I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Affected by that jar of broken medicine, Aqi's personality changed drastically, and he frequently clashed with Arden, even nearly coming to blows several times..."

"In her suicide note, Aqi confessed that she was the one who killed Arden..."

"The evidence is overwhelming, there are witnesses, physical evidence, and a motive for murder... Even an ignorant old woman from the countryside would think that Aqi is the real killer of Aden..."

"But Aqi really didn't kill anyone! The real killer of Arden is someone else!"

Kikuchi Chisui's emotions suddenly became agitated.

His eyes were wide open, his pupils bulging forward, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot.

"After discovering that there was something wrong with that bottle of 'painkillers,' Arden and I knew that Aqi's physical and mental state was not as good as usual, so we were very careful when we were with Aqi, for fear of upsetting her."

"Therefore, up until Aqi and Arden were murdered, they rarely had any major arguments anymore!"

"Besides! Although Aqi's temper has become very irritable and unpredictable, her mental and physical state is not so unstable that she would directly draw her knife and kill someone!"

"Besides, what a coincidence! They just reported it to the authorities yesterday, and today Aqi and Aden were killed!"

A glint of hatred flashed deep within Kikuchi Chisui's eyes.

"There's a mole within the government!"

"A mole in the government leaked Aqi's report to the mastermind behind the creation of that lousy drug. So, in order to shut up the talkative Aqi, the mastermind sent an assassin to kill him!"

"That must be it!"

"There can't be any mistake!"

"It must have been murder to cover it up!!"

"Cough, cough! Cough cough! Cough!"

Kikuchi Chisui coughed again. The cough was so strong that it seemed as if she wanted to vomit her lungs out.

"Mr. Kikuchi, please calm down."

Qing Deng had lost count of how many times he had told Kikuchi Chisui to "please calm down."

However, Kikuchi ignored Seito's advice.

Kikuchi Chisui clutched her chest, ignoring her still-breathing breath, and continued speaking:

"How could Aqi possibly kill someone... How could Aqi possibly kill someone...! How could Aqi possibly kill someone!"

“I explained it to the officials, to everyone… but no one was willing to believe me…”

"They'd rather believe baseless rumors than my painstaking explanations..."

"Ha... I think so too... 'Aqi was murdered to silence her' is not as eye-catching as 'Aqi brutally murders the adulterous woman'?"

"Me, having an affair with Arden? Arden is a promiscuous slut? Aqi is an extreme villain? Bullshit!"

“They had no idea… that after learning that Aqi’s personality had changed so drastically because she had taken strange ‘painkillers,’ Arden had been taking care of Aqi with all his heart… hoping that his sister could recover as soon as possible…”

"How could such a good girl be a slut?!"

"How can I bear to watch Ah Qi and Ah Deng bear an indelible stain for all eternity?!"

After saying that, Kikuchi Chisui raised her fists and pounded the floor beside her legs like a madwoman.

This time, Aoto did not try to comfort Kikuchi.

He silently watched the other person, quietly waiting for their emotions to return to calm.

About five minutes later, Kikuchi's eyes regained their clarity.

Even if no one believes me, I don't want to give up like this...

"But... I have absolutely no chance if I fight alone... so... I can only place my hopes on the government..."

"I pray that someone like Ooka Echizen from the government can help me seek justice..."

[Note: Ōoka Echizen: His real name was Ōoka Tadasa (1677-1752), a famous magistrate during the mid-Edo period. He served as Yamada Magistrate, Edo Town Magistrate, and Temple and Shrine Magistrate, among other positions. He was deeply loved by the people for his concern for the common people, his uprightness, and his fearlessness in the face of power, making him a figure similar to Bao Zheng (a famous upright official in Chinese history).]

“The government office that Aqi reported to was the Nanfan Office… therefore, I have no trust in the Nanfan Office anymore.”

"Therefore, I endured until the following month, when it was my turn to be on duty at the Northern Barbarian Garrison. With the determination to succeed or die trying, I entered the garrison's office."

"Because the evidence was conclusive, the government has ruled Aqi's death as 'suicide out of fear of punishment' and closed the case."

“If I directly request the government to reinvestigate this case, the officials of the Northern Barbarian Bureau will definitely kick me out.”

"Therefore, I had no choice but to take a risky step... I lied to the Northern Barbarians and claimed that my friend had been murdered by villains."

"My goal is simple—even if it's just one person, I hope to find a 'three-times' warrior skilled in criminal investigation to help me clear Aqi and Aden's names!"

"Whenever a serious case such as a murder occurs, a 'three-times' samurai must be dispatched to investigate—this is the routine rule of the magistrate's office."

