I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Some people complained to Qingdeng that the style of clothes was too old-fashioned and asked to buy new clothes.

There were complaints to Qingdou that the public dishes cooked by the Yunakama were not authentic enough.

Some reported to Qingdeng that Tianzhangyuan, Honjuin, Longshan and others were too rude and indecent.

Although in terms of function, Qingdeng is indeed Da'ao's big housekeeper, he will feel very annoyed if he is always disturbed by these boring trivial matters.

What's even more irritating is that this bunch of stinky people just have a lot of shit, and their attitudes are quite bad!
Since crossing, Qingdeng has basically never left Edo.

Therefore, the arrival of He Gong and others was his first personal contact with people from Kyoto.

Prior to this, Qingdeng's understanding of the people in Kyoto was limited to hearsay—basically negative news.

Edo people’s impressions of Kyoto people come and go are the same: they are arrogant, they call themselves “royal natives” and look down on foreigners, especially Dongguo people; there are many honorifics, and listening to Kyoto people is tiring ;The diet is very light, like to follow the trend...

At first, Qingdeng thought that these rumors were just regional gangsters exaggerating the reality.

It wasn't until he interacted with the female court officials around Wagong that he truly realized: These rumors were really not embarrassing!
Every move, every word and deed of this gang of stinky [-]s perfectly fits the stereotype of Kyoto people that Edo people have!
Their arrogance is really carved into their bones.

More than once, Qingto had either indirectly heard or directly seen them mocking the Edo people's basic necessities of life.

He always talked about "Dongyi is so old-fashioned" and "Dongyi has no taste", but Qingdeng didn't think their dressing taste was that high.

In their eyes, Edo people are just a bunch of savage monkeys who just learned how to wear clothes and only know how to fight and kill.

In addition to cultural influence, the Kyoto court, which has no power, no soldiers, no wealth, and is just a "three-no regime", has no way of confronting the Edo shogunate that has ruled Japan for nearly 300 years.

However, in the face of this disparity in strength, public officials still have a strong sense of psychological superiority.

Even if he is just a mere servant, as long as he thinks that he is a dog of the government, he can proudly raise his chest—this is the true psychological portrayal of the servants of the government.

The female officials around Hegong often behaved rudely even when meeting high-ranking shogunate officials like Qingdeng.

According to the official rules of the Edo period, when meeting someone with a higher status than oneself, one should stare at the other person's chest. It is not polite to look too high or too low.

However, when they met with Qing Deng, they often raised their heads high and looked directly into Qing Deng's eyes without any shyness.

Although Qingdeng is not the kind of person who sticks to feudal ethics, their behavior, which is clearly showing that they don't give him face, really makes him very displeased.

In addition, their honorific system is indeed horribly developed, and it is really tiring to communicate with them.

Qingdeng has not figured it out until now: Why can they expand a simple "thank you" into a long and difficult sentence of dozens of characters?
All in all——Qingdeng has no feelings for Kazumiya himself, but he has a lot of opinions about the group of stinky people around him.

Thanks to their "blessing", Qingdeng now feels irritable whenever he hears Jing Yanye.

【Note · Jingyan Ye: A Japanese dialect used in Kyoto.Pronunciation speed is slow and long sounds are often used, and honorific words are well developed. 】

Boom~~!Boom!Boom!

At this time, the melodious sound of bells came from the distance.

The first beep is longer, and the second and third beeps are short.

It is the clock of time - a time telling tool set up by the shogunate to inform the citizens of Edo of the current time.

Most of the clocks are installed in temples and shrines.

Kaneiji Temple, Sensoji Temple, Ichigaya Hachiman, Yotsuya Tenryuji Temple, and more than a dozen places have set up the clock of time, and the sound of the clock basically covers most of Edo.

The bells heard at Qingdeng and Tenzho-in engravings come from the clock tower of Akasaka Tamachi Semanji Temple, which is the closest bell tower to Edo Castle.

The three bells just now are the "pre-ringing" of the clock of time, to show that it is time to prepare for keeping time.

After a while, the melodious bell sounded again:

Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!
8 chimes... 2 o'clock toward, [-] o'clock in the afternoon.

"Your Highness, it's almost time, and it's time for me to go back and continue handling government affairs."

