"So many?" Xu Zhengyang was taken aback. He really hadn't expected that. But after a moment's thought, he said, "Not too many. There are still some we haven't found yet. Let's take it slow."
"Many are still turning themselves in, voluntarily admitting their mistakes and reflecting on their actions..."
Xu Zhengyang nodded and said, "I'll put this aside for now. The next focus will be on cracking down on criminal cases. However, the news I've received indicates that the crackdown on crime in various regions has intensified considerably."
“That’s true. The crime rate across the country has dropped considerably.” Li Ruiqing nodded and said, “I do hope that one day you, Xu Zhengyang, can retire from public life and put away your weapons.”
Xu Zhengyang smiled and took a sip of tea, then said, "Second Uncle, why don't you think about why the crime rate has decreased?"
"Hmm? If the public security department cracks down hard, the deterrent effect is quite obvious." Li Ruiqing said matter-of-factly.
"I don't think so." Xu Zhengyang shook his head, sipping his tea as he mumbled, "If this worked, why are the numbers still increasing despite the government's annual crackdowns?"
"Hmm?" Li Ruiqing looked at Xu Zhengyang with a puzzled expression.
"Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly." Xu Zhengyang sighed and calmly said, "First, petty thieves rely on big thieves, and big thieves rely on powerful backers, who provide protection. If those protections disappear, would they dare to act recklessly? Second, if the protection becomes a whip to punish thieves, people will naturally be afraid to commit crimes. Third, without major grudges and a peaceful world, probably few people would be willing to commit crimes..."
Li Ruiqing frowned and thought for a long time before finally nodding with a wry smile.
That is the truth.
But to truly achieve this level, without the assistance and deterrence of some unseen, transcendent force, who could do it?
Next, Xu Zhengyang and Li Ruiqing avoided these topics and began chatting about things that are really typical of ordinary families, such as children's education and family members' situations.
When the nanny, Xiao Zhou, came to call them downstairs for dinner, Xu Zhengyang seemed to remember something and calmly said, "We need to strengthen our vigilance in the border areas with the Shanyue Kingdom. In a few days, there may be some chaos on the Shanyue Kingdom's side... Of course, it may not be too big, but it's better to be prepared. Let's pay attention in advance."
Li Ruiqing paused for a moment, then asked, "What happened?"
"The assassination attempt on me in Haigukou City was planned by the intelligence department of the Shanyue Kingdom government..." Xu Zhengyang stood up and said with a smile, "One or two of their high-ranking leaders must know about this, so we have to take action... Let's go, Second Uncle, let's go downstairs for lunch, let's have a few more drinks this morning."
"Oh." Li Ruiqing got up with some alarm, frowned, and went downstairs with Xu Zhengyang.
Of course, when he went downstairs, Li Ruiqing had already resumed a smiling and peaceful expression, as if nothing had happened.
However, Li Ruiqing's heart is now in turmoil, filled with deep fear.
He even felt fortunate for many countries that they had only investigated Xu Zhengyang, only secretly monitored him, and only gathered intelligence on him, without intending to kill him or taking any action. Otherwise…
Oh, it seems that Japan suffered a punishment that was almost unbearable before.
However, Xu Zhengyang seems to be a very contradictory person. On the one hand, he says that he will not interfere in politics, but on the other hand, he keeps extending his divine tentacles. If cracking down on crime in one's own country is just the god's wish for peace and prosperity for the country and for the people to live happier and healthier lives, then it is understandable. But what about him extending his reach abroad and even making a country a mess?
Sitting at the dinner table, a very vulgar phrase suddenly popped into Li Ruiqing's mind—"a prostitute trying to maintain a virtuous image."
Xu Zhengyang looked at Li Ruiqing with a calm expression and a smile, then picked up his wine glass and raised it. He didn't say anything, but simply gestured for Li Ruiqing to drink. He then took a small sip and put the glass down.
Li Ruiqing's heart skipped a beat. Would Xu Zhengyang also know everything about his thoughts just now?
Is this also considered blasphemy and disrespect towards God?
This concern made Li Ruiqing seem to understand something: Xu Zhengyang might not have intended to do anything proactively to foreign countries, he just didn't want to provoke him.
"Hmm." Xu Zhengyang responded inexplicably, then smiled and picked up his chopsticks, gesturing, "Come on, eat, eat..."
The family members eating at the table looked at Xu Zhengyang with some doubt, but Li Ruiqing's eyes flashed with a hint of fear.
