A Pawn's Passage

Pei Xiaolou’s appearance in Jiangling Prefecture was certainly not a coincidence. He was not there to escort Zhang Yuelu or Qi Xuansu but had other important matters to deal with.

As much as Pei Xiaolou wanted to imitate the lifestyle of his fellow Quanzhen Sect buddy, Daoist Ji, who had a nominal position with no real duties, his identity as Sage Donghua’s brother stopped him from having a leisurely life.

He only got to his position because of his family, so he had to repay them, especially at the critical moment when his brother was competing for the position of Grand Master.

Thus, Pei Xiaolou went to the Commandery Prince of Jiangling’s Mansion.

In recent years, the Yuan family claimed to be equal in status to the Commandery Prince of Jiangling, as the Yuan family dominated the civil affairs of Jiangling Prefecture, while the Commandery Price dominated the military affairs of Jiangling Prefecture. In fact, this was too much praise for the Yuan family.

Since the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty, the Commandery Prince of Jiangling was a title passed down from generation to generation for more than 200 years, so they had strong roots and influence in the area that should not be underestimated.

Although the Yuan family had a long heritage that could be traced back to the previous dynasty, they had only become an affluent family in recent decades.

Thus, in terms of influence, the Yuan family was still far inferior to the Commandery Prince of Jiangling.

However, the Commandery Prince of Jiangling had always kept a low profile. They rarely flaunted their status and no longer had their focus on Jiangling Prefecture. Instead, Qin Wubing, the future Commandery Prince of Jiangling, had his eye on being a cabinet minister in the Imperial Capital.

It was a custom passed down from the reign of Emperor Gaozu that the nobility would have at least one seat in the cabinet. Compared with the civil servants, who typically came from Confucian backgrounds, the emperor regarded the nobility as his own. Even if it was difficult to achieve a balance between the Confucian civil servants and the nobility in the Imperial Court, the nobility served as a check and balance so that the Confucian civil servants would not monopolize power.

In this regard, the royal family and the Daoist Order were on the same page.

Although the Daoist Order had relaxed its control over the Confucian School, they were still wary of the latter. Thus, the Daoist Order and the nobility had the same stance on this.

That was why the Commandery Prince also had a mansion in the Imperial Capital. Before the Commandery Prince of Jiangling retired, his whole family lived in their mansion in the Imperial Capital.

However, after retirement, the Commandery Prince of Jiangling moved back to his mansion in Jiangling Prefecture.

When Pei Xiaolou arrived at the Commandery Prince of Jiangling’s Mansion, he noticed armored guards at the door lined up in an orderly manner, carrying weapons.

The guards dared not stop Pei Xiaolou because he was wearing formal Daoist attire at the moment. Instead, a sentry officer took the initiative to come forward and salute him. “Sir, may I ask what is your intention of coming here?”

Pei Xiaolou was a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, so it would be embarrassing if he presented his insignia like any other person. He said, “Please inform the Commandery Prince that Pei Xiaolou, the Deputy Chongyang Palace Master, is here to visit him.”

The sentry officer was knowledgeable in the Daoist ranks, so he responded solemnly. “Sage Pei, please wait a moment while I report it to my master.”

Pei Xiaolou did not put on airs. He cupped his hands and thanked the guard.

The sentry officer quickly entered the mansion. Not long after, the main gate of the mansion opened, and an old man in an azure military uniform strode out.

Pei Xiaolou knew that he would only get this treatment because of his brother’s status, so he took the initiative to greet the man. “I’m flattered that you came out here to receive me, Commandery Prince.”

This man was Qin Wubing’s father, Commandery Prince Qin.

Commandery Prince Qin had gray hair, a serious face, and a tall figure. He still retained many habits from his time with the Black Robes. He stood upright and strode with confidence and strength.

This was because he had spent his entire youth and most of his life in the military. That was why his habits and thoughts were formed as such. Therefore, it was obvious to outsiders that the old Commandery Prince used to be part of the Black Robes.

In fact, the old Commandery Prince was not just a figurehead among the nobility. He also had a deep influence among the Black Robes. That was why it was an exaggeration to say that the Yuan family was equivalent to the Commandery Prince.

Commandery Prince Qin stretched out his hand to the side and said with a smile, “It’s only right that I come over to welcome you in person, Sage Pei. Do come in.”

