I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The first year of Wanyan (1860), December 29th——

Edo, Sora-cho —

The weather today is very sunny... or rather, excessively sunny.

The sky was clear and bright early in the morning.

The azure sky was so clear, as if it had just been washed by rain, that it stretched to the horizon, and even the distant horizon could be seen clearly.

It's already late August, almost September, but there's no sign of summer leaving.

The summer sun was intense and scorching.

Edo Castle was shrouded in a humid, sweltering heatwave. The scenery was filtered through the heat, making the whole world seem to melt into a viscous liquid.

The trees planted along the streets and the potted plants in the courtyards of houses rustled in the hot wind, and countless cicadas chirped tirelessly in the trees.

Its sound transformed into a deafening, overwhelming sonic wave that enveloped Aoto, who was moving straight ahead along a street in Sou-cho.

The street, covered in the dust characteristic of dirt roads, yet remarkably orderly, stretches forward alongside rows of shops.

It's a little past 7 a.m. now.

Although it was still early, many shops had already opened.

"Sir! Autumn is coming! We've just received a new batch of autumn clothes! Would you like to take a look?"

Every now and then, some very enthusiastic shop owners would invite Qingdeng to patronize their businesses, but Qingdeng, who was currently busy with something... or more accurately, had a mission to complete, would politely decline.

After passing this commercial street and descending a section of stone steps with weathered wooden railings, the buildings on both sides of the street begin to change.

It has become more than just shops; it has become old and sparse.

Many more alleys of varying lengths have appeared. The crisscrossing alleys make this neighborhood resemble a maze.

In this unbearably hot weather, even if you do nothing but stand there, you'll be drenched in sweat.

Qingdeng stopped in his tracks, took out a tissue he always carried with him, which he used to wipe sweat and clean his sword during battles. He used the tissue to wipe the sweat from his face and looked up at the surrounding street scene.

"This should be the 6th floor of Xiaocheng..."

At this moment, Qingdeng saw an old man walking towards him from the opposite direction.

"Old man!"

Qingdeng called out to the old man.

The old man, who was suddenly stopped by a warrior, was so startled that his body trembled a few times, and then he quickly looked up.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Excuse me, sir, is this the fourth chome of Xiaocheng?"

"Ah, yes, yes."

"Do you know where the Moon Palace Shrine is? There should be a shrine called 'Moon Palace' nearby."

"Tsukinomiya Shrine?"

The old man tilted his head to the side, his brows furrowed slightly, revealing a confused and thoughtful expression.

Seeing the old man remain silent, Qingdeng couldn't help but ask:

"Grandpa, don't you live here?"

“No, I am a resident of Xiaoting. Wait a minute, Tsukimiya Shrine… I seem to remember it. There seems to be a new shrine that opened nearby…”

The old man turned to the side and pointed behind him.

"Sir, walk to the end of this street, turn right at the first intersection. Then go straight, and after reaching the end, you'll see a set of stone steps. Go down the steps and turn left, then walk straight along the path on your left. You'll see a newly opened shrine. As for whether that shrine is the Moon Palace Shrine you're looking for, I'm not sure."

"Oh, I see... I understand, thank you for showing me the way."

After bowing to the old man to express his gratitude and bidding him farewell, Qingdeng walked straight ahead along the path the old man had indicated.

Before long, Qingdeng discovered that the further he walked, the more desolate the surrounding street scene became.

At first, there were some houses on both sides of the street.

Gradually, fewer and fewer houses were built... and the warmth of human life gradually faded away.

Shocho was located in a remote area near the outskirts of Edo.

Aoto felt from the bottom of his heart: he was now heading to the most remote part of the remote part of Edo...

Finally—Qingdeng found the newly opened shrine that the old man had mentioned.

"Is this the place...? Is this the Moon Shrine...?"

Aoto looked up at the huge red torii gate in front of him, with shimenawa ropes hanging from it... A complex emotion, mainly one of confusion, gradually crept onto his cheeks.

“So…” Qing Deng took a deep breath, then sighed heavily, “Why did you send me to find a shrine maiden…?”

……

……

Let's turn back time to yesterday—

Edo, Edo Castle, Black Academy—

"Moon Palace Shrine? Yu Du Miko?"

