Unfortunately, it was all in vain.
Chen Chaojiang finally breathed a sigh of relief when the Heavenly Court granted him a holiday and hurriedly went to Jiangjing City to see his wife and children.
After the Lunar New Year, Ye Rongchen invited Chen Chaojiang's parents and Ye Wan and her son to stay in Jiangjing City for a while. By now, things had progressed to this point, and the initial resentment and estrangement towards the Chen family had long since dissipated. Ye Wan's mother, especially considering the resentment her relatives often harbored, suggested that her in-laws come and stay. Frankly, it was a way of showing off, to let her relatives and friends know that her family didn't care about her daughter's in-laws' financial status or social standing.
Before heading to Jiangjing City, Chen Chaojiang called Xu Zhengyang to inform him of his travel plans, deciding not to return to Fuhe City for the time being.
Xu Zhengyang readily agreed.
Moreover, Xu Zhengyang felt somewhat guilty.
Chen Chaojiang is now a man with elderly parents and young children to care for, but due to his busy work at the Heavenly Court, he is often away from home and rarely gets to reunite with his wife and children. Because of this, the naturally active Ye Wan has often simply left the children at home and driven to find Chen Chaojiang, traveling all over the world with him.
Xu Zhengyang thought to himself, "The Heavenly Court will have to have holidays more often in the future."
However... after this busy period is over, there probably won't be as much to do when you want to be busy in the future.
In the spacious living room, Xu Zhengyang sat on the sofa reading a newspaper, pondering how to divide the profits of the Masori with Tian Tiao.
According to the current regional division, Xu Zhengyang's Eastern Heavenly Court should not have been able to establish a divine residence in Masori, a place without a large population of residents under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Heavenly Court. However, now that the residence has been established and a large number of people have gained faith in it in a short period of time, this faith power cannot be enjoyed by the gods of the Eastern Heavenly Court, but rather... it is monopolized by the Heavenly Laws.
This seems reasonable.
Xu Zhengyang felt he had been cheated. If it weren't for him, a god of the human realm, expending divine and human power to build a mansion there and then acquiring faith power to convert into divine power, would you, the Heavenly Law, have been able to enjoy it?
In particular, now at least the ghost messengers over there, as well as the god Li Haidong, and the entire City God's Palace, all need to consume divine power from my side.
Had I known this would happen, why would I have expended so much divine power to do good deeds? You damn Heavenly Laws didn't even mention it earlier! Only after the City God's Palace opened and started profiting did you propose such a rule. Oh, so I'm only giving and not taking, while you Heavenly Laws reap the benefits.
That's being unreasonable!
The problem is, these are the heavenly rules and regulations. That's just how it is.
As the emperor, you must first abide by these basic rules; moreover, the Heavenly Laws have always been accommodating to you.
Xu Zhengyang couldn't bring himself to do it right away, after all, no one was begging or forcing him to go there and establish the City God's Office, right?
Just as he was pondering how to benefit from it to achieve his previous goal, which seemed reasonable and justifiable.
The parents, wife, and children came down from the second floor, chatting and laughing.
Xu Zhengyang put aside his thoughts and greeted them with a smile, "You guys go first, I'll go in a couple of days. Oh, and remember to bring plenty of things with you..."
My family is going to Beijing.
Actually, long before Ye Wan's family invited Chen Chaojiang's parents to Jiangjing City, Jiang Lan in Beijing also felt it wasn't quite right. So, after returning from the south, she invited her in-laws here, along with her daughter and nephew, to stay in Beijing for a while.
However, Li Bingjie was busy working with Ouyang Ying a few days ago, so it was delayed until now.
Yuan Suqin smiled and said, "Zhengyang, is there anything else you need to do?"
"Yes, there are still some things to take care of." Xu Zhengyang nodded.
“Then when you have some free time, go and visit Rouyue more often…” Yuan Suqin said.
"Okay." Xu Zhengyang nodded in agreement, then smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry too much about Rouyue and Xue Ziyi. I think they are quite suitable for each other."
Yuan Suqin paused for a moment, then said with a hint of helplessness, "Never mind, a girl's life is beyond her control once she grows up, sigh."
During the first month of the lunar calendar, Xu Rouyue brought Xue Ziyi to her parents' home, essentially introducing her boyfriend to them. Although the family treated them politely and chatted for a while, Yuan Suqin felt quite dissatisfied after they left. While Xue Ziyi was a nice person, his family background was far too ordinary. At least… it was incomparable to Xu Zhengyang's family's current circumstances.
