At the main headquarters, which is Xu Zhengyang's place, there is a personal ghost messenger named Wang Yonggan.
Nominally, the General Office was located in the capital and was part of the Capital City Office. In reality, the General Office of the State God was a mobile government office within the Nine Provinces Record.
As for which other ghost messengers to stay and serve, Xu Zhengyang did not inquire about it; Li Haidong and Su Peng were responsible for the selection.
The two overseas City God Temples, which serve as overseas offices, have been temporarily retained.
Regarding the arrangements for the other ghost messengers after their dismissal, Xu Zhengyang said, "Those who have worked for the City God's Palace for a long time and made great contributions can be given a choice. One is that they don't need to go through the long journey and all the hardships of the underworld, and can be directly reincarnated. In their next life, they will be born into a wealthy family and be able to live a happy life. The other option is that the underworld also needs public servants now, and the work is easier. You can take them around the underworld and let them see the sights. If any of them want to stay, they can stay. However, remind them that in the underworld, they cannot bend the law or be biased in their work!"
"But who will guide them in this underworld?" Li Haidong asked.
Xu Zhengyang thought for a moment and said, "Wan Yun, after this meeting, you will accompany me to the Underworld. I will arrange for you to be an official there..."
Wan Yun's heart trembled, thinking that the Provincial God still held a grudge against him after all.
However, such words must never be spoken aloud, not even in one's mind... Seeing Xu Zhengyang's sharp gaze, Wan Yun shuddered and quickly replied, "Yes."
"Don't think the underworld is a bad place, or harbor any prejudice or dissatisfaction," Xu Zhengyang said calmly. "By bringing you into the underworld, you'll be immediately given an official position, and your authority will be much greater..."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Excellency," Wan Yun quickly replied. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. In this mortal realm's City God's Palace, he was merely a ghost messenger, a mere advisor with a fancy title, holding no divine authority whatsoever. The Prefecture God had just said he wanted him to become an official in the Underworld!
Li Haidong, standing to the side, said, "Sir, since the various City God Temples have been abolished and unified into a single State God Temple, then... how will the State God Temples be managed..."
Before he could finish speaking, he looked at Xu Zhengyang with some confusion.
Xu Zhengyang nodded, indicating that he understood Li Haidong's meaning.
Now that the City God's Mansion has been completely abolished, the City Scrolls possessed by Li Haidong, Ouyang Ying, and Li Bingjie can no longer be used.
If you want to continue using it, you have to upgrade the city scroll to a state scroll, or even a powerful artifact like the Nine Provinces Record.
In addition, should the positions of subordinates be rearranged? After all, if Li Haidong is given too much authority to manage the six prefectures and three capitals, is that too much power?
After a moment's consideration, Xu Zhengyang looked at Li Haidong, then glanced at Ouyang Ying, and said calmly, "The city scroll is not needed for the time being..."
Li Haidong looked at Xu Zhengyang with surprise. He quickly understood what Xu Zhengyang meant.
Li Haidong immediately waved his hand to summon the city scroll, stood up and walked to Xu Zhengyang, handed the scroll to the table, and said, "I will follow your instructions, sir."
Seeing this, Ouyang Ying, who had been sitting quietly and attentively at the very end, quickly took out the city scroll, stood up and walked to Xu Zhengyang, handed it over, obediently stuck out her tongue, and said with a bit of fear, "Well, sir, I'll return it to you now."
Xu Zhengyang casually picked up a piece of the scroll, flipped it in his hand, looked at it, and said softly, "Without the divine artifact, things are much more inconvenient, but it doesn't mean we can't do anything..."
Everyone's hearts sank, so they quickly took out their magical artifacts and handed them to Xu Zhengyang on the table in front of him.
Xu Zhengyang didn't say anything, but after watching his subordinates hand over their respective divine artifacts, he said, "These days you will work in the State God's Palace, select the ghost messengers, and discuss the scope and boundaries of the six states' jurisdictions... draft a rough framework."
“My lord, the remnants of the Daoist Immortal Cultivation Sect from beyond the borders…” Li Haidong quickly said.
"Knowing their approximate location is enough. No need to investigate further; I'll handle the arrangements." Xu Zhengyang stood up and walked out, but aside from taking the two city scrolls, he didn't touch any of the other divine artifacts. "The city scrolls need some modifications; they'll be issued to you again in a few days. As for the other divine artifacts, whoever's is entitled to use them first..."
Everyone except Ouyang Ying bowed to see them off.
Ouyang Ying was secretly surprised. It was the first time she had seen Xu Zhengyang's official demeanor; he had quite the air about him. How imposing!
What just happened really made everyone quite nervous.
Although Xu Zhengyang didn't explicitly express anything, who knows if he harbored any reservations or suspicions about these fake gods who had already gained some authority?
Fortunately, there was a wise and experienced person like Li Haidong who made the wisest move first, and then everyone else quickly followed suit.
