Qingdeng: "..."

Tianzhangyuan: "..."

Qingdeng and Tianzhangyuan, who was eavesdropping in the next room, both fell silent.

Tianzhangyuan became increasingly confused after hearing Qingdeng's voice coming from the next room.

She really couldn't figure out what Tokugawa Iemo was trying to do.

So she decided to use the trick and follow the other party's wishes. She stayed where she was and listened carefully to what was going on next door to see what the other party was up to.

Doors made of paper and wood have almost no sound insulation effect.

Therefore, as long as she stays in this room (upper section), she will be able to hear all the sounds in the next room (lower section).

It's okay if you don't listen. Once you hear it, your eyes suddenly widen like cow bells.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly enough to raise her hands in time and cover her mouth tightly, otherwise she would have screamed.

At this moment, she just felt like a cannonball exploded in her mind. It trembled violently at first, and then turned into a blank.

"Ji Jun, are you willing to be my father?" - these words kept echoing in her ears.

At this moment, not only Tianzhang Yuan was like this, but Qingdeng's facial expression was also dominated by strong shock.

I saw Aoden staring blankly at Tokugawa Iemo opposite him, his eyes straight, dumbfounded.

Seeing this, Tokugawa Iemo smiled helplessly:

"Oh, am I saying it too tactfully?"

"Then let me put it another way: Mr. Ju, are you willing to marry Princess Tianzhangyuan Atsushi... No, are you willing to marry Yu Yi?"

Yu Yi - the original name of Tianzhang Courtyard.

At this time, Qingdeng finally calmed down.

"...'Be your father'...Your Highness, what does this mean?"

Tokugawa Iemo smiled and tilted his head.

"Huh? This shouldn't be difficult to understand, right?"

"Yu Yi is my adoptive mother."

"If you marry me, you will naturally be my adoptive father."

Having said this, Tokugawa Iemo paused, and then put on a strange expression with complicated emotions.

"If you want me to call you 'Father'... it's really hard to say it for a while..."

"No, no, no, I'm not asking you this...!"

Qingdeng said as he put his hands on his forehead and rubbed his temples vigorously, trying to regain his composure.

Even when he faced Rakshasa, Keji and other powerful enemies, he never had the panic that he had never experienced before, which made him confused.

Marrying Tenzouin...becoming Tokugawa Iemo's father...these two thoughts were like magic sounds, occupying every corner of his brain, making it difficult for him to return to normal thinking.

If it weren't for the strong beating of his heart and the waves of dizziness deep in his head, he would have thought he was dreaming.

To use a vivid metaphor... it was as if he was hit with a heavy uppercut by Tokugawa Iemo without any defense, which left him stunned and blinded.

He took several deep breaths and tried to calm his heartbeat.

After about 10 seconds, he barely stabilized his mind and said in a deep voice:

"Your Highness, you are kidding me, right?"

"No, I'm serious, very serious."

As Tokugawa Iemo spoke, he straightened his expression, his expression was solemn, and there was no hint of joking or playfulness in his cheeks.

"Tachibana-kun, now that things have come to this, I will open the skylight and speak frankly - I sincerely hope that you can marry Yu Yi as your wife, take her away from Edo, and let her live a happy life."

As soon as these words came out, Tianzhang Yuan in the next room was stunned.

At the same time, Tokugawa Iemo's facial expression changed slightly, becoming a bit more sad.

"Mother's past... I shouldn't need to go into details, right?"

Qingdeng nodded lightly.

He was extremely familiar with the past events of Tianzhang Yuan, and his ears almost became calluses when he heard them.

"The general trend of the times pushed my mother, step by step, from the daughter of a branch of the Shimazu family, to the princess of the Satsuma domain, then to the imperial palace of the shogunate, and finally to the grand imperial palace today."

"From the perspective of others, my mother is a model of 'prosperity'."

"Although my mother today has become one of the most noble women in the world, I can be sure that the title of 'Odaisho' is not what she wanted."

"The 'Tianzhangin Atsushi' who wears gorgeous clothes and sits in front of all the ministers is just a doll in disguise."

