The strongest high school student in Japan

Besides, being treated coldly by the Izumo family for no reason is no longer just a problem for his grandson. Even if it's just for the sake of face, he has to find a way to retaliate.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again.

"Have you found out which banks have the artworks they sold?"

"It's still under investigation." replied Jun Mogami.

"You can't be so slow. Now that you've decided to do it, you have to be quick! You can't give others time to come to their senses." The old man shook his head in dissatisfaction. "How about this, I'll ask some people in the related industry to see if there are any clues."

"I'll try my best." Jun Mogami nodded.

"Also, your father must not show up. I will handle all these private activities. No matter what happens, don't mention your father's name." Heze Kangjie briefly explained, "It's not clear what the outcome of this matter will be. After all, he is an official. If he shows up, he will still have many concerns. As long as he insists that he has no knowledge, no one will do anything to me."

"I understand." Mogami Jun nodded to show his understanding. "I won't cause any trouble to my father."

The old man has gray hair and wrinkles all over his face. These lines form a serious and rigid expression, which makes him look intimidating without even being angry.

Although he has retired due to old age, when it comes to getting things done, Kousuke Hezawa is still as clear-headed and decisive as before, reminding people that he almost made it to the top of the Ministry of Finance.

"Even if I do nothing, I can't stay out of it. Besides, my son is being humiliated, but I don't do anything. It's too strange. I don't know if someone won't get suspicious." Zui Shangqing, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "So I might as well put pressure on them publicly, but without any substantive actions. This way, they will think we have no other options and can only get angry out of shame."

"That's fine..." Heze Kangjie hesitated for a moment and nodded, "However, I will contact the bank personally, so don't interfere."

"Okay." Saigami Qing nodded.

After all, they had been superiors and subordinates for decades and had already developed a tacit understanding, so within a few words, the father-in-law and son-in-law had already decided on the proper manner of doing things.

"I'll contact some old friends first and invite them to dinner. We haven't seen each other for a long time, and it's time to catch up." Heze Kangjie looked at Mogami Jun again, "You come with me."

"Ah? Why?" Mogami Jun was a little surprised. "This kind of thing... isn't it good for me to be there?"

"It's because you're here that he doesn't look so serious." Heze Kangjie replied, "A retired old man who spends all his time taking his grandson around. Even if he makes some unreasonable requests, he won't be disliked, right..."

Jun Mogami didn't quite understand what his grandfather said.

But he still nodded.

"If you don't think it's inappropriate, then I'll go with you."

Then he thanked his grandfather and father with great apology.

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble. It's all because of my incompetence..."

"No need to apologize, this is not your responsibility." Heze Kangjie waved his hand, "To some extent, I think it's better for things to have some twists and turns. You can learn some lessons from it. I hope you can also grow a little from this turmoil..."

"Then it must be difficult to borrow things from the bank, right?" Mogami Jun asked again.

Kousuke Hezawa and Kiyoshi Mogami looked at each other and smiled, both with strange expressions.

"Whether it's difficult or not depends on who's doing it. To be honest, there are a lot of people who do this kind of thing." After a moment, Heze Kosuke replied with a sneer. "There are a lot of these things in the bank's vaults, and they're all worried about how to deal with them. Being able to make the best use of them is a help to them."

"Will it be so easy?" Mogami Jun was really surprised.

He had originally thought that with his grandfather and father's status, it should not be difficult to borrow collateral from the bank privately, but he did not expect that in the eyes of his grandfather and others, it was actually easier than he imagined.

Then, Kousuke Hezawa began to explain to Jun Mogami.

8①④⑨ ling ③Qi Bar

During the bubble economy era from the late 80s to the early 90s, because the government implemented an ultra-loose fiscal policy, liquidity in the market was overflowing to an unimaginable extent. At that time, the Japanese were speculating everywhere, speculating in stocks, foreign exchange, real estate, and naturally some people also speculated in art.

In those few short years, the high-end art market in the Western world was almost completely swept away by the Japanese. Japanese buyers paid high prices for a large number of Western oil paintings, which led to a surge in art prices in those years.

Of course, these Japanese buyers were not simply interested in spending money. After buying these artworks, a large number of them would mortgage them to banks at a higher price in exchange for financing to continue speculating in real estate. At that time, banks were also happy to accept these collaterals because, in their view, artwork prices were rising steadily and were absolutely value-preserving commodities.

