Tokugawa Iemo succinctly and comprehensively described the general process and reasons why Naoki Ii recommended Aoto to him.

Aonto noticed that when Tokugawa Iemo mentioned Ii's name, there was a layer of reminiscence and a hint of... regret and loss on his face.

After finishing speaking, Tokugawa Iemo paused for a moment. After sorting out his emotions and words and taking a deep breath, he continued:

"As early as when I first learned about your name and deeds from Jing Yi, I thought about meeting you."

"Let's see what this young man who can be caught in the eyes of Jing Yi, who is always picky, looks like."

"Why, you were just a member of the imperial family at that time, and you didn't have an imperial eye."

"The achievements you have made are far from high enough for me to summon you out of the ordinary."

Speaking of this, Tokugawa Iemo raised the right corner of his mouth, revealing a self-deprecating look full of helplessness.

"If I ignore these established rules and forcefully summon you...those old ministers, those guys who are always looking forward to me stepping down from the position of general, I'm afraid they will drown me in their spit."

"Therefore, I can only postpone meeting you for now."

"I have been putting it off until now... I finally seek mercy and get mercy."

Yumujian: the qualification to meet the general.

In this society that attaches unprecedented importance to bloodline and family status and has extremely solidified classes, imperial eyewitness is not only a kind of power, but also a kind of honor and reward.

The samurai directly subordinate to the shogun...the direct ministers of the shogunate are divided into two types: Hatamoto and imperial family.

The most significant difference between the two is that the former has imperial vision, while the latter does not.

Therefore, Hatamoto samurai can hold a series of important official positions such as "shogun's valet", while imperial samurai cannot.

Generally speaking, only feudal lords, banner samurai, and people in certain special positions can possess Omami.

Aoto's family has been upgraded to a flagstone, so Aoto can enter Edo Castle with such arrogance today and meet with Tokugawa Iemo and Tenjoin.

"Junior Orange, you can tell me in detail how you led a few to thirty warriors on that snowy night half a year ago to defeat nearly two hundred rebels...and what you did two months ago. What was the whole experience of fighting alone against the main force of the anti-barbarian rebel party in a Western settlement?"

Tokugawa Iemo's upper body leaned forward slightly, his eyes flashing with anticipation.

Tianzhangyuan on the side was also looking straight at Qingdeng, his beautiful eyes unblinking.

Qingdeng had no reason to refuse such a reasonable request.

And there is no right to refuse...

After thinking about his words for a while, Qingdeng carefully described each word to the mother and son in front of him, detailing his "battle history" with the anti-barbarian group.

Telling others about the various grievances and grievances between himself and the anti-barbarian group... Qingdeng has done similar things countless times, and he has long been familiar with it.

Because of his rich experience, Qingdeng spoke in a cadenced and vivid manner.

Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin listened very carefully. Their facial expressions repeatedly changed slightly with the ups and downs of the "storyline".

The story is very long, and Qingdeng told it for nearly half an hour before he could finish it.

Tokugawa Iemo let out a long "huh", grinned with unfinished thoughts, and said with a wry smile:

"Is this gone? I really want to listen to it for a while longer."

"Going to a meeting alone, charging into the battlefield alone, fighting against the enemy alone... Hahaha, the more I listen to it, the more fascinating it becomes."

Tokugawa Iemo slapped his thigh suddenly.

"Sure enough, what is recorded in the official document is just the tip of the iceberg of facts."

"It is still necessary to let the person involved describe it personally so that we can know the more detailed and meaningful details of the story."

"I never imagined that in the current world where wastefulness and pleasure are still prevalent, there could be such a... such a passionate and great work that can make people's blood boil."

Speaking of this, Tokugawa Iemo pursed his lips.

Then he smiled calmly and changed into a half-joking tone.

"I really hope the shogunate can have more talented people like you, Tachibana-kun..."

"Speaking of which, Tachibana-kun, your skills are indeed very strong."

"I enjoyed the competition just now."

"There have been a lot of government affairs recently, and I have been busy with paperwork. It has been a long time since I have had such a hearty practice of swordsmanship with others."

As soon as Tokugawa Iemo finished speaking, Tenzouin, who showed a malicious smile, interjected in a playful tone:

"Sir General, you are really looking forward to the contest with Mr. Tachibana."

"Uh..." Tokugawa Iemo, who was teased by Tenjoin again, smiled dryly, then coughed a few times, bringing the topic back on track.

"Although I knew that I would definitely not be your opponent, Mr. Ju, I didn't expect that I would be defeated so miserably that I wouldn't even be able to fight back."

