Chapter 763 Answer me! Why does Ju Qingden have a harem?
4600】
Kinoshita Mai doesn't understand French at all, so she is completely confused now.
Qingden once studied French for a while under Elodie's step-by-step guidance.
Although my level is not high, I can barely understand what these two grandfathers and grandsons are talking about.
Therefore, when he heard Elodie say this: "I think... this is a good opportunity! An opportunity to prove to the world that we are not Yi Di", he, like Anthony, showed an expression of surprise.
Perhaps to take care of Mai Kinoshita, who didn't understand French, Elodie switched back to Japanese:
"Grandpa, ever since we crossed the ocean and worked hard to reach this distant country, I have been thinking: Why are the people in this country so hostile to us? Why do they regard us as barbarians?"
"I think... the biggest reason is that the country behind us, together with Britain, the United States and other countries, used violent means to force open the country's borders and force the shogunate to sign a series of unequal treaties."
"By acting like this, trying to get the people of this country to look favorably upon us is like asking Marie Antoinette to bathe in milk again - it's simply impossible."
[Note: Marie Antoinette (1755-1793): Queen of France, known for her extravagant lifestyle]
Elodie's pretty face gradually turned into a rich bitter color.
"I'm just an ordinary girl... I'm a quiet person."
"I can't get involved in the important matters of our family and country."
"I can't convince France to show goodwill to this country."
"But...even if it's just a little bit, I want to ease the gap between the two nations!"
"The root cause of many disputes in this world is the lack of mutual trust between the two parties! The lack of understanding of each other!"
"Because they don't understand us, they resist us."
"Because they don't understand us, they hate us."
"If I can become the head of the Shinsengumi, I will have the opportunity to show myself to the world and show off our Frenchness!"
"I know, it's hard."
"I also know that these ideas of mine are too naive and too idealistic."
"The conflict between two ethnic groups... a dispute of this scale will not change significantly because of my personal efforts."
"I'll probably get a lot of looks from people and be insulted by a lot of people."
"But, even so, I still want to try it!"
"Courage is a lesser crime than cowardice."
"Even if I regret it, I want to regret it after trying it!"
Speaking of this, Elodie paused for a moment, seeming to be thinking of new words.
After a while, she spoke again:
"...Grandpa, I know you are worried that I will be in danger."
"As for my personal safety, Grandpa, you can rest assured."
As she spoke, she patted her chest, chuckled a few times, and assumed a free and indifferent posture.
"The Zunban forces headed by Changshu have withdrawn from Kyoto."
"This town is no longer as dangerous as it once was."
"What's more, my position is that of the director of the office, and I am responsible for the abacus and account books."
"I spend most of my time in a heavily guarded camp."
"If people from the Zunbang sect want to do harm to me, it won't be that easy."
From ideals to reality... Elodie brought her eloquence to the extreme.
Her impassioned speech impressed everyone present.
To ease the gap between the two nations... It is really admirable to have such a grand ambition at such a young age.
But... I have to say that Elodie's ambition is indeed too idealistic.
As she just said - her personal efforts cannot fundamentally change a dispute of this scale.
However, Qingdeng does not dislike such idealists who "look up to the stars and keep their feet on the ground".
With her courage to practice, the young people who are just waiting to die have no right to blame them.
After Elodie finished speaking, Qingden quietly turned his eyes and looked directly at Anthony.
Whether it's Aoto, Mai Kinoshita or Elodie, everyone here is waiting for Anthony's reply.
As expected - Anthony frowned, his facial features almost curled up together, and his expression was dominated by strong hesitation.
It is not difficult to understand his tangled mood.
Although the office director does not need to stand on the front line, his safety factor is undoubtedly much safer than other positions.
But... whenever he thinks of the cruelty of the Zunban sect and the abyss of malice of the Zunban sect towards Westerners, Anthony feels chills at the root of his teeth, like a ray of light on his back.
Elodie is his only granddaughter and his only relative in this distant country.
Letting his granddaughter leave the stable "safe house" and enter the complicated "jungle"... It is really impossible for Anthony to accept it immediately in a short period of time.
In order to reassure him, Qingdeng said in a sonorous and firm tone:
"Monsieur Angoulême, please rest assured."
"Since I dare to recruit Elodie, then I have full confidence to protect her personal safety."
"Even if a million troops attack, I will never let Elodie be harmed in the slightest!"
Anthony: "..."
Qingdeng's passionate speech really made Anthony's expression look better.
However...he still remained silent.
Neither agreed nor refused.
Seeing Anthony was silent for a long time, Elodie pursed her lips.
After a while, she suddenly let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh:
"Ah ha ha ha ha..."
"Although I just said a lot of beautiful words."
"But actually..."
As the conversation suddenly changed, she slowly lowered her head and looked at the tatami in front of her knees, as if she was too shy to look at anyone.
