause (Leopard is silly.jpg)

Chapter 972 Assassination of Tokugawa Iemochi! [4800]

Edo Castle, somewhere—

The night was deep, and the moonlight was hazy.

Although some time has passed since the devastating war, the town has not yet fully escaped its shadow.

I could almost smell the blood in the air as I gently sniffed.

If you listen closely, you can almost hear a continuous stream of shouts.

The people who had temporarily left Edo to escape the war had not yet returned, so the entire town was dark and quiet.

Apart from a few isolated areas like Edo Castle and Nihonbashi, the rest of the area was pitch black.

Even Yoshiwara, known as the "city that never sleeps," has not been open for business during this period. Darkness has opened its arms wide and grasped Yoshiwara in its palm.

There were no human voices, no barking dogs, only the intermittent chirping of insects.

Suddenly, at that moment, at the end of a certain path, a strange noise arose—

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

It was the sound of wooden clogs stepping on the ground.

Figures flickered... In no time, four warriors darted into the path from the side and then strode straight ahead.

The four people stood in a triangle.

A young man dressed in purple and wearing a low-brimmed straw hat is located in the very center of the "triangle"—his hat is pulled down so low that it is difficult for outsiders to see his face clearly.

The other three stood in front of, to the left of, and to the right of the purple-clad youth, forming the three corners of a triangle and protecting him in the middle.

As the three men moved, their heads and eyes never stopped scanning their surroundings. Their left hands always gripped the scabbard of their swords at their waists, while their right hands were bent and held in front of their abdomens, ready to draw their swords at any moment.

Judging from their positions and posture, it's not hard to tell that these three people are the bodyguards of the young man in purple.

From their stance and gait to their breathing and even their gaze, these three bodyguards exuded an aura of exceptional competence and power.

To have such a capable bodyguard... there's no doubt that the young man in purple is no ordinary person.

Where this group of people intended to go was unknown.

However, it is certain that their destination was very remote, heading straight for the eastern suburbs of Edo.

In addition, they were very careful and never revealed their tracks. They didn't even carry lanterns, relying entirely on the faint moonlight and the excellent eyesight of the person in the lead to find their way.

They hurried along, rushing as fast as they could... About twenty minutes later, they finally stopped—before them was a small, inconspicuous temple located on a street corner.

During the Edo period, Buddhism flourished thanks to the strong support of the shogunate.

Therefore, Edo had few other things, but it had the most temples.

Small temples like these were common in Edo.

The young man in purple slightly raised the straw hat on his head, his gaze, filled with complex emotions, following the brim of the hat towards the temple gate, as if he were hesitating.

After a short while, he lowered his straw hat again and walked forward with his head down.

Before entering the temple, the three bodyguards stopped, turned around, and checked one last time to see if anyone was following them.

After confirming that everything was alright, the three of them turned their attention away and followed the young man in purple into the temple.

After passing through the temple gate, the young man in purple went straight through Baizhou and strode into the Buddhist hall.

[Note: Baizhou: A place paved with white pebbles in front of a mansion.]

The temple was small, containing a mediocre Buddha statue. There were no monks in sight, only four warriors of varying ages and builds waiting there.

Upon seeing the young man in purple arrive, the four men immediately unfastened the swords from their waists, held them in their right hands, and then bowed deeply to him, showing utmost respect.

"Get up, everyone. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

As soon as the young man in purple finished speaking, one of the four immediately responded:

"Your Highness, you flatter me!"

He paused, cleared his throat, and forced a fawning smile, preparing to shower the other party with even more sycophantic words, but was interrupted by the purple-clad youth:

Let's skip the unnecessary small talk for now.

After saying that, the young man in purple raised his hand and took off the bamboo hat on his head.

As his straw hat fell off, his face was finally revealed.

With his neatly trimmed chonmage, broad forehead, and fairly regular facial features, he was none other than Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, the leader of the "Hitotsubashi School"!

Such important figures appearing here... Anyone with a brain knows this is extremely unusual!

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi casually tossed aside his straw hat and said indifferently:

"Time is of the essence, let's get started."

……

……

After boasting to the imperial court that he would "begin expelling the barbarians on May 10th," which led to the shogunate being in an extremely unfavorable and passive situation, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu voluntarily resigned from his position as "Shogun's Vice-Shogun" and went into seclusion at home.

Fortunately, he was of high status, and even Tokugawa Iemochi could not do anything to him.

Otherwise, given the trouble he's caused, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop him off!

At that time, if it weren't for Qing Deng's heroic efforts to turn the tide and persuade the British fleet in Edo Bay to retreat, giving the world an explanation, it's hard to know how things would have ended.

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi was the leader of the "Hitotsubashi faction".

His resignation naturally caused the power of the "Hitotsubashi faction" to plummet, making it impossible for them to compete with the "Nanki faction".

The protracted "Nanki-Ichi-Tsubasa Dispute" ended in such a farcical way—a single casual remark changed history.

Since retiring to his home, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi has become a "transparent person," not getting involved in politics and rarely even leaving his house.

As time went by, people almost forgot he existed.

In fact, although Yoshiki Hitotsubashi had cut off all social interaction and travel, he was never one to be "oblivious to what was happening around him and act as if he were invisible." He had always been closely monitoring the outside world.

Whenever a major event occurs, his secret agents will send the news to his residence immediately.

To avoid attracting attention, he would often sneak out of the mansion to meet and talk with the core members of the "Hitotsubashi faction" and share intelligence—just like right now!

At this moment, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi and the other four people—all of whom were core members of the "Hitotsubashi faction"—sat face to face on the prayer cushions in the Buddhist hall, skipping unnecessary pleasantries and directly engaging in a secret meeting!

Ironically, these four people are quite interesting. Their body types are exactly different: one is fat and the other is thin, one is tall and the other is short. Their distinctive features make them easy to identify.

As soon as the meeting began, Yoshiki Ichihashi turned to the skinny man and asked him directly:

"Any news of Tokugawa Iemochi?"

The skinny man nodded vigorously, his voice heavy and solemn:

"Lord Hitotsubashi, I have received definitive intelligence that Tokugawa Iemochi is not dead!"

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi frowned:

Is the information accurate?

The skinny man nodded again:

"I guarantee with my life that it is absolutely accurate!"

"..."

Faced with the thin man's resounding reply, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi remained silent at first, then said softly without any emotion:

"I see... Tokugawa Iemochi didn't die..."

As he muttered this, he lowered his head slightly and lowered his eyelids.

Beneath his delicate eyelashes, a variety of emotions could be faintly seen emerging from his eyes.