"You only need to sacrifice a woman from a collateral lineage to get so many benefits. There is no more cost-effective deal than this. The so-called 'one hundred profits' is nothing more than this."

"I understand him."

"So I don't resent him."

Having said this, Tianzhangyuan closed his mouth suddenly and paused.

This pause lasted for a long time.

After about 20 seconds, she changed into a half-joking tone:

"Think about it carefully... Is my emotion 'generous'? Or is it 'forget it'?"

"Ahahaha... I can't figure it out myself."

"However, there is one thing I am certain of."

"I never thought about taking revenge on Shimazu Saibin."

"When the world was commenting on my 'defection', they all suspected that I hated Shimazu Saibin, so I deliberately went against him, betrayed the 'Hitobashi Sect', and fell into the arms of the 'Nanki Sect'."

"Actually, that's not the case."

"I'm not a young girl. I won't be confused when it comes to big things."

"If my sacrifice can bring happiness to thousands of people, then I am willing to go through fire and water."

"When I first entered the Olympiad, I was a genuine member of the Hitotsubashi sect, and I had no intention of rebelling."

"Shimazu Saibin once warned me repeatedly: Hitotsubashi Keiki is a hero who can master both literary and military skills. If he can inherit the position of general, he will make the sea calm and restore peace to the world."

"I always believed in Shimazu Saibin's judgment - until I personally came into contact with Hitotsubashi Keiki."

Tianzhangyuan sighed silently.

"I don't deny his talent. He is indeed a very capable person."

"At first glance, he seems to be the perfect candidate to conquer the barbarians."

"However, after my careful observation, I gradually saw through his essence, and I found that he has a very fatal flaw."

"First of all, he has no independent opinion. He just comes up with whatever he wants."

"Lack of perseverance and a strong spirit that is indomitable once you decide what to do."

"Secondly, he is easily manipulated by emotions."

"Whether he is in high spirits or when he is frightened, he is prone to making irrational judgments."

"Besides, he is more shrewd than courageous."

"Let me put it this way - if one day in the future, the overthrow of the shogunate's army comes to the city and the shogunate is in danger, Iemo will definitely put on his armor and go to war personally."

"As for Hitotsubashi's celebration? Thank God he didn't escape to Goryokaku."

[Note: Goryokaku: The five-pointed star-shaped fortress built in the Hakodate area of ​​Ezochi (now Hokkaido) has extremely high defensive power. It was officially started in the fourth year of Ansei (1857) and is expected to be completed in 1864]

"In the end, he was a supporter of Mito Studies and respected the idea of ​​respecting the king."

"He valued the shogunate, but he also respected the imperial court from the bottom of his heart."

"He was willing to bargain with the imperial court for the sake of the shogunate, and even went against the imperial court."

"But he always believed that disputes with the imperial court must be limited to a controllable range."

"You must never be at odds with the imperial court, let alone break out into a large-scale armed conflict with the imperial court, otherwise you will be infamy for the ages as an 'enemy of the imperial court.'"

"He would rather die than be despised as an 'enemy of the DPRK' by future generations."

"Based on his ideological concepts, I never believe that he can maintain a strong stance in the struggle against the imperial court."

"Therefore, I conclude that the person most qualified to succeed the Shogun is not Hitotsubashi Keiki, but Iemo."

"Not to mention anything else, Iamao is far superior to his opponent just because of his heroic courage."

"So, just like that, I betrayed the 'Ichitsubashi Sect' and joined the 'Nanki Sect' camp."

"Ah ha ha ha... It feels weird. I sound like an upright and righteous man."

"But everything I just said is true, and I am not bragging."

"I firmly believe that I did not misunderstand the character of Keiki Hitotsubashi."

"At the same time, I sincerely believe that Jia Mao is the wise king who can rejuvenate the country and bring peace to the country."

While Tianzhangyuan was laughing at himself, Qingdeng thought secretly.

"...Your Highness, I have another question, I don't know whether to ask it or not."

Tianzhangyuan nodded gently without thinking:

"Well, you ask."

Qingdeng organized his words.

"You said you wanted to marry the number one man in Japan,"

"But there are many kinds of 'firsts' in this world."

"For example, wealth is first, appearance is first, status is first, swordsmanship is first."

"No matter how powerful a person is, it is impossible for him to win the laurels of the pen in every aspect and every field."

"So, in your eyes, what kind of man does it take to be worthy of being the 'number one in Japan' in your mind?"

Tianzhangyuan blinked his beautiful eyes a few times.

"Huh? Sheng Qing, why do you ask this? Ah! I understand!"

She narrowed her eyes and curled up the corners of her mouth - there she was! That devilish evil smile!

Then, just like magic, she was smiling evilly one second, and turned into a pitiful and delicate look the next second.

She raised her hands to tuck her clothes tightly and trembled shyly:

"Then, um... Sheng Qing, don't do it... I am the Imperial Highness of the Imperial Palace, and you are a minister of the shogunate. There are differences between monarchs and ministers, so we cannot be combined..."

"What's more, there is a full 6-year age difference between you and me."

"You may be able to accept the elder sister, but I really can't accept the little brother who is so much younger than me..."

After saying that, Tianzhangyuan covered half of his face with his sleeves, then quietly raised his gaze, carefully "stealing" Qingdeng's expression.

While peeking, her voice continued:

"Oh, if you think about it carefully, I am really old now!"

"Unconsciously, I am already 27 years old, and you are also 21 years old."

"When you and I first met, you were only 18 years old and I was only 24."

"In the blink of an eye, three years passed quietly."

"Sheng Qing, except that your body has become stronger, your appearance has not changed much."

"And I... wu~ I obviously feel that the delicateness of my skin is far less than before, wu wu~~ I have become an old woman, wu wu~~"

Looking at Tianzhang Yuan who was "performing" on his own, Qingdeng couldn't help but show a helpless expression:

"Your Highness, I..."

Before he finished speaking, Tianzhangyuan put down the sleeves of this facial expression and smiled:

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. I know you have no other intentions. I was just making a little joke."

"Sheng Qing, you asked a good question."

"Speaking of it, it seems that I have never thought about this problem before."

Tianzhangyuan half-closed his eyes, thinking deeply, while murmuring softly——

"In my eyes, what kind of man can be called 'Japan's number one'..."

Qingdeng remained silent and waited quietly.

Tianzhangyuan did not keep him waiting too long.

After only a moment, she opened her half-closed eyes and said with a smile:

"Well...I don't know either~~"

"When I was younger, I might still be in the mood to think carefully about the answer to this question."

"But now...what's the point of me thinking about this issue again?"

As she spoke, she stretched out her arms and showed Qingdeng the cyan blouse she was wearing.

"You see, I am already a widow of a dead husband."

Then, she turned her little head to the side - the short ponytail that only reached her shoulders jumped into Qingdeng's eyes.

"At the same time, she is also a retired nun."

"I am Tenjoin Atsuhime, the Grand Odaisho of the Edo Shogunate."
To be continued...