He changed Tiwat

For example, the ancestor of the Yuyu family, the Tatakasa-mo-tsu-Yuyu-no-Chōjō who lived 500 years ago, was called "Yuyu-Ōtatakasa-mo-tsu-Chōjō" when he reported his name. The long sword he forged was originally called "Ōtatakasa-no-Chōjō", which is a combination of his "official name" and "real name".

Mikoto Genjiro also inherited his ancestors' dedication to reviving the family business, and when announcing his name, he made a point of emphasizing his official title.

In fact, true benefactors would not use such names. For example, Kokoro would not call himself "Kokoro-no-miya Umi-no-kami Kokoro," Kujo Takayuki would not call himself "Kujo-dainagon-takayuki," and Raiden-shogun would not call himself "Raiden-miya Mitake-no-miya Mikoto-shogun-kage"...

Moreover, as Manyo said, the official title of Mikoto Genjiro was fake.

The Inatsuma Shogunate's official system was divided into two systems: "Buke" (military family) and "Kuke" (civil servants). "Uemon-suke" was a Kuke position.

Because Inazuma is a martial society, most of the high-ranking nobles are of samurai origin, and the proportion of civil officials is extremely small. Therefore, most of the official positions in the court system in Inazuma are of the "noble title" type. Similar to the leader of the Jean in Mondstadt, the actual position of the samurai is "Vice-Commander and Acting Commander of the Knights of Favonius," while the nominal position of the court is "Lionfang Knight."

This system of official ranks was divided into nine ranks, and each rank was further divided into "principal position" and "subordinate position," making a total of eighteen ranks.

Take the Kujo family, which currently wields immense power, for example. The head of the family, Takayuki, holds the official title of "Dainagon," ranking third in the court. His duties include deliberating on general affairs and delivering imperial edicts—essentially advising the Shogun on political matters, delivering memorials from subordinate officials, and then issuing decrees downwards… In Liyue, this would be equivalent to the Executive Secretary of the Moonlit Pavilion. Moreover, this Executive Secretary of the Kujo family doesn't have the Seven Stars above his head; he only has the Shogun's name on him.

Above the "Dainagon" are the "Ministers of the Left and Right" (leaders of civil officials, Junior Second Rank) and the "Regent and Grand Minister of State" (Junior First Rank, Prime Minister). These honorary positions were held by people five hundred years ago, but now they are rarely given to living people and are only used as posthumous honors to show mourning.

At the height of his power and influence, Kamisato once held the position of "Minister of the Right," but due to the "Raiden Goden" incident, he was demoted two ranks and is now known as "Chūnagon," a third-rank official position, nominally Kujō Takayuki's deputy.

This is why the Kamisato family, which used to be ranked higher than the Kujo family, is now less powerful. Kamisato Ayato still has to respect Kujo Takayuki as his superior when discussing politics before the emperor.

Ayaka suggested that Yingmei and the others steal the official documents from Kujō Mansion because all the official documents were controlled by Kujō Takayuki, the "Dainagon".

The "Uemon-suke" mentioned by Mikoto Genjiro refers to the deputy officer of the Tenshukaku Emonfu, which is the Imperial Guard. The "serious position" is called "Uemon-dō" (正五位), and the "junior position" is called "Uemon-suke" (从五位).

Among the officials of Inazuma, the top five are the "Lords of the Palace" who can meet the Shogun in the castle tower. Non-noble commoner officials must address them as "Shogun".

This is also why Manyo judged him to be lying.

Those who could hold the position of "Left and Right Guards Assistant" had to be noble samurai, and their family status had to be at least that of a hatamoto (a high-ranking official). The Mikoto family had their family status taken away 500 years ago and had never regained it. They were now just castle samurai (village samurai) in Inazuma Castle town, and there was absolutely no way they could hold this position.

Furthermore, if Genjiro were truly the Right Guard of the Castle Keep's Guard Office, he shouldn't be at the Tenryo Magistrate's Office right now; he should be standing guard in front of the castle keep. The real Guard Office officers are the Shogun's personal guards, the "Okutsume-shu," and it's not up to outsiders.

