I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Matsudaira Katamori (Lord of Aizu Domain) revered the Imperial Family, and he had a very deep affection for the late Emperor. They can be considered a model of the relationship between ruler and subject.

When the late emperor issued the edict in the belt to escape the control of Choshu, the first person he thought of was Matsudaira Katamori.

Matsudaira Katamori did not disappoint the late emperor's trust. After receiving the late emperor's edict, he quickly mobilized his forces, including the Shinsengumi and the Satsuma army, and drove the Choshu forces out of Kyoto (the coup of August 18).

After the Keio Incident, Matsudaira Katamori was so remorseful that he almost committed seppuku to atone for his sins, but Aoto personally intervened and persuaded him to give up the idea.

Therefore, when the news of the late emperor's death arrived, he was as grief-stricken as Princess He and wept bitterly.

The term "enemy of the court" had a significant influence in the political landscape of ancient Japan.

Whether the Emperor is a "mascot" or the court is incompetent, it doesn't prevent people from being unwilling to bear the stigma of being "enemies of the court."

Before this, the pro-shogunate camp could refute the imperial edicts issued by Choshu by claiming that they were "forged edicts".

Now, all arguments seem pale and powerless—the Emperor himself has said that the Shogunate is an “enemy of the court” and Tachibana Aoto is a “traitorous minister,” so what else can you say?

As a result, in recent days, all the major forces in the pro-shogunate camp have been dumbfounded in the face of the new emperor's rampant attacks.

The pro-shogunate leaders, led by Matsudaira Katamori, were all at a loss and did not know what to do. They could only send secret letters to Otsu, asking Aoto for help.

After a silence of about half a minute, Hijikata Toshizo spoke first:

"Let's just take a risky approach."

"It is declared that the late emperor was murdered, and the new emperor's ascension to the throne is not in accordance with the law."

"We took advantage of the situation and raised the banner of 'avenging the late emperor' to regain control of the cause."

Upon hearing this, Yamanami Keisuke's face changed color, and he looked incredulous.

"Mr. Hijikata, this...this is too radical!"

Not only was Yamanami Keisuke speechless, but Kondo Isami and Elodie were also dumbfounded, while only Aoto remained relatively calm.

Hijikata Toshizo had anticipated the astonishment of Yamanami Keisuke and the others, and calmly said:

"Whether this new emperor truly despises the shogunate or is being manipulated by treacherous individuals, his open support for Choshu has already caused us considerable harm."

"Letting them smear us will put us in a very disadvantageous position, which will restrict all our subsequent actions."

"Since the new emperor is the source of all this trouble, let's just deny his existence from the root! Let's declare his ascension to the throne illegitimate!"

“In this way, we can shift the stigma of ‘enemy of the court’ back to Choshu, and also add another charge of ‘persecuting the imperial family and arbitrarily establishing a false emperor’!”

At this point, Hijikata Toshizo paused, then adopted a regretful tone:

"It's a pity... there are no other princes left in the Kyoto Imperial Palace."

"Otherwise, after declaring the new emperor a 'false emperor,' we can then promote another prince to be the new emperor!"

"Using the Emperor to fight the Emperor! Just like the Northern and Southern Dynasties hundreds of years ago!"

The Northern and Southern Dynasties (1336-1392) – During this period, there were two emperors, one in the south and one in the north, each with their own succession. Historical records refer to this period as "Two Emperors in One Day, Southern BJ".

After Emperor Go-Daigo destroyed the Kamakura Shogunate, he carried out the first Restoration of Imperial Rule and implemented new policies. However, these new policies failed to meet the demands of the samurai, which led to their dissatisfaction.

With the strong support of the samurai group, Ashikaga Kaka... ah, no, Ashikaga Takauji, the general who overthrew the shogunate, directly struck a heavy blow, forcing Emperor Go-Daigo to abdicate and installing Emperor Kōmyō of the Jimyōin line, thus beginning the Northern Court.

After Emperor Go-Daigo was forced to abdicate, he managed to escape, taking with him the Three Sacred Treasures, symbols of the emperor, and fled to Yoshino in Yamato (present-day Nara Prefecture), thus beginning the Southern Court.

Yamanami Keisuke and the others were stunned.

Hijikata Toshizo's above remarks were more than just outrageous!

It's no exaggeration to say that he should be taken out and beheaded!

Fortunately, Yamanami Keisuke and the others were not the kind of people who idolized the imperial family. They had respect for the imperial family, but not much.

Otherwise, when Hijikata Toshizo uttered the heretical words of "establishing another emperor" and "creating another 'Northern and Southern Courts'", they would definitely slam their fists on the table and angrily berate Hijikata Toshizo.

Ashikaga Takauji has been a controversial figure since the Nanboku-chō period.

Legally speaking, the Southern Dynasties were undoubtedly the legitimate dynasty.

Ironically, it was the Northern Dynasty, which was a puppet regime, that ultimately unified the two dynasties and ended the division, while the Southern Dynasty, as the legitimate dynasty, was swept into the dustbin of history. The bloodline of the Southern Dynasty emperor was completely severed, and his descendants only existed in folk legends, just like "Prince Zhu the Third".

