Tokyo Three Generations

However, despite the lamentations, nothing that needs to be done can be delayed.

The death of the chairman has brought the struggle for the new chairman from the shadows to the forefront, and the original leadership structure of the faction is bound to undergo a major adjustment.

It could even be said that Jun Takasaki's return to Tokyo this time was to take advantage of the "chairman's death" to secure a better position for the Takasaki family in the subsequent power restructuring of the factions.

During this period of time, Takasaki Jun has been working hard for this, using his accumulated connections everywhere, colluding, intimidating and exchanging favors, he has gone to any lengths.

Now, it's time to test the results.

The first thing to do is to get ahead of the competition in the upcoming funeral arrangements.

—Logically speaking, although the Heisei Research Faction has declined after several major splits, a faction leader of this caliber would still receive a grand funeral from the party and various sectors if he were to hold a public funeral.

It is normal procedure for the Prime Minister to serve as the chairman of the funeral committee, and for key cabinet members to serve on the committee.

However, before his death, Chairman Takeshita revealed his last words: "I don't want a grand funeral; I just want to go to the underworld quietly."

In this country, all kinds of ceremonial occasions are a continuation of politics. Even funerals are a stage for politicians to display power or their respective positions. So even if the person has such wishes, they are often ignored by the political heirs. Those heirs need to confirm their family's inheritance and continuation through the funerals of their elders to maintain their "family status" and social relationships.

However, this time was different, because the Takeshita family no longer had a political heir.

It wasn't that the family line had ended; Takeshita Wataru had two sons, but one became a doctor and the other a lawyer, neither of whom had any intention of inheriting their father's political legacy.

For this reason, his family chose to "respect their father's last wishes".

Since the children have no intention of inheriting their father's political legacy, there is no need to give him a grand funeral to demonstrate the family's status.

Therefore, contrary to past practice, the Takeshita family deliberately reduced the scale of the funeral. The prime minister and ministers would no longer attend, and a simple funeral would only be held within the family and among the "old comrades" of their own faction.

For those busy national leaders, such "convenience" was certainly a good thing, since an old man who had already faded into obscurity was not worth their feigned tears; and for the Takasaki family, this also became an excellent opportunity.

In the case of a grand funeral, the Takasaki family is merely an inconspicuous guest at the funeral; but if it is just a small-scale funeral, then the Takasaki family may become one of the main figures in the funeral.

In short, Jun Takasaki is trying to become the chairman of the funeral committee for the deceased chairman.

If he could become the "chairman of the funeral committee" for the former chairman, even if it was just a nominal position without having to handle any specific affairs, then the image of Takasaki Jun's faction as a "veteran" would inevitably be more deeply rooted in people's hearts, and he would be able to legitimately intervene in the power struggle within the faction, and also gain more leverage for his son.

Although Takasaki Jun has been retired for many years, he is a senior figure recognized within the faction. Both his seniority and prestige meet the requirements for "chairman of the funeral committee".

However, he could not reveal this intention too obviously, so he could only try to persuade the bereaved families of the Takeshita family through his friends and allies in secret, while on the surface he continued to pretend to be indifferent to worldly affairs.

So, after receiving the news of the chairman's death, Jun Takasaki mourned for his former colleague while waiting for that phone call to arrive.

That very evening, just as the Takasaki family members had finished their dinner, the phone call the old man had been waiting for finally came through.

After taking the phone, Takasaki Jun listened quietly to what was being said on the other end.

Finally, he closed his eyes slightly and replied in a deep voice, "I feel endless regret and sorrow over the passing of Mr. Takeshita. I knew him for many years and deeply admired his character and demeanor. Thank you for entrusting me with this important task. Please rest assured, I will do my best to ensure that he passes away peacefully."

His voice was deep and earnest, solemn yet filled with appropriate grief—the kind of elder demeanor one usually expects at a funeral.

After he hung up the phone, the family members sitting around the old man knew that the opportunity they had been waiting for had finally arrived.

The phone call ended, and the sorrow on Takasaki Jun's face vanished instantly. He turned to look at his son.

"Hiroshi, Takeshita's son just called me and invited me to be the chairman of the funeral committee. My old face did have some effect after all."