Xu Neng had no objections, and he kept speaking up for his daughter: "A few years ago, our family's situation wasn't as good as that child's. I think it's pretty good... They earn at least several hundred thousand yuan a year, bought their own house and car, and Rouyue earns some more. Even if they don't rely on our family for financial support after they get married, their lives won't be too bad..."
Yuan Suqin knew perfectly well that when her son and Li Bingjie were dating, their social status and family background were worlds apart, incomparable.
But when it came to her own daughter, Yuan Suqin always felt like she had been taken advantage of.
She believed that her daughter, Xu Rouyue, should at least marry into a high-ranking official's family or a wealthy family, if not a family of equal social standing. Of course, she couldn't say this aloud, so she had never agreed to it, nor had she said it was impossible.
Xu Rouyue was too embarrassed to mention these things to her brother, and her parents had never told Xu Zhengyang either.
Moreover, Xu Zhengyang had been busy for so long that he hadn't paid much attention to it. After all, he had already accepted his brother-in-law in his heart.
This morning, Xu Xiaotian privately mentioned to Xu Zhengyang that Grandma looked down on that guy named Xue Ziyi, but he was too embarrassed to say it directly. He then asked if Xu Xiaotian should go and teach that guy a lesson. Hmph…
Xu Zhengyang was both amused and exasperated. After scolding his son a few times, he thought about saying a word for his sister.
It wasn't a big deal, Xu Zhengyang knew very well that if he said a few words now, he could immediately dispel his mother's doubts.
Standing at the entrance of the courtyard, smiling as he watched the two cars slowly drive down the mountain, Xu Zhengyang shook his head and turned to walk back.
The phone rang at that moment.
Xu Zhengyang took out his phone and checked the caller ID. A sense of guilt welled up inside him. He had been so busy that he hadn't seen Master Gu, Yao Chushun, for quite some time, and hadn't even thought about this old friend. Thinking about it, it was true. As people grow older and encounter more and more things and people, it seems that many people who were once close friends have gradually become distant and estranged.
Pressing the answer button, Xu Zhengyang held the phone to his ear and smiled:
"Mr. Gu, it's been a while since we've heard from you."
"Cough cough." It was Jin Changfa's voice that came from the phone, saying, "Zhengyang, Master Gu, he's sick..."
"Huh? Manager Jin." Xu Zhengyang paused, then quickly asked, "Is it serious? Where are you now?"
Jin Changfa said, "After breakfast today, Grandpa Gu kept saying he was dizzy. Later, he couldn't stand it anymore and went to the hospital for a check-up with my sister-in-law... My sister-in-law just called and said he needs to be hospitalized. She asked me to take good care of Gu Xiangxuan. I thought about it and decided I had to call you to let you know."
"Oh," Xu Zhengyang responded calmly, "I'll go to the hospital now. You take care of Gu Xiangxuan."
"well."
...
After hanging up, Xu Zhengyang quickly asked Zhu Jun to drive to Fuhe City People's Hospital.
As the saying goes, the moon has its phases of waxing and waning, and people have their ups and downs.
Master Yao Chushun had never done anything wrong in his life; he was always righteous and loyal. He had experienced both glory and decline, but later met Xu Zhengyang and formed a close friendship despite their age difference, which brought him back to prominence. Unfortunately, he was already old.
In the autumn of the year before last, Mr. Gu finally had a simple yet heartwarming twilight romance with a woman surnamed Liu, and they became husband and wife, starting a family again.
Grandpa Gu had no children, while the woman surnamed Liu had two daughters. Grandpa Gu became not only a father but also a grandfather.
Both of his daughters are married and have never complained about Mr. Gu donating all the money he earns.
Everything is fine; Grandpa Gu can truly be considered to be enjoying a happy old age.
However, this illness came so suddenly that it caught everyone off guard.
When Xu Zhengyang arrived at the hospital, he didn't need to ask anyone else to find out which ward Master Gu was in, and he hurriedly went to the ward on the third floor where Master Gu was.
In the ward, the two daughters and two sons-in-law also rushed over, bringing a bunch of nutritional supplements.
Grandpa Gu lay on the hospital bed receiving an IV drip, a calm smile on his face, talking quietly with his daughter, son-in-law, and wife, occasionally teasing his granddaughter and nephew.
The elderly man on the other hospital bed looked on with a hint of envy, tears glistening in his old eyes.
"Master Gu..." Xu Zhengyang greeted softly as he walked over, "Are you feeling better?"
"Oh, Zhengyang's here, hehe." Yao Chushun didn't make any effort to get up or sit up, and said with a smile, "It's nothing serious. It's inevitable to have some ailments when you get old. Why did you come all this way? Go do your work."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and shook his head, saying, "We haven't seen each other for a while. I've been too busy on weekdays, sigh."
