Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 501, Entering the Imperial Palace

10:30 AM Imperial Palace, Sakashita Gate.

The atmosphere at Sakashita Gate, a gate that is usually heavily guarded and reserved for only a very small number of high-ranking officials and members of the royal family, was extremely tense today.

Several palace police officers stood solemnly, their eyes scanning the surroundings like hawks, having cleared away any unauthorized personnel in the vicinity beforehand.

Two black luxury cars without any Metropolitan Police Department markings, guided by a black official car from the Imperial Household Agency, silently glided to the front of the gate.

After undergoing identity verification and vehicle inspection that are several times stricter than airport security checks, the heavy iron gate slowly opened.

Inside the car, Uesugi Muneyuki gazed out the window at the stone walls, pine trees, and wide gravel square that were slowly passing by. His eyes were calm but held a unique scrutiny. Sitting next to him, Watanabe Minami maintained the sharpness of a professional police officer, quickly memorizing the route and security arrangements.

Even for them, this was the first time they had entered the core area of ​​the Imperial Palace in this way.

“This is the Imperial Palace,” Uesugi Muneyuki said to Minami. “I never imagined we would enter here one day in this capacity.”

“Yes, most of the Imperial Palace is open to the public, but the Forbidden Garden is only open for one day each year on New Year’s Day and His Majesty’s birthday.” Minami looked around curiously. The young lady was curious about everything inside the Imperial Palace. As a Tokyo native, she had never been to the Imperial Palace before, and she herself did not expect to enter the Imperial Palace in this capacity. She was really excited.

In fact, there is no doubt that, considering that her grandfather's generation served as the president of the National Railways and the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and her father was the Superintendent General of Police, the Watanabe family was actually superior to the so-called old aristocratic Yonezawa Uesugi clan. As the saying goes, a local official is more powerful than a distant one. Since the Uesugi family was forced to transform into a scholarly family after being hit by the Iron Fist, they were neither very powerful nor very wealthy. The only reason they could be considered "refined and noble" was because Uesugi Kuninori was a professor at the University of Tokyo.

However, the strong connection between the Uesugi clan and national culture, and their status as descendants of the Yonezawa lord and former noble counts, were something that political upstarts like the Watanabe family desperately craved but could never obtain.

In short, if Uesugi Muneyuki hadn't been a member of the nobility, he and his group wouldn't have been qualified to enter the Imperial Palace through the Sakashita Gate, let alone have been able to...

Thinking about this, Minami Watanabe could understand why her family had agreed not to change her surname.

What trash Watanabe-san, just hearing his name makes him sound like a complete stray dog!
On the contrary, the moment you mention Uesugi, you immediately know that he was a descendant of Kenshin!

This is the confidence Zongxue gave me! This is the true value of the Chinese nation!

Hey!

Miss Minami thought to herself that she would change her name to Uesugi Minami in the future, and she couldn't help but hum softly.

Furthermore, Muneyuki is essentially an adopted son-in-law—he's a member of the Watanabe family now!
Minami's mind was racing, already contemplating how she would make a dazzling entrance at the Chinese Assembly, and whether she should introduce herself to the important figures of the Imperial Household Agency as "Watanabe Minami" or "Uesugi Minami."

As for Uesugi Muneyuki, his attention was focused on the Imperial Palace at this moment.

The scene before us was not the magnificent splendor that outsiders might imagine, but rather an extremely grand "silence" and "stillness".

What comes into view is a large expanse of meticulously maintained yet almost empty lawn and a vast gravel path, offering an extremely open view where any intruder would have nowhere to hide.

In the distance, the beautiful turrets left over from the Edo period, such as Fushimi-yagura, stand quietly, silent witnesses to history.

The noise of carriages and horses outside was almost inaudible; the only sounds were the rustling of wheels rolling over gravel and the mournful whistling of the wind through the massive camphor and pine forests.

This extreme silence itself becomes a tangible pressure.