"'Easing the gap between the two nations'... This is just one of my purposes."
"My other purpose is completely selfish - I want to stay in a lively place where the master and the dancing lady are."
"I hate being alone."
"I really don't want to..."
At this point, her voice stopped.
Immediately afterwards, she took a deep breath and gathered strength and emotion:
"I really don't want to be alone in this big house anymore..."
The moment Elodie finished speaking, Anthony's demeanor changed like an ice cube placed under the scorching sun.
The hesitant expression faded away at a speed visible to the naked eye, and was filled with shame and distress...
…
…
Osaka, a certain teahouse——
With a bang, Boss Kiryu pushed open the paper sliding door in front of him.
The sun penetrated through the crack in the door and penetrated into the room, and the dust in the air shone under the light.
"...Kuroro, long time no see."
An old female voice came from inside the room.
Boss Kiryu smiled slightly:
"Lord, I'm back."
After saying that, he stepped forward and entered the room.
Although this tea room is not small in size, its decoration is unexpectedly simple.
The paper sliding doors that surround the entire teahouse are of a very common type on the market, and are not luxury items painted with luxurious ukiyo-e paintings.
The only furniture in the room is a screen depicting the famous historical event of "Water Attack on Takamatsu".
[Note·Water attack on Takamatsu: Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s classic work. He used the ingenious strategy of water attack to capture the Maori family’s Takamatsu Castle.]
Directly in front of this screen, a gray-haired old woman was sitting peacefully.
This old woman is very short, only about 1.5 meters tall, with a full head of silver hair without any variegation.
Judging from her appearance alone, she must be at least eighty years old.
Although his facial features are not beautiful, there is a different kind of heroic spirit lingering between his eyebrows.
She is clearly in her prime years, but just like Boss Kiryu, her eyes sparkle with a vitality that is no less than that of a young person.
At first glance, this is just a well-maintained lady with a good temperament.
However... the person who can make Boss Kiryu call him "Lord"... the identity of this old woman is already revealed.
She is Kinoshita Mai’s grandmother and the helmsman of Calabash House—Kinoshita Rin!
Kinoshita Rin raised her eyes and looked at Boss Kiryu carefully from head to toe.
??????55.??????
"Kuroro, I haven't seen you for a while, and the wrinkles on your face seem to have diminished."
Boss Kiryu smiled:
"Maybe it's because I always encounter happy things recently."
"Isn't there always a saying - 'Smile often and prolong life'."
As far as status is concerned, the two of them are proper ‘kings and ministers’.
But judging from the actual performance, the distance between the two is actually very subtle.
Boss Kiryu was very carefree and sat cross-legged in front of Kinoshita Rin very naturally. Their knees almost touched each other.
Kinoshita Rin didn't care about this and allowed the other party to make such intimate gestures.
This way of getting along with each other...not so much as a monarch and his ministers, but more like close friends.
"My lord, let me ask you directly - what do you want me to do when you summon me back to Osaka so suddenly?"
"Kuroro, it's rare to meet again, can't we talk about some happy things first?"
Although she was complaining, Kinoshita Rin silently put away the joking expression on her face and put on a solemn expression.
"Kuroro, the spies lurking in Hakodate are here to report - 8 days ago, 'Meiou' appeared at the port of Hakodate."
[Note·Hakodate: A city in the southern part of Ezo Island (now Hokkaido).]
Mingou——The moment he heard this name, Boss Kiryu seemed to be stimulated by a strong electric current. His whole body stiffened suddenly and his pupils contracted.
"…what he said is true."
Kinoshita Lin nodded lightly.
"Although I don't know why that guy appeared at Hakodate Port, I guess he probably wanted to take a boat back to the mainland."
"..."
Boss Kiryu was silent at first, and then whispered quietly:
"I see...your kid...it turns out you have been hiding in Ezochi...!"
Soon after saying that, Boss Kiryu suddenly reached out and grasped the saber beside his leg, and immediately stood up, trying to leave this place.
However, as soon as he turned around, Kinoshita Rin let out a powerful roar:
"Kuroro, come back."
Boss Kiryu was startled for a moment, stopped and turned half of his body.
"Lord..."
"Don't be impulsive, calm down."
"..."
Boss Kiryu stood straight on the spot, neither speaking nor moving.
Looking at Boss Kiryu who looked like a clay sculpture, Kinoshita Lin sighed softly:
"Kuro, I can understand your mood."
"I know you're eager to clear the house."
"However, we didn't know the specific movements of 'King Ming' when we arrived."
"Secondly...you are no longer young."
"Do you still think you are a cool young man in his twenties or thirties?"
"With this old and decaying body, you can't defeat that guy."
"So, don't be impulsive."
Having said this, she pointed to the floor in front of her.
