Gong Xinhao, the executioner of punishments at the City God's Palace;
The powerful ghost messenger, Wang Yonggan, was a close attendant of the provincial god.
Yan Liang and Wang Chenghao, the ghost messengers in charge of special agencies outside the city, along with more than ten other veteran ghost messengers from the City God's Mansion, participated.
The meeting was held at the State God Palace Council Building.
The meeting had two main topics:
First, the various City God offices should continue to expand their staff, fill the quotas for ghost messengers, and focus on training capable members. Some capable members should be transferred to the City God headquarters, directly commanded by Li Haidong and Chen Chaojiang, as temporary and mobile units.
Second, Su Peng and Wang Yonggan's promotion, although not included in the priesthood, gave them greater power. They could participate in Li Haidong and Chen Chaojiang's discussions and jointly explore and formulate a group of ghost messenger squad leaders to assign tedious tasks according to rank.
The meeting pointed out:
The fundamental principles of the City God's office in its actions and law enforcement in the human world are morality, humanity, and conscience. All work and regulations must revolve around these three key points, and can be temporarily changed when necessary based on these three key points, according to the individual's discretion.
The final personnel arrangements under the State God's Office are as follows:
He is subordinate to Li Haidong, the chief judge and chief clerk of the state god's office. He has Wan Yun, a ghost messenger, as his advisor, responsible for summarizing and analyzing all matters and providing strategic planning.
Under Chen Chaojiang, the supervising spirit official of the Zhouhuang Prefecture, there is a ghost messenger named Gong Xinhao as his close attendant, responsible for protecting Chen Chaojiang's physical safety in the human world, delivering messages, and giving personal opinions on some matters for Chen Chaojiang's reference.
The Grand Commander of the Ghost Messengers of the City God's General Office, in charge of all ghost messengers in more than sixty City God's Offices, with Guo Li and Xiao Jing as his close subordinates;
Yan Liang, the captain of the special City God's Office ghost messengers in Dunshipo Chinatown, M Country, continues his work in the Dunshipo Chinatown area. In emergencies, he has the right to report directly to the State God. He has thirty ghost messengers under his command, and his main task is to conduct probing infiltration of Dunshipo, the area under the jurisdiction of the Netherworld Court in the northwest.
Wang Chenghao, the captain of the special City God Temple ghost messengers in Vancouver's Chinatown, Canada, has a similar job nature and position to Yan Liang in Dunsbo, but he must return to China on time to report to the judge.
The State God's personal bodyguard, Wang Yonggan, has forty-five guards under his command. Thirty of them protect the State God's family, while the other fifteen are his personal guards, ready to be dispatched at any time to complete tasks such as counter-surveillance and tracking, and teaching some fools a lesson.
After the assignment of duties to the members was completed, at the suggestion of the City God Xu Zhengyang, the attendees discussed the work of the City God's Office and related regulations, as well as how the City God's Office could circumvent human laws, rules, and human sentiments.
After a heated discussion and enthusiastic participation, and with the approval of the City God, Judge Li Haidong personally took charge and, together with the other members, revised the imperfect City God's regulations. Some outdated regulations were slightly modified, and some new regulations were added.
However, there is one basic principle that everyone understands, without the God of the State saying anything, is that it cannot be touched.
The principle is: Lord Xu Zhengyang is above the regulations and is not bound by any rules.
...
Such meetings are certainly not something that can be completed in just a few hours, so Xu Zhengyang would spend his days with his family or make courtesy visits to relatives and friends, and then arrive at the State God's Mansion early in the evening to attend the meetings.
Meanwhile, the other members of the State God Temple were constantly discussing and pondering in their spare time.
A week later, the meeting finally came to a successful conclusion.
Xu Zhengyang increasingly felt that this kind of domineering leader was indeed very comfortable!
After the meeting, Li Haidong privately reminded the State God, "Your Excellency, this State God's Palace high-level expanded meeting was missing one deity."
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang asked in confusion, "Who would dare not come?"
"Ahem, it's not that I didn't want to come..." Li Haidong said awkwardly, "There's also Ouyang Ying. Although she hasn't been granted the abilities and authority of a deity yet, and is merely a ghost messenger, the master has already decided to bestow upon her the title of goddess. How could such an important meeting be held without her?"
Xu Zhengyang suddenly realized that he had overlooked the divine duties assigned to Ouyang Ying.
It wasn't that he had forgotten about the girl's existence; it's just that Xu Zhengyang hadn't really treated her as a ghost or a deity all this time, but rather as a living, breathing person. So after thinking for a moment, Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "Never mind, she's an exception. She doesn't have a position or specific job for the time being... Well, like Bingjie, she also has a divine position now, but her usual job is taking care of children."
Li Haidong smiled awkwardly, but since his granddaughter and grandnephew had been mentioned, he was in a good mood and made a rare, respectful joke: "What you say is true, sir. If they are also attending the decision-making meeting, then Xiao Xiaotian should also attend."
