Chapter 676 Tianzhang Courtyard: Sheng Qing, no...【5100】

"Which parent would allow their precious daughter to marry a useless person?"

"My father tried his best to protect me and prevent me from being 'taken away'."

"But... the head of a mere branch family is really powerless to resist the will of the main family."

"My father and Shimazu Saibin are close friends."

"They were childhood confidants who spent 11 years together at the Takanawa clan's residence in Edo."

"It's a pity... the friendship between brothers is no match for the calculation of interests."

"In this way, I became Shimazu Qibin's adopted daughter."

"I received nearly three months of rigorous training in manners and etiquette at Tsurumaru Castle, corrected my Satsuma accent, and learned Ooku etiquette."

[Note: Tsurumaru Castle: Also known as Kagoshima Castle, it is the residence of the Shimazu clan in Satsuma]

"In the sixth year of Kayei (1853)...exactly 10 years ago, on August 21, I set out from Kagoshima on a journey of no return."

"Since then, I have never seen Shimazu Saibin, nor have I seen any relatives or friends, including my parents."

"Arrived in Kyoto on October 2."

"Departing from Fushimi on the 6th of the same month and arriving in Edo on the 23rd."

"The wedding was postponed again and again due to Perry's second visit, the mysterious fire at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, and the events in Edo."

[Note Perry: Matthew Perry, a U.S. Navy admiral, is world-famous for leading the black ships with Zu Abbott to open the gates of Japan during the Seoul period]

"Finally, on November 19, the third year of Ansei (1856), I made an engagement (engagement) with the Tokugawa family, and the wedding was held on December 18."

"That year, I was 21 years old and Tokugawa Iesada was 33 years old."

As if thinking of something, Tianzhangyuan stopped for a moment.

When she spoke again, she laughed "ah ha ha ha" several times.

"From a certain point of view...I got what I wanted."

"I am indeed married to the number one man in Japan."

"Tokugawa Iesada was the 13th shogun of the Edo shogunate and the nominal leader of the samurai family."

"In terms of status alone, there are few people in Japan who are higher than him."

"Oh, my mouth... said that I wanted to marry the number one man in Japan, but I didn't expect that I actually got my wish."

"If I had known this, I would have added a few more embellishments when I told my father about my ideal husband."

"Not only do you need to be number one in Japan, but you also need to be handsome enough, strong enough, and if you have a gentle and considerate personality, that would be great."

"As for age, it's best to be close to me. You can't be too much older than me, and you can't be too younger than me. At most, you can only be 5 years older and 5 years younger than me."

"If the Tokugawa family is such a man, then there is no need for Shimazu Saibin to force me. I will marry him immediately."

After making a witty remark, Tianzhang Yuan regained his expression of amusement.

"I shouldn't need to elaborate on what happens next, right?"

"One year and seven months after my father entered Olympus, Tokugawa Iesada died of illness."

"During this period, I did not support the 'Hitobashi faction' as Shimazu Saibin wished, but completely fell to the 'Nanki faction' and spared no effort to support Iemo's rise to power."

"I don't know how Shimazu Saibin will react to my 'defection'."

"Ikushima was so angry that she almost wanted to fight me with her naginata."

"Ah, Ikushima is the daughter of Ikuhime, Shimazu Saibin's sister. She is also the teacher responsible for teaching me etiquette."

[Note: Old woman: similar to the head maid]

"She entered the Great Oku with me. On the surface, she is my Otonori, but in fact, she is an internal correspondent between the Shimadzu family and the Great Oku."

[Note: Yu Nian Ji: a professional title of Da'ao, in charge of all affairs of Da'ao,]

"While she regularly reports to Shimazu Saibin on the current situation of the shogunate, she is also responsible for monitoring my 'work progress'."

"She must have never thought that I would actually 'change sides' under her nose."

"At that time, as soon as Ikushima saw me, he tried his best to persuade me to change my mind, and even threatened me with death."

