Chapter 306: Uesugi Muneyuki's Engagement

One week later, on November 27, Uesugi Muneyuki and Watanabe Minami officially held their engagement ceremony at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel.

"Why is it always held at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked this question.

His father, Uesugi Hironori, smiled and explained: the reason every event is preferred to be held at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel is due to the peculiar habit of his grandfather, Uesugi Kuninori.

When his grandfather was born, the Peerage system still existed, but by the time he was a few years old, the Peerage system faced the danger of abolition; at that time, Five-Star MacArthur decided to completely abolish the Peerage system and strike hard against the Old Nobility, and the system he formulated almost confiscated over 80% of the Peerage's assets.

Of course, for every policy from above, there is a countermeasure from below; those Imperial Family members and Court Nobles suffered a great disaster, but many Old Domain Lords still had intricate connections in the regions, and they retained a portion of their assets by hiding some wealth and disposing of land holdings in advance.

Very fortunately and yet very unfortunately, the Yonezawa Uesugi Clan had been marginalized for protesting against excessive taxation on behalf of the people during the Taisho era, so they basically did not participate in World War II, and their original feudal savings had all been distributed to the feudal retainers; thus, they were very lucky to escape MacArthur's post-war liquidation and asset confiscation, and on the night before the Old Nobility was about to be abolished, the head of the house two generations ago, Uesugi Kenjo, and the previous head of the house, Uesugi Takanori, took Uesugi Kuninori, who was just a young child at the time, to have a final dinner at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel and watched the sunset's afterglow together.

This made Uesugi Kuninori have a special fondness for the Tokyo Imperial Hotel; as long as it was a decent event, he would hold it at the Imperial Hotel whenever possible.

In the Phoenix Banquet Hall of the Tokyo Imperial Hotel, crystal chandeliers and Warring States period folding screens reflected each other. Within the thirty-tatami mat space, antique Bizen Ware tea utensils were placed on vermilion-lacquered mother-of-pearl tables, and the engagement documents were contained in a sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum crest maki-e lacquer box.

Compared to Uesugi Sadanori's wedding, Uesugi Muneyuki's engagement ceremony was much more low-key, and due to the lessons learned last time, those who came had to have an invitation to enter.

However, the number of people who came was still larger than expected.

"Senior Kuninori, congratulations!" University of Tokyo President Komiyama and University of Tokyo Medical Department Director Professor Funao came in person.

"Congratulations to you too!" Uesugi Kuninori smiled like a blooming flower.

"Senior Kuninori, what a joyous day." Former National Police Agency Commissioner and current Nippon Yusen Executive Director Kaneko Takuro arrived laughing: "Once I heard it was Uesugi Muneyuki-kun and Eiji's daughter Minami getting engaged, I couldn't not come!"

"Congratulations to you too, and I must thank you, little Kaneko, for your constant care for Eiji and Muneyuki; please, come in, please come in!"

"For Muneyuki-kun's engagement, I have nothing else to say, but I have brought a few congratulatory gifts, and I hope Muneyuki-kun will take care of our Hayato in the future." Former Investigation Division 2 Chief Igarashi Masataka arrived.

Subsequently, Sumitomo Mitsui Group Board of Directors Executive Director Sato Kozo arrived to offer his congratulations.

Among the Peerage, Shimazu Nobuhisa and Hosokawa Morihiro both sent people to deliver gifts, and the head of the Tokugawa Clan, Tokugawa Tsunenari, and the head of the Maeda family, Imperial Household Agency Director Maeda Toshisuke, even came in person.

Nomura Bank Fund Manager Kamikawa Kiyoshi arrived with a thick-skinned smile and presented a very valuable gift.

From the University of Tokyo, the Peerage, the financial world, and the zaibatsu.

Uesugi Muneyuki's influence made even Uesugi Kuninori himself feel startled.

