The Heavenly Law slowly proclaimed: "Gouchen Star Lord of the Four Emperors, do not go too far in defying the Heavenly Rules."
Xu Zhengyang said, "It certainly won't be too rebellious, but a little rebellion is still necessary. You are aware of the current situation."
Heavenly Law was helpless.
...
With the Heavenly Decree's approval, Xu Zhengyang pondered the matter carefully before informing Li Haidong:
"Li Haidong is hereby appointed as the temporary special envoy of the Heavenly Court, with the authority to establish City God offices outside the capital, appoint ghost messengers, maintain local stability, punish evil and promote good, and protect the people for their safety; furthermore, the selection of ghost messengers must be strictly reviewed and carefully considered..."
Li Haidong gladly accepted the order and then asked, "Sir, shall we confer titles upon the gods?"
"No..." Xu Zhengyang said coldly, "Who gave you the full power to become a god? Hmm?"
"My lord, I dare not," Li Haidong said in a panic. He really had no such intention; he just thought that since a City God's Office was to be established, there should be a deity to oversee everything.
Xu Zhengyang understood Li Haidong's thoughts, but Li Haidong's suggestion just now reminded Xu Zhengyang that in the future, no other deity besides himself would have the authority to confer titles on gods! After thinking for a moment, Xu Zhengyang said, "We should select the best, and they should start as ghost messengers first... Gods are not conferred titles casually."
"Understood."
"The City God's Palace is directly under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court. For the time being, it can appoint ghost messengers with the authority to do so. One or two leaders are enough... After appointing the ghost messengers, take them to the Underworld to see for themselves. You now have the right to enter and leave the Underworld. Make sure they know that ghost messengers cannot act arbitrarily and must abide by the regulations of the Heavenly Court!" Xu Zhengyang said solemnly.
"yes."
"As for the rest, you should carefully consider them yourself, and make sure there are no oversights..."
"yes."
Xu Zhengyang withdrew his divine sense and instead picked up the Divine Control Token to examine some of the more recent major cases. With Li Haidong gone, the burden on his shoulders had become much heavier.
There's no way around it, we're short-staffed.
The Heavenly Court is currently processing cases much more slowly.
Ouyang Ying is hesitant to make decisions on many things. Despite her usual boastful and confident demeanor, she often finds herself struggling to get things done.
Without exceptional courage and boldness, as well as keen judgment and sufficient experience, one simply cannot be competent.
Even if Li Bingjie took more time to help her manage it, it wouldn't work.
Cases, both big and small, piled up one after another.
The ghost messengers below didn't care whether the efficiency of the work in the Heavenly Court could keep up. They were still following the original instructions of Judge Li Haidong, seeking speed in everything. Moreover, as ghost messengers, they couldn't always be delayed on one case and wait for it to be closed before going to inspect others.
Report each discovery as it arises, and once instructions are given, return to the original site to continue implementation.
Anyway, if it were to be handled seriously, the ghost messengers wouldn't actually be sent to do the work. There are government departments to handle it, so in most cases, the ghost messengers are just investigating the truth of the case and looking for clues and evidence.
Su Peng, the steward and commander of the ghost messengers, had to return from outside to help Ouyang Ying review some cases and offer his personal suggestions.
However, when it came to actually issuing instructions, they could easily handle trivial matters, but they dared not make a decision lightly on matters that had a greater impact or were more serious. Helpless, they had no choice but to go and find Xu Zhengyang to ask him for instructions.
Xu Zhengyang had no choice but to spend more time each day making instructions on some cases.
Of course, he was much stricter than Li Haidong in dealing with problems, especially when it came to cases involving collusion between officials and criminal gangs to oppress the innocent.
In several cases, Chen Chaojiang was simply prevented from reporting to the specially established liaison group.
Xu Zhengyang told Li Ruiqing directly about the matter, and said, "You guys handle it."
Alright, Xu Zhengyang has submitted it directly. Li Ruiqing and his team dare not be careless. They must speed up the process, send more people to investigate each case, and severely punish the criminals!
Otherwise, if Xu Zhengyang, with his bad temper, couldn't wait any longer and took action himself, the consequences would be dire.
Time flies by in the midst of our busy lives.
Before he knew it, it was already the dead of winter. Xu Zhengyang was thinking of urging Li Haidong to come back quickly, but why was it so difficult to choose a ghost messenger?
However, it's likely that Li Haidong delayed the process out of caution.
As long as it's safe and reliable, that's fine.
