I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Just then, a sudden burst of noisy conversation from not far away caught the attention of Aoto, Shimazaki, and Tokuyama Shigeru—

……

"Tsk, it's been so long since I've been to Yoshiwara to relax properly. I'm so bored, I miss the bed with Hikari next to me."

"Speaking of Yoshiwara... did you know? Itazuki from the academy seems to have unfortunately contracted syphilis in Yoshiwara."

"Huh? Really? That kid's in such a bad state. What kind of venereal disease is it? The kind that causes red spots all over the body? If it's the kind that causes red spots all over the body, then that kid's definitely dead."

"I don't know about that. All I know is that he contracted syphilis."

"Ha, how pathetic. He got himself killed playing around with women."

"Hey, let's stop talking about such depressing topics. Let's talk about something important—how about we go for a drink tonight?"

"Oh? Sure. Where should we go for drinks?"

……

Three samurai, whose origins are unknown, slowly put on their protective gear while discussing various trivial matters that have nothing to do with the upcoming match.

Listening to their conversation and looking at their nonchalant faces, Qingdeng's eyelids slowly lowered...

—This is… the Imperial Guard of the Shogunate?

Thinking of this, Qingdeng turned his head and glanced at the others in the room.

While the others weren't as outrageously chatting about "where to go after work tonight" as those three, they all appeared increasingly carefree.

Lacking any vigor... lacking even the slightest bit of fighting spirit or high morale.

After observing for a while, only Shimazaki Hajime and Tokuyama Shigeru in front of him looked somewhat decent—at least those two had put on their protective gear long ago. Unlike some people, who were slow and took forever to put on their gauntlets.

—This is outrageous…

The martial arts competition was about to begin, but apart from Shimazaki Hajime and Tokuyama Shigeru, the rest of the group were chatting and laughing as if it were none of their business... To be honest, their attitude disappointed Aoto.

No, I'm very disappointed.

He originally thought that the "Third Division," as a unit that enjoyed the best logistical support, had the strictest selection criteria for soldiers, and shouldered the most important responsibilities, would have soldiers whose physical and mental condition and overall quality were far better than those of ordinary samurai.

Unexpectedly... there is such a huge gap between what I "anticipated" and the "reality" that is unfolding before my eyes.

Qing Deng wasn't really looking forward to the upcoming competition—it was hard to imagine that someone with such a scattered mind and lifeless eyes could put on a brilliant performance in the match.

"...Mr. Tachibana, what do you think of these guys?"

Suddenly, Shimazaki asked Aoto this question.

Compared to his demeanor when chatting with Qing Deng, Shimazaki's tone suddenly became much more solemn.

"What do you mean, how?" Qing Deng pretended not to understand.

"Don't be silly. You should know what I mean."

"..." Qing Deng remained silent, not uttering a word.

It is a major taboo in social interactions to be too intimate with someone you don't know well—Qingdeng understands this principle as well.

He had never met Shimazaki Hajime or Tokuyama Shigeru before. Discussing such topics with strangers like them would only do harm, not good.

Therefore, Qingdeng chose to play dumb and remain silent to the end.

However, Aoto remained silent—Shimazaki, on the other hand, muttered to himself:

"I'm so disappointed in these guys... What kind of behavior is this? If war breaks out in the future, how are they going to protect the General with their attitudes like this..."

After saying this, Shimazaki lowered his head and sighed heavily... an aura of "loss" emanated from him.

However, Shimazaki quickly rallied.

He suddenly raised his head, and the air of disappointment on his body vanished in an instant.

"Speaking of Yoshiwara... Mr. Tachibana, have you ever been to Yoshiwara?"

"No," Qing Deng answered without hesitation.

"What a coincidence, I've never been to Yoshiwara either. I've always wanted to go there to broaden my horizons and see what this 'city that never sleeps' that so captivated countless men of Edo is really like."

"Huh? Go to Yoshiwara to broaden your horizons? What's so difficult about that?" Qing Deng asked, puzzled. "Yoshiwara isn't located in some remote, inaccessible place. When you have some free time, just go there and see what Yoshiwara looks like."

"Giggle..."

Shimazaki smiled without saying a word... Then, he somewhat awkwardly changed the subject:

"Speaking of which—Mr. Tachibana, you should have already met with Prince Tenshōin just now, right?"

"...Why are you asking this?"

Although Tenshōin's status and power were severely impacted after Ii Naosuke's assassination, the Nanki faction's power was seriously shaken, and the Hitotsubashi faction made a comeback, no matter what, Tenshōin was still the Ōmikado, the nominal mother of the current shogun.

Discussing the rights and wrongs of the "Mother of the Nation" with strangers... this is not a rational thing to do.

Therefore, when Qing Deng heard the name Tenshōin from Shimazaki Hajime, his eyes twitched and he became wary.

"nothing."

Shimazaki chuckled.

"I just wanted to have a casual chat with you."

“I heard that when you met with the General at the Black Academy just now, Prince Tenshoin was also present.”

"So I wanted to ask you: what were your impressions of Prince Tenshōin when you first met him?"

After saying that, Shimazaki let out a long sigh.

A hint of reminiscence surfaced on the face beneath the mask.

“I had a very strong first impression of Prince Tenshōin—I was really disappointed when I first met him.”

