In Kyoto after the year, the situation seems to be getting more and more tense. The news of the coming of the fallen army spread all over the streets and alleys, and everyone was in danger for fear of going to war. During this period, the members of the new writing team seemed to be busier, only San Lang, who still couldn't move and came to Omiya to help every three or five times, shushing the cold and asking for warmth. Although Ah Ju still didn't pay much attention to him, her eyes seemed to soften when she looked at him.

Saburo sincerely expressed his apologies in this way, and Aju was also a little moved.

And even Ah Ju didn't expect that she was pregnant. According to the time, it was estimated that her husband was pregnant shortly before the accident, and it was only more than two months, and it was not visible, this good news gave Ah Ju a lot of comfort, and her smile gradually increased.

At the end of January, it finally snowed heavily, and it snowed for three days, and Kyoto seemed to be a silvery white snow capital.

The head office's cough is getting worse and worse, and occasionally when he is alone with me, he coughs non-stop.

The fourth day of February is the beginning of spring in Japan. Because I promised the general director, I went to their cantonment early. As soon as I got there, the chief took me into the room, opened all the doors and windows, and gave me a large handful of beans with a smile, and told me to shout with them, "Ghost go out, blessing come in, and sprinkle beans as you go."

A large group of people, including Hijikata, Kondo, and Saito, were all smiling at us.

This is the custom of the beginning of spring in Japan, and in short, it also means to exorcise ghosts and pray for good luck. I also thought it was funny, sprinkled beans, and shouted: "Ghost out, blessing in!" The ghost goes out, the blessing comes in! “

It's a little funny in my heart, I've been studying spiritism for so long, and I've never heard that ghosts are afraid of beans.

"Xiao Yin, if you eat beans of the same age today, you will have good luck. You're nineteen, hurry up and eat. The director smiled and gave me another handful of beans.

"Oh!" I happily picked up a bean and put it in my mouth. As soon as I ate two of them, I saw that the head secretary suddenly turned pale, bent down violently and coughed violently, and before he had time to cover it with his hands, he spurted out a large mouthful of blood "wow", and the bright red blood melted into traces on the white snow, which was particularly shocking. Before everyone could react, the head office vomited a few mouthfuls of blood, and drop by drop of bright red was like blood-colored cherry blossoms blooming on the snow. I stood there dumbfounded, hearing only the sound of beans falling from my hands to the ground, I had never seen the head secretary vomit so much blood as he did today......

Hijikata and Kondo immediately stepped forward to help him. The general secretary wiped the bloodshot from the corner of his mouth, smiled slightly, and said, "I'm fine." ”

"Is this still okay, you are vomiting blood, how can it be so serious! Didn't you see a doctor! "Hijikata has completely lost his usual calm.

"No, don't worry, I'm really fine." The general secretary still smiled and comforted the earth.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hijikata asked anxiously, he looked at the blood stains on the snow, his face suddenly changed, and he said in a dumb voice: "Could it be ......?"

"It's a cough." Saito, who was next to him, suddenly interjected. There was no expression on his face, but there was a trace of sadness in his eyes. I looked at him in shock, it turned out that he had known it for a long time......

As soon as Saito's words came out, everyone's faces changed.

"Cough, is it that kind of red terminal disease?" Kondo muttered.

"How could it be! No way! Nagakura Shinhachi pounced, grabbed the shoulders of the general director, and his eyes were full of tears, "Impossible, the general director is still so young, how could he have such a disease!" ”

"yes, I'm sorry to worry everyone." The director was still smiling gently, and there was a hint of uneasiness in his smile, which was an uneasiness that made everyone worry.

Everyone was silent, and a few low sobs were heard from the crowd. The General Directorate has always been the most popular in the new writing group, and when they hear such news, naturally some people can't hold back.

A trace of heartache flashed in Hijikata's eyes, and he said in a low voice: "You don't have to perform any more tasks, leave here immediately in a few days and go to the Valley of Thousand Dogs to recuperate." ”

The head secretary shook his body, looked at the earthwork, shook his head, and said, "Deputy Chief, I want to stay here, I can still fight." ”

"It's an order!" Hijikata's tone became urgent, "Those who violate the order, behead!" ”

The director was about to say something, but I squatted down, held his hand, and whispered: "Enough, director, you have done your best, you have done a good job, really, you are great!" The best samurai I've ever seen! If you don't want everyone to worry anymore, just listen to Mr. Hijikata and take good care of yourself. ”

The chief secretary was silent for a while, and a faint smile bloomed on his face, "Let everyone worry, Deputy Chief, I will go to the Valley of Thousands of Packets." As he said this, I could clearly feel his fingers trembling, and I couldn't help but feel a sore heart, and I held him tighter.