Saying that, Qingdeng stuffed the empty bento box next to his legs back into the Furoshiki.

[Note Furoshiki: Furoshiki traditionally used in Japan to carry or store items]

"It's eight o'clock so soon, it's really boring... Ah, that's right, Sheng Qing, wait a minute, I almost forgot to tell you something very important."

"Ok?"

Qingdeng sat down on his lap with his butt that had been raised halfway.

"Although you will be informed of this news as early as tomorrow or a few days later, I still inform you in advance."

"Jiamo is planning to hold a 'Plum Blossom Banquet' at Fukigami's plum grove on December 12th. The leading ministers of Kyoto and the daimyo who are currently staying in Edo need to participate."

Fukiage—a vast area located on the west side of Edo Castle Nishinomaru, also known as "Daikancho".

Fukiage is to Edo Castle what the Imperial Garden is to the Forbidden City.

Originally, before this area of ​​Edo Castle was called Fukiage, it was lined with many samurai residences and shogunate establishments.

During the Kanei period (1624-1644), the three royal families... namely, the Owari Tokugawa family, the Kii Tokugawa family, and the Mito Tokugawa family's wide domain residences were all established here.

However, after the Meiretsu Fire (1657), the shogunate moved all the Gosan family's feudal residences outside Edo Castle, and then built Fukiage on the original site of the Gosan family's feudal residence.

Afterwards, the shogunate took advantage of the fire in Genroku 1697th year ([-]) and spread to Daikancho, and moved all the remaining samurai houses outside Edo Castle.

Part of Daikancho was included in the fifth year of Hoei (1708), and the garden was formally pruned, and Fukigami Imperial Garden was built in the seventh year of Hoei (1710).

After years of maintenance and improvement, Fukiage has now become a magnificent garden covering an area of ​​0.49 square kilometers, dedicated to the shogun and his family to enjoy the changing seasons.

In addition to many scenic spots such as Hanzōgao and Chidorigafuchi, there are also entertainment facilities such as the Royal Horse Course, the Korean Horse Course, the Horse Riding and Archery Course, the Shanghan Station, the Teahouse, and the Resting Area.

Seasonal flowers and trees such as cherry blossoms, lotus, maple, and plum blossoms are planted in Zhulishan, Lishan, and Meilin, so that the General’s family can enjoy the beautiful natural scenery every day and every season.

In addition, the shogunate also used the water source drawn from Tamagawa Josui to set up spring water to create an artificial river that runs through the river.

Fukiage is also a refuge in case of fire in Edo Castle, and it undertakes the function of "fire eradication"...that is, preventing the spread of fire.

"All the senior cabinet members of the shogunate have to participate...then I must be among them, right?"

Qing Deng asked in a joking tone.

"of course."

Tianzhangyuan cast Qingdeng a look of "Aren't you talking nonsense?"

"Who doesn't know that you, Ju Qing, are named as 'side public', but you are actually a 'side servant'. If you are not on the banquet list, what's the point?"

Qingdeng raised his hand and scratched the hair on the back of his head, looking troubled.

The change in his expression was noticed by Tianzhangyuan.

"What's the matter? Sheng Qing, don't you want to attend the banquet?"

Qing Deng quietly shook his head.

"That's not true, it's just... I don't like Hitotsubashi Keiki very much, and I guess he doesn't like me very much either. When I thought that Hitotsubashi Keiki would also participate in this 'Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet', I suddenly became very interested. reduce."

Tianzhangyuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled—a wry smile mixed with helplessness.

"On this point, I have exactly the same thoughts as you... But it's no use hating Yoshitaka Hitohashi no matter how much he is now a 'deputy general'. Whether it is handling government affairs or holding banquets, we cannot avoid it. The ground comes into contact with it.”

Qingdeng heaved a sigh of relief and shrugged.

"I see, I'll be on time for the dinner... eh?"

Unexpectedly, Qingdeng stared straight at Tianzhangyuan's pretty face.

I saw a piece of rose-red sauce hanging on the left corner of Tianzhangyuan's mouth.

Because the color of this sauce is very similar to the lip color of Tianzhangyuan, it is easy to miss if you don't look closely.