Aoto's eyes widened even more as he repeated, bewildered, the two words that Tokugawa Iemochi had just uttered that had been bothering him.

"Yes."

Tokugawa Iemochi nodded.

"Due to various reasons, I can't tell you too much right now... After you arrive at the Moon Palace Shrine tomorrow and meet the Priestess Utsu, you will know the details and reasons for this mission."

"The only thing I can tell you right now is that this mission was personally assigned by me, Tokugawa Iemochi, and it is extremely important."

When he said the words "extremely important," Tokugawa Iemochi emphasized them, his face becoming increasingly solemn, and the lines of his face hardening considerably.

"Please do not take it lightly or be negligent."

After saying this, Tokugawa Iemochi pursed his lips and remained silent, not saying anything more, leaving Aoto time to digest the information.

It must be said that Tokugawa Iemochi's decision to give Aoto ample time to process the information was indeed very thoughtful.

As soon as Tokugawa Iemochi appeared, he got straight to the point and said that he had a very important task for him...

The so-called "extremely important task" was to go to a shrine I'd never even heard of and find a shrine maiden named "Otoku"...

Why seek out this priestess? I don't know...

Why would a simple task like finding a shrine maiden be considered an "extremely important mission" that would elicit such a serious expression from Tokugawa Iemochi, the Shogun? I don't know…

Why assign this task to him? I don't know...

The thick "fog" instantly captivated Qingdeng's mind.

Qingdeng definitely needs some time to properly digest this massive amount of information.

Information was scarce, and Tokugawa Iemochi, citing "I can't tell you too much right now," revealed nothing to Aoto.

The lack of information left Qingdeng with no way to think through and clear away the "fog" that was trapping his mind.

Therefore, in a very short time, Qingdeng gave up pondering these "whys".

Despite the confusion, the things that need to be done right now are quite clear.

"...Yes." Aoto, whose lips twitched almost imperceptibly, bowed to Tokugawa Iemochi. "This subordinate understands."

Who is the young man in front of me? He is the de facto "Emperor" of Japan... Aoto's top superior.

Could Qingdeng possibly say, "I'm not free tomorrow, General, please find someone else"?

I had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept this bizarre task...

Tokugawa Iemochi nodded slightly to Aoto, who was responding loudly and bowing.

Immediately afterwards, the lines on his face slowly relaxed.

That warm and friendly smile reappeared on his face.

"Alright, now that we've covered the important business... it's finally time to start talking about something light and fun."

As his facial features relaxed, Tokugawa Iemochi's posture gradually became more natural and casual.

“Tachibana-kun, the first time I heard your name was from Ii.”

"Ii-sama?" Aoto was taken aback.

The image of Naosuke Ii, whom he had met once before, flashed through Aoto's mind.

"When Ii was still alive, he recommended you to me..."

Tokugawa Iemochi succinctly recounted to Aoto the general process and reasons why Ii Naosuke had recommended Aoto to him.

Qing Deng noticed that when Tokugawa Iemochi mentioned Ii's name, a look of reminiscence and a hint of regret and loss appeared on his face.

After finishing his sentence, Tokugawa Iemochi paused. Having composed himself and taken a deep breath, he continued:

"Ever since I first learned of your name and deeds from Ii, I have wanted to meet you."

"Let's see what this young man looks like, the one that even the discerning Ii has taken a liking to at first glance."

"However, back then you were just a member of the Imperial Family and didn't have the Emperor's eyes."

"Your achievements are far from high enough to warrant an exceptional audience with me."

At this point, Tokugawa Iemochi's right corner of his mouth turned up high, revealing a self-deprecating smile full of helplessness.

"If I disregard these established rules and forcefully summon you... those old ministers, those guys who are always hoping I'll fall from my general's position, would probably drown me in their spittle."

"Therefore, the matter of meeting you... will have to be postponed for now."

"It's been dragged on until now... and finally, I've gotten what I wanted."

"御目見" refers to the qualification to meet the general.

In this society that places unprecedented importance on lineage and social class, and where class is extremely rigid, being seen by the emperor is both a power and an honor and a reward.

Samurai who are directly subordinate to the shogun... The shogun's retainers are divided into two categories: hatamoto and gokenin.

The most significant difference between the two is that the former has imperial vision, while the latter does not.