And the connections on Watanabe Eiji's side were even more numerous; nearly 20 of Japan's 59 Assistant Commissioners came, and the National Police Agency, the Metropolitan Police Department, and local police stations filled up more than twenty tables alone.

Current National Police Agency Commissioner Tamaru Juzaburo and Director of the Commissioner's Secretariat Onoda Kimuaki arrived in person, and Onoda Kimuaki also presented a very valuable gift on behalf of his older brother, the Director of the Commissioner's Secretariat.

Financial Services Agency Commissioner Okada Masahide also sent a gift to thank Uesugi Muneyuki for his care toward his son.

Uesugi Muneyuki's friend Shimakawa Ren arrived, as did Headquarters Chief Kirekawa of the District Public Prosecutors Office.

"Oh my! On this joyous day for the two newlyweds, I finally made it!" Kyoto National Museum Director Takatsukasa Kiyoakira arrived; his great-grandfather had married his daughter into a branch of the Uesugi family during the Meiji era, and he still held seven authentic copies of the "Rakuchu Tangwanzhuang" written by Uesugi Kenshin to the Imperial Court. This short, elderly Kyoto gentleman laughed: "The young lady is as fresh and lovely as a scallion, and the young master has such an air of distinction; the 'talented man and beautiful woman' phrase from the ancestors must have been prepared just for the two of you!"

"We just hope that the two of you will hold hands with red silk for a lifetime; even a golden nest or a silver nest cannot compare to one's own warm hearth! The days ahead will surely be like sesame flowers—blooming higher and higher!"

"When you have a big, chubby boy in the future, remember to let this old alley-dweller share in the joy! Alright, I'll offer my congratulations first!"

The appearance of the old Kyoto gentleman was indeed extraordinary, and the scene immediately became much more lively.

The other person was the master of ceremonies who rushed over from Osaka, Saionji Ruri, the granddaughter of Saionji Kinmochi and the aunt of Uesugi Tomoko. The folding fan in her hand was adorned with a silver Kiku-tsuzuri bestowed by Emperor Go-Mizunoo. The traditional Japanese-style restaurant she operated, "Hibari-tei," had a competitive relationship regarding ingredients for eighty years with the Uesugi family's century-old traditional Japanese-style restaurant in Yonezawa, "Shogetsuan": "Oh, the moment I stepped into this room, I felt the joy rushing toward me~ The bride is so elegant~ The groom has such a grand air~ Wishing both your families a glorious future~"

"When you have a little baby tomorrow, remember to give us red eggs! Come, come, let me hold your hands together—this is called 'sweet and sticky twisted sugar'!"

"Thank you both for coming all the way from Kansai, this old one thanks you~" Uesugi Kuninori excitedly grasped the hands of these two, and Uesugi Hironori and Uesugi Tomoko behind him bowed repeatedly; Uesugi Tomoko hadn't seen her aunt in nearly ten years.

Not far away, the liveliness on the side of Watanabe Eiji and Watanabe Michiko was slightly lacking, which made Watanabe Michiko, who also came from a political family, a bit annoyed: "Look at our old in-laws; they were half-dead a few days ago, and in the blink of an eye, they are spirited again."

"Hehe." Watanabe Eiji was unconcerned and laughed: "Don't you see it? In the future, all these resources will be ours."

Only then did Watanabe Michiko reveal a smile: "I don't think that's certain."

"Hmm? My dear, what do you mean by that?" Watanabe Eiji thought, why are you saying this on such a joyous day?

"I have a premonition that besides the resources of Muneyuki and yours, my dear, these resources of the Yonezawa Uesugi Clan will, nine times out of ten, also be ours." Watanabe Michiko was filled with a certain indescribable excitement: "Even the Uesugi family name..."

"What are you talking about?!" Watanabe Eiji's expression turned stern: "Shut up!"

"Hmph~" Watanabe Michiko thoughtfully glanced at Uesugi Sadanori and his wife, who would be the future heads of the Uesugi family, a meaningful bright light flashing in her eyes.

