A Pawn's Passage

This time, the Queen Dowager’s case involved the Green Phoenix Guards, so Qi Xuansu immediately ordered the Spirit Guards to occupy the Green Phoenix Guard Office and apprehend its senior ranks.

The Green Phoenix Guards were always the ones arresting others and were never on the receiving end. However, before the fierce and merciless Daoist Spirit Guards, their usual arrogance vanished. No one dared to resist, especially with the Yinglong Warship still looming above Thanglong Prefecture. The entire office was quickly subdued.

In the courtyard, the Green Phoenix Guards crouched on the ground with their hands over their heads, while the Spirit Guards stood with rifles aimed at them. One false move would mean instant death.

This scene revealed an undeniable truth: the supreme dominance of the Daoist Order was no rumor. The question was never whether the Daoists were capable, only whether they wanted to dominate.

Normally, the Daoist Order restrained itself for the sake of appearances, rarely acting so forcefully. But this time, their cause was justified. Qi Xuansu had been ambushed in an assassination plot involving the Green Phoenix Guards, giving the Daoists the moral high ground.

Even figures like Wang Jiaohe and Chen Shuhua could not publicly criticize Qi Xuansu’s retaliation. Instead, they had to offer verbal and symbolic support because they must distinguish between internal and external matters. Privately, they might be at each other’s throats, nearly tearing off all pretenses. But publicly, Qi Xuansu was still one of their own.

Under the personal protection of Spirit Guard Jia Yin, Qi Xuansu strode into the Green Phoenix Guard Office in a fresh new hechang. The detained Green Phoenix Guards in the courtyard only saw the hem of his robe and his boots, not daring to lift their heads.

Qi Xuansu walked straight into the main hall and asked, “Where is the Commander?”

A middle-aged man, guarded by two third-rank Spirit Guards, answered, “At your service, sir.”

As a senior officer of the Green Phoenix Guards, the Commander was afforded slight leniency. He was allowed to stand in the hall rather than kneel prostrate in the courtyard.

Qi Xuansu turned to face him. “What is your name?”

Though he was the Green Phoenix Guard Commander and a Heavenly Being, the man still answered with utmost deference, “Chen Shuhong.”

“Do you know what has happened?” Qi Xuansu asked again.

“A little, yes.” Chen Shuhong replied stiffly, bracing himself for what was to come.

It was precisely because he knew what had happened that he behaved so submissively. If Qi Xuansu had taken over the Green Phoenix Guard Office without reason, Chen Shuhong would have been the first to protest—at best, invoking his family connection with Chen Shuhua or at worst, threatening to file a complaint in Jade Capital. Considering appearances, Jade Capital would likely have reprimanded Qi Xuansu for being reckless.

But this time, Qi Xuansu had reason and authority on his side. Chen Shuhong no longer had any ground to stand on. He only hoped to avoid being implicated. Confrontation or threats were completely out of the question. All he could do was submit humbly.

Qi Xuansu said, “Since you already know, I won’t repeat myself. I need you to assist the Daoist Mansion in investigating this case and redeem yourself through contribution. Do you have any objections?”

“No, none at all,” Chen Shuhong said quickly as he nodded repeatedly.

Qi Xuansu gave a slight nod, then raised his voice a little. “Chou Zheng.”

“Here!” Chen Jianchou responded loudly.

Qi Xuansu ordered, “You once served in the Green Phoenix Guard, so you must be familiar with its inner workings. You’ll take charge of this matter.”

“Yes, sir,” Chen Jianchou replied.

Chen Shuhong’s smile stiffened.

Of course, he knew of Chen Jianchou. Though they shared the same last name and royal bloodline, their actual standing was worlds apart. There were countless Chens, but they all had varying degrees of closeness to the main royal family.

Chen Shuhong had never imagined that Chen Jianchou had quietly attached himself to Qi Xuansu, becoming the Second Deputy’s trusted aide. Worse still, the boy knew far too many of the Green Phoenix Guard’s internal secrets, so there would be no fooling him.

Qi Xuansu’s immediate takeover of the Green Phoenix Guard Office was not a display of power nor a pretext for mass purges. It was because the Green Phoenix Guards held an immense trove of records and intelligence.

Previously, when Chen Jianchou investigated cases in secret, he had to sneak around and invent excuses just to access a few files.

But now that Qi Xuansu had formally taken control of the Green Phoenix Guard Office, Chen Jianchou could openly examine any document he pleased. Many investigations that had once been halted could finally resume.

Chen Jianchou stepped forward to stand before Chen Shuhong and gave a respectful bow.

Seeing this, Chen Shuhong forced a smile. “Chou Zheng, your father and I weren’t brothers by blood, but we were closer than that. Back in those days, we—”

Chen Jianchou interrupted him. “Commander, please hand over the keys to the archives.”

The Green Phoenix Guard Office was neither a treasury nor an armory. Its storerooms were filled with years’ worth of case files and official records.

With Qi Xuansu standing right there, Chen Shuhong had no choice but to hand over the keys to Chen Jianchou. Inwardly, he cursed the boy for being arrogant, no longer showing him the slightest respect after clinging to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu had no intention of lingering in the Green Phoenix Guard Office. He departed, leaving behind enough Spirit Guards, who were mostly trusted subordinates of Spirit Guard Jia Yin.

