A Pawn's Passage

After the conclusion of the Ise battle, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were granted a half-month leave.

That was because the pair had used the Twin-Sword Union three times in succession, an immense burden that caused them to suffer backlash. They needed time to recover, and no one could dispute this. There was a less public reason that they were put on leave. During Li Changge and Yao Pei’s absence, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had achieved too many merits and had upset the balance among the four. Naturally, things had to be evened out, or at the very least, the gap had to be narrowed so that the other two would not fall too far behind.

In short, this was a reasonable form of discreet sidelining. No one could diminish or take away their achievements, but this would deny them further opportunities to earn merit.

At this stage, with the overall situation settled and manpower plentiful, such an arrangement became all the more feasible.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu harbored no real resentment because they genuinely wanted some rest.

Since entering Fenglin, they have barely had a moment to breathe. The three consecutive Twin-Sword Unions had placed a tremendous strain on them. They had also amassed enough battle merits.

If the two tallied their merits, Qi Xuansu’s would stand out the most. He had participated in the escort of Toyotomi Hidemochi, the capture of a major smuggler from Jiangnan Daoist Mansion, the persuasion of Suzuka Gozen to surrender, the retrieval of Shuten-Doji’s head, and the execution of Master Sosen, Katsura Yoshiyuki, a jokai-rank shinkan, Hinnyo, and the oguji of Ise-jingu.

Those were just the major merits, not even counting the minor deeds like leading a group of Daoist priests safely back to the army camp after the flying ship crash, uncovering intel on the Westerners’ interference in Fenglin, taking part in the assault on Kobe Castle, joining the peace talks at Tsu Castle, and leading a team of Spirit Guards into Mount Omikami, among others.

All these combined amounted to at least four Heaven merits or more, enough to warrant promotion to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master. Officially, that rank was not strictly merit-based, but decided through recommendation. However, recommendations still required solid grounds, and achievements could not be dismissed. Even when choosing a Grand Master, the candidates’ merits were considered, let alone for a Sage.

The key was that many of Qi Xuansu’s feats were joint efforts. If he had accomplished all of them single-handedly, then the outcome would have been unimaginable. He might well have leaped directly to the position of Chief Omniscient Sage.

Even discounting the portion Qi Xuansu ceded to Zhang Yuelu and the Xuan Jade he received which offset part of his credit, he still had at least three Heaven merits.

Zhang Yuelu had also analyzed the pros and cons for him. According to the Daoist Order’s track record, it was unlikely they would promote him to the second rank, no matter how great his merit. After all, he had only advanced to third rank earlier in the year, so to rise again in less than half a year would inevitably draw criticism, however well-deserved.

By then, all kinds of rumors would emerge, like Qi Xuansu being the illegitimate son of the sixth-generation Grand Master. If so, Zhang Yuelu was not marrying beneath her station but above. Even after the sixth-generation Grand Master ascended, to still wield such influence in current society would imply that Qi Xuansu’s birth mother was an extraordinary woman. Within the Daoist Order, only a few women fit that description. Since few knew of Madam Qi, it was likely that Sage Cihang would be dragged into the story. In the eyes of some, the dots connected perfectly. That was why Sage Cihang deliberately married her favorite disciple to her son, keeping the benefits within the family.

However, the Daoist Order could not simply halt Qi Xuansu’s promotion either, as that would be unfair. So, they would most likely adopt a compromise strategy.

The first step was to formally grant Qi Xuansu the title of a third-rank Youyi Daoist master instead of tying his rank to his position. No one would raise objections to this.

The second step was to promote Qi Xuansu to a Second Deputy Mansion Master. Given his immense achievements, a rise in office was justified. It could not be too low a position either, since Qi Xuansu had put his life on the line multiple times to gain these merits. However, by Daoist custom, no third-rank Youyi Daoist master had ever held the position of Second Deputy or Chief Deputy. So, there were two solutions: appoint him as Acting Second Deputy or promote him further to the second rank and tie it to his position.

Zhang Yuelu leaned toward the latter. That way, Qi Xuansu would only count as a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master while serving as the Second Deputy.

Strictly speaking, this would not make him a true Sage, so it would not provoke major opposition.

With the first two steps in place, the third would follow naturally. Once Qi Xuansu established himself in office and achieved further merits, his past deeds could be combined under the guise of compensation to formally confirm him as a true second-rank Taiyi Daoist master.

