Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 642 - 525: Wang Mang was courteous and modest before seizing power, but behind that was a stab in the back (Vote for the monthly ticket)

Chapter 642: Chapter 525: Wang Mang was courteous and modest before seizing power, but behind that was a stab in the back (Vote for the monthly ticket)

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Aoyama Xiu Xin knocked on the door of Fujimoto’s house.

Shortly thereafter, the door opened, revealing a simply dressed, kindly middle-aged woman who, upon seeing Aoyama Xiu Xin, didn’t say anything but merely bowed slightly, took his slippers, and stepped aside to let him through.

"Thank you," Aoyama Xiu Xin bowed in return, then switched to slippers, lightening his steps as he entered. He passed the entrance hall and immediately saw Fujimoto Takayoshi with his eyes firmly closed, seated on the sofa. He quickly approached and bowed respectfully, "Minister, I have interrupted you!"

At this moment, Fujimoto Takayoshi was the only person in the living room.

The rest of the family must have been sent away.

"It’s Xiu Xin," Fujimoto Takayoshi seemed to have just fallen asleep. Hearing the voice, he opened his eyes and, upon seeing Aoyama Xiu Xin, propped himself up on the sofa and pointed to the seat beside him. "Please, sit down."

"Yes!" Aoyama Xiu Xin responded, took a seat to his left, only half-sitting with his body straight and hands neatly placed on his thighs.

His utmost respect for the other man was shown vividly, reminiscent of the deferential Wang Mang before his usurpation.

Fujimoto Takayoshi rubbed his temples, exhausted in body and spirit, he said in a low voice, "The simultaneous troubles of Kudou Misaki, Fujino Norihiko, and Ishida Koyun are definitely not a coincidence..."

"Yes! This is an outright malicious act against the Hokkaido Police. We must uncover the mastermind behind it," Aoyama Xiu Xin nodded in agreement.

Fujimoto Takayoshi gave him a glance, then shook his head with a serious expression, "No! The mastermind who’s showing his claws but hiding his head is not targeting Hokkaido Police but me!"

After all, these three men were his absolute confidants.

"Ah!" Aoyama Xiu Xin showed just the right amount of shock on his face, then quickly said, "Minister, you are the soul of the Hokkaido Police. Targeting you is targeting our entire collective. It’s like making enemies with all of us!"

"You young people are sharp. Faced with this invisible opponent, do you have any suggestions?" Fujimoto Takayoshi now regarded Aoyama Xiu Xin as a confidant, especially after the succession of losses, and wanted to hear his thoughts.

Aoyama Xiu Xin didn’t answer immediately but affected a thoughtful posture for a moment before saying, "Mr. Fujino and Mr. Ishida might have been deliberately targeted, but the evidence against them is indubitable. Now, you must make a stand and distance yourself from them to confront the upcoming surge of public opinion."

"I was thinking the same. Before you arrived, I had already arranged for them to turn themselves in and prepared for a press conference in two hours..." Fujimoto Takayoshi paused then continued, "Xiu Xin, you will also attend, using your personal popularity to stabilize the public and make them believe that the actions of these three individuals represent them alone."

"Yes!" Aoyama Xiu Xin responded, then comforted Fujimoto Takayoshi, "Minister, rest assured that most citizens can still discern right from wrong. However, after this incident blows up, there will inevitably be accountability from the higher-ups. I will try to speak well of you to my honorary grandfather."

"Thank you, Mr. Aoyama!" Fujimoto Takayoshi said with a face full of seriousness and gratitude. With Aoyama Xiu Xin interceding with Yanchuan Shilang on his behalf, he might be able to disregard any pressure from the top and focus on the current situation.

Aoyama Xiu Xin grinned with an appearance of innocence, "Why so formal, Minister? I’m a person who understands the importance of gratitude. You took good care of me when I first arrived in Hokkaido half a year ago. I’ve always remembered your kindness and have just been waiting for the chance to repay it. Now’s my chance!"

Fujimoto Takayoshi patted his shoulder, reassured.

He was right to have chosen this man.

All was understood without words.

"Speaking of the mastermind, do you have any thoughts, Minister? Could it be an old enemy of yours?" Aoyama Xiu Xin shifted the conversation with another question.

Fujimoto Takayoshi’s brow, which had just relaxed, furrowed once more. He shook his head, "I’ve thought about it before you arrived and come up with nothing. I’ve made many enemies over the years, but most are incapacitated and those capable of revenge don’t have the means to do this."

He was at a loss as to who the enemy might be.

"We can only play it by ear now," Aoyama Xiu Xin feigned a sigh before saying, "Losing three key figures in such a short time will inevitably cause unrest within the organization. I’m planning an internal gathering tomorrow to stabilize morale. What do you think, Minister?"

"Good idea," Fujimoto Takayoshi nodded, then added, "We absolutely cannot have internal chaos; that would give our enemies the chance to isolate and destroy us, one by one. Yes, I’ll attend the gathering tomorrow as well, to talk about the current situation with everyone."

"Yes!" Aoyama Xiu Xin wasn’t surprised Fujimoto Takayoshi volunteered to join the meeting; he then made a suggestion, "However, I think it might be better for me to talk with everyone first to gauge their thoughts and give you a brief summary before you clarify matters for them."

"You really cover all the bases," Fujimoto Takayoshi praised, "Alright then, I’ll come later tomorrow. Give me a call when you think it’s time."

"Yes!" Aoyama Xiu Xin acknowledged with a bow, then glanced at his watch and stood up to leave, "I’ll head to headquarters first; we still have some time before the press conference. Minister, you should rest a while. The mastermind is nothing but a petty criminal lurking in the shadows, no threat at all. There’s no need for too much worry."

He was so fierce that he cursed himself.

