I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Shh! Don't shout, didn't I already warn you?

"I'm sorry... Really? Lord Niou is going to rebel?"

"Sigh, I only heard it secondhand, I don't know if it's true or not."

"It's definitely fake! It's probably just some jealous guy who's making up these ridiculous rumors!"

"I hope it's fake... Sigh... My wife and I have just returned to Edo, and we really don't want to hide from the war again..."

……

……

Edo, a certain teahouse—

"With the Great Tree King unconscious, now is the perfect opportunity to usurp the throne. If Lord Ren is truly inclined to betray us, now is the best time to strike."

"Hey, all of you, come closer! I heard that the Great Tree King has been dead for a long time. Lord Renwang has concealed the news of the Great Tree King's death, kept it a secret, and created the illusion that the Great Tree King is still alive to deceive the world so that he can take the opportunity to mobilize troops and prepare for seizing power."

"I don't believe it! Lord Ren-wang is unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness! How could he possibly do such a treasonous thing!"

"Ha, you're too naive! What was that poem by Bai Juyi again? Ah, right, 'The Duke of Zhou feared the rumors, and Wang Mang was humble before his usurpation.' People's ambitions can change and grow. Before the Honnoji Incident, who could have imagined that Akechi Mitsuhide would betray them?"

"I still can't believe it... Lord Renwang enjoys all the wealth and glory, he has money and land to his name, why would he rebel?"

"Alas, who would complain about having too little power? A hero like Lord Ren-wang has long since stopped caring about money or fiefdoms."

……

……

Edo, a bathhouse—

"This could very well be another case of 'a man's anger over a woman'."

"What do you mean? Has Lord Niou fallen in love with someone?"

"Who else could it be but Princess Tenshōin! It is said that Prince Ni is deeply in love with Princess Tenshōin, but unfortunately he is a subject and she is the Grand Minister of the Imperial Household, so the two can never be together. So Prince Ni secretly holds his breath, always ready to snatch Princess Tenshōin away. As long as he holds supreme power, no one can stop him from marrying Princess Tenshōin."

"Is that Tenshō-in Temple really that beautiful? Is it really worth Lord Ren going through all that trouble..."

"Who knows? Maybe Princess Tensho-in took the initiative to seduce Prince Ren. She was widowed at a young age, so it's normal for her to have those kinds of desires."

……

……

In Edo, at a certain household—

"Honey! Hurry up and pack your bags!"

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry? What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure either... I've just heard that Lord Niou might rebel, and there might be another war."

"Huh? Another war? Didn't we just finish one?"

"It's different. The last battle was against the Choshu people, which was an external war. This battle is an internal struggle within the shogunate, a civil war."

"Sigh... It doesn't matter who's in power, just let us live a peaceful life..."

"Let's pack our bags as soon as possible! Be prepared to escape at any time! If there's no war, all is well, but if there is, we'll leave Edo as quickly as possible!"

……

……

"Lord Niou is going to rebel," "Lord Niou will establish the 'Tachibana Shogunate'," "Lord Niou is raising an army for Prince Tenshōin's sake"... These rumors suddenly appeared like bamboo shoots after a spring rain! They caught everyone off guard!

There are many rumors and conflicting opinions.

Rumors, both true and false, are spreading rapidly.

A sense of fear and anxiety is spreading widely.

In fact, not all of these rumors are directed at Qingdeng.

Almost at the same time that rumors were circulating that "Niou is about to rebel," another rumor emerged: "The one who is going to rebel is not Tachibana Seito, but Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu!"

Unfortunately... although the latter is more likely, its spread is far less than that of the former.

The specific reason is not complicated, but very simple - the public is not familiar with Yoshiki Hitotsubashi at all!

To this day, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi has been in seclusion for far too long, long enough for the public to forget him.

This year has been a year of many disasters, with one major event after another worthy of being recorded in history, leaving people with even less time to pay attention to Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi.

In fact, even before he went into seclusion, his fame was far less than that of Qingdeng.

When people talk about the name "Ichibashi Yoshiki", their impression is basically, "Oh, he was a 'vice general', I don't remember him."

In this way, its spread is naturally much weaker.

Compared to the relatively unknown Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, people are more willing to discuss Niou!

What's so interesting about Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi? The real topic is Prince Ni, who is suspected of having an affair with Prince Tenshōin!

