I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Recently, the tasks of cleaning up the battlefield and rebuilding Edo have all been handed over to Katsura Rintaro, Tenshōin, and others.

He, on the other hand, focused most of his energy on pre-war planning.

Gathering intelligence, preparing supplies, planning the advance route... there are too many things to do.

Whether the preparations before a war are adequate often determines the course and outcome of the war, and no detail can be overlooked.

The Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the two sacred treasures were stolen... Indeed, this is a very important matter.

But for now, it's not worth Qingdeng worrying about.

At this stage, everything must give way to the "Mito Expedition"!

……

……

July 15, 1865 (the first year of the Keio era)

Edo Castle, Honmaru, a certain room—

Qingdeng bowed his head before the desk, intently reading the files in his hands.

To make it easier for him to work, Aoto has recently been staying in Edo Castle.

Logically speaking, Aoto, as a retainer, should not have spent the night in Edo Castle.

However, as the saying goes, now that things have come to this, who in the shogunate would dare to say "no" to Seito?

After the "Keio Palace Coup"—because it occurred during the Keio era, this black swan event in which the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the two sacred treasures were taken away is called the "Keio Palace Coup"—nothing happened in the world, and everything was peaceful.

Amidst this tranquility, Qing Deng methodically prepared for the "Mito Campaign".

After careful consideration with Kondo Isami and others, they finally decided to set the departure date for five days later, on January 20th.

On January 20th, the Northern Expedition was officially launched! To wipe out the Mito!

As pre-war preparations drew to a close, Qingdeng's workload lessened considerably.

Thanks to this, he rediscovered the joy of "stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life".

Only when you're so busy that you wish you could cut yourself into several pieces to distribute the workload can you truly appreciate how joyful it is to be "leisurely and carefree".

With the blessing of talents such as "Sleep God", "Strong Essence +5", and "Primordial Yang +7", Qingdeng is a top-notch workaholic, and it is normal for him to work for more than ten hours at a stretch.

Of course, no matter how much talent he has, it can't withstand his constant torment.

The recent hectic lifestyle has caused him to gradually accumulate fatigue, which has begun to have a significant impact on his life.

For example, right now—he had barely unrolled the scroll in his hand when he started to feel his neck stiffen and find it difficult to concentrate.

Just as he was about to take a short rest, footsteps suddenly came from the direction of the corridor.

The familiar footsteps, the composed and elegant way of walking... Qingdeng could not possibly be mistaken.

A moment later, with a "whoosh," the door was slowly pushed open.

Qing Deng didn't even look up, and smiled slightly:

"Your Highness, good day."

"Sheng Qing, good health."

As he spoke, Tensho-in closed the door behind him and then moved quickly to Aoto's side.

The war was over, and Tenshōin, no longer needing to wear military uniform, returned to his "classic attire"—a blue overcoat, white socks, and his shoulder-length black hair tied into a short ponytail.

"Sheng Qing, you don't look well. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, I just feel a little unwell."

"Are you feeling unwell? Should I call a doctor to take a look at you?"

"Your Highness, there's no need to worry. I'm fine. It's just because I haven't had enough rest. I'll be fine after a short nap."

After a few brief pleasantries, Qingdeng got straight to the point:

"Your Highness, what brings you here so suddenly?"

Recently, both of them have been very busy, so they rarely meet unless it is for official business.

Therefore, he subconsciously assumed that the other party's sudden visit must be to discuss official business with him.

Unexpectedly, he guessed wrong.

Tenshōin smiled gently and shook his head slightly:

"It's nothing serious, I just wanted to see you and ask you a question."

She paused briefly, then finished speaking in one breath:

"Sheng Qing, are you free tomorrow?"

Qingdeng was stunned:

"Tomorrow? All day?"

Tenshōin nodded:

Yes, all day.

A look of bewilderment appeared on Qing Deng's face:

"Your Highness, why so suddenly? Is there something important happening tomorrow?"

"Well... please allow me to keep this a secret for now."

Tenshōin gestured for silence as he spoke, and a sly smile appeared on his face.

"You just need to tell me if you have time tomorrow."

Although Qing Deng didn't understand, he trusted Tenshōin implicitly and answered honestly:

"I can't get away tomorrow morning; I'll be free around noon."

Upon hearing this, Tenshōin's expression changed slightly, and a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

She pursed her lips and pressed on:

"So... are you free between noon tomorrow and early morning the day after tomorrow?"

Qing Deng pondered briefly:

"Although there are government affairs to attend to, none of them are urgent and can all be dealt with later."

"Hmm... only half a day...?"

Tenshōin bit her lip lightly, her expression slightly somber—but this somber look did not last long.

In a short while, as if she had figured something out, her facial expression brightened again.

At the same time, the "loss" in his eyes vanished.

"Alright, half a day it is!"

After she finished speaking, she hissed and took a deep breath—a gesture that seemed to be her way of bolstering her courage.

"Moriharu, please go to 3-6-8 Shinomachi, Edo at noon tomorrow!"

"Remember this? Tomorrow at noon, 3-6-8 Shinomachi!"

"Oh, and one more thing, you can only go alone, no outsiders allowed!"

As she spoke, she reached into her bosom, pulled out a slip of paper, and handed it to Qingdeng.

Qing Deng raised his hand to accept the paper, then looked down and saw a line of text written on it—it was the place name "Shinocho 3-chome 6-8".

He frowned, his expression growing more bewildered, wondering what the other person was up to.

"Your Highness, what exactly is going on..."

Tenshōin interrupted him with a giggle:

"When you arrive here tomorrow, you will know what I desire."

Having said that, she didn't linger any longer. She turned around and walked away slowly with light steps—seemingly in a good mood.

Before leaving, she added one more sentence:

"Remember this! Shinomachi 3-6-8! Don't go to the wrong place!"

Qing Deng glanced at the note in his hand, then at Tian Zhangyuan's receding figure... a strong sense of bewilderment dominated his expression...

……

……

The next day, at noon—

Edo, Shinomachi, 3-chome —

Qingdeng donned his long-unseen "hermit attire"—a low-brimmed straw hat, a scarf around his neck, and a simple outfit.

He deliberately pulled his scarf up a little to cover his face.

The more mysterious Tianzhangyuan made, the more curious he became.

Anyway, he was quite free this afternoon and had plenty of time, so he might as well cooperate with Tianzhangyuan and see what her purpose was.

——Third-chome...sixth chapter...eighth...

Shiko is a town with a high density of buildings.

The houses are connected to each other, layer upon layer.

Following the instructions of the Tenshō-in, he searched for each building one by one.

Fortunately, he found his destination without much trouble.

Shinocho 3-chome 6-8 – a simple-looking house – came into view.

Looking at the houses in front of him, Qingdeng involuntarily raised an eyebrow, looking surprised.

—Is this the place?

He looked up and down, left and right... No matter which angle he looked at it from, it was just an ordinary house that could be seen anywhere else.

There are thousands of similar houses in Edo.