"I've been busy..." Yao Chushun started to say, but then suddenly coughed heavily.
The family panicked and rushed to change doctors, but Yao Chushun stopped them, shaking his head repeatedly to say that it was alright.
"Well, this is my wife." Grandpa Gu pointed to Aunt Liu, then to Xu Zhengyang, and introduced him: "This is Xu Zhengyang, this kid... is a big shot now."
"Hello, Aunt Liu." Xu Zhengyang smiled and nodded. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't be there for your big day. Sigh."
"It's nothing, it's nothing, haha." Aunt Liu shook her head with a smile. "Old Yao keeps saying that Gu Xiang Xuan is yours, and you have to donate whatever you earn. He's a good person."
Everyone in the room looked at Xu Zhengyang in astonishment. This young man actually possessed such great courage? Although they didn't know exactly how much money Gu Xiang Xuan earned in a year, they knew it wouldn't be a small amount. To donate it all... this was unbelievable. Little did they know that Xu Zhengyang no longer considered Gu Xiang Xuan his own shop, and... he truly no longer cared about money.
Yes, Xu Zhengyang is now stingy, shrewd, and calculating, only caring about his own divine power.
As for worldly money... it's just pieces of paper.
During the conversation, Xu Zhengyang learned that Grandpa Gu had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, a condition that many elderly people encounter, and which can be fatal if treatment is delayed.
Fortunately, he wasn't in any serious danger this time. He just needs to be hospitalized for a few days and then pay more attention to his health and come for regular checkups.
However, from now on, it seems that Mr. Gu will be unable to drink alcohol.
Since Mr. Gu's daughter and son-in-law still had jobs, they said some comforting words after seeing that Mr. Gu was not seriously ill, and then left the hospital.
Aunt Liu was also sent away by Master Gu, leaving Xu Zhengyang alone. The old woman and the young man chatted idly.
However, there were some days when they didn't sit down and have a quiet chat together.
Xu Zhengyang's spiritual power is now extremely strong, so he easily sensed the loneliness and sadness of the old man on the other hospital bed during their casual conversation.
His children are not unfilial; they are just busy with work and cannot always be by his side to take care of him.
After the elderly woman was hospitalized, whichever of her children had time would come to visit her as soon as possible. Normally, she lived alone in the hospital, with her children paying for her food and drink, which were provided by the hospital nurses. No matter how lonely she felt, she could only keep it to herself, afraid of bothering or disturbing her children.
This is a common human reaction, and Xu Zhengyang was helpless about it.
It's unreasonable for Xu Zhengyang to force the elderly person's children to come and stay with them because of this.
However, after leaving the hospital, Xu Zhengyang, being quite nosy, still told Ouyang Ying to visit the old man's children in their dreams that night. He told her not to make it too obvious or to appear as a deity, but simply to touch their hearts and make them think more about their father, earn less money, and spend more time with him...
Gods are not omnipotent.
But when he encounters someone in need, he always tries to do what he can to help.
On the way back, Xu Zhengyang felt a little sad and lonely.
Grandpa Gu is getting old. Everyone grows old eventually, including family and friends...
We can't just deify them all and make them immortal, can we?
Volume 7, Emperor, Chapter 375: Crime
The Heavenly Court is on holiday.
Xu Zhengyang hadn't specified how long the leave would be. His subordinates thought this was probably an oversight on the Emperor's part; or perhaps, the Heavenly Court simply didn't need to consider the length of the leave.
Since it's necessary to return to work from the holiday period, all it takes is a word from His Majesty.
After all... when these ghost messengers have nothing to do, they just travel around and enjoy the scenery. And because of their occupational habits, they usually keep an eye on what's happening in different places even when they're on vacation. If there are any crimes or minor villains, they'll always punish them a little.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang did not determine the specific length of his vacation, simply because he needed to accumulate divine power and carefully calculate how much divine power the operation of the three capitals, six prefectures, and the three City God offices outside the jurisdiction of the Eastern Azure Heaven Court would require, and how much divine power he could reserve for himself on average each day.
Just like doing business, how much you spend, how much you earn, which can be used as working capital, and which can be used as real estate for emergencies; unlike doing business, the subordinates do not know that as gods, their divine power is not unlimited and can not be squandered at will.
Chen Chaojiang finally had some free time. He could spend quality time with his wife and children.
He, as a father, spends very little time with his son. Now the child is almost a year old, and through babbling, he can already utter simple sounds like "mama," "papa," and "grandma"...