"He ushered in his new life as a fighter and a real man."

Having said that, Ebina retracted his gaze and turned towards Nishino Chotaro's body, and walked away without any further pause.

Just when their figures were about to disappear into the distance, a long, middle-aged male voice floated faintly into Nishino Chotaro's ears.

"Son, take your father as your goal and become a fighter like your father who breaks free from the shackles and follows your heart."

Nishino Chotaro opened his mouth blankly and blinked.

"Break off the shackles...? Follow your heart...?"

He stood there and said nothing for a long time.

…

"Mr. Ebina, do we really want to return to Gyeonggi like this?"

Akutsu asked.

"Well, there's no point in staying in Edo any longer. It's better to return to Gyeonggi and resume my life."

Having said this, Ebina looked up at the sky and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Nioh...he really belongs to him. I didn't expect that he would turn the tables on a situation that was already inevitable..."

Ichinose on the side answered:

"The Qingshui clan has been severely damaged and is about to be destroyed. Without the help of the Qingshui clan, the Fanzhu Party, which lacks a foundation in the Eastern Kingdom, should no longer be able to spread illusions in the Kanto region."

Ebina took back the topic:

"That's why we have to return to Gyeonggi Province as soon as possible. We must report to the organization immediately: there is a transcendent talent in Edo that we must try our best to win over."

The three of them said nothing and went straight to the starting point of the "Five Streets": Nihonbashi.

The figures of the three people gradually disappeared into the smoke and dust blown up by the spring breeze.

…

…

1 month later——

The first year of Wenjiu (1861), April 22——

Edo, Nihonbashi——

Spring has arrived and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Cherry blossoms bloom quietly on the tender branches.

Warm white light flows down one by one from the gaps in the branches, and the cherry blossom petals shrouded in the sun continue to fall down.

"Look! Look! Come and see! The shogunate's reward for 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden has come down! Look! Look! Come and see! It's an unprecedented and huge reward!"

Beside the bridge head on the east side of the Nihonbashi Bridge, a pair of tile merchants were shouting vigorously.

[Note: Waban tabloid: It can be understood as a newspaper in the Edo period. It is an unofficial reading material that is freely printed and sold by the public. It reports various types of news, including civil wars, riots,

Murder cases, and other news-like information, as well as some love killings, vendettas and other entertainment-like gossip and legends.]

Most of the tile merchants work in pairs. One person is responsible for selling, and the other is responsible for reading out today's news headlines to attract the attention of passers-by.

"Nioh" Tachibana Aoshiden, a reward from the shogunate - these words are the best advertisements.

Nihonbashi is one of the most visited places in Edo.

Within a moment, a dense crowd of people from three floors inside and three outside gathered around the pair of tile merchants.

Hundreds of men and women looked expectantly on their faces.

A bunch of interested eyes fell on the pair of tile merchants.

Seeing that the number of people was almost there, the tile merchant responsible for attracting customers cleared his throat vigorously.

"Everyone must know that more than two months ago, 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoto..."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by a rough voice:

"Stop talking about these boring background information! Quickly tell me what reward the shogunate gave to the 'Nioh'!"

As soon as these words came out, they immediately attracted countless echoes.

"Yes, yes!"

"Let's get to the point!"

"If you don't tell us, we will buy tiles from someone else!"

Seeing this, the tile merchant smiled coquettishly and hurriedly said "Okay, okay" and "I know, I know."

After the "public resentment" subsided a little, he cleared his throat again.

"At noon yesterday, the shogunate announced the official reward for Tachibana Aoden."

"Increase the wealth of 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden by 4,000 koku!"

"Including the original 1,250 stones, the total is 5,250 stones!"

Before the tile merchant finished speaking, gasps could be heard.

5250 stones!

An increase of 4,000 stones in one breath!

The family fortune of a Hatamoto generally ranges from 200 koku to 10,000 koku, and those with a family fortune exceeding 3,000 koku are called "Dashen Hatabon".

Da Shenqi could have held important positions that could influence the state affairs, such as the head of the shogunate and the imperial guard.

What is the concept of a big body with a family income of more than 5,000 shi?

At the beginning of the Edo period, there were about 5,165 people in Hatamoto, among whom there were more than 5,000 koku but less than 10,000 koku... only 100 people!

Although after more than two hundred years of peace, the number of people in Hatamoto has increased, the number of people in Hatamoto, who has a family income of more than 5,000 koku, has basically not changed much.

In other words - Aoto has reached the top of the pyramid of Edo society! He has become a being that even countless Hatamoto samurai can only look up to!

At this time, the tile merchant's voice did not stop:

"In addition to rewarding a large amount of property and beautiful clothes, the shogunate also promoted Tachibana Aoden's official position to——"

Everyone quickly shut their mouths and stared at the tile merchant with bated breath, waiting for his next words.

However, the tile merchant did something wrong at this time.

He stopped talking at this moment, deliberately trying to whet everyone's appetite.

Until impatience is about to appear on everyone's faces——

"The side members are also the servants of the imperial government!"

The tile merchant roared like this at the highest volume he could muster.

The venue, which was originally a bit noisy, suddenly fell into silence.

A warrior with a loud voice.

Woman holding baby.

A man with a sweat scarf on his head.

Everyone...everyone at the scene, regardless of gender, old or young, all fell silent.

After being so quiet for 5 seconds, it gradually started to become commotion.

Then, the commotion turned into restlessness, and then the restlessness turned into an uproar like a roaring mountain and a tsunami.

As a side member and as an employee of the imperial government - when hearing about this position, everyone thought "No way" in their mind.

Side minister: A close minister of the general who conquered the barbarians. He was responsible for the general's nickname, small household, and doctor. He was responsible for the miscellaneous affairs of Lao Zhong and the general of the conquest of barbarians. After Lao Zhong retired, he handled the miscellaneous affairs in Edo Castle on behalf of Lao Zhong.

[Note·Xiao Nayan: Responsible for taking care of the general's daily life, occasionally helping the general handle daily affairs, etc. The scope of work is very wide]

Otai-shu retainer: a male official who oversees the affairs of Da'ou (the shogun's harem), also known as "Guangfu retainer".

One person holds two positions - this is quite rare in the Edo period, which focused on "dispersion of power."

This situation of holding two important positions at the same time is even rarer.

Even a person who knows nothing about politics can understand how powerful Qingdeng’s new position is just by looking at the work content of these two official duties!

He is not only a close minister who often walks in front of the general, but also the commander-in-chief responsible for managing the country. Whether it is internal or external court, he can speak and exert influence!

In terms of power alone... the famous names of some small vassals may not be as good as Qingdeng today!

The squad leader who was transformed from a fire-fighting thief was promoted to an important minister of the shogunate who could influence the national government... For a while, no one knew who took the lead. The saying "Jubilee Aoden who soared into the sky" spread throughout Edo

in the streets and alleys, and then spread to further places...

…

…

Gyeonggi, somewhere——
To be continued...