He changed Tiwat

As a descendant, Kujo Takayuki was unwilling to tarnish the glory of his ancestors, and escaping was definitely not an option for the Kujo family.

Although he did not personally draw his sword and fight, he did use all his strength to confront the enemy head-on, even though he almost lost his life and caused the death of his confidant.

"It's alright... The 'Unthinking Strike' will surely fall upon their heads..."

Kujo Takayuki slowly squatted down and covered Takatsukasa Tokibei's face with his hand.

While Tokibei's death angered him, that was all he felt.

He will not mourn for Tokibei.

Eight years ago, he also covered the face of Tokibei's biological father, the younger brother of the head of the Takatsukasa family, the town magistrate Takatsukasa Isamu, with his hand.

Like Tokibei, Takatsukasa Isamu also died with his eyes wide open in anger—the difference being that Takatsukasa Isamu was killed by him, while Tokibei died at the hands of his adopted daughter, Sara.

He ordered the assassination of Takatsukasa Isamu because he had sensed Takatsukasa Isamu's disloyalty and wanted to prevent the Takatsukasa family from replacing the Kujo family's position. His promotion of Takatsukasa's son, Tokibei, was a way of winning over and appeasing the Takatsukasa family…

In fact, a few years later, when he was nearing the end of his life, he planned to take Tokibei with him on his final journey.

Tokibei knows too many secrets and is more capable than Masahiro and Kamaji. If he stays, he will only threaten the Kujo family's legacy.

He just didn't expect this day to come so soon.

He suddenly shuddered.

"It's so cold..."

His luxurious haori was a formal dress, made of silk, and did not provide warmth.

Normally, servants would bring him extra clothes at times like this, and Tokibei would bring him medicine and remind him to take care of his health... But now, he was all alone.

The chaos in Inazuma Castle continued. The firefighting team that rushed to put out the fire at the "Thousand-Handed and Hundred-Eyed Statue" was in a flurry of activity, only to find that the fireball of unknown origin had extinguished itself.

This, in turn, triggered a new wave of panic.

—Could this be divine punishment from heaven?

Why would Heaven punish a deity's statue?

Could it be that the shogunate has angered the heavens?

Rumors spread like wildfire.

Meanwhile, the smoke and dust rising from the Tenryo Magistrate's residence attracted the attention of many dignitaries in the Upper City. Many mansions sent their servants and guards to the Kujo family to find out what was going on, and even got into a dispute with the Tenryo Magistrates who were responsible for maintaining order.

Ying then mingled with the chaotic crowd and ran towards the castle tower.

Similar to the Jade Tower in Liyue Harbor, the castle tower is built at the highest point in the city and also has a long staircase to climb.

The Yukyodai is guarded by the Sengan Army, while the castle tower is guarded by the Okuzawa clan.

Furthermore, the castle tower is actually a "castle within a castle"—presumably because Inazuma was frequently ravaged by war, the castle tower was designed with military superiority in mind, being easy to defend and difficult to attack. There is only one staircase leading to the castle tower; all other directions are sheer cliffs. If you want to see the shogun, you can only take this route.

Despite the chaos in the castle tonight, the Okuzume Guards, who were guarding the castle tower, remained unaffected and continued to perform their duties meticulously.

Ying was stopped by the Otsu's soldiers guarding the steps.

"stop!"

"This is a restricted area. Entry is prohibited without permission!"

Several soldiers, armed with long spears, aimed at Yingmei, who was blindly rushing in.

"This is a sacred place; please refrain from making any noise!"

A fully armed warrior stepped forward from the crowd, scrutinizing the blond foreigner before him with a cautious gaze.

He is the leader of the Okuzawa clan on duty today, Naoe Saemon-no-Tsuhisa.

The Okuzume-shu was established nearly 500 years ago. It was independent of the shogunate army and was a personal guard unit directly under the shogun. It was also the guard of the castle tower's emon office—the "emon" that the "Kujo Ryoemon" had usurped.

The sole purpose of Oz's forces is to ensure that the general always has unconditionally trustworthy and readily available power by his side.

From commanders to soldiers, almost all of them were personally selected by General Raiden and then passed down through generations. It can be said that every soldier of the Otsuki clan is a loyal and righteous man who has been passed down for nearly five hundred years.

