I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In this way, Princess Kazuya would be equivalent to Aoto's daughter-in-law, and the current emperor would be his daughter-in-law's brother.

While Kazumiya's overly affected courtly manners were certainly unpleasant, she was by no means a bad person. She was just an innocent and naive young girl, and at least Aoto didn't dislike her.

Therefore, even if it were for the sake of Prince Kazu, Aoto could not possibly not go to save the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

In conclusion, even if it was just for show, Aoto had to put on a heroic act, as if saying, "The Emperor and the Crown Prince have been taken away, I am in so much pain!", "I will do everything in my power to save the Emperor and the Crown Prince!", and "Go! Give the Emperor and the Crown Prince back!"

Regarding how to rescue the Emperor and the Crown Prince, Aoto devised several plans.

He had envisioned a "special operation"—mobilizing the elite ninjas of the Ninth Division to "infiltrate" and rescue the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

Unfortunately, a little investigation reveals that this plan is nothing but an unrealistic fantasy.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; although Changzhou's national strength is not what it used to be, it is not an easy opponent to deal with.

Katsura Kogoro ensured the personal safety of the Emperor and the Crown Prince with the highest standards.

Their residence was carefully hidden, and no matter how much the members of the Ninth Division gathered intelligence, they could not find the exact location of the poor father and son.

After much deliberation, the only feasible approach seemed to be to completely crush the Choshu army on the battlefield and then find the Emperor and the Crown Prince in the ruins of Choshu.

In any case, it's always best to try to ascertain the Emperor and Crown Prince's exact movements; that can't be wrong.

Therefore, Qing Deng ordered the Ninth Division members who were hiding in Choshu to find out the whereabouts of the Emperor and the Crown Prince as soon as possible.

However, Qing Deng never expected that he would soon learn about the Emperor and the Crown Prince's current situation—in a way he never anticipated!

Just two days after Aoto returned to the capital region, a piece of news that seemed like a bolt from the blue arrived: the Emperor had passed away!

According to Choshu's official account, the Emperor died of beriberi.

In Japan during that era, contracting smallpox was a common occurrence.

Top nobles like the Emperor, whose diets consisted mainly of refined rice and lacked nutritional balance, were particularly susceptible to beriberi.

The Emperor... no, he should be called the late Emperor... The late Emperor was given a grand funeral with the highest honors, and was posthumously honored with the title "Kōmyō".

After the death of the late emperor, Crown Prince Mutsuhito ascended the throne and announced the change of era name to Meiji.

Japan's era names are all taken from ancient Chinese texts.

The name "Meiji" is taken from the Book of Changes, which says, "The sage faces south to listen to the world and governs by facing the light."

On the second day after the new emperor ascended the throne, he appeared in the main hall of Hagi Castle and gave a brief speech to the officials of Choshu through the imperial curtain.

[Note: Imperial Curtain: A curtain used to conceal the Emperor's appearance, thereby highlighting the imperial family's nobility and mystique.]

His speech was very brief, lasting only a few minutes, and it didn't offer anything new; it was nothing more than reiterating the same old platitudes as "Chōshū, loyal! Shogunate, evil!"

However, the Emperor's public speeches are a very rare occurrence.

For a long time, the image of the Emperor as a "mascot" has been deeply ingrained in people's minds, and even the Emperor himself has accepted this persona—the late Emperor is a prime example.

Whenever an imperial council was convened, the late emperor would sit silently behind the imperial curtain until the meeting ended.

Unexpectedly, the new emperor changed the decadent style of the previous dynasty and no longer acted as a dull "puppet," but actively participated in national affairs... Such actions made the officials of Changzhou jubilant and greatly boosted their morale.

More importantly, this is the first time the royal family has publicly voiced its support for the cause of honoring the emperor!

It was no secret that the late emperor disliked Changzhou.

When the emperor recklessly issued imperial edicts in Choshu, claiming that "Chōshū is loyal and virtuous" and "the shogunate is the 'enemy of the court'," everyone knew that this was by no means the late emperor's true thought.

That is why the new emperor's actions were so surprising.

It wasn't an imperial edict, nor was it delivered through someone else's words; rather, it was a public declaration of the imperial family's stance of "swearing to stand with Changzhou through thick and thin"... The firmness of their attitude was astonishing!

It is said that although the new emperor is very young, he has a loud voice and a powerful presence. Even when facing the officials of Changzhou, he is not intimidated and shows signs of ambition.

In an instant, the world situation changed drastically!

The passing of the former emperor who revered the shogunate, the ascension of the new emperor who favored the emperor... all of these were undoubtedly black swan events that could influence the course of history!

Aoto instinctively sensed the scent of conspiracy... He began to suspect the true cause of Emperor Komei's death.

The Emperor was in the hands of the Choshu people; whether he lived or died, and how he lived or died, depended entirely on the words of the latter.

This is a matter of great importance... In order to deal with the series of events caused by the new emperor's ascension to the throne, Qingdeng had no choice but to convene a gathering of heroes to discuss countermeasures.

……

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, military conference room——

The top brass of the Shinsengumi—Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, Kondo Isami, and Elodie—gathered together.

