wavenovel Chapters 1278 and 1287 explain why traditional arts and crafts can be passed down!
Chapters 1278 and 1287 explain why traditional arts and crafts can be passed down!
Chapters 1278 and 1287 explain why traditional arts and crafts can be passed down!
In early September, opposition investigator Narasaki Yanosuke, in collaboration with TV Asahi, quietly accomplished a major feat.
In the morning, at the Diet Building, Narasaki Yanosuke held a press conference and, in front of dozens of media outlets, announced that Recruit's chief of staff, Matsubara Hiroshi, had bribed him!
“Last night, Matsubara Hiroshi visited my residence.”
Amidst a flurry of camera flashes and shutter clicks, Narasaki Yanosuke clearly recounted what had happened the previous day.
"They wanted to persuade me to drop the investigation into Recruit's bribery."
"In fact, there have been five similar visits already, and this is the sixth!"
"Moreover, during this visit, Matsubara Hiroshi not only brought a bribe of 500 million yen, but also promised that if I let Recruit go this time, the Recruit company would support me for life."
The media present fell silent, with only the sound of camera shutters and breathing. Everyone was shocked by the investigator's revelation!
Is this something that can be said directly?!
At this point, Narasaki Yanosuke couldn't help but smile:
"His sincerity is no less than that of a marriage proposal. Hahaha~"
But no one laughed along with them.
"However, I, Narasaki Yanosuke, am not a person who covets money. To me, justice is the truly important thing!"
“I have recorded yesterday’s bribery attempt entirely through hidden cameras!”
Narasaki Yanosuke continued,
"It will be announced later, and then tomorrow, a formal complaint will be filed with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office!"
"I am mortal with corruption!"
After Narasaki Yanosuke finished speaking, the reporters broke the silence and began to bombard him with questions.
"Honokabe?" "They actually recorded it? How was it filmed?" "How much money was bribed? What does 'lifelong support' even mean?!" "Narasaki-san, did you refuse?" "Does Recruit often do this kind of thing?" "..."
Narasaki Yanosuke, of course, generously answered the reporters' questions at this time.
When talking about how the recording was done, he was quite proud, saying that he had partnered with the TV station in advance and used hidden cameras for the recording.
They also stated directly that TV Asahi would broadcast the unedited recording during tonight's news!
This statement made the group of media reporters even more excited!
Everyone knows this is really going to escalate!
Then, in the evening, TV Asahi broadcast a video recording of Matsubara Hiroshi bribing Narasaki Yanosuke!
Under the cameras from various angles, Matsubara Hiroshi's act of bribing was completely exposed, and even the words "to support him for life" were very clear!
With the broadcast on television, news of this bribery incident instantly spread throughout Japan's cities!
With the added coverage in evening newspapers and extra editions, the Recruit bribery case was no longer just a rumor or false accusation, but a fact supported by solid evidence!
Once Narasaki Yanosuke reports the incident to the police station, the police and regulatory agencies will no longer be able to turn a blind eye!
At that moment, Naoki Nagayama and Akina were watching the news together at Yamazakurain.
Seeing Matsubara Hiroshi openly bribing people on the television screen, with that respectful yet slick demeanor, Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but sigh:
"As expected, bribery is different from what's shown in the movies!"
Now that this matter has been reported in the news, the subsequent investigation will definitely involve higher-level government officials and high-ranking officials within the Liberal Democratic Party. At this point, they should be on tenterhooks!
After the thought crossed Naoki Nagayama's mind, he didn't pursue it further.
He had already sent out the last letter he had left; after that, he would have to rely on the teammates matched by the system!
"What's it like in the movie?" Akina asked.
"In the movies, you know."
Naoki Nagayama recalled briefly,
"For a more retro feel, you could put gold bars inside the gift box—it'd feel heavy in your hand when you receive it."
"In modern terms, it's like lifting the cloth on the table and finding mountains of banknotes."
"Then the bribe-giver acted as if giving alms, saying 'Take as much money as you can,' and the person being bribed widened their eyes, breathing rapidly, as if they were overwhelmed by such a shocking scene."
"Look at this, it doesn't look like real bribery at all; they just took a red envelope. The important thing is the promise afterwards—lifelong support is more reliable than social security retirement funds!"
"Haha, Naoki-san, what kind of analogy is that?!"
Akina smiled and leaned on her husband's shoulder.
