I meet all the requirements for becoming a god in this world!

Chapter 232 The Spirit Fox's Redemption

The Emperor of Jianye said this.

Everyone in the court swallowed hard.

Everyone looked at Cheng Laiyun.

Has he received such divine favor?

This……

"Your subject obeys!"

Cheng Laiyun bowed calmly and returned to the queue.

The Crown Prince stood in the Eastern Palace's ranks, watching his back, his fists clenched tightly.

His lips were pressed tightly together, and his breathing was heavy.

He was forcibly suppressing his inner excitement.

The Emperor's meaning was simple. In matters related to implementing the new policies, Cheng Laiyun was second only to the Emperor himself!

Even Xie Yuheng, the imperial tutor, had to give way to Cheng Laiyun when it came to implementing the new policies!

What does this mean?!

As long as the new policy is not extended nationwide...

Cheng Laiyun was the most powerful person in the entire Great Yuan Dynasty!

The benefits this brings to his followers are absolutely unimaginable!

Lu Chen and his several sons of noble families exchanged glances.

They could both see the excitement in each other's eyes.

Yu Qingzheng stood in the ranks of civil officials, his hair and beard gray, his face calm, only his fingers stroking his beard trembling slightly.

His colleague from the Ministry of Works whispered, "Minister Yu, your nephew is really something—"

He didn't finish speaking because Yu Qingzheng suddenly glanced at him, his eyes seeming to say:

"You don't need to tell me." After the court session ended, Cheng Laiyun walked out of the Golden Palace.

Sunlight streamed in from outside the palace gates, warming him.

He stood on the steps, watching the officials disperse in twos and threes, when he suddenly felt someone tap him on the back.

It is in accordance with integrity.

"Master Uncle."

"You brat, ten times!"

Yu Qingzheng pondered those two words, shook his head, looked at him with an extremely complicated expression, and then suddenly smiled.

That smile contained a mix of relief, helplessness, and a sense that the old man might truly be getting old.

He didn't say anything more, just patted Cheng Laiyun hard on the shoulder, then turned and left.

Cheng Laiyun watched Yu Qingzheng walk away, then looked down at the tax book in his hand and smiled slightly.

Ten times, not bad.

He straightened his official robes and strode towards the palace gates.

Supervisory Office.

Cheng Laiyun sat at his desk, with the first batch of documents for the nationwide implementation of the Dingrumu system spread out in front of him.

The pilot data from Changle County has been sent to the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet. The next step is to select the first batch of prefectures and counties to be promoted, allocate manpower for land surveying, and formulate detailed rules for the collection of autumn taxes in various places.

He had to personally review every document, and every page was crucial to whether the new policy could be implemented before next autumn.

He held a pen in his hand, the nib hovering above the official document, hesitant to bring it down.

The door was pushed open.

Without any announcement or knocking, they simply pushed the door open.

Cheng Laiyun looked up and saw Gao Heyun standing at the door.

She was still dressed in a black outfit, with a long sword hanging at her waist, and her back was ramrod straight.

Her complexion was a little rosier than when we last met at Feihe Hall, but she still didn't have much of an expression. She was just holding an envelope in her hand, which she was slightly clenching between her fingers, leaving a shallow crease at the edge.

"Master Gao?" Cheng Laiyun put down his pen and stood up.

Gao Heyun walked to the desk, but did not sit down. She simply placed the letter on the desk and pushed it in front of Cheng Laiyun.

The envelope had no signature, and the seal was intact.

"I wrote to my grandfather about what you said to me when you came to Feihetang last time."

Her voice remained its usual cold tone, as if she were reporting on official business, but when she spoke, she didn't look into Cheng Laiyun's eyes, but instead looked at the stack of documents spread out on the corner of the desk:

"Grandfather's reply just arrived today; his attitude is all in this letter."

Cheng Laiyun looked down at the letter, then looked up at Gao Heyun. After placing the letter on the table, she withdrew her hand and placed it back on the hilt of her knife.

He picked up the envelope, tore open the seal, and pulled out the letter.

The letter was only one page long, and the handwriting was strong and vigorous, each character as if it had been carved into an iron plate with the tip of a knife.

"Young Master Cheng, I have investigated your background."

"I spent time in the Yong'an County prison on death row, braved the poisonous clouds of snake demons outside Qingzhou City, raided the lair of assassins in the Suining Marquis's mansion, and sent Zhou Heng to the imperial prison in front of all the civil and military officials in the Golden Palace."

"You've got guts, kid, and you're tough enough to not disgrace the Gao family." "I won't bring up the matter of marrying into the family. But if you want to marry He Yun, words alone won't do."

"He Yun was injured by a great demon in Langzhou. Who injured her? You killed that demon for her, and I will recognize you as my grandson-in-law."

"If you can't do that, I won't agree to it, whether you marry into my family or I marry you."