Passing through the lush trees, one can see the eastern courtyard of the palace, and in the distance, the modern architectural complex, including the Changhe Hall, where public ceremonies are held. Their simple yet grand lines exude an understated majesty. The entire environment is solemn and dignified; every blade of grass, every stone, seems to follow some ancient law, allowing no transgression whatsoever.

Like Nagata-cho, this place is the heart and symbol of the country.

Unlike the Forbidden City, which is a dead palace, the Forbidden City is a living palace. Although Emperor Munakata seized all the administrative power of the imperial family after the war, this palace is still alive. It remains a symbol of the country and a symbol of an unbroken imperial lineage. It may even be involved in the mysterious inheritance of the underworld and the descendants of ancient gods.

The convoy eventually stopped in front of an unassuming, but significantly more secure, traditional-style building. This was not an official palace, but rather a high-class reception facility belonging to the Imperial Household Agency.

The car door was silently opened by an Imperial Household Agency employee dressed in a dark suit and white gloves. They were greeted not by a large entourage, but by a handful of people, but of extremely high importance.

The leader was none other than the Grand Chamberlain of the Imperial Household Agency—Toshiyuki Maeda.

He was dressed in a morning suit, every fold meticulously done, his expression solemn and somber. Behind him stood the Vice-Minister of Administration, Nakajima, and his attendant, Takeuchi, both formally dressed and with grave expressions.

“Uesugi-kun, I am deeply grateful for your visit from afar.” Commander Maeda Toshiyuki stepped forward and spoke in extremely standard, respectful language reminiscent of old-fashioned aristocrats. His voice was steady and powerful, perfectly befitting his status as a top Japanese bureaucrat: “In these extraordinary times, it is truly an unfortunate event for the Imperial Court that I have to invite you out of personal friendship. I hope you will understand.”

His wording was flawless, packaging an urgent forensic investigation as an invitation for expert consultation based on personal relationships, stemming from an "unfortunate incident in the court (royal family)."

The fact that "descendants of the Chinese were invited to serve as advisors to the palace" provides a barely plausible and flexible explanation within their internal rules, cleverly avoiding the sensitive issue of "intervention by external forces."

Uesugi Muneyuki and Watanabe Minami bowed slightly in return: "Commander Maeda, you flatter us. It is our honor to be able to do our part in this matter."

He responded with equally skillful ancient etiquette. At that moment, the century-old lineage of the Yonezawa Uesugi family and the Kanazawa Maeda family silently intertwined in the air of the Imperial Palace.

This is what our family wanted! This is exactly what our family wanted! Kora!

Miss Minami was beaming with pride.

Chief Maeda's gaze then turned to Minami Watanabe: "Inspector Watanabe, the Imperial Household Agency is deeply grateful for the Metropolitan Police Department's swift response and professional support. We will rely on you all for the follow-up investigation and coordination."

He distinguished between his official thanks to Minami and his personal invitation to Uesugi, demonstrating impeccable manners.

"Commander Maeda." From the Special Missions Group, Date Chomune stepped forward. He was also a member of the nobility, a descendant of Uwajima Date (i.e., the eldest son of Date Masamune).

"How is Zongli-san?" Maeda Risuke nodded slightly.

"Grandpa is doing well." Date Chomune said seriously, which was uncharacteristically. "Grandpa must be very happy to receive greetings from the head of the Kanazawa family."

After a brief, almost ceremonial introduction, Commander Maeda personally led the entire Special Missions Unit into the Imperial Household Agency's secret facility.

After entering a completely Japanese-style, extremely quiet lounge where the sound of the garden stream could be heard, Chief Maeda gestured for the others to wait. He then took Uesugi Muneyuki to a corner of the room at a distance, under the pretext of showing him a hanging scroll.

Just as he turned his back to everyone, seemingly admiring a painting of bamboo, a barely perceptible crack appeared on Maeda Risuke's perfect mask of a top bureaucrat.