Now, with both the royal palace and the Green Phoenix Guard Office under Qi Xuansu’s control, he had a high chance of success. However, he knew he could not be hasty and had to proceed step by step.

Only after arranging all these matters did Qi Xuansu return to the Water Palace.

On the surface, Qi Xuansu appeared perfectly composed, handling everything in an orderly fashion. But only he knew how much suffering he was enduring. All he wanted now was a long sleep to recover.

In a certain sense, Manly Immortals was much like that of flood dragons or primordial beasts with immense vitality and strength. Their best method of recovery was deep sleep. When gravely wounded, flood dragons would fall into long slumbers, waking only after their injuries had nearly healed. The same was true for Manly Immortals.

But Qi Xuansu could not rest yet. There were still many matters awaiting him.

Chen Jianqiu accompanied Qi Xuansu back to the Water Palace. Since she had been the one to lead him to meet Queen Dowager Yang E, she could hardly escape responsibility for what had happened. She was even a suspect, so she would have to clear her name and atone for her mistakes.

Qi Xuansu did not believe Chen Jianqiu was the mastermind behind this, but he was interested to see how she planned to redeem herself.

In truth, Chen Jianqiu only needed to provide Qi Xuansu with valuable intelligence to redeem herself. She did not possess direct, decisive information. If she had, she likely would not have lived long enough for Qi Xuansu to arrive in Poluo. However, she could offer indirect intelligence, or at least useful clues.

Qi Xuansu had long sensed that Chen Jianqiu knew far more than she let on, but because of her identity, she would never speak freely. However, she would reveal a little once pressed. Otherwise, she would probably stay silent. After Great Sage Lan’s incident, Qi Xuansu had been too busy to deal with her. But now, he intended to use this opportunity to force some information out of her.

When they entered Qi Xuansu’s office, he seated himself behind the desk while Chen Jianqiu stood respectfully at his side, looking like a dutiful student waiting for her teacher’s advice.

Chen Jianqiu finally spoke after carefully thinking of what to say. “Second Deputy Qi, you know Wang Jiaoyan, don’t you?”

Qi Xuansu said, “I do. She’s Mansion Master Wang’s younger sister and a fellow martial sister to Old Sage Sun Heyu’s daughter-in-law.”

Chen Jianqiu continued, “Then you must also know that Wang Jiaoyan and Sun Jiaofeng jointly run a business together. It’s called the Nanyang United Trading Company, modeled after the Westerners’ West Shakya Company.”

Qi Xuansu narrowed his eyes. “I’ve heard that the Nanyang United Trading Company engages in many unlawful dealings. Do you know what’s really going on behind the scenes?”

Chen Jianqiu shook her head. “What I want to talk about isn’t the company, but Wang Jiaoyan herself.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Go on.”

Chen Jianqiu explained, “As you may know, most great Daoist families follow the same model. The main pillar of the family holds a high office within the Daoist Order as the face of the family, providing prestige and support. The other members usually run various enterprises on the side, providing the financial foundation that sustains the family. In the Wang family, Mansion Master Wang and Deputy Mansion Master Wang represent the face, while Wang Jiaoyan is the underbelly.”

Qi Xuansu nodded again. “Continue.”

Chen Jianqiu divulged. “Wang Jiaoyan’s husband is Lin Tianhe from Shibo Hall.”

In the Poluo Daoist Mansion, there were three managers who were dispatched by the Nine Halls. The Tiangang Hall and Ciji Hall were aligned with Qi Xuansu, while the one in Shibo Hall sided with Wang Jiaohe.

This was not new information. Qi Xuansu already knew as much, so he simply waited for her to continue.

Chen Jianqiu continued, “In truth, Lin Tianhe isn’t from Poluo. He’s from Lingnan. His appointment to the Poluo Daoist Mansion was the result of the Wang family’s secret influence.”

That caught Qi Xuansu’s interest. This was something he had not known.

Watching Qi Xuansu’s expression carefully, Chen Jianqiu explained, “Wang Jiaoyan and Lin Tianhe met in the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace. After Wang Jiaoyan was promoted to the fourth rank, she did not seek any official post but registered as a wandering Daoist instead. Thus, she no longer drew a salary from the Daoist Order and was generally exempt from any commands. Essentially, she was free to find her own path. Meanwhile, Lin Tianhe joined Shibo Hall as a superintendent, steadily rising through the ranks until he was assigned to the Poluo Daoist Mansion to become the branch hall’s manager. The two then became Daoist companions.”

Qi Xuansu had once been a wandering Daoist himself, so he understood the system well. They were not completely exempt from orders. If an all-out war were declared and the Dasoit Order issued a Class-A mobilization decree, even retirees and wandering Daoists would have to return to serve. But such situations were exceedingly rare. In practice, wandering Daoists simply fend for themselves.

Wang Jiaoyan’s case of holding the fourth-rank title without serving in an official post was common. Qi Muyu and Li Tianyue were the same, pursuing their own trades outside the Daoist Order. Even Madam Qi was technically a fourth-rank Daoist, though she had taken a completely different path, building not just businesses but also influence in the underworld to the point of nearly breaking free from her family to establish her own power base. Her reach was immense, and she was clearly on a different level from the others.