I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

All matters, big and small, in the prison were decided by this "boss".

This practice by the shogunate turned every cell in the commoners' prison into a small society.

Where there is society, there will naturally be hierarchy and bullying.

News of people refusing to flatter the "boss" in prison and subsequently suffering humiliation and oppression is all too common.

Many people who die in prisons are not from illness, but are tortured to death by other prisoners.

This shows how happy Qing Deng was, living in the comfortable and spacious Yangwufu.

"Hey, young man, I recognize you!"

Just then, Qingdeng suddenly heard someone calling his name.

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a burly man in the cell diagonally opposite him, staring intently at his face while crossing his arms and saying:

"You are that 'Niou' Tachibana Aoto, aren't you?"

“That’s right.” Qing Deng readily admitted, “I am Tachibana Qing Deng.”

"Ah! It really is you!" the burly man exclaimed in surprise. "Ever since the guards brought you in, I felt like I recognized you. I never imagined it would actually be you!"

"Let me introduce myself. I am Kyotaro Miyabe. Nice to meet you... Ah, sorry, I think I said something stupid. For a dying man like me, saying 'nice to meet you' is just too ridiculous."

"A dying man? What crime have you committed?" Qing Deng asked.

Although the living conditions at Ageyashiki are very good, there is a real lack of entertainment.

The number of hatamoto samurai was already small. With such a small base, the number of criminals imprisoned was naturally not high.

At least within Qing Deng's field of vision, apart from himself and the burly man who called himself Miyabe Kyotaro, there were no other prisoners.

The only person who could keep Aoto company and relieve his boredom was Kyotaro Miyabe, who was currently talking to him.

Since I'm just killing time anyway, I might as well chat with this person... Qing Deng thought to himself.

"It's not a serious crime."

Kyotaro Miyabe shrugged, his tone calm, as if he were talking about someone else's story.

"I'm just unlucky; I unfortunately married a harlot."

"While I was out, the harlot invited three wild men into her house."

"After I caught her in the act, the adulterous woman immediately knelt on the ground and begged for my forgiveness."

"Hmph, forgive? If I forgive her, where is my face? Where is my samurai dignity?"

"I ignored the adulterous woman's pleas for mercy, drew my family heirloom sword, and chopped her and her three lovers to pieces."

Kyotaro Miyabe made a beheading gesture across his own neck.

"Originally, the shogunate sentenced me to beheading and public display of my head."

"Fortunately, with the help of relatives and friends, the punishment was eventually reduced to seppuku. Hahaha, I am so lucky to be able to die with dignity as a samurai. I have no regrets."

For samurai, any form of execution other than seppuku was considered humiliating.

Therefore, the Edo Shogunate's "order to commit seppuku" was similar in nature to the ancient Chinese "granting three feet of white silk"—the superiors were showing mercy and allowing you to die with some dignity.

"Mr. Ju, what about you? What crime have you committed?"

Perhaps he was tired of standing, Kyotaro Miyabe lowered his body and lay down on the tatami mat.

Seeing that Kyotaro Miyabe was sitting so casually, Aoto also stopped being so proper and plopped down on his back, then lay down on his back with his hands behind his head, stretched out his legs and crossed them.

Look at Qingdeng's appearance, he doesn't look like he's in prison at all. An uninformed person would think he's on vacation.

"I didn't commit any major crime."

"Oh? So you're one of those who brutally murder adulterers?"

"No, that's not it. I'm not married yet."

"So what crime did you commit?"

"It was just taking down one bastard who disobeyed orders on the front lines."

"Huh? Slaying those who disobey orders on the battlefield... isn't this a matter of course, a matter of course? What crime is there in it?"

"Yes, but... the family behind the person I killed seems to have some influence."

"Who did you kill?"

"Akaban Koichiro."

"Akaban? Akabane Kotaro from the Akabane family?"

Kyotaro Miyabe sat up abruptly from the tatami mat, his eyes wide open.

"Mr. Tachibana, you call this 'not committing any major crime'? Killing Hatamoto... you're in big trouble now!"

Just now, when he was surrounded by a group of officials and learned that he was about to be arrested, Qing Deng was extremely puzzled.

However, he was not puzzled as to "why he was arrested".

