Why are "Shimazaki Kazu" and "Tokuyama Shigeru" so enthusiastic about him...

At the beginning of the competition, why did "Tenjoin" and "Tokugawa Iemo" sit behind the thick curtains where people outside could not see the scene inside...

Why were the other contestants except "Shimazaki Kazu" and "Tokuyama Shigeru" expelled from Hakushoyuan immediately after the competition...

All of this is abnormal and unreasonable, and has now been answered.

The members of the "Third Division" who were the sergeants of the Shogunate Imperial Guard responsible for personal protection of the general must have seen with their own eyes what Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzho looked like.

The reason why the counterfeit goods are hidden behind a thick curtain is to prevent the secret from being exposed.

The reason why each contestant was immediately expelled from the room after their discussion was probably because they were afraid that when the real Tokugawa Iemo and Tenjoin came on stage to compete with Aoto, their voices would reveal their identities. Expose it.

——So... when I was changing into protective gear inside Kikurama, he suddenly asked me what I thought of Tianzhang Academy... was it to test my loyalty?

Just as Qingdeng was thinking this, Tianzhangyuan seemed to have the ability to read minds and see through Qingdeng's inner thoughts. He pursed his red lips and smiled slightly:

"I'd better emphasize it again."

"It is indeed because of a sudden impulse that I led the general to fake my identity and compete with you."

"The reason why I suddenly asked you what you think of Tianzhang Academy before the competition begins... There is no particular reason."

"It's just my personal habit."

"Personal... habits?" Qingdeng asked in surprise.

Tianzhangyuan smiled.

"Tachibana-kun, you are a native of Edo. You should know how frequently my name appears in the chats of ordinary people in the city, right?"

"Tianzhangyuan, who became a widow at such a young age, is so hungry and thirsty every night..."

"The Tianzhang Academy actually has an unclear relationship with the General, who is not very different in age..."

"Why Tenzouin Atsuhime likes people younger than herself, so every night she has someone secretly bring some young and strong boys into Edo Castle to serve her, and then sends these boys out of the city after dawn... …”

"As the princess of the Satsuma clan, Tenjoin has no loyalty to the Edo shogunate. Her current appearance of being loyal to the Edo shogunate is all pretending. She is essentially a person who only wants to win money for the Satsuma clan. A witch who wants to gain as much profit as possible..."

"..." Qingdeng was speechless after hearing this.

Qingdeng knew how "popular" Tianzhang Yuan was with the common people...especially the "popular" men who loved "fantasy".

Tianzhangyuan's past is full of drama and various wonderful elements that can trigger people's endless imagination.

Being cited as a topic of conversation is nothing but a matter of course.

Although Tenzōin has been keeping a low profile recently and the popularity of public opinion has decreased slightly, you can still often hear people using Tenzōin to drink hotpots in crowded social places such as bathhouses, teahouses, and izakayas.

At this time, Tianzhangyuan continued:

"Although some of these rumors are true, the vast majority are nonsense."

"Although I really want to ignore these malicious rumors and sarcasm... but the lethality of 'language' is actually surprisingly large."

"This is the so-called 'a kind word warms you for three winters, but a bad word hurts you for six months'."

"Even if you want to ignore these rumors and ridicules, it is not that easy."

"Finally, I figured it out - since I can't completely ignore the harm of these 'languages', then try to accept their existence."

"Let those boring guys talk...even talk with them."

"As long as I imitate the tone of those boring guys and talk about Tianzhangyuan's faults, I will feel better."

Speaking of this, Tianzhangyuan showed a sweet smile.

Sunny and sunny... there is no perfect smile that doesn't contain any negative emotions at all.

"Unconsciously, I developed the habit of laughing at myself."

"Whether it is in private or in public; whether in front of acquaintances or in front of strangers, he often habitually belittles Tianzhangyuan and says all kinds of bad things about Tianzhangyuan."

"Don't tell me—my 'self-deprecating stress relief method' is quite useful."

"Since I started laughing at myself frequently, my mood has become much better, and I am no longer as depressed as before. Giggle, giggle~"

Tianzhangyuan laughed happily.

But Qingdeng didn't feel like laughing at all... He was speechless for a moment and pursed his lips.

When Tianzhangyuan stated what he just said, he used a cheerful tone as if he was talking about something happy.

Under such a hearty tone, in such bright words, the hidden content is so heavy...

Because he has no similar experience, Qingdeng is not able to understand firsthand what it feels like to be the target of public criticism and to be criticized by thousands of people.

