"Hey, seriously? The Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree have both been abolished?!"
"Oh my god, the notices are already being posted!"
"Hahahahaha, Inazuma has finally torn apart the darkness!!!"
Throughout the streets and alleys,
joyful voices echoed everywhere.
The oppressed citizens had finally welcomed the light.
Shogunate soldiers stood in the streets, publicly reading the decrees issued by the Shogun.
"Citizens, the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree have now been completely abolished."
"After investigation, these two policies were found to be harmful to Inazuma's development. Furthermore, Her Excellency the Shogun was deceived by treacherous individuals."
"All confiscated Visions will be returned. Any citizens who have suffered oppression may now come forward with their grievances."
Hearing this announcement,
the people became even more excited and immediately began cheering.
From this day onward, they could freely conduct trade without fearing sudden arrests from the Shogunate soldiers.
This was truly wonderful.
At that moment, one citizen suddenly asked:
"Um, Mister Soldier, what do you mean by saying the Shogun was deceived?"
Hearing the question,
the soldier let out a deep sigh.
"It concerns the two major commissions. Here is the official notice!"
After posting the first announcement, the other soldiers began putting up the following notices as well.
Looking at the crimes committed by the two major commissions, the citizens were all shocked.
"Wait, the Kujou Commission actually colluded with foreign spies! That damned executioner, what exactly was he trying to do?"
"I knew wars couldn't possibly last that long. So it was all a conspiracy!"
"The Kujou Clan really are monsters. Look, they even withheld compensation for fallen soldiers!"
Just moments ago, the citizens had been so happy they wanted to dance.
Now they were all cursing furiously.
Nobody had expected the Kujou Clan to be this disgusting.
This was no longer simple wrongdoing.
It was outright treason!
However, the fate of the Kujou Clan was equally miserable.
Not only were they stripped of their commission authority, but all of their assets were confiscated. As for the clan members themselves, the entire family line was sentenced to execution.
There was no point talking about innocence.
Since they had enjoyed the benefits of being a great clan, they naturally had to bear the consequences as well.
At this moment, all members of the Kujou Clan had been arrested by Kujou Sara.
Some attempted to resist, but faced with overwhelming evidence of their crimes,
they ultimately collapsed to their knees in despair.
That young master who had once gone to Mt. Yougou's Grand Narukami Shrine to cause trouble actually foamed at the mouth and died from fright after hearing he would be executed.
Looking at her cousin, who reeked of urine, Kujou Sara's face filled with disgust.
"Hurry up and drag him away. Don't let him continue staying here."
"Yes, ma'am."
Wealth.
Property.
Everything.
All of it had to be returned to Inazuma.
Yet even so, the sins of the Tenryou Commission could never truly be repaid.
After completing the confiscation, Kujou Sara immediately rushed toward the Kanjou Commission without stopping.
When countless soldiers surrounded the clan estate, the clan head was initially furious.
But the moment the soldiers produced the evidence,
the arrogant patriarch instantly seemed to lose all his strength and collapsed limply onto the ground.
"No, this can't be happening."
"I've made great contributions to Inazuma!"
"How could I be executed?"
"I want to see Her Excellency the Shogun!"
Seeing this, Kujou Sara instructed the soldiers:
"Stuff his mouth and take him away."
Neither of the two commissions could be spared.
Watching the head of the Kanjou Commission being dragged away, Kujou Sara walked through the pavilions and arrived outside the room of the commission's young lady.
The girl's face was pale, and her fingers trembled nonstop.
"Are you going to... kill me too?"
Hiiragi Chisato tried to calm herself down, but when the moment truly arrived, she still could not stop trembling in fear.
Kujou Sara's stern face revealed a rare smile as she shook her head.
"No. The official decree states that you are permitted to change your name and identity. You may live as an ordinary citizen of Inazuma, and you are even allowed to become an official."
This was effectively an exceptional appointment.
Hiiragi Chisato was utterly stunned. She wondered if she had heard wrong.
The daughter of a criminal minister was not only spared from death,
but was even allowed to become an official.
"Is... is this real?"
Hiiragi Chisato did not fear hardship.
In truth, she had long despised the things her family had done.
Their destruction was actually a good thing.
Kujou Sara nodded lightly and explained:
"You should be grateful for the kindness you showed in the past. It's because of that that you were granted a chance to live."
"So that's how it is... no wonder..."
Hiiragi Chisato suddenly understood.
The reason she had been spared was because she had done many good deeds in the past.
Truly, every action carried its own consequences.
Later on, Hiiragi Chisato disappeared entirely.
But a woman named Chizuru appeared in Inazuma.
She carried herself elegantly, treated others generously, and possessed exceptional working ability.
She later even became one of Inazuma's diplomats.
But those were matters for the future and need not be discussed for now.
Raiden Ei's policies were currently being implemented at full speed.
Inazuma welcomed enormous reforms.
But comparatively speaking, the Fatui were having a miserable time.
Not only were they being hunted down by soldiers, they were also being treated as food by the yokai.
Takuno destroyed an entire stronghold with a single slash before raising his arm and shouting:
"Brothers, kill these thieves stealing our nation! Return clear skies to Inazuma!"
"Kill them!"
The Fatui fled in panic.
Even those who escaped onto the sea were still hunted down and killed.
Takuno searched everywhere for the Harbinger's whereabouts, but unfortunately, he went from Narukami Island all the way to Yashiori Island without finding even a trace of the man.
