Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

The person in charge walked ahead of the group, his leather shoes making a crisp, rhythmic sound as they stepped on the gleaming marble floor.

As he walked, he introduced the collection with intonation: "The Sen-oku collection mainly consists of Chinese bronzes and ancient paintings, many of which are national treasures."

For example, the tiger-shaped wine vessel (鍣卣) has a unique shape and remains a one-of-a-kind bronze artifact. Its intricate decorations and exquisite casting technique make it a pinnacle of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

Hongye nodded from time to time as she listened, her gaze following the gestures of the person in charge. But in that instant, her attention was quickly drawn to the calligraphy and painting exhibition area next to her.

There hung a landscape scroll from the Ming Dynasty, its brushstrokes vivid and its artistic conception profound. She subconsciously slowed her pace.

The person in charge noticed her distraction and pointed to the calligraphy and painting area, saying, "This area mainly features ancient Chinese calligraphy and painting, with a focus on paintings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It includes works by famous artists such as Xu Wei, Tang Yin, Bada Shanren, and Shi Tao."

Afterwards, the person in charge led everyone to visit other collections.

There are also various kinds of ancient bronze mirrors, as well as ancient artifacts from Japan and Korea.

As the group approached a display case showcasing ancient bronze mirrors, the person in charge heard a voice through their earpiece. They suddenly stopped, turned around, and walked to Zheng Yi's side.

He turned slightly to the side and lowered his voice, saying, "Mr. Zhengyi, your father wants you to go to the curator's office to see him now."

Zheng Yi nodded, his tone flat: "Okay."

Then, he turned to Hongye and the others and said, "You guys stay here and wander around, I'll be right back."

Zheng Yi was led by a staff member through a long corridor to the curator's office located deep inside the museum.

He knocked gently on the door, and a deep voice came from inside: "Come in."

Pushing open the door, I saw Saburo Sumitomo sitting behind a large mahogany desk, holding a neatly folded newspaper.

Upon seeing Zheng Yi enter, he did not get up, but instead slammed the newspaper onto the table with a "thud" and forcefully tapped the front page of the newspaper with his index finger.

"Look at you, you're already causing trouble as soon as you arrive in Kyoto." Sumitomo Saburo's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

"What did I do again?" Zheng Yi walked forward with an innocent look and picked up the newspaper.

However, his eyelids still twitched when he saw the headline in the newspaper.

Breaking News! The president of the Kyoto Daily News was assassinated amidst a sea of ​​blood-red flowers; his death points directly to a forbidden secret power within Tokyo's dark underworld!

This headline is sensational, full of drama and conspiracy theories.

Zheng Yi quickly glanced at the contents. Although the report did not name names directly, it implied that there was an extremely complex power struggle behind the assassination.

Shoichi, who had just arrived in Kyoto, was undoubtedly one of the most suspicious people.

It was brilliant, beyond anything Zhengyi could comprehend.

"Isn't it enough that you've integrated the newspapers in Tokyo? You want to integrate the newspapers in Kyoto too? Is your goal the whole of Japan?" Sumitomo Saburo asked, his tone full of accusation and helplessness.

He rubbed his temples, feeling a terrible headache.

Integrating the Tokyo newspapers was already eye-catching enough, but I never expected that his troublesome son would cause such a commotion as soon as he arrived in Kyoto.

And yet they are so impatient.

Sumitomo Saburo said sarcastically, "So you're planning to cut the Gordian knot before others figure out how to deal with you, is that it?"

"I'm not in the mood for that." Zheng Yi pulled up a chair and sat down, pouring himself a glass of water.

"I have absolutely no interest in newspapers or anything like that, and his death has nothing to do with me."

"None of your business?" Sumitomo Saburo scoffed, leaning forward and staring intently at Shoichi. "If it has nothing to do with you, why did this unlucky fellow die the moment you arrived in Kyoto? What a coincidence!"

"Just bad luck." Zheng Yi took a sip of water to moisten his throat. "Maybe he has too many enemies, or maybe it's fate. Anyway, I didn't do it."

"Do you think everyone else is an idiot?" Sumitomo Saburo slammed his hand on the table, raising his voice several decibels.

"Your first stop in Kyoto was the Jonan-gu Shrine. The moment you arrived, the shrine's head died. Who could you possibly hide that from? The timing was so precise; who else could it be but you?"

Masakazu looked wronged and explained to Sumitomo Saburo, "I wasn't planning to go there. It was Momiji who dragged me there."

