I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The general is young, only 14 years old this year, and is not yet capable of handling government affairs on his own.

In addition, there was the special relationship that "Ii Naosuke was the greatest contributor to the victory of the Nanki faction". Therefore, in the two years since Tokugawa Iemochi succeeded as shogun, power has been basically in the hands of Ii Naosuke. Important political decisions were made by Ii Naosuke, and Tokugawa Iemochi was no different from a puppet.

Ii Naosuke's powerful and authoritarian manner, as well as his bloody suppression of the Hitotsubashi faction, greatly displeased the Tenshōin of the shogunate.

Tenshō-in – this was the posthumous name given to the principal wife of the previous general.

According to the regulations of the Edo period, after the death of a shogun, his wives had to shave their heads and become nuns, and then receive a Buddhist name.

Tenshōin's real name was Atsuko, and she was known as Atsuhime. After the death of the previous shogun Iesada, she became a nun and received the Buddhist name "Tenshōin-dono no Jusui-shun-jō-dai-nee", commonly known as "Tenshōin".

In terms of status, Tenshōin, as the principal wife of the previous shogun, was similar to an "empress dowager".

Tenshōin is very young; born in 1836, she is only 24 years old this year.

Although Jia Mao and she were not related by blood at all, as the "Empress Dowager", she still wholeheartedly assisted this nominal son who was only 10 years younger than her.

Ii Naosuke's various actions aroused the young "Empress Dowager's" growing dissatisfaction with this powerful minister—this was no secret.

In the streets and alleys of Edo, the deepening conflict between Lord Ii and Prince Tenshōin became one of the biggest topics of conversation.

"Sigh... I still hope that Lord Ii and Prince Tenshōin can restore their relationship as soon as possible..." Usui sighed. "The world is already in chaos, and if the shogunate can't work together, it's really in a terrible state."

Bo Jing picked up the tea beside him and drank it all in one gulp.

"Dongcheng, do you know what the most outrageous discussion I've heard among the common people lately about Lord Ii and Prince Tenshōin is?"

"What?" Dongcheng stuffed another piece of Nagasaki cake into his mouth.

Usui scoffed, "Some people with questionable brains are spreading rumors: Prince Tenshōin and Lord Ii are actually having an affair, and since Prince Tenshōin has never experienced the pleasures of a man, therefore..."

“Nonsense.” Before Usui could finish speaking, Toujou rolled his eyes. “How old is Lord Ii? He’s 45 this year. Even if Prince Tenshōin wanted to find a man, he wouldn’t choose Lord Ii.”

“Exactly.” Bo Jing curled his lip. “I really don’t know what people who make up such lies are thinking…”

Usui picked up a piece of Nagasaki cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

“However… Princess Tenshōin’s life has indeed been very difficult…” Usui sighed. “Although I was not fortunate enough to meet Princess Tenshōin in person, I have heard that she is a beauty with skin as smooth as jade and a face of unparalleled beauty.”

As he said this, a lewd smile appeared on Bo Jing's face.

"At such a young age, she has never even experienced the pleasures of love, yet she remains a virgin and will be a widow for all eternity."

A lewd smile appeared on Dongcheng's face: "Bojing, do you also believe that Prince Tenshoin is a virgin?"

“Isn’t this obvious?” Usui shrugged. “With Lord Iesada’s character, let alone sleeping with Prince Tenshōin, it’s questionable whether he’s even touched Prince Tenshōin.”

When Tenshōin married Tokugawa Iesada, Tokugawa Iesada's physical and mental condition was already extremely poor.

He already hated seeing people and could only communicate normally with his wet nurse. By the time he married Tianzhangyuan, his physical and mental condition had deteriorated to the point that he locked himself in his room all day and refused to see anyone.

His physical condition, which was practically that of a cripple, made it hard to believe that he was still capable of having sex.

So people spread the word that Tenshōin remained a virgin until the death of Lord Iejō.

Tenshōin lost her husband at the young age of 23 and remained a virgin widow—this kind of topic is so exciting!

Especially since Tenshōin is a famous beauty with both beauty and intelligence, it makes people's blood boil even more.

Even though it has been two years since Tokugawa Iesada died and Tenshōin became a widow, the topic of Tenshōin's virginity remains a hot one.

Countless Edo men fantasized about entering Tenshōin's boudoir alone as a lone hero, to comfort her lonely body and soul!

Everyone knows that a woman of Tenshōin's stature wouldn't fall for an ordinary cat or dog if she were to like another man. Only a king-like man could win Tenshōin's favor, but that still didn't stop the men of Edo from indulging in their fantasies.

Tenshōin's virginity—this happens to be a topic that both Usui and Tōjō enjoy.

When the topic came up, which both of them enjoyed, Bo Jing and Dong Cheng, two middle-aged men, had their eyes light up and began to chat excitedly.

Just as the two were chatting away—

"Follow your lord! Follow your lord!"

A shout, tinged with excitement and astonishment, rang out from outside.

Usui recognized who was shouting—it was a colleague who was specifically responsible for handling his paperwork.

"What is it?" Usui asked loudly.

"The murder case in Kiwani Town has been solved! The murder case in Kiwani Town has been solved! The perpetrator has been apprehended!"