"Therefore, after receiving my report, the Hokuban Police Station immediately dispatched a man named Sadamachi Kaito to take full responsibility for the case I reported."

"And this Sadamachi Kaitoshi... is none other than your father: Tachibana Takayuki!"

"In this way, I used deceit and trickery to get the chance to meet your father."

"At that time, I was completely isolated and helpless, with nowhere to turn."

"If Mr. Tachibana is unwilling to help me... then I really have no other choice..."

"You could say that Mr. Tachibana was my only hope at that time..."

“I pretended to Mr. Ju that I would take him to the crime scene, but in reality I led him to the deserted temple where Aqi was murdered.”

"I faced the spot where Aqi fell and explained everything to Mr. Ju..."

I said, "Mr. Ju, please, please help me."

"Making a false report... Such behavior is an unforgivable serious crime under the laws of the shogunate."

“I have committed such a heinous crime that Mr. Tachibana could simply ignore my desperate pleas and send me directly to the prison.”

But he didn't do that.

"He chose to believe me..."

He accepted my prayer!

"In fact, when Mr. Tachibana nodded in agreement, I could hardly believe my eyes..."

"Regardless of the reason, it is an indisputable fact that I made a false report and deceived the government."

“If Mr. Tachibana hadn’t sent me to the jail immediately, he would have gotten himself into trouble.”

"To ask the other party to take huge risks to investigate a case that has already been closed by the government... To be honest, I myself feel that my request is really too much."

"That's why Mr. Tachibana was willing to trust me and help me, which shocked me so much..."

"To me, Mr. Tachibana back then... was like a ray of light illuminating the darkness!"

"Mr. Ju cooperated with me, pretending to be dealing with a 'friend's murder case' that didn't even exist, while secretly investigating the real cause of death of Aqi and Aden!"

"He used that rotten medicine as a clue and followed the trail to launch a search."

"Because it was an investigation conducted in secret from his superiors, he couldn't ask other colleagues for help, or even get help from his subordinate Gang Yin."

"He had no companions other than me..."

"But I am just a weak private tutor, with no brains and no connections, and I am completely unable to provide Mr. Tachibana with any practical assistance."

"In other words, Mr. Tachibana is completely fighting alone..."

"Even so, Mr. Tachibana spent several months on his own and discovered that the broken medicine was closely related to the Shimizu clan!"

Hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but interject:

"Mr. Kikuchi, Tachibana Takayuki... How did my father discover that the Shimizu clan was connected to that 'painkiller'?"

"This... I really don't know..."

Kikuchi shook his head.

"Mr. Ju never revealed the specific investigation process to me; he only informed me of the investigation progress and results from time to time."

Qing Deng was not surprised to receive such a response.

Any competent criminal investigator would not casually disclose specific details of a case to outsiders, even if the other party is a family member of the victim.

"Alright then...please continue."

Tachibana Aoto gestured for Kikuchi to continue.

“I remember it very clearly. It was September of the fifth year of Ansei (1858) when Mr. Tachibana discovered that the broken medicine was related to the Shimizu clan.”

"The situation should have been very favorable."

"However, not long after that... Mr. Tachibana suddenly became addicted to gambling and spent his days in and out of casinos."

"I have asked Mr. Tachibana about this matter in detail and tried to help him."

“I told him very sincerely: If there are difficulties at home and an urgent need for money, I am willing to do my part.”

"But he said nothing...he neither responded nor offered an explanation."

Until his death, he never said a word about why he suddenly became addicted to gambling.

"However, although Mr. Tachibana didn't say anything, I already had my own guesses."

"The casinos that Mr. Tachibana frequents are all owned by the Shimizu clan."

"Although I can no longer get the truth from him, I suspect that Mr. Tachibana did not actually become addicted to gambling! He was imitating Oishi Kuranosuke, using the casino as a channel to infiltrate the Shimizu clan and obtain intelligence while defaming himself and lowering the clan's guard!"

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Just a little heads-up: If all goes well, Qingdeng will be able to reunite with two girls tomorrow. (Guess which two girls they are~~)

If all goes well... (Leopard dies.jpg)

Chapter 407 Chiba Sanako Arrives at the Moon Palace Shrine! [4200]

Oishi Kuranosuke – born in 1659 and died in 1703, is known for his loyalty to his lord and his act of revenge. He was the organizer of the world-famous "Ako Incident".

In 1701, the fifth shogun of the Edo shogunate, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, specially ordered the lord of the Ako Domain to serve as a "receptionist" to welcome and entertain the envoy sent to Edo by Emperor Higashiyama.

However, Asano was not familiar with the shogunate's rituals and ceremonies, so the shogunate ordered Kira Uenosuke, who was well-versed in court etiquette, to assist Asano.