Therefore, Xu Zhengyang didn't urge him too much, otherwise Ouyang Ying would have privately complained to Li Bingjie that he, the emperor, was trying to slack off. But as the emperor, he still had to show his attitude, so he arranged for his personal attendant, Gong Cao Wang Yonggan, to go over. Ostensibly, it was to assist Judge Li Haidong, but in reality, it was also to make Li Haidong understand that he shouldn't think that just because he was in the field, he could completely disobey the emperor's orders. Regardless of whether it was necessary or not, he still needed to report the situation occasionally.
Xu Zhengyang had no idea that Wang Yong's trip would actually come in handy, and he accomplished something.
After streamlining the organization and establishing the Heavenly Court Office with its three capitals and six prefectures, all the gods and ghost messengers in the Heavenly Court Office, from top to bottom, began to work busily, almost without a moment's rest.
As a result, almost everyone, including Xu Zhengyang, forgot or overlooked something that seemed not to be very important.
Volume Seven, Emperor, Chapter 372: The God's Salvation Plan
This matter isn't a big deal, but it's certainly not insignificant either.
That is, the mastermind behind Xu Zhengyang's assassination attempt in Haigukou City has not been found. Xu Zhengyang had considered continuing the investigation afterward, but due to staff shortages after downsizing and being too busy, he had to put it aside.
But Wang Yonggan, who had always been loyal to Xu Zhengyang, had not forgotten him.
He had been keeping this matter in mind, and harbored a deep resentment and hatred towards the mastermind behind it all. Unfortunately, due to his position, he couldn't personally investigate, and since Xu Zhengyang hadn't brought it up, he couldn't very well remind him.
As a result, during this trip, in that country where warlords were fighting each other, Wang Yonggan coincidentally found a clue.
When Wang Yonggan arrived in Masouri, his homeland was celebrating the Spring Festival in a lively and festive atmosphere.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Masori, within the newly established City God's Palace, Li Haidong was having a conversation with two ghost messengers and four newly selected and appointed ghost messengers.
Li Haidong has been in Masouri for almost two months now.
Xu Zhengyang from the Heavenly Court felt that Li Haidong's work efficiency was too slow, but to be honest, Li Haidong had been working overtime and doing his best. You should know that in the order Xu Zhengyang gave to Li Haidong, he specifically mentioned that he must carefully select ghost messengers as the first subordinate deities to go abroad to establish City God Palace institutions since the establishment of the Heavenly Court.
How could Li Haidong dare to be careless in the slightest?
Unlike Xu Zhengyang's arbitrary appointment of ghost messengers in the past, Li Haidong and his two attendants meticulously assessed, verified, and compared the thoughts and abilities of each ghost, selecting the most outstanding to serve as ghost messengers. He knew that these chosen ghost messengers might very well become deities appointed by the Emperor in the future…
It is important to understand that in this country with numerous tribes and a large number of warlord factions that have always been in conflict, ghosts from any tribe have an extremely strong affection for their tribe, sometimes to an unbelievable degree.
In such circumstances, these ghosts, after becoming ghost messengers, will inevitably be influenced by personal feelings, biases, injustices, and so on when dealing with certain issues.
Therefore, Li Haidong's screening process was slow, meticulous, and responsible.
If Xu Zhengyang knew about Li Haidong's thoughts, he would definitely scold him impatiently: "What's going on? There's no need to be so serious. In order to speed up the work and get this country out of the state of war as soon as possible, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, then just find a few ghosts and arrange them to become ghost messengers. Under the remote command of the Heavenly Court, they will carry out some tasks... Do you think ghosts would dare to disobey orders after becoming ghost messengers?"
That's indeed the case; Xu Zhengyang has always done just that.
Let's get things done as quickly as possible. As for whether the ghost messenger is qualified or not, we can just revoke his/her status after we've finished the job.
Li Haidong, having just returned from a trip to the underworld with several trusted ghost messengers, had indeed achieved a very good deterrent effect. In fact, Li Haidong even considered that he could simply grab a few capable ghosts to serve as ghost messengers; after a trip to the underworld, would they dare to act recklessly?
Of course. He quickly dismissed that thought.
Ultimately, Li Haidong's attitude and personal thoughts on many things are completely different from Xu Zhengyang's.
Yes, he's better and more responsible than Xu Zhengyang.
But come to think of it, isn't this the reality of ordinary life? Leaders only need to provide a general direction; the specific execution is left to subordinates to handle diligently and responsibly. If things go well, it's attributed to the leader's skillful and far-sighted command; if things go poorly, it's blamed on the subordinates' lack of diligence…
After appointing the new ghost messengers, Li Haidong's current plan is to have four new ghost messengers, familiar with the local situation, conduct face-to-face talks with the leaders of each tribal armed force. When necessary, he, the deity, will also intervene, using a powerful and eerie approach, whether to intimidate or persuade them, to ensure they abandon any attempts or ongoing armed struggles.