"Sit back."
"..."
This time, Boss Kiryu was no longer stubborn.
He sat back down obediently.
"...I'm sorry to everyone, I'm really sorry..."
He lowered his head deeply, his face full of shame.
"It's because of my stupidity that I left such a big disaster..."
Kinoshita Rin smiled.
"Kuro, what are you talking about? This is not your fault. We have never blamed you. If we are to blame, we only blame that guy for his evil intentions and his self-destruction."
As she spoke, she reached out and patted Boss Kiryu on the shoulder.
"I will send out as many spies as possible to try to find that guy as soon as possible."
"Although that guy is very strong... but as long as we gather the heroes of my Calabash House, we can always defeat him."
Kinoshita Rin's thoughtful comfort made Boss Kiryu look much better.
"Lord, thank you very much."
Kinoshita Rin nodded with a smile on her face.
"Okay... Let's stop here for the time being regarding the topic of 'Mingwang'."
"Now it's time to get down to business."
"It is precisely in order to discuss these two important matters with you face to face that I hurriedly summoned you back to Osaka."
Boss Kiryu raised his eyebrows vigorously - the next important thing?
Before he could ask a question, Kinoshita Lin reached out and took out a scroll.
"Kuroro, when you reported on Awu's current situation in your letters before, you always told me: 'Awu and Tachibana Qingden have a very deep relationship, and they are a match made in heaven. Their union will be just around the corner,' right?"
At this moment, Boss Kiryu's heart stopped for a few beats.
Although he couldn't explain why, he felt an extremely strong ominous feeling in his heart!
"Yes, yes..."
He replied guiltily.
Kinoshita Rin continued:
"Although I have never met Tachibana Aoden with my own eyes, this person is indeed a great figure in the world. At a young age, he became a great figure with a land of 300,000 people. He also has a strong army. He is actually the number one person in the shogunate today.
"
"If he and Ah Wu are happy with each other, then I will be happy to see it happen."
"It's just...Kuroro, I have some questions and I want to ask you in person."
Having said this, she slowly unfolded the scroll in her hand.
"Captain of the Shinsengumi Division 7, Sanako Chiba."
The moment Kinoshita Rin pronounced this name, Boss Kiryu's heart stopped for a few more beats.
Not only that, his complexion began to turn pale.
"She is 25 years old this year. She is the eldest daughter of the great swordsman Chiba Sadaikichi. She is proficient in all kinds of martial arts, among which Kodachi and Naginata are the best."
"In addition to martial arts, she also has a lot of experience in elegant things such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
"What an outstanding woman."
"Even I'm a little envious of her."
"But...it's really weird."
"Kuro, in your opinion, Tachibana Aoden and Amai are a loving couple."
"But according to my investigation, this guy seems to have a very ambiguous relationship with Chiba Sanako."
"Many soldiers in the Shinsengumi even tacitly accept Sanako Chiba as their mistress."
From the beginning, Boss Kiryu lowered his head silently, staring at the tatami in front of his knees, as if he wanted to burn a hole in it with his eyes, not daring to look at Kinoshita Rin at all.
Not only that, cold sweat began to leak out from his forehead. First it was "sweat beads", and then gradually connected into "sweat streams".
Kinoshita Rin's account... no, correction, it's that her "trial" is still continuing.
"Originally, the special relationship between Tachibana Aoden and Chiba Sanako has made me very confused."
"I never imagined that there would be something even more confusing for me later."
Kinoshita Rin pulled the scroll in her palm to the lower half.
"Captain of the Shinsengumi First Division, Souji Okita."
"He is 19 years old this year. He is a handsome young man with a good-looking face. He is a swordsmanship prodigy who is rare to see in ten years. He is second only to Aoshito and the 'No. 1 Shinsengumi general'."
"Obviously he is a male, but he also has an unclear relationship with Tachibana Aoden."
"So much so that there is a rumor within the Shinsengumi that 'Tachibana Aoden is a member of the Taoist community.'"
"This Tachibana Aoden... is quite capable."
"From my A Wu to the daughter of the Chiba family, to Toshiro's beautiful boy... I have a big appetite."
After finishing speaking, Kinoshita Rin threw away the scroll in her hand with an indifferent expression.
"Kuro, look straight at me, don't avoid it."
"Answer me: What is going on?"
Boss Kiryu's head was so low that it almost hit the ground.
His inner clothes were soaked by a waterfall of cold sweat, making him soaked to the core.
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PS: The plot of "persuading Anthony" is really boring, so Bao Baozi speeds up and finishes it in half a chapter without losing the word count. Quickly say "Thank you Bao Baozi"
Leopard Leopard remembered it!
I'm no ordinary seal.
I am the King of Elden!
"Elden's Circle", start!
Return to the borderland! Go straight to the shadowland!