Make money by speculating in land - buy artworks at high prices - mortgage them to banks in exchange for loans at even higher prices - develop more real estate, and a perfect cycle is established.

Thanks to people's efforts at that time, real estate prices were pushed up to an incredible level. What was even more incredible was that everyone believed that prices would be even higher in the future and Japan would become the richest country in the world.

The bubble era is such a beautiful and incredible era.

Unfortunately, this beautiful era collapsed within a few years. In order to save the already difficult economic situation, the government changed its fiscal policy, credit began to tighten, and the real estate industry based on fictitious financing also collapsed.

The collapse of the real estate industry brought about the simultaneous collapse of almost all bubbles, including art. The artworks that buyers had purchased at high prices suddenly plummeted in price, and banks suddenly discovered that the collateral in their hands was not maintaining its value at all, and the companies that had mortgaged them had gone bankrupt, making it impossible to redeem them.

In panic, banks could only sell at half the price or even lower. As a result, the artworks bought by Japanese buyers at high prices flowed back to Western collectors at low prices, and the wealth tax was paid in vain.

There are also many artworks that simply cannot be sold and can only lie quietly in the bank vaults. The era of carnival finally came to a desolate end.

These artworks have also become a hot potato in the hands of banks. Banks do not care about art at all. They only care about whether they can recover their capital and whether their balance sheets are healthy. Therefore, they are willing to sell them at ultra-low prices. As for secretly lending them to senior executives for "appreciation", that is not a problem at all.

Precisely because of previous lessons, banks are still wary of mortgaging artworks, and keep the prices very low.

Kousuke Hezawa and Kiyoshi Mogami are both people who have experienced that era. It can even be said that they are the direct responsible persons and executors, so they are quite familiar with these things.

"You didn't see how people spent money back then." Heze Kosuke's expression seemed a bit sarcastic, but also a bit nostalgic. "The young people nowadays really haven't seen the world..."

248, Old Grudge

Although he has become accustomed to the leisurely retirement life, when it comes to getting serious, Kousuke Hezawa still shows his vigorous and resolute style and starts working at high speed.

That very night, he made several phone calls, all of which took a long time. Although Mogami Jun couldn't hear what he was saying, it was obvious that he must be contacting his old friends and confidants.

Although my grandfather was once very famous and almost reached the pinnacle of civil service, after so many years of retirement, how many people can he still command? Mogami Jun didn't have much confidence.

This is a world where people forget about you when you leave. Once you are no longer useful, no matter how prominent you once were, no one will care about you anymore.

However, after all, Kousuke Hezawa once had a huge influence, and he still has some residual power. If he makes a slightly excessive request, there should be people who will give in because of the past, right?

Mogami Jun thought about it for a long time, and finally felt that he couldn't change anything anyway, so he might as well stop thinking about it and take a break first - after all, the result of whether this path is feasible or not will soon be known.

The next afternoon, Kousuke Hezawa took Jun Mogami out and got into his car.

Then, he drove through the crowded and narrow streets of Tokyo with ease, and finally came to a restaurant.

This restaurant is in a hidden location, but once you enter, you will find that the furnishings are quite high-end. It is also very quiet inside and there are hardly any customers to be seen.

Kousuke Hezawa seemed to be a regular here, so someone immediately greeted him and took him into a private room.

Outside the window of the box is Tokyo Aoyama Park. From inside the box, you can also see the green grass in the distance, but no one is in the mood to appreciate the scenery at the moment.

"Jun, when the guest comes, you must be polite." The old man solemnly reminded Jun Mogami, "He is my old colleague and one of your father's former superiors. Although he is retired now, you must be polite. Do you understand?"

"Okay." Jun Mogami nodded quickly.

Then, he asked with some curiosity, "He...was he from your faction back then?"

"Of course." Heze Kousuke smiled bitterly. "His name is Nanjo Haruki, and he is one of my most staunch supporters. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found him first."

Just as Jun Mogami was talking to his grandfather, there was a slight knock on the door.

The two of them stopped immediately.

Novel qun㈨五十一㈧0九九⑨

"Come in!" Heze Yasusuke shouted.

Immediately, the door was opened from both sides, and then a man took off his shoes and walked in.