Xu Zhengyang laughed heartily and nodded, saying, "If that brat were to attend the meeting, he'd probably flip the table over, what kind of meeting would we have then!"
Feeling quite relaxed, Xu Zhengyang wasn't in a hurry to return to his physical body. He smiled and invited Li Haidong to take a walk with him in the backyard of the State God's Mansion.
The backyard of the Zhouhuang Temple features pavilions, towers, artificial hills and rocks, bamboo groves and flowers... The scenery is beautiful and quite elegant.
"You've had a lot of trouble since you became a god," Xu Zhengyang said with a smile as he walked.
"This is my duty, and I don't consider it tiring. Besides, as a deity, I don't feel tired at all. How can I relax even a little while sitting in a divine position?" Li Haidong quickly said with trepidation, but he felt a strange mix of sadness and joy in his heart.
Just now, Xu Zhengyang used the honorific "you" (您), something Li Haidong had never considered since his death.
Now that he has suddenly received such a respectful title, how could Li Haidong not be filled with trepidation?
Although Xu Zhengyang used the honorific "you" in his speech, he didn't reflect it in his expression or actions. He spoke with his gaze level, a calm expression, and a composed smile. Hearing Li Haidong's trembling tone, Xu Zhengyang felt a slight pang of pity. This was a helpless situation; for him, respecting the elderly and caring for the young was a basic moral principle. However, as the only legitimate deity in the Three Realms, to rebuild the Heavenly Court, he had to display absolute official authority within the provincial government office.
Without rules, nothing can be accomplished!
Speaking of this deity, he was quite pitiful in some ways. He failed to fully respect the elderly, and as for loving the young, his precious son was so unruly and perverse because of his abnormal father, forcing Xu Zhengyang to be a rough and savage father every day.
Even the happiness of family affection sometimes carries a strange sense of constraint.
The reason is simple: because of his unique and extraordinary status, it would be strange if his family members didn't feel any fear towards him.
“You should relax a bit more from now on, instead of working so hard every day and doing everything yourself.” Xu Zhengyang seemed to be deep in thought, and his tone became even more approachable and gentle. “Take some time to come to our house. Bingjie now has the status of a deity and understands many things, so there’s nothing to hide. And Xiaotian… after all, we’re family…”
"Yes." Li Haidong was deeply moved, but remained respectful.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "Forget it. In the future, when no one else is around, there's no need to be so formal. If a family is always so polite to each other, it will seem awkward and distant."
"Yes." Li Haidong was even more moved.
Xu Zhengyang shook his head with a helpless wry smile, deciding not to dwell on it any longer. It would be difficult to change an old man's mind so quickly.
Xu Zhengyang stopped in front of the bamboo grove, pondered for a moment, then turned and asked with a smile, "If you were to tell me now, does the world need an institution like the City God's Palace?"
Li Haidong paused for a moment, then said very seriously, "It seems that the whole world needs the existence of the City God's Office, especially... institutions like ours."
"How so?" Xu Zhengyang asked with a smile.
"First of all, unlike the heavenly court institutions described in legends and classical records, this one is truly restraining human nature, taking a direct approach of punishment and deterrence, rather than just empty words," Li Haidong said earnestly.
Xu Zhengyang nodded and said, "In the past, there have been punishments from hell."
“That’s different.” Li Haidong shook his head and said, “In this life, how many people care about how cruel the punishment they will be after death?”
"That's it," Xu Zhengyang said with satisfaction. "Continue."
Li Haidong considered for a moment, then continued, "If this continues, and if our City God's Temple continues to develop, and even spreads throughout the world, then the whole world will be at peace, and human life will be happier and more stable..."
"But if there is no injustice, competition loses its stronger motivation, wouldn't that hinder human development?" Xu Zhengyang asked calmly.
These words were spoken by Li Haidong to Xu Zhengyang when he was still alive.
Now that Xu Zhengyang had pointed it out, Li Haidong said with considerable guilt, "It was my foolishness back then, my narrow-mindedness and narrow vision."
“Hey, that’s not what I meant…” Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and laughed, “There is some truth to what you’re saying. Think about how to balance this contradiction in the future.”
Li Haidong had, of course, considered this question long ago, which is why he had earlier felt guilty and blamed himself for being dull-witted and narrow-minded. Hearing Xu Zhengyang's question, Li Haidong then shared his thoughts: "Even in a fair environment, competition does exist. I'm sure you, sir, have already considered this..."
"You can say whatever you want, haha." Xu Zhengyang waved his hand with a smile.
"The decision made by the adults is about establishing a great fairness, a true fairness," Li Haidong said sincerely. This wasn't flattery; it was the truth. He had always believed that Xu Zhengyang had thought things through very well. "In a great fair environment, to give a simple example, if a person is diligent and hardworking, achieves both fame and fortune, and lives a better life than others, feeling a sense of authority and honor, this is naturally reasonable and cannot be considered unfair. On the contrary, if someone lacks ability or is lazy and indolent, and only complains about injustice, then there is no need for pity."