When Manyo was still the "young master of the Kaedehara family," Mikoto Genjiro was a shop assistant helping his older brother, Mikoto Genichiro, run a shop in the town.

The two brothers from the Mikoto family run a handicraft shop called "Netsuki no Gen" in Hanamizaka. "Gen" is the name of the two brothers, and "Netsuki" is a small handicraft that Inatsumi people use to hang their personal belongings, similar to a keychain.

Since the kimono worn by Inatsumi people does not have pockets, a buckle is needed to attach to the kimono's obi (sash) to hang personal items such as money pouches and inro (traditional Japanese cloth bags).

Because they are personal items, buyers of netsuke usually have some special requests for aesthetic reasons, such as having their family crest engraved on the netsuke or making it into a special shape. The Mikoto family now makes a living from this.

When Manyo was still a nobleman, he frequented "Netsuke no Gen" many times. At that time, Genjiro, who was determined to revitalize the Mikoto family, deliberately flattered him... After the Kamisato family lost power and the Kaedehara family declined, Genjiro probably switched his allegiance to the Kujo family.

The swordsmanship instructor of the Kujo family came from the "Iwakura-ryu" school and was also a relative of the Mikoto family. It is estimated that Genjiro used this relationship to gain entry into the Magistrate's Office.

In reality, both Gon Gozaemon and Okawara Goemon, who were known as "Kujo Ryoemon," held fictitious official positions.

If the Tenryo Magistrate wanted to possess a personal guard like the Emonfu, he would have to establish his own shogunate. Kujō Takayuki, naturally, dared not, so he cleverly dropped the "supervisor" from "Sōzao Emon-gū" (左右卫门督), simply referring to him as "Sōzao Emon" (左右卫门). This way, he neither overstepped his bounds nor failed to indulge in the fantasy of having a shogun's personal guards protecting his gates…

The title "Uemon-suke" given to Mikoto Genjiro was actually "an assistant officer under Okawara Goemon," shortened to "Uemon-suke," a term Mikoto Genjiro used to embellish his own reputation.

To put it bluntly, he was nothing more than the adjutant of the Kujo family's guard, or what Manyo jokingly called a "watchdog."

When Wan Ye exposed him so mercilessly, Mikoto Genjiro's face became quite a sight, alternating between red and white.

"...Kaedehara Manyo? You fugitive from the Shogunate, how dare you return to Narukami Island? Seize you!"

Before he could finish speaking, Mikoto Genjiro's long sword was already aimed at Manyo's head.

Manyo sighed and drew his sword to meet the attack, engaging in battle with Mikoto Genjiro.

To be fair, Genjiro Mikoto is quite talented, and he's honed his swordsmanship well, having fought several rounds with Manyo without being at a disadvantage. His position as a magistrate in the Tenryo Magistrate is not entirely undeserved. A certain Kanoin, who joined the Tenryo Magistrate earlier and is even more skilled in martial arts, is still only a comrade-in-arms…

However, Genjiro was too ambitious and wanted to restore the glory of the Mikoto Chiyo era five hundred years ago. He kept complaining about not having the opportunity to go to the battlefield and believed that with him leading the troops, Umijima Island could be conquered in one fell swoop.

The arrival of three fugitives was a great achievement in Genjiro's eyes, so he wielded his weapon with extra effort, displaying his martial arts skills to the fullest, determined to take the heads of these fugitives.

However, no matter how fierce his attacks were, he could not break through Manyo's defenses.

Manyo's "Isshinden" martial arts are known for his sword-drawing technique. Genjiro thought that he could easily defeat him by first attacking and suppressing his sword-drawing technique, but he did not expect that Manyo would be so troublesome even without using his sword-drawing technique.

Moreover, Manyo hasn't even used the power of the Eye of God yet.

Those who had surrounded Yingmei and the others rushed forward, and Ying and Goro, each wielding a weapon, engaged in a chaotic battle with the shogunate soldiers, creating a lively and noisy scene.