He was not tall, had short hair and wore glasses. He was about the same age as Kousuke Hezawa, with a square face and gray hair on his temples, but because he was wearing a dark blue suit and a tie, he still looked quite energetic.

"Kousuke, long time no see!" As soon as he came in, he greeted Kousuke Heze with a smile on his face and waved.

"Long time no see." Heze Kangjie also stood up and opened his arms to the other party with a smile on his face.

The two of them shook hands and looked at each other.

"It's been a while since I last saw you, but you still look pretty energetic." Heze Kangjie said with a smile, "I'm really sorry for calling you out... and causing you trouble."

"It's okay. Since I came down, I have plenty of time. Even if there are any activities, no one cares whether I show up or not, so it's not a problem at all." The other party also smiled and replied, "Whenever you want to have dinner together in the future, just call me."

Although the other person was smiling, Mogami Jun still heard a hint of disappointment and unwillingness in his tone.

People like them would never like to relax.

"I'm the same as you..." Heze Kangjie sighed, seeming a little melancholy. "After retirement, I have too much time and I don't know how to spend it."

However, he quickly calmed down and pointed at Jun Mogami, "This is my grandson, Jun."

"Is he Mogami's son?" The other party quickly turned his attention to Mogami Jun and looked him over carefully. "Well, he is indeed a handsome man."

Then, he smiled at Mogami Jun and said, "I was there at your parents' wedding. I didn't expect that almost 20 years have passed in a flash! Time flies so fast. It's a bit scary."

"I've always heard my father mention you. He said that he had received a lot of care from you and his heart was full of gratitude. Today I finally have the opportunity to meet you. Thank you for taking care of him all the time." Mogami Jun replied quickly.

"Ha! I didn't expect this guy to say something like this to you? He's usually a taciturn person." Mr. Nanjo laughed, "Boy, you're so good at talking. You must have a bright future."

"I am truly unworthy of your praise. I still have a lot to learn from my elders, and I hope to have the opportunity to receive your guidance in the future." Mogami Jun answered in a tone that seemed respectful but actually lacked enthusiasm.

From childhood to adulthood, he has heard countless similar polite words, so he was not at all surprised and simply ignored them.

After a few pleasantries, everyone started to eat together.

The main dish of this restaurant is sushi, so the dishes were served one by one. Jun Mogami was not very fond of fish dishes, but preferred beef and shrimps. Anyway, his grandfather was paying the bill today, so he didn't care about saving money.

While he was eating, Kousuke Hezawa and Haruki Nanjo started chatting while drinking sake.

"How have you been passing your time these years?" he asked after drinking a glass of wine.

"What else? Hiking, fishing, and occasionally playing golf." Nanjo Haruki also drank a glass and replied, "What about you?"

"I'm similar to you. I only have these things, and I collect them occasionally." Kousuke Hezawa answered casually.

"Oh? You actually have such a hobby?" Nanjo Haruki's eyes lit up, and he seemed quite surprised. "Weren't you completely uninterested in those cultural relics and antiques back then?"

"People always change. Since the environment has changed, I have to adapt to it." Heze Kangjie laughed awkwardly and drank another glass of wine. "I'm old and don't like to go out, so it's not bad to look at the cultural relics collection to kill time."

"That makes sense." Nanjo Haruki nodded and didn't ask any more questions. "You're not short of money anyway, so it's not bad to have a hobby like this."

"There is no one in the world who doesn't lack money..." Heze Yasusuke laughed again and continued to toast with the other party.

Then, the two of them chatted and drank, leaving Jun Mogami beside them. Jun Mogami was happy with this and ate the free meal quietly.

As they drank to their heart's content, seeing that they had almost established good relations and the time was ripe, Kousuke Hezawa decided to get down to business.

"Hey, I heard that the bank you're working for now has a lot of artworks pledged as collateral?"

"Yes, a lot of bad debts." Nanjo Haruki nodded, "Most of these things can't be redeemed. It's a headache for anyone to look at them. They can't be sold, and we can't donate them to the museum for nothing."

"Has anyone lent it to you?" Heze Yasuke asked in a low voice.

Nanjo Haruki, whose face had turned red from drinking, blinked his eyes, subconsciously looked around, and then answered with a smile. "Of course I would say no if someone asked me, but since you asked, I'll be frank, of course I do. Isn't it a pity to have so many good things lying in the basement? Anyway, they are useless, so it doesn't matter if I take them out and put them away."

