"Miss Angoulême, Mr. Shimada, thank you for your hard work! On behalf of all the members of the shogunate and the people of Edo, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to you!"

After saying that, Tokugawa Iemo bowed his head solemnly and bowed his head in salute to Elodie and Shimada Kui in front of him.

Tianzhangyuan, who was sitting behind him, followed closely behind him and bowed to express his thanks in a dignified manner.

The sudden behavior of the mother and son shocked Elodie and Shimada Kui.

Elodie is a French girl who lacks sensitivity to the samurai culture and hierarchy of the Edo period.

Therefore, she was simply surprised by the courtesy of the mother and son.

In comparison, Shimada Kui's reaction was much more intense.

Unlike Elodie, he is a native Japanese samurai.

A strong sense of class and hierarchy has always been engraved in the depths of his mind.

The fourteenth generation general Zheng Yi, the co-leader of the samurai family, and the most distinguished woman in the shogunate, actually took a humble posture at the same time and thanked him respectfully... Shimada Kui couldn't use precise words to describe his current mood!

After a brief period of daze and shock, Shimada Kui came to his senses and hurriedly returned the greeting, chanting "You are too serious", "I dare not take it seriously" and other modest words in his mouth.

Elodie slowly imitated Shimada Kui's appearance, stiffly imitating his behavior and speech.

After commending the two men for their achievements, Tokugawa Iemo made it clear and righteous: the remnants of the thousands of people working together will be properly resettled, and the dead and injured will receive the compensation they deserve - which made Elodie breathe a sigh of relief.

As one of the frontline commanders in the Hachioji offensive and defensive battle, she saw with her own eyes how thousands of soldiers fought bravely with one heart.

From the initial panic, to the subsequent step forward, to the final river of blood, with all the casualties and injuries, unable to fight anymore...

They faithfully fulfilled the agreement made by their ancestors, resisted the powerful enemy, and defended the Eighth Prince until the last moment!

Elodie does not have strong selfish desires and does not care whether she can receive generous rewards.

She only cares about whether thousands of people working together can get the rewards they deserve!

Although this is the first time she has met Tokugawa Iemo, Elodie dares to conclude based on the various temperaments, words, and behaviors displayed by him: This is a good monarch! The agreement he promised will definitely be fulfilled!

Tokugawa Iemo summoned Elodie and Shimada Kui to Edo Castle for no special purpose. His motive was quite simple. He just wanted to commend them in person for their efforts and sacrifices in Hachioji.

He was very concerned about Hijikata Toshizo's injury.

"I will send my Royal Eyes to see the seal and give full treatment at all costs!" - He said this sonorously and forcefully.

[Note: Gomami Seal: "Gomami" refers to the qualification to be able to meet the general; "Hosin" is a title given to monks with several professional skills (including doctors) in the Edo period. "Gomami Seal" is understandable

As the general’s physician.]

In the Edo period, most of the practitioners of medicine were monks, which is why those doctors always shaved their heads, because they were originally monks.

After learning that Elodie and the others had sent Hijikata Toshizo to the Jin Medical Center for treatment, Tokugawa Iemo breathed a sigh of relief:

"Well, since Mr. Beifang is doing it himself, there is no need to send out my Royal Eyes to See the Seal."

It seems that even the dignified general who conquered the barbarians has heard of Beifangren's illustrious reputation.

Judging from the tone and tone of his words, even the shogunate's imperial doctor couldn't compare to Bei Ren.

Although there was no need for the Omami seal to appear, Tokugawa Iemo still sent the best medicines, as well as ginseng, sugar and other supplements to Hijikata Toshizo with a stroke of his pen to show his concern.

After the meeting, Tokugawa Iemo offered to arrange accommodation for Elodie and the others.

Kui Shimada was not from Edo and had no relatives in Edo, so he really needed the shogunate to arrange his place to go.

As for Elodie, she has no need in this regard.

She declined Tokugawa Iemo's kindness.

In Edo, she had a place where she could safely seek refuge.

…

…

It’s this day, afternoon——

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi Town——

Elodie stepped on the familiar road and strode forward.

After many days of evacuation, Edo has now become an empty city.

The shops on both sides of the road are all closed.

