Becoming a fox fairy from Liaozhai

Chapter 873 No One Available
When Gong Mengbi came out of Jianzhen Hall, dusk was falling and a fiery cloud was burning on the horizon.

Crimson gold melted into flowing clouds, and purple flames rolled into surging waves. The sky was ablaze, as if a god had poured wine to worship the heavens, burning the sky red and staining the mountains and rivers with blood. Even the green tiles and white walls of the Heavenly Fox Courtyard were coated with a layer of scorching embers.

Gong Mengbi stopped and looked back. His red clothes reflected the sky, making them look like fiery clouds.

Having offended the officials of both the Criminal Investigation Department and the Juxia Department at once, Gong Mengbi felt no fear.

Noble families, nothing more.

Within the confines of its own little territory, it may seem enormous. But when viewed in the grand scheme of things, it's really just that much.

Of the four great families of Tianhu Academy, the Huangfu family was close to him, partly out of deliberate intent to befriend him, but also out of necessity. This was because the Su, Chun, and Hu families had already taken all the benefits they could, leaving them with little to gain.

However, the Su, Chun, and Hu families had different levels of control over the Tianhu Academy.

The Su and Chun clans are ancient fox clans, and they value upward mobility more than the Yue family's, even more so than the Tianfu family's. They do not regard the Tianhu Academy as their stronghold, and to put it bluntly, if it weren't for the Tianhu Academy's benefits that they had to rely on, they would withdraw from the Tianhu Academy at any time.

The Hu family was completely different from them. The Hu family was parasitic on the Tianhu Academy and valued the Tianhu Academy itself more, with a sense of shared prosperity and shared ruin. Therefore, they had to stabilize the Su family and the Chun family, support the Huangfu family, and even absorb some of the wild foxes.

Gong Mengbi had not yet fully sorted out the threads of fate, and the net had only been woven into a rough shape, but this did not prevent Gong Mengbi from looking for a breakthrough.

However, he did not expect Juxia Si's revenge to be so swift—he had just returned to the Demon Examination Hall when the registrar came knocking on his door.

"Greetings, Envoy Gong." The registrar, though of a higher rank, adopted a humble attitude towards Gong Mengbi.

Gong Mengbi asked curiously, "What brings you here, Registrar? Are you perhaps here to dismiss me from my lowly sixth-rank post?"

"You jest, sir. Your name is recorded in the Heavenly Palace. Even if you were to be dismissed, it would be done by requesting an imperial decree from the Heavenly Palace. How could I possibly appoint or dismiss you?" The registrar, wearing a tall hat and feathered robe, said calmly, "I have come to inform you that Su Zhenzhen from the Outer Office has submitted her resignation and will not be returning to her post."

Gong Mengbi immediately understood what he meant.

Sure enough, he continued, "The envoy, Chun Jing Shu, has always been diligent and has made meritorious contributions to the service. She has been promoted to the position of Envoy of the Inner Palace."

“The civil official Chun Minwen was diligent and accomplished, and was promoted to the position of Proofreader in the Document Archives.”

"You two, please take up your posts immediately, without delay." After speaking to Chun Jing Shu and Chun Min Wen, the registrar bowed to Gong Meng Bi and said, "They are both being promoted; surely the envoy will not obstruct or refuse them?"

Gong Mengbi said with a forced smile, "Since it's a promotion, how could I possibly stop it? But I wonder when I'll be able to fill the vacancy in my inner quarters?"

The registrar, knowing his displeasure, apologized, saying, "Your Excellency, please do not be angry. Within three days—no, tomorrow—I will arrange for your transfer..."

“No need,” Gong Mengbi interrupted him, saying, “I have my own choice.”

The clerk smiled slightly and said, "Your Excellency, please allow me to report that the Demon Examination involves the secrets of the Heavenly Palace, which cannot be undertaken by ordinary people. It has always been the responsibility of the Bureau to appoint officials. Your Excellency's choice of a free agent may not be in line with the Bureau's principles of personnel selection."

Gong Mengbi looked up at him and asked, "Have you thought it through?"

The registrar lowered his head and said earnestly, "It's not that I want to or don't want to, but that this is the rule."

“Alright.” Gong Mengbi returned the smile and stopped arguing.

