A Pawn's Passage

Upon hearing Qi Xuansu’s name, a clear flash of surprise crossed the woman’s face. “So you’re the famed Mage Qi everyone’s been talking about lately.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “May I ask for your name, my lady?”

Since the Daoist Order dominated over the Confucian School, women had much more freedom than before. Men and women meeting face-to-face, exchanging names, or offering gifts were no longer seen as scandalous, not whispered about, or looked down upon.

Before the woman could reply, the old man spoke on her behalf. “My master is the third daughter of the Emperor, Her Royal Highness Princess Chiying.”

The emperor’s daughters were granted the title of Imperial Princess, equivalent in rank to an Imperial Prince. An Imperial Prince’s daughter would be titled Commandery Princess, who was equivalent in rank to a Commandery Prince, and a Commandery Prince’s daughter would be titled District Princess, who was equal in status to a Duke.

Qi Xuansu was startled. An Imperial Princess should travel with ceremonial guards, so why was she riding in a carriage marked for the imperial clan, who was seen as a lesser royal?

Sensing Qi Xuansu’s doubt, Princess Chiying explained, “I borrowed this carriage from a friend. After all, such Western-style carriages are not permitted inside the palace.”

Qi Xuansu understood at once. Though royalty was exalted, they were bound by many rules. At the same time, he also realized the old man’s identity—a eunuch from the Xuanhui Court.

That explained why a Heavenly Being would willingly be someone’s servant. The eunuchs of the Xuanhui Court were born to serve the royal family. Without the royal family, eunuchs would not be able to survive because they relied on dragon qi. So they were bound to the Palace City and could not roam freely like other Heavenly Beings.

But this was not necessarily a bad thing. In front of royalty, they were servants. But in front of others, these eunuchs were trusted aides of the Emperor himself, the eyes and ears of the throne.

There was a saying that serving the emperor was like walking with a tiger. One could be eaten at any moment, but on the flip side, as long as one stayed near the tiger, one could borrow its power. After all, no one would dare provoke a tiger.

A few years back, Qi Xuansu had read a popular novel about the tale of the Grand Master’s attendant. Although the protagonist was merely a lowly pageboy, not even a ninth-rank Daoist priest, because he served at the Grand Master’s side, even the Sages treated him with respect. Omniscient Sages would try to glean information from him, and he became the most popular person in the entire Purple Mansion, regarded as a big shot by common Daoists.

Later, the boy became of age and could no longer remain a Daoist attendant. The Grand Master then gifted him an exemption and promoted him to the fourth rank in the blink of an eye. Though no longer at the Grand Master’s side, with his connections and reputation, he thrived in Jade Capital all the same. He then had affairs with a superintendent from Ziwei Hall, a Deputy Hall Master from Fengxian Hall, a Duzhi Hall Master, a Deputy Zixiao Palace Master, and even a first-rank Spirit Guard.

Later, he rose in rank and left Jade Capital to serve in a local Daoist mansion, becoming sworn brothers with the Zhang family’s Heavenly Preceptor. He humiliated the Holy Court, all while being surrounded by romantic entanglements with all kinds of women, including cult demons from the Eight Tribes and Cult of Fates, Imperial Princesses and royal consorts, the granddaughter of a cabinet minister, noble ladies from the Li family, and even the legendary Wu Luo and a Bodhisattva.

Eventually, the Daoist Order banned this novel.

Qi Xuansu thought the first half of the book was quite grounded, but the latter half became utter nonsense.

Regardless, back then, Qi Xuansu was just a wild Daoist, so when he was reading it, he only regretted not starting off as the Grand Master’s pageboy.

Qi Xuansu finally understood why this old man was so fast. He had heard that eunuchs, or Yin-Yang People, were tricky to deal with. The first encounter was often dangerous, but once familiar with their techniques, it was not so bad. He had experienced it firsthand today.

Now that he knew the person in the carriage was an Imperial Princess, Qi Xuansu planned to sweep this matter under the rug.

Unexpectedly, the woman called after him again. “Mage Qi, are you headed to the Taiping Inn?”

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I am.”

“I’m visiting an elder at the Taiping Inn. It seems we’re headed in the same direction, Mage Qi,” Princess Chiying remarked.

Qi Xuansu froze for a moment. An elder?

He immediately realized who it was—Li Changge.

There had been 11 emperors from the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty to the current emperor. Although the current emperor corresponded to the seventh generation of Daoist disciples, there had been emperors who died without heirs, were too powerful to father children, renounced the throne, or died young. As a result, the throne had changed hands among siblings a few times, producing 11 emperors in just eight generations.

Out of these 11 emperors, 6 empresses came from the Li family. The current Empress Dowager is the niece of the Imperial Preceptor. The late primary consort of the current emperor also hailed from the Li family, being the grandniece of the Imperial Preceptor.

