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Whenever the shogunate weakened, there would always be people in the Kyoto court who were ready to take action.

For example, at the end of the Kamakura shogunate, the two eastern expeditions of the Yuan Dynasty army shook the rule of the Kamakura shogunate.

The emperor at the time - the famous Emperor Go-Daigo - was quite burdened and tried to regain control of the country.

He saw the declining Kamakura shogunate as a golden opportunity, resolutely overthrew the shogunate, and devoted himself to reviving the imperial court.

In the end, he really succeeded.

Through a series of coups, he instigated the rebellion of the shogunate general Ashikaga Takauji, destroyed the Kamakura shogunate, and took back state power.

However, it didn't take long for Ashikaga Takauji to have irreconcilable conflicts with the court due to the classic "unequal distribution of cakes", so he rebelled and established the second shogunate in Japanese history (the Muromachi shogunate). The court also

If the "power" in his hands was not kept warm, it was taken away again - and this is another story.

The large-scale invasion by Western powers; the opening of the country; the continuous signing of unequal treaties; the assassination of Dai Oi Naomi; the inability to maintain national order... embarrassments occurred frequently, and the authority of the Edo shogunate gradually declined.

As a result, just like Emperor Go-Daigo back then, "enthusiastic people" appeared within the imperial court who regarded "reshaping the authority of the imperial court" as their own responsibility.

Sanjo Sanimi is one of the representative figures.

A group of young ministers led by Sanjo Sanimi want to overthrow the shogunate and restore the imperial court's rule over the country.

Facts have proved that party strife is really everywhere.

There were party disputes not only within the shogunate, but also within the imperial court.

Young people are always associated with "radical" and older people are always associated with "conservative". This has always been the case throughout the ages.

The ministers who advocate "the supremacy of the imperial court" are basically young men like Sanjo Sanimi.

And those older ministers, such as the predecessor Kujo Naotada who was born in the 10th year of Kansei (1798), believe that the existence of the shogunate is indispensable. There should be no confrontation between the court and the shogunate, and peace should be the basis.

No matter how expensive it is, the integration of public and military forces is the right path.

The former made a fuss about the "Respect for Provocation Movement" - provocations cannot be ruled out today, and the word "conquest of barbarians" is a false name! The Edo shogunate is no longer worthy of ruling this country!

The latter uses the "ancestral constitution" as a shield - "Government is governed by Tokugawa, sacrifices are carried out by the imperial family" is the ancestral constitution! Whoever dares to change the ancestral constitution will lose their head!

The two factions fought fiercely, and both sides had their own arguments.

The former criticized the latter for being pedantic and a treacherous minister who did not want to make progress and turned his elbows outward. As a minister of the emperor, he actually sacrificed his life for Tokugawa.

The latter scolded the former for being stupid. Since the Kamakura period, the ministers of the imperial court have lived a comfortable life of playing with birds in cages, reciting poems and composing poems for more than 700 years. They are completely ignorant of the current national situation and international situation.

, how to govern a country?

Even if we take back power, can we govern the country well?

In the end, it is not necessary to entrust the important task of governing the country to others, causing the power to fall away again!

Generally speaking, in this fierce partisan struggle, the "respecting and resisting ministers" currently have the upper hand.

A considerable part of the reason for this is because they have strong foreign aid.

In the second year of Bunkyu (1862), Choshu Domain saw a rare opportunity for a vacuum in order in Kyoto, quickly sent troops to Kyoto, and took control of the imperial court.

They provided money and people to fully support the "respecting and resisting ministers".

Soon afterwards, the Tosa Domain also joined the ranks of sponsoring them.

In this way, the energy of the "honest ministers of the Zunbo faction" greatly increased along with the two great powers of the Choshu clan and the Tosa clan.

The "centrist ministers" who were originally wavering between the two factions also fell to the Zunzheng camp under the fierce offensive of the two vassals' power.

In order to prevent the "Samu-sect ministers" from becoming larger and longer, the two feudal lords even sent people to strictly monitor the imperial palace to prevent the ministers from having unauthorized contact with the shogunate and Samu forces.

The opportunity has been lost, and even if the shogunate wants to support the "Samu Pai Gongmin", it has become difficult.

In addition, the theoretical propositions of "Samu Pai Gongqing" are also weaker than those of the other party.

The Edo shogunate no longer has the majesty it once did, and it is unable to suppress the various factions - this is an ironclad fact.

The claim by the "Shogunate of the Sabu Pai" that "the shogunate is very important and its existence is indispensable" is really unconvincing.

