Volume Six, Chapter 300: Don't Be Nervous
It was a little after eight o'clock in the evening. The last rays of the sun had just disappeared from the western horizon.
Night fell, darkness descended, and enveloped the entire sky. A thin, faint halo of light shrouded the capital, making it appear from a distance, as if protected by a shimmering glass dome.
Or rather, it's like a giant light bulb.
The place with the most stringent security in the country, as always, exuded a solemn and dignified atmosphere. The armed police standing guard at the gate and the obvious cordon line not far from the gate caused passing vehicles and pedestrians to avoid it and not go near it.
Using the phrase "as bright as day" to describe the light here would be quite an exaggeration.
Although the lights were bright and there were no dark corners, the white light under the cover of night, combined with the tranquility that contrasted with the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city, made the place seem even more profound, solemn, and majestic...
Occasionally, vehicles with very distinctive photos will come and go, and the armed police on duty will give a standard salute and let them pass.
A short distance across the street, a black sedan pulled over, and a slender figure got out. The car then sped away.
The young man who got out of the car had a buzz cut, wore a white short-sleeved shirt with the collar unbuttoned at the top, the shirt hem tucked into black trousers, a black belt, and black leather shoes—very ordinary attire. He paused briefly by the roadside, looked up at the stars in the deep night sky and the neon lights of the distant skyscrapers, and then began to walk towards them.
Vehicles passing by will slow down before reaching this gate because of the warning lights ahead.
Therefore, young people can easily cross the road on this section of the path, walk to this side, and then slowly approach the gate that ordinary people would never approach.
Next...
He walked in calmly and slowly, as if he were returning to his own home.
The armed police on guard at the gate, and even the people in the guardhouse, did not stop him, let alone warn him. Instead, they remained silent, as if they did not see him at all, letting the young man walk into this place, which had always been under the highest level of security, with ease and composure.
...
This is the capital city.
The capital city was the second place, after Fuhe City, where Xu Zhengyang established the City God's Mansion.
This is definitely Xu Zhengyang's territory. To put it somewhat dramatically, as long as Xu Zhengyang has enough divine power and the Heavenly Laws don't impose strict rules on him, he could even do something absolutely outrageous in the capital.
So, going to any part of the capital city isn't really a difficult task.
Admittedly, coming here really requires Xu Zhengyang to expend too much of his divine power, and requires the use of many ghost messengers, and even some ghosts.
However, Xu Zhengyang had recuperated for more than ten days, and his accumulated divine power was enough to do these things.
The current eccentric State God, Xu Zhengyang, does not govern any area according to the original boundaries set by the Heavenly Rules. Instead, he unprecedentedly divides the territory according to the locations of his City God's Offices. In other words, the area under his jurisdiction is very scattered. Wherever he has established a City God's Office, that is where he is in charge, distributed in a point-like pattern.
And the capital city, without a doubt, became the location of the State God's government office, unanimously recognized by the city officials and even the State God himself.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang had considered his own safety when he came to attend this meeting, because he was going to be facing some big shots with absolute status and real official positions. The pressure he would face was immense. This was different from what he had done to Li Haidong.
Li Haidong was naturally difficult for ordinary ghost messengers to approach; only after Xu Zhengyang's divine power was added could the ghost messengers barely monitor him.
But that only meant Li Haidong garnered the people's respect; he held no real official position. In contrast, these high-ranking officials, now at the very top, hold real official positions, protected by heaven from evil spirits and demons, and their actions are seen as acts of resistance against supernatural forces. Therefore, it is clear that the ancient practice of emperors being called "Sons of Heaven" and protected by deities was not unfounded, but rather based on real reason.
but……
The idea of ghosts, demons, and supernatural beings may have existed in the past, but it still cannot completely prevent a deity, especially a high-ranking and powerful provincial god, from doing things to mortals.
Even the Heavenly Rules, with their limited restrictions, have never prohibited a deity from meeting and speaking with high-ranking officials and dignitaries.
Of course, when the Heavenly Court existed in the past, the gods needed permission from above to do such things, but now, apart from the existence of intangible divine artifacts like the Heavenly Laws and Rules, who can control Xu Zhengyang?