The registrar bowed and took his leave. As he left, his gaze swept over the bewildered Chun Jing Shu and Chun Min Wen, and he admonished them, "Don't forget the time to take up your post."

After he walked away, Chun Jingshu and Chun Minwen both looked at Gong Mengbi, feeling quite uneasy and afraid of being reprimanded by him.

"messenger……"

Gong Mengbi nodded slightly: "Go take up your post. It's a promotion, after all. You weren't really involved in this anyway."

Chun Jingshu said softly, "The outer office is right next door. If the envoy needs anything, just tell me."

Chunminwen chuckled self-deprecatingly: "I've wanted to get rid of my civil servant status for a long time, but I've never been able to find a way. Who knew that now, just to make things difficult for the envoy, they've promoted me like this."

Gong Mengbi didn't say much to them, watching them remove their seals and leave the outer office. The already deserted outer office looked even more deserted.

The five ghosts stood by, taking over the duties of Chun Minwen, Chun Jingshu, and Su Zhenzhen—this transfer served no purpose other than to annoy Gong Mengbi.

However, if the Three Immortals want to make things difficult for Gong Mengbi, then naturally the entire Juxia Division will also make things difficult for Gong Mengbi.

The next morning, the new clerk assigned by the registrar arrived.

The three old foxes were all gone; one was lame, one was crippled, and the other was blind in one eye. Their magic was exhausted, and they could no longer hide their tails, revealing their grayish-white fur.

These three old foxes were indeed well-behaved and knew their own status. When they arrived, they simply bowed at Gong Mengbi's feet and did not mention taking over the position. They only asked for his forgiveness.

Gong Mengbi inquired about their identities and backgrounds, and learned that the three were old servants of the Su family who were originally to be sent back to their hometown to live out their days, but were instead transferred to serve as civil servants.

They were originally from the wild fox clan, and in their youth they were among the best of the wild foxes. They attached themselves to the Su family and risked their lives for them. But now they are old and their eyesight is failing, their minds are muddled, and they don't have many days left.

Gong Mengbi didn't make things difficult for them, just having them report for duty every day and do some trivial tasks. But nominally, the outer office was already full.

This is just to make Gong Mengbi have no one to use; he will probably be left penniless later on.

But Gong Mengbi didn't care about these things; these petty tricks were hardly enough to sway his mind. If he wanted to deal with someone, he had plenty of ways to do so, but these methods were meaningless and would only waste his energy.

Gong Mengbi summoned the five ghosts to the quiet room and questioned them about the case file.

Mr. Chi said, “All the records compiled by imperial decree have been organized, but many of them are vague. Moreover, although the records appear complete on the surface, there are many omissions based on the timeline. I don’t know if it is because the Heavenly Palace did not issue an edict, or because no records were compiled, or because they were deliberately removed.”

"Unfold it and take a look."

The five ghosts unfolded the scrolls and held them in the air, lining them up one by one, filling the entire quiet room with the scrolls.

Previously, the Juxia Division did not have a Demon Examination Office, only a Ming Examination Office, which was a place specifically for examining the cultivation and merit of fox spirits throughout the world. The responsibility of the Demon Examination was not closely related to the Taishan lineage, and the examination of demons should not have been placed in the Heavenly Fox Academy.

The Heavenly Fox Academy is a place for educating and recommending fox spirits. If one accepts the "Test of Demons and Monsters," then how can one be considered a fox spirit?
It was the legal authority that Su Shi obtained by ascending to heaven and persuading people eight hundred years ago that led to the establishment of the Demon Examination Institute, which was later merged into the Ming Examination Institute, forming the Inner Institute and the Outer Institute.

While Gong Mengbi was reviewing the files, Mr. Chi continued, "When the Demon Examination was first established, few people passed it, and most failed. But in the last six hundred years, very few have failed."

"It seems that they couldn't find a way in the first place, but gradually it became their livelihood," Gong Mengbi sneered.

"That's right. The records of the candidates who failed are very detailed, but the records of the candidates who passed are only vaguely named and rarely recorded. As for whether there are any missing records, we'll probably have to ask Su Zhenzhen, since she was originally in charge of the records."

Gong Mengbi shook his head: "Looking for her is probably useless, but I know where to find complete files."

"where?"

Gong Mengbi looked up at the sky: "This Heavenly Palace isn't something only they can go up to."