A Pawn's Passage

Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu heard a knock at the door. When he opened it, he saw a young Daoist he did not recognize.

The young Daoist priest said respectfully, “Greetings, Superintendent Qi. I am a deacon of Ziwei Hall. Deputy Hall Master Lei has requested your presence at the main branch of Ziwei Hall.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly recalled that his nominal superior was not Shi Bingyun or Sage Donghua. It was actually Lei Xiaohuan.

He followed the young Daoist priest out of the alley and boarded a deer cart bound for the main hall of Ziwei Hall.

Qi Xuansu had said that yesterday was his first time entering the Purple Mansion, but that was not entirely accurate. When he left Jade Capital for the Imperial Capital, Sage Donghua had summoned him for a conversation at Ziwei Hall, which was located on the outskirts of the Purple Mansion. However, he could not see the Golden Tower Council, the Zixiao Palace, or even the Jade Pond from Ziwei Hall. That was why Qi Xuansu never truly felt that he had entered the Purple Mansion.

It was not until yesterday, when he arrived on the Imperial Preceptor’s flying ship and descended upon the Jade Pond, that he finally got a proper glimpse of the Purple Mansion in all its grandeur.

Ziwei Hall was the only hall located within the Purple Mansion. Exiting the Purple Mansion was easy, but entering required a thorough security check. So beforehand, Qi Xuansu had left sensitive items like his Qingping Society fish talisman at home.

The two entered the Purple Mansion through a side gate. Ziwei Hall was not far away. Under the young Daoist’s guidance, Qi Xuansu arrived at Lei Xiaohuan’s office.

Lei Xiaohuan was seated behind her desk. Seeing Qi Xuansu enter, she stood and walked around it. “When I first met you, I never imagined you’d rise from the seventh rank to the third rank in just two years. That’s four ranks in one leap!”

Qi Xuansu replied, “You flatter me, Sage Lei. I’m currently just a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master.”

“You’ll soon be a third-rank Youyi Daoist master,” Lei Xiaohuan said as she handed him a document.

Qi Xuansu took the document. Though he had somewhat expected it, he still could not help but feel a surge of joy.

It was an appointment letter.

The contents were not complicated. The letter with the official seal of the Golden Tower Council conveyed one key point. Qi Xuansu had played a key role in stabilizing the upheaval of earth qi at Wuxing Mountain, preserving the integrity of the Northern Dragon. For his meritorious service, Superintendent Qi of Ziwei Hall was specially promoted to a third-rank Deputy Hall Master.

Within the Daoist Order, official positions did not come with fixed ranks. Ranks applied only to individuals. Qi Xuansu’s promotion was a position-based rank. In other words, Qi Xuansu would only be considered a third-rank Youyi Daoist master while serving as a Deputy Hall Master. If his position were revoked or suspended, he would revert to a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master.

This kind of position-based rank was a temporary rank system for wartime. The fact that Qi Xuansu was granted such a position-based rank likely had to do with the imminent military campaign in Fenglin, which also implied that Qi Xuansu would most likely be deployed to the Fenglin battlefield.

Qi Xuansu read the appointment letter several times, filled with emotion.

“By right, this should have been personally announced by the Hall Master, but with the situation in Fenglin, Sage Donghua has been very busy and couldn’t spare the time. So I’m making the announcement on his behalf. Congratulations, Deputy Hall Master Qi,” Lei Xiaohuan said with a smile.

“Thank you, Sage Lei.” Qi Xuansu saluted her.

Lei Xiaohuan had always considered Qi Xuansu one of her own. She jokingly added, “Well, the good news is that if you spend New Year’s with Deputy Hall Master Zhang’s family, no one will say you’re living off a woman anymore. You’re both Deputy Hall Masters now, so you’re a fair match.”

Of course, there was still a real gap between Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu. Zhang Yuelu was a third-rank Youyi Daoist master regardless of her position. Though both were Deputy Hall Masters in the Three Great Halls, Zhang Yuelu had moved up one spot due to the death of Shangguan Jing, becoming the Eighth Deputy Tiangang Hall Master. Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu was filling the vacancy left by Qi Jianyuan, making him the Ninth Deputy Ziwei Hall Master.

Still, the Daoist Order had always advocated for streamlined hierarchies, so nine Deputy Hall Masters did not mean there were nine ranks among them. Aside from the Chief Deputy and Second Deputy, the rest were nominally equals, though the ranking often reflected the extent of their actual power.

Now that Qi Xuansu had officially become a Deputy Ziwei Hall Master, he would need to understand his responsibilities.

The Nine Halls of the Daoist Order were, to a degree, modeled after the Imperial Court’s Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, though they were not exactly the same.

Ziwei Hall was somewhat equivalent to the Ministry of Administration, but it also frequently undertook duties associated with the Censorate. In the previous dynasty, imperial censors were often appointed as imperial envoys to inspect the prefectures. It was not until later that this title became a permanent post.

Ziwei Hall still retained this dual function. Its Deputy Hall Masters often served as envoys on behalf of the Golden Tower Council, either inspecting local Daoist mansions or presiding over specific cases. Lei Xiaohuan frequently carried out such duties.