...
In the spacious, bright, and luxuriously decorated room, more than a dozen prominent figures sat on the sofa.
This isn't a conference room; there's no huge conference table. To be precise, it's more like a large living room or a conversation room.
The room, approximately 150 square meters in size, had a carpeted floor in the center. Around the main entrance, on the other three walls, were brown-yellow armchairs, with a small, expensive rosewood table between each pair of sofas. On the wall directly opposite the door hung a huge painting of peonies, their blossoms in full bloom, vibrant and dazzling in color, exquisitely beautiful and remarkably lifelike.
If you think the high-ranking officials here are holding some kind of meeting, you're sorely mistaken.
Their conversation was casual and relaxed, reminiscent of a family gathering.
That's actually somewhat true. What's that saying again? Don't wash your dirty linen in public. The government's image in the eyes of the outside world and the public needs to be maintained. No matter how big the conflict, how irreconcilable it may be, it can be resolved through private conversations.
It can be considered a mediation.
Of course, the conversation started with some more formal work-related issues, such as the current international situation, the country's external pressures, and strategies for political exchanges between countries. After these formal topics were covered, some staff members left, leaving only these influential figures to chat about recent personal conflicts and how they planned to resolve them.
Yes, the bigger picture is more important.
Of course, there were also some overt and covert warnings in his words: stop this, what is this all about?
As for the parties involved, Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing are clearly much more relaxed than Wan Yun; they now hold absolute initiative. As the saying goes, reason prevails everywhere, no matter how hard one tries. Reason prevails, and courage remains undiminished.
Wan Yun, however, was completely taken aback by the turn of events. Now, utterly humiliated, he sat silently opposite Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing, his face expressionless. In his heart, he thought, "Your actions have caused me considerable trouble, but what about you? How many obstacles will your overstepping lines add to the Li family's future political path?"
And she kept favoring and encouraging that arrogant young son-in-law, haha...
Even now, no matter how much you cause trouble, you can't take my life. But as for that son-in-law, no matter how much you try to favor him, you can't protect him anymore.
After all, you have provoked public outrage.
The so-called public outrage is naturally the outrage within this extremely small circle.
The conversation continued amidst seemingly relaxed, yet actually tense, laughter and chatter.
Wan Yun's silence was naturally understandable to those present; however, what was strange was that Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing did not take a clear stance on the matter either. Instead, they changed the subject, seemingly unwilling to discuss how to resolve the issue. When forced to answer, they would shake their heads with a wry smile and a helpless expression, and sigh.
Such an attitude seems rather strange and arrogant.
Could it be that you have some unspeakable secret that requires someone else's approval to make a decision?
Just then, the large door was pushed open by the guards outside.
A young man dressed plainly with a calm expression and a faint smile walked in.
Those present were startled. Although some of them had never seen this young man in person, they had all noticed him and seen his photograph. He was the one who had escalated the matter, making it impossible to control, and now everyone couldn't help but sigh in pity for this exceptionally talented son-in-law of the Li family—Xu Zhengyang—who was destined to become a victim of political struggle!
How did he get in?
How did I end up in such a room under such heavy martial law?
After a brief moment of surprise, everyone's questioning gazes turned to Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing. At this moment, these two leaders of the Li faction once again revealed helpless, bitter smiles, shaking their heads and sighing slightly.
It's so bizarre and terrifying!
The highest-ranking figures in the country present suddenly had a chilling thought flash through their minds—"coupling"!
A coup!
This term seems to have only appeared in historical records, and after the country was established, such a possibility no longer existed.
However, similar incidents occasionally occur in other countries.
To put it figuratively, such events are now referred to as coups!
As Xu Zhengyang walked in calmly with a smile on his face, several high-ranking officials finally couldn't sit still any longer. They stood up abruptly, pointed at Xu Zhengyang, and were about to reprimand and question him when Xu Zhengyang first slightly raised his right arm, palm down, and slowly swung it down, saying calmly and indifferently, "Sit down, don't be nervous, don't be nervous!"