It must be very painful... Qingdeng sighed in his heart.

It was sudden - at this moment, Qingdeng's mind suddenly drifted to a distant place.

…

(Although some of these rumors are true, most of them are nonsense.)

…

After recalling what Tianzhangyuan had just said, Qingdeng unconsciously thought to himself:

——His Royal Highness Tianzhangyuan said that some of the rumors circulating in the market are true... which parts are true?

All kinds of conjectures, either serious or... somewhat unorthodox, seemed to have a life of their own, automatically popping up in Qingdeng's mind one by one...

At this time, Tianzhangyuan once again seemed to have the ability to read minds and see through Qingdeng's inner thoughts. He raised his hand and lightly covered his red lips:

"Ju-kun, are you thinking now: Which of the rumors about me circulating in the market are true?"

Tianzhangyuan asked in a teasing tone, narrowing his beautiful eyes slightly and giving Qingdeng a look full of teasing.

The gleam in her pupils and the lines of her eyes are even more charming due to her squinting movements... When you look at her with such eyes, you will feel as if your heart is being caressed by a soft piece of silk.

"...?!" Qingdeng was startled suddenly, and then almost showed a look of shock and embarrassment.

At this moment, the new talent that was copied just now is "hot" and "fresh": "Emperor's Art" is working!

Qingdeng never expected that he could use this new talent so quickly.

With the extraordinary facial muscle control ability endowed by the "Emperor's Art", Qingdeng controlled his expression at the critical moment and did not let his embarrassment show.

Although he maintained a calm expression... Qingdeng couldn't help but feel uneasy waves in his heart.

——Does this woman have the talent of "being able to judge what others are thinking based on their expressions"? Otherwise, how would she know what I am thinking...

What you want in your heart is accurately captured by Tianzhang Academy.

Thinking of the conjectures he had just made that had both serious and slightly...indecent parts, Qingden suddenly felt very ashamed and embarrassed.

Just as he was thinking about how to deceive the topic that made him so embarrassed at the moment——

Wow.

The sound of the door being opened again came from the front left.

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of the sliding door, and the two turned their heads following the sound.

A young man with a neat bun on his head and a rich costume embroidered with a three-leaf sunflower pattern quickly entered the Black Academy alone.

It is none other than the 14th generation Shogun of the Edo Shogunate, the actual ruler of Japan today: Tokugawa Iemo.

As soon as Tokugawa Iemokata entered the room, he did not go to the main seat of the room just like Tenzouin did before. Instead, he walked quickly to Aoto, next to Tenzouin, and then sat down with his knees bent.

Tokugawa Iemo finally arrived, he, Aoden, Tenzouin... the seats of the three of them happened to form the word "pin".

"I'm sorry, Mother, Mr. Tachibana, for keeping you waiting for so long."

The first words Tokugawa Iemo spoke was to apologize for being late.

Then, he turned to look at Qingdeng.

A friendly smile appeared on his face.

"Ji Jun, I have wanted to see you for a long time, and today I finally got my wish."

Tianzhangyuan also said something similar just now.

The two people, who are only 10 years apart, are not related by blood, but the personalities of the nominal mother and son are really similar - they treat people...at least when they treat Qingdeng, they are both quite gentle and kind.

There is no air of "general conquering barbarians", "grand imperial office", "supreme ruler of the country" or "mother of the country".

After a brief exchange of greetings with Aoto, Tokugawa Iemo bowed slightly, changed the subject, and apologized to Aoto for their behavior of "concealing their identity" just like Tenzouin did just now.

"It's all because of Mother's nonsense. The time I have to meet and talk with you has been reduced a lot."

"What?" Hearing what Tokugawa Iemo said, Tenzouin immediately showed an unhappy expression, "Sir General, you obviously had a lot of fun just now, didn't you?"

Before he finished speaking, a happy expression appeared on Tianzhangyuan's face - a sinister smile.

"Sir General, even though you said 'it's so troublesome' and 'is it necessary to go to such great lengths just to compete with Mr. Tachibana?', you are actually looking forward to fighting with Mr. Tachibana, aren't you?"

"Uh..." Tokugawa Iemo, who was ruthlessly exposed by Tianzhangin, grinned awkwardly, and then coughed a few times to cover up his embarrassment.

Then, he brought the topic back to the main topic very abruptly.

"Tachibana-kun, because the meeting and conversation were shortened a lot due to the competition just now, I will keep the story short and talk about the important business first."
To be continued...