Li Bingjie gave Xu Zhengyang a reproachful glare, then smiled and poured her second uncle a glass of wine, saying, "Second Uncle, drink more today."
"Okay, okay," Li Ruiqing replied with a smile.
When Xu Neng met his in-laws, he no longer had the same restraint and respect as before. Instead, he was calm and immediately raised his glass to toast Li Ruiqing, and they chatted warmly.
The little guy, Xu Xiaotian, was very sensible and didn't join the adults at the dinner table. He sat on a small stool next to the coffee table in the living room, eating his food from a small bowl while drinking juice and watching cartoons.
A happy and harmonious family.
...
Spring of the ninth year of the Divine Calendar.
On the fifth day of the second lunar month, Hu Gujun, deputy director of the National Intelligence Bureau of the Shanyue Kingdom, committed suicide by jumping off a building in Bian'an City; on the same evening, a person in charge of a branch of the intelligence bureau was involved in a car accident in the capital and died on the spot.
On the eighth day of the month, when two intelligence officers were reporting to the president in the government building about two high-ranking intelligence officials who had committed suicide, they suddenly rushed forward and punched and kicked the president, and even tried to throw him out of the building window. Fortunately, the president's bodyguards appeared in time, shot and wounded the two intelligence officers, and saved the president.
On the ninth day, the president, who was hospitalized in a special care ward to recover from his injuries, was assassinated by the director of the National Security Bureau who came to report on his work. The director of the National Security Bureau was also shot dead on the spot by the president's bodyguards.
Shocking the world!
The political situation in the Shanyue Kingdom has been greatly shaken.
All parties expressed their anger and demanded condemnation and accountability... But after all the arguing, they found that there was no one to hold accountable. At most, it was just the bodyguard's dereliction of duty. And who should be condemned?
Forget about these things, let's focus on how to win the latest election.
On Yueguan Mountain, which is located on the eastern border of the Shanyue Kingdom and is adjacent to the sea.
Wang Yonggan stood atop the mountain, full of vigor and high spirits, exuding official authority.
Several ghost messengers stood on either side of him, holding soul-beating rulers and wearing the ghost messenger's token of the State God's Mansion at their waists. Their faces were solemn and gloomy, exuding a murderous aura.
In the open space among the ghost messengers, several trembling ghosts knelt.
To be precise, they weren't kneeling, but rather poking around with their upper bodies, because their legs had been removed and carried on their backs.
"Do you know your crime? Hmm?"
Wang Yonggan, a seventh-rank official in charge of official duties, turned his head and, displaying his official authority, sternly rebuked the man.
The ghosts had no idea what terrible sins they had committed. Why had they been tormented to the point of near death and subjected to such cruel punishment these past few days without any explanation? Was it really necessary?
"Please spare my life, sir! Please spare my life, sir!"
Wang Yonggan glared at them with his small eyes and said, "You're already dead, what's the point of sparing yourselves?"
The ghosts exchanged bewildered glances. Indeed, they were already dead. They immediately changed their tune, pleading, "Please forgive us, sir, please forgive us..."
"Forgive me? Let me tell you, you will suffer this torment forever. When the Emperor remembers that there are still a few trash like you suffering, and takes pity on you, perhaps he can let you be reincarnated as pigs..." Wang Yonggan's face was full of schadenfreude, where was the demeanor of a seventh-rank deity?
The ghosts completely broke down.
But now, the former president finally mustered the courage to ask, "What crime have we committed to deserve such torture?"
"What crime?" Wang Yonggan sneered, "Didn't you want to kill Xu Zhengyang back then?"
"ah?"
The ghosts were all stunned. Was it all for this?
The president's ghost pleaded pitifully, "But he's not dead."
"Nonsense, do you think you mortals could kill Xu Zhengyang?" Wang Yonggan paused deliberately, then sneered, "Do you even know Xu Zhengyang's true identity?"
Several ghosts shook their heads, filled with fear and regret.
"Xu Zhengyang is none other than His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor!" Wang Yonggan proudly raised his face, as if he were Xu Zhengyang himself, and arrogantly declared, "To blaspheme against divine power and attempt to assassinate a divine emperor... tsk tsk, go to hell, never to be reincarnated, and suffer endless torture..."
The ghosts all collapsed to the ground, trying to faint, trying to comfort themselves that it was just a nightmare.
Unfortunately, he couldn't pass out; he was very lucid.
Wang Yonggan stood proudly with his hands behind his back, looking down at the pitiful ghosts. He thought to himself, "The Emperor is truly merciful. He just killed a few people so lightly this time. How can that vent his anger? At least he should have made their entire country unstable and announced to the world that this is the consequence of offending the Emperor!"