The two officials sitting in the center, facing the door, had calm expressions, their eyes filled with a profound meaning and a disdainful fearlessness.
"go out!"
How did you get in?
"Guard!"
...
Amidst the repeated reprimands, Xu Zhengyang walked to an empty sofa, sat down slowly, and waved his hand to advise, "Don't blame the guards; this wasn't a mistake on their part."
Xu Zhengyang glanced at everyone and smiled, "I'm just here to have a few words, nothing more. Everyone, don't be nervous!"
Volume Six, Chapter 301 of the State God's Tablet, clearly tells you...
In the spacious room, it was so quiet that everyone could hear their own rapid heartbeats and suppressed, slowed breathing.
Xu Zhengyang wasn't in a hurry. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly exhaled the smoke.
It wasn't that he was deliberately showing off, but rather that he was giving these people ample time to calm down so that the next conversation could proceed smoothly.
As for those seated inside, they were momentarily at a loss for words. They knew very well that, for whatever reason, they were in a passive position. The fact that this young man could walk in so calmly meant that everything must have been arranged.
Perhaps Xu Zhengyang was getting impatient, because the first thing to be heard in the quiet room was his voice.
He turned slightly to the side, looked at Wan Yun who was sitting three people away from him, and smiled, "Old Wan, aren't you going to explain a few things?"
"Hmph, what's there to explain?" Wan Yun snorted coldly, showing no fear, and sternly rebuked, "Shouldn't you be the one explaining now?"
Xu Zhengyang shook his head and said, "In life and in business, we must be reasonable... Everything has a cause and effect, and there must be a order of precedence, right? Now that I'm sitting here, let's talk things out face to face, so that some people won't say behind my back that I'm bullying you, sir..."
"What's there to say?" Wan Yun glared angrily at Xu Zhengyang.
"Why do you want to kill me?" Xu Zhengyang took a drag of his cigarette, his face showing a mixture of confusion and anger. He said, "Give me a reason. Did I desecrate your ancestral graves? Or did I secretly curse you to be childless? As far as I know, we don't seem to have any deep-seated hatred... Come on, tell me why you want to kill me. If your explanation is reasonable, I can forgive you..."
This question is really too petty for everyone here. Isn't it obvious?
However, if you were to ask any one of them to answer this question, they would be unable to.
If this were directed at an individual, there would be no reason to hold a grudge, let alone any hatred. In fact, in the power struggles at the top, it's perfectly normal for innocent people to become victims, take the blame, or, because they are guilty, simply shift all the blame onto themselves.
But can such words be said openly?
This is like randomly grabbing an ordinary, complete stranger and saying, "Hello, we have a conflict to resolve, so you have to die." How utterly unreasonable and shameless!
Now that they've come to demand an explanation, and they clearly have an absolute advantage, how do you respond?
So Wan Yun didn't speak, but stared at Xu Zhengyang with a gloomy and cold expression. Then, under the gaze of Xu Zhengyang's narrowed eyes, which were filled with mockery, disdain and a hint of hatred, Wan Yun snorted and turned his head away.
"Can't answer?" Xu Zhengyang smiled, then shifted his gaze, scanning the crowd, and said, "Can any of you give a reasonable answer?"
Naturally, no one spoke.
Xu Zhengyang took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and his expression was vaguely visible through the smoke.
“Yes, that’s a really difficult question to answer.” Xu Zhengyang sighed and said, “Who told us that in your eyes, people like us are just ordinary citizens, or rather, ants? Heh…”
"Let's get down to business," the man sitting in the middle said calmly.
Xu Zhengyang raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Isn't that practical enough?"
"What do you want?" Wan Yun turned and glared at Xu Zhengyang.
“It’s very simple…” Xu Zhengyang raised a finger, his expression turning serious, and said, “The series of events triggered by the Far East smuggling case will be investigated, and all those responsible will be held accountable. You, Wan Yun, will be held strictly accountable according to the law for your illegal acts. And this will be made public!”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was shocked. Public?
"And what about you?" Wan Yun sneered.