Synopsis
The an donuts that Jin and Saki had presented to Princess Kazunomiya are suspected to be laced with arsenic and they are put into the Kodenmacho jailhouse on charges of attempted poisoning. Because it is the princess who was poisoned, the matter has to be dealt with in absolute secrecy or it would jeopardise the union of the shogunate and the Imperial family, and plunge the shogunate into a crisis. Everything will be blamed on Jin and Saki in order to bury the matter.
Jin, who is sent to the great jailroom, is subjected to unrelenting treatment by the head of the prisoner’s group and his underlings. Before long, 100 ryo in bribes is paid for Jin by a mysterious man who is described to have the appearance of a merchant. With that bribe, Jin’s life might be spared … …
But when he declines an offer by the the head of a prisoner’s group to promote him to one of his attendants and instead dares to ask that everyone’s tatami mats be spread out, the man attempts to instigate the rest of the common criminals to kill Jin. That unexpectedly backfires. Sick of killing people on his orders, the common criminals turn against him. One even strikes him in the chest, and he crumples to the ground unconscious. Guessing that he may have a ventricular tachycardia, Jin thumps hard on his chest and saves his life. In awe, the prisoners reverentially get down on their knees one by one and bow to him.
What awaits Jin next is brutal physical torture by government officials. He eventually resigns himself to death and to face Heaven’s judgment.
Meanwhile, Katsu, Ryoma and Kyotaro enlist Shinmon Tatsugoro’s cooperation and attempt to intercede with the shogunate to rescue Jin. Although a merchant, Shinmon is close to Tokugawa Yoshinobu because his daughter is one of the shogun’s concubines.