Cheng Laiyun placed the letter on the table, raised his head, and looked at Gao Heyun.

She was looking at him too, their eyes met, and neither of them looked away.

"Your grandfather said in the letter—"

"I know what he wrote." Gao Heyun interrupted him, her tone still indifferent, but Cheng Laiyun noticed that her fingers on the hilt of the knife tightened slightly.

"He killed that great demon. He kept his word."

Cheng Laiyun folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and then placed the envelope under the official documents on the corner of his desk.

He stood up, walked up to Gao Heyun, and looked down into her eyes:

"I have accepted your grandfather's request."

"It's not because of the conditions he wrote in the letter, it's because that person has been living a carefree life in Langzhou for so long with your life on their shoulders—regardless of whether or not there's this letter, I'm going to do this." Gao Heyun didn't speak.

She took out another jade slip from her bosom and placed it on the table.

The jade slip was small and smooth to the touch, with a fine spiritual pattern engraved on it, gleaming faintly in the afternoon sunlight.

"This was enclosed with a letter by my grandfather. He said the details of the spirit fox were all inside."

The matter in Langzhou mainly concerns Linghu.

Cheng Laiyun was still wondering where to find information about the spirit fox last time.

I didn't expect it to arrive so soon?

Cheng Laiyun picked up the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

The spirit fox resembles a white fox, with silvery-white fur and golden vertical pupils. When it grows to adulthood, it is no more than three feet long.

He possesses three innate supernatural powers.

The first is the "Fate-Changing Fate," which allows the cosmic forces to mistake one person for another.

A slight demonic aura will be emitted during the spell. Cheng Laiyun has witnessed this before.

The second is to conceal the secrets of heaven; if it does not wish to reveal itself, no one can find it.

Cheng Laiyun also knows this.

Unfortunately, Cheng Laiyun possesses a supernatural power that can counter it.

Tianyan (Sky Eye)

Erlang Shen's Heavenly Eye

Cheng Laiyun was able to find the spirit fox because he had opened his third eye.

But the Sky Eye is not omnipotent.

He could only find the spirit fox when it emitted demonic energy.

If it were to suppress its demonic aura, Cheng Laiyun would have no way to deal with it.

"this……"

When Cheng Laiyun saw the spirit fox's third talent, he frowned slightly. "Redemption?"

He hadn't heard anyone mention this before.

redemption.

He enhanced his supernatural powers at the cost of his lifespan, and his demonic aura soared into the sky during the spell.

It takes the time it takes to burn an incense stick to complete the ritual.

However, after the spell is cast, there is a five-month period of weakness during which the user is unable to move.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Laiyun frowned deeply.

"Redemption...a five-month period of weakness..."

"The spirit fox escaped from the Imperial Study and was pursued by Gao Heyun all the way to Langzhou... Logically speaking, it should have been unable to escape."

"Yet he was able to secretly collude with a powerful demon in Langzhou and severely injure Gao Heyun."

"It seems they used this method of redemption, trading their lifespan for strength to escape..."

"But... if this redemption talent is used, it will fall into a period of weakness..." "This is extremely contradictory..."

Unable to understand, Cheng Laiyun withdrew his divine sense from the jade slip, placed it on the table, and gently tapped his fingers on the surface:

"I've been busy lately with the nationwide rollout of the land tax reform."

"I can't spare the time right now, but I can send someone to Langzhou to scout out the situation and check on that spirit fox..."

He had only spoken halfway through his sentence.

Gao Heyun then spoke up: "No need, I'll arrange the manpower. People from the Regent's Office and the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion can be transferred."

"Moreover, my injuries have healed, and I will personally lead the troops..."

This girl...

Do you really want to marry me?

Looking into Gao Heyun's determined gaze, Cheng Laiyun felt a warmth in his heart.

He walked around the desk and stood in front of her again.

He looked down into her eyes, his voice soft but more serious than ever before: "Your injury has just healed, don't go this time."

"I am a fifth-rank official—"

"I know."

Cheng Laiyun interrupted her: "But this time, you listen to me."

Gao Heyun tilted her head slightly and looked at him.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back down.

Then she turned her head to look out the window, her tone returning to its usual indifference, but with a barely perceptible hint of bitterness in her voice:

"what ever."

"Follow me?" Cheng Laiyun smiled. "That means you listen to me."

Gao Heyun did not reply, nor did she turn her face back.

Looking at her profile, Cheng Laiyun suddenly felt that this usually aloof and cold person didn't seem so cold today.

He tucked the jade slip into his sleeve, spread the official documents on the table out again, picked up his pen, held it above the documents, and then looked up at Gao Heyun. "Lord Gao, I need to get back to work. If you're planning to stand here indefinitely, why don't you help me divide these documents?"

