I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

*******

Today's chapter is a bit short... I'm very sorry! (Lion crying.jpg).

Something went wrong last night. Basically, I was so sleepy, so I went to bed early… I won't do it again! (Leopard crying.jpg)

For those who have forgotten the part about "Kimura pulling Hisaka into the 'Anti-Tachibana Alliance'", you can review it.

Chapter 378 Yoshiwara Toxin: Melon Show! 【4600】

"Do you have a regular contact person with that mysterious group?"

Qingdeng composed himself and continued to press for answers.

"Yes, there is... There's a young samurai who specifically handles the negotiations between me and Kimura... He calls himself Yuki Kamesuke..."

"Yuki Kamesuke..." Qing Deng chewed on the name several times, "Do you know where this person lives?"

"I don't know... Yuki Kamenosuke has always been very secretive about his age, address, and other personal information... Perhaps even the name 'Yuki Kamenosuke' is an alias..."

"So how do you usually contact each other?"

"First, it's usually Yuuki Kamenosuke who sends us a letter first, reminding us of the time and place to meet at the Chika-ya in Yoshiwara... After we meet and talk, we go our separate ways..."

"Does Yuki Kamesuke have any particularly distinctive physical features?"

"Physical features...physical features...his eyes were narrow, his cheekbones were high, and he was a little taller than me...and...he spoke with an Edo accent..."

"Aren't there any more noticeable physical features? For example, a scar somewhere on your body."

Qingdeng's face was full of black lines.

Narrow eyes, high cheekbones... this type of facial feature is far too common. If you randomly pick 100 people on the street, at least 30 of them will have this kind of face.

“Scars… Ah! Yes, there are! Yuuki Kamenosuke has a deep scar on the back of his right hand and above his left collarbone!”

Qing Deng nodded slightly. He had finally obtained some useful information.

"Besides what I've mentioned, do you know anything else about Yuuki Kamenosuke?"

"This...this..." Hisaka looked troubled. "My lord, I've told you everything I know. I really don't know anything about Yuuki Kamenosuke. As I just said, Yuuki Kamenosuke is extremely secretive about his personal information. I don't even know if the name 'Yuuki Kamenosuke' is a pseudonym..."

Qing Deng frowned.

Just as he was about to say something, Tenshōin interrupted:

"...Hisaka Genzo, let me remind you. You secretly colluded with a gang that sabotaged Edo and harmed loyal officials, and indirectly participated in the 'Kodenma-cho Prison Arson Case' and the 'Akaba Family Massacre Case'. According to the shogunate's regulations, at the very least, you should be sentenced to 'rehabilitation' and 'exile'."

Change: This means stripping a samurai of his status and demoting him to a commoner.

The moment Tenshōin finished speaking, Hisaka collapsed as if he had lost his backbone, his body suddenly shrinking, his shoulders and lips trembling uncontrollably.

Whether it was "re-enlistment" or "exile," both were cruel punishments that made samurai tremble with fear.

Besides losing face, the former also lost the "guaranteed income" that could be enjoyed for generations as long as the incense offerings continued.

As for the latter...

"I'd rather be imprisoned in Edo than be exiled"—this is the true feeling of the vast majority of people regarding the punishment of "exile".

While imprisoned in Edo, at least you were still part of human society.

But if one were to be exiled... the common places of exile for the Edo Shogunate were either deep mountains and forests or remote islands overseas. In short, they were undeveloped areas that even Robinson Crusoe would have to shake his head at.

Many prisoners sentenced to exile died in poverty and illness in their place of exile before their sentences were even completed.

"but--"

At that moment, Tenshōin's words stopped Hisaka's trembling.

"You now have a chance to redeem yourself."

"As you can see, we now need intelligence on the despicable gang that orchestrated this series of tragedies behind the scenes."

“As long as you actively cooperate with us and assist us, I can help you later and get the judges in Yinweifang to give you a lenient sentence.”

Ginmi-go: The judicial body of the Edo Shogunate. It was specifically responsible for handling criminal cases and litigation.

"This... sir, is everything you said true...?"

A glimmer of light rose in Hisaka's eyes.

Tensho-in smiled.

"Of course, while I can't tell you who I am, I can tell you that I can get in touch with Yinweifang."

Incidentally, at this time, Tenshōin, like Seidō, covered his face and hair with a cloth, leaving only his beautiful eyes exposed.

For Hisaka at this moment, regardless of whether what the tall woman in front of him said was true or false, as long as there was even the slightest possibility that the government could reduce his punishment, it was worth fighting for.

Hisaka frowned and lowered his head.

He painstakingly searched every corner of his mind, carefully investigating whether he had overlooked any crucial intelligence that could help reduce his sentence.