Because this matter involved the Imperial Family, Aoto originally intended to invite Prince Kazuya to attend.

However, upon receiving news of her elder brother's (the late emperor's) death, Kazuya fainted on the spot...

After regaining consciousness, she cried uncontrollably, feeling utterly heartbroken. She fainted several times, and her mental state was extremely worrying...

After much deliberation, Qingdeng had no choice but to have Tenshōin attend the meeting in place of Kazumiya.

Tenshōin frequently interacted with Prince Kazumi, and thus knew a great deal of information related to the Imperial Family.

At this moment, Tianzhangyuan sat upright in a corner of the military council room, his appearance concealed by a curtain.

Because of the presence of such a distinguished person as the Grand Master, Qing Deng and the others could not act as freely as usual, and all sat upright and solemnly.

At the very beginning of the meeting, Keisuke Yamanami asked Aoto:

"Mr. Tachibana, how are things with His Highness?"

Qing Deng sighed deeply and gave a bitter smile:

"What else can we do? I've almost lost count of how many times she's cried herself unconscious..."

After saying that, he sighed again.

Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and others all frowned.

Princess Kazu lost both her parents at a young age, and Emperor Komei was her only relative before she married Tokugawa Iemochi.

It's not hard to imagine how grief-stricken Kazumiya must be at the sudden passing of her beloved elder brother.

Kazumiya's body was already delicate, and her repeated loss of consciousness from crying had already caused considerable damage to her true feelings, causing Tenshōin and the others great concern...

Hijikata Toshizo snorted coldly, then said directly:

"In my opinion, the late emperor was most likely murdered. He was captured and taken to Changzhou, and then he passed away... It's too much of a coincidence!"

Yamanami Keisuke nodded:

"Yeah, I feel the same way...!"

*******

*******

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: This volume is almost finished! If all goes well, it should be completed the day after tomorrow. Please look forward to the final volume, *Nioh*!

Chapter 1097 Making Princess Kazuhime Empress! Restarting the "Northern and Southern Dynasties"! [5400]

Kondo Isami frowned:

"To draw such a conclusion so easily is far too arbitrary. The late emperor was already in poor health, so it would not be surprising if he had contracted an incurable disease."

Hijikata Toshizo said calmly:

“I know that the late emperor was not in good health, but the timing of his death was just too coincidental.”

"He died at just the right time, when he was captured and taken to Changzhou, and the 'decisive battle between the East and the West' was about to break out."

"Considering that the late emperor always disliked Choshu and opposed opposing the shogunate, his cause of death is even more suspicious."

“People from Changzhou have always acted radically and without regard for consequences.”

"Have you forgotten? Last summer, the Choshu people planned to burn down Kyoto and then take advantage of the chaos to kidnap the Emperor."

"If we hadn't discovered them in time and launched a swift raid on the Ikedaya, wiping out these madmen in one fell swoop, who knows how many innocent civilians would have died in the fire."

"They dared to burn down even the capital, disregarding the lives of countless people. What else in this world wouldn't they dare to do?"

"The people of Choshu saw the late emperor as an obstacle, so they killed him and put the young and easily controlled Crown Prince Mutsuhito on the throne... I think this might be the truth."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room became solemn and remained silent.

Although it's just a conspiracy theory, it's undeniable that Hijikata Toshizo's statement makes sense.

At this moment, Qingdeng waved his hand, ending the argument:

"Alright, let's leave this topic here for now."

"It is pointless for us to argue here about the true cause of the late emperor's death."

“We lack evidence, and no matter how many possibilities we put forward, they are just unfounded conjectures.”

"Let's talk about the really important thing—the new emperor is overwhelmingly supporting Changzhou, so what should we do next?"

The room fell silent again... A thoughtful gaze wandered in the air.

After the "Chōshū Campaign" came to a hasty end, the confrontation between the pro-shogunate camp and the pro-revolutionary camp was like a treacherous "sea" - although the undercurrents were turbulent, the surface was very calm, and both sides were silently accumulating strength.

This "peace" was shattered with the dashing arrival of the new emperor!

The new emperor's actions after ascending the throne were like dropping bombs into this "ocean," unleashing a massive upheaval!

The new emperor adopted a policy completely different from that of the previous emperor, wholeheartedly siding with the pro-imperial camp and relentlessly criticizing the shogunate... This was definitely a major event worthy of being recorded in history!

The late emperor favored the shogunate and was unwilling to openly oppose it, so the people of Choshu could only resort to the self-deceptive trick of "falsely conveying imperial edicts".

The new emperor did not issue any imperial edicts, but instead launched a public speech, announcing his full support for Changzhou's political stance.

The difference between them is like heaven and earth!

Even if ten thousand imperial edicts were issued, they would not be as effective as a single word uttered by the Emperor himself in public!

After so many years, the royal family has finally stood up to support the cause of the new emperor's rise to power... Countless people who are loyal to the new emperor are deeply moved and have made a vow to "serve the new emperor to the death".

Conversely, the pro-shogunate camp suffered a significant blow.

In fact, many factions within the pro-shogunate camp were unwilling to offend the imperial family—the Aizu Domain being a typical example.