Otherwise, who knows if this provincial god might be thinking to himself: So-and-so's power is indeed a bit too much; So-and-so seems a little reluctant to give up the power he holds...
This seems somewhat unnecessary. Given Xu Zhengyang's current strength, authority, and status, why would he worry about these acting deities?
But……
Xu Zhengyang had indeed suddenly had this uneasy feeling in his mind.
After the establishment of the Six Provinces and Three Capitals, those truly in charge of the divine positions in the human realm within the central government would inevitably hold immense power. Furthermore, they would need to be given access to divine artifacts such as the City Scrolls, upgraded to Province Scrolls, or even artifacts similar to the Nine Provinces Records. Under these circumstances, even if they were to act as deputies, they would still need genuine divine status to be qualified and capable of wielding such powerful artifacts and exercising the authority of their respective divine positions.
So who can guarantee that none of them will think of forcing a coup in the future?
Even though he was more powerful and of a higher rank than them, Xu Zhengyang honestly didn't know how to kill a deity.
He had once witnessed that magnificent epic battle in the Heavenly Court—a battle between the gods that was cruel, exciting, and tragic!
However, even now, he still doesn't know how to use divine power to fight and kill the gods.
The Records of the Nine Provinces contains no such record from the beginning; and the Heavenly Laws contain no record of such a divine war.
In other words, Xu Zhengyang didn't know what divine martial arts were. Did they think they could just punch and kick like humans? Of course, theoretically, a provincial god could possess divine artifacts like the God-Controlling Token and God-Locking Chains to control subordinate deities. But once someone reached the level of provincial god, what would the higher-ranking star lords, emperors, and heavenly emperors use to control such a high-ranking local official?
There is no answer, not even the Records of the Nine Provinces.
The only possibility is a huge gap in strength.
Xu Zhengyang is a good fighter, but when it comes to fighting gods... he's never fought one before, he's not a professional.
Sitting in his study, Xu Zhengyang pondered for a while before shaking his head self-deprecatingly. Wasn't this just asking for trouble? He might have the title of acting emperor, but in reality, it wasn't that impressive. Let alone a position like the provincial god, that was the Heavenly Emperor's business, something he had no authority over.
Putting that thought aside, Xu Zhengyang summoned the city scroll held by Li Haidong and began to browse the records on it with his divine sense.
According to Li Haidong's previous work report upon his return, the investigation in multiple locations has led to the basic confirmation of the hiding place of the remnants of the Dao Xian Gong sect.
The person known as Master Jialan, along with the group behind him, are hiding in the United States, where they are protected and housed by some of the country's secret departments. In addition, four people are hiding in East India, and two are in Japan.
After quickly browsing through the information, Xu Zhengyang picked up his phone and dialed Li Ruiqing's number:
"Second Uncle, we've found out. Jialan is hiding in the US, and the force behind her is a department under the CIA. There are also four hiding in East India and two in Japan. I'll read out the specific addresses, please write them down..."
Li Ruiqing paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, go ahead."
Xu Zhengyang read it aloud to make sure Li Ruiqing had memorized it, then continued, "Just let me know when you bring the person back."
"Zhengyang, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with this matter..." Li Ruiqing said with a somewhat embarrassed wry smile.
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang frowned. At this point, he truly didn't have the heart to send his subordinates to distant lands for business. Besides his current lack of divine power, his subordinates needed time to familiarize themselves with the new State God's Palace organization. Furthermore, he needed to reconsider the future regulations of the State God's Palace, or rather… the overall planning of the Heavenly Court in the mortal realm. In addition, he wanted some peace and quiet for a while, to let this turmoil pass. He was uneasy; he now felt that divine interference in mortal affairs could inadvertently lead to unpredictable and negative consequences. Therefore, he said, "I don't want to interfere too much in mortal affairs. What? The international community has already recognized Daoist Immortal Cult as a cult. Is there still the problem of extradition?"
As Xu Zhengyang spoke, his brows furrowed. He recalled how Ding Changri had smuggled himself into Canada years ago, and how, due to differences in the legal system and other reasons, he was able to evade the law and was difficult to extradite back.
Li Ruiqing said, "It is indeed very difficult, and I can even say for sure that it is impossible."
"Okay, you guys go through the process first. We should at least try to get it done. I'll think about it some more."
"good."
...
After hanging up the phone, Xu Zhengyang rubbed his forehead, pondering how to handle the situation.
That guy named Jialan, and his men, must be executed without question. After all, impersonating a god and blaspheming divine power is a grave crime!
The question is, how should we deal with the real mastermind behind this behind-the-scenes manipulation, the CIA's subordinate department in the United States?
The same grave crime, unforgivable.
The guy who first proposed this plan deserved to die and was destined to go to hell to suffer endless punishment.