Director-General, don't work so hard, it's time to stop......

Two days later, Hijikata and Goto sent them away. I really wanted to accompany the head office, but the task was not completed yet, and I couldn't leave Kyoto, so I just went to see him off on the day the head office left.

It snowed heavily that day, and everyone said a lot of things to the directorate, and I don't remember what they said. Seeing the thin back of the head office go away, I just stood there quietly. The director slowly looked back, smiled shallowly, and then said softly: "Goodbye". At that moment, my heart seemed to be hollowed out......

Director-General, we'll see you again...... So, be sure to wait for me......

It was as cold as the snowy weather that day. The captain of the Ichiban team, Soji Okita, has since disappeared forever from the streets of Kyoto, accompanied only by the cold Kikuichi Monomune and Kaga Kiyomitsu.

The crowd gradually dispersed, and I inadvertently turned around, only to see Mr. Hijikata still standing in the doorway, looking in the direction of the head office, with sadness and indescribable loss in his eyes. His black sleeves fluttered in the wind, and his tall figure looked particularly lonely under the snowflakes.

"Mr. Hijikata......" I shouted under my breath.

He withdrew his gaze and whispered, "You can go back too." After saying that, he didn't say a word more, turned around and entered the camp.

The devil's deputy chief, there is also a reason why he embarked on the path of Shura...... Taking off the mask of the devil, he is just an ordinary person with feelings and flesh and blood.

The days without the Director-General seemed to have suddenly become deserted. At the beginning of March, the news suddenly came that the Shogunate had approached Kyoto and was about to invade Kyoto Castle, and the situation seemed to be even more tense. Tokugawa Yoshiki's shogunate and members of the Shin-Kumi team, who remained in Kyoto, were also preparing for the inevitable battle.

That night, there were no more guests in the Oeya. When he was about to close, a person suddenly flashed in outside the door, it was Heima Saburo, I saw that his expression was different from usual, as if he had something to say to Aju, Aju was also stunned when he saw him, but there was no disgust in his eyes, but a fleeting light flashed.

I immediately went up to the second floor and into my room, ready to go to bed.

After a while, I faintly heard some arguments downstairs, and vaguely heard the words of the Tokugawa shogun and leaving Kyoto, and I didn't care about it at the moment. After about four or five minutes, there was suddenly no sound downstairs, and there was a dead silence. After listening to it for a while, there was no movement, and my heart became a little uneasy, so I hurriedly put on my clothes and walked downstairs. As soon as I got down the stairs, I looked up, and the scene in front of me couldn't help but make me gasp, and my brain exploded with a bang......

Saburo fell to the ground covered in blood, with a small knife stuck in his chest. And holding the handle of the little knife is Ah Ju, who is also splashed with blood and has dull eyes. I quickly squatted down and reached out to probe Saburo's breathing, he was still breathing, but it was very weak, and it seemed that he had no way to recover.

"Why!" I glared at her, "Why did you kill him, is it to avenge your husband?" ”

She just looked at San Lang stupidly, and suddenly cried out with a "wow", shook her head desperately, and said incoherently: "I, I don't want to kill him, I don't want to, I don't know what's going on, I ......"

"Aju, calm down, what's going on?"

"He just said that the shogun had left them and the shogunate army and had escaped to Edo overnight, so they were also preparing to go back to Edo, and he said that he wanted me to go with him, and I ......was in a hurry," she seemed to calm down a little.

"Then you don't have to kill him!" I said angrily.

She suddenly smiled sadly, and a strange look flashed on her face: "I said no, but do you believe it, I actually hope to go with him in my heart...... I ......"

I looked straight at her, and suddenly a thought flashed through my mind, and I was stunned: "Could it be you, do you already like ......"

"Say no more!" She covered her ears, "I'm a bad woman, Xiao Yin, I actually killed my husband and enemy...... I...... I must not like him, I must not go with him, I can only forget about him by doing this......"

"You, you idiot!" I jerked her up, "You sober me up, Ju, I promise, this will be the most regrettable thing you've ever done in your life!" ”

She didn't say anything again, just looked at Saburo in a daze.

What now? I try to keep myself calm. The only thing that can be done is to take advantage of the darkness to move Saburo out of here, and never let Saito or the rest of the Shinsho group know that it was Aju who did it. As soon as I thought of this, I suddenly heard a sound of footsteps outside the door, and I was about to go to the door, only to hear a "bang", and the wooden door was kicked open with a heavy kick.

I don't have to look up to know who's coming. That strong murderous aura, that oppressive feeling, only one person here will have ----- Saitoichi.

I couldn't help but smile wryly, I still have to come after all.

