dhibooks Chapter 109 Standoff
Chapter 109 Standoff
It wasn't until after he went outside that He Que finally realized what the sounds of gunfire still echoing in his ears through the wooden door truly meant.
Who could have imagined that at the critical moment when the shogunate army was drawing a large number of soldiers to Hachiyū Island, the rebel army, which should have stayed there to confront them, secretly bypassed everyone and infiltrated Narukami Island with the help of the Shakyamuni magistrate?
The remaining members of the Tenryo magistrate were only a fraction of the invaders. No matter how fiercely they resisted, they were quickly captured and could only watch helplessly as the rebels surrounded the entire Kujo family estate.
Perhaps because Suzume's house was the furthest from the very center of Kujo Takayuki's house, the turmoil didn't affect her side for the time being, and Suzume was able to slip out through the back door smoothly.
By this time, she had changed into servant's clothes, covered her face with a thick, coarse cloth, and hurriedly brushed past the rebels who were rushing towards the castle tower with her head down.
Only when there were hardly any people around did she tear a gap in the cloth covering her face and carefully exhale a breath of stale air.
As expected, Sister Sara was right. Since the rebels rose up under the pretext of protecting the interests of the people, they would not harm civilians even though they had already entered Narukami Island. As long as he did not expose his relationship with the Kujo family, he would be the safest.
He felt a little relieved, rested briefly in a corner, and then mustered his strength to continue towards the Kamisato-yashiki.
Unbeknownst to her, in the very pavilion she had just passed, Ayato Kamisato was sitting, and opposite him were the current leader of the resistance, the shrine maiden Kokoro Mikoto of Umijima Island, and Hokuto, the leader of the Southern Cross Fleet, who had been brought in as reinforcements by the resistance.
"Since you two share the same aspirations as me, then the magistrate of the yamen will naturally treat you with sincerity. However, I am sorry to say that the magistrate of the yamen will not publicly appear in this matter. No matter how things ultimately develop, the Kamisato family does not want to bear the name of betraying the shogun."
Ayato Kamisato spoke calmly, his face showing a seriousness rarely seen on Suzume: "Of course, in return, the Kamisato family will never step forward to steal your credit afterward."
Coral Palace Heart Sea smiled slightly upon hearing this: "I understand. The head of the Kamisato family has already been of great help in this matter, and the resistance will not force the Kamisato family to continue to take action. With the traveler's help, the head of the Kamisato family only needs to wait for the good news from the rear."
However, despite saying that, Sango Mikoto still had some concerns. When Ayato Kamisato lowered his eyes and thanked her in a humble yet respectful manner, he exchanged a glance with Hokuto beside him.
The latter coughed to clear her throat and, following her lead, tentatively asked, "But Lord Kamisato, are you really not at all concerned about what might happen later? I heard that you and your fiancée have a good relationship. If the Kujo family falls because of this, and your fiancée hates you, what do you plan to do?"
As the most elite noble family in Inazuma, the Three Magistrates' every move could cause a stir in the court. The marriage between the Tenryo Magistrate and the Shabu Magistrate was naturally a major event, and it even sparked conspiracy theories among many people for months.
Ayato Kamisato wasn't surprised that Kokoro Sango had also heard about this. What he cared about was the resistance's attitude towards it, since Suzume's current identity was very sensitive due to Kujo Takayuki's crimes.
His expression remained unchanged, and he gave his answer without even thinking for long: "You two need not worry. I naturally know the difference between private and public matters, and serious matters must be handled with the seriousness of a serious matter. If Miss Kujo really blames me for this, I will not regret it. After all, everything the Kamisato family has done is to help the Shogun recognize the mistakes of the Seclusion Edict and the Eye Hunt Edict."
Seeing this, Coral Palace Heart Sea was finally satisfied and breathed a long sigh of relief: "I am very happy to be able to cooperate with such an understanding person as the head of the Shenli family."
The clinking of glasses suggests that the deal has finally moved beyond all the probing and is now steadily progressing.
Ayato Kamisato lowered his eyes, downed the wine in his glass, and concealed all the deep meaning in his eyes.
And Suzume will soon understand what this profound meaning means to her, but at this moment she has only just arrived at the foot of Mount Kagekō, and there are still a long flight of stairs to go before reaching the Kamisato Residence.
She bumped into Ayaka Kamisato, who was coming down the mountain.
The clumsy disguise was quickly seen through by Ayaka Kamisato. The girl instinctively avoided her gaze upon seeing her, but soon realized she shouldn't appear so guilty, and hurriedly forced a smile, asking, "What brings Miss Kujo here?"
He Que had already discerned something from her reaction and was about to press her for an answer when he saw Toma step forward from behind Ayaka Kamisato and whisper something in her ear.
For a moment, Ayaka Kamisato's expression turned very unpleasant.
He Que pursed her lips uneasily.
At the same time, Ayaka Kamisato stretched out a hand to block her way, her tone firm: "I'm sorry, Miss Kujo, please state your purpose, otherwise I'm afraid I cannot allow you to proceed any further."
He Que's eyes immediately widened.
She forced herself to remain calm as she answered Ayaka Kamisato's question: "I'm looking for the magistrate of the guild."
"My elder brother is not here. Miss Kujo, please leave."
Ayaka Kamisato answered too quickly, and Suzume couldn't tell whether she was serious or just giving her a perfunctory answer.
Undeterred, she gritted her teeth and continued to press, "It doesn't matter that the Company Magistrate isn't here. Perhaps some questions can be asked of Miss Kamisato."
But Ayaka Kamisato shook her head, still wearing that cold expression: "Whatever Ms. Kujo wants to ask, I'm afraid I can't answer it. Ms. Kujo, please leave."
He Que couldn't help but take a step forward.
But Thomas quickly stepped between the two, offering an apologetic smile, yet his tone was unusually firm: "Ms. Kujo, please leave."
*
In the end, Suzume left, realizing that even if the situation continued to stalemate, she would still have no chance of getting any information from Ayaka Kamisato.
As soon as she left, Ayaka Kamisato's cold, hard expression crumbled, and she slumped against a tree trunk, sullenly saying, "Miss Suzume... she'll definitely hate me after today..."
Thomas scratched his head, unsure how to comfort her, and could only say, "There's nothing we can do. According to the head of the family, we can't show any favoritism towards Miss Kazusagi at this crucial moment. Otherwise, it will be difficult to plead with the general to preserve the Kujo family as much as possible afterward."
Ayaka Kamisato certainly understood this principle, but the feeling of having a secret hidden in one's heart that cannot be spoken of was truly unbearable, especially when you discover that this secret will hurt others.
Thinking of the look in Que's eyes when she left, she felt a pang of conscience.
She hoped things would be resolved quickly... The longer it dragged on, the more she feared that she and Miss Suzume would be heartbroken, and that they would never forgive the Kamisato family and her brother...
(End of this chapter)
The author said: I fell asleep while writing last night, and when I woke up this morning, I found the document was a complete mess, just like the notes I took when I was sleepy in high school. I was forced to delete most of it and rewrite it QwQ
感谢在2024-07-05 02:30:33~2024-07-08 05:48:34期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of Qiulubai;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!