Chapter 488 War clouds are gathering! The armies of the three countries gather in Kyoto!

Today he received invitations from several big guys in the "Edo Business District" to come out for a meal together.

Originally, the place chosen by those business tycoons for the dinner was Furukashi Ryotei - this was the top restaurant in Edo. The people who came in and out of this restaurant were either rich or noble, either rich businessmen with a lot of money, or people from prominent families.

Superior warrior.

However, Aoto, who had eaten at Yoshikawa Ryotei several times, quite liked the atmosphere and style of this restaurant, so he suggested changing the dining venue to Yoshikawa Ryotei.

The business tycoons just wanted to build friendship and get closer to Qingteng in the name of "having a meal together".

It doesn't matter where you eat, even if you change the dining venue to a fly restaurant, as long as you can eat and chat with Qingdeng.

Moreover, following Qingdeng's wishes and selling off Qingdeng's face will be more conducive to bringing them closer to each other.

As a result, the business leaders readily agreed to Qingdeng's proposal without any hesitation.

Aoto arrived at Yoshikawa Ryotei as scheduled and as he was going to the reserved private room, he suddenly heard an argument between Hayakawaya Danshichiro and Suzune.

In an era when buildings and furniture are mostly made of paper and wood, soundproofing is virtually non-existent.

Unless you speak in a voice like a mosquito's hum, you will definitely hear the movement in the room as long as you walk in the corridor.

After recognizing Ling Yin's voice and convinced that Ling Yin was in trouble, Qingteng pushed the door open and entered without saying a word.

At present, in all Edo, apart from Ooku, which strictly prohibits men from entering and exiting, is there any place that he cannot enter?

Just like that, there is this scene now——

"What's wrong? Didn't you shout loudly just now? Why are you pretending to be a shy girl now?"

Qingdeng looked around calmly. There was silence in the room, and you could hear a needle drop.

Whether it was Hayakawa Danshichiro, Suzune, or Yoshikuro, they were all blinking hard at this moment, repeatedly confirming whether they were dazzled or dreaming.

A black lacquer hat with gold foil inside that symbolizes identity, an extremely rare tall figure of 1.75 meters, and three knives on his waist... At this point, it is impossible for them to identify the wrong person.

"No way..."

Hayakawa Danshichiro opened his mouth wide with disbelief on his face.

Qingto turned his eyes sideways and glanced at Hayakawa Danshichiro, then turned to face Suzune and said in a loud voice:

"Miss Suzuyin, long time no see."

Lingyin's delicate body trembled a few times.

"Uh, ah! Juju, Lord Ju, Gui'an..."

Hayakawa Danshichiro stared at all this dumbfounded.

He must have never thought of it - Qingto and Suzune are indeed friends!

Aoto, who had eaten at Yoshikawa Ryotei many times for social reasons, once met Suzune, who was very good at playing the piano, by chance.

Although the two cannot be called friends, they are definitely not strangers.

In fact, not only Hayakawa Danshichiro and Yoshikuro were shocked, but Suzune himself was also stunned.

It is true that she and Qingdeng know each other... but their relationship is not very deep and can only be regarded as an acquaintance at most.

The difference in status between the two of them is too great.

One is a powerful minister, and the other is a musician who makes a living by performing.

The only interactions between the two parties were that he came to Yoshikawa Ryotei for dinner a few times, and she played the piano for him a few times.

She just pulled out Aoto's banner just to pretend to be powerful, hoping to use Aoto's power to scare away Hayakawaya Danshichiro.

Originally, when Hayakawa Danshichiro sneered at her "taking advantage of others' advantage" and ridiculed her wantonly, she was already in despair.

Unexpectedly...Qingden actually showed up!

And judging from the current battle...he is willing to help her out!

Thinking of this, Suzune suddenly felt her heart beat faster, and an unspeakable wave of emotion surged in her heart.

After briefly greeting Suzune, Aoto turned his attention back to Hayakawa Danshichiro.

"The person who called my name just now was you, right?"

Hayakawa Danshichiro's body trembled violently, and he stood up in a hurry - because he stood up too hastily, he accidentally kicked down the table in front of him, and he almost lost his balance and almost fell to the ground.

"Yes, yes, I am the seventh son of Shotaro Hayakawa and the grandson of Hidetada Inoue, Danchichiro Hayakawa!"

He stuttered to the door, his arms naturally hanging down, his shoulders slumped, no longer as arrogant as before, and he looked like a student who had done something wrong and was obediently waiting for the teacher's punishment.

