The day was spent in busyness, and a little after seven in the evening, Xiu Xin set out to attend a banquet. Attending various banquets is also part of the job.

And it's a very important part.

Because if you don't frequently attend these banquets, many aspects of the job cannot be effectively carried out.

So being a leader is tough. You not only have to handle tedious desk work but also endure the consequences of alcohol and women. Being a high-ranking leader is even tougher because the higher the rank, the more you drink, and the more women you sleep with.

Before eight, he arrived at the banquet venue, a banquet hall on a hotel's top floor. Tonight's dinner was a charity banquet organized by an old senior who retired and settled in Sapporo, inviting everyone for donations.

For such actions, Xiu Xin felt disgusted. At that age, still using such methods to make money.

Disgusting! Damn disgusting!

After all, anyone with eyes can see that if even a tenth of tonight's donations to the designated foundation get used for charity, it would be good enough. The rest will end up in his private pocket under various pretexts.

But even though everyone knows this, they have no choice but to donate. One, it's not a big deal to them. Two, the past prestige and current connections of the other party make it worthwhile to give them money.

Even a governor like Xiu Xin had to personally attend and support the event. It goes to show that even after retirement, this senior's political influence is still significant.

Xiu Xin arrived quite late. When he got there, the banquet hall was already crowded.

"Governor Aoyama is here."

"Good evening, Governor Aoyama."

The people present, regardless of their age or gender, no matter how high and mighty they normally were, all greeted him warmly with polite bows.

Power doesn't depend on age.

In the adult world, being powerful is what matters.

Obviously, Xiu Xin is more powerful than them all.

"Good evening, everyone. Had something to deal with, so I'm a bit late," Xiu Xin replied affably.

No one dared to tease him about drinking as a penalty here.

Fujimoto Takayoshi, the retired former Director of the Hokkaido Police Headquarters, was also present. Standing on the outskirts, he watched the way everyone flocked around Xiu Xin, feeling boundless emotions. Who would have thought that just two or three years ago, this person was working under him as the Director of the Criminal Department?

He's not the only one feeling this way; many people share different sentiments at this moment. Even some typically arrogant second-generation wealthy individuals couldn't help but feel a bit bitter.

The fear of comparison.

Even the senior organizing the banquet, Kenji Kujō, came out slowly with a cane to greet him, his age-spotted face breaking into a smile, "Governor Aoyama, you're busy with state affairs, yet you found the time to attend, making an old man like me feel honored. It's understandable being a bit late due to your busy schedule. Welcome, welcome."

"Senior Kujō is still robust!" Xiu Xin stepped forward to shake hands, speaking genuinely.

This old bastard is nothing but skin and bones but is already 85 years old, having served four consecutive terms as a national congressman, three years as the Governor of Hokkaido, and a term as Deputy Prime Minister of the cabinet, with rich experience and numerous contacts.

Even Yanchuan Shilang had to call him a senior with respect.

However, the next generation of the Kujō Family didn't measure up. Even with such a remarkable starting point, it's useless as they cannot achieve any significant success in officialdom.

The best among them is the eldest son, who, leveraging his father's resources, managed to become a member of the House of Representatives. The smartest is the second son, Shūichi Kujō, who didn't become a government official but turned to business at a very young age, engaging in commerce right in Hokkaido.

With his old man's influence, he managed to amass a large business empire spanning multiple industries, becoming one of Hokkaido's top entrepreneurs. Xiu Xin frequently saw him at various banquets when he was the Minister.

The charity foundation receiving tonight's donations from this charity banquet is under Shūichi Kujō's name.

"Lingering weakly, just getting by," Kenji Kujō said, shaking his head. "I'm old and not doing well. My health is deteriorating, and it's hard to say when I'll pass. So while I'm still alive, I want to use this old face of mine to do some charity and leave something for this world."

Damn it, using such disgusting means to divert money, that old face of yours should have long been disgraced.

Xiu Xin despises people who make money under the guise of charity, even more than those who blatantly embezzle and accept bribes.

"A senior who has served the people his whole life, my admiration," Xiu Xin said with a respectful face.

At such an age, it's tough to risk your reputation for money in this way. Logically, the Kujō Family shouldn't be short on money, not to the point of resorting to such methods.

It can only be said that no one finds having too much money a problem, nor does anyone think the means of making money are too simple.

"Just doing my humble part," Kenji Kujō answered modestly, turning to point at a chubby middle-aged man wearing glasses, "This is my unworthy son, Shūichi, who handles everything for the foundation."

"Governor Aoyama, we meet again, please take care of things," Shūichi Kujō smiled and bowed.

"I've met President Kujō many times," Xiu Xin laughed heartily, though they never had deep interactions, "I only knew President Kujō's business was vast, never expected your enthusiasm for charity."

"I feel that the bigger the corporate capability, the greater the responsibility. After all, our money is earned from society, and we should give back some to society," Shūichi Kujō said seriously.

"Good! Well said," Xiu Xin said, looking around, "I urge businessmen from Hokkaido to learn from President Kujō's awareness!"

"Clap clap clap clap clap!"

The room erupted with enthusiastic applause.

After a round of pleasantries, this old fox, Kenji Kujō, went up on stage to give a speech, calling everyone to donate.

Xiu Xin took the lead and donated one million yen.

Not much.

It would be problematic if he donated too much considering his position.

But the businessmen in attendance gave substantial donations, each number making Xiu Xin feel unbalanced.

Damn it, how hard it is for me to embezzle some money!

This old bastard risks only his face and makes so much.

Is this reasonable?

At the end of the banquet, Shūichi Kujō specially handed Xiu Xin his business card, suggesting a visit some other day.

Xiu Xin knew he probably wanted to exploit his authority for some benefits, but he agreed. Isn't this just collusion between officials and businessmen? He could profit from it too; he's been doing this all along.

When he walked out of the banquet hall, Takayoshi Haruno, who had been waiting in the side hall, followed him and reported in a low voice once they were alone, "Governor, the company being besieged for demanding unpaid wages is actually one of Shūichi Kujō's businesses. Preliminary investigation shows his funding chain has issues, with wages for thousands being owed since the start of the year; the exact amount is unknown."

"No wonder," Xiu Xin immediately realized upon hearing this. The reason why Kenji Kujō risked his face to organize this charity donation became crystal clear.

His son, Shūichi Kujō, is about to go bankrupt.

As the main economic source of the Kujō Family, if Shūichi goes bankrupt, although the family won't fall into poverty, their living standards will certainly take a sharp plunge.

It's hard to go from luxury to frugality. For those who've enjoyed a life of luxury, suddenly falling to the middle class is more painful than being killed.

After pondering for a moment, Xiu Xin instructed, "Investigate in detail. Don't let some extremely vile mass incident affect my evaluation."

It's nearly the end of the year, and his year as Governor has been smooth with some accomplishments. If anyone dares to tarnish his reputation, he will make sure to obliterate them.

"Yes!" Takayoshi Haruno said solemnly, "I will give you a further report tomorrow morning."

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