Chapter 617: , the younger generation is formidable! (Third update!)

PS: This is the third update, and from now on, all the updates the emperor owed have been repaid—did you all remember that, huh!

PS2: Since it's already the third update, I might as well ask for a monthly ticket—His Majesty has really been working hard, ciallo~

（·ω）☆！

The night was deep and heavy. In the private residence of Toshisuke Maeda, a tea room stood apart from the main house, surrounded by a bamboo grove. Paper lanterns cast a soft glow, illuminating the two people sitting opposite each other on the tatami mats. The tea kettle let out a faint hiss, and the air was filled with the pure fragrance of top-grade gyokuro tea—but the atmosphere was as heavy as a lead weight.

Toshisuke Maeda had originally thought Uesugi Munetomo had something to discuss with him, but upon hearing it was a surprise, he had been full of anticipation!

Could it be that the special forces unit under his grandson, Toshihide Maeda, had agreed?

What Uesugi Munetomo responded with was placing that tiny SD card on the cypress low table between them, his movements slow and gentle, yet as if carrying a weight of a thousand jin.

He used no electronic devices, but instead described the core content of the SD card in the simplest, most restrained language—along with the information Nakamura Kenichi had given his life for: the connection between the "N Network" and Foreign Minister Akimoto, extending even further into the broader political and business network.

As he spoke, Toshisuke Maeda's face, which had been as calm as an ancient well, finally showed a crack.

His hand, holding the teacup, froze mid-air, his knuckles whitening from tension. Those eyes, always perceptive of worldly affairs, now filled with disbelief and shock, and a trace—of furious outrage beneath a looming great crisis. He nearly lost composure as he interrupted Uesugi Munetomo: "Enough!"

His voice rang out sharply in the silent tea room.

He drew a deep breath, trying to calm his surging emotions, then slammed the teacup down hard—several drops of dark green tea spilled out.

"Munetomo-kun!" Toshisuke Maeda's voice trembled with suppressed emotion, "Do you know what these things mean? This isn't just a scandal involving Akimoto alone—this is————this is the karmic fire capable of dragging the entire existing order into hell!"

He instinctively tried to draw a line: "The Imperial Household Agency, and even the Imperial Family, have always remained above worldly affairs, uninvolved in politics. What does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' actions have to do with us?"

"Munetomo-kun, you've got the wrong person!!!"

Yet Uesugi Munetomo leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp as a scalpel: "Director Maeda, miracles and magic don't come for free, you know!"

"——————————" Only then did Toshisuke Maeda catch the bloody scent beneath Uesugi Munetomo's fangs.

His voice was soft, yet carried a cold, sharp edge: "I stopped the Imperial Palace bombing; I eliminated the direct threat posed by Tsubaki Takikawa. Now, this karmic fire's fuse is in my hands. I can choose to give it to the media, to the opposition parties, or————let it remain forever silent."

He paused, giving Toshisuke Maeda time to digest, then continued, his tone softened but each word piercing to the heart: "As for the connection————every time a foreign dignitary visits, every time the Imperial Family engages in foreign affairs, Foreign Minister Akimoto and you, Director Maeda, are often seen standing side by side behind the imperial family. Public opinion doesn't need evidence—it only needs association. When the scandal of the 'N Network' breaks, how will the public view the Imperial Household Agency, so closely tied to Akimoto? Will they believe the agency knew nothing? And when that time comes, will the voice of the Imperial Family still be as pure and flawless as it is now?"

He finally laid out that unavoidable personal bargaining chip: "Moreover, Lord Toshihide's future looks bright—if he gains a little experience under you and Minami, he will surely become a great man. And you, Director Maeda, surely don't want to see his prospects—nor the future of the Maeda family—harmed by some unnecessary turmoil, do you?"

Toshisuke Maeda's face turned utterly grim.

All his life, Toshisuke Maeda had been cautious, striving to avoid trouble—but now, Uesugi Munetomo had wrapped the potential ties of the Imperial Household Agency, the imperial family's reputation, his grandson's future, and the favors he owed, like several invisible threads, tightly around his neck, leaving him unable to struggle or escape.

"Indeed, the Imperial Household Agency theoretically has no authority to interfere in state affairs, for that would trigger a constitutional crisis—but in reality, from postwar to now, the imperial family remains a national symbol. There are things the Agency, no matter how cautious or evasive, cannot avoid handling, right?" Uesugi Munetomo said: "There must be a way."

———" Toshisuke Maeda said nothing, his expression complex.

This kid—what a ruthless calculation!

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"The wisdom of the Lord of Kaga—no confusion in major affairs, Director Maeda!" Uesugi Munetomo continued: "I'm here to help you! You're of the kazoku peerage, and so am I—you don't want this to affect the imperial family, and neither do I. We're on the same side!"

"—————————— I don't see that you, this brat, have considered the imperial family at all." Toshisuke Maeda coldly snorted, then waved his hand, signaling Uesugi Munetomo to shut up.

Silence stretched on, the tea kettle's hiss seeming like a countdown to the Imperial Household Agency director's inner struggle.

Finally, he seemed to have part of his strength drained, slowly leaning back against the cushion, letting out a breath so faint it was almost inaudible.

"Future generations are to be feared————" he murmured, his eyes complex as he looked at this young peer before him: "Kuninori (Uesugi Munetomo's grandfather)————what a fine grandson you have."

