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"I was lucky enough to win the Chiba Kenkan in that match." Qingden smiled humbly.

After exchanging pleasantries with Inoya and Ushiyama, whom he hadn't seen for a while, Qingden noticed a slight fatigue on Ushiyama's face.

"Mr. Ushiyama, why do you look so tired? Is it because you didn't sleep last night?" Qingden cast a concerned look at Uiushan.

"Ah, it's okay..." Ushiyama raised his hand and rubbed his eyes with many red bloodshot eyes vigorously, "The day after tomorrow is the Shangsi Festival. In the past few days, I have been preparing Hina dolls for my two daughters.

He Hintan is busy with everything, so he is just a little tired."

"Shangsi Festival?" Qing Deng raised his eyebrows, "Yes... the day after tomorrow is Shangsi Festival."

Shangsi Festival: Also known as Daughter's Day, it is a traditional Chinese festival. Before the Han Dynasty, this festival was set as Si day in early March, and later it was fixed on the third day of March.

On this day, people go to the waterside to bathe together, hold purification baths, hold sacrificial banquets, drink wine in the winding water, and enjoy spring outings in the countryside.

This day is also China’s Daughter’s Day.

Girls generally hold a coming-of-age ceremony on this day: the "Hair Hair Ceremony". Girls "Shangsi Spring Play", walk along the water, play with orchids by the water, put on beautiful clothes, sing and dance to drive away evil spirits.

The meeting of men and women is one of the activities of Shangsi Festival, so Shangsi Festival can also be regarded as Chinese Valentine's Day. On this day, it is extremely romantic to go on an outing with the girl you like.

Unfortunately, with the rise of Neo-Confucianism, which advocated "preserving natural principles and destroying human desires", the nature of Valentine's Day on Shangsi Festival was almost gone by the Song Dynasty, and with it, the winding water of Shangsi Festival was used to drink wine and purify the river.

Customs such as bathing gradually declined.

To put it simply - due to the rise of Neo-Confucianism, the Shangsi Festival has no "festival flavor" since the Song Dynasty, and people no longer celebrate the Shangsi Festival with great grandeur.

The Shangsi Festival has declined in China, but Japan on the other side still treats this festival very seriously.

Thousands of years ago, when Japan was comprehensively studying the advanced culture and systems of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it also learned the Shangsi Festival.

After thousands of years of development and cultural integration, Japan’s Shangsi Festival has developed a completely different way of celebrating the festival from China’s.

By the Edo period, Japan's Shimi Festival basically only had the attribute of "Girls' Festival".

On this day of Shangsi Festival, in order to pray for their girls, families with girls will set up a high platform at home to display a kind of exquisite doll called "Hina Doll".

The high platform on which the Hina dolls are placed is called "Hinadai", and then the whole family eats chirashi sushi, clam soup and other foods with beautiful meanings together.

The Jomi Festival is one of the most important festivals in the Edo period. On this day, Aonto and other officials in the government would have a day off.

The day after tomorrow is the Shangsi Festival, and this upcoming festival obviously has nothing to do with Qingdeng - because he has no daughter at all, how will he celebrate the Shangsi Festival?

Aoto could imagine how he would spend the Tomorrow's Tomb Festival holiday - spending the whole day practicing swordsmanship with Kondo, Okita and the others in the Imperial Guard Hall with nothing to do.

After Ushiyama mentioned topics related to the Shangsi Festival, he successfully aroused the desire to chat with Inoya, who also has a pair of daughters.

"Those Hina dolls made by famous craftsmen are really ridiculously expensive..." Inotani twitched his lips, "The day before yesterday, I visited the 'Gojo Doll House' in Jugen Town and planned to buy some new Hina dolls.

To my daughters."

"I was shocked when I went to the Gojo Doll House. Do you know how much the most expensive Hina doll sold there is? 120 taels of gold... Is that doll made of pure gold..."

"The master craftsman of 'Gojo Dolls': Gojo Shingua is a well-known craftsman." Arima interjected calmly at this time, "Their top-quality dolls are naturally more expensive."

"Ah, having said that -" Inotani turned to look at Arima, "When the festival comes, Arima-sama, you will be busy again..."

A hint of helplessness appeared on Arima's face at this moment: "Oh... I really hope that I can spend time with my daughter on the day of the Shangsi Festival..."

There is another custom of the Josi Festival in the Edo period: early in the morning on this day, all officials of a slightly higher rank in Edo need to go to Edo Castle and celebrate the Josi Festival together with the shogun in Ohiro.

Edo Castle and Edo are two completely different things.

Edo Castle is located in the center of Edo, surrounded by a moat. It is the residence of the shogun and the place where government affairs are handled.

To give a vivid metaphor - the relationship between Edo City and Edo is similar to the relationship between the Forbidden City and BJ.

"Sanchai" concentrics like Aoto and Inoya are not qualified to enter Edo Castle to celebrate the festival with the shogun because of their lower grades.

But not with horses.

An official of Arima's level needs to go to the city to accompany the shogun to celebrate the Shoshin Festival, so Inoya just said, "Arima will be busy again on the day of the Shoshin Festival."

After chatting with the horses, pigs, and cows for a while about topics related to the "Shangsi Festival", Qingdeng suddenly heard a conversation coming from the side that made him involuntarily prick up his ears.

"Ha... I'm so nervous... I haven't met Mr. Jing Yi yet..."

