The day after bidding farewell to Tenjoin and Tsukinomiya Shrine, Aoto embarked on his journey back to Otsu under the watch of Kondo Shusuke and others.

On this return, Aonto's team had grown much larger - Chiba Sadayoshi, Sanako's mother, and Chiba Jutaro were also traveling with him.

Sanako was about to give birth, and Chiba Sadaki and others were planning to go to Otsu to take care of her.

Now that Qingdeng was going back, they decided to go together so that they could take care of each other.

As for the small Chiba Sword Hall, I will leave it to Chiba Tamonshiro to take care of it for the time being.

…

…

West of Edo, Tokai Street, somewhere——

"Moo~moo~moo~"

Carrot swung its tail while moving forward leisurely.

Ayoto, who was sitting on it, turned his head from time to time and looked behind him at Edo Castle, which was getting farther and farther away.

This time I returned to Edo and gained a lot.

Successfully negotiated the Western Expedition.

The recasting of Vairocana is just around the corner.

At the same time... a very important agreement was made with Tianzhang Academy.

Whenever he thinks of the red face he saw yesterday, or the words he heard yesterday, Qingden can't help but tighten the reins in his hands, with high fighting spirit in his eyes.

To be honest, as of yesterday, the "Changzhou Expedition" was just an ordinary battle for Qingdeng.

Compared with previous battles, the enemy this time is just more powerful and larger in scale.

However, after meeting with Tianzhang Yuan yesterday, Qingdeng's views on the "Changzhou Expedition" changed.

For him, this battle took on a whole new meaning.

It is no exaggeration to say that facing this upcoming war, Qingdeng has never been as motivated as he is now!

Although he seemed very belligerent when he said this, he couldn't wait to start a war immediately, and then defeat Changzhou with overwhelming force! He would achieve an unquestionable victory!

By then... he will rush to Edo as promised to pick up Tianzhang Yuan and go to Otsu.

To be honest, it's quite risky.

The minister married the queen mother... If this matter spreads, God knows what consequences it will have.

However, now that things have happened, neither he nor Tianzhang Yuan intends to retreat or escape.

Tianzhangyuan's bold move yesterday completely pierced the layer of paper between them.

To this day, no matter how hard he tries, Qingdeng can no longer deceive himself and say, "I am not interested in Tianzhang Academy."

Therefore, he was mentally prepared to introduce Tianzhang Academy to Sanako and others, and then be criticized, scolded, and even beaten...

It's just that she married the current Queen Mother and changed from 3 head wives to 4 head wives. Sanako and the others shouldn't have too strong a reaction...right?

All in all, in the next period of time, I will give them some pillow air so that they can be mentally prepared...

…

…

It only took 10 days from leaving for Edo to returning to Otsu.

The number of days was not that long, and the time it took was completely within Qingdeng’s expectations.

However... he never expected that after just 10 days of absence, when he came back, Hijikata Toshizo would give him a big job...!

…

…

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi——

"Suisan, what's going on with your outfit?"

Qingden's mouth twitched slightly, and while asking questions loudly, he swept his eyes and carefully looked up and down at Hijikata Toshizo in front of him.

Hijikata Toshizo let out a proud laugh:

"Tachibana, how are you? I look good, don't I?"

As he spoke, he did not forget to raise his hand to smooth his hair.

I saw that Hijikata Toshizo at this time... had really changed his appearance.

He was not wearing Japanese clothes such as a haori, a sash, or an anklet. Instead, he was wearing a black suit, a knee-length black coat, big black leather boots, and a very stylish white silk tie around his neck.

towel.

Of course, compared to his clothes, the change in his hairstyle is more shocking.

He had his hair cut, and it was no longer long enough to tie into a bun.

So, he combed all his hair back into a neat slicked back hairstyle.

At first glance, he looks like a Western gentleman.

Except for his oriental face and the Izumi Mori Kanesada still hanging around his waist, there is no Japanese element in his body.

After Qingdeng looked at him back and forth for a while, he said in an appreciative tone:

"Well...you look really good in this outfit."

"Especially this coat, it's very stylish."

When Hijikata Toisan heard this, he raised his eyebrows and smiled brightly:

"Oh! Tachibana, you know it very well!"

"You and I want to go together. I also think this coat is very stylish."

As he spoke, he fiddled with the hem of his coat, making a "swishing" sound.

"Let me tell you, there is a little thing called 'Bu Tong' (English transliteration of "button") under the pants. As long as you unbutton the 'Bu Tong', you can take out the penis for urination."

As he spoke, he directly showed off the button on his trousers and enthusiastically introduced all the details of this suit to Qingdeng.

To others, his outfit might be unusual.

Qingdeng was not surprised by this, after all, he was used to seeing it in his previous life.

I have to say, Hijikata Tobizo's uniform is indeed very handsome.

A well-tailored black suit; big black leather boots that make a clanging sound when stepping on the ground; an extraordinarily stylish black long coat...all of them look cool and sharp, and are very in line with Qingdeng's aesthetic!

After sizing up the other person a few more times, Qingdeng asked:

"Suisan, what are you doing here?"

He said with a look of helplessness on his face and sighed.

"Why do you need to change your clothes and hairstyle?"

"Do you know that your 'haircut' has aroused the dissatisfaction of many people?"

Qingdeng has always advocated openness and innovation, and resisted stubbornness and conservatism.

While shouting slogans, he also did not forget to take practical actions, such as introducing sharp guns from the West and introducing advanced knowledge from overseas.

Therefore, under his leadership, Shinseng formed one of the most open organizations in Japan today.

Of course, its "openness" is nothing more than making a short person taller.

How could the conservative thinking that has lasted for thousands of years undergo a fundamental change because of Qingdeng’s few calls and actions?

Even today, many people in the Shinsengumi still regard Western things as scourges.

It's just that they are afraid of Qingdeng's prestige, so they usually behave well and don't dare to make trouble.

People like Hijikata Toizo who wear Western-style uniforms are simply dancing in the minefield of these conservatives.

If it's just a change of clothes, that's it.

But even if the bun is cut off, the problem becomes serious.

In the Edo period, the bun on the head of a samurai was regarded as a symbol of status.

People generally believe that once the bun is cut off, it is equivalent to having the head cut off, which is a great shame and humiliation!

Before anyone else could protect the bun, Hijikata Toshizo actually cut it off...

In this case, it is no wonder that conservatives have denounced Hijikata Toshizo's rebellious behavior.

Faced with Qingnobo's question, Hijikata Toshizo smiled calmly:

"Actually, it's nothing."

"I just happened to meet a clothes dealer from the West. I thought this outfit was very good, so I bought it on a whim."

"When I was trying it on, I always felt that the bun on my head didn't match the clothes, so I simply cut it off."
To be continued...