The Empire will continue to win

"Second brother!!!"

"Where are you, Second Brother?"

Suddenly, an extremely loud shout came from outside, so loud that it was as if a sharp sword pierced through the deliberately created "wabi" and "sabi".

"There's a friend of mine outside. Go and greet him."

"Yes."

Motoko Takei immediately stood up and left the tea garden with small, quick steps.

Once the slender figure disappeared outside the door, Shen Moqing immediately drew his gun and quickly checked the area around the tea garden. Behind the curtain, under the table, outside the window—no one, no one, still no one.

Call ~

Safety.

Could it be that I've made a mistake in my suspicions?

.........

I just sat back down on the stool.

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside. Zhang Zongcang rushed in with his right hand tucked into his clothes, and found himself unharmed.

"Second brother, you ran away without saying a word, you scared me to death."

"I have a date with a beautiful lady, let's chat about romance. Brother, why don't you sit outside for a while? I'll call you if I need anything." Shen Moqing blinked and handed over a pot of tea and a plate of snacks.

"Um."

Zhang Zongcang glanced at the uneasy-looking Takei Motoko, then left on his own.

Another apology~

This time, instead of bowing, I'll sit on my knees.

Wearing a furisode kimono, Motoko leaned forward with her hands in an inward-pointing manner, touching the ground with her forehead. This was a deeply humiliating and respectful form of apology, with a long and rich history.

"I am truly sorry. My actions must have caused you to misunderstand, sir. Instead of helping you relax, they have made you even more exhausted. Thank you!"

hiss~

Although there are areas of poverty, there are also areas of wealth.

Good butt!

Shen Moqing pondered for a moment, determined to find out the truth today.

"Motoko, what are your thoughts on the war that just broke out between our two countries?"

Sakura Beauty was startled. Horse, horse, Masaka~

But the response remained flawless: "Are you referring to the armed conflict that broke out in Korea?"

War → Armed conflict.

It's quite interesting to savor it carefully.

"Exactly."

"I believe this is the wrong war!"

"Oh?"

"Yes, this was the wrong war, fought at the wrong time, in the wrong place. I am against this war."

Her beautiful, large eyes were filled with sorrow.

His words were absolutely certain.

It sounds very sincere.

Yes, the Peninsular War was initiated and led by the Eastern Empire's Army Ministry, and the Navy naturally opposed it.

.........

Shen Moqing pondered for a moment.

"Yuanzi, I'll tell you a secret, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone. Back then, those compatriots of yours who besieged me were all spies sent by your country's Ministry of the Army."

"Ah~ I apologize to you for the terrible behavior of my compatriots." Motoko stood up and bowed again. "I am truly sorry, these people are so rude."

rude?

Was the act of throwing a bomb at the imperial court merely rudeness?

Shen Moqing roared inwardly, and suddenly, he grabbed the beauty's soft hand.

Faced with the rude warrant officer, Motoko Takei lowered her head slightly, her large eyes blinking beneath her long, beautiful eyelashes. Her hair was perfectly styled, and her makeup was exquisite.

The face has some defined features, but they are not harsh.

Her gentleness was tempered with a touch of heroism, and her helplessness concealed a hint of stubbornness.

She said in a low voice, "No, you can't. I'm a butler."

"The Imperial Navy warrant officer thinks it's acceptable."

"Young master, please look~" Takei Motoko raised her hand, and a red ring was clearly visible on her slender middle finger.

"What does it mean?"

"There is a rule at Hefenglou that all women who are menstruating must wear a red ring to avoid misunderstandings with customers."

hiss~

Professor Shen wasn't a beast, after all: "Next time, next time. Now, go find a few girls to come and chat with me."

"What type of person does the young master like?"

"Gentle as water, passionate as fire, born into poverty, with lofty aspirations, and speaks Chinese."

"Yes."

.........

Takei Motoko felt as if she had been granted a pardon and left through the door.

Before long, he returned with three young Japanese women dressed in floral yukatas. In terms of appearance, each had her own unique charm, but in terms of background, they were all poor.

"Vatasiva Momoka, from Sendai."

"Watashiwa Haruko is from Sapporo."

"Michiko Watashiwa is from Kumamoto."

"Watashiwa Asuka, from Okayama."

The above-mentioned regions are all places that produce poor people. They consider eating a seaweed rice ball as celebrating the New Year, and if they add some soy sauce, they will praise it as "super good".

"Sit down, sit down, don't be shy, everyone sit down."

An unconventional, open-ended academic seminar.

Political science is indeed a very special discipline, as it not only explores the macro situation but also requires observation of micro individuals.

"My first question is, what are your family backgrounds?"

Professor Shen was clearly in the zone; his accent was rather unusual, but that was a testament to his professionalism.

The women all shouted in unison, "The farmer!"

Motoko: "Samurai."

The professor thought to himself, it's normal for farmers to do this, but it's quite rare for samurai to do it. No wonder Motoko's height stands out from the crowd.

"My second question is, what are your reasons for working in this field?"

Everyone said in unison: "The father is poor, the mother is often ill, the younger brother is in school, and the younger sister is still very young."

Motoko: "I don't want to be a slave to money; I want to be its master."

They sound different, but they mean the same thing.

.........

"To be the master?"

"Yes. Before landing at Dagu Port, I set a life goal for myself: to serve in the military for eight years. After that, I would take the money I had earned back to my hometown and marry a suitable husband."

"Won't he mind?"

"My wife is beautiful, and I have a lot of money. What's there to mind?"

Where is your hometown?

"Osaka."

That's not surprising; people from Osaka are quite pragmatic.

Marry a beautiful wife, acquire a fortune, open a small shop, have several sons (like Taro and Jiro), and after a few generations, you'll become a celestial being.

That's right.

Shen Moqing himself has a deep understanding of Japanese culture, which is a reflection of his professional competence. So what does international politics mainly study?

It's only one beauty and two days.

Once you've thoroughly studied these two, everything else is just fluff.

.........

"My third question is, were you all here voluntarily?"

"I guess so," Asuka, from the Okayama region, replied softly.

"What does 'consider' mean?"

"The principal of the town's elementary school said that girls should go out and earn money to ease the burden on their families. So, we all went out."

"What if they don't come out?"

"In that case, the family will starve to death."

"Do any of you have relatives who starved to death?"

"my father."

Momoka spoke calmly. People from the harsh, cold region of Sendai are generally resilient; death is a common occurrence for them.

"My little brother."

Haruko's eyes were slightly red, longing for the cold winds of Hokkaido.

"My whole family died except for my mother."

Michiko cried. This awful place, Kumamoto, really does have giant bears that come down from the mountains in search of food.

"My two older sisters and one younger sister."

Asuka wiped away her tears, and she had to admit that the Okayama region was notoriously poor.

"What a tragic world." Shen Moqing remained calm and did not laugh out loud, after all, he was a professional.