Chapter 498: , Imperial Palace Startles!

In June, Tokyo's rainy season had not yet fully intensified, but the Imperial Outer Garden was already shrouded in a damp, thin mist in the early morning, the air sticky and oppressive, carrying the unique scent of vegetation and ancient stone walls.

Although the disappearance of an Imperial Household Agency employee had not affected the daily routine cleaning, an elderly gardener was trimming along the pond as usual; he had worked here for thirty years, tending the Imperial Palace's trees day after day, his thick growth rings bearing witness to his dedication and craftsmanship.

As always, he was clearing branches and leaves knocked down by the night rain along the lakeside path.

The morning mist swirled, enveloping the tranquil lake surface, yet the beauty of the Imperial Gardens left Tanaka with an inexplicable sense of oppression.

He noticed what seemed to be a clump of foreign matter floating on the water not far from the shore, entangled in dense aquatic plants, its color deep and dark.

Hmm?

At first he thought it was a trash bag blown by the wind or a package someone had accidentally dropped. He sighed, picked up his long scoop net, waded forward a few steps, and tried to fish it out, keeping the gardens clean being his duty.

The moment the scoop net touched that object, the weight and feel transmitted made his heart go "thump."

That was definitely not trash.

He pulled hard, the water weeds parting, and a face swollen and deformed from prolonged soaking, deathly pale like wax, burst violently onto the water's surface, its hollow eyes staring blankly at the overcast sky; the soaked, dark uniform bearing the Imperial Household Agency emblem clung tightly to the rigid body……

A person!

It's a person!

A dead person?!?!?!?

"Uh……ah!!!"

A piercing scream, almost tearing his throat, erupted, shattering the Imperial Palace's morning stillness; the old gardener's scoop net slipped from his hand, his whole body going limp as if his bones had been drained, he crawled backward on hands and feet in frantic panic, trying to escape the horrifying sight in the lake, his stomach churning, fear piercing his heart and marrow like an ice pick.

There's actually a corpse in the Imperial Palace's pond?

In this nation's symbol and sacred ground, a corpse was found?

Impossible, I've worked here for thirty years, exactly thirty years!

The piercing scream summoned nearby patrolling Imperial Guard police.

Two young officers sprinted over, seeing the gardener slumped on the ground, pointing at the lake incoherently, then following his gaze to the corpse in the water; their professional training was instantly overwhelmed by immense shock.

One turned sharply, braced himself against a tree trunk and retched, the other's face deathly white, suppressing tremors, he pressed the emergency call button on his walkie-talkie with a voice nearly breaking.

"Emergency! West Moat Lakeshore! Discovered……discovered a corpse! Repeat, discovered a corpse! Suspected……suspected to be one of our own staff!" the Imperial Guard officer's voice sharp and distorted, filled with incredulous panic.

The Imperial Guard police fall under the National Police Agency's jurisdiction, but have long operated as a separate system, since they are responsible for the Imperial Palace's security, guard duties, and ceremonies; the Imperial Guard Headquarters chief holds the rank of Assistant Commissioner, and while theoretically under the National Police Agency, in practice they fall under the Imperial Household Agency.

Within the police system, the Imperial Guard police have long occupied an awkward position: on one hand, their work is easy, with no KPI pressure, no case-solving responsibilities or paperwork, making it a well-known desirable post.

On the other hand, this place amounts to just killing time, as the saying goes, proximity to power brings real power, but theoretically all administrative authority the Imperial Family possessed after the war has been stripped by Five-Star MacArthur; if any remnants remain, they are firmly gripped by the Imperial Household Agency, which truly has nothing to do with the Imperial Guard police.

Thus the Imperial Guard police possess no extra power or room for maneuver; joining them means just serving out time to pass the days, don't expect to achieve anything for promotion, and this place is also a gathering spot for various connections and idlers; if one truly wants to make a mark, who would choose to be an Imperial Guard police officer?

After so many years of peace, where have the Imperial Guard police ever seen such a scene or a real corpse?

One officer vomited where he stood, while another merely kept repeating, his face ashen with fright, legs giving way as he collapsed to the ground, writhing on the floor, tears and snot streaming down.

This news spread like a thunderclap along the Imperial Guard police's internal communication network, instantly reaching the highest level of the Imperial Guard Headquarters.

Immediately thereafter, in an extremely short time, via the highest-level secure line, it directly pierced into the office of Administrative Vice-Minister Nakajima of the Imperial Household Agency.

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Household Agency instantly shifted from unease to utter horror.

"Confirmed?! Has the identity been confirmed?!" a department director roared into the phone, his voice uncontrollably trembling.

"The…uniform confirms it's an Imperial Household Agency staff member, the…face is hard to recognize, but…but the build and hair color resemble…resemble the missing Stone Room……" the voice on the other end of the phone was equally trembling.

With a "bang," it seemed someone had knocked over a teacup.

In the office, senior officials' faces turned ashen, someone unconsciously loosened his tie, as if feeling suffocated.

