In order to win over the Tokugawa pro-domestic forces and some of the shogunate who were determined to reform the shogunate, Chief Lao Nakabe Abe's servant Masahiro submitted a proposal to the Duke Najiakei, preparing to invite Qi Zhao, the previous head of the Mito family, to participate in the grand discussion of Feng Shuishu.

The relationship between the contemporary Duke Jiaqing and Tokugawa Sai Showa has always been on bad terms. However, in 1847, Qing Xi, Qisho's son, succeeded the Hitotsubashi family, which meant that the relationship between the two had eased. Even so, Chief Lao Nakabe Abe still expressed his feelings towards

I was very worried about the outcome of this matter - but the shogunate was now internally divided and could not form a unified and strong opinion. Abe had no choice but to regard Qi Zhao as a good medicine to solve the problem, so he bit the bullet and asked for instructions from the public.

Normally, for most of the official documents from the Lao Zhong Appraisal Meeting, as long as they greeted the imperial servants serving the general, the Lao Zhong's proposals would basically be approved, but this time the matter was of great importance, so Abe came in person.

Listen to Gongfang Yang's opinion - after all, this goes against Gongfang Yang Jiaqing's usual emotional tendency. The cautious chief Lao Zhong does not dare to be careless and appears in person to avoid giving the villain a chance to slander, and also to prevent Gongfang Yang from confronting him.

create an unfavorable opinion about oneself.

Sure enough, after reading the memorial about applying for Qi Zhao to attend the seminar, Gong Jiaqing was silent for a long time. The people around him recently talked in a roundabout way, all about the topics of Yu Sanjia and Yu Sanqing. What?

"The thinness of the population is worrying" or "the thinness of the family's wings has led to the loss of central authority" and so on. Now it seems that these people are preparing the ground for Qi Zhao's events today.

Although for these reasons, I lifted Qi Zhao's "cautious" punishment six years ago, but when I think about this unruly guy - after allowing Qi Zhao to participate in the shogunate affairs, this guy will be frothing at the mouth again.

I chatted endlessly during the evaluation meeting, which really made me unhappy.

Chief Lao Zhong Abe waited for a long time, and finally heard a light word from above, "With Qi Zhao, I don't need to continue to worry about the big affairs."

This sentence was obviously a compliment to Qi Zhao, but how could Abe not hear the heart-rending meaning in it? This was to remind him that Qi Zhao might have messed up his power. But when Abe raised his head and wanted to say something, the nickname called

After a few words, the official left the table on his own accord.

Although the princes did not think highly of the lord, saying that he was a "shogun who lived in his hobbies" and "lazy in government", Abe knew that this was just a wrong impression - Iekei only took over the shogunate at the age of forty-five.

General, for many years he has developed the habit of keeping a low profile and not expressing opinions easily. However, a person who can support his predecessor, Mizuno Shikibu Shaosuke, in issuing tough "Shangzhi Order" twice, how can he be an "ignorant" person? In fact, these are

The major political affairs of the year are still firmly in the hands of the public.

Abe was unwilling to take the risk of making the official unhappy. His plan was thwarted, and for a moment he was helpless and had no choice but to mope in the royal room.

In fact, Abe spent a lot of effort this time to apply for "allowing Qi Zhao to participate in the imperial government."

The greetings made by Omatsu were all in vain. If he really gave up halfway, then he would not know when his idea of ​​drastically reforming the shogunate would be launched, which would be really difficult.

Most of Laozhong and Ruonianji were not in the imperial ministry room at this time. This was because he revealed to them his plan to reform the shogunate: after Qi Zhao came out, he would definitely rectify his military equipment and reform his economy. These people had connected in advance.

These people read the legends and knew that the shogunate will not be able to survive unless it is changed, and Qi Zhao is just a sharp knife to open the way. After the shogunate is adjusted, the rights will definitely be redistributed. According to the structure of the shogunate, although Qi Zhao is noble, the core of the shogunate is still old.