"Huh?" Naoki Nagayama suddenly remembered something bizarre. "By the way, Akina, do you have a pension? And... do I have a pension?!"
"I think so," Akina said, somewhat uncertainly.
This young couple had never thought about retirement before. But they probably both have companies contributing to their finances now.
"Besides, with our current assets, retirement funds don't seem to be of much use."
Naoki Nagayama smiled:
"Right."
The two laughed for a while and then continued chatting.
Akina, holding Natsuka, said:
"I've already made the call, and my mother will come over tomorrow to help take care of Hua Jiang!"
"Will you be here tomorrow? Thank you so much, Chieko-san~"
Naoki Nagayama sounded grateful, and then mentioned going to a concert with Akina in September.
We're setting off the day after tomorrow!
"Hi~ Let's go to Yokohama~"
"So how do we get across this time?"
"Why don't we drive over with the top on?"
"."
At this very moment, the atmosphere in the president's office at Recruit's Tokyo headquarters was extremely tense.
Jiang Fuhao, who was usually full of energy, now had dark circles under his eyes, a sallow complexion, and looked extremely tired.
On the small television screen in the office, Matsubara Hiroshi's act of bribing was clearly visible, and at that moment, Matsubara Hiroshi himself was also in the office.
"Snapped!"
The remote control was slammed against the wall, and the scattered plastic casing and batteries nearly hit the secretary standing nearby.
Jiang Fuhao's face was ferocious:
"Yanosuke Narasaki actually dared to do this?! He's determined to fight Ricurt to the death!"
The person in the video, Hiroshi Matsubara, was also filled with anger at this moment:
"Yeah, this guy seems so upright, I never expected him to do something like taking photos without permission. Who would dare go to his house now?! His career is over!"
This kind of person can only be a lone minister in the future; no other politician will be with him!
"idiot!"
Jiang Fuhao was cursing fiercely at Matsubara Hiroshi.
"You idiot, moron, moron! You didn't even realize you were being secretly filmed!"
"Do you know how passive this bribery will put us?! You idiot!"
"."
Matsubara Hiroshi's lips moved slightly, as if to say, "It was clearly you, President, who sent me to bribe you!"
However, thinking of his luxurious house, luxury car, and beautiful wife, he suppressed his impulse and did not refute it.
Instead, he knelt directly on the office floor, kowtowed to the floor, and performed a standard dogeza, demonstrating his skillful traditional art.
"Honkuni's private Marseille!!!"
"President, it's all my fault! I'm willing to take full responsibility for this! I will absolutely not make things difficult for Ricourt!"
"Humph"
Jiang Fuhao's expression softened slightly. Sure enough, this traditional tactic really did reduce Jiang Fuhao's anger a little!
Then Jiang Haozheng said:
"Yanosuke Narasaki will definitely report this to the police later, so just admit it then!"
He claimed he was too attached to the company and, seeing the recent public backlash, wanted to quickly quell the storm, so he acted alone and did something irrational!
"Remember, take all the blame upon yourself!"
"I'll find a good lawyer to defend you. At most, you'll be charged with attempted bribery. You'll only be in jail for a few months!"
"Hi!"
Upon hearing this arrangement, Matsubara Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief. It meant that the president had not given up on him, and a few months later he was still a key member of Ricurt!
It must have been the effect of that dogeza I just did!
Therefore, there is a reason why traditional arts and crafts have been able to be passed down!
Then, Jiang Fuhao was in his office instructing his secretary:
"Take Matsubara Hiroshi to find a lawyer. Then clean up the rest of the mess!"
"Hi"
When he was all alone in the huge, luxurious office, Jiang Fuhao couldn't help but rub his tired face. It had only been less than a month, but it felt like things had taken a sudden turn for the worse!
The land issue was a minor matter, and subsequent bribery transactions could make up for it. However, the subsequent bribery information with members of Congress, and now the bribery investigator incident, seem to have pushed him into a very dangerous position step by step!
And I have a feeling that there's something even more exciting waiting to happen!
After thinking for a long time, he took out a phone book from the safe and dialed the number using the office phone.
"Moshi Moshi, am I Jiang Fuhao, or is this Aoki Itahira's secretary?"
The phone call Jiang Fuhao made at that moment was to Takeshita Noboru!
"Hi, I'm Ihei Aoki."
