I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"And what's with this guy? Does he also take pride in his bloodline and look down on me, a 'former member of the Imperial Family'?"

"No, that's not it~ Hisaka Genzo is a jealous 'red-eyed person'~~"

My grandson playfully raised his hands, bulging his eyes out.

He's the kind of person who'd rather suffer himself than see others have good fortune.

"Whoever has a stroke of good luck, whoever makes a lot of money, whoever gets promoted, that person becomes his enemy."

"Oh~ by the way, Hisaka Genzo is currently the oldest squad leader in our Fire Thieves' Regiment~~"

"He recently celebrated his 43rd birthday."

"Perhaps because he painstakingly worked his way up through seniority to reach his current position, he harbors the deepest resentment towards young, accomplished elites."

At this point, my grandson deliberately shrugged and tilted his head to glance at Qingdeng.

"Besides the two I mentioned above, you should also pay close attention to the 7th Division Captain Tsuchida Masayoshi, the 8th Division Captain Kazama Nobuyoshi, and one of our leaders: Okubo Tadashi."

"What's the deal with these three? Are they looking down on my family background, or are they just jealous people who can't stand to see others doing well?"

"No, none of them are. Each of these three people has a different situation."

"Tsuchida Masayoshi doesn't harbor strong hostility towards you, but he's Kimura Kazuma's lackey."

"He's not particularly capable, but his skill in flattery is top-notch."

"Besides coming from a hatamoto family with a stipend of 2000 koku, Kimura Kazuma's wife was the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Edo."

"I heard his mother is related to the current head of the Chinese government, Nobumasa Ando."

"Although Kimura Kazuma's family background is nothing special compared to the many talented people in Edo, the capital city of Tokyo."

"But for someone like Tsuchida Masayoshi, who 'only has the title of Hatamoto but whose entire family doesn't actually have much power,' Kimura Kazuma is already an unapproachable figure of immense power and influence."

"So, in order to curry favor with Kimura Kazuma, Tsuchida Masaoki often hung out with him."

"If Kimura Kazuma says go east, Tsuchida Masayasu will absolutely not go west~~"

At this point, my grandson chuckled and adopted a mocking tone.

"Even if Kimura Kazuma pointed to a piece of coal and said it was white, Tsuchida Masayasu would rush to flatter him, 'Yes, yes! Kimura-sama, you're right! All coal in the world is white!'"

"As for the captain of the 8th Division, Kazama Nobuyoshi, he has a flaw, which is that he is greedy for money."

"On the one hand, he abused his power to embezzle money, and on the other hand, in his spare time, he ran a timber business that, if one had the connections, could have been extremely profitable."

"Embezzling with one hand and running a business with the other... Ha~ I must say, Kazama Nobuyoshi is truly a master at 'how to make money'~~"

Hearing this, Qingdeng couldn't help but interject:

"Why would such a greedy person be hostile towards me? There shouldn't be any grudge between us, right?"

"Don't rush~ Let me finish speaking~~"

My grandson shrugged.

"Do you remember what I just said? Kimura Kazuma's wife is the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Edo."

"And Kazama Nobuyoshi happened to have close business dealings with Kimura Kazuma's father-in-law."

"Therefore, although Kazama Nobuyoshi wouldn't be as eager as Doma Masayoshi to drag his whole family along to lick Kimura Kazuma's asshole, his relationship with Kimura Kazuma is still considered close."

"For the time being, we can consider him, Kimura Kazuma, and Doma Masayasu as part of the same group."

"Kimura Kazuma dislikes you so much, do you think Kazama Nobuyoshi will look at you in a certain way?"

"As for the last one, Tadashi Okubo, the reason why I asked you to pay more attention to him is quite simple."

"He owes Kimura Kazuma... no, to be precise, he owes Kimura Kazuma's father a huge favor."

"To repay this favor, I think Chairman Okubo will be happy to grant Kimura Kazuma some of his simple, not-too-difficult requests."

When he said the phrase "simple request," my grandson emphasized it and turned to Qingdeng again, giving him a meaningful look.

"……ha……"

The moment my grandson finally finished his long string of "science popularization," Qingdeng unconsciously blurted out a sound.

"My colleagues... are all incredibly 'enthusiastic' towards me..."

A fanatical supporter of the "bloodline theory".

A jealous, envious monster who can't stand seeing others succeed.

A sycophant who curries favor with the powerful.

