I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qingdeng blinked, looking completely innocent.

He had a very good self-image, and his demeanor and behavior were very serious.

"You're not aware of this at all... Oh well, never mind..."

Tenshōin sighed softly, then reached out and took Aoto's two swords with a complicated expression, before carrying them back into the room.

When the husband returned home, he would first hand his sword to his wife, who would then put it away on the sword rack—this was a common interaction between samurai couples in the Edo period.

While Tenshōin was putting away the sword, Aoto took off his straw sandals, removed his straw hat, and stepped across the entrance hall.

As he entered the house, he looked around carefully, examining the property thoroughly.

Like its exterior, the interior of the house is also ordinary and unremarkable.

However, although it is very ordinary, it has all the necessary features.

The living room, bedrooms, kitchen... everything is available.

Qingdeng entered the hall and looked around.

Apart from a round table and a cabinet, there was no other furniture in the room.

He folded up a cushion and sat down with his knees bent in front of the round table.

He had barely sat down when the aura of Tianzhang Academy wafted back to him.

"Prime Minister Sheng, please have some tea!"

She brought over a cup of hot tea and a plate of taro soup, and respectfully presented them to Qingdeng.

[Note: Taro soup: This is made by simmering Ryukyu taro (i.e., sweet potato) with chestnuts and sugar, then cooling and cutting it into chunks.]

It was obvious that she was still not used to being called "husband".

In fact, not only was she not used to saying it, but Qingdeng was not used to hearing it either.

Whenever he heard Tianzhangyuan address him as "Master," Qingdeng would feel goosebumps rise all over his body and cold sweat break out on his back.

"Husband, have you eaten?"

"not yet."

Because Tenshōin had repeatedly emphasized yesterday that "you must go to No. 6-8, 3-chome, Shinomachi tomorrow at noon," after handling many matters, Aoto left Edo Castle without stopping and headed straight for his destination.

Upon hearing this, Tenshōin was overjoyed.

"That's perfect! I'm cooking right now! Please wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon!"

After saying that, she hurriedly retreated, her footsteps fading into the distance.

Then, the sounds of a cleaver striking a cutting board, the sizzling of ingredients going into the pan, and other sounds unique to the kitchen came one after another.

Qingdeng is not good at cooking; he only knows how to make very simple dishes such as boiled eggs and fried eggs.

Although he wasn't a culinary expert, he could still tell from the sounds that Tenshōin's cooking skills were lacking—she, like him, wasn't good at cooking.

No, that's not right... Her cooking skills are probably even worse than his!

Whether it's the sound of chopping vegetables or pouring vegetables into the pot, it all conveys a sense of chaotic disarray.

The sounds were clearly those of a "kitchen novice".

Upon closer reflection, this is not surprising.

From birth, she was a pampered young lady who never lifted a finger.

After becoming the high and mighty Omiya-sho, she had even less reason to learn cooking.

Therefore, it is perfectly understandable that she doesn't know how to cook.

Qingdeng had a rough idea of ​​what was happening in the kitchen right now... most likely a chaotic mess.

—Can she do it...?

While secretly worrying, Qingdeng involuntarily turned his head and kept looking towards the kitchen.

He wasn't worried about her cooking being bad.

He was afraid she might accidentally hurt herself—the chopping sounds, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, with no rhythm whatsoever, really made him break out in a cold sweat.

Or worse, they might burn the kitchen down...

Fortunately, his worries did not come true.

About 20 minutes later, Tenshōin, covered in sweat and still wearing his burlap sack, excitedly returned to Seidō.

[Note: *Kiri-zuki*: A white apron worn for cooking during the Edo period.]

"My lord, I've kept you waiting!"

She set up two tables and then placed plates of food on them.

Qingdeng looked down and saw a very simple three dishes and one soup.

First, there was a huge pile of rice... it was overflowing, the "mountain of rice" was twice the height of a rice bowl.

At first glance, it looks precarious... as if adding just one more grain of rice would cause the entire "mountain of rice" to collapse instantly.

This is actually a kind of etiquette from the Edo period.

Because rice is a precious commodity, and most families simply cannot afford it, piling up large amounts of rice high is a way of showing respect to the other person.

The three dishes were pickled radish, fried tofu, and stew—very common everyday dishes during the Edo period.

As for the soup, it was just regular miso soup.

As for the taste, it's quite fragrant.

But its appearance... well, it's hard to describe!

Simply put, they all look like they don't taste good.

Even the rice was a disaster, neither dry nor watery, somewhere between "rice" and "porridge," clearly indicating that too much water had been added or the cooking time had not been properly controlled.

You don't even need to taste it; you can tell what this lunch will taste like just by looking at it.

Although Qingdeng didn't say anything and his face didn't show any expression, Tenshōin still lowered his head in shame.

She has eaten all kinds of delicacies since she was a child, so she naturally knows what delicious food looks like.

She's not blind; of course she knows how terrible the meal she prepared was.

She nervously rubbed her hands together and gave a dry laugh.

"I'm sorry... cooking is so hard... it probably won't suit your taste, please forgive me..."

Looking at Tianzhangyuan, whose head was buried deep in his hands, Qingdeng smiled helplessly:

"Your Highness..."

Just as he was about to speak, the other party suddenly interrupted him, saying:

"My lord, I am not your 'prince'."

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then asked reflexively:

"Then what should I call you?"

He paused, then adopted a half-joking tone:

Do you want me to call you 'Mom'?

During the Edo period, after having children, husbands would sometimes call their wives "Okaa-san" (meaning mother), indicating her role as a mother in the family.

"No, no! Don't call me that! We don't have children yet!"

With her face flushed, she continued in an annoyed tone:

"Just call me by my name."

Calling her name... this actually put Qingdeng in a difficult position.

As is widely known, she had many names throughout her life.

He changes his name every time he reaches a new stage in his life.

According to custom, the shogun's principal wife was usually brought in from the five regent families (Ichijō, Nijō, Kujō, Konoe, and Takatsukasa) or the imperial family.

Therefore, in order to successfully marry into the shogunate, after becoming the adopted daughter of Shimazu Nariakira, the former lord of the Satsuma Domain, she immediately became the adopted daughter of Konoe Tadahiro of the Konoe family, and her name was changed from "Shimazu Atsuko" to "Konoe Keiko".

Therefore, her official name should now be "Jingzi".

Thinking of this, Qingdeng said:

"Then I'll call you 'Jingzi'."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tensho-in shook his head helplessly:

“‘Keiko’... Few people call me that, so I’m not used to this name, and... I don’t really like it. Let’s use a different name.”

To further "guide" Qingdeng, she said quietly:

"Didn't you just call me by another name not long ago? I like it when you call me by that name."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng was taken aback.

Memories flooded back… It was indeed not long ago, on the day the three thousand Mito soldiers attacked, at the moment Tenshōin leaned against him… At that moment, guided by his emotions, he no longer called her “Your Highness,” but subconsciously called out her other name…

With this thought in mind, he said softly:

"O Ka Tsu..."

Instantly, Tianzhangyuan broke into a smile, a very happy one:

“That’s right, just call me ‘Yu Yi’! This is my first name, and it’s also my favorite name.”

"Yu Yi" is her childhood name.

He was still a little unaccustomed to being addressed as "Yu Yi" so affectionately...

However, the thought that they were playing "house" instantly dispelled any sense of groundedness they felt.

He composed himself slightly and continued what he hadn't finished saying:

"Yu Yi, don't worry about it."

"Cooking skills are not difficult to learn."