"I used to hear from others that Princess Tenshōin was an incredibly beautiful woman."

"What do you mean by 'Princess Tenshōin is the most beautiful woman in all of Edo'? What do you mean by 'Chiba Sanako of Okemachi Chiba is slightly inferior to her'?"

"In the end, it turns out that Prince Tenshōin's true appearance is so ordinary. I feel that he is not as good-looking as my younger sister."

"Perhaps Lord Iesada simply finds Princess Tenshō-in too ugly, which is why he hasn't consummated the marriage with her. Hehehe~"

Shimazaki laughed unrestrainedly.

After he had laughed his fill, he seemed to want to say something more—

"...Alright, that's enough."

But Qing Deng interrupted him with a cold tone.

After Shimazaki Hajime and Tokuyama Shigeru, who was standing beside him, both cast bewildered glances at Aoto, Aoto solemnly said:

"Although I have only met Prince Tenshōin once... I personally believe that Prince Tenshōin should not be ridiculed in this way by others."

"Oh?" Shimazaki tilted his head. "Why do you say that?"

"...Princess Tenshōin experienced the vicissitudes of life and the coldness of human nature, but she did not give up on herself. With an extremely tenacious will, she overcame all setbacks."

"His Highness Tenshōin has always fulfilled his duties as the Grand Imperial Attendant and has done his best to assist Lord Ōki."

"Her character is admirable."

"A woman as extraordinary as Princess Tianzhangyuan should not be mocked so maliciously."

Qing Deng's words above... contained no flattery or politeness whatsoever. They were all heartfelt words from the bottom of his heart.

Besides, there's no point in praising Tenshōin to a member of the "Third Division."

Tenshōin was one of the most famous figures in Edo, and his past had been widely circulated among the common people for a long time.

Tenshōin, who was married off to Edo as a "princess of the Satsuma Domain" and formed an alliance with the Edo Shogunate, was not originally a princess of the Satsuma Domain.

The family that ruled the Satsuma Domain was the Shimazu clan. Tenshōin came from a branch family of the Satsuma Shimazu clan: the Izumi family.

The former lord of the Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Nariakira, was a staunch member of the Hitotsubashi faction.

In order to better support Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's rise to power and expand the influence of the Hitotsubashi faction within the shogunate, Shimazu Nariakira decided to form a marriage alliance with the Edo shogunate.

However, Shimazu Nariakira had no daughters of marriageable age... So, Shimazu Nariakira set his sights on the branch families of the Shimazu clan, intending to adopt an adult woman from one of the branch families as his daughter—thus, Tenshōin became the princess of the Satsuma Domain.

Not long after being adopted by Shimazu Nariakira, Tenshōin was hastily sent away from her homeland to marry Tokugawa Iesada, who suffered from cerebral palsy and no longer resembled a normal person.

Becoming a victim of politics... this was only the beginning of Tenshōin's tragedy.

Tokugawa Iesada, who suffers from cerebral palsy, was not only physically weak from childhood, but also timid by nature and extremely disliked speaking in front of others. Only his wet nurse, Utahashi, could communicate with him.

When Tenshōin married him, he was already in a state of complete physical and mental collapse.

He locks himself in his room all day and hardly sees anyone... Even Tenshōin, with whom he is legally married, is no exception.

安政五年（1858年）7月6日，德川家定病死。天璋院与他的1年零7个月没有夫妇之实的短暂婚姻宣告终结。

According to the regulations of the Edo Shogunate, after the death of the shogun, his principal wife and concubines had to become nuns.

She had probably only seen her husband a few times before becoming a young widow forced to shave her head and become a nun...

During the time that Tenshōin was married off to Edo, her biological father died in the Satsuma Domain.

But Tenshōin was unable to return to her hometown to see her deceased father one last time... Not to mention visiting her parents, from the moment she was chosen as "Tokugawa Iesada's marriage partner," she never had the chance to return to her homeland or see her former relatives and friends again.

She suffered so many injustices, yet had no one to vent her anger or resent—because the person who brought her to this state, Shimazu Nariakira, had died suddenly in Kagoshima just 10 days after Tokugawa Iesada's death.

Tenshōin's setbacks were far from over—after the death of Shimazu Nariakira, the new head of the Shimazu clan, Shimazu Tadayoshi, completely ignored Tenshōin.

This is not difficult to understand.

Shimazu Tadayoshi and Tenshōin had no connection whatsoever. And Tenshōin was no longer of any use to him.

To put it simply—Tenshoin and the Satsuma Domain are now in a completely "broken-off" relationship... no. To be more precise... it should be said that he has been "abandoned".

He had made so many sacrifices for the Satsuma Domain, but in the end, he not only gained nothing, but was also ruthlessly abandoned by his own homeland...

They were unwittingly turned into political tools, not even knowing whether they had fulfilled their intended purpose as "tools," and were simply discarded like trash...

To be honest, it's not surprising that after experiencing this series of misfortunes, one's mind and body would become distorted.

But Tenshōin was not like that... so Seidō truly admired Tenshōin's character and willpower.

While Qing Deng couldn't say he truly understood what Tian Zhangyuan had gone through, he could at least feel immense sympathy for the poor young widow.

Hearing Shimazaki's mockery of Tenshōin, Aoto felt genuinely uncomfortable.