Instead, they wondered "what was the reason for the arrest?"

Most outsiders were unaware of the situation, but Aoto himself knew the reasons that prompted the shogunate to issue an arrest warrant for him... There were quite a few.

For example, he partners with Cat Monk and engages in righteous thief activities under the alias "Fox Monk".

For example, a few days ago, he openly beat Ruonian's son.

For example, during the "Kai Mountain Bandit Extermination Campaign" at the end of last year, he killed Akabane Koichiro, who had always been at odds with him and dared to openly disobey military orders during the most intense period of the war.

Although he formed a "phantom duo" with Neko-sō... that is, Kinoshita Mai, the small fry who were easy to deal with have either already been taught a lesson or fled Edo in fear of Kinoshita Mai's reputation. Therefore, it is unlikely that the shogunate will discover that Aoto is Neko-sō in the near future.

As for the second point... that's also unlikely.

Qing Deng didn't believe the Itakura family would dare to challenge him.

So after thinking it over... the last one is still the most likely.

After questioning the people who came to arrest him, Qing Deng... found it to be true.

As expected, it was the Akabane family who joined forces with other Hatamoto families to take revenge on him!

*******

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Chapter 360 Qingdeng's Super Connections! [5800]

"Although the Akabane family's stipend is not high, they are very popular and have countless hatamoto and shogunate members who are on good terms with them."

Kyotaro Miyabe imitated Aoto, lying on his back with his face up and his limbs spread out in a "T" shape.

“You killed their eldest son… I can already imagine that the Akabane family will definitely join forces with other direct subordinates to frame you and put you in prison!”

Direct Advisors: A collective term for hatamoto (chieftains) and gokenin (family members).

At this point, Kyotaro Miyabe seemed to recall something sad, and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Damn it! Just thinking about it makes me furious! Hatamoto and Gokenin, as the Shogun's loyal retainers and the cornerstone of the Shogunate, should have set an example and bravely served the Shogunate. But what happened? There are hardly any loyal ministers left, but a whole bunch of parasites abusing their power, embezzling, taking bribes, and oppressing the local people!"

"Although I am a criminal and have no right to say such nice things, I simply cannot stand the current situation where 'the direct-service samurai are riddled with scoundrels'!"

"Ugh! The more I think about it, the angrier I get!"

Kyotaro Miyabe frantically rubbed his hair, turning his neat choppy hair into a messy bird's nest in no time.

"Mr. Ju, a capable person like you is imprisoned, while those bloated parasites sit high on the clouds!"

Kyotaro Miyabe sat up, reached out and gripped the cell door bars, pressing his face tightly against the gap between the bars.

"The world is unjust! If things continue like this, and if no change is made, I'm afraid the country will cease to exist!"

"Um... Miyabe-kun, please calm down a bit."

Aoto glanced helplessly at Miyabe Kyotaro, who had suddenly become agitated.

Kyotaro Miyabe took a deep breath.

"Sorry... I think I got a little too excited, please forgive me."

"I didn't expect you to be such a passionate and insightful person."

Qing Deng joked casually.

Kyotaro Miyabe smiled and waved his hand.

"You flatter me. I have plenty of 'passion' but lack 'knowledge.' On another note, you seem to be in quite good physical and mental condition. Despite being imprisoned, you act as if nothing has happened, showing neither fear nor melancholy."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng shrugged.

"What do I have to be afraid of or sad about? When I decided to chop Akabane Kotaro in half, I was already mentally prepared to suffer the crazy revenge from his family."

"On the contrary, I'm quite surprised that the Akabane family's revenge came so late."

"Oh?" Kyotaro Miyabe's eyes gleamed with curiosity, as if he had heard an intriguing story. "Since you're so calm and collected... that means you must have a backup plan, right?"

Qingdeng did not answer directly. He only said softly, as if referring to something:

"The Akabane family is very popular... and I'm quite popular too..."

……

……

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town, Test Guard Hall——

"Oh no! Oh no! The young master has been arrested and imprisoned! What do we do! What do we do!"

Kyubei, the loyal old servant of the Tachibana family, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Uncle Kyubei, calm down."

Nagakura Shinpachi.

Although Nagakura said that, the anxiety and panic on his face were no less than that of Kyubei.