This example is indeed very simple and practical.
This was exactly what Xu Zhengyang wanted to hear. He smiled and said, "People are vain. As long as it doesn't go against their conscience and morality, it's not a mistake... Our goal is to make the saying 'the pitiful must have something hateful about them' an empty phrase."
There is nothing hateful about a pitiful person;
Those who are hateful need not be pitied.
This is the simplest, most direct, and most practical form of fairness!
Volume Six, Chapter 348: Father and Son Go to Battle
A bountiful year, and a heavy snowfall.
Snowflakes, like soft down, drifted down gently, shrouding the bustling metropolis of Beijing in a hazy mist. Everything in the sky and on the ground was draped in a layer of silvery-white white.
Vehicles were moving slowly on roads both inside and outside the city.
Located in the northwest of Beijing, adjacent to the Sixth Ring Road, the Hanwang Mountain Villa area is nestled between Beiji Mountain and Luoxue Lake. It boasts convenient transportation while offering serene and beautiful natural scenery. This is Beijing's premier luxury villa community, where even a single villa is worth over ten million yuan.
Long before the birth of Xu's precious grandson, Jiang Lan had already spent a fortune to buy a luxury villa here, saying it was a gift for her grandson.
Xu Zhengyang and his wife couldn't refuse, so they could only express their gratitude to Jiang Lan on behalf of their son.
In fact, Jiang Lan understood her daughter's temperament and her son-in-law's preferences, which is why she chose to buy a villa in this quiet location, so that the family of three would have a more suitable place to stay when they occasionally came to Beijing. To this end, Jiang Lan sold all her villas in the North Fifth Ring Road and Rouhuai District.
It's not that she's short of money, but keeping it would be a waste. She usually either lives in a luxury apartment near her company or with her husband, Li Ruiyu.
To be honest, the couple's strained relationship of more than ten years was only brought back together because of their daughter and son-in-law.
The area outside the villa district is a pleasant tourist resort. During holidays, people who are tired from the hustle and bustle of the city often come here to relax and unwind. Therefore, there are plenty of supermarkets and hotels, and nearby villages and towns are also nearby, making it convenient for the wealthy residents of the villa district to do their daily necessities and shopping.
Three days after that experiment, the family of three moved here.
Jiang Lan rarely goes to the company anymore; she spends most of her time at home taking care of her grandson and playing with him. As a high-ranking military officer, Li Ruiyu has also been coming here frequently lately to see his grandson and to discuss national affairs with Xu Zhengyang.
Unfortunately, Xu Zhengyang seemed to have little interest in these national development plans and international situations.
However, given his father-in-law's status and position, Xu Zhengyang couldn't directly show his impatience. So he managed to exchange a few casual words with his father-in-law.
I've been in Beijing for almost a month now.
To Xu Zhengyang's amusement and exasperation, these past few days had seen a steady stream of unusual guests arriving daily. They had no particular reason for coming; they were just like neighbors dropping by for a chat. Their reasons were either to see his extraordinary son or simply to relax and relax for a while…
If word gets out about the identities of these guests, it will surely scare the residents of the community into moving away.
Of course, this was all kept secret. Even so, the property management, security personnel, and some residents all felt great curiosity and respect for Xu Zhengyang and his family.
Look, those Mercedes-Benz cars with license plates from the Beijing Military Region are frequently seen coming and going here. Occasionally, a convoy of cars with special passes arrives, heavily guarded, with burly bodyguards in suits and sunglasses providing impenetrable protection for the villa. Even the most clueless person can understand just how special the people living here are.
This high-level treatment made Xu Zhengyang realize, somewhat helplessly, that he had unknowingly taken a position in which he could play a decision-making role.
However, Xu Zhengyang was used to being a hands-off manager and was unwilling to spend his days taking care of things.
Look at your father-in-law, he has so many things to think about and be responsible for that he doesn't even have a proper holiday.
That would be so hard, tiring, and boring.
Therefore, whenever he received these guests whose prices were so high that they would deter ordinary people, Xu Zhengyang would subtly imply that he would not get involved in certain matters. Xu Zhengyang was self-aware; putting aside his laziness, he simply lacked the energy and ability to participate in discussions and decisions on important issues.
After a series of receptions, the place where Xu Zhengyang was staying finally became quiet.
No guests came today.
Perhaps it was because of the heavy snow, or perhaps they were too busy, or perhaps they had given up hope of involving Xu Zhengyang.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang knew exactly what these people were thinking.
It wasn't that they wanted to actually use Xu Zhengyang, but rather to further win him over. They wanted to give Xu Zhengyang a more suitable identity and position in the secular world; in the near future, when this secret was revealed to the world, countries would be extremely shocked to discover that Xu Zhengyang was a leader in that country.
So, who would dare to harbor hostility towards this country again?
In this case, the word "utilize" is quite inappropriate; it should be said that it is either "by means of" or "relying on".