His concubine Okoto no kata, whom Tadanaka MIZUNO sent up to O-oku (the inner halls of Edo-jo Castle where the wife of the Shogun and her servants resided) to find a clue for his political participation, got affection from Ieyoshi aged over 50 then.
側室のお琴の方は、水野忠央が幕政に参加するための糸口として、大奥に挙げ、家慶は当時50代に達していたものの、寵愛した。