"Solved?!" Usui was initially shocked, his eyes bulging forward. Then, he stood up excitedly, clapping his hands and laughing. "Nishino-kun is truly amazing! It's only been less than an hour since I assigned him to this case, right? He solved it so quickly and caught the culprit!"

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"No, no!" Tongxin outside the door stammered, "The one who solved the case wasn't Nishino-kun!"

"Huh?" Usui paused, "Not Nishino-kun? Then who solved the case?"

"It's Tachibana Aoto from the 'Arima Group'!"

……

"Hmm? Lord Fengxing?" Tongxin, who was outside the door, asked in confusion when there was no response from inside the room.

It's understandable that he didn't receive a response.

Because inside the office, both Usui and Tojo seemed to be frozen in place.

Dongcheng's reaction was relatively calm, with only his pupils slightly contracting and a look of surprise on his face.

Bo Jing's reaction was much stronger. His eyes widened, his mouth formed an "O" shape, and his face was full of disbelief.

*******

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During the Edo period, after the death of a shogun, his wives and concubines were required to shave their heads and become nuns. However, they did not shave their heads completely; generally, they would just cut their hair short as a formality.

Regarding Tenshōin's hairstyle, please see the image on the right. This image is from the Taiga drama "Atsuhime," and the woman in the picture is Tenshōin, played by Aoi Miyazaki, after she has shaved her head and become a nun. →→

[Japanese History Mini-Lesson Begins!]

The 13th Shogun, Tokugawa Iesada, was truly mentally disabled. Modern medical research shows that Tokugawa Iesada suffered from cerebral palsy, also known as "cerebral palsy," and was completely incapacitated.

Therefore, the Tenshōin mentioned in this chapter is still a virgin, and this is not just the author's wild imagination; it is a historically verifiable fact.

According to the research of many historians, given Tokugawa Iesada's character, it is highly likely that Tenshōin never shared a bed with Iesada until Iesada died of illness.

Tenshōin married Iesada at the age of 21, but after only one year and seven months of marriage, Iesada died of illness.

Let alone sharing a bed, it's questionable whether Tokugawa Iesada ever truly looked at his wife properly or had a proper heart-to-heart talk with her.

Tenshōin Temple has some photos of him during his middle age that have been passed down; you can go and take a look.

This book portrays Tenshōin as a stunning beauty, but in reality, while Tenshōin wasn't exactly a beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, photos of her in middle age still show that she wasn't ugly when she was young and was quite pretty.

Chapter 36 Daitou Deng's Counterattack (Part 1)

Koyuu-cho, Grandma Ping's house—

—Mmm mmm mmm…

Nishino squatted beside Granny Ping's body, deep in thought.

—This won't do... I can't find any more valuable clues at all...

The blockage in his thinking caused Nishino's brows to furrow slowly.

But just as the skin between his eyebrows began to tighten, Nishino's pupils suddenly contracted.

—Ah! No, no!

Nishino quickly raised his right index finger and vigorously rubbed between his eyebrows to smooth out the wrinkles.

—How can a samurai frown and act like a woman!

—You have to act like a samurai, you have to act like a samurai…

—A samurai must always be serious... Be serious... Be serious...

Nishino took a deep breath, and his expression returned to its usual cold and aloof look.

After arriving at the crime scene in Mokuyanagi-cho with his four subordinates, and getting rid of the troublesome Aoto, Nishino immediately launched an investigation.

At the very beginning of the investigation, Nishino gathered three extremely valuable clues in one go:

First: The victim's knife wounds were messy, with only one of the seven stab wounds hitting a vital organ, indicating that the perpetrator was not skilled with a knife.

Second: The victim was likely murdered last night. Since he was wearing casual clothes, not pajamas, and the place of death was the living room of his home, it can be inferred that he was murdered before going to sleep.

Third: The perpetrator held the victim's mouth down with one hand to prevent her from making a sound, while using the other hand to commit the crime with a knife. Based on the pressure and scratch marks left on the victim's mouth, it can be determined that the perpetrator's palm was very large. In connection with the clue that "the perpetrator used one hand to control the victim's mouth and used the other hand to commit the crime with a knife," it can be basically determined that the perpetrator was male.

Although they collected so many high-value clues at the very beginning of the investigation, which was quite a gratifying result, the gratifying results came to an end.

After that, Nishino never collected any other more valuable clues...

While the three clues known so far are all quite valuable, they are far from sufficient to narrow down or pinpoint the suspects.

The inability to find any more useful clues made Nishino increasingly anxious.

Nishino tilted his head back again, examining the crime scene for the umpteenth time.

After scanning every corner of the scene, my gaze finally landed on the candlestick with a small candle stick on it, which was placed not far from Grandma Ping's body.

For some reason, ever since entering the crime scene, Nishino has been very concerned about the candle on the candlestick.

I can't explain why.

There was a candlestick for lighting in the corner of the room... That's normal, nothing strange about it.

But... why do I feel a strange sense of unease...?

Nishino felt as if he were trying to catch a willow catkin drifting in the wind—it seemed like he was about to grab it, but just as his fingers were about to touch it, it would drift away again with the breeze…

Just a little bit more... just a little bit more and I'd understand something...

Nishino raised his hand to rub his temples, deep in thought.

Nishino was pondering this deeply—

"Um... Lord Nishino, the crowd outside seems to be growing larger."