I shouldn't be mistaken; the state of Uesugi Muneyuki's brother and sister-in-law is less like a married couple and more like familiar strangers.

Watanabe Michiko had spent years in high society and had honed an extremely sharp eye; she knew at a glance that Uesugi Muneyuki's brother and sister-in-law had likely not yet shared a bed.

And Muneyuki and Minami are as inseparable as glue and lacquer, and Minami privately told me, her mother, that Muneyuki-kun is truly powerful and vigorous in that regard, truly powerful and vigorous!

"............" To say that Watanabe Eiji did not covet the Yonezawa Uesugi Clan's network of connections and the historical and cultural influence of Uesugi Kenshin would be a lie, but he could not openly agree with his wife's dark thoughts under any circumstances: "Don't think so much; even with just the abilities we and Muneyuki have now, the future is already limitless."

"Although that is said, who would complain about having too many resources?" Watanabe Michiko could only temporarily cease her efforts.

At the same time, Uesugi Muneyuki and Watanabe Minami were also receiving their friends and colleagues.

Too many people from the National Police Agency and the Metropolitan Police Department had come, far exceeding the 18 tables previously prepared; Uesugi Muneyuki had to open 23 tables to barely accommodate all the police officers.

"Look, isn't that Detective Shiratori Sho from Division 1?" Uesugi Muneyuki whispered to Minami: "Who is that woman next to him?"

"Oh, that's Detective Shiratori's new girlfriend, named Okada Sayaka; I heard she's a model and a professional mahjong player, and she's also half-Japanese, half-Chinese." Miss Minami said mischievously: "How about it, pretty, right? Long legs, right?"

"Well, if beauty is calculated out of 100 points, Minami, you are 99 points, Mikoto-jie is 96 points, Asuka is 93 points, Eirina is 88 points, then this Miss Okada Sayaka is only 80 points." Uesugi Muneyuki smiled and shook his head.

"Then what about your Mai-senpai?" Miss Minami was quite satisfied with Uesugi Muneyuki's scoring.

"100 points."

"Tsk, I knew it." Minami rolled her eyes; she thought that a first love is a first love, and Mai-senpai is indeed beautiful.

However, the outcome is decided; Muneyuki-kun is already engaged to me!

"It's a pity that Detective Kashiwagi from the Third Division didn't come; you should remember that Kashiwagi's wife was the previous Face of the Metropolitan Police Department, right?" Minami noticed that almost everyone from Investigation Division 1 had arrived, except for Kashiwagi Jin of the Third Division: "It's a pity; if Meisa-jie had come, you could have rated her, Muneyuki."

"That's right, Kashiwagi didn't come; why didn't he come? Could it still be because of what happened last time? Didn't I say that considering his performance in the Todai Case and the subsequent Yokohama Case, I had let him off?" Uesugi Muneyuki was a bit puzzled and also felt regretful about not seeing the previous Face of the Metropolitan Police Department.

"It's not that Kashiwagi didn't want to come, but he encountered trouble." Miss Minami shook her head: "You should know that the Metropolitan Police Department has been investigating cold cases recently, right?"

"Kashiwagi got stuck on a cold case and ended up in big trouble."

"Oh, is that so?" Uesugi Muneyuki really didn't know.

Minami was just about to say something more, but the engagement ceremony had officially begun, so she signaled for us to talk later.

Just like that, Uesugi Muneyuki and Watanabe Minami held their official engagement ceremony under the blessings of everyone; the two newlyweds exchanged the book of vows, and Uesugi Muneyuki placed the engagement ring on Minami.

They also received the blessings of the entire hall, and indeed, none of the 20 tables of police officers dared to cause any trouble.

However, as time entered December, another storm targeting the Metropolitan Police Department swept in!

Kashiwagi is in trouble!

(End of this chapter)