After a short while, Qingdeng suddenly said:

"Since your meeting place is a brothel in Yoshiwara... then did Yuuki Kamenosuke ever hire a brothel? Did he have a favorite brothel?"

As if a word had awakened him from a dream, Hisaka suddenly opened his eyes wide, revealing a look of sudden enlightenment.

"A courtesan... Ah! Yes, yes! Yuuki Kamenosuke is particularly fond of the most popular courtesan at the Senka-ya: Shirokiku! Every time he finishes talking with me and Kimura, he always makes love to Shirokiku before leaving!"

White Chrysanthemum... Qing Deng silently memorized the flower name of this wandering woman.

They have distinctive physical features and are common courtesans; the information is already quite abundant!

……

……

After interrogating Hisaka, Tenshōin ordered his men to bring Kimura Kazuma over.

At first, Kimura remained defiant, insisting that he was innocent and knew nothing.

But when he saw Hisaka sitting dejectedly on the ground, and hesitant to meet his gaze, he immediately understood everything.

"You traitor!"

Kimura lunged at Hisaka with bloodshot eyes. If the guards on either side of him hadn't reached out and held him down in time, he probably would have bitten Hisaka's neck off.

"Traitor! Bastard!"

Since he couldn't get close to Hisaka, Kimura simply started cursing.

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have brought you in!"

Kimura's roar echoed throughout the small interrogation room.

Unable to bear the noise any longer, Tenshōin raised her pretty eyebrows, then turned to the two sisters behind her and said:

"Let him calm down."

Saeshige and Hachiko nodded.

Then, without saying a word, the two of them walked up to Kimura and kicked him squarely in the stomach.

Kimura let out a miserable scream, and his "howling howling" curses turned into "humming humming humming".

In this way, the two sisters used physical means to calm Kimura Kazuma down.

"Hisaka Genzo has confessed everything."

Aoto walked slowly to the opposite side of Kimura and said coldly:

"Now, it's your turn. Tell us everything you know. Don't try to deny it or play dumb anymore. This is your last chance."

With Hisaka already surrendered, there was no point in him "insisting on resisting" any longer... Kimura, forced to accept this reality, hung his head with a gloomy expression.

Then, in a dejected tone, he recounted in detail how he met the gang and how he began to cooperate with them.

According to Kimura, not long after Aoto joined the Fire Thief Division, one day, members of the gang suddenly approached him.

And that's how he got in touch with the gang.

Kimura knew no more than Hisaka about this ruthless gang that was secretly hunting down Aoto.

Their testimonies largely matched—except for one major discrepancy.

In the version described by Hisaka, the person who provided the gang with the interior maps of Kodenma Town Prison and Hokuban-sho was Kimura.

However, in Kimura's mouth, the map provider changed to Hisaka.

"You bullshit!"

Hisaka blushed and said.

"You were the one who provided the map to those thieves!"

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

Kimura retorted, not to be outdone.

"When they asked us for an interior map of the prison house in Kodenma-cho, I already sensed something was off about these guys! I even advised you to be careful! And what happened? You took matters into your own hands and foolishly agreed to all their demands!"

"You're talking nonsense! Kimura Kazuma, I didn't expect you to be so good at lying through your teeth!"

"Hmph! Hisaka Genzo, don't think I don't know what you're up to! You just want to clear your name, don't you? Shamelessly framing me! You're throwing all the shit on me to absolve yourself completely! I've never seen such a shameless person!"

The two were arguing fiercely.

Interestingly, neither Kimura nor Hisaka seemed to be lying in their expressions or tone of voice.

—It's practically a real-life version of "In a Bamboo Grove"...

Qingdeng secretly found it amusing.

Although Qing Deng in his previous life didn't particularly enjoy reading Japanese literature, he had at least heard of "In a Bamboo Grove," a renowned masterpiece by the great writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

"In a Bamboo Grove" tells the story of a samurai who, on his way to Wakasa with his wife Masago, encounters the notorious bandit Tajomaru. The samurai is captured, and Masago is violated by the bandit. In the end, the samurai dies, Tajomaru is arrested, and Masago escapes to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The story unfolds primarily against the backdrop of a court trial involving witnesses and the accused.

The novel consists of seven passages, each describing the case as given by one of seven people, including a constable, the notorious thief Shinjomaru, and Masago. These seven testimonies together form the content of the novel.

Strangely, the samurai claims he committed suicide, while Tajomaru and Masago each confess to killing him. Individually, their stories are self-consistent, yet contradictory. Who is telling the truth? Who is lying? What is the real story? Only heaven knows.

Who is lying, Kimura or Hisaka?

Who exactly provided the gang with interior maps of the Kodenma Town prison and the Hokubansho prison?