Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

After returning to the mansion, Fang Zheng lit incense, delivered Lü Zhengfeng's letter to Li Yuanshan, and then took Liu Qingyu to the underworld to pay their respects.

After reading the letter, Li Yuanshan pondered for a moment and nodded with pleasure.

"This is a win-win situation, so why not do it?"

For some unknown reason, Qingyu was able to cleanse herself of her malevolence and regain her clarity of mind; this was an incredible stroke of luck.

I then contacted Lord Lü and together we submitted a memorial recommending him.

He looked at Liu Qingyu, his eyes filled with approval, "You child, your luck has turned around, you're blessed!"

The matter went so smoothly that Fang Zheng and Liu Qingyu exchanged a joyful glance and then quickly thanked him.

The true power of the peerless card, "Life and Death Covenant," is now revealed.

Liu Qingyu used this to wash away all karma and transformed herself, free from resentment and obsession, becoming a pure ghost cultivator.

Only then will there be a chance to inherit Fangzheng's official position in the underworld.

.........

In the following days, Li Yuanshan and Lü Zhengfeng acted separately, working together to facilitate Fang Zheng's transfer to a higher official position.

For the first time, the four principal officials of Yongqing County gathered together in the county government's council hall.

Sitting in the center was Zhou Huai-ren, a seventh-rank county magistrate. He was over sixty years old, holding a cup of tea, slowly blowing on the steam, looking like he didn't want to get involved in anything.

To his left sat Zhu Tianhua, a county magistrate of the eighth rank.

The son-in-law of the Cao family was in his early forties, dressed like a scholar, with fair skin, and was calmly sizing up the newly arrived supervisor opposite him.

On the right is Ma Debiao, a county lieutenant of the eighth rank.

He had dark skin, a stubble beard, and wide, bulging eyes. He looked back and forth between Lü Zhengfeng and Zhu Tianhua, his face showing an expression of anticipation.

Lu Zhengfeng sat opposite Zhu Tianhua, his back straight, without touching the tea in front of him.

Among the officials present, the county magistrate held the same rank as Lü Zhengfeng, but one was already very old, while the other was young and vigorous.

In comparison, Lü Zhengfeng's official aura was like the rising sun compared to the setting sun—unstoppable and full of vigor.

The county magistrate and the county commandant were both less powerful and held lower official positions than Lü Zhengfeng.

Not to mention that Lü Zhengfeng came here to investigate the case with orders from the prefectural government, and even the arrogant county magistrate Zhu Tianhua dared not easily provoke him.

Therefore, Lü Zhengfeng appeared extremely powerful.

His gaze swept over the three people present, and without exchanging pleasantries, he went straight to the point.

"The first thing I've done today is reach an agreement with Lord Li Yuanshan of the Underworld."

Having served as a ninth-rank underworld patrol officer, hunted down an eighth-rank tiger demon, and eradicated the Xu family's five poisons, his achievements are outstanding. He is proposed to be transferred to the Supervisory Bureau as a ninth-rank patrol inspector.

The room fell silent for a moment as soon as he finished speaking.

Magistrate Zhou smiled and blew on the tea foam, as if he hadn't heard anything.

County Magistrate Ma leaned back, crossed his arms, and smirked, clearly intending to watch the show.

County Magistrate Zhu Tianhua put down his teacup, slowly stroking the rim with his fingers. After a moment, he spoke, his tone unhurried.

"Lord Lü, I've also heard of Fang Zheng."

He's still relatively inexperienced, having only recently joined the ranks of Yin officials. His promotion from Yin to Yang, and then two ranks in quick succession, seems rather irregular, doesn't it?

Lu Zhengfeng didn't look at him, but his tone was resolute.

"Lord Zhu, I come from a supervisory background, and I know more about the rules than you do."

Although Fang Zheng was an official in the underworld and did not serve for long, what he did in Yongqing County was enough to qualify him for promotion?

The hunting down of the eighth-rank tiger demon saved the people of Anping Town from slaughter.

Exterminate the five evils of the Xu family and rid the people of this scourge.

Needless to say, he was the top student in the county, excelling in both talent and character.

If it weren't for someone interfering, he should have already entered officialdom in this county.