"Huh? Sheng Qing, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Tianzhangyuan asked, while stretching out his catkin and gently stroking his cheeks with his delicate fingers.

Qing Deng nodded.

"Well, yes, there is something stuck on it."

The chief executive is a very carefree girl. When eating, she turns herself into a little tabby cat, with a few grains of rice sticking to her left cheek and a layer of sauce on her right cheek, which is very common.

Qingdeng, who often sat next to her because of their romantic relationship, would always silently wipe her face at this time.

Ever since... After discovering the piece of sauce on the corner of Tianzhangyuan's mouth, Qingdeng, whose "DNA started to move", instinctively stretched out his right hand——

fondle……

There was a very slight sound of fingertips brushing against lips.

"..."

Tianzhangyuan opened his eyes wide suddenly, his eyes swaying like ripples on the surface of a lake.

Looking into Qingdeng's eyes, he seemed to be seeing an unbelievable sight.

The next moment, Qingdeng came back to his senses, and slowly realized what a bold move he had just made.

He immediately retracted his hand and explained quickly:

"Ah, I'm sorry, because I saw your lips are dirty, so I can't help it...Huh? Your Highness?"

"..."

Tianzhangyuan still kept his eyes wide open, without even blinking, staring straight at the void in front of him, just like a machine that is down.

"Your Highness?"

Qingdeng held out his left palm and waved it in front of Tianzhangyuan's eyes.

In an instant, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, she screamed and almost jumped up.

"Wow! I, I'm here! What's wrong?"

"Your Highness, what's the matter with you? Why did you suddenly become dazed just now?"

"What, nothing! It's just... just... just suddenly remembered something, so I was stunned for a while!"

Saying that, Tianzhangyuan sat up straight again, straightened his face, tightened all the lines of his face, and looked upright.

Seeing this, Qingdeng couldn't help but put on a joking tone, jokingly said:
"Your Highness, you were not shy just now, were you?"

As soon as his words fell, Tianzhangyuan immediately exploded.

"How is it possible! Who do you think I am? I am an elder who is 6 years older than you! I am not a little girl who is ignorant of the world, how could she be so ashamed because a child touched her lips? Stay!"

Qingdeng was just making a small joke. Seeing that his effect had been achieved, he stopped teasing Tianzhangyuan at the right time. Succubus, surprisingly interesting.

To be honest, Qing Deng himself didn't quite believe the joke he just said casually.

An old aunt who was almost three years old, just because her lips were touched by a man, her head went out of embarrassment?

Is this kind of thing possible?

With Tianzhangyuan's heroic character, she would not be angry with Qingdeng because of such a trivial matter.

After saying angrily, "Don't be an example! Don't touch my body like just now without even saying hello", this episode is considered to be a turning point.

Qingdeng picked up the lunch box and stood up.

"Then, Your Highness, I will take my leave first."

"Ah, Sheng Qing, wait a second!"

"Your Highness, is there anything else?"

"If I remember correctly, three days later will be your big happy event in the guarding hall, right?"

"um, yes."

"Say hello to your Fourth Head Master for me."

"Okay, I will."

"Ah! And!"

"Ok?"

"Well... today... thank you. Thanks to you, I feel much better now."

"..."

Qingdeng did not immediately respond to Tianzhangyuan's gratitude.

After he stared straight at the other party for a while, the corners of his mouth extended to the left and right respectively.

"Your Highness, why are you turning your head? Could it be because you feel ashamed to say 'thank you' while looking at the person you want to thank?"

"No Road Race!"

……

click.

Qingdeng closed the door with a soft "click".

Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap...

Qingdeng's footsteps gradually faded away.

Tianzhangyuan continued to maintain a straight posture with a solemn expression, as if Qingdeng was still standing in front of him.

The moment Qingdeng's footsteps completely disappeared——

"Wow woo woo woo...!"

Tianzhangyuan lay face down on the ground, covering his face with his hands, his eyes blurred, and his fair and tender cheeks turned red rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"I was touched...my lips...were touched by a man..."

The hands covering the face slowly moved down, and the fingertips caressed the vermilion lips.

Even though Qingdeng had left, even though it was several minutes ago that "Qingdeng touched his mouth", Tianzhangyuan still remembered that weird itchy feeling as if an electric current passed through his lips.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-!"