Since no specific post had been assigned to Qi Xuansu, his duties would most likely involve serving as a special envoy or coordinator, representing Ziwei Hall, the Golden Tower Council, or the Daoist Order itself in inspections across the various Daoist mansions.

Qi Xuansu was actually quite satisfied with this. At the very least, it meant he would not be cooped up in Jade Capital all the time. Moreover, officials from the Nine Halls were always superior to those of the local Daoist mansions.

Of course, there were downsides. He would not command many direct subordinates. Compared to Tiangang Hall, or even his prior role in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, this new post was far more limited in that regard.

But such was the nature of the role. There was no helping it.

Another matter that Qi Xuansu cared about was compensation. Since this was a position-based rank, his base salary remained unchanged. However, he had an additional stipend of 100 Taiping coins for his new position, reflecting the shift from Superintendent to Deputy Hall Master. Previously, Qi Xuansu earned a base of 200 Taiping coins per month, with various allowances bringing it to a total of 300 Taiping coins. Now, with his raised stipend, his monthly earnings was 400 Taiping coins, totaling 4,800 Taiping coins per year.

As he felt pleased with his increment, Qi Xuansu could not help but think of Madam Qi.

He had to admit that although Madam Qi could not directly help him climb the ranks within the Daoist Order, she had created a relatively fair environment for him. Without that fairness, even if he had made contributions, promotion would not have come so easily or swiftly.

After all, appointments at the Deputy Hall Master level had to go through deliberation by the Golden Tower Council. Without the right backing, they were not easy to secure, especially for someone young like Qi Xuansu. Even with adequate merit, the tenure system would not guarantee one a promotion. Exceptional promotion only occurred if someone truly influential vouched for the junior, like when the Earthly Preceptor made Zhang Yuelu the Deputy Hall Master.

Qi Xuansu’s promotion was thanks to Madam Qi’s influence.

He had originally thought about sharing the good news with Madam Qi, but on second thought, she was probably well-informed. She was likely still competing for the title of Card Saint, so he decided not to disturb her.

Lei Xiaohuan led Qi Xuansu to his office, which happened to be right next door. Since Ziwei Hall was located within the Purple Mansion, its space could not compare to the Yuhuang Palace, so his office was much smaller. It had only three rooms—an outer room for his secretary, a central room serving as both a living room and study, and an inner chamber that doubled as a meditation room and bedroom.

Qi Xuansu went up to his desk, where he found the ceremonial robes of a third-rank Youyi Daoist laid out, with the Five Peaks Crown, shaped like an inverted bucket and engraved with the True Forms of the Five Peaks.

Beside it were his new insignia and Intermediate License, corresponding to his new rank. The structure of the licenses was largely the same, just more ornate.

Since the issuing and management of licenses and insignias fell under the purview of Ziwei Hall, it saved him quite a bit of hassle. The Intermediate License was comparable to a mid-tier treasure. Besides functioning as a mother-child talisman, it also functioned as a rapid post talisman. However, both functions could still only bind to one counterpart each, which was rather limiting.

It was said that when one became a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master and received the Shangdong License, those limitations would cease to exist.

Qi Xuansu had already made up his mind. He would bind the mother-child talisman to Zhang Yuelu and the rapid post talisman to Ziwei Hall’s main headquarters. This way, both public duty and private connection were taken care of.

Lei Xiaohuan suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, we have yet to finalize the appointment for your secretary. Do you have anyone in mind?”

By convention, such close aides were usually chosen by the Deputy Hall Masters themselves and were typically trusted confidants. For example, Mu Jin was Zhang Yuelu’s secretary and had followed her since their time in Beichen Hall.

Qi Xuansu had only risen in rank over the past two years, so he did not have any trusted confidants. After thinking it over, he said, “When I worked in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, I had a secretary named Ke Qingqing. She’s Sage Shi’s subordinate, so I know her background, and she’s fairly reliable.”

Lei Xiaohuan nodded. “Transferring her from the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion shouldn’t be difficult.”

This was one of the perks of Ziwei Hall, which held authority over all personnel appointments in the entire Daoist Order. A transfer at the deacon level only required one word from the Deputy.

For Ke Qingqing, this was a good opportunity to be transferred from a local Daoist mansion to the top of the Nine Halls in Jade Capital. Moreover, she was promoted from the secretary of a Superintendent to the secretary of a Deputy Hall Master. Her future prospects were obvious. In a sense, she rose alongside Qi Xuansu.

Naturally, with shared glory came shared risk. Ke Qingqing was now tied to Qi Xuansu. If he rose smoothly, she would rise with him. But if he fell, she would be dragged down into ruin. Gains and losses had always been two sides of the same coin.

After finishing these arrangements, Lei Xiaohuan added, “After Qi Jianyuan’s death, the Hall Master reassigned his subordinates to other Deputy Hall Masters. So for now, you’ll have no subordinates. Concrete arrangements may have to wait until the war in Fenglin concludes.”

Qi Xuansu said helplessly, “So I’m just a general without an army, huh?”