By then, during the Golden Tower Council deliberations, high-ranking Daoist elders could easily speak on Qi Xuansu’s behalf. “In the past, we had to slow Tian Yuan’s progression due to his young age. When a youth is too outstanding, envy is inevitable, so restraining him is also a form of protection.

“Since the Holy Xuan Era, the Daoist Order has learned from the Confucian School’s past mistakes, so we have encouraged developing young talents. But how to nurture them cannot be solved by a mere decree placing them in office. Rising too quickly is not always a blessing because it can be like pulling seedlings to force growth. Young people may be well-read and master theories, but without deep practical experience, they easily act with scholarly arrogance and assumptions. Therefore, we must temper them, guiding them to move more slowly and steadily, so they may gain real experience, accumulate wisdom, and refine their thinking.

“Furthermore, young people are more hot-blooded. The benefit is their drive, but the drawback is their arrogance. They may overlook relationships, disrupt unity, and cause more disputes than results. That’s all the more reason to rein in their temper. That said, restraining Tian Yuan does not mean that his achievements in Fenglin can be erased. Based on our observations over this period, Tian Yuan is a steady and reliable man with outstanding performance. Thus, we believe he deserves compensation and should be duly promoted.”

With this three-step transition and buffer, as long as Qi Xuansu did not make mistakes, others would find it hard to object.

This would also quell much gossip and make Qi Xuansu’s record appear gradual rather than a sudden leap, which was usually frowned upon.

Qi Xuansu agreed with Zhang Yuelu’s analysis of these three steps. Age was a double-edged sword. Being too old or too young was no good because seniority, experience, and age were interlinked. Pointing out Qi Xuansu’s age was to imply that he lacked both experience and seniority.

Zhang Yuelu was a year younger than Qi Xuansu. However, her situation was different. For one, she did not lack experience.

At first glance, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu might seem about the same. But in reality, the difference was large. Zhang Yuelu’s office and rank had always been higher than Qi Xuansu’s. Though they were both Deputy Hall Masters, her order was higher. The main reason was that she had started earlier. While Qi Xuansu was still studying at the Wanxiang Daoist Lower Palace, Zhang Yuelu already had a real position in Beichen Hall, climbing step by step. That was why while Qi Xuansu was still at the seventh rank, Zhang Yuelu had already reached the fourth rank.

Overall, it had taken Zhang Yuelu about ten years to rise from seventh rank to third rank, whereas Qi Xuansu had done so in just three years. That was why there was a big gap between their accumulated experiences.

Looking at their careers, Qi Xuansu’s promotion curve was rather strange. For a long time, it was a gently sloping line, which meant he had been wasting his years. Then suddenly, in recent years, it had shot exponentially upward like a cliff. This made it difficult not to arouse suspicion, so Qi Xuansu faced much greater criticism.

By contrast, Zhang Yuelu’s promotion curve was smooth, always steadily rising. Each upward step was within reasonable bounds. Thus, she drew far less criticism.

Therefore, Zhang Yuelu most likely would not need to go through the three steps like Qi Xuansu. She could advance in one step and continue to hold her place as the foremost among the three Daoist prodigies.

However, the gap between Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu was rapidly narrowing, from the initial three ranks apart to now being almost on equal footing. At this rate, Qi Xuansu might even surpass her one day.

On the second day of Qi Xuansu’s leave, an official commendation arrived from Jade Capital, publicly praising him.

This commendation mainly recognized Qi Xuansu’s direct success in pacifying Mount Suzuka and his indirect assistance to Sage Qingwei in pacifying Mount Oe. Therefore, it did not include Zhang Yuelu, Li Changge, or Yao Pei.

It read, “Qi Xuansu has been able to deeply comprehend the strategic objectives of the expedition, carry out his missions with full dedication, and actively win the support of righteous heroes and allies. For his outstanding contribution to the victorious conclusion of the Ise campaign, the Golden Tower Council decreed that Qi Xuansu shall be publicly commended in all Daoist Halls, Mansions, and Palaces. We hope Qi Xuansu will take this as an opportunity to press forward with even greater resolve, striving ever higher, and continue making new contributions to the Daoist Order.”

The decree was signed by Pei Xuanzhi, the Chief Omniscient Sage of the Golden Tower Council.

Along with the commendation came Qi Xuansu’s formalization document. From this point onward, Qi Xuansu was officially a third-rank Youyi Daoist master. Even if he no longer served as Deputy Hall Master, his rank would remain unchanged.

Qi Xuansu could not help but marvel at Zhang Yuelu’s foresight. The first step had already been achieved so soon.