Qingdeng replied expressionlessly:

"Ju Qingden."

Compared to Hayakawa Danshichiro's long list of titles, Aoto's self-introduction is concise - after all, he doesn't need those messy titles.

I dare not say it in other places, but at least in this corner of Edo, Ayoto does not need any fancy self-introduction.

The three words "Ju Qingdeng" are the most intimidating and prestigious introduction.

"Shoutaro Hayakawaya...oh, I remembered it, no wonder it always sounds familiar to me. Just last month, I had a meal with your father."

As soon as Aonto said these words, drops of cold sweat suddenly broke out on Hayakawaya Danshichiro's forehead.

He had heard about this from his father.

At that time, his father looked relieved and said to the disciples, including Hayakawaya Danshichiro: Great, we have finally established a relationship with the "Nioh".

The wealthy businessmen in Edo are all deeply anxious about the increasingly turbulent national situation.

Although Kanto is still peaceful at the moment, Gyeonggi is currently under cloud of war.

In the city of Kyoto alone, there are three political forces that are on the table at play - and they are three lords with top national power.

The Choshu Clan controlled the imperial court, the Aizu Clan came to defend Kyoto on orders from the shogunate, and the Satsuma Clan was waiting for an opportunity.

The elite soldiers and generals of the three countries gathered in Kyoto, always preparing to "jointly participate in the grand event."

Maybe next month, or even tomorrow, the news that "the three countries are breaking up, mobilizing their armies, and attacking each other" will reach Edo.

Except for some traitors who have the ability to make war fortunes, war is the last thing most businessmen...or most normal people want to see.

"War" is a monster that goes berserk easily.

It is easy to let it out of the cage, maybe it can be done with just one sentence.

But controlling its behavior or putting it back in the cage...that's not something that humans can do.

If war really breaks out in Gyeonggi, if the war spreads to Kanto, then the family's decades or even hundreds of years of accumulation will most likely be burned to the ground!

In order to protect themselves, wealthy businessmen and wealthy businessmen have been out in force in recent months to build relationships with political strongmen everywhere in search of solid backers.

Now deeply loved by Tokugawa Iemo and Tianzhangin, Aoto naturally became a favorite in their eyes.

Countless people are trying hard to establish relations and friendship with Qing Teng.

Even just a little bit is fine.

As long as you can share a little bit of the power of the benevolent king, you might be able to protect your family's fortune and life one day in the future!

"Hayakawa Danshichiro, I heard clearly what you just said in the corridor."

"How can you openly ask a musician to sit next to you? Can't you even tell the difference between a musician and a wandering girl?"

Qingdeng's voice was calm from beginning to end.

He neither spoke loudly nor used harsh words.

But even so, Hayakawa Danshichiro still felt huge pressure! It was as if there were two mountains pressing on his shoulders!

"Yes! I am, I am... Ah, ah! No, no, no! It's me, I'm rude! Please, for the sake of my father, spare me, spare me..."

Stuttering way of speaking, fragmented sentences.

Knowing that he had gotten into a big trouble, Hayakawa Danshichiro lowered his head to the extreme, his chin pressed against his collarbone, his eyes were firmly fixed on the tatami in front of his toes, and he did not even dare to look at Aoto's shadow.

"For your father's sake?"

Qingdeng smiled slightly.

"Are you sure? Do you really want to waste the friendship between me and your family that your father has finally established for something like this?"

In an instant, Hayakawaya Danshichiro's body was shaking like a sieve.

At this time, a rich middle-aged male voice came from the direction of the corridor.

"Huh? Mr. Tachibana, why are you here?"

A vigorous old man with a handsome body walked into the room in a hurry.

Hayakawa Danshichiro subconsciously raised his eyes and followed the sound - just don't look at it, he was so frightened when he looked at it, his face, which was already very ugly, looked even paler at this moment.

Suzune and Yoshikuro, who worked at Yoshikawa Ryotei, were people who had seen the world after all. Therefore, they immediately recognized the identity of the old man - for a moment, the expressions on their faces were dominated by strong shock.

.

This old man is none other than the legendary figure in Edo business circles: Echigoya Bunzaburo.

Echigoya is the most common and widespread house name in Edo, and the only one comparable to it is Omiya.

Affected by the geographical environment and folk customs, the Echigo area is rich in merchants.

A large number of Echigo people came south in groups to do business in Edo.
To be continued...