"Damn it, my luck really sucks."
The great swordsman could not help cursing before destroying the Delusion factory with another sword strike.
Nearby buildings collapsed continuously.
All those sins were finally erased.
Meanwhile, nearby.
On Watatsumi Island,
the spies responsible for monitoring external affairs quickly used a Den Den Mushi to report to Sangonomiya Kokomi.
"My lady, urgent news. The thunderstorm has disappeared..."
"What did you say?"
A trace of delight appeared on Sangonomiya Kokomi's pale face.
The thunderstorm disappearing,
didn't that mean Su Han had succeeded?
What wonderful news.
The intelligence agent at the front line confirmed the information once again.
"My lady, the thunderstorm has completely vanished!"
"Whew, that truly is good news. Hang up the call for now. I need to inform the people. Since the thunderstorm is gone, we can finally conduct trade."
Ever since Su Han left, Watatsumi Island had been preparing for trade.
With his massive support,
the island's technology had advanced rapidly, and they had prepared large amounts of goods.
Aside from ordinary seafood,
the islanders had specifically prepared Watatsumi Island specialties, such as Coral Pearls and special medicinal herbs.
These could all be exchanged for huge amounts of Mora.
"Understood, my lady. Please continue your work..."
The call ended.
Sangonomiya Kokomi happily transmitted the news through the public broadcast system and announced joyfully:
"Everyone, you may now rest assured. The war has completely ended, and we can finally live peacefully."
"The thunderstorm has now disappeared. Citizens who have prepared ships may head directly to Liyue. You don't need to worry about being mistreated there. As long as you mention Mister Su Han's name, someone will naturally welcome you."
"From today onward, Watatsumi Island will move toward happiness!"
After hearing the news, the citizens reacted just like the people of Narukami Island.
They burst into tears and danced joyfully.
Without the thunderstorm, they no longer had to live in poverty.
Sure enough, following Lady Sangonomiya Kokomi had been the right decision.
Everything was moving in a better direction.
Inside the room,
Sangonomiya Kokomi watched the reactions of the citizens through the image-transmitting Den Den Mushi and smiled happily.
But soon her expression changed, and she immediately began dry heaving.
At this point, her pregnancy was already showing, and her lower abdomen had visibly swollen.
The shrine maiden beside her quickly offered the prepared preserved plums.
Originally, Sangonomiya Kokomi disliked sour foods like this.
But a few days ago, when she had completely lost her appetite, she accidentally ate a pastry containing plums and unexpectedly grew fond of the flavor.
"My lady, do you truly not intend to tell Mister Su Han?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi placed a plum into her mouth. The rich sour taste finally relaxed her expression.
Hearing the subordinate's question,
she gently shook her head.
The shrine maiden looked worried.
"But this really can't continue like this."
She could not eat properly.
She could not sleep properly.
And she constantly suffered from nausea.
What ordinary woman could possibly endure this?
Sangonomiya Kokomi opened her eyes and looked at the sunlight streaming through the window before softly sighing and stroking her lower abdomen.
"Su Han is very busy. We shouldn't trouble him."
"Besides, Inazuma has only just been liberated. There are still many matters needing to be handled."
"This matter was my fault to begin with. Be good..."
In truth, she also longed to receive Su Han's affection and care.
But those thoughts were deeply buried within her heart.
There had never been love between them.
At most, they only shared a brief encounter.
Moreover, she had been the one trying to scheme against Su Han that time. The fact that he did not pursue the matter further was already generous enough.
Continuing to trouble him would only make her appear shameless.
Sangonomiya Kokomi felt that perhaps the current situation was already the best possible outcome.
After remaining silent for a moment, the shrine maiden voiced her concern.
"You may think it's fine, but how will you explain the child after they're born?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi's calm face instantly turned panicked.
That's right.
What would happen after the child was born?
Explaining things itself would not be difficult.
But when the child eventually asked about their father, what excuse could she possibly give?
Lies were exposed not only because they were false,
but because once a person began lying, they needed countless more lies to cover the original one.
Sangonomiya Kokomi thought for a long time but still failed to come up with a good solution.
"We'll deal with future matters in the future. I want to be alone for a while."
"Alright then..."
Looking at her exhausted expression, the shrine maiden slowly withdrew from the room.
After stepping outside,
she made up her mind.
"I can't let my lady suffer alone. Now that the restrictions are gone and the war has ended, maybe I can go find Lord Su Han. Based on the current situation, he's most likely staying at the Grand Narukami Shrine or Inazuma City."
The girl's name was Hatsuharu.
She had followed Sangonomiya Kokomi since childhood.
The two were as close as sisters.
Watching the other girl lose herself day after day, Hatsuharu felt she could no longer remain idle.
She had to do something.
The shrine maiden found her companion and shared her plan.
"But traveling from here to the Grand Narukami Shrine will take several days. There could still be danger on the road. Are you really sure about this?"
Although the war had ended,
what if some soldiers still harbored malicious intentions?
Hatsuharu shook her head.
"But my lady's condition can't be delayed any longer. If the islanders discover that she became pregnant before marriage, the consequences will definitely be terrible. I must find Mister Su Han. Even if I die, it'll still be worth it."
"Alright... then. I have some travel money here. Take it with you."
This was the only support her good friend could offer.
Hatsuharu smiled upon hearing that.
"Thank you."
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