But they never quite got it right.
This time, with Master Gu and Yao Chushun dead, he merely did these two things to fulfill Master Gu's wishes, bringing happiness to both families... Xu Zhengyang suddenly understood. So this is how gods should act. So, for gods to be worshipped and loved by all, promoting good and punishing evil are two different things.
Afterwards, Xu Zhengyang discovered that the two super artifacts, the Heavenly Laws and the Divine Control Token, were communicating with him less and less.
Occasionally, when Xu Zhengyang went to ask some questions, he would not even get an answer.
Xu Zhengyang was very frustrated because he felt that something was wrong with his body, as if something was wrong. But he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
Spring of the ninth year of the New Divine Calendar.
The Heavenly Court held a work summary and latest work adjustment conference. Xu Zhengyang proposed a new work arrangement for the Heavenly Court, which, in addition to continuing the work of punishing evil, also included promoting good.
The task of punishing evil will be handled by Chen Chaojiang, Su Peng, and Gong Xinhao.
The task of promoting good deeds is handled by Yao Chushun, Ouyang Ying, and Li Bingjie.
Li Haidong remains in charge of all aspects of management.
In addition, Xu Zhengyang specifically put forward a rigid standard: whether punishing evil or promoting good, gods and ghost messengers cannot use their authority to force people to change their thinking. Evil is evil, and good is good... In other words, whether a person is punished or rewarded depends entirely on their daily conduct and thoughts.
All the gods and ghost messengers need to do is punish evil or promote good according to the actual situation.
At the meeting, based on the results of the expansion of the Masoli City God Palace into a State God Palace, Li Haidong suggested that the Heavenly Court should systematically establish City God Palaces or State God Palaces around the world, especially in places where wars are frequent and the people are suffering greatly from the ravages of war.
Negotiations between the transitional government and various armed factions in Masouri have begun smoothly and are currently under further discussion.
However, the fighting has completely stopped, and the people have been able to resume their normal lives. Some pirate organizations have already disbanded.
Furthermore, the various factions reclaimed the pirate gangs under their jurisdiction, prohibiting them from engaging in piracy again. In addition, the various factions and the transitional government reached a consensus to launch a severe crackdown on the remaining pirate organizations.
The fact that such a problem, which had been unsolved worldwide for over a decade, was so easily solved naturally made Li Haidong feel quite excited.
Xu Zhengyang was quite satisfied. Regardless of whether he would receive a share of the profits from that side, the fact that it could be used to repair the damage to the Heavenly Laws was of great help to him. After all, he was now largely free from the Heavenly Laws' control, and with the Heavenly Laws managing other deities for him in the future, he would have far less to worry about.
As for Li Haidong's suggestion, Xu Zhengyang basically agreed, but said that they couldn't rush it, and that only Li Haidong was suitable to establish branch offices outside the area; no one else would do.
So, let's first get everything in the Heavenly Court under control before going out on business and expanding the Heavenly Court's influence.
The subordinates of the Heavenly Court were also greatly encouraged. Just imagine the future Heavenly Court organization, which would be a force that would unify the world. How powerful would that be? They were all veterans who had made great contributions in establishing the Heavenly Court!
Li Haidong was deeply moved. For many years, people all over the world have hoped for a day when they could live together peacefully, free from the threat of war. However, human selfishness and greed, along with unavoidable suspicion, vigilance, and anxiety, have forced every country to expend enormous financial, material, and human resources to maintain its defense spending.
But all of this may disappear in the future.
The world is one country, one family; there is competition, but no war!
As for his current direct superior, Emperor Xu Zhengyang, Li Haidong felt nothing but satisfaction and admiration. This young deity's mindset had steadily improved. He was becoming increasingly mature and composed, his vision and thoughts were becoming more profound, and his heart was more open.
Little did Li Haidong and his subordinates know that Xu Zhengyang's request to postpone establishing branch offices was actually to first streamline the current operations of the Heavenly Court, mainly to accumulate enough divine power so that he wouldn't suffer from a depletion of divine power once the branch offices were established.
After these issues were discussed and settled, Wang Yonggan, who was usually obedient, surprisingly put forward his own suggestion.
He said, “My lord, I believe that our Heavenly Court should establish a real residence in the mortal world. At least when you need to hold a meeting, you will not have to leave your physical body, thus avoiding any insecurity or disturbance to your physical body.”
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement and echoed it.
“Hmm, this matter is open to discussion.” Xu Zhengyang considered for a moment and said, “However, we must first be careful not to disrupt the normal order of the human world, and we must choose a suitable place.”
Ouyang Ying said, "Isn't that simple? Zhengyang, you just need to choose a place, even if it's the entire Jingniang Lake, who would dare to disagree?"