The chieftains of the Okuzawa clan were called Hatamoto, and there were three chieftains: Hatamoto samurai from the Naoe, Shima, and Kana families.

Naoe Hisamasa, the hatamoto of the Naoe family, was "Saemon-no-katsu" (Left Guard Commander), and Shima Masaoki, the hatamoto of the Shima family, was "Uemon-no-katsu" (Right Guard Commander), both holding the rank of Junior Fifth Rank. Kana Saizo, the hatamoto of the Kana family, was "Uemon-no-suke" (Right Guard Assistant), a Junior Fifth Rank. All of them were "denshojin" (Lords of the Palace) who could meet the Shogun.

From their family backgrounds to their official positions, these three families of Okuzawa hatamoto were on par with the "Three Commissioners"—the Kansei Commissioner, Hiiragi Shinsuke, was also a hatamoto, and his official rank in the Imperial Court was only "Minbu Taifu," a fifth-rank official.

Furthermore, as the Shogun's direct troops, they, like the "Kirigiri Takane" of yesteryear, can be considered the Shogun's direct retainers. In this sense, the Okuzawa clan can be considered the Shogun's true "own people," and their actual status is probably slightly higher than that of the "Three Commissioners" and other "outside retainers."

The Three Commissioners have no authority to mobilize the Okuzawa Clan, and the Okuzawa Clan will not concern themselves with anything other than protecting the Shogun. To put it extremely, even if the rebels from Umijima Island stormed into Inazuma Castle and smashed the Tenryo Commissioner's Office to pieces, the Okuzawa Clan would not even glance at them as long as they did not rush towards the castle tower.

So even though there was such a commotion in the city tonight, with fires and smoke, Ottoman's soldiers didn't care at all.

But if someone trespasses on the general's castle tower, that's a different matter altogether.

And this trespasser is...

"I want to see the general," Ying said, forcibly suppressing the urge to draw her sword.

Naoe Hisamasa was somewhat amused and exasperated; he recognized Ying's face on the wanted poster.

—The wanted criminal whom the general personally ordered to be "built into the statue" delivered himself to their doorstep.

If a wanted criminal is just running around the city with his face showing like that, what are the officials in charge of the Heavenly Court doing?

Even if she's a wanted criminal, just for trespassing into the castle tower's forbidden area, Naoe Hisamasa should have arrested her on the spot.

...The problem is that the official in charge of the company gave prior notice that no one except the Winter Solstice Envoy should be allowed into the castle tower tonight.

Naoe Hisamasa had no reason not to do this favor, which was both reasonable and in accordance with the law—it was much more in accordance with the law than when that person asked him to go and see the newly built mansion on the eve of the "Hunting Eye Ceremony".

As for what happened near the castle tower that night?

Nothing happened.

Well, nothing should have happened today.

Naoe Hisamasa turned his face away, pretending not to recognize the wanted criminal, and firmly rejected the other party's request for an audience: "The General holds a high position and great power, and governs all the people of Inazuma. Idle people should not disturb him."

He specifically emphasized the term "unrelated persons," implying that Ying should understand her status as a wanted criminal and not make things difficult for him.

Unfortunately, Ying didn't understand.

Compared to these bureaucrats who always speak in roundabout ways, Yingmei understands the language of fists and swords much better.

Seeing Yingmei draw her sword, Naoe Hisamasa had no choice but to draw his sword as well.

At that moment, a figure descended from the sky and landed in front of Naoe Hisamasa.

The newcomer waved his hand and took out an arrow-shaped token.

“I am General Salo, Right Guard Commander. I have important matters to discuss with His Highness the General. This person is an important witness that I have found, and he will accompany me to the audience with the Emperor.”

The "General" Sara is not the self-proclaimed General of Umijima by Goro, but a "Right General of the Imperial Guard" personally appointed by the General.

The position of General of the Imperial Guard was originally the commander-in-chief of the Shogun's Imperial Guard and the overall commander of the soldiers within the castle tower. Five hundred years ago, even figures like Naoe Hisamasa would have had to acknowledge Sara as their superior. However, because the Shogun renamed the Imperial Guard to the Okuzawa-shu, the original Imperial Guard was no longer established. Now, Sara's position as General of the Imperial Guard is merely a nominal one, representing only her honor of serving the Shogun.