With their combined fighting prowess, breaking through the encirclement of these shogunate soldiers wouldn't be difficult, let alone killing all dozen or so of them on the spot. But their mission was to draw the guards' attention away from Kobayashi Yuzu, so the more chaotic the fight, the better.

Goro is the holder of the Rock-type Eye of God, and he is good at "changing the terrain" on the battlefield. In terms of "destroying a base", he is no less than the Shogunate's "fire extinguishing squad". As a result, the garden of the Tenryo Magistrate suffered - those carefully arranged "dry landscape", those carefully cultivated beautiful flowers and plants, were all smashed to pieces by various rocks.

Well, it's hard to say there wasn't some personal grudge involved, after all, he's been fighting with the Kujo family for so long... Of course, Ying was happy to help, she'd never been so happy losing the "Starfall Sword," and she even destroyed the nearby verandas and pavilions.

For a moment, the Tianling Fengxing Mansion was filled with smoke and dust, looking as if a bulldozer was demolishing illegal buildings...

Such a commotion naturally attracted more guards.

Okawara Goemon, the superior of Mikoto Genjiro, also joined the battle with his men.

This highly skilled disciple of the "Mirror Still Water Style" has always considered himself the "Number One Swordsman of Inazuma." In his view, the highest level of swordsmanship relies on one's own strength, not on any unorthodox or supernatural methods like the "Divine Eye."

Among those who broke into the Heavenly Territory Magistrate's Office today, there happened to be a blond swordsman with astonishing power who did not possess the Eye of God.

Ōkawara Goemon was thrilled by the sight and was determined to test his skills against the blond swordsman.

His arrival made things a bit more difficult for Yingmei. Okawara's strength far exceeded that of the ordinary soldiers, and it was almost impossible to get rid of Okawara without hurting anyone. Manyo and Goro were also surrounded by many people at this time and could not help her.

Just as Yingmei was about to draw blood with the Wufeng Sword again, a sudden sound of rolling wind and thunder came from the sky.

Amidst the sounds of wind and thunder, a mantra was also chanted: "Homage to the great power of the resounding god, faithful believer, please pray to the yellow thunder. Svaha!"

"It's 'Crow Feather Tengu Thunder Summoning Curse'! Get out of the way!" Goro roared.

He called too late.

The purple lightning in the sky had already fallen, striking Yingmei squarely—Okawara Goemon, who was standing right in front of her.

Ōkawara Goemon exhaled a puff of black smoke and fell backward.

Before he lost consciousness, he was still wondering why he had been struck by lightning out of the blue.

"It's Kujo Sara!"

Only then did Ying discover the source of the purple lightning.

Directly above the Tenryo Magistrate's Office, Kujo Sara, the general of the Kujo clan, hovered in the air, his pair of jet-black wings hidden in the night, only visible for a fleeting moment when lightning flashed.

Meanwhile, she continuously drew back the "Demon-Slaying Bow" in her hand, and black arrows rained down, accurately striking the opponents in the melee of the three.

This was the first time the shogunate soldiers had suffered such an attack from the air—previously, air superiority was the exclusive domain of the Kujo family, who possessed the Tengu General.

When the air strikes landed on their own heads, they realized how unfavorable the conditions the resistance had previously faced, and how terrible it was to lose air superiority...

The last one to fall, Mikoto Genjiro, looked utterly bewildered: "Kujou... Sara... why would she betray us..."

Nine robes landed before him and replied, "Since we have sharp swords at our waists, we should cleanse the land and rid it of the wicked and foolish!"

"What do you want to do?" Goro also drew his bow, remaining wary of Sara—Kujo Sara was his old rival who had been fighting him for almost two years, and he had to be cautious, even though she had just helped him deal with the guards of the Tenryo Magistrate.

Not to mention Mikoto Genjiro, even Goro didn't believe that Kujo Sara would suddenly betray them.

Sara calmly lowered her bow: "You are to Coral Palace Heart Sea as I am to the General. We are both people who uphold loyalty and righteousness, and I admire you. We used to have different positions, but now we can fight side by side, and 'Goro'... is a good name."

Goro wagged his tail. He couldn't understand why Sara emphasized that "Goro" was a good name.

