From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 174 Whoever sabotages us will have their hand chopped off.
You Ming trusted the City God's character. He had previously communicated with the City God and placed most of his wealth within the City God's domain. The City God not only did not covet a single penny, but also actively contacted various parties to help him dispose of these assets.

From that time on, You Ming knew that the City God was not a wicked person.

However, interpersonal relationships in this world are not so simple.

After all, everyone has their own interests and demands.

"The Prefect of Tai'an informed me that the young emperor of the human dynasty has recently assumed personal rule and therefore wishes to bestow blessings upon the world. In addition to pardoning criminals and reducing taxes, he also intends to bestow titles upon ghosts and gods."

"Among them, the Lady of the Fetal Development Office of my Changning County is on the list of those to be conferred titles. She will then be the Lady of the Pregnancy Office, a seventh-rank official, and will not only have a side hall built in the City God Temple, but will also be in charge of the entire Changning County's duties of childbirth and childcare."

The City God got straight to the point and spoke directly.

Upon hearing this, You Ming frowned slightly.

He naturally understood the City God's unspoken meaning: the so-called Lady of Pregnancy was not well-known, but she was definitely on his side. Once she took charge of the responsibility of sending offspring and nurturing them, it would probably be within her authority, and even the City God would find it difficult to interfere.

At that point, You Ming's side will be in a very passive position.

Earthly deities are thus greatly constrained by human dynasties; with a single decree from the court, they can be either officially appointed or dismissed.

Although dismissing a high-ranking deity can also damage one's fortune, it still serves as a deterrent to the vast majority of deities.

"If it truly has the authority of the imperial court, then it is indeed a troublesome matter."

You Ming cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the City God. If the City God hadn't informed him of this matter beforehand, it would indeed have caused him considerable trouble.

Of course, the only trouble here is that Youming can no longer receive offerings and has been completely sidelined.

He still possesses the Yuanling Mountain and enjoys abundant spiritual energy, which hardly harms his strength.

After all, he was a celestial official, and earthly appointments had no effect on him; even the imperial court could not confer titles or dismiss him.

However, since he had established faith for the Empress in the human world, if things really came to this, it would mean that he had completely lost.

"Actually, it's not entirely without a solution. Perhaps... you could visit the [King of the Mountain]."

The City God looked at You Ming. They had returned from the Autumn Hunt battlefield together last time, and he knew that the Mountain Guardian King's attitude towards You Ming was unusual.

The Prince of Zhenshan holds a special position in the entire Bingzhou. With his intervention, it might be possible to remove Lady Sitai from this matter.

But You Ming shook his head. This was making a mountain out of a molehill. It was not worth using such connections for a mere seventh or eighth-rank deity.

Human favors are something you can only use once, and then you'll never have another one.

“Your Majesty, since this Lady Sitai was able to infiltrate the imperial decree, she must have someone powerful in the higher-ups.”

You Ming felt it would be best to understand the cause and effect first.

"That's right. Lady Sitai is a member of the Taiyin Moon Matriarchal lineage. Her previous life was that of a cultivator, and her ancestor was the Su Nu Niangniang. She had a senior brother who died after undergoing a tribulation and was reborn as a human. Although he has not embarked on the path of cultivation, he is refining his mind in the mortal world and has become a disciple of the human classics."

"After passing the imperial examination, he is now serving as a sub-prefect in Tai'an Prefecture."

"It was her senior brother who facilitated this."

The City God had already conducted a thorough investigation into the Lady of the Fetal Department.

The Lady of the Pregnancy's strategy was quite simple: "I have connections in the court, I have influence above."

Everything is crystal clear. If you want to kick her out, you'll have to use even stronger connections, but who knows if she has an even more powerful backer?
"Then it seems that her promotion is a foregone conclusion." You Ming nodded. Although a newly appointed prefect may not have much say in the local area, the matter of bestowing titles upon deities will hardly affect the interests of other officials in the prefectural government. Most people will go with the flow and do him this favor.

"Yes, if she really becomes a seventh-rank official, she will not only pose a great threat to you, but I will also find it difficult to control her."

According to the system of the gods, all officials of the seventh rank are under the jurisdiction of the prefecture level. The county god is only of the seventh rank and has no right to appoint or dismiss an official of the seventh rank.

Just like the River God of Fengshui, who is also a seventh-rank official and nominally under the jurisdiction of the county city god, if the River God really throws a tantrum, the city god has no other recourse but to appeal.

"Since the City God summoned me here, perhaps he already has a solution?"

You Ming pondered for a moment, but then turned his gaze to the City God.

You Ming didn't believe that the City God, who had served as the local official for so long, would be helpless because of this matter.

The person who managed to make Changning County so successful that it was about to be promoted to a prefectural city was no ordinary person.

The City God was silent for a moment, then laughed again.

"I didn't really have any other choice; I was just going with the flow."

“Since she wants this seventh-rank position, I will give it to her for now. In a few days, Changning County will be promoted to a prefecture city, and other deities may be able to take advantage of the situation to be promoted one rank, but I can use her recent transfer as an excuse to hold her back from being promoted.”

The county magistrate shook his head. He had originally planned to wait until You Ming asked him for help before suggesting this method, so as to do him a favor.

But to my surprise, this kid is incredibly cunning.

Upon hearing this, You Ming's eyes lit up; he had forgotten about this.

However, this is also a perfectly legitimate and open strategy. The fact that Lady Sitai has been promoted from the seventh rank is already an exceptional promotion. If she were to be promoted again in the short term, it would be an ugly move.

Even if she has connections, this still breaks the rules.

When that time comes, Lady Sitai will only affect one county, and will have no impact on the overall situation of the new Changning Prefecture.

You Ming secretly admired him. This was the composure of a seasoned official. Although he remained unchanged in the face of all changes, he had the power to turn the impossible into the possible when he raised his hand at the crucial moment.

"I see you're quite confident, but what are your thoughts?"

The City God, whose thoughts had been exposed by You Ming, was now much more at ease.

He picked up the teacup and took a small sip.

"The so-called gods and spirits reside in the will of Heaven and the will of man. The emperor is merely a representative of the will of man, and therefore can bestow titles on behalf of all living beings."

"Since the Empress's merits are enough to warrant an exceptional promotion by the court, we should naturally offer our congratulations. Not only should we congratulate her, but we should also publicize it widely, ideally making her achievements known throughout the county, the prefecture, and even the entire state."

You Ming laughed.

He wasn't one to crave credit, nor did he care much about empty fame, but now that they'd come knocking at his door, he wasn't one to be trifled with.

You Ming was a little annoyed, because deep down he still believed in the idea that strength was king.

He was far ahead in both population growth and birth rate in his jurisdiction, but someone tried to sabotage him, which he absolutely could not allow.

Anyone who dares to undermine him will have their hand chopped off.

(End of this chapter)