I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He personally directed his soldiers to block the "seven gates of the capital" and divided his troops to guard the main roads leading out of the capital—especially the roads leading to the western countries.

"Anything that can breathe, whether it's a person, a dog, a cow, or a bird, is not allowed to leave Kyoto!"—Niimi Nishiki ordered.

Admittedly, the Emperor is a "mascot," and from a material perspective, there is absolutely no need to win him over.

However, on a spiritual level, the Emperor possesses considerable value for exploitation!

By controlling the Emperor, one can use him to command the feudal lords! By using the Emperor's name to create a pretext for war, one can occupy the moral high ground.

Therefore, the Emperor is like Emperor Xian of Han at the end of the Han Dynasty—we can do without him, but it's best not to lose him!

In conclusion, no one can bear the responsibility of "losing the Emperor"!

The "New Senbu in Kyoto" and the "Kyoto Army" joined forces to conduct a "carpet search," thoroughly examining every corner inside and outside Kyoto, as if they wanted to turn the entire city upside down.

However... despite their best efforts, they achieved nothing.

Time passed slowly... No matter how ugly their expressions became, no matter how much their anxiety deepened, they could not change the fact that they had "gained nothing".

Iwakura Tomomi and the others seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving not a trace...

……

……

Kyoto, Rakuchu, the backyard of a nobleman's residence—

Iwakura Tomomi led the group, walking quickly into the depths of the courtyard.

Suddenly, a movement appeared in the shadows to their side—a middle-aged man slowly stepped out.

He and Iwakura Tomomi exchanged a glance and nodded to each other.

This middle-aged man is named "Tamamatsu Misao," 35 years old, from Tosa, and is a close confidant of Iwakura Tomomi.

Because of his meticulous mind and his decisive and ruthless actions, he was highly regarded by Iwakura Tomomi.

On many occasions, he assisted Iwakura Tomomi as a "strategist".

The middle-aged man... namely Yu Songcao, said in a deep voice:

"Lord Iwakura, over here."

He led Iwakura Tomomi and the others to a corner of the courtyard—an ancient well.

Yu Songcao opened the well cover, revealing the scene inside.

It turned out to be a dry well.

There was not a drop of water at the bottom of the well, only darkness resembling an abyss.

Iwakura Tomomi turned her head and shouted to the crowd behind her:

"Alright, follow me! One at a time! Be careful not to hurt the Emperor and the Crown Prince!"

After saying that, he went down into the well first.

The wellhead is equipped with an elevator-like device—a common feature in mines—that slowly descends to the deepest part of the dry well.

Upon reaching the deepest part of the dry well, one discovers a hidden world within—a secret passage leading to an unknown distance.

From the very beginning, Iwakura Tomomi never intended to take the land route!

If one wants to escape on the ground, one must first pass through "the seven gates of the capital" and then cross the entire "outer city of Luoyang"—there are too many variables, and uncontrollable accidents are very likely to occur.

Leaving aside the "Beijing Military Assembly," the "Newly Selected Group in Beijing" should not be underestimated.

If that's the case, why not just dig a tunnel and escape through an underground passage!

Iwakura Tomomi made ample preparations for this night.

He first sought out nobles who were willing to cooperate.

This step is not difficult.

"Luozhong" was the domain of the court officials.

For over a thousand years, the officials of the imperial court have lived here.

Iwakura Tomomi found a like-minded partner who was willing to lend his yard without much effort.

He then hired a group of professional and trustworthy civil engineers who spent nearly six months digging the secret passage leading to the outskirts of Kyoto.

With the help of the "elevator," Yu Songcao and the others descended into the well one by one.

Before long, all the members, as well as the Emperor and the Crown Prince in the sedan chair, safely entered the secret passage.

Yu Songcao lit the oil lamp and waved his hand:

"Please come with me!"

He led the way, guiding everyone forward slowly.

The tunnel was filled with murky air, making it difficult to breathe.

As they walked forward, Yusong Cao, without turning his head, asked Iwakura Tomomi behind him:

"Lord Iwakura, how is the situation?"