Gao Heyun glanced at him, reached out and picked up a stack of documents from his desk, sat down opposite him, and pulled out the first one to open.

……

The time that follows.

Cheng Laiyun is still busy with the first batch of documents for the nationwide implementation of the "Tian Ding Ru Mu" policy.

He needs to select the states and counties to be the first to be promoted in the next step.

He mentally reviewed the list of various prefectures and counties—Yongzhou, Qingzhou, and Liangzhou. The attitudes of the vassal kings in these three places towards the Edict of Grace were the most ambiguous, and the implementation of the new policy had to start from these three places.

He had just picked up his pen to annotate the documents in Yongzhou when the flying letter suddenly jolted.

It was a message transmitted within the Mo Sect.

The message read: "There is a traitor in the treasure vault who is selling spiritual materials. He has been captured. Come quickly."

Cheng Laiyun's gaze sharpened.

Without any hesitation, he put down his pen, got up, and walked out. He had always harbored resentment over the loss of spiritual materials from the Mo Sect's treasure vault.

The twelve sets of Mo Clan battle armor seized from the Suining Marquis's residence, with their clan emblems and forging patterns, all point to someone within the Mo Clan tampering with them.

Now that he had finally made a breakthrough, he had no time to think. He left the Regent's Office, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the Hidden Edge Pavilion.

The Xuan Tie gate of Cangfeng Pavilion was wide open, and two Mo Sect disciples stood at the entrance, bowing in unison upon his arrival.

Cheng Laiyun strode into the side hall, where Yang Qianwan was already waiting.

The eldest son of the Duke of Dingguo.

Disciple of the Second Elder of the Mo Sect.

He remained as gentle and composed as ever, his dark blue robe perfectly pressed, though his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were blaming himself for the matter.

Standing next to him was a middle-aged man who was bound hand and foot, wearing the standard short brown robe of an outer disciple of the Mo Sect. His head was down, so his face could not be seen, and his shoulders were trembling slightly.

"Senior Brother Yang." Cheng Laiyun cupped his hands in greeting.

"What happened?"

Yang Qianwan stepped forward, returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and said with a hint of shame in his voice, "Junior Brother Cheng, last time you came to investigate the loss of the battle armor, although the accounts matched at the time, I still can't let it go in my heart."

"The contents of the vault are all counted. To make it appear flawless on paper, someone on the inside must have tampered with it."

"So these past few days I deliberately left loopholes in the disposal process of several batches of scrapped spiritual materials, to see if anyone would take advantage of the situation. As a result—I successfully caught one."

He pointed to the middle-aged man who was tied up:

"This person is one of the managers of my treasure vault, responsible for the inventory and transfer of scrapped spiritual materials."

"He worked in the vault for over ten years and knew the procedures inside and out. He knew how to mark the spiritual materials as 'destroyed' on the books and then resell them privately."

"This time he tried the same trick again, but I caught him red-handed during the outbound process.

Cheng Laiyun walked up to the middle-aged man and glanced down at him.

The man lowered his head even further, his shoulders trembled violently, and he kept repeating "This disciple knows his sins."

Cheng Laiyun didn't interrogate him, but turned to Yang Qianwan and asked, "Who is the buyer?"

"A grain merchant from Liangzhou."

"They operate under the guise of a grain store, but their reach is far-reaching; they'll take anything—spiritual materials, armor, elixirs—they'll take anything." Yang Qianwan paused here, looking at Cheng Laiyun, his tone sincere and earnest:

"Junior Brother Cheng, I know that the implementation of the new policy is at a critical juncture, and you are too busy to get away."

"If you can't attend to this matter for the time being, your senior brother can make a trip to Liangzhou for you."

"Anyway, the traitor in the treasure vault has been caught. We can follow the flow of spiritual materials to trace the source and make up for our mistakes."

Cheng Laiyun looked at him and felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Yang Qianwan may seem mild-mannered, but he is reliable when it comes to getting things done.

Last time, he cooperated perfectly when the accounts were checked. This time, he took the initiative to set a trap to expose the mole and was even willing to run to Liangzhou for him.

This senior brother is truly helping him share the burden.

"Senior Brother Yang, you're so kind."

Cheng Laiyun smiled and patted him on the shoulder:

"Junior brother, I have my own plans."

"Just keep an eye on the treasure vault; we can't afford any more mistakes here." Yang Qianwan nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll personally oversee the treasure vault."

Cheng Laiyun glanced again at the bound steward, his expression grave, and said to Yang Qianwan:

"Leave the person to me; this matter is rather special."

"This concerns the promotion of the new policy, so don't let the news leak out."

Yang Qianwan responded and watched Cheng Laiyun stride out of Cangfeng Pavilion.

The sunlight outside was just right.

Cheng Laiyun mounted his horse, shook the reins, and headed towards the Regent's Office.