Now that the underworld has poached the talents of my Yongqing County, you're still here discussing with me whether it's in accordance with the rules?

His gaze shifted, finally settling on Zhu Tianhua's face: "Isn't this a case of poor judgment in personnel selection?"

Zhu Tianhua's smile froze for a moment, his lips twitched as if he wanted to retort, but Lu Zhengfeng's gaze fixed him on the chair.

Zhou Huai-ren put down his teacup and tried to smooth things over: "Ahem, Lord Lü is right, Fang Zheng has indeed made a contribution."

Lord Zhu was only considering the rules; it was all well-intentioned.

Since Lord Lü is willing to recommend him, and the underworld agrees, let's proceed.

Zhu Tianhua's expression darkened slightly, but Zhou Huai'ren had already set the tone, so he couldn't contradict him directly.

Ma Debiao grinned, picked up his teacup, and offered a distant toast to Lü Zhengfeng.

Lu Zhengfeng didn't say anything more. He stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to the three of them, and then turned and left the council hall.

The process of transitioning from a lowly official to a high-ranking one was originally complicated, taking anywhere from several months to a year.

However, Lü Zhengfeng and Li Yuanshan exerted pressure simultaneously, one in a positive light and the other in a negative light, and both official documents were submitted at the same time, which were quickly approved by the county seat.

Two days later, the appointment of Fang Zheng as a ninth-rank supervisory inspector was officially issued.

........

That morning, the courtyard gate was pounded on.

Fang Zheng opened the door, and Guan Tieyi stood at the entrance, grinning, his new official robes gleaming in the morning light.

"Brother Fang, Lord Lü asked me to invite you to go to the supervisory office together."

Fang Zheng understood, went back into his room to change his clothes, and followed Guan Tieyi out the door.

The office of the Yongqing County Supervisory Commissioner was separate from the county government office. It was located in a quiet alley in the east of the city, with two stone lions standing at the entrance and a plaque with the words "Supervisory Commissioner" hanging above the door.

As Guan Tieyi walked, he told Fang Zheng about the changes that had taken place in recent days.

After taking office, Lü Zhengfeng acted swiftly and decisively, purging a group of people in the supervisory office who were occupying their positions without doing their jobs, and then transferred Guan Tieyi back to his original post.

At this point, Guan Tieyi patted Fang Zheng on the shoulder and laughed, "Brother Fang, we're on the same level now."

He said this with pure joy, without a trace of jealousy.

Fang Zheng was nearly twenty years younger than him, and he went directly from being a Yin official to a ninth-rank official, but he didn't feel anything was wrong about it.

He had personally witnessed Fang Zheng's exploits and his ability to eliminate corrupt officials and bandits, and he was completely convinced of Fang Zheng's character and competence.

Not to mention, Fang Zheng had saved his life once, and he had long regarded Fang Zheng as a brother to whom he would entrust his life.

The two entered the office of the supervising official, passed through the front courtyard, and arrived at the main hall.

Lu Zhengfeng sat behind his desk, his head bowed as he reviewed documents.

Fang Zheng looked up and saw that, unlike when they met at the Liu residence last time, Lü Zhengfeng was now much more imposing, like a drawn sword, exuding an aura of authority without anger.

"Fang Zheng greets Lord Lü." Fang Zheng stepped forward and bowed.

Lü Zhengfeng nodded.

Appointing Fang Zheng was a risky move on his part.

After all, normally no official would directly promote someone without qualifications and experience to the rank of a ninth-grade supervisor.

If Founder Group achieves good results, that would be great.

If he fails to achieve results or makes a mistake, then Lü Zhengfeng will inevitably bear the blame for misjudging people.

Fang Zheng himself was aware of this, so he was genuinely grateful to Lü Zhengfeng.

Lü Zhengfeng genuinely admired Fang Zheng.

Upright and righteous, knowledgeable and quick-witted, meticulous and detail-oriented, and with exceptional combat skills—this is the kind of capable lieutenant Lü Zhengfeng needs.

He put down his pen, his gaze falling on Fang Zheng, and pointed behind him: "I hope you won't let me down."

On the table, a brand-new set of official robes, an official seal, and an official token were neatly arranged.