Who would dare to act recklessly after this?
Just then, a thunderous shout rang out from nowhere:
"Wang Yonggan, what a show of power you have! Have you had your fill of arrogance? Get back here right now!"
Wang Yonggan shuddered in fright, quickly waved his hand, and led several ghost messengers, escorting several ghosts, to fly hurriedly north.
Volume Seven, Emperor, Chapter 374: Human Nature
To this day, apart from Xu Zhengyang and the two incredibly powerful artifacts, the Divine Command Token and the Heavenly Law, all else remains.
The other Heavenly Court subordinates were unaware of this. In fact, their very existence and the things they did consumed divine power at all times. Therefore, they never calculated or weighed how much divine power would be used or whether there would be a shortage, unlike Xu Zhengyang.
Because apart from Xu Zhengyang, other deities have a limited supply of divine power, and within the current jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, this supply is sufficient to meet the needs of the faith.
As for the ghost messengers, they obtained the divine power they needed directly from Xu Zhengyang, so they wouldn't even consider this issue.
Therefore, Wang Yong's official demeanor was so arrogant that he would provoke Xu Zhengyang's displeasure when he showed off and flaunted his power outside.
You have to understand, Wang Yonggan was just a lowly seventh-rank official. How much divine power did he have to expend to go to the Shanyue Kingdom to poison those high-ranking officials? What Wang Yonggan didn't know was that if Xu Zhengyang hadn't been supporting him with his divine sense, how could he have possibly dealt with those high-ranking officials?
They eliminated several high-ranking officials of the Shanyue Kingdom, especially a president-level figure. The divine power they expended…
Xu Zhengyang felt a pang of heartache.
But he couldn't blame anyone else. Xu Zhengyang was too soft-hearted and always thought of his subordinates. Wang Yonggan had followed him for many years, and Xu Zhengyang was grateful for his loyalty, his usual performance, and especially the fact that he always kept things in mind for his superiors. So this time, he let Wang Yonggan go out and handle a big matter, letting the guy have a good time.
This incident has directly shifted the focus of governments and media around the world from Masori to the major events happening in the Shanyue Kingdom.
The president survived two assassination attempts and finally died, both carried out by his trusted officials.
The sensation it caused was unimaginable.
The resulting instability within the Shanyue Kingdom naturally drew serious attention from countries around the world. Discussions raged, and officials even began secretly contacting the parties that might take power in this reshuffle, expressing their implicit support.
Of course, each country has different considerations; they are all thinking about how to support parties that are friendly to their country to win the election.
Fortunately, nothing major went wrong...
If various suspicions and speculations really lead to conflicts between political parties and then internal strife, then Xu Zhengyang would be guilty.
Well, the culprit, Xu Zhengyang, didn't care about what happened there. Anyway, since he had offended the gods, he should bear the corresponding punishment.
He is now single-mindedly considering how to share the benefits of faith power gained in Masori with Tian Tiao.
That's a huge piece of fat meat!
Having expended so much divine power, Xu Zhengyang still had to use the remaining divine power to supply other gods and ghost messengers, as well as the operation of the three capitals and six prefectures of the Heavenly Court. He had to maintain stability even without using any divine power himself, so that his subordinates wouldn't discover the secrets behind it all.
In order to conserve some divine power temporarily, Xu Zhengyang very understandingly instructed the gods and ghost messengers:
"You've been working so hard, day and night... Let's take a break for a while and give you all a vacation..."
The Heavenly Court's subordinates cheered. They had indeed been working day and night on regulations, investigations, punishments, and evidence collection. Even as gods and ghost messengers, they didn't need rest, but they were still somewhat exhausted. However, due to their status, they had no choice but to keep busy.
Li Bingjie and Ouyang Ying were also able to breathe a sigh of relief and catch their breath.
Of course, the work of the City God Temple in Masori cannot be stopped for the time being. According to Li Haidong's plan, they are coordinating with the local tribes to try to achieve conditions that satisfy all parties, and then let them democratically elect a suitable leader.
All of this was met with the unusual refusal of mediation efforts from the Masouri transitional government and various tribal armed groups, who refused to cooperate with any country or even the United Nations.
They said, "We are a sovereign nation, and we have no need for your interference."
When did such a country develop such a strong tone and confidence? It's inevitable that some Western powers that have always wanted to control this country will feel dissatisfied. However, they can't say anything openly, but they secretly send people to instigate and encourage some tribal forces.