To temporarily quell the fighting in the shortest possible time.
Next, the City God's Office will take charge of the overall situation, systematically arrange for the leaders of various tribal forces to negotiate and reconcile, and strive to achieve the unification of the various tribes in the country as soon as possible, and elect the leaders of the country.
In this relatively backward and impoverished country, every citizen fundamentally harbors a deep faith in the divine. However, years of war have caused them to almost forget the divine and any form of faith; their only thoughts are how to survive and how not to be wiped out…
With such a foundation of faith, and with the permission of Emperor Xu Zhengyang, the Heavenly Laws were relaxed, allowing Li Haidong and these ghost messengers to appear before mortals and perform miracles.
Such a plan seems easy to implement.
However, Li Haidong knew that behind each tribal power in this suffering country, there were other countries secretly supporting them, which was why they were constantly at war with each other.
Each nation, seeking to maximize its own interests within the country, disregards the suffering of the Masori people and the presence of war; they secretly support and cultivate tribes under their command and control, winning them over with promises and tangible support in terms of money, materials, and weapons.
Getting the leaders of these tribes to truly submit to the gods' arrangements and break free from the control of the countries behind them was no easy task.
Wang Yonggan's arrival brought a moment of relief and ease to Li Haidong's tense and weary nerves.
Although Li Haidong was fully aware of the other reason why the Emperor had arranged for Wang Yonggan to assist, he wouldn't dwell on it or have any complaints. After all, help was indeed needed. No matter how much the four newly appointed ghost messengers explained things to them, they were still somewhat unfamiliar with their identities as ghost messengers, and minor mistakes and inefficiencies were inevitable when carrying out their missions.
It would be much simpler if they had an experienced person to guide them personally.
This is much better. With Wang Yonggan and this deity, each of them can bring an attendant to personally guide and instruct the new ghost messengers on their tasks, constantly teaching and directing their behavior. This will greatly improve work efficiency.
Wang Yonggan was also very decisive; he carried out whatever the judge instructed him to do.
This fellow knew perfectly well that the Judge was not only of high rank and status, but also related to the Emperor. As the Emperor's personal attendant and an unofficial oversight official, he couldn't afford to put on airs in front of the Judge.
Accompanied by a ghost messenger from the Heavenly Court and two local ghost messengers, Lord Wang Yonggan set off with a certain air of official authority.
Their first mission is against two tribes in southern Masori that are currently engaged in daily warfare.
During the journey, Wang Yonggan asked the two local ghost messengers, "What are your names?"
In any case, there is no language barrier in the conversations between gods, ghost messengers and ghost messengers. What seems like talking is actually a communication between mental thoughts, and it is very smooth.
"Hussein? Muhammad? Hawiyela."
“Abdika? Shim? Lakinado”.
The two ghost messengers quickly bowed and answered.
"Damn it!" Wang Yonggan exclaimed, waving his hand. "It's too hard to remember, why is it so long? Hmm... From now on, you'll be called Hussein, and you'll be called Abdika."
"Yes," the two ghost messengers immediately replied, "Thank you, sir."
It was late at night, and they were almost at their destination.
Just as they passed through a dense thicket, a burst of gunfire suddenly erupted in the distance, followed by two loud bangs. The shouts and curses, along with the sporadic gunshots, instantly turned the otherwise peaceful night into a noisy affair.
Hussein and Abdika, the two new ghost messengers, panicked and instinctively bent over and crouched down, looking for a safe place to hide.
"Damn it, what are you afraid of!" Wang Yonggan kicked the two ghost messengers twice, not caring that they were actually over forty years old. He spoke arrogantly and with an air of authority: "You are ghost messengers, do you understand? As long as you don't want anyone to see you, no one can see you! What are you afraid of?"
Another attendant, Yue Xinze, a ghost messenger from the Heavenly Court, couldn't help but laugh.
The two ghost messengers awkwardly chuckled as they rose. Having lived and died amidst war for so long, they still harbored a primal wariness and fear of such a scene that was difficult to shake off in a short time.
As they walked, Wang Yonggan lectured, "But you can't be careless. These bullets and rockets, while not fatal to ghost messengers, can still cause serious injury... One careless move could result in your soul being destroyed. Hmm, you should be more careful in the future."
The two ghost messengers responded in unison.
Avoiding the battlefield where small-scale conflicts were taking place, they arrived at the residence of one of the tribal chiefs.
Some dilapidated villages and towns consist mostly of wooden buildings, two or three stories high, very simple and run-down.
Because it was nighttime, there weren't many pedestrians on the potholed streets, but armed tribal members constantly patrolled the area.
We arrived at a relatively grand and luxurious three-story building in the middle of the town, which was also the only brick and stone building in the vicinity.