"The 'girl Yu Yi' who played wildly on the beach back then is the real her."

"Although I dare not say that I feel the same way, I can more or less understand the pain and hesitation my mother felt when she married into Edo."

"In the fifth year of Anzheng (1858), when I was 13 years old, I was also driven by the general trend of the times and could not help but sit on the throne of the general who conquered the barbarians."

"Suddenly arriving in a strange environment, surrounded by ambitious people with ulterior motives... Whenever I recall the sadness and fear, it always gives me goosebumps."

"When I was lonely, uneasy, and didn't know who to trust or what to do, my mother appeared."

Speaking of this, a faint and peaceful color appeared in Tokugawa Iemo's cheeks.

"She was the first comrade I met after coming to the shogunate."

"She fully supported me without expecting anything in return, and did her best to protect me from disasters."

"You know, mother is a member of the Hitotsubashi faction."

"His adoptive father Shimazu Saibin is a core member of the 'Hitobashi Sect'."

"In order to expand the influence of the Hitotsubashi faction, Shimazu Saibin specially promoted the marriage between the shogunate and the Satsuma clan and forced my mother to marry the former shogun."

"As a 'secret weapon' that the 'Hitobashi faction' had high hopes for, she betrayed her own camp and came to help me... She was under so much pressure and suffered so many grievances at that time, I'm afraid she will never be able to No one will know."

"Thanks to her selfless dedication, I was able to gain a firm foothold in the undercurrent of the court, and that's where I am today."

"Although she and I are not biological mother and son, my dependence and love on her are more than my biological mother and son."

"Now, even without the help of my mother, I can be self-reliant."

"She's done enough."

"She worked hard for me, the shogunate, and the people of the world, but she never thought about herself."

"Therefore, I sincerely hope that she can get rid of the shackles of her identity as the 'Odaisho', get rid of this cold and empty city, and pursue her own happiness."

Tokugawa Iemo paused for a moment, adjusted his mood, and then said slowly:

"About the time when I went to Kyoto to discuss with the imperial court the matter of expelling the foreigners, I discovered the... special relationship between you and your mother."

He hesitated for a moment before spitting out the words "special relationship."

"Ju-kun, do you still remember? You and your mother were riding in the same sedan together."

Qingdeng secretly twitched his lips and nodded silently.

It was such a special experience that he would probably never forget.

The scene where Tianzhangyuan teased Sanako with his two little feet in front of him through the thin sedan curtain... He still remembers it fresh to this day.

"Honestly, I've been struggling ever since."

"Are you going to pretend to turn a blind eye and just do whatever you want?"

"Or are we going to interfere and stop you?"

"Or... let's just push things along and make things happen for you?"

"Although my emotions are complicated, there is only one thing I am absolutely sure of - I sincerely hope that my mother will be happy!"

"I was in a dilemma and hesitant... To this day, I have made up my mind and will no longer be confused - compared with my mother's happiness, these cold and ruthless rules and regulations and these worldly prejudices are nothing."

"I'm pretty sure that only by facilitating your marriage to my mother can she truly transform back into the 'Yu Yi' she used to be!"

After finishing his words, Tokugawa Iemo raised his eyes full of emotion and stared straight at Aomori.

That intense gaze seemed to burn a hole in his body.

This look seemed to be urging Qingdeng: Tell me quickly! Tell me quickly that you are willing to marry Tianzhang Yuan!

Qingdeng was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

Tokugawa Iemo's strong determination has been conveyed through words.

The other party was indeed serious - Tokugawa Iemoji really wanted to be his son...ah, no, he really wanted him to be his adoptive father!

Somehow, Qingdeng suddenly recalled the classic scene in the 1997 version of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that he had watched in his previous life: Lu Bu worshiped Dong Zhuo as his adoptive father.

However, the Lu Bu in the picture becomes Tokugawa Iemo: If the father does not give up, Shigeru is willing to be his adoptive father!

As of 10 minutes ago, Qingdeng Rao wanted to break the bank, but he would never have thought that the "important thing" Tokugawa Iemo said would be to propose marriage, and to propose marriage to his adoptive mother...
To be continued...