The Imperial Preceptor belonged to the Chang-generation, so was Li Changge, making his generational rank within the Li family absurdly high. By this ranking, Princess Chiying was considered 3 generations below Li Changge. Yet, judging by age, Princess Chiying seemed slightly older.

As Qi Xuansu pondered all this, he suddenly felt there was nothing worth boasting about being Yao Pei’s uncle. Li Changge was already someone’s great-granduncle. Compared to Li Changge, he was inferior in every way, which was truly disheartening.

“I presume the person you’re visiting is Acting Deputy Hall Master Li?” Qi Xuansu kept a calm expression as he spoke.

Princess Chiying nodded. “If you don’t mind, please ride with me, Mage Qi. Consider it a small gesture of apology.”

Qi Xuansu originally intended to decline, but on second thought, he had nothing to feel guilty about, so what was there to fear? This was a great opportunity to sound out the royal family from the princess herself. Sooner or later, their paths would cross anyway, so it was better to know who he would deal with than walk blindly ahead. Thus, he nodded and accepted the offer.

The eunuch from the Xuanhui Court continued to serve as the driver.

The carriage floor was covered with a rug from the Western Region. Qi Xuansu and Princess Chiying sat opposite each other, with a small table complete with a fine tea set and a small stove between them. All fixtures were securely fastened. There was even a deck of the limited-edition Holy Xuan Cards that Madam Qi had gifted him. Below the table was a liquor cabinet filled with various types of yellow wine and red wine, along with drinking cups made of all kinds of material, like rhinoceros horn, ivory, jade, crystal, and porcelain.

This was merely a carriage, but the opulence in it was already dazzling to the eyes.

If Qi Xuansu still had a beating heart, it might have fluttered a little from the temptation. However, he bore only a heart of stone that was still and unfeeling.

Qi Xuansu could not help but lament why so many Daoists in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion had rotted away. They had not been defeated by a sword but instead corroded from within by gold and silver. Some people who seemed invincible could still fall easily before the lure of luxury. It was the same in Jinling Prefecture. Otherwise, there would not have been two major scandals back-to-back.

Truth be told, Qi Xuansu was tempted too. But he had one saving grace—he knew how to weigh the stakes. He would not rely solely on morality to resist temptation, as it was inefficient, risky, and self-tormenting. Instead, he resisted temptation with ambition, by imagining a grander future. What were these luxuries compared to the prospect of becoming an Omniscient Sage? If that was not enough, he would think of the prestige of being the Grand Master. So long as he did not mind daydreaming to the point of delusion, he could always resist the temptation before him. Or he could simply picture the consequences. Either method worked just as well.

In truth, one could also use conviction and ideals to steel one’s resolve. But Qi Xuansu lacked such things at the moment. His ideals were like a tiny bud and had not yet grown into a towering tree, so it could not shield him from the wind and rain. If he were not careful, it might be uprooted altogether, leading to more loss than gain.

As Qi Xuansu mulled over these thoughts, he asked, “You’re already visiting the Acting Deputy Hall Master Li when he has just arrived in the capital. You two must be quite close, right?”

Princess Chiying hesitated slightly before sighing, her tone and expression held a trace of bittersweet nostalgia. “Come to think of it, the last time I saw him was five years ago. These five years have passed in a blink, and I wonder if my old acquaintance is still the same.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart stirred. Could the two of them have been childhood sweethearts?

He felt an impulse to share this discovery with Zhang Yuelu. But Qi Xuansu remained outwardly composed. “I haven’t interacted much with Acting Deputy Hall Master Li, but many speak highly of him, saying he resembles the Holy Xuan.”

“Is that so?” Princess Chiying realized she had lost her composure earlier and coughed lightly. “Well, that’s quite a lofty compliment.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Indeed.”

Princess Chiying did not pursue the topic of Li Changge further. Instead, she shifted to asking about Yao Pei and Zhang Yuelu.

It seemed her motives were similar—to glean some inside information from Qi Xuansu.

The Imperial Court had its intelligence networks, but few had direct access to Zhang Yuelu or Yao Pei. Most of the gathered information about the two prodigies was vague at best.

Naturally, Qi Xuansu could not feign ignorance, but he was careful not to reveal too much.

Compared to Yao Pei, Princess Chiying was clearly more intrigued by Zhang Yuelu, whose influence among women was so great that even a princess was impressed. Deputy Hall Master Zhang was indeed a legendary figure.

Through this exchange, Qi Xuansu had also picked up some secrets of the royal family from Princess Chiying. He even learned that Li Changge had once lived in the palace for several years. So this time, Li Changge’s return to the capital was more like a homecoming.