I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I've wanted to wear a white kimono for a long time."

"As expected of the sacred garment that symbolizes 'purity'."

"After putting on this white kimono, I felt my heart become pure."

Judging from Tenshōin's tone, it seemed as if she was wearing a white kimono for the first time.

Qingdeng subconsciously turned his head to the side and cast a questioning look at the other person.

When you married Tokugawa Iesada, didn't you wear a white kimono? — Aoto didn't say it explicitly, but his eyes revealed his thoughts.

Tenshōin instantly understood the deeper meaning in his eyes and calmly explained:

"When I married Tokugawa Iesada, I certainly wore a white kimono."

"However... I don't remember anything that happened that day."

"It's like having amnesia; you can't remember a single detail."

"However, there is one thing I remember very clearly - that wedding exhausted me."

As she spoke, she slumped her shoulders, revealing a vivid and exaggerated expression of distress.

"Although the wedding of the General of the Sei-i was very grand, both the host and the guests suffered a lot."

The guests were all trembling with fear.

"When to stand, when to kneel, when to offer loud blessings... there are detailed rules for every step."

"Most of the time, guests have to kneel, and it's common for them to kneel for more than an hour or even longer."

"As for the bride and groom, who are the main characters, needless to say."

"In many parts of the ceremony, the bride and groom must sit upright and respectfully, like puppets, without any unnecessary movements or expressions."

"After the wedding, I felt like I had lost all feeling in my back. I couldn't even bend over and had to be helped to walk."

"I don't remember any details about the wedding; the only thing I remember is this pain."

"If I had a choice, I would prefer a relaxed and joyful wedding."

"By the way, Tokugawa Iesada was even more impatient than I was."

"Before marrying me, he had already had two wives."

"Including the wedding he gave me, he's had three weddings already. He's long been tired of it."

After venting her frustrations about her terrible wedding, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, she slightly raised her gaze and looked straight ahead at the empty space.

"Upon closer reflection... the reason I forgot about the wedding, besides because I hated it, is probably because I treated it as my 'funeral'."

"After all, from now on, there will be no more 'Shimazu Atsuko' of the Satsuma Domain, only 'Atsuhime' of the Shogunate."

Qingdeng listened quietly, silently becoming a qualified "listener".

He was already very clear about the past of Tianzhang Academy.

Like a jigsaw puzzle, in many previous conversations, Tenshōin gradually told Aōdō about his past, piecing together a complete picture.

A carefree girl once...

She dreamt of marrying the greatest man in the world...

She was adopted by Shimazu Nariakira for political purposes...

Forced to marry Tokugawa Iesada, she became a "spy" planted by the "Hitotsubashi faction" within the shogunate...

Disliking Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and favoring Tokugawa Iemochi, he betrayed the "Hitotsubashi faction" and switched to the "Nanki faction"...

A grand ambition to clarify the world's affairs, even at the cost of personal happiness...

Looking back on this woman's past, it's clear she's had a very difficult life.

Who could have imagined that the unruly girl who used to play wildly on the beach would one day become the most powerful woman in the shogunate?

At this moment, Tenshōin suddenly said:

"...Husband, it's all your fault."

The sudden blame caught Qingdeng off guard.

Meeting Aoto's questioning gaze, Tenshōin continued speaking to himself:

"On the day I bid farewell to my parents and set off for Edo, I made a silent vow: I must become the wisest Odai-sho in history."

"As long as it brings peace to the world, even if I can never go back to my hometown, even if I have to marry a man I hate, even if I have to be a widow for the rest of my life, I am willing to do it."

"This is my determination."

"I've even thought of my assessment for future historians: a brilliant woman who is both beautiful and intelligent, with a broad vision and decisive judgment, who is willing to sacrifice her personal happiness to bring peace to the world."

"However... because of your appearance, my resolve to 'willingly remain a widow' has been shaken..."

She paused briefly, then turned and stared intently at Qingdeng, their eyes meeting.

In the darkness, her beautiful eyes shone brightly.

"To be honest, I didn't have any special feelings for you at first."

"I just think you are a remarkable person. You have made great achievements at such a young age. You are a pillar of society. I want to nurture you, support you, and help you. That's all."

"Because you are much younger than me, for a long time I regarded you as a 'fun little brother'."

"However... without realizing it, 'meeting you' has become the thing I look forward to most every day."

"Perhaps this is what they call 'love growing over time'."

“Now that things have come to this, I will not hide it anymore—that day, after learning that you were being demoted to ‘Golden Region Garrison Commander’ and would soon be going to the capital, I felt a strong sense of displeasure.”

“I don’t want you to go to the capital region… I want you to always be a ‘person in charge of both the inner circle and the imperial court’.”

"In this way, we can see each other more often."

After pouring out his heart in one breath, Tenshōin took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"That's all there is to it."

"I had already made up my mind, but because of your appearance, all my long-suppressed feelings were stirred up."

“What I said to you before—that I would go to Otsu with you after Choshu is destroyed—is concrete proof of my ‘private feelings’.”

"I originally thought that after eliminating Choshu, the Zunrang Movement would suffer a devastating blow. In that case, although I dare not say that we can rest easy, it would at least bring some peace to the world for a while."

"At that time, I should be able to put down the heavy burden on my shoulders and pursue my own happiness."

"Unexpectedly... all my plans have come to nothing..."

"The Choshu Campaign failed, Edo suffered heavy losses... Now even the Emperor and the Crown Prince have been kidnapped..."

"The series of unforeseen events has made the world increasingly chaotic."

"At this crucial juncture, it would seem extremely inappropriate for me to disregard human ethics and moral principles and marry a subject."

Even so, I still want to go to Otsu with you, and I want to wear this white kimono for you!

At this point, she suddenly raised her voice.

"So, my husband... no, Tachibana Moriharu, you choose."

"As I just said, up to now, our 'wedding' is still just a part of 'playing house'."

"If you have no intention of marrying me, then let this 'wedding' end as 'playing house'."

"After tonight, everything will return to normal."

"But if..."

Suddenly, Tenshōin's voice stopped abruptly.

It wasn't that she couldn't continue.

Purely due to the influence of external forces—Qingdeng suddenly lunged at Tianzhangyuan!

He opened his arms and hugged her tightly, then... lowered his head.

Under the moonlight, the two figures merged into one.

Their breaths sprayed onto each other's faces in a disordered rhythm.

Qing Deng has always been the type who prefers doing to talking.

Therefore, before Tenshōin could finish speaking, he couldn't wait to take action and used his decisive attitude to show his intentions.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

Qing Deng opened his eyes and slowly raised his head... He did not let go of Tian Zhangyuan in his arms.

Tenshōin kept his eyes tightly shut, unable to recover from the "surprise attack" for a long time.

After a while, she slowly opened her eyes as if waking from a dream.

"..."

"..."

They looked at each other, but neither of them spoke.

Although neither of them spoke, an indescribable sense of comfort lingered between them.

About three minutes later, Tenshōin produced a new voice:

"Sheng Qing, do you know why I specifically took the lead in today's 'playing house'?"

"why?"

"Because I thought that if you refused to marry me, at least I would have been your wife for half a day. Even if it was just an act, it would still be a beautiful memory for me for the rest of my life."

Qingdeng chuckled to himself:

Why do you think I would reject you? So, after pretending to be my wife for so long, what are your thoughts?

"I'm exhausted! I never want to live like this again! Only after trying it did I realize that such a 'peaceful life' is not always wonderful."

She frowned and poured out her grievances:

"I hate doing housework! Whether it's cleaning or cooking, I hate it!"