My going there was a random event, and so was that club president's going there. How can you blame it on me?

"Heh." Sumitomo Saburo sneered and leaned back in his chair.

"Hongye is just a high school girl, yet you manage to charm her completely. Her request to go to the Jonan Shrine might very well be influenced by you. Do you think I don't know your methods?"

"You're just being unreasonable." Zheng Yi put down his water glass, his brows furrowing slightly.

Without any evidence, they relied entirely on guesswork and groundlessly attributed the results to me.

Saburo Sumitomo said, "Your family also has a lot of complaints about your arrogance and domineering attitude. They think you're a bastard who has ruined the reputation of the Sumitomo Group."

Moreover, the younger members of the family all felt that the family had been too lenient with Zheng Yi.

They only have some minor privileges in society, while Zheng Yi has great privileges and acts without restraint, which naturally makes them very uncomfortable.

Although the conglomerate has consistently explained that Zheng Yi is safe and sound because there is no evidence of his crimes outside, it is definitely not due to the conglomerate's protection.

But nobody believed it.

Because of Zhengyi's success, some young people in the family began to emulate him, acting more and more aggressively, which had a very bad influence and angered many of the older members.

This wasn't just true for family members; even the professional managers they hired, seeing how powerful the Sumitomo Group was, became increasingly aggressive in their actions.

This bad example has had a huge impact.

Sumitomo Saburo said helplessly, "If you hadn't gone to the Jonan-gu Shrine, I could have covered for you a little."

But you're too arrogant; you won't feel at ease until you see him die in front of you.

As long as you keep a low profile, you can manage to explain things reasonably within the conglomerate.

"Whatever," Zheng Yi said nonchalantly. "As long as I know I'm innocent, that's enough."

He glanced at Sumitomo Saburo and said, "Anyway, there are a lot of people who are dissatisfied with me, and I don't care if any of them have the surname Sumitomo."

Zheng Yi picked up his water glass, took a sip, and said softly, "It's just that I'm someone who is naturally favored by God. Those who speak ill of me don't have a good ending, and many of them even hold high positions in the government."

Saburo Sumitomo nodded and said, "Okay, I'll pass on your message to the people in the conglomerate."

Shoichi blew on the steam rising from his water glass and looked at Sumitomo Saburo with a strange expression.

When did I ask you to pass on a message to someone else?
It's strange, he misunderstood me again.

But Zheng Yi didn't explain.

Being misunderstood is the fate of those who express themselves; Zheng Yi has become accustomed to it and is too lazy to explain to others.

Even when Shoichi didn't express himself, he would be misunderstood. "Now that you've made something of yourself, I can't control what you do anymore," Sumitomo Saburo said sternly, trying to regain his authority as a father.

“But!” He stared at Zheng Yi and said, word by word, “Because of the bad influence you’ve created, many people in the conglomerate admire your style and have been imitating you.”

Under no circumstances should you contact them. If they try to reach you, don't say a word to them. You absolutely cannot interfere with their lives!

One Zheng Yi alone is enough to ruin the reputation of the Sumitomo Group.

If there are too many of these "positive ones", it will be enough to give conglomerates a real headache.

Moreover, if too many people cause trouble, the conglomerates certainly can't protect them all, and it will also cause other conglomerates to be dissatisfied with Sumitomo.

"Why? Is it a bad thing to imitate me?" Zheng Yi said with dissatisfaction.
"I am honest and kind, considerate and caring towards my subordinates. I do business with integrity and sincerity, and I treat people with utmost sincerity."

If there were more people like me, I don't know how wonderful Japan would be.

"It just won't work," Sumitomo Saburo said through gritted teeth.

I really don't know how he can have such thick skin.

"Then I'll listen to you." Zheng Yi nodded.

You missed the opportunity to make Sumitomo the number one conglomerate in Japan. You are a sinner against the conglomerate and even against Japan.

Sumitomo Saburo stared at Shoichi's unharmed face, his temples throbbing.

He took a deep breath, swallowed back the reprimand that was about to escape his lips, and instead took a dark brown file folder from the drawer and slammed it heavily on the table.

"Alright, stop playing innocent with me." Sumitomo Saburo tapped the file folder with his knuckles.

"Whether you are interested in that newspaper or not, here is the information about that newspaper. Take a look for yourself."

Masakazu raised an eyebrow and casually pushed the file folder back to Sumitomo Saburo: "Why are you giving me this? I've already told you I have no interest in this newspaper."