Iwakura Tomomi replied calmly:

"We successfully captured the Emperor and the Crown Prince, but we failed to take all the divine artifacts, and we forgot the 'Kusanagi Sword'."

He briefly recounted the general course of the "King of Calamity".

After hearing this, Yu Songcao smiled bitterly:

"A minor flaw in an otherwise perfect piece..."

He then changed the subject:

"Fortunately though."

"Fortunately, it was only the 'Kusanagi Sword' that was overlooked, not the Emperor or the Crown Prince."

"If it's the former, there's still a way to make up for it."

"But if it's the latter, then that's troublesome."

"It's just a little ink in clear water, nothing serious."

"It's more accurate to say that the fact that such a bold plan could succeed is incredible in itself."

Iwakura Tomomi smiled slightly and echoed:

"Yes, being able to successfully capture the Emperor and the Crown Prince is already a perfect ending. I can't ask for more."

Upon closer examination, it is not difficult to find that the success of Iwakura Tomomi's "plan to seize the emperor" was the result of a combination of coincidences.

Firstly, one of the guards of the Imperial Palace happened to be a greedy man who was only interested in money.

Secondly, a series of major events have occurred recently.

After the "Chōshū Expedition" was launched, a series of major events occurred one after another, including the "Attacking of Noo", the "Second Great Return to Chūgoku", the "Second Battle of Sekigahara", and the "Siege of Edo", which were dazzling.

The attention of everyone in the world—from royalty and nobility to commoners—was focused on these major battles, leaving no time to attend to anything else.

Even Aoto, whom Iwakura Tomomi regarded as her "lifelong enemy," was tied up by these battles and unable to spare any attention.

In fact, Iwakura Tomomi had completed a series of preliminary preparations for the "Robbery of the Emperor" two months ago, and was just waiting for the right opportunity.

Right now, with the Shinsengumi's key members, led by Seito, all away from the capital region, civil war breaking out in Edo, the Nanki faction and the Hitotsubashi faction completely at odds, and the shogunate busy fighting and seizing power internally, they have no time to deal with Kyoto—could there be a better time to take action?

Therefore, he keenly seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and made a decisive decision.

No sooner had the main force of the Shinsengumi, led by Kondo Isami, left than he officially launched the "Grand Plan to Seize the Emperor," throwing Kyoto into chaos.

After a moment of silence, Yu Songcao adopted a soft, melancholic tone and spoke again:

"Lord Iwakura, although we have achieved remarkable results tonight, there is no turning back now."

"We are about to face a very tough challenge."

Upon hearing this, Iwakura Tomomi couldn't help but smile:

"What? Damn, are you scared?"

Yu Songcao shrugged:

"How could that be? I haven't felt fear in a long time."

Iwakura Tomomi smiled and continued the conversation:

"Damn, no need to worry."

"When faced with challenges, confront them bravely; when faced with crises, find ways to resolve them."

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate."

"Isn't this how we've come all this way?"

"If you desire comfort, why not surrender now and submit to Tachibana Seido's tyranny?"

"Give it your all and fight to the very last moment."

"As for whether one will be remembered in history or disgraced, let fate decide."

After listening, Yu Songcao nodded slightly:

"Yes, I understand."

As the two talked, before they knew it, the end of the secret passage—also a dry well—came into view.

Yusong Cao went out first, and after confirming that there was no danger outside, he gave Iwakura Tomomi and the others a "safe" gesture.

Upon receiving this signal, Iwakura Tomomi and the others left the secret passage in an orderly manner.

A fleet of carriages was prepared outside the exit of the secret passage.

They loaded the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Yata no Kagami (Eight-Span Mirror), and the Yasakani no Magatama (Eight-Span Curved Jewel) onto the carriage, then sped away, heading straight for Choshu in the west.

……

……

Edo, a certain temple—

Aoto, Kondo Isami, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime... they were all dressed in mourning clothes, their expressions solemn, standing directly in front of a tombstone.