I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Therefore, hatamoto samurai could hold a series of important official positions such as "shogun's attendant," while gokenin samurai could not.

Generally speaking, only daimyo of feudal domains, hatamoto samurai, and people in certain special positions could have the right to view the imperial palace.

Aoto's family had been upgraded to the rank of hatamoto, which is why Aoto was able to enter Edo Castle and meet Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin so openly today.

"Mr. Tachibana, could you tell me in detail how you led a mere twenty or thirty samurai to a great victory against nearly two hundred members of the Anti-Foreign Rebellion on that snowy night six months ago... and how you single-handedly confronted the main force of the Anti-Foreign Rebellion in the Westerners' settlement two months ago?"

Tokugawa Iemochi leaned forward slightly, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Tianzhangyuan, who was standing to the side, was also staring intently at Qingdeng, her beautiful eyes unblinking.

Qing Deng had no reason to refuse such a reasonable request.

And they have no right to refuse...

After carefully considering his words, Qingdeng began to recount his "battle history" with the anti-barbarian group to the mother and son in front of him.

He told others about his various grievances and grievances with the Expeditionary Group... Qing Deng had done similar things countless times and was already very skilled at it.

Because of his rich experience, Qingdeng spoke with great intonation and vividness.

Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin listened intently. The expressions on their faces subtly changed with the ebb and flow of the "story."

The story was long; Qingdeng spoke for almost half an hour before finally finishing.

Tokugawa Iemochi let out a long sigh, a wry smile playing on his lips, and said:

"Is that all? I really wanted to hear more."

"Going to a meeting alone, charging into the battlefield by himself, fighting against the enemy alone... Hahaha, the more you hear about it, the more you yearn for it."

Tokugawa Iemochi slapped his thigh suddenly.

"As expected, what is recorded in the official document is only the tip of the iceberg of the truth."

"We need the parties involved to describe it themselves to know the more detailed and memorable story."

"It's unbelievable that in this world where extravagance and hedonism are still rampant, such a... such a thrilling and inspiring feat could still occur."

At this point, Tokugawa Iemochi pursed his lips.

Then he gave a calm smile and adopted a half-joking tone.

"I really hope the shogunate can have more outstanding talents like you, Tachibana-kun..."

"Speaking of which, Tachibana-kun, your skills are indeed very impressive."

"I thoroughly enjoyed the martial arts competition just now."

"I've been very busy with official duties lately, and it's been a long time since I've had such a pleasant swordsmanship exchange with someone."

No sooner had Tokugawa Iemochi finished speaking than Tenshōin, with a wicked smile on his face, interjected in a playful tone:

"General, you really seem to be looking forward to your duel with Tachibana-kun."

"Uh..." Tokugawa Iemochi, who had been tricked by Tenshōin again, gave a dry laugh, then coughed a few times to bring the topic back on track.

"Although I knew I was no match for you, Tachibana-kun, I never expected to lose so badly, without even being able to fight back."

"Tachibana-kun, the duel just now has made me even more certain that entrusting you with the task of meeting with the Priestess Utsu was definitely the right decision!"

Suddenly we've circled back to the original topic...

At this moment, Qingdeng could no longer suppress his curiosity. After hesitating for a moment, he cleared his throat:

"General, please forgive my intrusion, but who exactly is this witch, Yu Du?"

Tokugawa Iemochi gave a meaningful smile and shook his head:

"Regarding this... you will find out who the Priestess Utsu is tomorrow."

"Although this may be a bit wordy... I'll remind you again anyway."

"Tachibana-kun, the task I'm entrusting to you is extremely important."

"Remember: Tomorrow at 5 a.m., go to the Moon Shrine in 6-chome, Sou-cho, and meet with the Utsu Shrine Maiden!"

……

……

Rewind time to the present—

With ten meals a day coming up, Tokugawa Iemochi was naturally overwhelmed with work.

After recounting his "battle history" with the anti-foreign group yesterday, Qing Deng chatted with Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin for a while. In the end, the meeting had to be temporarily ended because it was time for Tokugawa Iemochi to attend to his political affairs for the day.

Both Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin left a very deep impression on Aoto – a deep impression, of course, on a positive level.

Both of these big shots are quite approachable and down-to-earth.

While chatting with them, Qingdeng didn't even feel like he was talking to the "emperor" and "empress dowager" of this country; it felt more like he was socializing with two old friends he had known for a long time.

Those unaware of the situation might never imagine that such a kind and approachable young man and woman could be the current Shogun and Ōmitsu of the Edo Shogunate.

Overall, yesterday's meeting with these two bigwigs went very smoothly and successfully. The atmosphere was very harmonious and pleasant from beginning to end... Apart from being entrusted with a strange and incomprehensible task, there was nothing unusual!

Tokugawa Iemochi, the Shogun, actually wants him to go to an obscure shrine and meet a certain shrine maiden... This mission is just bizarre!

—Well… no matter how confused I am, it’s no use. As long as I go to the Moon Palace Shrine and meet that Otoku Shrine Maiden, all my questions should be answered.

After comforting himself, Qingdeng put his hands on his hips and turned to look around.

—Is this the Moon Shrine? Tsk... Doesn't it even have a sign or something...?