Sumitomo Saburo laughed in exasperation. He stood up, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and stared intently at Shoichi:

"You've already killed someone, why don't you take over the job yourself? Are you going to let someone else benefit from it?"

Zheng Yi, don't think I don't know what you're up to. Don't try to play innocent after getting the better deal.

Looking at Sumitomo Saburo's confident expression, Masakazu remained silent for a moment, then sighed helplessly and put the document away.

It's utterly unreasonable; they're forcing him to seize someone else's newspaper.

However, since it's offered to us, we might as well take it.

Saburo Sumitomo sat back in his chair, his expression softening somewhat, but his tone remained stern: "Don't forget what I just said, stay away from those in the family who follow your example."

Zheng Yi stood up, dusted off non-existent dust from the corner of his clothes, and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry."

He walked to the door, and as he grasped the doorknob, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Sumitomo Saburo, saying, "Don't listen to those rumors. I'm actually a good person."

Sumitomo Saburo sneered.

Okay, okay, you have to be shameless to succeed.

Zheng Yi shrugged, pushed open the door, and walked out.

He was walking slowly down the corridor with his hands in his pockets.

When Hongye saw Zhengyi return, she asked curiously, "What did you two talk about?"

"Let's talk about the murder case at the Camellia Festival in Chuimei Mountain," Zheng Yi said.

"Did you kill him?" Hongye asked in surprise.

Shiho, who was standing to the side, twitched at the corner of her mouth.

That's Zhengyi's reputation. Whenever there's a murder case, it's always right to pin it on Zhengyi.

“You brought me there; you’re more like the murderer than I am,” Zheng Yi said.

The person in charge deliberately slowed down, and only when Zheng Yi approached did he lightly touch the glass of the display case with his white-gloved hand: "Look at this one."

It was a bronze tiger-eating-human vessel from the late Shang Dynasty. The patina on the vessel was like moss. The tiger's mouth was wide open, and a human head was held between its fangs. The human head's arms were wrapped around the tiger's neck.

"This is the prized possession of the Sen-oku Hakuko Kan Museum."

The person in charge said softly, "Before Mr. Saburo Sumitomo left, he specifically told me that you have a great knowledge of bronzes, but this piece..."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "He asked me to remind you that some things are only meant to stay where they belong."

Zheng Yi was taken aback. What was his purpose in saying that?
"Do you think I would steal artifacts from a museum?" Zheng Yi stared at the person in charge and questioned.

Being stared at by Zheng Yi, the person in charge felt immense pressure, as if a gun was already pointed at his head.

The person in charge said in a low voice, "These are your father's exact words that he asked me to pass on."

"So he thinks I'll steal the artifacts here?" Zheng Yi looked at the person in charge with displeasure.

The person in charge was startled and took a step back, whispering:
“Your father said that someone admires this piece and often comes here to see it. Your father hopes that when that person comes, he can still see this piece.”

"Oh?" Zheng Yi asked, "So, does he mean he still wants to give this Cang Ping away?"

“This…” The person in charge wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

That's not something he could possibly know.

However, when the person in charge heard the word "send" come out of Zheng Yi's mouth, he shivered from the cold.

Zheng Yi stood in front of the "Tiger Eating Man" bronze vessel from the late Shang Dynasty, his fingertips touching the glass display case.

How much is this worth?

Those old spendthrifts actually want to give away such valuable things; what a waste!

Zheng Yi asked the person in charge, "Who are they going to give this treasure to? Let me talk to that person and see if we can resolve this properly."

Although the words were spoken in a consultative tone, the person in charge was thinking about corpses.

He took a trembling step back: "They are from the royal family, and they weren't sent to a private residence, but to the main warehouse for safekeeping."

Zheng Yi frowned. What's the difference between this and giving it to the royal family?
The person in charge had beads of sweat on his forehead and spoke in a very low voice: "His Highness Prince Takeda of the Imperial Family wrote a letter last week, expressing great interest in this tiger-shaped wine vessel."

After discussing with the family elders, Mr. Saburo Sumitomo decided that once the special exhibition in Kyoto ended, the donation would be sent there under the guise of a 'cultural donation,' serving as a way for the foundation to accumulate some political capital.

Zheng Yi said with dissatisfaction, "With that guy's IQ, how could he possibly appreciate antiques? Giving them to him would be a complete waste!" (End of Chapter)