In other words, all the emperors after the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties were descendants of false emperors.

According to the historical law of "the victor is king and the loser is villain," Ashikaga Takauji should rightfully enjoy the glory of the victor, especially since the Southern Court, as the loser, was defeated so thoroughly that not even a single descendant can be found.

In fact, even now, there are still many people—most of whom are supporters of Mito school and Confucianism—who regard Ashikaga Takauji as a traitorous rebel.

Despite being the undisputed winner, he still bears the infamy of being a "traitor" to this day... There are such great risks involved in establishing a new emperor.

Therefore, it's not hard to understand why Yamanami Keisuke and the others looked at Hijikata Toshizo with such eyes—you've got some nerve! You dare to come up with such an idea? Do you want to kill Aoto?

Yamanami Keisuke opened his mouth, intending to refute Hijikata Toshizo.

But at that moment, Tenshōin, who had remained silent since the start of the meeting, suddenly spoke:

"Sheng Qing, may I speak?"

The sudden sound from Tianzhangyuan startled everyone.

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then quickly said:

"Of course. Your Highness, please don't be shy. The reason I invited you to the table is that I wanted to hear your opinions."

Tianzhangyuan nodded slightly:

"Every word I say next is merely my personal speculation."

"This may seem shocking, please don't take offense."

"Kiwa once told me that Mutsuhito is a quiet and shy boy."

"Let alone giving a speech in public, he would be so embarrassed that he would stammer even if he was just whispering to someone."

"So... I was quite surprised to learn that Mutsuhito was able to deliver such a eloquent speech in front of all the officials of Choshu..."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng immediately grasped the implication of Tian Zhang Yuan's words, raised an eyebrow, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light:

"Your Highness, do you mean... this 'Mukuren' is not the real Mukuren?"

Upon hearing this, gasps of astonishment filled the room.

Even the usually audacious Hijikata Toshizo stared blankly, his face filled with disbelief.

The limit of "heretical" behavior he could imagine was nothing more than establishing another emperor.

Hiring someone to impersonate the Emperor... Even someone as ruthless as him had never considered such an act!

Tianzhangyuan shook his head:

"I don't know. I have never met Muren in person, nor do I know anything about him, so I dare not speak presumptuously."

"However... the 'Mukujin' currently being praised in Choshu is quite different from the Mukujin described by the Prince."

A deathly silence enveloped the room once again.

Suddenly, Hijikata Toshizo slapped his thigh and exclaimed joyfully:

"Excellent! This is exactly what we wanted!"

"Changzhou has been found guilty of yet another crime!"

"Not only did he cause the death of the late emperor, but he also allowed the 'fake crown prince' to sit on the throne with impunity! His crimes are unforgivable!"

After hearing this, Yamanami Keisuke finally couldn't hold back any longer and said in a deep voice:

“Mr. Hijikata, your plan is… too radical.”

"We lack conclusive evidence regarding either the cause of the late emperor's death or the authenticity of the new emperor."

“Using such a fictitious ‘hypothesis’ as a ‘righteous’ justification for launching a military campaign against the enemy is extremely risky.”

"Once exposed, it could lead to irreparable consequences."

Hijikata Toshizo spread his hands and said nonchalantly:

"The so-called 'great righteousness' is often justification by faith."

"As long as you firmly believe that the belief you uphold is 'righteousness,' then you possess 'righteousness.'"

"Besides, we don't need the truth."

"It doesn't matter how the late emperor died or whether the new emperor is a 'false emperor'."

"All we need is a banner to appease the people, dampen the enemy's momentum, and rekindle the fighting spirit of the pro-shogunate camp."

Yamanami Keisuke's brows furrowed into a deep frown, his cheeks filled with a complex expression.

Based on the changes in his facial expressions, it is not difficult to see that he agrees with Hijikata Toshizo's ideas.

However... he was a Confucian scholar who advocated "the way of the king" at heart.

The Confucianism deeply ingrained in his mind made it impossible for him to calmly accept this radical "tyranny".

In a sense, Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke are two completely opposite extremes; the former is too wicked, and the latter is too righteous.

Suddenly, Qingdeng raised his right hand and made a pressing motion.

Upon seeing this, everyone quickly turned their heads and looked at Qingdeng in unison.

"Gentlemen, please listen to my thoughts."

As Qingdeng spoke, he lowered his right palm, which had been pressing down lightly.

Although he spoke very politely, beginning with "Let me hear my thoughts," everyone knew very well that his "thoughts" were actually "decision-making."

No matter how fiercely Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and others argued, their opinions and views could only serve as a reference for Aoto.

Qing Deng has veto power and is the one who makes the final decision.

Even if everyone present opposed him, they could not go against his will!

Qingdeng didn't mince words and spoke quickly and directly:

"To be honest, my thoughts coincide with Sui San's."

"The truth is irrelevant."

"Although it is a bit risky, it is indeed a good suggestion to use the banner of 'murdering the late emperor and establishing a false emperor' to fight against Changzhou."

At this point, Qingdeng paused, then adopted a meaningful tone:

"Actually, I don't need to say my true thoughts anymore—because Sui San has already said them for me."