Looking around Qingdeng, I couldn't find a sign, but I did find a stone statue.

A stone fox statue standing next to the torii gate.

—A fox… Is the deity worshipped at this shrine Inari…?

Inari: The god of grains and food in Japanese mythology.

Originally a god in charge of harvests, Inari also began to symbolize wealth and was worshipped by the business community as industry and commerce developed from the Middle Ages onwards.

Because Inari is the god who presides over agricultural abundance and commercial prosperity, he is considered one of the most popular and beloved deities in Japanese Shintoism.

There are many shrines dedicated to Inari, the god of the sea, throughout Japan. The most important one is Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Kyoto.

Since the Middle Ages, Japan has regarded foxes as messengers of Inari, the god of the sea. Therefore, all shrines that worship Inari will erect one or more fox statues next to the torii gate.

Since he couldn't find any signs or anything to verify the name of the shrine in front of him, and there were no passersby around to ask, Aoto decided to go inside the shrine to take a look.

The so-called torii gate is an auxiliary building that every shrine must have. It represents the entrance to the sacred realm and is used to distinguish the sacred realm where the gods reside from the secular world inhabited by humans.

The torii gate exists to remind all passersby and travelers that the sacred realm lies ahead, so please be careful with your words and actions.

Behind the torii gate is the approach to the shrine.

It is said that the center of the torii gate and the approach to the temple is a place where the gods pass through, so ordinary worshippers and tourists should avoid walking in the center of the torii gate and the approach to the temple as a sign of reverence for the gods.

Qingdeng has no Shinto beliefs... to be precise, it has no religious beliefs whatsoever.

However, with the mindset of respecting local customs and other cultures, Qing Deng still respectfully passed through the torii gate from the side.

There are many stone lanterns on both sides of the approach, and many lush trees that Qing Deng doesn't know the names of.

The intertwined branches and lush foliage provide shade and coolness to the approach to the temple.

There were many withered branches and fallen leaves scattered on the path leading to the temple.

Click... Click... Click...

The sound of fallen leaves being trampled underfoot became the only sound in this space besides the wind, greatly highlighting the tranquility of the place.

Compared to other shrines, Inari shrines differ not only in the presence of fox statues near their torii gates, but also in the uniform bright red color of their torii gates. They often feature a row of torii gates of varying sizes in front of the gate. The most spectacular is Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, where thousands of torii gates are arranged in rows, stretching from the foot of the mountain to its summit, earning it the beautiful name "Senbon Torii" (Thousand Torii Gates).

The shrine that Qing Deng is entering has a classic Inari shrine layout—a row of torii gates with shimenawa ropes hanging from them are arranged at very neat intervals along the approach to the shrine.

All the torii gates were bright, vibrant red, and very new; it was clear they hadn't been built long ago.

A short while later, after passing through the last torii gate and arriving at the end of the approach to Aoto, one is suddenly struck by the open space that unfolds before one's eyes.

On the north side of the open space, which is also directly in front of Qingdeng, stands an imposing temple with black and white as the main colors.

Along the open space between the approach to the shrine and the main hall, there are also many stone lanterns that add to the serene atmosphere of the shrine.

At that moment, Qing Deng suddenly noticed two shadows, one red and one white, swaying slightly at the edge of his right eye's field of vision.

Turning my head, I saw—it was two priestesses!

A white robe, scarlet hakama, white cloth socks, and red-buttoned straw sandals, with her hair tied up with a piece of white sandalwood paper... a very classic shrine maiden outfit.

The term "shrine maiden" refers to a woman in Shintoism who is similar to a "representative of the gods."

Legend has it that shrine maidens can be possessed by gods and convey their will. They also perform duties such as prayer, exorcism, and rituals.

The two priestesses were the same height—short enough to be indistinguishable in height…both were less than 1.4 meters tall.

Because they were quite far apart, and because the two women had their backs to Qingdeng, he couldn't see their faces clearly.

At this moment, the two petite priestesses were each holding a broom that was a head taller than themselves, sweeping a corner of the open space in front of the temple.

—Let's go ask those two shrine maidens if this is the Moon Palace Shrine...

Thinking of this, Qingdeng quickly walked towards the pair of priestesses, shouting loudly:

"Excuse me! I'd like to ask you a question!"

Attracted by Qing Deng's shout, the two priestesses stopped sweeping and looked towards Qing Deng.

Upon closer inspection, Qing Deng realized that the two priestesses were actually twins! And they were quite adorable!

Fair skin, well-defined and handsome eyebrows, bright and expressive eyes, a rounded nose, and rosy lips.

She was very young, and looked to be around 12 or 3 years old, probably the same age as Elodie.

The two look almost identical; it's impossible to tell them apart just by looking at their faces.

Whether it was a personal preference of the twins or to make them easier for others to distinguish, one of them wore a red ribbon on her left temple and the other wore a blue ribbon on her right temple.

—Does a shrine really allow such young children to become shrine maidens?

Qing Deng frowned slightly... He didn't have a deep understanding of Shintoism, so he didn't know what the shrine's hiring standards were.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

The shrine maiden, with a blue ribbon tied around her right temple, scanned Qing Deng up and down with a wary look, and asked in a low voice.