Most of the benefits of passing the evaluation meeting will still fall on the various departments headed by senior middle school students and Ruonianji, so it is impossible not to prepare in advance.

Thinking of this, Attendant Abe smiled slightly, "The mantis stalks the cicada and the oriole is behind." The ministers headed by Omefu and Gomefu had already made preparations. "You guys fight for it." I just hope that I can survive the next year safely.

This big storm is just fine.

But then he thought about not being able to sell it today, and he became expressionless again, "Hey, good things don't come easy."

At this time, someone suddenly announced, "Sir Hori Ken has arrived."

After Hori Ken entered the Imperial Ministry room, he said a few words of official business and left. No one noticed that when Hori-sama put down the tea bowl, he pointed up with a finger, and then tapped it a few times on the coffee table. At that time, Attendant Abe

After noticing it, he asked with his eyes, and Lord Horiken nodded slightly.

After Horiken left, Aburo breathed a sigh of relief. He had changed his mind and the Noh music performance would be finished. But he was also curious and didn't know what Horiken said to persuade him.

How to change your mind.

Both the daimufu and the omifu are important eyes and ears of the shogunate, responsible for supervising the shogunate and all the daimyo. On the surface, the daimufu is under the control of Laozhong, and the omifu is under the control of Ruo Nianji. But in fact, they are under the control of the candidates.

There are regulations on funding, and they are the confidants placed by the government in the shogunate. Even the old and middle-aged people are among the targets of their supervision.

If these people insist on opposing, then the suggestions submitted by the senior middlemen will not be recognized by the public. It's just that Omatsu and Omatsu usually don't take action easily.

During this shogunate reform, Omatsuke and Omatsuke finally showed their attitude - these people are very dissatisfied with the situation of the shogunate in recent years. They think that the shogunate has been sluggish in recent years, and if this continues, they will take jujube pills, so they have long been talking to Chief Lao Naka Abe and others.

A tacit understanding was reached. Having said that, if these people could not be dealt with, Abe and the senior middlemen would definitely not submit a memorial allowing Qi Zhao to come out and participate in the shogunate affairs.

So what did Horiken say to persuade the public to change his mind?

In fact, Iakei also knew about the current precarious situation of the shogunate, otherwise why would he have pardoned Qi Zhao and punished him carefully before and let Qi Zhao's son Qingxi inherit the Hitotsubashi family?

But reason is one thing, and emotion is another - Jia Qing is really crooked about Qi Zhaoni.

In the twelfth year of the Bunsei reign (1829), Qi Zhao succeeded the Mito Tokugawa family head, and the thirty-seven-year-old Iakei was still the 10,000-year-old prince under the power of his father's family Qi.

Although Qi Zhao was not favored by the eleventh shogun Jiaqi, Jiaqi couldn't help but often used Qi Zhao to make things difficult for him. He was like other people's children, causing critical blows to Jiaqing again and again. Moreover, Qi Zhao could also torment him.

Mito wanted to show the world whatever he did, which made Jiaqing, who was seven years older than Qi Zhao, very incompetent.

Qi Zhao is known as a man of both civil and military skills. He created his own martial arts schools such as "Shenha-ryu Artillery" and "Jianshan-ryu Naginata Technique". He also often wrote sensational articles, Japanese songs, and poems. Moreover, because of his outstanding appearance, Qi Zhao was rumored to have

Akira was a romantic feudal lord who was loved by everyone, and the stories about his romantic encounters could last for three days and three nights.

With great difficulty, Ieki became the general to conquer barbarians in the eighth year of Tenpo (1837). He also survived the death of his elderly father Ieki in the eleventh year of Tenpo (1841) and completely took control of the shogunate.

However, the reforms led by Mizuno Tadakuni, the teacher of Iakei, completely failed in the 13th year of Tenpo (1843). Although Mizuno made a comeback in the first year of Honghua (1844), the decline was already complete, and he was seized on by political opponents a year later.

Completely in seclusion.