"Dad, since you're willing to come out of retirement, you're bound to be successful." Faced with his father's stern gaze, Takasaki Hiroshi instinctively felt a little uneasy and quickly smiled and flattered his father.

“I didn’t mean for you to spout this nonsense!” the old man interrupted his son impatiently. “I wanted to tell you that this is the extent of my help. I’ve done my best this time, and don’t expect me to be able to turn things around again—you’re almost fifty years old, it’s time to learn to fight for yourself.”

"You're right," Takasaki Hiroshi quickly said with a smile. "I will definitely pull myself together and work hard for our family business from now on."

Takasaki Jun didn't have much hope for his son's promise—after all, how could someone who was already fifty years old possibly undergo any significant changes?

However, deep down, he was still a father, and even though his son disappointed him time and time again, he still held a little bit of hope for his son.

He's risked his life to survive until now, outliving one colleague after another, and finally earned the status of "veteran." Who knows how many more years he has left? After he passes away, his grandson will be too young, so his son will have to carry on the family business.

He had already become indifferent to his own life and death, but if the Takasaki family's foundation immediately crumbled and the territory they had painstakingly built vanished after his death, he would be truly unwilling to accept it...

Therefore, no matter what, he had to fight for as much as possible for the Takasaki family before he died, so that even if his son squandered the family fortune, they could still survive.

Let's burn out the last bit of our lifespan... It's all worth it.

The old man turned his head slightly and glanced at his silent grandson.

Then, he spoke coldly again.

“I’m not feeling well enough. I’ll just hold the title of Chairman in name only. You can take charge of the specific arrangements for Chairman Takeshita’s funeral in my place. Although he was mediocre in talent and didn’t achieve much in his life, he was still our leader. Even if we don’t talk about political factors, the Takeshita family and our family have been friends for decades. We should handle his funeral with the utmost humility. No matter how much scheming there is behind the scenes, we must do things properly in public. This is the measure we must follow, and only in this way will others respect us.”

"Yes, Father," Takasaki Hiroshi quickly replied.

Although he doesn't have a great reputation, he's quite adept at entertaining guests, and this kind of small matter is no challenge for him.

After telling his son what to do, Takasaki Jun picked up his phone and looked at it again. Then, seemingly out of the blue, he said, "It looks like the storm of public opinion you caused has gradually subsided. People online are basically no longer talking about your messy affairs."

Hiroshi Takasaki's face stiffened slightly from embarrassment, but he relaxed considerably inside.

"This is a good thing."

“This is certainly a good thing, but we can’t let our guard down!” Takasaki Jun raised his voice and scolded his son again. “I have a feeling they won’t just let this go so easily. After all, we’ve made it clear that we were the first to jump out and make an enemy of the Obuchi family… Even if it’s just to protect her own family’s reputation, she should fight us to the death.”

"You mean they're doing something else behind our backs?" Hiroshi Takasaki asked in a low voice. "Actually, I have this concern too, but I haven't found any concrete evidence yet."

"Then be careful. In short, I'm just reminding you not to be careless. This matter will not be over so easily!" Takasaki Jun didn't want to dwell on this topic with his son, so he reminded him, "Even if the election for chairman is over, she won't forgive us. We've already made an enemy of her, and she might even hate us more than she hates Mogi, after all, we are traitors in her eyes—"

Upon hearing his father's explanation, Takasaki Hiroshi felt a surge of anger.

Although he publicly criticized Yuko Obuchi at the gathering, saying she "didn't look like a ruler" and was unworthy of vying for the position of faction leader, that was only a questioning of her abilities and did not involve an attack on her character. However, in order to make an example of her, Obuchi used him as a tool to establish her authority and went straight for the kill, exposing all his dirty secrets and even forcing his wife to apologize on a live broadcast, which became a laughing stock on the internet. In any case, this went too far.

He had no grudge against her, but he was targeted and even killed simply because he did not support her rise to power. She was determined to ruin his reputation. This woman was truly petty and no wonder he had ended up in this situation.

Hmph, you won't let me go, and I won't let you go either!

For now, I can only endure it. But when I gain power, I will make sure you have nowhere to stand here... Takasaki Hiroshi secretly vowed in his heart.

What does it matter if she's the daughter of a former prime minister or a "princess" of a faction? Once she loses power, she'll be nothing but a nobody on the sidelines. She'll have to wait and pay the price.