The news spread like a deadly virus, silently and swiftly along the corridors; wherever it reached, all staff froze in place, all color drained from their faces, exchanging looks of utter terror. Not an accident, not sudden illness, but death! Within the Imperial Palace Gardens! Imperial Household Agency staff!

Something has happened!

Something major has happened!!!

"Immediately, immediately notify the Imperial Household Agency's Maeda Director and the Imperial Guard Headquarters' Kenji Chief!" the department director bellowed, nearly hoarse from shouting.

"Yes!!!"

After an unknown amount of time had passed, the entire Imperial Palace Gardens finally reactivated its emergency mechanism after who knows how long; the Imperial Household Agency Director General had not yet arrived for work, but the vice minister and all bureau-level officials immediately rushed into the underground emergency command center; every expression was grave enough to wring water from.

Vice-Minister Nakajima almost without hesitation issued the first order, also the decision with the strongest consensus: absolutely seal off the news!

All informed personnel were strictly ordered, forbidden in any form to reveal even half a word to any outsider of the Imperial Palace (including family); all internal communications were monitored; absolutely no media, especially those omnipresent weekly journalists, must get even a whiff of wind.

At the emergency meeting, the Imperial Household's concerns were repeatedly raised,

"We must at all costs prevent this from alarming His Majesty and Imperial Household members, to avoid tarnishing the Imperial Household's sacred image!!!" Vice-Minister Nakajima almost hoarsely shouted at the emergency meeting: "Await further instructions from the Imperial Household Agency's Maeda Director and the Imperial Guard Police Kenji Chief!"

"Yes!!!"

The entire Imperial Household Agency seemed to be enveloped by an invisible, massive "silence" character.

"Deploy all personnel, seal off all scenes, externally state the Imperial Palace is under renovation, refuse all visitors entry, and as for His Majesty……if necessary consider temporarily relocating his residence elsewhere!"

"Yes!!!"

The Imperial Guard Headquarters immediately mobilized maximum police force, centering on the lakeshore where the corpse was found, establishing multiple layers of security with a radius exceeding one hundred meters, allowing no one to approach.

Uniformed officers wore stern expressions, as if facing a great enemy; they guarded not only against outsiders but were also filled internally with mutual scrutiny and tension.

What, then, has happened?

The Imperial Guard police attempted to investigate the scene, yet this group, long accustomed to peace, actually had no practical experience whatsoever, and even their professional equipment was already outdated relics from years ago.

Surrounding them were ancient, solemn walls and tranquil gardens, but the air brimmed with silent thunder and visible panic; the expressions of the Imperial Guard police and Imperial Household Agency officials were complex, mixed with vigilance, fear, and a hint of humiliation.

The scene had already been completely isolated; the Imperial Guard police's forensic personnel wore shoe covers, working with extreme caution, each step as if treading a minefield; taking photos, measuring water temperature, checking shore traces……everything proceeded in a suffocating silence; the retrieved corpse, covered with a white cloth, lay silently on a stretcher, like a vast, ominous black hole exhaling ill omen, devouring all surrounding peace and order.

Patrolling police and senior Imperial Household Agency officials stood slightly apart, gathered in a group, their faces grim as they watched the Metropolitan Police Department personnel work, exchanging opinions in low voices; every minute discovery made their nerves tense.

They knew this was only the beginning, a vast storm sweeping the Imperial Palace had just revealed its ferocious corner.

And deep within the inner palace, although no clear orders had been issued, that intangible gaze and concern from the highest level, like heavy lead clouds, pressed down on everyone, making it hard to breathe.

……………………

Meanwhile, at 8:20 a. m., Tokyo-to Chiyoda-ku, Sakurada-mon Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters, National Police Agency Commissioner's Office.

Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji had just arrived at his office when his secretary brought him a steaming cup of coffee. He thanked her with a smile, then opened the window, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the quiet before the workday officially began, savoring this moment of peace.

It feels so peaceful.

Recently, Tokyo has seen no major incidents, a stark contrast to the frequent sky-shaking cases that used to erupt shortly after I took office.

Perhaps all potential crimes have been suppressed by my adorable adopted son-in-law, the Sakuradamon Heaven-White Jade Pillar Spanning Sea Purple Gold Beam, Uesugi Muneyuki?

But none of that matters anymore.

Watanabe Eiji is in a great mood.

The Special Mission Unit has continuously cracked major cases, public support for the Metropolitan Police Department keeps rising, both inside and outside there are already calls to elevate the Special Mission Unit to a Special Mission Division, Cabinet Secretary Onoda has approved me, the Financial Services Agency Commissioner supports me, and even the newly appointed Minister of Justice, Setouchi, has proactively extended an olive branch, saying he looks forward to working together.

With Muneyuki working so hard, I too must push forward!

As long as I don't stop moving, keep advancing, the road will keep extending—this position of Superintendent General will absolutely not be, and cannot be, my endpoint!

But before that, I should still enjoy this feeling of overseeing Sakuradamon for a while!

Watanabe Eiji took a sip of coffee, pondering how to advance the reform of the Special Mission Unit, when the landline on his desk rang.

Oh my?

Is it good news?!

(Chapter End)