"Nonsense!" Xu Zhengyang scolded, half-laughing and half-crying, "You should discuss this matter privately..."
...
Xu Zhengyang had also considered the plan to build a mansion in the human world.
After all, these days, whenever he needs to hold a meeting, discuss issues with his subordinates, or interrogate and punish ghosts, he sometimes needs to be personally involved.
However, it's always inconvenient to have to project one's consciousness into the virtual Heavenly Court within the Divine Control Token every time.
Admittedly, as Ouyang Ying said, with his current strength and reputation, acquiring a private piece of land undisturbed wouldn't be difficult at all. But if he actually did that, wouldn't it invite public criticism? Besides, even in the deepest mountains and forests, are there any places in this world that ordinary people can't reach?
Explorers, tourists, lost souls... who knows, someone might accidentally wander into the Heavenly Court's territory, only to be discovered and misunderstood by the Heavenly Court's ghost messengers, and that would be terrible.
Moreover, if the Heavenly Palace were to be built, would the whole family move there to live?
That would be practically equivalent to being completely isolated from the world.
That's really not a good idea.
Furthermore, Xu Zhengyang doesn't want to be talked about behind his back. Why should he occupy so much space by himself? He doesn't build factories or businesses, but instead starts construction, and then he doesn't allow others to live there. This will attract global attention.
...
After all the arrangements for the Heavenly Court were made, Xu Zhengyang began to pay real attention to his son's situation.
Now my son is over three years old. With the guidance of the whole family and his own learning, although he hasn't started school yet, he can already read newspapers fluently and there are very few words he doesn't recognize.
Because Xu Xiaotian possessed the legendary photographic memory, his grandmother Yuan Suqin even exclaimed in surprise and excitement, "Xiaotian, you're more educated than your father..."
While this statement may sound exaggerated, it is not without reason.
Xu Xiaotian could recognize many characters that even Xu Zhengyang didn't know how to pronounce.
The reason is simple: this little guy is usually playful and mischievous, but he is also quite serious. When he encounters an unfamiliar word while reading a book or newspaper, he will definitely look it up in the dictionary and make sure he understands its meaning.
As for things like Tang and Song poetry, there's nothing to mention; they're not worth showing off.
So now, Xu Zhengyang's family is starting to worry.
Send him to kindergarten? No, this little guy simply can't play with kindergarten kids; he's much more mature than other children. Send him to primary school? No, he's too young. Hire a tutor to teach him at home? That's possible. The problem is, there's no school atmosphere, which would negatively impact his psychological development.
After much deliberation, Xu Zhengyang decided to send his child to kindergarten.
Of course, before that, the couple needed to have a good talk with their son...
"Son, when you go to kindergarten, you're not allowed to bully other children, okay?"
"Xiaotian, be good, listen to your teacher, don't be naughty, don't fight, good kids have fun."
Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie taught him very seriously.
"I'm not going. What's the point of hanging out with those little brats?" Xu Xiaotian shrugged dismissively, speaking in a rather childish manner.
“When you get to school, you’ll learn a lot and make lots of friends,” Li Bingjie said with a smile.
Xu Xiaotian raised his delicate eyebrows and said, "Don't you want me anymore?"
"You brat, just do what I tell you to do! Stop talking nonsense!" Xu Zhengyang said angrily. How could someone so young say such things?
"Zhengyang, don't yell at the child, you'll scare him," Li Bingjie quickly scolded.
"Scared? He knows what fear is?" Xu Zhengyang snorted, but didn't get angry anymore. Although this child really gave him a headache, the little guy had been quite sensible over the years.
Xu Xiaotian sighed sadly and said, "Well, fine, let's go. Just think of it as spending a few years in prison."
"Listen to this, listen to this..." Xu Zhengyang trembled with anger, stood up and stormed off, "You should really discipline your son."
Inside the room, Li Bingjie was both amused and exasperated. It was as if Xu Xiaotian wasn't her son; this father and son...
Xu Xiaotian finally went to kindergarten, and it was the best kindergarten in Beijing. It was said that all the children there were from the families of high-ranking government officials, and the conditions there were among the best in the world.
Because the children trained there are all aimed at becoming great people in the future.
To say nothing of the distant past, Li Ruiqing is said to have attended this kindergarten when he was a child.
To avoid causing his grandparents too much worry, Xu Xiaotian is usually sent back to stay for a day every week unless there's something urgent.
I was worried that the child wouldn't behave well at kindergarten or that something might happen, but soon I heard that the little guy was having a great time in the kindergarten class and was a typical leader among the kids, especially with the little girls. He was so affectionate and acted like a big brother to them that even the other parents didn't have as high a status in the children's hearts as Xu Xiaotian.