At this point, the fifty-three-year-old Iakei was completely disillusioned and entrusted the government affairs to the senior middlemen headed by Abe Masahiro, and no longer had to worry about other minor matters.

At this time, Qi Zhao was regarded as a political ally of Lao Zhong Mizuno because of his fierce opinions. He was also forced to retire in the first year of Honghua and handed over the position of head of the family to his son.

Jiaqing and Qi Zhao never see each other again. The fragrance is far away and the smell is near. As time goes by, Jiaqing's impression of Qi Zhao has also changed to a certain extent.

In the fourth year of Honghua (1847), two heads of the Hitotsubashi family died suddenly. Gongfang Jiaqing was shocked to find that the Tokugawa family, the Gosan family, the Gosanqing family and other important branch families were in disgraceful state. Only Mito

Tokugawa stands out.

Jiaqing himself had quite a lot of children, but at this time, only Jiaxiang was left among the twelve sons. Moreover, Jiaxiang had been in poor health since he was a child. After many choices, he could only let Qi Zhao's seventh son inherit.

He moved into the Hitotsubashi family and was given the prefix "Qingxi".

At this point, no personal grievances matter anymore. Only Mito people are prosperous in the Tokugawa family and the important branch families, so they need to be supported just in case. Moreover, Qingxi is smart and smart, and his words are also lovable. I believe that in his own

When he grows up, he will be very different from his annoying father.

Under such circumstances, it seemed inevitable that Qi Zhao would re-join the government in the event of something big happening. The official, Xiang Jiaqing, also expressed this intention in his daily life, so it was only during this Feng Shuo Shu discussion that someone proposed to let Qi Zhao

Zhao participated.

But when things came to pass, Jiaqing felt a little regretful. Others didn't know it, but he knew it. He was sixty years old, and his health was getting worse day by day. But Qi Zhao, who was seven years younger than him, heard that he was still energetic, so he participated

If the shogunate did something daring again, he might not be able to suppress it, so he said to Laozhong Chief Abe, "With Qi Zhao, I don't need to worry about the big government."

Abe, who was always considerate, did not get entangled, but the father-in-law, Jiaqing, felt a little regretful when he turned around, so he summoned the big head, Tori Ken, to hear the opinions of his confidants.

Nowadays, there are three people in Omitsuke: Fukaya Seifa, Hori Toshi, and Ikeda Nagapu. Among them, Hori Ken is the most trusted by Ikei. For no other reason, Hori Ken once served as the leader of Osaka Town and defeated Oshio Heihachiro in one day.

Luan was called a "promising minister" - in fact, Hori Ken was quite embarrassed at the time, but Iakei didn't know that.

After the visit, Horiken described in detail the current situation of the Feng Shushu discussion, believing that strong people are now needed to stand up and promote decision-making. In fact, Lao Naka Abe and others have already made a decision and are preparing to rectify the armaments and refresh the shogunate, but

like

If the senior middlemen rush to the front, there will be no room to maneuver - since ancient times, innovation has always had shortcomings, and if it happens, it will be blamed. I am afraid that future public opinion will blame the central government of the shogunate.

Although Gong Fangyang was aloof, he was actually alone and could not be trusted by anyone. Therefore, Jiaqing rarely gave clear opinions, but this time he had to speak:

"Qi Zhao was mentioned in the memorial, but he acted violently. I'm afraid Edo will be troubled from now on."

Horiken's attitude towards Qi Zhao softened somewhat after hearing Gong Fang's tone, but he was still a little worried, so he advised:

"It is rumored that Mito Quan's words are very different from those in the past. It is said that what he said is quite mature and prudent."

Only honest people like Mr. Egawa Tanan find it useful to express opinions during discussions. In fact, Lao Zhong, Waka Nianji and Omatsuke and others have already exchanged their opinions in private countless times. Before asking Qi Zhao to participate in the Feng Story Book discussion, these people also

I specifically came to ask Qi Zhao about his innovative measures to prevent things from getting out of control.