An accomplice who is greedy and avaricious.

A boss who owes a significant favor to a fanatical supporter of the "bloodline theory".

Basically, most of the management of the Fire Thief mod has direct or indirect conflicts of interest with Qingdeng.

In terms of the official environment, it seems even worse than the "Three Times" of the Northern Barbarian Garrison where I first entered as a "foolish dummy"... Qing Deng thought to himself.

Qing Deng had a vague premonition that his new official career after being demoted to the right would be far more "exciting" than he had originally imagined!

My grandson has been openly observing Qingdeng's facial expressions ever since.

"Kid Tachibana, so many people have prejudices against you, yet you don't seem afraid at all~~"

The facts are indeed as my grandson said.

Whether listening to my grandson's story or after he finished speaking, Qingdeng remained calm throughout.

He seemed to completely disregard my grandson's words... and Kimura Kazuma and the others.

"Huh? What's there to be afraid of in something like this?"

Qing Deng spoke slowly, in a calm tone as if stating a self-evident truth:

"Even if I feel scared and nervous, it won't help, right?"

"If I show fear or nervousness, will those people stop being hostile towards me?"

"In short—no matter what attitude they take towards me in the future, I will deal with it as it comes."

"Anyway, if they dare to piss me off... I have plenty of ways to deal with them."

Click!

After saying that, Qingdeng raised his left hand and placed it on the hilt of the sword that could ward off evil spirits, as if by "unconsciousness".

The metal hilt of the knife was struck, producing a loud clang.

"Hahaha!"

My grandson glanced at the Ghost-Slaying Armor on Qing Deng's waist, then threw his head back and laughed a few times:

"Mr. Ju, do you intend to just use a knife to cut them down?"

"That won't do! Your joke has gone a bit too far!"

"If you kill them, I'll have to come and arrest you. I don't want to be your enemy unless absolutely necessary."

After saying that, my grandson turned his face away and stopped looking at Qingdeng.

My grandson's behavior caused him to miss a unique scene—after hearing what he had just said, Qingdeng revealed a smile full of peculiar charm…

……

……

At this very moment—

The thieves who set fire to the government office changed their office to the council chamber.

"Hey, did you guys know? I heard that Tachibana Aoto has defiled many women!"

A rough, harsh voice came from inside the council chamber.

*******

*******

I slept for over ten hours in bed yesterday, and I finally feel a bit better. Taking advantage of this improved feeling, I quickly wrote this chapter, and then I'll go back to sleep (sleeping sound).

Given my current physical and mental state, I can't guarantee that I'll be able to write 6-7000 words a day. I'll try my best to update 4-5000 words a day and avoid taking breaks. Please understand! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote for this book with a monthly ticket, considering how dedicated the author is!

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

The timber business in the Edo period was equivalent to our current earthwork and building materials business.

So... those who know, know!

If you have the connections, this kind of business can be incredibly profitable!

*******

Ps:

Although the Edo period's "Rules for the Military Houses" strictly prohibited samurai from engaging in business or other activities, by the late Edo period, the "Rules for the Military Houses" had long since become a dead letter.

Not only did samurai engage in business, but many farmers also took advantage of this chaotic era to carry katana and disguise themselves as samurai.

第274章次天赋融合！熊之腰+1 鹰眼+1 健体+1！【4700】

The council chamber, used specifically for the bigwigs of the Fire Thief's decision-making level to discuss matters, was originally the main hall of Kurosawa Atsushi's house.

Because of its spaciousness and ability to accommodate many people, it is quite reasonable for the room to be requisitioned for business discussions.

The meeting room was surprisingly simply decorated. There was no decent furniture.

Only in the niche in the northeast corner hung a traditional Chinese ink painting that looked incredibly expensive. Below the painting was a beautifully trimmed bonsai.

Two black cushions were laid out on the north side of the meeting room, placed at the same level—these were the seats where the two current highest-ranking officials, Atsuyuki Kurosawa and Tadashi Okubo, would sit during meetings.

Cushions were also placed under the seats of these two people, on the east and west sides of the room.

Four on the east side and four on the west side.

The placement of the cushions and their fluffiness are all perfectly neat and tidy, a true blessing for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. These eight cushions are naturally the seats of the various squad leaders, modified by the Fire Thief.

Currently, only the seats for the captains of the First Division and the Third Division are still vacant among these eight cushions.