For a moment, Qingden really didn't know how to answer...

After a moment, he asked with a confused look:

"...Your Highness, why me?"

"How can you be sure that Your Highness Tianzhangyuan will be willing to marry me?"

"Also, how can you be so sure that 'marriage' is the best way for His Royal Highness Tianzhangyuan to achieve happiness?" "Maybe he doesn't want to get married at all, and just wants to live the rest of his life freely."

Hearing this, Tokugawa Iemo seemed to have heard some interesting joke and burst into laughter:

"Oh, Mr. Tachibana, are you too slow, or are you pretending to be stupid on purpose? As smart as you are, you should have felt it to some extent - Mother likes you very much."

"..."

Qingdeng stopped talking.

He pursed his lips and stopped talking.

Tokugawa Iemo continued:

"You probably don't know, but once upon a time, my mother was a very serious person, and she always had a straight face."

"For this reason, the female officials in Da'ao are quite afraid of her."

"But after meeting you, Mother, she has become a lot more cheerful."

"Every time she meets you, she will be smiling and happy."

"After you left Edo because you moved to the right to be the governor of Kyoto, my mother suddenly withered like a flower that had not been watered for many days."

"She was always practicing her bow alone in the archery range of Tsukigiya Shrine, turning her head to look at the door from time to time, as if she was waiting for someone."

"It is precisely because you possess such 'magic power' that I dare to assert that you are the only one in the world who can make her take off all her 'disguises'!"

"As for what you said, 'Maybe someone doesn't want to get married at all'...you don't have to worry about this at all."

"Tachibana-kun, I can tell you with certainty: My mother's yearning for a happy marriage and her longing for a happy husband have not diminished at all due to the shackles of Odaishu's status and my increasing age."

"Her usual aloof attitude is just showing off, trying hard to appear calm and indifferent."

As he spoke, he squinted his eyes without any trace, looking at the door not far away with half helplessness and half apology.

On the other side of the door, Tenzouin was blushing because of Tokugawa Iemo's revelations. He was gnashing his teeth, annoyed and ashamed, as if he would break down the door in the next second and grab Tokugawa Iemo's collar with all his strength.

The further Qingdeng listened, the weirder his facial expression became.

After a while, he changed the topic very abruptly:

"...Your Highness, no matter what, it is impossible for His Highness Tianzhangyuan and I to get married, right?"

"I am a minister of the shogunate, and His Highness Tianzhangin is the grand palace of the shogunate."

"Ministers... no, it is impossible for the world to agree to our marriage."

A minister marrying the queen mother... This kind of incident caused huge explosions at home and abroad! To describe it as "the collapse of etiquette and the collapse of music" seems too light and inappropriate!

The shogunate can tolerate Tokugawa Iemo favoring Aoto, and can tolerate Tokugawa Iemo delegating power to Aoto, but they absolutely cannot tolerate Tokugawa Iemo marrying the "empress dowager" of the shogunate to Aoto!

Even An Lushan has never done such an explosive thing.

This is no longer an ordinary An Lushan, but Dong Zhuo + An Lushan! They both hold great power and are causing trouble in the harem! They must hit hard!

No matter how cowardly and useless the ministers are, they will never tolerate such humiliation.

It is no exaggeration to say that if Tokugawa Iemo announced the marriage between Aoto and Tenjoin, it would definitely set off a strong sensation like a magnitude 10 earthquake across the country and directly trigger a civil war in the shogunate. It is not impossible.

At that time, the person who shouted the slogan "Qing Jun Side" will not be "Ju Lushan", but someone else.

Tokugawa Iemo nodded gently:

"Jijun, I understand your concerns."

"Since I dare to make such a suggestion, it naturally comes from something."

"I'm going to try to hide the truth."

"First of all, it was falsely claimed to the outside world that 'Tsukuji Tianzhang Hospital unfortunately passed away due to an incurable disease'."

"Then, secretly send her out of Edo."

"The next thing is to change my name, surname and household registration, and then move to your mansion."

"The world would never have imagined that Atsushi Tianzhang, who had already 'died' of illness, would live in seclusion in Dajin."

After Qingdeng heard this, he couldn't help but look angry.

"Your Highness, let's not worry about the feasibility of your plan."

"Let His Royal Highness Tianzhangyuan live the rest of his life incognito... Isn't this too pitiful?"

Tokugawa Iemo smiled bitterly.

"I know, so this is just my final plan."

"Although it sounds like bragging to say this, I can assure you: As long as you intend to get married, I will do my best to achieve a happy and happy ending."

"I am the general who conquered barbarians in the Edo shogunate."

"As long as I have that desire, I can still come up with many ways to fulfill your wish. At most, it will just take a little more effort."

Perhaps he was tired of talking, so Tokugawa Iemo picked up the teacup beside his knees and took a big sip.

When he put down the teacup, his gaze, so hot that it could burn a hole in the human body, was directed towards Qingdeng again.

"Okay, after talking so much, it's time to turn back to the original question - Mr. Ju, are you willing to marry Yu Yi?"

"..."

Qingdeng said nothing.

He subconsciously lowered his gaze and stared at the tatami in front of his knees. Various emotions appeared and mixed in his cheeks.

Tokugawa Iemo seemed to have been prepared for it. After seeing Aoshito's delay in speaking, he immediately changed into a meaningful tone:

"Ji Jun, you seem to be hesitant, so let me ask you another question: Jun Jun, do you like Yu Yi?"

"..."

Qingdeng opened his lips, ready to say something.

But when he was about to speak, the words were all stuck in his throat.

At this moment, a large number of memories appeared before his eyes.

The day I first met Tianzhangyuan...

The day she taught him how to bow step by step...

The way she smiles...

The way she teased him with a wicked smile...

And...the lonely look she occasionally showed...

This scene flashed quickly before his eyes.

After seeing these memories, he could not say the words that were already on his lips.

From just now, Tokugawa Iemo has been staring at Aoshito's face, carefully observing the changes in his expression.

Suddenly, he laughed and said:

"Tangerine-kun, thank you for your answer."

"I haven't said anything yet."

"No, you already said it, and I heard it clearly. You answered it very well, and it was exactly the answer I wanted to hear."

After saying that, Tokugawa Iemo breathed a sigh of relief, looking relieved.

Then, he raised his head, faced the ceiling, and made a reminiscence.

"I am the posthumous son of Tokugawa Saijun, the 11th lord of Kishu Domain."

"When I was 1 year old, I was adopted to my uncle Tokugawa Saiqiang and became his adopted son."

"But just over two years ago, my adoptive father passed away. I inherited his legacy and became the 13th lord of the Kishu Domain. I was only 4 years old at the time."

"It can be said that I have never experienced what a father's love is since I was a child."

"It would be nice to have another young father who is similar in age and worthy of relying on..."

At the end of his words, Tokugawa Iemo's tone revealed a strong sense of joking, making it unclear whether he was telling the truth or joking.

Tokugawa Iemo's words undoubtedly aggravated the confusion in Ayoto's brain.

He was already dumbfounded, and now he didn't know what to say.

"Ju-kun, don't worry."

Tokugawa Iemo spoke again.

"I have no intention of forcing you to give me a definite answer today."
To be continued...