Therefore, Horiken explained Qi Zhao's opinions and the measures to be taken by the senior middle school students in detail in the same way as the public. Lao middle school Abe also introduced it before. Jiaqing thought about it carefully and felt that it was more consistent. He did not find any

What an omission.

But he was still worried that Qi Zhao was out of control, so he asked Horiken in a roundabout way for his opinion.

Ohtoshi Horiken knew that "three feet of ice does not last in a day", and he could not guarantee that Qi Zhao would not be in trouble, so he persuaded Jiaqing from another angle:

"Everything should be done sooner rather than later."

Horiken carefully explained to Qi Zhao that if the Mi people really invaded in large numbers, based on the intelligence obtained this year, they might not be as "good" as before - meaning that they could delay in the past, but now the Western countries have strong ships and powerful guns.

, I’m afraid it can’t be delayed any longer.

Therefore, it is inevitable to rectify the armaments and refresh the government.

If this is the case, then Qi Zhao, who has a tough style, is undoubtedly the best candidate. He can not only suppress the material debate with his identity and past prestige of the Yusan family, but also take the blame for the shogunate.

As for Qi Zhao, who you are worried about, taking advantage of this to increase his power, isn't this a rule handed down from his ancestors? Lao Zhong is selected from among the great names with a territory of more than 25,000 dan and less than 200,000 dan. Qi Zhao can't do it no matter what.

You can't be a senior military officer, and the Mito samurai can't be a minister, let alone occupy any powerful service positions, so you don't need to worry too much.

Moreover, "Everything should be done sooner rather than later." If Qi Zhao has any ambitions, it is better to expose him early. You are still in office, and with our loyal subordinates, early discovery can still turn him upside down.

——Of course, Horiken did not dare to say, "You are still in office now. If the delay continues and you fail, you will be in big trouble." What he said was, "The Holy Lord is in charge of the court."

But Jiaqing, who had been a general in conquering barbarians for more than ten years, could naturally understand this meaning. He felt that it was reasonable. He could not count on his son Jiaxiang's poor health. He was already sixty, so instead of waiting until his son

When Qi Zhao came to power, he jumped out to point fingers, so he might as well resolve the matter while he was in office.

However, Iekei still did not publicly express his position. He was ready to discuss it further with the people around him, including the royal servant. However, in the name of "always serving the public," he gave Omefushi Horiken a famous sword, including

The tendency is naturally self-evident.

In fact, the shogunate had already reached a consensus on the rectification of armaments and the refreshment of officialdom. The generals, Lao Zhong, Ruonian Ji, Da Mufu and others had already linked up with Qi Zhao, and were waiting for the nod from the official Xiang Jiaqing.

Sure enough, the next day, the side employer personally informed the chief, Lao Zhong, and Abe, the attendant, that Qi Zhao had participated in the assessment and that the matter was accurate, so he quickly took action.

In mid-June of the Japanese calendar (the end of July in the Western calendar), Nagasaki sent two romance books to Edo. In late June of the Japanese calendar (early August in the Western calendar), Qi Zhao was allowed to participate in the evaluation meeting, which only lasted for more than ten days.

The time seems to be very different from the shogunate's usual procrastinating style, but in fact, after the shogunate's great development of Lanxue and its deepening understanding of Western countries in the past few years, all parties have long been closely connected, and their positions have also become closer.

In agreement, these two stories are just a push at the door.

After Qi Zhao participated in the evaluation meeting of Feng Shu, he lived up to expectations and put forward clear suggestions on rectifying armaments and refreshing the government. On these suggestions, the Lao and Chinese officials quickly came up with a plan, and the official Yang Jiaqing also happily approved it. After that, the Lao and Chinese officials

, if sent in the year, Omatsuke, Qi Zhao and others each got something. For a while, everyone in the shogunate was happy and praised it. However, Mr. Tanan, who had previously ignored the current situation, and Oguri Tadjun, who had just returned to Edo a few months ago,

They have all suffered a considerable blow - their duties have not changed much, but a lot of their rights have been taken back, and their scope of authority has been greatly reduced.
Chapter completed!