Although Hiroshi Takasaki is not a particularly harsh person, as a politician he is vengeful enough that he would never forgive such an offense.

"Did you return that money to her?" Jun Takasaki suddenly asked.

Hiroshi Takasaki paused for a moment before remembering what his father was talking about—when Yuko Obuchi came to persuade him before, she brought 20 million yen in cash as a deposit in order to buy tickets from him, and promised to give him 2 billion yen after the deal was done.

He refused to cooperate, but he hasn't had time to return the money yet.

It wasn't that he was greedy for the money, but rather that it was too dangerous to rush back and return it—what if she falsely accused him of giving her money when he returned it, and he was caught red-handed?

Although it is shameless to do this, aren't politicians just people who do shameless things?

Because he had considered this, he hesitated and left the cash untouched.

"I haven't paid it back yet..." Takasaki Hiroshi told his father about his concerns.

Takasaki Jun glanced at his son.

"At least you have some sense," he said, a rare compliment he gave his son.

That's right. Although he's a good-for-nothing, he's been in charge of the family business for quite some time now, so he still has a basic sense of smell and vigilance.

It seems there's still hope of him becoming a "guardian dog".

“However, it’s not safe for this money to stay with you indefinitely; it will eventually give people something to say about it—since we haven’t done anything for them, we can’t take their money.” After a moment of contemplation, the old man made his decision. “How about this, I’ll find an opportunity to return the money to her personally at the chairman’s funeral. I doubt she’d dare to play any tricks on an old man like me…after all, everyone will be watching.”

After they finished speaking, the father and son looked at each other and smiled.

The long-standing friendship between the two families should be severed in a dignified manner.

After disciplining his son and planning his next move, Jun Takasaki felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Although he has been relatively clear-headed recently, the aging of his body is something that cannot be changed by willpower.

So he raised his hand and beckoned to Takasaki Jun with his finger, signaling his grandson to help him to rest.

Jun Takasaki quickly went to his grandfather and helped the old man up.

Just then, the old man suddenly grasped his grandson's hand and looked at him with a look full of admiration.

"Grandpa, do you have any instructions?" Jun Takasaki asked hurriedly.

“Takeshita, this was a family that dominated the political arena for fifty years. A prime minister, two chairmen, they were once so powerful and influential. As someone who witnessed it all, those scenes are still vivid in my mind. But its history… just vanished like that, and it will probably never reappear in the political arena.” Perhaps it was because too many memories had been stirred up, Takasaki Jun’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. “And I am its funeral director.”

His sighs and lamentations were not only a lament for the passing of "history," but also a feeling of shared sorrow for the passing of the rabbit.

"Chun, even if I am gone one day, you must never let our family name die out. Keep it alive and pass it down. This is my only wish. I beg you."

? 101, Farewell Ceremony

Because Chairman Takeshita had been bedridden for a long time before his death, his family and all relevant parties had already prepared for his passing, and arrangements for his funeral had been secretly initiated long ago.

As is well known, the death of a high-ranking politician is not only a biological event but also a political one. Therefore, it is also a kind of "fixed ritual," with various arrangements following certain rules and determined by the power and influence he wielded during his lifetime.

The founder of this faction, Kakuei Tanaka, was extremely powerful and influential during his lifetime. So when he passed away in 1993, it was a great shock to the government and the public. Thousands of important figures from the political and business world attended his memorial service, including several former prime ministers and almost half of the Diet.

When Takeshita Noboru, the second leader of the faction and former prime minister, passed away in 2000, his funeral procession was much smaller, but it still attracted a large number of important figures. Moreover, in accordance with the standards for prime ministers, he was posthumously awarded the rank of Junior Second Rank, which can be considered a perfect end to his life.

However, due to the decline of the factions, the power of the current chairman, Takeshita Wataru, was not as great as before. He did not hold any very important national positions, so the scale of his funeral was inevitably much smaller than that of his brother. This also directly reflects the change in the core of power in this country.

At the "earnest invitation" of Chairman Takeshita's family, Takasaki Jun, as a "veteran," bravely accepted the title of chairman of the funeral committee despite his grief. Because Takasaki Jun was already old, Takasaki Hiroshi took over the external funeral arrangements for Chairman Takeshita on behalf of his father.

