Central 46 first summoned Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
They sternly questioned him: did he murder his Shinigami wife?
Tsunayashiro Tokinada, as expected, denied everything calmly.
Since their interrogation could not elicit a confession or clear motive, they had no choice but to allow Tsunayashiro Tokinada to return to his residence for now, pending a second summons. Afterwards, Central 46 gathered to discuss how to deal with him.
The most common consensus was to gather concrete evidence first.
If his guilt was proven, then Tsunayashiro Tokinada should, of course, be severely punished. On the other hand, if there was insufficient evidence to prove Uta Kuwa had been killed by him, it would be inappropriate to impose a severe punishment.
After all, Tsunayashiro Tokinada was still her husband. His wife's unexpected death naturally cast suspicion upon him, so confiscating his Zanpakutō and placing him under house arrest within the Tsunayashiro estate would be an acceptable punishment.
This approach was similar to how they dealt with Kuchiki Hibiki.
In other words, Central 46 maintained a set of consistent standards for punishing nobles.
Among the noble families, executions were rare.
Even if they committed grave crimes, as long as there was no irrefutable evidence, major incidents would inevitably be reduced to minor ones.
At worst, the punishment would be stripping them of their Shinigami status and placing them under family confinement.
For nobles, such punishment was hardly punishment at all.
Even without Shinigami status, they remained nobles who could continue to enjoy luxurious lives.
However, just as Central 46 was preparing to deal with Tsunayashiro Tokinada leniently, someone arrived.
The head of the Kuchiki family, Kuchiki Ginrei.
Although the Kuchiki family had been humiliated earlier due to the Kuchiki Hibiki incident, this did not damage their status as the head of the Four Great Noble Houses.
More importantly, during the Kuchiki Hibiki incident, the Shihōin family had stood with the Kuchiki family.
This alliance alone was enough to make Central 46 cautious.
At some point, the Shihōin and Kuchiki families had formed an unspoken union. Their combined power was enough to overturn any decision.
Even if Central 46 wanted to show favour to the Tsunayashiro family, they had to consider whether they might offend both the Kuchiki and Shihōin families in the process.
Kuchiki Ginrei spoke calmly but firmly.
Yes, Tsunayashiro Tokinada had murdered his Shinigami wife. The evidence was clear. Such evil could not be forgiven.
He was a disgrace to the nobility.
This matter had to be dealt with strictly.
Though Ginrei never explicitly used the word "justice," every word he spoke carried its weight and essence.
All the rules of Soul Society were created by the nobles themselves.
On the surface, the nobles claimed to uphold justice.
Therefore, they could not allow this "justice" to be tarnished.
"Let us vote," someone in Central 46 said quietly after Ginrei left.
In the end, all forty-six members voted.
They unanimously decided that Tsunayashiro Tokinada should be punished severely.
After all, he was only the last member of a branch family. If the Shiba clan, once one of the Four Great Noble Houses, could be expelled entirely, why would the last seat of a Tsunayashiro branch house matter?
It was not worth offending the Kuchiki family for such a minor figure.
Of course, before the final sentencing, Central 46 awaited the official stance of the Tsunayashiro family itself.
Soon, word reached the Tsunayashiro main estate.
"Tokinada!!"
The head of the Tsunayashiro family roared in anger. In truth, he had been in a state of near-constant rage recently, deeply dissatisfied with Tsunayashiro Tokinada's conduct.
In their pursuit of greater strength for the clan, the elders had agreed to study the "Soul King Fragments." To facilitate this, they had forced Tsunayashiro Tokinada to marry Uta Kuwa.
On the surface, Tokinada obeyed the family's orders.
But inwardly, he despised this arrangement, harbouring deep resentment.
Thus, the murder of Ge Kuang occurred.
She was killed by Tsunayashiro Tokinada, and though the family elders were enraged, there was nothing they could do.
After all, she had been a mere commoner. Even if she became a Shinigami, how could she ever compare to a noble?
Naturally, they would not let Tsunayashiro Tokinada die over this incident. At most, he would receive harsh scolding, while the family cleaned up the aftermath.
For example, disposing of Ge Kuang's body.
After all, her soul contained fragments of the Soul King, and even in death, her corpse held valuable research potential.
However, they never imagined that Central 46 would learn of this incident first. Moreover, the forcefulness in Central 46's tone suggested that a powerful backing was emboldening them.
"…It must be the Kuchiki family."
The Tsunayashiro family's Great Elder spoke solemnly. "Back then, we forced the Kuchiki family into a humiliating position over the Kuchiki Hibiki matter. Now, with such a scandal breaking within our own family, how could the Kuchiki family not seize the opportunity for revenge?"
"The key difference is that Kuchiki Hibiki did not kill a fellow Shinigami."
"But Tsunayashiro Tokinada did."
The family head's expression grew darker. "Then, in your opinion, what should we do?"
The Great Elder spoke unflinchingly. "The Kuchiki family has already made their move. Continuing to shield Tsunayashiro Tokinada will only put us in a precarious situation. The longer we delay, the more we risk collective condemnation."
"My advice is to abandon Tsunayashiro Tokinada."
"Though he held some promise, he was only a branch family administrator. Back when we arranged his marriage to Ge Kuang, it was to harness his potential. In the end, he failed us and killed Ge Kuang. Now, he has caused our family such enormous trouble."
"I recommend we sacrifice Tsunayashiro Tokinada to protect the Tsunayashiro family's honour."
The family head fell silent, then finally said in a low voice, "Very well. We will proceed as you advise."
He called for a young man from the main family.
"Tokio."
A youth with dark green hair stepped forward. His name was Tsunayashiro Tokio. Much of what happened during the Kuchiki Hibiki incident had been orchestrated by him. Among the younger generation of Tsunayashiro, he was considered the most outstanding.
"Go," the family head ordered coldly. "Tell Tsunayashiro Tokinada… to prepare to die like a dog."