The theory is untenable, and the opponent is inherently weak.

This makes it even more difficult for them to defeat Sanjo Sanimi and others in party struggles.

All in all, for Sanjo Sanimi and others who were determined to restore the prestige of the imperial court, Aoto, who was now an important minister of the shogunate and a general of the shogunate, was naturally a thorn in their side and a thorn in their flesh.

So, it's no wonder that he glared at Qingdeng with such malicious eyes.

In response to Sanjo Sanimi's naked malice, Aoto didn't even move his brows and directly looked away, ignoring the other person's existence.

Qingteng never took Sanjo Sanimi seriously...or rather, he never paid attention to the ministers of the imperial court.

It is true that the imperial court and ministers have a cultural influence that cannot be ignored.

If you can get the support of these people, you can be like Cao Cao who ushered in Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, and he can have overwhelming righteousness in everything he does.

However, its effect is limited to this.

These guys who only know how to write poems, lyrics and songs, and wear ghost-like makeup every day, are just "flowers", not "brocade".

The icing on the cake, the icing on the cake...there must be the existence of "brocade", and the existence of "flower" can become meaningful.

A strong army, abundant funds, and the support of the people - these three things, especially the support of the people, are the "jin"!

If you have no soldiers, no money, and no popular support, even if you have the support of all the officials in the court, what's the use?

What can this group of monsters and monsters do to help you? Can they sing to you to relieve your boredom when you are extremely bored?

Therefore, Qingdeng has never considered "winning over ministers" as his first priority.

Building an army, making money and winning people's hearts are the top priorities!

As long as the troops are well-prepared and the people's hearts are what they want, gaining the support of the ministers will be a matter of course.

After all, the ministers of the imperial court and Duke Yansheng are of the same moral character - whoever wins will be helped!

The investiture ceremony was a very solemn ceremony, so the entire small imperial palace was very quiet, with almost no sound.

Qingdeng sat in the center of the small imperial palace, waiting quietly.

After waiting for another half an hour, the most important participant finally appeared.

Tao, Tao, Tao, Tao, Tao, Tao...

Out of the blue, Qingden suddenly heard a slight sound coming from the front - it was the sound of silk socks rubbing against the tatami.

I saw a thin figure appearing behind the translucent curtain directly in front of him.

The man gave alms and walked slowly into the small palace, and then sat down lightly.

Although every move of this man stood out as a desperate person, it was undeniable that his demeanor was very dignified.

To appear on stage and be able to sit behind the curtain... this person's identity is naturally obvious.

It is none other than today’s emperor, Tongren.

According to legend, the Emperor's family is the descendant of Amaterasu, the god of creation in Japanese mythology, and is also the supreme leader of Shintoism.

In order to show their divinity, the Imperial family does not have surnames. The names of all male members are "X Ren" and the names of all female members are "X Gong".

When meeting with ministers, the emperor usually sits behind a translucent curtain.

This rolling curtain is called "imperial curtain".

The reason for this can be considered to be many reasons.

First of all, from a historical perspective, in order to maintain the emperor's symbolic and lofty status, the emperor often stayed behind the curtain to strengthen his status through his symbolic presence.

Secondly, from a traditional perspective, the Japanese royal family has been adhering to a conservative and closed mind since ancient times, requiring the maintenance of the purity and dignity of the royal family.

Under this traditional concept, the emperor, as the core of the royal family, needs to maintain a certain degree of mystery and privacy.

Finally, from an etiquette perspective, the Emperor of Japan also complies with Japan's unique etiquette norms behind the curtain.

The imperial court has a strict etiquette system, especially the rules for treating superiors.

The emperor has a high status, and as the supreme ruler, he needs to show his majesty and dignity.

Staying behind the curtain can create a solemn and mysterious atmosphere, reflecting the emperor's dignity and majesty as the head of state.

The emperor appeared, everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, and the investiture ceremony could finally begin officially.

First, it is to salute the emperor.

The Minister of Administration, who was in charge of matters such as rituals and music - similar to the Minister of Rites - led the crowd to salute Tongren.

Then, there were a lot of ceremonial activities that Qingdeng couldn't name.

These etiquette activities are outrageously complicated!

Finally, the edict of investiture is read out.

The person responsible for promulgating the edict is the current Guan Baiying Si Fuxi.

He sat directly under the imperial curtain. Before holding the edict, he looked at his nose and nose and his heart the whole time.

He slowly unfolded the edict, and then read out the edict to Qingdeng with a protracted tail tone and a sharp tone that was very difficult to understand, like a eunuch.
To be continued...