Tianzhangyuan once again covered her face with her hands. She tried her best to open her palms, but she still couldn't block the increasingly bright red glow.

At this time, Tianzhangyuan seemed to have thought of something, and the whole person froze.

However, she murmured to herself in a tone of three points of curiosity, three points of annoyance, four points of suspicion, and 97 points of shyness:

"He shouldn't put the finger that wiped my mouth into his mouth and taste it...?"

……

……

the other side--

Qingdeng took out the handkerchief from his arms, wiped the fingers he had just used to wipe Tianzhangyuan's mouth, and then silently stuffed the handkerchief back into his arms.

His face was expressionless the whole time, and he didn't even move his eyebrows.

He is eager to treat the women he loves; he is polite to ordinary women - even though he just made the rude move of "touching your lips" to Tianzhangyuan, this does not hinder Qingdeng at all. Continue to think of yourself as a "gentleman".

……

……

Three days later, in the morning——

In the second year of Wenjiu (1862), December 12st——

Edo, the suburbs, somewhere——

Isamu Kondo was wearing a set of shiny family armor, sitting on a horse with a golden sword.

Kondo Shusuke sat behind him with a smile.

"Oh! Asheng! You are the pride of our Tama!"

"Asheng! From today onwards, you are the head of the fourth generation of the Tianran Lixinliu clan! You must work hard!"

"We must carry forward the natural mental flow!"

……

A large number of dark-skinned men in rough clothing surrounded Isamu Kondo, chattering in a Tama dialect that was difficult for others to understand, pouring out compliments to Isamu Kondo without hesitation.

Isamu Kondo's original name was Katsuta Shimazaki, and he changed his name to "Isamu Kondo" until he was adopted by Shusuke Kondo as his adopted son.

However, although his name has been changed, his old friends and his close friend Hijikata Toshizo still habitually call him "Asheng".

Just in the early autumn of this year, Kondo Shusuke finally made up his mind - to pass on the position of the test guard and the head of the fourth generation of the natural Lixin Liuzong family to Isamu Kondo!From now on, I will retreat behind the scenes and be a leisurely wild crane.

The succession ceremony is scheduled for December 12th.

From a peasant, he counterattacked and became the head of a certain swordsmanship school... From the perspective of this era, Kondo Isamu has indeed achieved an incredible achievement.

Passing on the position - this is the most top-level event in the world of literature and art, martial arts, politics, and business, and it is the most important event that cannot be handled at will.

Regarding how to carry out Isamu Kondo's succession ceremony, everyone in the Test Guard Hall brainstormed and planned for a long time.

It would be too boring to just let Shusuke Kondo and Isamu Kondo stand on the stage and speak dryly like holding the "opening ceremony".

Such a rudimentary succession ceremony will not only bring down the reputation of natural flow of mind, but it will also be very unfriendly to those guests who came from afar.

People came all the way to attend our ceremony, but as a result, the only activities we had here were boring lectures by an old man with squinting eyes and a young man with a big mouth... It couldn't be justified both emotionally and rationally.

Just when everyone didn't know what to do, Aonto suddenly had an idea and put forward his own opinion - Natural Rishin-ryu is a school that pays attention to practical combat and has simple sword skills.That being the case, why don't we do something that highlights this unique style of natural flow?
So, at Ju Qingdeng's suggestion, everyone decided to hold a grand "Red and White Battle" on the day of the succession ceremony!Both parties participating in the battle are disciples and diners of the natural flow of mind!
On this day, basically all the people and forces that had made good friends with Jianweiguan and Qingdeng came.

Katsu Rintaro, the Chiba family, Senshiya, Elodie father and daughter...

*******
*******
The new changes of the heroines, Qingdeng's cultivation achievements in the past 1 year and 8 months, are finally coming~~
ps: According to historical facts, no matter it is the Grand Imperial Office or the Royal Imperial Office, they are not allowed to show their faces casually. I hope everyone knows.

Leopard Leopard will take a leave of absence tomorrow~~ not to play, but to go to the CP exhibition to buy some books, see cosplayers, and collect creative inspiration! (Leopard's Seriousness.jpg)