He would get up promptly at 5:05 a.m., take five deep breaths in the courtyard and walk five laps. He had a habit of eating five mouthfuls of rice for breakfast. When buying the "Statue of the Great Master of the Imperial Palace", he would definitely buy five Kujo Sara figures... He would never explain to anyone what "lucky numbers" are.

With the unexpected reinforcement of Kujo Sara joining them, their operation became exceptionally smooth—after all, Sara had grown up here since childhood, and in terms of routes, she knew them much better than Hayato.

So much so that when Kujo Sara led the three of them, defeating the guards and breaking into Kujo Takayuki's study, Hayato, who had been hiding on the roof beams, had only just found his way there.

Kujo Takayuki was not in the study. Sara and the others searched the study thoroughly and soon found their target—the official document submitted by the Tenryo magistrate.

Together, they opened the memorial:

Looking up at the dazzling lightning of Inazuma, the grandeur of the Great Palace General's Way spreads far and wide across the seas, its might resounding throughout the eight directions. Your humble servant, Kujō Ujitenryō, respectfully presents this memorial:

The "Eye Hunting Edict" was implemented without hindrance and progressed rapidly. Under the benevolence and authority of the Grand Shogun, the reckless were all subdued, the fugitives all returned, and the people, both high and low, bowed and welcomed him. It was truly a victory that won the hearts of the people.

The peaceful and prosperous state of Inazuma is entirely due to the divine power of the Great Shogun.

Seeing the black and white words on the memorial, Kujo Sara's hand gradually clenched into a fist: "The resistance, the Coral Palace, the events at the front... the fallen soldiers, the suffering endured by the people here, are they all... insignificant?"

Chapter 160 Could it be that the heavens are enraged and the earth is shaking? Could it be that a sudden, deafening sound is coming? [4k]

Sara was adopted by the Kujo family for more than ten years, and her feelings for the Kujo family were actually much deeper than those for the Tengu clan members of Kageyama.

So even though Han Fulai presented her with that "evidence," even though she discovered the undercurrents within the Tenryo Magistrate's Office, even though the Tengu clan's strange attitude towards the Kujo family made her suspicious... she still couldn't make up her mind.

Since ancient times, loyalty to the emperor and filial piety have been difficult to reconcile. To be loyal to the general meant turning against the Kujo family, who had raised her, and to sever all ties with the "father" she had called her for over a decade...

Even Sara would find it painful to make such a choice.

After escaping from the Shadow Mountain Secret Realm, she did not return directly to the Heavenly Territory Magistrate's Office, but instead hid nearby to observe the situation—she wanted to know how the Heavenly Territory Magistrate would react after the great defeat at Nashida.

To her disappointment, the "official news" she heard in the city was that the shogunate army had won a great victory at Nashiina and would soon be able to recapture Hachiyū Island!

In addition, there is news about her: "General Kujo Sara led the charge in this battle, but was caught off guard by an enemy arrow and was seriously wounded."

Even a simple martial artist knows what this means—it's quite common for someone to die from a serious injury.

As the chief magistrate of the Tenryo magistrate and the face of the Kujo family, Kujo Sara could neither be defeated nor captured... so she could only sacrifice herself heroically.

Kujo Sara was deeply disappointed with the Kujo family and the Tenryo Magistrate.

Since Kujo's wife is dead, it's quite common for the vengeful spirit of the deceased to come and claim her life, isn't it?

Kujo Sara finally made up her mind to confront Kujo Takayuki and get to the bottom of things.

Perhaps it was fate, but Yingmei and the others happened to break into Tianling Fengxing at this very moment. To Shaluo, the current rebels were no longer enemies, but loyal men who were truly "purging the court of treacherous officials and eliminating wicked ministers," so he immediately stepped in to help.

Of course, she still showed mercy; the soldiers hit by her lightning arrows were all wounded but not dead, only temporarily incapacitated.

She recognized almost every one of the soldiers she had defeated in the magistrate's office: Goemon Okawara, Genjiro Mikoto, Koki Yada, Watanabe… In her eyes, these guards were also loyal soldiers; they had simply been deceived by their superiors and were not guilty of any crime.

