"...Ii."
After taking one last deep look at the "talent list" in his hand, Tokugawa Iemochi closed the booklet heavily.
"Are you truly... unwilling to temporarily step down from your position as Tairō, to avoid the sharp edge?"
"Lord Shogun." Ii Naosuke laughed heartily, "I am a descendant of the ’Red Night Demon’ Ii Naomasa, who instilled fear in many heroes during the Warring States Era three hundred years ago."
Ii Naosuke slightly raised his head, his eyes full of pride.
"Looking back to those days, my ancestor Ii Naomasa personally led the ’Ii Red Team,’ repeatedly serving as the vanguard of the great army, clearing the path for the Tokugawa Clan."
"With such a courageous ancestor, how can I, as his descendant, shrink back?"
"To serve as the vanguard general of the Shogunate, and to bear the burden for the Tokugawa Family, is my pride."
"Please, Lord Shogun, do not take away my pride!"
...
...
"Mother..."
"Lord Shogun." Tenshōin hastily looked up at Tokugawa Iemochi, who was slowly walking towards her.
She originally wanted to ask how his conversation with Ii Naosuke went.
However, upon seeing Tokugawa Iemochi’s expression, she already knew the answer to her question.
"I see..." Tenshōin murmured, "He is unwilling to temporarily step down from his position as Tairō..."
Tokugawa Iemochi, whose expression was extrely complex, remained silent.
He slowly lowered his gaze, looking at the "talent list" that Ii Naosuke had just given him, tightly clutched in his left hand...
"Since Ii is unwilling to step down from his position as Tairō for the ti being..." Tokugawa Iemochi said softly, "Then we can only find a way to strengthen Ii’s guard."
"Mother, I want to select a group of strong samurai to supplent Ii’s guard team; what do you think?"
Tenshōin, without thinking too long, gently nodded: "It’s the only thing we can do."
...
...
The ti backtracks to before Ii Naosuke t with Tenshōin—
Edo, Little Ishikawa Hoshimura Willow Street, Shiwei Hall, outside the main gate—
"Mr. Kondo, Kyūbē, see you tonight then." Aoto tightened the black scarf around his neck.
Although it was already March, the weather was still unusually cold.
In such chilly weather, it might even snow, so just in case, Aoto and Saito both wore snow hats on their heads.
"Odd months" are the months when the North Guard Station is responsible for governing Edo, while "even months" are when the South Division is responsible.
Now that February has passed and March has arrived, Aoto has returned to his routine civil servant life of "working at sunrise and resting at sunset."
"Hmm. Be careful on the road." Mr. Kondo waved his hand at Aoto.
Under the watchful eyes of Kondo and Kyūbē, Aoto and Saito, each carrying the bento boxes Kyūbē made for them, headed towards the North Guard Station one after another.
After obtaining Abi’s permission to freely use the kitchen of Shiwei Hall, Kyūbē maintained his habit of preparing lunch for Aoto every morning before work.
With Saito as a new family mber, the habit evolved into preparing als for both Aoto and Saito daily.
Aoto walked down the high slope where Shiwei Hall was located, facing the slightly cold and piercing morning wind.
Suddenly, he saw a very familiar back figure ahead...
It was Yamanaka Keisuke.
Aoto slightly tilted up the brim of his snow hat and shouted at Yamanaka’s back, who was walking ahead of him, hurrying and seemingly unaware of his destination:
"Mr. Yamanaka!"
Hearing Aoto’s voice, Yamanaka imdiately stopped in his tracks and quickly turned around.
"Hmm? Mr. Tachibana?"
Yamanaka blinked in surprise at Aoto, then smiled broadly.
"It seems we have extraordinary luck running into each other lately," Yamanaka quipped as he quickly approached Aoto, continuing playfully, "Yesterday we bumped into each other at the noodle shop, and today we et again on the street."
"Mr. Yamanaka," Aoto asked, "what brings you here?"
"Tomorrow is Shangsi Festival, isn’t it?" Yamanaka crossed his hands into the sleeves of his feathered robe, "I plan to seize the early hours, while people are not many, to buy so gifts at Nihonbashi for a Sinology teacher who has greatly helped in the past."
In the Edo Era, aside from praying for the unmarried girls at ho, it was customary during the Shangsi Festival to give gifts and food to teachers of various knowledge and skills.
However, this custom was sowhat obscure, and there were few who practiced it during the Shangsi Festival.
After explaining why he was there, Yamanaka looked at the bento Aoto was holding.
"Mr. Tachibana, are you on your way to the North Guard Station for duty?"
Aoto nodded.
"I see..." Yamanaka laughed, "Then we just happen to share part of the way together."
Yamanaka, heading to buy gifts at Nihonbashi, and Aoto, on his way to work—they had a short part of their journey in common.
Thus, they naturally walked side by side.
"Ah, right, Mr. Tachibana," Yamanaka curiously asked Aoto after walking a few steps together, "How is Mr. Chokata doing now? He seed quite drunk when I saw him yesterday."
"Oh... Mr. Chokata..." Aoto chuckled helplessly, "He’s fine."
"He’s still sleeping now; I reckon he won’t be up until noon."
Last night, after unexpectedly running into Yamanaka at the noodle shop, Aoto and his group chatted with Yamanaka for a long ti.
Yamanaka, being highly knowledgeable, well-inford, and eloquent, made the conversation anything but boring.
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