"Tachibana-kun, through the competition just now, I am more sure that entrusting you with the task of meeting with the Yu Du Miko is indeed the right thing to do!"

Suddenly, I returned to the original topic...

At this moment, Qingdeng finally couldn't restrain his curiosity. After hesitating for a while, he cleared his throat:

"Sir General, please forgive me for being presumptuous, but who is this Yudu witch...?"

Tokugawa Iemo showed a meaningful smile and shook his head:

"About this... wait until tomorrow, and you will know who Miko Yudu is."

"Although this may be a bit long-winded...but I'll remind you again."

"Junior Jun, this task I entrusted to you is quite important."

"Remember: at five o'clock tomorrow morning, go to the Tsukigiya Shrine located at the 6th-chome of Shouchou Town, and meet the Yutoku shrine maiden in the shrine!"

…

…

Turn back time to the present——

Tokugawa Iemo, who started giving ten gifts at a time, naturally had no time to give.

Yesterday, after Aoshito described in detail his "battle history" with the anti-barbarian group, he chatted with Tokugawa Iemo and Tenjoin for a while. Finally, because the time was up, Tokugawa Iemo had to deal with today's government affairs.

Don't let the meeting end temporarily.

Both Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin left a deep impression on Ayoto - of course, a deep impression in a positive sense.

Both of these guys are very approachable and have no pretensions.

When chatting with them, Qingdeng didn't even feel that he was talking to the "Emperor" and "Queen Mother" of this country. It felt more like he was interacting with two old friends who had known each other for a long time.

People who don't know about it may not imagine that such a kind and easy-going young woman could be the current general of the Edo shogunate.

Overall, yesterday's meeting with these two big guys was quite smooth and successful. The atmosphere at the scene was very harmonious and harmonious from beginning to end... Except for being entrusted with a weird and puzzling task, there was no one. Anything unusual!

Tokugawa Iemo, the general who conquered the barbarians, actually asked him to go to an unknown shrine and meet a certain miko... This mission was so weird no matter how you thought about it!

——No matter...it's useless no matter how much you have doubts. As long as you go to Yuegong Shrine and see the Yudu priestess, all your questions should be solved.

After comforting himself, Qingdeng put his hands on his hips and turned his head to look around.

——Is this shrine Tsukinomiya Shrine? Tsk... doesn’t it have a signboard or something like that...?

Qingdeng looked around and found no sign, but found a stone statue.

A stone statue of a fox standing next to the torii gate.

——Fox... Is the god worshiped by this shrine the God of Inari...

Inari: The god of grain and food in Japanese mythology.

Originally a god in charge of good harvests, since the Middle Ages, industry and commerce gradually developed, so Inari God also began to symbolize wealth and was worshiped by the industrial and commercial circles.

Because he is responsible for high agricultural yields and prosperous commerce, Inari is one of the most popular gods in Japanese Shintoism and the most popular among the people.

There are many shrines dedicated to the God of Inari throughout Japan, and Inari shrines can be found everywhere. The most important one is the Inari Taisha Shrine located in Fushimi, Kyoto.

Since the Middle Ages, Japan has regarded foxes as messengers of the God Inari. Therefore, all shrines worshiping the God Inari will have one or more fox statues erected next to the torii.

Since he couldn't find anything like a sign, couldn't verify the name of the shrine in front of him, and there were no passers-by around him who could ask questions, so Aoto decided to enter the shrine to have a look.

The so-called torii is an ancillary building that every shrine must have. It represents the entrance to the divine realm and is used to distinguish the divine realm where gods live from the secular world where humans live.

The existence of the torii gate is to remind all passers-by and travelers that there is a divine realm ahead, so please be careful in your words and actions.

Behind the torii is the approach to the shrine.

It is said that the center of the torii gate and the shrine is where the gods pass, so it is best for ordinary worshipers and tourists to avoid walking in the center of the torii and the shrine to show respect for the gods.

Qingto doesn't have any Shinto beliefs... to be precise, he doesn't have any religious beliefs.

However, in line with the mentality of doing as the Romans do and respecting other people's culture, Ayoto still walked through the torii gate from the side in an orderly manner.

There are many stone lanterns erected on the left and right sides of the shrine, and many lush trees that Ayoto cannot name are planted.

The branches are intertwined and the leaves are lush, blocking out the sun and bringing a shade to the shrine.

There were many dead branches and leaves scattered on the road to the shrine.

Click... click... click...
To be continued...