Thus, the strange phenomenon of "both sides being capable of rebellion, yet the public only discussing Qingdeng" emerged.

At this critical juncture, with rumors swirling around the clock, public sentiment is already very tense.

The shogunate's announcement at noon today of the "transfer of the new shogunate to the 'Thirty-sixth Imperial Household Agency'" has further intensified this tense atmosphere.

No matter how flowery the language used to embellish it, it cannot conceal the fact that Seido, who was in charge of the "Thirty-Six Appearances," had already taken control of the entire Edo Castle!

If he so desires, he can spend the night with Tenshōin in Edo Castle's Honmaru! A debauched harem!

Despite the difficult times, life must go on.

People went to work as usual, bought New Year's goods, and prepared for the festival.

Batch after batch of mirror cakes and Tusu wine were bought up.

Bundles of door pine and lintel decorations were placed at the front door.

At first glance, everything seemed normal.

But beneath this rich "New Year's atmosphere" lies a surging undercurrent!

……

……

December 28th, late at night—

Edo, Edo Castle, Sannomaru—

The Sannomaru of Edo Castle was the residence of the 5th Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi before his coming-of-age ceremony, so in addition to the fortifications, the Sannomaru also had many comfortable bedrooms.

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared in a corridor of Sannomaru—Katsu Rintaro, carrying a candle, walked hurriedly straight ahead.

He came alone, without any attendants.

A short while later, he arrived at a door.

He didn't say anything, he just reached out and pulled the door open.

As the door slowly opened, he saw Qingdeng, who had been waiting there for a long time.

Qing Deng, who was bowing his head in front of the desk, raised his eyes and looked at Sheng Lin Taro.

The two exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, exchanging a silent greeting.

Without any hesitation, Katsurin Taro moved to the blue table, sat down cross-legged, and said bluntly:

"Qingdeng, your troops have all entered the key points of the 'Thirty-Six Subordinates', and the process is going more smoothly than I expected."

Qingdeng nodded slightly and said softly:

"Rintaro, thank you for your hard work."

Katsura Rintaro waved his hand:

"You're welcome, it's nothing."

After saying that, he sighed deeply, his brows furrowing with melancholy.

"If only we could scare off the 'Hitotsubashi faction' like this..."

Qing Deng responded calmly:

"hope so."

For several days, Aoto had been staying at the Sannomaru in Edo Castle—of course, this was kept secret and not made known to the outside world.

Only a very few people, such as Tenshōin and Shōrintaro, knew where Aoto was currently staying.

Edo Castle was the residence of the Shogun and his relatives. According to the rules, no outsiders other than servants were allowed to live in Edo Castle.

If outsiders knew that Aoto had spent the night in Edo Castle and stayed for several days, he would likely be dubbed the "Dong Zhuo of our time."

Qing Deng was willing to risk being scorned by the world to stay in Edo Castle, and that was certainly not for the purpose of spending the night on the "dragon bed".

His reason for doing so was both simple and profound—to prevent a coup!

Will Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi launch a rebellion? To this end, Aoto, Tenshōin, and Katsu Rintaro held a secret meeting.

Although the "Nanki Faction" has countless members, including many loyal and righteous individuals, Tenshōin can only truly trust Aoto and Katsurintarō.

After a brief discussion, the three of them reached the same conclusion: if the "Hitotsubashi faction" wanted to seize power, there was no better time than now!

First, Tokugawa Iemochi was seriously injured and unconscious, making it the perfect time to kill him.

After killing Tokugawa Iemochi, he could easily have attributed his death to "serious injuries that did not heal," and even if people had doubts, they would find it difficult to raise objections.

Secondly, now is also the best time to kill Qingdeng!

In terms of prestige and overall strength, Qing Deng has become the soul of the "Nanji faction".

If the Hitotsubashi faction wants to seize power, killing Tokugawa Iemochi alone is not enough; they must kill him and Aoto together!

Only in this way can the resistance capabilities of the "Nanji Faction" be weakened to the greatest extent.

Killing only Tokugawa Iemochi without eliminating Aoto would only give the latter a legitimate reason to launch an attack.

At that time, Qingdeng shouted "Kill Qingxi and cleanse the court of evil ministers," and led his troops eastward. How could the "Yitiao Faction" possibly resist?

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would not want to go head-to-head with Aoto and his Shinsengumi.