Xu Zhengyang had already planned that after Wan Yun took up his post in the underworld, he would select a few more willing to become underworld officials to be specifically responsible for carrying out the punishments in hell… However, the cruelty of the punishments in hell, and the environment there, meant that very few could endure it. Nine times out of ten, they would regret it after only a short time.
This is a problem, and Xu Zhengyang needs to consider it carefully.
The real concern right now is with the US. Is it really necessary to personally go there to intimidate them?
The lack of divine power isn't a problem; it can be accumulated slowly. The problem is that Xu Zhengyang's identity is currently well known to the intelligence agencies of various countries. If he were to use overwhelming force and intimidation to kill him, wouldn't it cause a huge backlash and unpredictable consequences?
One is that it is forbidden by the laws of heaven; another is that if one's nationality or identity causes unrest among the people of that country, and thus triggers a war between the two nations...
Then this deity has no choice but to atone for his sins with death.
Xu Zhengyang couldn't wait that long. He had a lot to do, so he would finish whatever he had to do as soon as possible to avoid worrying about it every day.
After considering it for a while, Xu Zhengyang decided to use his spiritual sense to travel to the capital and meet Nelson Buck.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Xu Zhengyang was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Come in."
The door opened, and Li Bingjie walked in with a smile.
Xu Zhengyang got up with a guilty look and walked to the sofa to sit down with his wife. He said, "Look at you, you always have to knock before entering my study. It makes you seem distant. Unless I tell you in advance, you don't have to be so cautious when entering my study."
Xu Zhengyang's statement was somewhat contradictory.
Actually, he just felt uncomfortable because his family members were becoming more and more cautious in front of him. He figured his family members must feel awkward too. But Xu Zhengyang also longed for the habit of knocking before entering a house and not being allowed to enter without his permission.
Because he couldn't guarantee that he would always inform his family before leaving his body to travel; or that he wouldn't want anyone to suddenly come in and disturb him when he was thinking about something.
This is quite contradictory.
Li Bingjie smiled dismissively and said, "This has nothing to do with being a stranger. Even husbands and wives, and relatives, should respect each other, right? Xiao Xiaotian knows now that he won't bother his grandparents when they're on the phone."
"Cough cough." Xu Zhengyang coughed twice, understanding that although his wife's words made sense, they were also meant to comfort, accommodate, and understand him.
Li Bingjie waved her hand and summoned her city scroll, gently placing it on the coffee table. She smiled and said, "Well, this thing is no longer of any use. Here, take it."
Xu Zhengyang frowned, then nodded and said, "Yes, I'll make you a new one in a few days."
"I'll listen to you..." Li Bingjie didn't refuse, nor did she think that this would put Xu Zhengyang in a difficult position. She said, "Don't blame Yingying for telling me everything. You promised this. Whatever you two talk about, have Yingying tell me when you get back, so I can learn more and broaden my horizons, and be able to help you more in the future."
"No, no, haha, it's not that serious." Xu Zhengyang smiled and shook his head, then said, "Then tell me, what are your thoughts on this round of downsizing and streamlining?"
Li Bingjie thought for a moment and smiled, "Everything else is fine, I don't really understand it, but there's one thing... since the ghost messengers have been dismissed, is the security around our place a bit lax?"
"Yes, you've gotten to the point." Xu Zhengyang nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "Don't worry, there are security guards at home, the police are keeping a close watch on the area, and there are also troops stationed there. The chances of an accident are very low. We were just being overly cautious and worrying unnecessarily before."
“That makes sense.” Li Bingjie thought about it and then understood.
However, Xu Zhengyang was calculating in his mind that it was really not worth it for the military, police, and security personnel to spend so much manpower, resources, and money on his family.
I felt bad about it.
Furthermore, as one of the Four Star Lords, temporarily assuming the position of Emperor of the Eastern Azure Heaven Court, how could he not protect his own family? Thinking of this, Xu Zhengyang began to resent the inaction of the Nine Provinces Record even more!
So much to do! Xu Zhengyang frowned. The mastermind behind the last assassination attempt still hadn't been found. Sigh.
A hands-off boss? There's no such thing as a free lunch!
Volume Seven: The Emperor, Chapter 365: Three Capitals and Six Prefectures
The scorching sun beats down on the metropolis, a city built of steel and concrete, making this bustling city feel like a furnace.
The ground temperature on the street outside was close to fifty degrees Celsius. The air in the lower atmosphere seemed to be scorched, with wisps of smoke rising up, forming visible ripples like flowing water.
On Lushu Street near the East Third Ring Road in Beijing, a black Lincoln sedan drove into the US Embassy.
Ambassador Joshua Johnson stepped out of the car, glanced up at the scorching sun with a frown, then walked into the building with a deep frown. He had been urgently summoned today by officials from the foreign ministry of his host country, the purpose of which was none other than the matter of that man named Garan. They hoped that Country M would cooperate in apprehending this wanted criminal and extraditing him back to the US to stand trial and bear the corresponding legal responsibility.