When Sara was young, she was sent to the castle tower by Kujo Takayuki. She was highly regarded by the shogun, who granted her the right to enter and leave the castle tower in this position.

Although it was a nominal position, it was a high-ranking one, and those who held it truly had the qualifications to meet the emperor.

The fact that Sara had never used her high-ranking general position to intimidate others before doesn't mean that the position was useless; at least it's really useful now.

Naoe Hisamasa was now in a dilemma.

"Lord Saro... The General is currently in talks with the Winter Solstice envoy and has instructed us not to disturb him. Could you perhaps schedule another time..."

"Get out of the way!"

Sara refused to listen to his nonsense and forced her way in. Ying followed without saying a word.

The soldiers of Ojatasatru dared not lay a hand on General Saro, nor did they dare to actually let anyone in; they could only form a human wall and slowly retreat.

So the scene became that Sara and Hikari were going up the stairs forward, while the Otsui clan were going up the stairs backward...

What Man-yo and Goro, who followed behind, witnessed was this utterly comical scene.

Just as they were about to follow, a bolt of lightning in the shape of a fox suddenly descended from the sky—strike straight at Yingmei.

Caught completely off guard, Ying was struck unconscious by lightning.

A pair of slender hands supported the limp Yingmei; it was none other than the priest of Narukami Shrine.

“Sara, the time is not yet to meet the general. Come back with me,” Yae no Miko said to Sara.

"Yae...Kamiji?" Kujo Sara stared in surprise at the Kamiji who had stopped her.

"Otherwise, you'll end up like this little guy, fainting in a very embarrassing way, won't you?"

She even deliberately pinched Yingmei's nose.

It's really embarrassing to be knocked unconscious and then groped.

Sara took a deep breath and asked, "When are you referring to the opportune time?"

Yae no Miko smiled: "Three days later. Three days later, everything will be clear."

P.S.: Here's a special mention of the NPCs in the game whose names appear. They're all quite memorable.

Naoe Hisamasa's historical prototype is Naoe Kanetsugu (the eccentric warlord who wrote the word "love" on his helmet). His most famous act, known as the "Naoe Letter," involves writing a letter to the powerful Tokugawa Ieyasu, infuriating him and triggering the Battle of Sekigahara, a pivotal battle in Japanese history. Yes, he was a staunch traitor.

Shima Masaoki, whose historical prototype is Shima Kiyooki, also known as Shima Sakon, is portrayed in the game as a wandering samurai who was discovered by the Shima family, given a family name, and promoted to hatamoto (chieftain). Historically, Shima Kiyooki, however, was a wandering samurai who was recruited into the service of Ishida Mitsunari with half of his own salary—the origin of the Japanese idiom "sharing the salary between lord and vassal," a metaphor for "gratitude for being recognized and appreciated." In the later Battle of Sekigahara, he opposed Tokugawa Ieyasu and ultimately died a heroic death on the battlefield—making him a rebel.

Saizo, whose historical prototype is Kana Saizo, was nicknamed "Bamboo Skewer Saizo." He was on Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Army side, and earned the nickname by beheading seventeen Western Army generals at the Battle of Sekigahara and marking their heads with bamboo skewers. However, he was a direct disciple of the Hozoin Spear School (the Kitain family in the game, the one recruited by the Shabu-bu), and he frequently switched allegiances, serving Oda Nobunaga, Shibata Katsuie, Akechi Mitsuhide, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Fukushima Masanori, and others. He had no loyalty to the Tokugawa clan and could be considered a potential traitor.

So... Ayane's inner circle consists of rebels, which is why Ayato Kamisato was able to easily help the resistance infiltrate the castle tower (Ayane is truly pitiful).

Chapter 167 The Harvest Season is Approaching [4k]

The town of Inazuma Castle is the city's commercial street. Even though its former prosperity has faded due to the "isolation edict" and the shadow of war, it is still the most bustling place in the city.

The most famous clothing store in Zen-Inazuma, "Ogura-ya," the rare and exotic shop known for having everything, "Kujukumono," "Shimura-ya," which aims to become the number one ryotei in Teyvat, and "Akisa Senyu," a hot spring resort built in imitation of Nata's "Nyusen no Shu," are all located on this street.

