Chapter 204: Chapter 101: Recommending Tachibana Aoto to Lord Shogun!

"Taking this opportunity... I’ll also share something with everyone."

Ii Naosuke straightened his back a bit more and sat even more upright.

"At present, the rampant behavior of the ’Anti-foreigner Faction’ has reached an unbearably intolerable level."

"They are an unreasonable band of marauders, and if we do not find a way to curb their arrogance, they will eventually commit acts more extreme than attacking foreign merchants."

"Over the past month, I had many more important matters to attend to, so I had no time to properly address the issues concerning the ’Anti-foreigner Faction.’

"But now, I have finally found the time and energy."

"From today on, I will focus on Edo and Kyoto, intensifying the crackdown on the ’Anti-foreigner Faction.’

"Which means, you all, as Edo’s ’Three Times,’ will be quite busy in the future."

"Therefore—be mentally prepared, everyone."

"Make an effort to contribute to the successive operations that will commence to combat the ’Anti-foreigner Faction.’"

"I hope that in future evaluations, no one will exhibit a performance so poor as to be unbearable to witness."

Lord Hosoi and Atsukawa took the lead in bowing to Lord Ii Naosuke along with the others, respectfully complying.

...

...

As Ii Naosuke did not speak any lengthy official jargon or pleasantries from beginning to end, the evaluation session was unexpectedly brief.

From the time Ii Naosuke appeared to when he rose to announce the end of the session, it was all over in less than an hour...

After Ii Naosuke and his retinue left through the side door they came from, Aoto and others gradually exited the council chamber.

Just stepping into the corridor outside the council chamber, Inagawa approached Aoto with a curious face.

"Tachibana, let me see the new sword just bestowed upon you by Lord Ii."

Aoto happily handed the Ghost-Slaying Sword he was holding in his right hand to Inagawa.

With a swish—Inagawa unsheathed the sword slightly after taking it.

A number of people around gathered, looking at the Ghost-Slaying Sword with various expressions.

Admiration arose one after another as they gazed at the beautiful, blue-glinting blade of the Ghost-Slaying Sword.

"What a fine sword..." Inagawa smacked his lips a few times, after carefully examining the blade of the Ghost-Slaying Sword, resheathed it, and returned it to Aoto, "If you were to sell this sword, it might fetch as much as 300 gold Rio..."

Aoto laughed, "This is a superb sword that may not be bought even with money. I wouldn’t sell it unless absolutely necessary."

Saying that, Aoto lowered his head to look at the Ghost-Slaying Sword in his hand.

The sword he currently possessed, the ancestral sword passed down in the Tachibana Family for generations, was severely damaged in the "Snowy Night Chaos," with more than a dozen nicks.

Aoto, as a samurai with an official position, could never seize the bandits’ possessions for himself.

If the government discovered such behavior, the consequences would be unimaginable; if the seized goods were substantial, one might even be ordered to commit seppuku as atonement.

Unable to take the weapons left on the ground by the ’Anti-foreigner Faction’ marauders, Aoto could only retrieve his ancestral sword after the battle.

After moving into the Shiwei Hall, Aoto borrowed some money from Kondo to send his severely damaged ancestral sword to a certain swordsmith shop for repair, which took about 10 days to complete.

Of course, the money borrowed from Kondo for the "sword repair" was fully repaid after receiving the gift money from the French Embassy.

Aoto hefted the Ghost-Slaying Sword in his hand—this Ghost-Slaying Sword had a significant curvature and was longer than an average Tachi, so its form was more like a Tachi.

This relatively longer sword was actually very suitable for someone like Aoto, a tall person, as wielding such a long sword naturally gave him an edge over shorter individuals.

Having obtained a treasure sword of quality clearly superior to his current sword, Aoto naturally felt quite pleased, and as he looked down at the sword in his hand, a faint smile appeared on his face.

High-quality treasure swords have always been priceless and beyond the market.

With a sharper and more resilient treasure sword by his side, one’s strength could be directly and significantly enhanced.

Aoto had not yet had the chance to savor the joy of acquiring the new sword when suddenly—

"Mr. Tachibana!"

"Lord Magistrate?" Aoto paused, looking towards Lord Hosoi, who was quickly approaching him from behind.

"...Mr. Tachibana." Lord Hosoi hurriedly walked to Aoto’s front, lowered his voice, and said, "Come with me immediately."

"What’s the matter?" Aoto was taken aback, "Has something happened?"

"Don’t ask too many questions for now; just follow me quickly."

Aoto, not understanding the situation, but seeing Lord Hosoi’s serious expression, dared not delay.

He nodded to Arima and the others around him, then followed behind Lord Hosoi, quickly traversing the North Guard Station towards an unknown destination.

After ascending to the second floor of the North Guard Station with Lord Hosoi, Aoto couldn’t suppress his curiosity again and asked Lord Hosoi, who was walking ahead of him:

"Lord Hosoi, where exactly are we going?"

Lord Hosoi pressed his lips.

Then said quietly:

"Lord Ii...he wants to see you alone."

"...What?"

...

...

Lord Hosoi led Aoto to a secluded room on the second floor of the North Guard Station.

Lord Hosoi personally slid open the slightly worn sliding door, and inside the room, a familiar face that he had parted with not long ago came into Aoto’s view.

Ii Naosuke sat cross-legged in the center of the room, with his four attendants standing neatly on either side of him.