Xu Zhengyang was very upset about this and complained to his wife, "Look what kind of son you gave birth to, sigh."
"Whatever you want," Li Bingjie retorted to Xu Zhengyang, a rare occurrence for her.
"Like me? Am I that lecherous?" Xu Zhengyang glared.
"Who said you're a lecher?" Li Bingjie couldn't help but smile. "You're guilty, aren't you? You're just admitting it."
Xu Zhengyang was stunned, then gave an embarrassed and awkward laugh. Of course, what Li Bingjie meant by "whatever you want" was naturally Xu Xiaotian's freakish half-human, half-god body. Later, when she said he was "guilty," she was obviously referring to Xu Zhengyang's repressed and hypocritical nature.
Having his secret exposed, Xu Zhengyang lost face and quickly changed the subject, saying, "By the way, how's it going with you and Ouyang Ying in charge of promoting good and bestowing blessings?"
Li Bingjie knew that Xu Zhengyang was deliberately changing the subject, and laughed, "You know perfectly well that Yingying has already gone out to gain experience. Do you miss Yingying?"
"Ahem." Xu Zhengyang put on a serious face. "Let's get down to business."
Li Bingjie smiled and said, "Don't worry, we can't rely on that magical artifact you gave us. Who has time to check every good deed every day? Usually, I read some social news online, and then Yingying goes to check and if it's true, she will bestow blessings. If necessary, she will provide actual rewards and support through various means."
"Yes, it's fine." Xu Zhengyang nodded, then, fearing his wife might bring up a certain topic again, asked, "How's Ye Wan doing? I forgot to ask Chen Chaojiang last time..."
Li Bingjie sighed and said, "That's good, they can be together often."
Li Bingjie understood Xu Zhengyang's thoughts about this matter. It wasn't that he didn't inquire about Chen Chaojiang during the Heavenly Court meeting, but rather that he had a lingering unease in his heart.
After all, Chen Chaojiang is a criminal, but now he lives like an ordinary person while serving his sentence, and even better.
This is fundamentally a huge injustice.
"Sigh." Xu Zhengyang sighed and said, "In this world, no matter where you are, there are always privileges... It's just that if you do some things carefully, you won't be criticized; but that's still unfair."
"This is probably the only case," Li Bingjie comforted her.
"Not a single one is allowed." Xu Zhengyang raised his eyebrows and said, "Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone gods. They should restrain their behavior even more. How can they recognize their mistakes if they are not taught a lesson?" After hesitating for a moment, Xu Zhengyang said, "Don't tell Ye Wan about this."
Li Bingjie asked in surprise, "What are you going to do?"
"Demote him." Xu Zhengyang said decisively, "During his imprisonment, he will no longer be granted the authority to supervise officials."
“This…” Li Bingjie was somewhat surprised.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "This is only because of Ye Wan and the child. Otherwise, would I have tacitly allowed the Ye family to use their power to guide public opinion and the people's hearts? Now they are living a more comfortable life than ordinary people... Hmph."
"How about we have Ye Wan do something for Chen Chaojiang?" Li Bingjie asked tentatively. She knew that Xu Zhengyang's words were just said in anger. A twenty-year demotion and stripping of a deity's authority were really nothing to a god. Besides, the latest work outline of the Heavenly Court also focused on promoting good and bestowing blessings as its main work direction.
Xu Zhengyang glanced at his wife and said, "Well, you can arrange it."
Li Bingjie smiled helplessly, nodded in agreement, and said, "Ye Wan actually understands that she doesn't blame you. Chen Chaojiang has also talked to her... She's helped me a lot these days. Our Heavenly Court Palace is a bit too masculine..."
"Stop. Don't make such suggestions again. Just do your job well." Xu Zhengyang waved his hand to stop Li Bingjie from continuing, then got up and walked out, his face somewhat displeased.
Li Bingjie's heart sank; she knew she had made a huge mistake.
The imperial harem is forbidden from interfering in politics.
This statement seems a bit extreme, after all, the Heavenly Court established by Xu Zhengyang is not an ancient feudal dynasty, otherwise Ouyang Ying and Li Bingjie wouldn't have been involved in its work. However, in the arrangement of personnel in the Heavenly Court, especially in the positions of deities, no one is allowed to offer suggestions.
As he reached the door, Xu Zhengyang suddenly stopped, seemingly feeling slightly guilty about his earlier attitude. He turned and calmly said, "From now on, the Heavenly Court will no longer bestow titles upon gods and mortals... You must understand that gods and mortals have too many concerns and worries; as for Ye Wan's matter, let's talk about it after she grows old."