Therefore, the Takasaki family became one of the main organizers of the funeral.

After taking on the task, Hiroshi Takasaki busied himself with various matters, using the funeral as an excuse to communicate with people both inside and outside the faction. This marked his first return to the public eye since the "scandal" broke out.

Soon, Chairman Takeshita's farewell ceremony was held in the venue that had been selected beforehand.

Because Chairman Takeshita had specifically instructed before his death not to hold a grand funeral, not many people were invited to the ceremony. Apart from the bereaved family, only politicians from the same faction were invited out of "fraternal affection," so the number of people in the venue was not large.

However, even though his power had waned, he was still a heavyweight politician, and the proper courtesy he deserved was still due. The venue was filled with wreaths, from the Prime Minister himself to cabinet ministers and leaders of major conglomerates and economic organizations, all of whom sent wreaths to the deceased.

Moreover, since he had served as a Minister of State, according to custom, Takeshita Wataru was posthumously awarded the rank of Junior Third Rank by imperial decree, which can be considered a fitting end to his life.

But what does all of this have to do with an old man who is already lying in a coffin, waiting to be cremated?

At this moment, the old man was lying quietly in an open coffin, allowing people to pay their respects. A group of monks stood on both sides of the coffin, chanting scriptures that no one could understand, sending the old man off to the afterlife. His posthumous name was written on the memorial tablet.

The atmosphere was somber and solemn, but there was not much grief.

As the young master of the Takasaki family, Jun Takasaki was naturally among this group of people.

This was the second time he had attended a funeral in a short period of time.

Just like last time, he wore a custom-made black suit and a black tie, a standard outfit.

However, unlike his feelings when he attended Mizuho Toyokawa's funeral last time, this time he was almost completely unmoved, acting as an expressionless NPC throughout the entire event.

Although he had met this old man many times since childhood because of his grandfather, and had even been praised by him to his face, he was ultimately just an old man. He had no real understanding of him and no shared memories with him, so Takasaki Jun was naturally indifferent to his death.

—Moreover, he didn't have a very pretty granddaughter, so it was even less likely to evoke any feelings in him.

However, while he was just one of the background figures, his family members were not.

After the monks finished chanting the sutras, Chairman Takeshita's family members gave some eulogies in remembrance of the deceased and thanked everyone for attending the funeral; then, it was Takasaki Jun's turn to appear.

As the chairman of the funeral committee, he was implicitly considered the most prestigious person at the funeral, and after the bereaved families had finished speaking, it was naturally his turn to deliver the eulogy.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Takasaki Hiroshi helped his father walk step by step to the coffin.

Takasaki Jun gazed at Chairman Takeshita lying in the coffin. Although he wasn't exactly heartbroken, he was filled with many emotions.

Because of the preservation treatment, the body did not emit any strange smell, and the face was lifelike, which further evoked memories of working with Takasaki Jun over the past few decades.

As the half-brother and successor of former Prime Minister Takeshita Noboru, Takeshita Wataru held a higher position than him, but the two had a good personal relationship and witnessed together the entire process of their faction's rise from its peak to its current decline.

They went through their most glorious days together, banding together to exclude dissidents, secretly operating black money... doing whatever they pleased. But they also went through those days of constant decline, struggling to survive through repeated splits and infighting, and ultimately perpetuating the faction to this day.

Your heart must be filled with regret and resentment... But, circumstances are beyond our control, what can we do?

All we can do is try our best to protect our territory and then place our hopes on the younger generation.

However, the Takeshita family has already withdrawn from politics, leaving them with no successor in politics, so there is no hope to speak of.

But I am different... My descendants are still alive, and they will continue to live on in this world, carrying on my sorrowful wishes.

Isn't this the original intention behind having children? To continue our bloodline and our careers.

The emotions in Takasaki Jun's heart were of course invisible to others; all people could see was him standing blankly by the coffin, gazing at the remains.

Although one died and the other lived, the outcome was the same. Their era had ended, and they were both part of a bygone era, not representing the future.

Jun Takasaki sighed softly, then turned around to face the people at the farewell ceremony.

Behind him was Chairman Takeshita's coffin and portrait, which seemed to bestow some kind of authority upon him, causing everyone to hold their breath.

"Today, we gather here with heavy hearts to bid farewell to the late Mr. Takeshita."