He looked at San Lang who was lying in a pool of blood, a dark red luster appeared in his eyes, his pupils shrank sharply, and he said to Ah Ju in a cold voice: "It's you?" ”

Ah Ju nodded solemnly.

"Huh!" With a bang, the Saito knife was unsheathed.

I was startled, and hurriedly stopped in front of Ah Ju, and reached into my arms to take out the talisman.

"You, get out of the way." A slight hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He was about to step forward, but the hem of his culottes was grabbed, and when he looked down, it was Saburo who was dying. He struggled and said, "No, it's none of her business, let it go...... ...... the rest of the words were not finished, his head tilted, and he was not breathing. Saito's eyes were darker red, and his hand holding the knife was tighter.

"San Lang ......" Ah Ju whispered and said, "Since that's the case, please give me a good time." As soon as she closed her eyes, she suddenly seemed to remember something, took two steps back sharply, and said in a trembling voice: "No, no, I can't die, please, let me go." ”

It was still an indifferent attitude just now, why did you panic like this all of a sudden? I glanced at her in confusion and found that her hand was tightly on her stomach, and I suddenly reacted that Ah Ju was pregnant. No wonder she refused to die, she was for the sake of the child...... Suddenly, I understood that the reason why Ah Ju had such a poisonous curse after her death was because of this child...... If I'm not mistaken, Saito must not have given her a chance to say it.

Saito looked at her expressionlessly, and the murderous aura in his eyes was even stronger. There was no time, I just wanted to take the charm out of my arms, but a cold light flashed in front of me, and his knife was already pointed at my neck, and said coldly: "If you want to use a trick to deal with that kind of ronin, you're welcome." ”

I looked at him in shock, and my heart sank suddenly, it turned out that he had already found out...... Is my hand fast, or his knife is fast, I don't want to know the answer. So, if I could, I try not to risk it.

However, I can't let him kill Ah Ju either. I quickly recited the Vilu mantra and formed a simple barrier outside of Aju. In this way, at least he can't hurt Ah Ju for a while.

"Mr. Saito, if you can listen to me, just a few words." I said calmly.

He thought for a moment and said, "Say." ”

"Mr. Saito said that if it is evil, it will be cut, and everything that is evil must be cut to pieces, right?"

"Not bad."

"I know that in Mr. Saito's eyes, Aju is evil now. So I want to ask, is the child in her belly also evil? ”

Saito's pupils contracted again, and he said, "Child? ”

"Yes, Ah Ju is pregnant, this child is not evil. If Mr. Saito had to kill her, he would be cut to pieces along with the innocent children, but I think it would be against your belief that you will be killed......" Seeing his face hesitate for a moment, I continued: "In this era, everyone has their own hardships and reasons for living, and even if you kill someone, sometimes it is a kind of helplessness. But please, Mr. Saito, I ask you to give this innocent child a chance to see the world and see with his eyes what the future of this country will become. Maybe he will never have to spend his future in the bloody storm again, and maybe he will never have to speak with the sword in his hand like you...... Please, give him a chance. ”

The expression on Saito's face changed dramatically, and fine sweat broke out on my forehead. He looked at me silently, his murderous aura was not as sharp as Fang Cai, and the dark red in his eyes gradually faded, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"I won't kill you today, but don't think that I will let you go like this, when the child is born, I will come to you." He said coldly, thrusting the knife back into its sheath.

Watching him withdraw the knife, I was relieved, and when I touched my forehead, it was all sweat. Fortunately, fortunately, no matter what, the task was barely completed......

He bent down to pick up Saburo's body, turned and walked out the door.

"Mr. Saito, I'll be going to see the head office soon." I said suddenly.

He stopped, was silent for a moment, and said, "It's just right, I'll go with you, and in three days, I'll wait for you outside the cantonment."

"Huh?" My mouth was half open, not knowing how to answer.

He didn't wait for me to answer, and went straight out the door.

"Thank you, Hide." Ah Ju touched her abdomen and said gratefully to me.

"Don't thank me, thank this child if you want to thank her, and raise her well." I'm still a little skeptical about her killing Saburo.

"However, Mr. Saito didn't say that he would wait until the child was born......"

"He won't." I looked out the door and whispered.

As recorded in the history books, before the Shogunate attacked, Tokugawa Yoshiki, the last shogun of the shogunate, saw that the situation was not right, and he had already become timid, accepted the advice of his subordinates to return to Taisei, fled Kyoto at night, and returned to Edo. The power of the world, which had been firmly in the hands of the shogunate since the time of Tokugawa Ieyasu, finally returned to the emperor after more than 200 years.

The members of the Shinshoku also withdrew to Edo with Tokugawa Yoshiki.

Three days later, I followed Saito on the road to Sendagaya, and I didn't want to call Siyin until I met the head office, and I didn't want to go back.