There was not a single pedestrian on the road, except for the occasional soldiers running fast.

A Western girl with blond hair and blue eyes was walking struttingly on the street... This scene was not too eye-catching.

The soldiers along the way turned their heads and cast various looks at Elodie, including curiosity, doubt, and disgust...

Normally, she would have been stopped and questioned.

It is not impossible to be harassed by radicals who advocate the idea of ​​respecting hostility.

However, at this moment, no one dared to come forward and bother Elodie.

The reason for this is all due to the two items on her waist: the exquisite wakizashi engraved with three-leaf flowers, and the beautiful inrō that is also engraved with three-leaf flowers.

These two things were gifts she received when she met Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin this morning.

In the Edo period, the inro hung around the waist was not only a decoration, a container for storing small items, but also a symbol of status.

A Westerner actually wears a wakizashi and inrō that only nobles of the shogunate are entitled to possess...

Although they didn't know what was going on, they were all sure: this girl was something they couldn't afford to offend!

So, facing Elodie who was strolling in the courtyard, they all stepped aside respectfully, never daring to offend her.

Thanks to the "deterrence" of this wakizashi and this inron, Elodie arrived at her destination safely and smoothly: the trial defense hall!

After climbing up the familiar long slope, the whole view of the Trial Guard Hall came into clear view.

Looking at this long-lost sword hall, Elodie's lips slightly raised, revealing a nostalgic smile.

I remember that back then, as Qingdeng's disciple, she often came to the imperial examination hall as a guest.

The scene she had witnessed and experienced in the trial defense hall was still fresh in her mind, as if it happened yesterday.

The house where she and her grandfather, Leroy, had lived had been sold long ago.

Although Edo is big, the only place she can go to now is this defense hall.

After looking at the test hall several times with emotion, she stepped forward and walked quickly towards the door.

At this time, the test hall was very quiet and silent.

If it had been in the past, the trial defense hall would have been in full swing at this time, and shouts of "hum" and "ah" would have been heard from outside.

Elodie was not surprised by the current silence in the Trial Guard Hall.

Nowadays, Edo has become a frontline battlefield. Presumably the apprentices from the Imperial Guard Hall and the Kondo family have all fled.

Elodie stood outside the gate of the Trial Guard Hall and shouted tentatively:

"Mr. Kondo! Mr. Kondo! Are you there?!"

After a while, a familiar old voice came from inside:

"Huh? Who is it?"

Kondo Shusuke was still there - while Elodie was overjoyed, she couldn't help but be stunned.

Suddenly, the door of the test hall was slowly opened, and Kondo Shusuke leaned out half of his body, cautiously checking the identity of the visitor, his eyes alert - of course, this alertness quickly dissipated.

"Oh! It's Elodie!"

Elodie blinked her beautiful eyes a few times and looked up and down at Shusuke Kondo with a look of surprise.

"Mr. Kondo, what are you doing?"

The sleeves are tied tightly with a drawstring, the hakama at the calf is tied with leggings, and the famous sword Erwang Qingshi is worn on the waist... as if he is ready to go into battle to kill the enemy at any time.

Kondo Shusuke chuckled.

"Come in first, let's go into the room and talk slowly."

As he said this, he turned sideways and signaled, "Stop standing there, come in quickly."

Elodie muttered "Excuse me" softly and stepped inside.

Kondo Shusuke was in front, and she was behind. They quickly passed through Hakushu and entered the residence.

[Note·Hakushu: The place where the front door of a large mansion is paved with fine white stones.]

As soon as she entered the house and stood on the dirt floor, she found that the test room was much dirty.

On weekdays, the daily maintenance of the public areas of the Trial Guard Hall - such as the lecture hall - is the joint responsibility of the disciples.

The daily maintenance of the private area, where the Kondo family, Aoto and other diners live, is mainly responsible for three people: Abi, Kubei and Inoue Genzaburo.

Abi is the mistress, so it is natural for her to take care of the housework.

Kubei is Aoto's servant. After he and Aoto moved to the Shiwei Hall, in order to repay the Kondo family, he spontaneously took care of a lot of housework.

As for Genzaburo Inoue, he is keen on sweeping, mopping and other household chores purely out of personal preference.
To be continued...