The voice on the other end of the phone made Jiang Fuhao breathe a sigh of relief, and he continued:
"Excuse me, is Takeshita-san available right now? I'd like to speak with him about something."
"Hi, just a moment."
Takeshita Noboru is now just one step away from becoming prime minister. He is a very important figure with a very full schedule, and you need to make an appointment to call him.
As a major financial backer of the Takeshita faction, Jiang Fuhao naturally enjoys certain privileges with Takeshita Noboru.
A short while later, Takeshita Noboru's voice came through the phone:
"It's Vice President Jiang. Is there something you need that you're looking for me in such a hurry?!"
Takeshita Noboru naturally knew why, but in order to gain the upper hand in the following communication, he wanted the other party to speak first, and Jiang Fuhao was naturally aware of this as well.
"Takeshita-san, it's about the news on TV Asahi just now."
"Ah, the person who offered the bribe was one of Recruit's men, right!"
Noboru Takeshita said very calmly,
"Let's hand him over to take the blame. That'll calm public opinion. Then you can bow and apologize in front of the media to show your attitude, and that'll be the end of it."
For Takeshita Noboru, abandoning his subordinates would be the most convenient measure, but for Edo Hiromasa, it would be a different story.
Putting aside himself, Matsubara Hiroshi is his important confidant, and he relies on him in many things. More importantly, Matsubara Hiroshi really knows more dirty secrets about Rikuro!
What if he gets abandoned and everything is exposed?! Then Jiang Fuhao will be in jail!
“I have already arranged for him to turn himself in. That’s not a problem.”
Jiang Fuhao knew that when communicating with Takeshita Noboru, he couldn't only consider his own interests; he needed to tie the matter to the other side.
"Takeshita-san, the real reason I called is that I think this mysterious person who leaked the information might not be targeting Recruit."
"They might be after Takeshita-san!"
"Oh?"
Takeshita Noboru's expression had turned cold on the other end of the phone; he had also sensed the threat to some extent.
"Tell me in detail."
Jiang Fuhao then began analyzing the trajectory of the media storm surrounding this bribery case, from Kawasaki City all the way to the Diet Building in Tokyo, and then analyzing the sources of information within the members of parliament, as well as the behind-the-scenes manipulators, etc.
"The other party hasn't communicated with Recruit, and we can't see what they want at the moment. But I don't believe that after spending so much time and effort, this group of mysterious people really just wants to expose justice."
"They must have other, deeper motives. That's all I can think of right now."
"It's Takeshita-san's prime ministerial election in October."
"."
Takeshita listened silently. This was in line with the direction of his staff's discussion, and it was an analysis from a business perspective.
After a long silence, he finally spoke:
"Vice President Jiang, who do you think is most likely to do this?!"
"The opposition! Of course, it's those guys in the opposition!"
Jiang Fuhao was filled with righteous indignation.
"That group of people has enough influence to plant spies, investigate my previous share transactions, and manipulate the media to create a media storm."
"I think their next step should be to launch an attack in the House of Representatives!"
"."
Takeshita nodded; he was already prepared. However, at this moment, he also spoke up to reassure him:
"Vice President Jiang, your analysis is spot on. It seems I really need to be prepared this time."
"However, you also need to be more vigilant on your end and erase all transaction records! Don't leave a single trace!"
"Hey, I understand!"
"."
After hanging up the phone, Takeshita Noboru sighed and said to his secretary, Aoki Itsuki, outside:
"Yiping, how's it going with the opposition party leader I asked you to contact last time?"
“Takeshita-san.” Aoki Ihei looked troubled. “They seemed to want to communicate before, but when I tried to confirm the specific time today, their attitudes turned cold!”
"It might be because of this bribery."
"That's it."
Takeshita Noboru sighed. His first thought was that it was because of today's news, but then it suddenly dawned on him...
"No. This is Recruit's business, why would they refuse me?"
As a seasoned politician, Takeshita Noboru sensed the danger immediately.
"Akizuki Mashita... Could they know more?! Is Narasaki Yanosuke hiding something?!"
"Ippei, call again! Call the LDP's coordinator directly and tell him to arrange a meeting so I can have a proper discussion with the opposition!"
"There's something wrong with this!!"
"Hey!!"
Upon receiving the instructions, Aoki Itaru immediately went to find the party's coordinator.
(End of this chapter)