This statement was both surrender and acknowledgment.

He did not touch the SD card again, but began, in an extremely low and solemn tone, to outline the plan he had already devised.

"Well then, this time I'll teach you, you little brat, how the Imperial Household Agency handles such matters."

Director Maeda sighed, finally making up his mind.

"Kuninori, this old life of mine—sooner or later, I'll scare this grandson of yours to death!"

"I will assign Tokugawa Jikan, under the guise of the Imperial Household Agency's Discipline Management Office—or Internal Oversight—to draft a highly confidential, numbered, archived internal report."

"The report will claim that during routine background checks on personnel related to foreign affairs, we unexpectedly learned via anonymous channels or informants that Foreign Minister Akimoto Shin'ichirō may be involved in serious moral and corruption issues, and will include partially processed photo copies—technically treated to erase all source information—proving his misconduct, damaging national dignity, and potentially harming the imperial family's diplomatic reputation."

"Then what?" Uesugi Munetomo asked, intrigued: "Will you hand it over to the Special Investigation Unit?"

"This 'internal report' will not be submitted directly to the Special Investigation Unit." Director Maeda's face was grave: "Instead, we will select a senior member of parliament with good ties to the Imperial Household Agency and a reputation for integrity, and through our channels, leak the 'core content' of this report and some processed 'evidence' to him."

"Members of parliament have the right to question in the Diet. This MP can, based on this anonymous tip, raise a stern interpellation against the foreign minister during a Diet session, demanding explanations. This is a legal, framework-compliant way to make the matter public."

He added many details only someone of his position and experience could conceive: how to choose the timing, how to control the scale of the leak, how to best protect the Imperial Household Agency's reputation in the storm.

This is a complete set of precise, cold, and entirely self-serving political operational guidelines for damage control and self-preservation.

"Do you understand now?" Director Maeda whispered.

"I see." Uesugi Munetomo reluctantly understood, but still had a concern: "But who will do it?"

"Shigeru Ishiba, the MP from Tottori Prefecture—he's a real man who dares to speak with integrity." Director Maeda continued.

Indeed, the Imperial Household Agency has a full procedure for handling such matters.

Once the matter is exposed, the Agency will immediately issue a statement saying it is "completely unaware" and "deeply shocked," emphasizing that it "has always upheld its duty, refrained from political involvement, but deeply regrets any actions that could harm national dignity." At the same time, it will announce an "internal investigation" to trace the report's source and strengthen personnel screening—thus demonstrating its stance and achieving a clean break.

"Munetomo-kun, this concerns the national polity—the Imperial Household Agency cannot remain detached, but it also cannot step into the spotlight. I will arrange this—within days, thunder will roll in the Diet. As for Toshihide's useless thing————just leave it to you and Watanabe Keishi. Make sure you discipline him properly, so he knows the Metropolitan Police Department is not his playground." Director Maeda finished his long speech, sounding exhausted and even more furious: "And this must never happen again!!! The Imperial Household Agency is not your plaything, Uesugi Munetomo! Remember that!!!!"

"To receive such strong support from Director Maeda, I, this young man, am overwhelmed with gratitude—Grandfather Maeda, if there's ever any use for me in the future, please don't hesitate to call!" Uesugi Munetomo immediately bowed from his cushion.

Thus, the deal was sealed.

Uesugi Munetomo got what he wanted—a high-ranking, well-motivated "whistleblower"—to pull himself and the Metropolitan Police out of the storm's eye.

And Toshisuke Maeda took hold of this scorching hot potato—for the sake of his family, for the "purity" of the Imperial Household Agency, and to repay his debts—he had no choice but to deploy the political resources he'd accumulated over decades to detonate a bomb capable of reshaping the political landscape.

Uesugi Munetomo rose, bowed respectfully, and took his leave. As he slid open the tea room's door, behind him came Toshisuke Maeda's voice, sounding as if he had aged several years in an instant: "Munetomo-kun, remember—tonight you never stepped foot here, and we never met."

"Of course, sir." Uesugi Munetomo did not turn back, his figure merging into the night beyond the door.

In the tea room, Toshisuke Maeda sat alone for a long time before finally raising his hand to extinguish the brazier.

The tea fragrance lingered—but it was now cold.

"Of course, my lord." Uesugi Muneshige did not turn back, his figure blending into the night outside the door.

In the tea room, Maeda Risuke sat alone for a long while before finally raising his hand to extinguish the hearth fire.

The scent of tea lingered, but it had grown cold.

Maeda Toshisuke knew that a storm he had personally ignited, yet must pretend to have nothing to do with him, was imminent.

And all of this began with tonight's "Afterbirth Can Be Feared" meeting.

The wind and rain are gathering.

The head of the Kanazawa Maeda Clan sat upright, gazing at the night sky over Tokyo, and helplessly lowered his head.

Toshisuke, Your Majesty, and our family name.

Uesugi is right — the Imperial Household Agency truly has no choice but to take an opposing stance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter.

What awaits us will be a successful severance, or perhaps — destruction?

Regardless, what comes next will be a public storm sweeping the political arena!

The fuse of this "Surprise Bomb Sound" was thus quietly lit by the most traditionally meticulous and secretive Imperial Household Agency, in a manner befitting its status.

"Hey, is this Mo-chan? Yeah, I'm Maeda from the Imperial Household Agency — "

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