Then, he moved a little closer and said, "Mr. Hatoyama, I took a lot of things over to have a look."

"Hatoyama?!" As soon as he heard this surname, it was as if a switch was pressed, and Heze Kosuke frowned and became extremely serious.

"Don't be so nervous." Nanjo Haruki patted his shoulder, "I'm talking about Secretary-General Yuan."

Then he laughed again, "You really still haven't let go of your resentment, Kangjie. It's been so long, hahahaha..."

Indeed, the word Hatoyama has become a taboo for Kousuke Hezawa.

It was the prime minister from the Hatoyama family who ruined his entire career and dreams.

Over the years, Heze Kangjie has been working hard to form cliques and factions in the province. Under his painstaking efforts, the Heze faction has become a powerful force in the province. Heze Kangjie, who has the support of hundreds of people, is just waiting for the day when his immediate superior retires and gives way.

Due to his activities, discussions within the cabinet and the ministry have already identified Kousuke Kazawa as the most likely candidate for the next vice minister, and his ascension to the position of vice minister seems to be just around the corner.

However, the complacent Heze Kosuke did not expect that the world would suddenly change drastically.

In 2009, due to its poor response to the economic crisis, the then Taro Aso cabinet suffered a crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections, and the Liberal Democratic Party lost its ruling position. The Democratic Party led by Yukio Hatoyama won both houses of parliament with a huge advantage and eventually became prime minister.

Yukio Hatoyama is no ordinary person. Several generations of his elders have served as prime ministers or cabinet ministers. He can be said to be a three-generation prime minister. His grandfather Ichiro Hatoyama was even the founder of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Later, because of a falling out with the opposition within the LDP, he rebelled against the LDP, founded the Democratic Party and once let it defeat the LDP in the election, achieving the first change of party in post-war Japan (although there had been a brief coalition of eight parties before, after all, no one party completely defeated the LDP).

In order to win votes, Yukio Hatoyama promised in the general election that he would carry out comprehensive reforms and eliminate corruption in the political arena after taking office. The voters who were very dissatisfied with the economic crisis at the time also responded to this call and voted for the Democratic Party, eventually making him the prime minister.

In Yukio Hatoyama's eyes, bureaucracy is also a major consequence of political corruption. Therefore, after coming to power, he immediately took action to change the bureaucratic system. First, he abolished the Joint Conference of Vice Ministers of Ministries and did not allow them to interfere in national policies.

As the most important ministry in the country, the Ministry of Finance has been the first to be affected and has become the primary reform target of the Democratic Party cabinet.

As a well-trained bureaucrat, Kosauke Hezawa had no political loyalty to speak of. He was fully willing to cooperate with the new ruling party and vigorously promoted the reforms called for by Prime Minister Hatoyama. In his view, no matter how the politicians made a fuss, they, the bureaucrats, would have to be called upon to implement the policies in the end. He did not mind currying the favor of the new prime minister and cooperating with the first three moves he made after taking office, as long as he could take over as vice minister.

However, despite Kazawa's flattery, the Democratic Party still disliked Kazawa's "power holders". Under Prime Minister Hatoyama's strong intervention, the Ministry of Finance finally decided that Kazawa's old rival would take over the position of vice minister.

Seeing that the throne that he was about to obtain was lost, Heze Kosuke's anger and pain reached its peak.

But the situation was stronger than him, and he was helpless in the face of the facts. He could only acknowledge his defeat and retire in disgrace.

Although Yukio Hatoyama resigned in disgrace after serving as prime minister for only nine months due to various reasons, and although the Democratic Party regime only existed for more than three years in total and was ousted by the Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Abe in 9, the Democratic Party's short-lived rule became just a small episode in history, but Kosuke Kazawa became a victim of this historical episode in these short three years and had to bid farewell to the place where he had worked for decades.

After he retired, the new vice minister was naturally not polite. He promoted his own confidants and purged the opposition. The power that Kawasawa Kosuke had carefully cultivated gradually collapsed in the next few years, and he watched his life's hard work go to waste.

After retirement, as per convention, the new vice minister did not kill all of them, allowing these defeated opponents to be parachuted into various banks and financial institutions to enjoy their old age. But for Kousuke Hezawa, who was once only one step away from the top, what kind of compensation is this?