His posture remained unchanged, but his voice was extremely low and his speech quickened, carrying an undisguised urgency and deep panic befitting an elder: "Zong Xuejun... you must know something?"

"Grandpa Maeda, please tell me everything." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded seriously, too lazy to waste any more words.

“Hmm, you’re just like Kunihiro in that respect, preferring to be straightforward.” Maeda Toshiyuki used an extremely private form of address: “The situation… is far worse than the reports say. People are panicking, and those above are extremely worried… We don’t even know if that villain is still inside the ‘Imperial Garden,’ or what his target is…” The Grand Chamberlain of the Imperial Household Agency took a quick, slight breath and continued whispering, almost inaudibly: “Rules… those cumbersome rules can be put aside for now. I need you, no, ‘we’ need you, to use your eyes and wisdom to see the truth! The sooner the better, the more certain the better! Otherwise… otherwise, once the storm breaks, you and I both understand that this won’t just be one person’s dereliction of duty, but will shake the entire…”

He didn't finish speaking, but the fear in his eyes said it all. It was the ultimate fear of the collapse of trust in the entire system and the tarnishing of the nation's identity.

If this matter isn't resolved, we can all prepare to commit seppuku!

After saying these few words, the Grand Chamberlain immediately regained his composure, and his voice returned to normal volume. Maeda Toshiyu nodded slightly at the painting so that everyone could hear: "Indeed, it has a wonderful artistic conception, serene and refined, which can calm the mind. Uesugi-kun, I will have the people from the Library Department take you to the 'Library' to take a look later."

Uesugi Muneyuki remained calm, simply nodding slightly and saying in a low voice, "I understand, I will do my best."

What he received was not only an official commission, but also a heavy personal request from an elder member of the Chinese community in the face of a great crisis, which was almost unprecedented.

"Mikoto, get ready." In the secret facility of the Imperial Household Agency, Uesugi Muneyuki called over his forensic assistant, Ishihara Mikoto. He himself spread his arms, and Ikeda Erena immediately draped a white coat and an autopsy suit over him.

"…………This is my first time at the Imperial Palace." The forensic beauty had been extremely nervous ever since she entered the Imperial Palace. She no longer dared to laugh and joke as usual, and she dared not show her usual seductive temperament. She kept her head down and looked meek, especially when faced with the extremely serious expressions of the Imperial Palace police and the staff of the Imperial Household Agency. She didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

She had been secretly mocking Zong Xue's grandfather, thinking, "Why is he in such a hurry?"

Now she finally understood what it meant; the oppressive feeling of being in the heart of the country made her legs tremble.

"Everyone, take your positions." Miss Minami, having also donned her protective suit, addressed the Special Missions Unit members.

“Yes.” Nango Yui, Kai Kyou, Date Nagamune, and Igarashi Hayato all looked serious and were quite nervous.

They were positioned just a shot's distance from the Imperial Palace Main Tower.

And now, a body of an unexplained death has appeared in the heart of this country, and it was a full-time employee of the Imperial Household Agency!

Apart from Uesugi Minami and the other two, the rest of the Special Missions Division only realized that something terrible had happened after they entered the Imperial Palace!

Now, all we can do is rely on Uesugi Muneyuki's autopsy skills...

In the secret facilities of the Imperial Household Agency, guards were stationed every three steps and sentries every five steps. Uesugi Muneyuki soon saw the unexplained dead body lying in the temporary autopsy room—Ishimuro Akio, a full-time employee of the Imperial Household Agency.

At this point, an officer from the Imperial Palace Police's forensic department was already explaining the situation to Uesugi Muneyuki.