The two revered men entered the mansion and came to the main hall, where they sat in their respective positions as the host and guest. A servant promptly came forward to serve them tea.

Commandery Prince Qin once served as Minister of War, so he had interactions with Sage Donghua. At this time, they talked about Sage Donghua before going into the main topic.

“Commandery Prince, to be honest with you, I came to Jiangling Prefecture this time on an errand for the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. I have a favor to ask of you. After all, the Imperial Court and the Daoist Order are on the same side.” Pei Xiaolou did not hide his purpose of coming and went straight to the point.

This made it difficult for Commandery Prince Qin, who liked to stay out of muddy waters, to refuse directly. “Sage Pei, please go ahead.”

Pei Xiaolou asked, “Do you still remember the major Jiangnan case?”

“Of course, I do. This case involved a lot of people.” Commandery Prince Qin nodded slightly.

Pei Xiaolou continued, “Due to various reasons, we didn’t get to the bottom of the truth back then. But recently, there have been clues related to the Jiangnan case involving the Yanqing Merchant’s Association.”

Lord Qin understood everything, but he did not want to be involved in the Daoist Order’s internal fight. He also did not want to take sides rashly because if the Taiping Sect won the fight, the Li family would not let him go knowing that he sided with the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect.

Although he used to be part of the Black Robes, he had been away from the army for many years, and his main title was the Commandery Prince of Jiangling.

There were no scholars, Daoist priests, or Black Robes in officialdom, especially in the higher ranks.

Commandery Prince Qin’s reaction was expected. So Pei Xiaolou added, “This case involves the Daoist Order, so I won’t force you to deal with the Daoist priests who broke the law. But since there is a wealthy family acting as an accomplice to embezzle funds from the Daoist Order, even collaborating with the local government, I will need your help to settle the situation.”

“Which family?” Commandery Prince Qin inquired.

Pei Xiaolou replied, “The Yuan family.”

The Commandery Prince’s Mansion was the largest authority in Jiangling Prefecture, so nothing could get past them. Thus, Commandery Prince Qin certainly knew about the details of the Yanqing Merchant’s Association.

Commandery Prince Qin said thoughtfully, “The Yuan family? Do you have any evidence, Sage Pei?”

Pei Xiaolou nodded. “Of course.”

Commandery Prince Qin did not ask what the evidence was. “In that case, I will meet with the Censor and the Garrison Chief. But I will have to trouble you to explain this to the Confucian School, Sage Pei.”

Pei Xiaolou stood up and clasped his fists. “Of course. Thank you, Commandery Prince.”

......

Yuan Chongzong was sitting alone in his study when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Yuan Chongzong responded.

The butler of the Yuan Residence opened the door and came in.

“How is it?” Yuan Chongzong asked, nervous. Although Yuan Chongzong’s face was expressionless, his voice was laced with concern.

The butler’s expression was stiff and flustered as he stuttered, “Y-Young M-Master is g-gone.”

Yuan Chongzong’s eyelids twitched slightly, but he remained silent.

The butler grew more alarmed, thinking, How can the Old Master be so indifferent when hearing news of his grandson’s death? Is it because I didn’t explain it clearly? Or is it because he didn’t hear me?

Thus, the butler repeated the news of Yuan Fengchan’s death with a trembling voice.

Yuan Chongzong finally spoke. “I understand. There is no need to repeat it.”

The butler held his breath and dared not utter another word.

After a while, Yuan Chongzong asked, “What about my son?”

The butler replied, “Master Yuan is still leading our people to hunt down Mage Zhang.”

Yuan Chongzong’s expression softened slightly. “Is there anything wrong?”

“Nothing went wrong. Master Yuan didn’t get injured at all. Mage Zhang was just too cunning. So they couldn’t get her yet. But it’s just a matter of time before they succeed.” The butler hurriedly replied.

“The death of one grandson doesn’t matter on the grand scale of things. All that matters is that the Yuan family is still standing.” Yuan Chongzong breathed a sigh of relief.

......

The Heavenly Being who injured Qi Xuansu stood with his hands behind his back, looking indifferent. Many lackeys stood behind him, all of them silent and motionless.

There were also two corpses by his feet, side by side.

They were the father-and-son pair, Yuan Shangdao and Yuan Fengchan.