In fact, until just now, Kujo Sara still harbored a tiny bit of hope—that the head of the family, like His Highness the Great, had been deceived.

As an adopted son of the Kujo family and a descendant of the Tengu, Sara was not involved in the struggles for the Kujo family's succession. However, over time, she inevitably became acquainted with many of the family's internal conflicts.

Just as the "Three Commissioners" were originally one entity, collectively known as the "Presidential Office" in public, but were constantly fighting each other in the imperial court, the Kujō family was not a monolithic entity either.

Kujo Takayuki is getting old, and his health is deteriorating day by day. There has long been an undercurrent of infighting within the family regarding the "succession rights".

Not only did her two older brothers, Masahito and Kamaji, each have the support of their respective lineage elders, but the various branch families of the Kujo family also had their own agendas.

The Takatsukasa family was the most active among them.

The Takatsukasa family is a branch of the Kujo family, but they are actually all descendants of the same ancestor, Kujo Michizane, and are equally qualified to inherit the position of head of the Kujo family—they are just different surnames.

The Kujo clan's chief steward, Takatsukasa Tokibei, who had always been by Kujo Takayuki's side, was actually considered one of the heirs of the Kujo family.

Moreover, the current head of the Takatsukasa family, Takatsukasa Susumu, lives up to his name, being ambitious and enterprising. His son, Takatsukasa Tomohide, is currently the manager of the "Danzenkata" (a branch office) of the shogunate's government office. He has a close relationship with Matsukawa Sōzen, the steward of the government office, and has already formed a considerable force in the court.

Sara had also vaguely heard that there seemed to be a grudge between Takatsukasa Susumu and Lord Takayuki... In Sara's mind, it was entirely possible that the Takatsukasa family was secretly contacting the Gujinshu and plotting a rebellion without Kujo Takayuki's knowledge...

But Kujo Takayuki's memorial shattered the last glimmer of hope in her heart.

"...This is such a disregard for human life. Why...why hide it like this..." Kujo Sara's voice trembled.

"The 'Eye Hunting Edict' was implemented without hindrance and progressed very quickly. Under the benevolence and power of the Grand Shogun, the reckless were all defeated, the fugitives all returned, and the people above and below all bowed and welcomed him. It was truly a case of winning the hearts of the people."

—In Kujo Takayuki's writing, everything is just a light and airy sentence.

Those samurai who resisted the "Eye Hunting Order" and were wanted, such as Kaedehara Manyo of the "Isshinden", Okudaira Takeshi who initiated the "Imperial Duel", and Teshima-san of Konta Village... all became "unimpeded in their implementation".

The long-standing war between the Tenryo Magistrate and Haiji Island, the crushing defeats at Fujitozan and Nashiina, and the deaths of the soldiers have all been met with "bowing and bowing in welcome by the common people."

Goro replied bluntly, "Of course it's to ensure the smooth implementation of the 'Eye Hunting Order.' Otherwise, what if your general changes his mind if these rules are included?"

In the past, Kujo Sara would have immediately refuted Goro's disrespectful remark, but now she couldn't find a reason to refute it.

"Is the Heavenly Commander deliberately deceiving the General?" she murmured.

Man'yō sighed softly: "Miss Kujō Sara may not have heard that the Fools, in conjunction with the Heavenly Territory Magistrate, have opened the Evil Eye Factory on Hachiyū Island, using the flesh and blood of the Inazuma people as experimental subjects..."

Saro shook her head: "I know. I just don't want to believe it."

Ying glanced at her: "So you believe it now?"

Saro paused for a moment, then nodded.

"……Um."

She has now realized that everything she has insisted on until now was just Kujo Takayuki's ambition, and that she was merely a convenient tool.

—But once a tool becomes unusable, Kujo Takayuki does not hesitate to discard it.

Adopting and raising her was nothing more than a means to influence the Tengu's power, as well as to solidify the Kujo family's position and public support.

From beginning to end, she, as an "adopted daughter," was merely a pawn in Kujo Takayuki's game.