"Xiu Xin, rest assured, what kinds of big storms haven’t I seen in my half a lifetime? It’s just a bit of frost, and it won’t take me down!" Fujimoto Takayoshi laughed heartily, full of bravado.

"The Minister is truly a hero!" Aoyama Xiu Xin praised with a smile before bowing again and turning to leave.

As he stepped out of Fujimoto’s house, he looked back with a smirk, then got into his car and instructed Jin Yucheng to head to the headquarters while dialing Yanchuan Shilang’s phone number.

"Grandfather, it’s Xiu Xin."

"I knew you would call me. You’ve caused quite a stir over there!" said Yanchuan Shilang.

"Indeed," Aoyama Xiu Xin admitted, then shed the respect he had shown toward Fujimoto Takayoshi and mercilessly backstabbed him, "Grandfather, this time the troublemakers were all Fujimoto Takayoshi’s trusted aides. They’ve been acting as they please, without any scruples, all thanks to his backing, so it’s only natural that they’ve encountered problems now. However, I think this presents a fantastic opportunity for you to remove this local snake from power!"

The last time the investigative team faced setbacks in Hokkaido, it had already landed Fujimoto Takayoshi on Yanchuan Shilang’s blacklist.

"On the surface, it looks like that," Yanchuan Shilang said indifferently, expressing his concerns, "I’m just afraid Fujimoto Takayoshi, craving power, might ask influential figures in Hokkaido to speak for him and stir up those local police poisoned by his influence to petition and cry foul on his behalf, which would not look good."

Having dealt with the previous investigative team’s incident, the reason he hadn’t acted against Fujimoto Takayoshi, besides lacking an opportunity, was also due to concerns over Fujimoto’s years of deep influence in Hokkaido.

"Grandfather, don’t worry, I will persuade most of the higher-ups to stand against him. Fujimoto Takayoshi is too domineering, and many only dare to be angry but don’t dare to speak out. What’s missing is just a spark, and I am willing to relieve your worries and take this man down for you!" Aoyama Xiu Xin offered ambitiously.

"Oh?" Yanchuan Shilang perked up upon hearing this, somewhat surprised, "Are you confident? Fujimoto Takayoshi has been in Hokkaido for over a decade!"

"Not very confident, but willing to do my best. Relieving Grandfather’s concerns is my duty as your grandchild!" replied Aoyama Xiu Xin, unashamed and obsequious to the point of disgust.

Yet as the one being flattered, Yanchuan Shilang was quite pleased and gained a further understanding of Aoyama Xiu Xin’s abilities, "Good, how can I assist you?"

"Tomorrow, as the National Public Security Committee, you just need to question Fujimoto Takayoshi’s dereliction of duty by name and suspend all his duties. Leave the rest to me," said Aoyama Xiu Xin.

Yanchuan Shilang agreed without hesitation, "Fine!"

"Then await the good news from me, Grandfather."

Over an hour later, less than ten hours since the daytime press conference, another, even larger press conference was convened in the auditorium of the Hokkaido Police Headquarters.

Reporters from various newspapers and television stations were sent.

The moment Fujimoto Takayoshi stepped onto the stage, a sea of flashbulbs created a blinding array, making it hard for anyone to keep their eyes open.

Taking his place in the center, he first bowed deeply with a solemn expression, then stood and said, "I am deeply sorry for such an incident occurring under my command at the Hokkaido Police Headquarters, and I feel ashamed at having allowed such degenerates to serve under me and deeply remorseful for having mistakenly trusted such individuals."

"Fortunately, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu has revealed their deeds so they could not remain concealed. As the saying goes, ’The net of justice is vast and no one escapes,’ and I have already ordered the immediate dismissal and arrest of Fujino Norihiko and Ishida Koyun upon the news broadcast, and have called for a stern investigation into all their past crimes! There will be no leniency!"

"I know there are many questions you want to ask, so now I invite Minister Aoyama to come up and take your questions."

After concluding his statement, Fujimoto Takayoshi bowed once more and walked off without looking back at the loud questions from the reporters below.

When Aoyama Xiu Xin took the stage, the journalists immediately shifted their attention to him, and a barrage of questions rained down like a hailstorm.

"Minister Aoyama, with three high-ranking officials from the Police Department consecutively exposed for illegal and criminal activities, I’d like to ask if you think the abuse of power is merely an isolated incident?"

"Of course it’s an isolated case!" replied Aoyama Xiu Xin, who often abused power himself, without hesitation, firmly, and then added, "If the abuse of power were a widespread phenomenon, then we wouldn’t be standing here today condemning the actions of Kudou Misaki and the others! Nor would we have Japan as the only developed country in Asia today! I urge everyone not to generalize individual behaviors to the group, as most police officers, like myself, still regard upholding justice as their duty! Next question."

...

The next day, television stations from other regions also reported the content of the previous evening’s news in Hokkaido, and the whole country became aware of the illegal and criminal actions of the three high-ranking officials of the Hokkaido Police.

This inevitably made people think back to the significant achievements of the previous anti-corruption team in Hokkaido, which led many to believe that a thorough cleanup had been done, only to realize that it was merely scratching the surface.

The crimes committed by Kudou Misaki, Fujino Norihiko, and Ishida Koyun all had one thing in common: they directly harmed ordinary citizens, which naturally could trigger empathy and outrage from the general public. Everyone could put themselves in the shoes of the victims, so public anger swelled into a tidal wave.

In response to such vile incidents, the National Public Security Committee made immediate decisions to pursue Fujimoto Takayoshi for dereliction of duty due to poor management, suspending his role as the head of the Hokkaido Police Headquarters and requiring him to report to the Tokyo Police Department for a work briefing, followed by further arrangements.