"I heard that he is very serious. He always keeps a straight face and never gets angry."

"Huh? How come I heard that Mr. Ii, who is a tea ceremony celebrity and is also proficient in poetry and drama, is a very elegant person?"

"Everything you said is different from what I heard... What I heard is Elder Ii who is proficient in Iaido, and every word and deed he says is like a warrior..."

…

The hosts of this conversation were several colleagues from Nanbansuo whom Qingto did not know.

Listening to the conversation between these people just now, Qingdeng thought to himself:

——It seems that Elder Jingyi will personally participate in and preside over this assessment event today has been completely spread...

Qingteng has never met Ii Naobi. After all, he is just a small concubine with a humble status. He does not have the opportunity to meet the country's current highest power holder. He has only heard some anecdotes about Ii Naobi.

As far as Ayoto knows, Naoki Ii is a strange man with quite a legendary experience.

He was originally the 14th son of Ii Naonaka, the 13th lord of the Hikone Domain, and his wife.

Ranked 14th... Logically speaking, no matter what happens, it will not be his turn to inherit the position of feudal lord.

But things are so unpredictable. The 13 brothers in front of him either died or were given out as adopted sons. Therefore, the fourteenth eldest brother miraculously succeeded him as the new lord of the Hikone Domain in 1846.

As soon as he took office, he carried out drastic reforms and rectified the feudal administration with his superb political methods and tough governance skills, which greatly increased the national power of the Hikone Domain. Because of his outstanding political achievements, Ii Naomi was recognized by countless people at that time.

The Mingjun.

After Japan's door was knocked open by Western powers and the country fell into unprecedented danger, he was appointed at the critical moment and took the position of "elder brother" and has been in charge of the country to this day.

From the fourteenth son who was not taken seriously by anyone, he has gradually become the "one person below ten thousand people" today. His experience is nothing short of legendary.

In addition to his superb political ability, Naomi Ii's other talents are also quite outstanding.

He is both civil and military.

He is proficient in Iaido and is a well-known master of Iaido. He has created a new school of Iaido: "Xinxinxinliu".

He can write Japanese songs, raving, Noh music, and is proficient in tea ceremony, so he is a tea ceremony celebrity.

In short - he is an extraordinary person who can be sensed just by looking at his life resume.

At this time, all the officials from the "Three Chapters" of the Southern and Northern Divisions had arrived.

Chang and the "Arima Group" are opposed to each other, and everyone from the competing "Tōjo Group" has also come.

Because today's assessment meeting is not a meeting that can be taken lightly, Dongcheng, who is always slovenly on weekdays, managed to look presentable today very rarely.

Her hair is neatly combed and her clothes are clean.

However, every move he made was still so dirty that it was difficult to look at him directly.

He was yawning vigorously. He stretched out his right index finger to pick his ear. After picking his ear, he put the finger that had just picked out the earwax into his nostril to dig his nose...

Nishino, who was standing behind Dongcheng, half-closed his eyes and looked at his nose and heart.

At this time, Dongcheng's group discovered Qingdeng and others standing not far from them.

Dongcheng grinned, revealing his slightly yellowed teeth, and then led his subordinates headed by Nishino to walk towards Qingdeng and the others in a swaggering manner.

"Gui'an, Master Arima."

Arima smiled and nodded to Dongcheng: "Gui'an, Lord Dongcheng."

Although Dongcheng is the leader of the "Dongcheng Group", neither Qingdeng nor the three of them, Ma, Pig, and Ox, have much dislike for this sloppy fat man.

The people of Dongcheng...at best, they are "free and easy in doing things", but at worst, they are "too haphazard in their work".

The affairs that I am responsible for are handled with an attitude of "as long as I can handle the task". I will not do one less thing, but I will never do one more thing.

He basically adopts a "free-range policy" for his subordinates such as Nishino, and rarely manages their daily activities. As long as nothing too extreme happens, he has no involvement in their subordinates' affairs.

Therefore, Tojo rarely took the initiative to participate in the "competition for merit" with the "Arima-gumi". Mainly, his three subordinates, headed by Nishino, actively competed with the "Arima-gumi" for cases and political achievements.

It is precisely because the relationship with the "Arima Group" is not tense or bad that Tojo can greet Arima as naturally as he does now.

After a few brief greetings with Arima, Arima turned his gaze and looked at Qingto aside.

"Mr. Ju." Dongcheng said to Qingdeng in a calm tone, "Have the injuries you suffered while fighting the 'radical anti-foreigners' faction healed?"

"Thank you for your concern." Qingdeng said, "My body is no longer seriously injured."

"That's good." Dongcheng grinned a little wider, "I said you had changed your past completely...it seems like you really weren't talking nonsense."

"Now, no one can call you 'dumbhead' anymore."

When Dongcheng praised Qingteng in a calm tone, Nishino, who was standing behind Dongcheng, raised his eyes and cast a complicated look at Qingteng.

The other two colleagues of the "Dongcheng Group" also looked at Qingden with complicated expressions. Unlike Nishino, there was a hint of jealousy in the eyes of these two colleagues...

Suddenly, at this moment - Bo Jing's white and fat body hurriedly flashed from outside the room into the room.

Behind him was a very thin middle-aged man - this man was the town minister of Nanbansuo: Atsukawa Chugoro.

After seeing the two "Mayors of Edo City" rushing into the room, Susui, who was walking at the front, said solemnly with a solemn face:
To be continued...