But in principle, Chen Wei had the authority to intervene in such vile conduct in the Mortal Realm.
However.
There was always a however.
This was a failure of internal oversight at the Lunar Mansions Government Office. The Censorate oversaw conduct discipline in the Heavenly Court and investigated corruption and abuses of the law. It was not some wandering swordsman roaming the mortal world, punishing evil and championing good.
When handling matters, one had to distinguish priorities and understand the rules.
If he charged down there with the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals now, what came next?
The Star of Literary Excellence could easily shift all the blame elsewhere, conceal the facts, and deceive his superiors. Then the Lunar Mansions Government Office could submit a memorial accusing the Censorate of overstepping its authority. That would be beating the grass and startling the snake, ruining the bigger plan.
Of course.
He could not simply watch people die without helping, either.
Chen Wei paced a couple of steps through the hall, then swept his gaze over his trusted subordinates. "Old Ma, draft an official document yourself and send it to the Lunar Mansions Government Office in the name of our Discipline Inspection Court. Say that we recently received petitions from Earth Gods and City Gods in the Mortal Realm who bypassed the usual channels, reporting excessively high incense offering quotas. Ask the Lunar Mansions Government Office to conduct a self-examination..."
"Xiao Yan, Lu Beiwang."
"You two are to descend to the Mortal Realm in secret and gather ironclad evidence for me privately. Record every single instance with Recording Stones. Remember, if you encounter injustices you truly cannot bear to watch, you may intervene and save people along the way, but you must never reveal your identities."
"Yes!"
"We accept your orders!"
After receiving