However, just as midnight struck today, all the shops in the town had already quietly closed their doors, leaving only the lanterns in front of each shop swaying in the wind, looking rather desolate.

In the past, the shops in the town would not usually close this early.

This is precisely the time when those dignitaries, having enjoyed the "volcanic hot springs" and the passionate, intimate massages from the young women at "Qiusha Qiantang," would then head to another shop for a drink.

Unfortunately, Inazuma Castle was not peaceful tonight. First, the "Thousand-Armed Hundred-Eyed Statue" caught fire, and then the Tenryo Magistrate's Office seemed to have suffered a disaster as well. The castle was in chaos, and naturally, few people were in the mood to have fun in the town.

Businessmen are the most prudent of all; closing their doors and waiting for the chaos to pass is the sensible thing to do right now.

However, while everyone else kept their doors and windows closed, a warm light still shone from one izakaya.

—The most unique izakaya in the entire Inazuma City, "Uyu-tei".

The nobles of Inatsuki say that Inatsuki Castle has two great places of elegance: the tea at the "Wooden Leak Tea House" and the sake at the "Uyu-tei".

"Mulou Tea House" is a century-old establishment that has hosted the General and enjoys a long-standing reputation, which goes without saying. "Wuyou Pavilion" has only been around for a little over ten years, but it is able to be as famous as "Mulou Tea House" because it has something special about it - the fact that it stays open when others close is enough to show its uniqueness.

"Utopia" first gained fame because of its liquor.

Inazuma is poor in produce, and the only local alcoholic beverage is rice wine, which is called "sake".

Sake has a mild flavor, just like its name suggests. Holding a glass of sake while appreciating flowers and the moon, and reciting poems about nature, is indeed elegant. However, if you want to get drunk and enjoy yourself to the fullest, sake is hard to satisfy your needs.

In the "Utopia Pavilion," one can find famous wines from all over the world—Dandelion Wine from Mondstadt, White Wine from Liyue, Wine from Fontaine, Cold-Soaked Snake Wine from Sumeru, Fire Water from Winter... and even the new product, Fontaine, which contains Nata's specialty "Gokakuka."

Especially after the "lockdown order" was implemented, if you wanted to drink foreign beverages, you could only come to "Utopia".

While other izakayas are struggling to make ends meet, "Uyu-tei" is becoming increasingly popular.

Not to mention the proprietress, Erika Okazaki, is young, beautiful, and hospitable. She is also an excellent cook, making her the izakaya's living advertisement and attracting countless repeat customers.

But Uyu-tei is famous not only for its sake and food, but more importantly for its owner—the owner of Uyu-tei, Rikuto Okazaki.

Okazaki Rikuto, the owner, doesn't really act like a boss. People never see him running a business. He just sits in the shop drinking every day. When customers come, he sits and drinks with them. When no customers come, he sits at the counter and drinks by himself.

In short, he was drunk from morning till night.

As Rikuto Okazaki often said, "With sake in hand and delicious food always by my side, how can I not have a drink after a life of toil?"

First-time customers often wonder why the lazy owner of this shop hasn't drunk them out.

But regular customers know that Uncle Okazaki is the soul of "Uyutei". After all, "Uyutei" sells not only alcohol and food, but also a fictitious product - "connections".

The fact that "Uyu-tei" was able to obtain famous wines from various countries despite the "lockdown order" already shows how extensive Okazaki-san's connections are.

However, Uncle Okazaki's connections extend far beyond just sourcing foreign liquors. From the Tenryo Magistrate's Office to the Inatsuma Islands, it seems there's no news in Inatsuma that he can't get his hands on. For instance, the details of the commotion that just occurred at the Tenryo Magistrate's Office reached Uncle Okazaki's ears in less than half an hour.

"Rebel rebels broke into the Tenryo Magistrate's Office at night, and General Kujo Sara betrayed the Kujo family"—such explosive news was naturally covered up by Kujo Takayuki's gag order. However, Okazaki Rikuto had already started using it as "side dish" and chatted with the customer who was still drinking in the shop.

“Actually, I’ve known this day would come for a while.” Okazaki Rikuto swirled the sake in his hand. “A few months ago, that Ms. Sara came to the shop to apologize for some oni guy scribbling on the shop door. You know, that oni guy never looks where he’s going to write a challenge letter…”