"Akio Ishimuro, 49 years old, unmarried, is a full-time employee of the Imperial Household Agency's Department of Internal Revenue. He is known for his extremely hard work and responsibility. Reportedly, he has no major grudges against anyone. He has not left Chiyoda during this period. We reviewed the surveillance footage and found that he only traveled between his dormitory and the Imperial Palace. There were no obvious signs of beatings, scratches, or binding marks on his body, only minor abrasions. There were traces of what appeared to be a slip on the ground near the pond. He worked overtime that day and did not leave work at the normal time. It is understood that he was subjected to reprimands by the Imperial Palace staff..."

While the forensic staff were still explaining the situation, Uesugi Muneyuki's calm voice rang out: "It was murder."

"The Imperial Palace's Imperial Treasury has sent him to investigate... Huh?" The forensic officer hadn't quite grasped the situation yet.

"Tell the Imperial Household Agency and the Imperial Palace Police that Akio Ishimuro's death was a murder," Uesugi Muneyuki said coldly. "It was not an accident."

"He... he was murdered...?!" The forensic staff and Imperial Household Agency employees at the scene all gaped open, speechless with shock.

Are you kidding me?
You haven't even performed an autopsy yet? And you're already calling it homicide? What kind of international joke is this?

Everyone says that Chief Uesugi is very capable, but it can't be this outrageous, right?
"Uesugi... Chief Uesugi, we know you are the best forensic pathologist, but... you have to give us some evidence, right? How are we supposed to explain this to headquarters and the Imperial Household Agency?" As expected, the first reaction of the forensic staff was disbelief.

“The evidence will be available soon, and I will begin the autopsy now,” Uesugi Muneyuki said coldly. “What you need to do now is to tell Commander Maeda and the Imperial Palace Headquarters who are waiting that my judgment is that this was a homicide!”

"This……"

"Didn't you hear what I said? This is a homicide, no doubt! Go report it right now! Or are you deaf? Mute?!" Uesugi Muneyuki roared, "Go and report it!"

"Yes Yes."

The forensic staff dared not delay and immediately ran to the Ran Room in the underground secret facility to inform the waiting Imperial Palace quartet—Commander Maeda, Vice-Commander Nakajima, Headmaster Gondo, and Chief Chamberlain Takeuchi—that Uesugi Muneyuki had preliminarily determined it to be a murder.

"Good! As expected of Muneyuki-kun!" A look of joy immediately appeared on Maeda Risuke's face.

As expected, Uesugi is omnipotent as long as there are corpses!

You might win the Boundless Void!
I said I'd get Boundless Space, are you fucking deaf?

(Uesugi Spirit Bomb! -125!)
"So, the stone chamber was murdered?" Takeuchi, the chief retainer, was first surprised, then horrified. "But why? How was it done?"

"Don't worry, Uesugi-kun has already started the autopsy. I believe he will soon give us enough evidence and conclusions." Chief Gondo also looked pleased, thinking that he truly deserves to be the Metropolitan Police Department's ace, the last line of defense.

Director Watanabe! He's amazing! Absolutely fantastic!
However, Nakajima, the Vice-Minister of the Imperial Household Agency, was not so happy. He pondered for a few seconds: "If it was murder, then was it internal or... external?"

"If it's internal, then...the entire Imperial Household Agency, the Imperial Police, and the Imperial Household Attendants...are they...?"

"If it's from outside... then where is the murderer now? If he's committed the crime and left, that's fine, but what if he... hasn't left?"

Vice Minister Nakajima hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

His words sent chills down everyone's spines.

Yes, if it is murder as Uesugi Muneyuki said, then was the killer inside or outside?

If it's an internal matter, all of them are culpable!
If it's from outside... what if the murderer hasn't left? Is he still inside the Imperial Palace?

"Hiss~" Everyone present gasped.

At this moment, the complexity of the system, the weight of history, the sense of crisis in reality, and the panic of human nature reached a delicate balance in this quiet conference room.

The Special Missions Bureau's investigation of the Imperial Palace officially began in this incredibly solemn yet incredibly oppressive atmosphere.

A storm is brewing, and the wind fills the tower.

(End of this chapter)