Wenjiu three years (1863), May 7——

Kyoto, imperial palace, small imperial palace——

Sanjo Sanimi's sharp voice echoed throughout the small palace.

"Mr. Hitotsubashi! If my father were here, he would never act like a daughter! He would definitely accept the imperial edict without hesitation and fight to the death against the barbarians!"

Hitotsubashi Keiki's biological father was Tokugawa Saiaki, the former lord of Mito Domain.

When Tokugawa Saiaki was still alive, he was famous as a hawk who "strongly advocated fighting against foreigners".

As early as when the "Black Ship Incident" first occurred, he strongly requested the shogunate to launch a counterattack and never bow to the Western Yi.

Following Sanjo Sanimi, the other ministers spoke out one after another, putting pressure on Hitotsubashi Keiki.

"That's right!"

"Mr. Hitotsubashi, don't think we don't know your little thoughts!"

"No more delay! You have to give us a reasonable explanation within today!"

…

"..."

Ichibashi Qingxi didn't say a word, half-hunched his waist, supporting the ground with his hands, and silently endured the scolding and pressure from the ministers.

Matsudaira Harugaku knelt down beside him, raising his eyes from time to time to secretly look at Hitotsubashi Qingxi's back.

Tokugawa Iemo is still recovering from his illness, and now they are the only two left to take charge of the overall situation.

Although Tokugawa Iemo was still very young, he was the legitimate 14th generation general of the Edo shogunate who conquered the barbarians.

In front of Tokugawa Iemo, even though he was as radical as Sanjo Mimi, he had to restrain his temper.

But now, without the support of Tokugawa Iemo, the ministers of the anti-barbarian faction can be said to have completely "let themselves go".

They spouted unpleasant words and ridiculed unscrupulously in various ways, irritating Hitotsubashi Keihe and Matsudaira Harugaku.

Faced with this situation, Matsudaira Harugaku sighed silently.

Although they had deep conflicts with Tokugawa Iemo, they only had different political views after all.

On the level of "maintaining the interests of the shogunate", their opinions are consistent, and they do not want the Edo shogunate to continue to sink.

After Tokugawa Keiki fell ill, he and Hitotsubashi Keiki really tried their best.

They tried their best to persuade the imperial court to withdraw the edict of "immediate expulsion of the foreigners".

However...under the leadership of Sanjo Sanimi and others, the imperial court was completely unable to listen to the opinions of the shogunate. They only talked about "repelling the foreigners", and the two sides were basically talking about it.

How can this kind of discussion that “completely ignores the other side” come up with a clear answer?

During this period, the ministers of the Samu faction headed by Kujo Naotada were trying every means to support Hitotsubashi Keiki and Matsudaira Harugaku.

However...compared to the power of the Expulsion Faction, the energy of the Zuomu Faction is really not worth mentioning.

Suddenly, Sanjo Sanimi's sharp voice sounded again:

"Mr. Yiqiao? Mr. Yiqiao? Did you hear our voices? Why are you so dumbfounded?"

"..."

Since just now, Hitotsubashi Keixi has been silent.

Matsudaira Harugaku raised his eyes again, staring directly at the back of Hitotsubashi Kei.

He really wanted to check the other person's expression...but due to the restricted angle, he really couldn't do anything.

In fact, due to the light, even Sanjo Sanimi, who was sitting in front of Ichibashi Keiki, could not clearly see the expression on his face.

Somehow... Matsudaira Chunyue suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart...

As a comrade and old acquaintance of Hitotsubashi Keiki, he knew the other person's temperament very well.

Although the 26-year-old Hitotsubashi Keiki is nearly thirty years old, he is even more uncool than he appears on the surface.

In short, he is a very emotional person.

In order to calm the uneasiness in his heart, Matsudaira Chunyue swallowed hard, then lowered his throat and said softly at a volume that only he and Hitotsubashi Keiki could hear clearly:

"Mr. Hitotsubashi, you must stay calm and don't let them lead you by the nose..."

Before he finished speaking...

"...Your Majesty! Sirs!"

Then I saw Ichibashi Qingxi suddenly straightened up.

His high-pitched shout immediately attracted the attention of the entire audience.

“Blog, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle, bustle…”

Like a broken tape recorder, he kept repeating the word "reject the foreigners".

His appearance was so terrifying that many people present could not help but tighten their necks.

Even Matsudaira Harugaku couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Hitotsubashi, what are you doing?".

Hitotsubashi Yingxi directly ignored Matsudaira Harugaku's question, and also ignored the surprised looks that others cast at him.

After a moment, he changed into a cold tone without sadness or joy:

"'Reject the barbarians' one by one... Your Majesty, ministers, do you really want to fight off the barbarians?"

"Okay! Since you want to fight off the foreigners so much, then let's do what you wish!"

"The campaign against the foreigners will last until May 10th!"

quiet……

In an instant, a strange silence fell on the small imperial palace.

Everyone present—especially Matsudaira Harugaku—all had their eyes wide open, and their faces were full of disbelief.

The first person to come to his senses was Sanjo Sanimi.

He first looked up and down at Hitotsubashi Keiki with suspicious eyes, and then asked quietly:

"Mr. Hitotsubashi, are you serious about this statement?"

Hitotsubashi replied without hesitation:

"Really! On May 10th, the fight against the barbarians begins! On this day, the shogunate and all the vassals must hold on to the will of 'fighting the barbarians to the death' and fight to the death with the Western barbarians!"

Needless to say, the expressions on Matsudaira Harugaku and the ministers of the Samu faction almost had the word "shock" written on their faces.

If it weren't for the obstruction of the view, Matsudaira Harugaku almost grabbed Hitotsubashi Kei's shoulders and asked him loudly, "What are you doing?!".

The ministers of the anti-barbarian faction looked at each other in shock. Some of them looked puzzled, some seemed to be sleepwalking, and more of them were ecstatic.

Before he could reach it, Sanjo Sanmei's face was filled with a smile, and the corners of his mouth almost reached the base of his ears, revealing two rows of uneven black teeth.

"Okay! Well said! Mr. Hitotsubashi, this should have been done long ago!"

…

…

The shogunate accepted the imperial edict and decided to launch a war against the barbarians on May 10 and fight to the death with the Western barbarians. In just half a day, the news spread throughout Kyoto and beyond.

The whole city was shocked!

Tokugawa Iemo of Nijo Castle, Tenjoin, Matsudaira Yoho of Kinkei Kokoji Temple, and... Aoto of Mibu Township, all felt like they were struck by lightning.

After learning the news, Qingdeng was immediately petrified on the spot.

After he was stunned for a while, his consciousness returned to his body.

The next moment he came to his senses, he took a deep breath——

"May 10th? Three days later the banishment will begin? Are you fucking kidding me?!"

He let out a terrifying roar.

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Is the plot development in this chapter completely beyond your expectations? In fact, the plot in this chapter is basically historical facts and has no fabricated elements.
Chapter completed!