"Seeing her crying, I couldn't bear it, but I had made up my mind - I would definitely stand with Jia Mao."

"In the fifth year of Ansei (1858), Ii Naomi became the elder, and Iemo's succession was a foregone conclusion."

"The frustrated Ikushima asked me to resign and left Da'ao."

"I haven't seen her since."

"I only know that she is living in seclusion and is still alive."

"To be honest, I don't like Ikushima very much."

"When I followed her to learn etiquette, she left a very bad impression on me."

"He is impersonal and has a loud voice that always makes my ears hurt. He is also very harsh."

"When I was very tired from practicing etiquette and said I wanted to rest, she said, 'In that case, let's go stretch our muscles.'"

"Then she just dragged me to the yard to practice the naginata technique, which I was not interested in at all. In the end, it made me even more tired."

"After entering the Olympiad, she always said such heart-wrenching words as 'Shimazu Saibin', 'Satsuma' and so on, which really annoyed me."

"But...that afternoon, when I saw her back turning and leaving Da'ao, I didn't feel happy."

"She is the only person in the Big Ori who can talk to me about my hometown and Satsuma."

"She's gone, and there's no one around me who can speak Satsuma..."

"It has been 10 years since I left my hometown."

"Obviously it's not a very long period of time, but the changes are already happening around me."

"Ikushima, who has been with me for many years, has left."

"My husband, Tokugawa Iesada, is dead."

"My foster father, Shimazu Qibin, is dead."

"My biological father Shimazu Tadayoshi... also died. I didn't even receive the news of his death until several months after his death, but I couldn't even go back to worship him. I could only face the Buddhist altar and look at him from a distance.

To mourn him..."

Qingdeng has been acting as a quiet listener.

It wasn't until Tianzhang Yuan finished speaking that he spoke softly:

"...Your Highness, do you hate Shimazu Qibin?"

Looking back at Tenzōin's past, it is no exaggeration to say that her life was completely ruined by Shimazu Saibin.

A descendant of the Shimazu family - in the Satsuma Domain, such a status is already among the top dignitaries.

Although it is unlikely to marry the number one man in Japan, it is more than enough to live a carefree life.

As a result...because of Shimazu Saibin's manipulation, she became a victim of politics and had to marry a "brainless general", and was then involved in the bottomless whirlpool of power struggle.

No matter from which angle you look at it, Tianzhangyuan has every reason to resent Shimazu Saibin, be hostile to Shimazu Saibin, and take revenge on Shimazu Saibin.

However... facing Qingdeng's rhetorical question, Tianzhangyuan Yun Danfeng smiled softly:

"Hate? Why should I hate him?"

"He is a famous king who is praised by everyone and a wise prince who is highly regarded by everyone."

"He had a unique vision and used the knowledge he learned from foreign countries to create civilian industries."

"Using Western-style military training methods, new weapons were produced, and French-style cavalry was established."

"In a very short period of time, a dock was built, a ship was launched, and a navy was created."

"In addition, he has great talent and has cultivated a large number of talented people."

"Saigo Kinosuke, Okubo Ichizo and Komatsu Taito, who currently hold the actual civil and military power of the Satsuma Domain, were all trained by him."

"He led the Satsuma Domain to implement the policy of enriching the country and strengthening its military. Under his leadership, the Satsuma Domain became unprecedentedly powerful."

"In terms of military strength alone, the Satsuma Domain can suppress the entire western Japan with its own power."

"Even the shogunate doesn't want to be an enemy of Satsuma."

"On the day Shimazu Saibin passed away suddenly due to illness, I don't know how many Satsuma people cried bitterly, and even felt so sad that they almost wanted to commit suicide."

"In both public and private matters, he was a great monarch."

"He is a dignified lord of a vassal."

"He just did what he was supposed to do."

"Compared with the future of Satsuma Domain, what does my life mean?"

"If we can promote the union between me and Tokugawa Kesada, we will be able to expand the Satsuma Domain's political influence in one fell swoop, thereby benefiting all people."
To be continued...