A Pawn's Passage

The smile on Qi Xuansu’s face slowly faded. He did not answer directly but countered, “This rumor is quite interesting. May I ask where you heard it from, Mr. Marcheno?”

Marcheno replied, “I heard it from a well-informed individual who prefers not to be named. Forgive me, but due to certain confidentiality considerations, I cannot disclose this person’s name or identity.”

Qi Xuansu said, “A well-informed individual indeed. I suppose this person is not from within the Daoist Mansion?”

Marcheno chuckled. “It seems the rumor is true, then.”

Qi Xuansu denied it without hesitation. “I never said anything of the sort. What I can say is that the Daoist Mansion currently has no such decision. The Nanyang United Trading Company is a large corporation with far-reaching influence. If the Daoist Mansion were to seize it, such a move must be passed through the Daoist Mansion Council and approved before any order could be issued. It isn’t something I can decide on alone. I’m afraid I don’t hold such authority.”

Marcheno rephrased, “May I understand it this way—the Daoist Mansion has not made such a decision yet, but that does not mean such a decision will not be made in the future. Just as Sage Qi does not currently possess that authority, it does not mean you will not possess it in the future.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “The future is impossible to predict. It contains endless possibilities and countless uncontrollable variables. A single shift in any one factor may steer the future in a completely different direction. The only things we can be certain of are the past and the present. What you mentioned is merely one possibility among innumerable ones in the future. I don’t believe it warrants discussion or holds any meaningful value.”

Marcheno was slightly surprised that such a young Sage could be so composed. He was not immature nor impulsive but was rather seasoned, speaking without leaving a single gap.

But Marcheno was not one to be easily handled. “Sage Qi, you just mentioned that any number of factors may alter the future. I heard that the Daoist Mansion is currently investigating matters related to the Nanyang United Trading Company. In my view, this factor naturally leads toward the future I described. Therefore, I believe this possibility is worth discussing. After all, one must be prepared before disaster strikes.”

Qi Xuansu frowned. “Do you mean to say that the hypothetical seizure of the Nanyang United Trading Company constitutes a disaster?”

“Without a doubt,” Marcheno answered with firm certainty. “As you said earlier, the Nanyang United Trading Company is a large corporation with broad influence. It’s the largest company in the entire Nanyang region. All merchants have business dealings with it, including the West Shakya Company. One could say that the Nanyang United Trading Company is the barometer of all Nanyang commerce. Any fluctuation it experiences will ripple outward layer by layer, eventually turning into a massive wave that affects the entire region.”

At this point, Marcheno paused deliberately to watch Qi Xuansu’s expression. He then continued, “If the Nanyang United Trading Company collapses, it will create countless bad debts and toxic liabilities, leaving behind a massive and terrifying void in the region.

Countless people will go bankrupt or even be displaced as a result. Its destructive impact is no less than that of a war. The Holy Court has always believed that war, plague, famine, and death are the four great disasters. Therefore, I’d consider this a disaster.”

Qi Xuansu did not directly analyze whether such consequences would truly be a disaster, as he would simply be falling into Marcheno’s trap. So he shifted the angle and aimed straight at Marcheno. “If I didn’t already know that you’re a director of the West Shakya Company, I’d think that you’re actually a director of the Nanyang United Trading Company, coming here as its lobbyist. Or perhaps, do you already hold shares in it, Mr. Marcheno? Or some sort of private entanglement with it? If that’s the case, then we have nothing further to discuss.”

Marcheno argued, “I’m not a director of the Nanyang United Trading Company, nor do I hold any of its shares. As for entanglement, I won’t deny it. After all, it’s inevitable. When the Nanyang United Trading Company does business with the Shibo Hall or the Daoist Mansion, is that not also an entanglement of interests?”

“Of course it is,” Qi Xuansu said. “But entanglement of interest can be personal or institutional. Interests between two institutions pose no issue. But once it involves personal interests, the nature of the matter changes entirely.”

Marcheno said, “Our dealings with the Nanyang United Trading Company are ordinary commercial exchanges.”

Qi Xuansu continued, “As for the Daoist Mansion’s investigation into the Nanyang United Trading Company, this is an internal matter. Outsiders have no authority to interfere. How it is handled will be determined in accordance with Daoist laws. If you’re interested, you may wait patiently for the official public announcement. That is all.”

Marcheno leaned back against the sofa and tapped the air with his finger. His tone deepened. “Sage Qi, do you truly not care that such a move may trigger a massive disaster? Do you not care about the innocent common folk who may go bankrupt? Are you really willing to stop at nothing for the sake of your own political achievements?”

Each of these questions struck at the heart.

Qi Xuansu also leaned back and said, “Duke Marcheno, all this talk really boils down to one idea—the Nanyang United Trading Company is too big to fail. Overly prosperous commerce is like a chain with many interlinked rings. If one ring breaks, the entire chain collapses. If the Nanyang United Trading Company falls, it will trigger a chain reaction, which you call a disaster. In truth, certain people are using this exact logic to blackmail the Daoist Mansion and even the world, forcing everyone to pay for their misdeeds and using it as leverage to secure their own position. It’s like a desperado strapping himself with explosives, charging into a crowded marketplace and threatening everyone to meet his demands, or he will detonate the bomb and drag everyone to death with him.”

He paused to study Marcheno’s expression, then said, “If I acknowledge your concept of a disaster, will you acknowledge my concept of a desperado?”

Marcheno fell into silence.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Besides, this is only a routine investigation. The Nanyang United Trading Company just needs to clarify whether these people acted privately using its name or whether they acted under the company’s instructions. If it’s the former, then only these individuals need to be punished. The company is, at most, guilty of lax management. But if it is the latter, then the Daoist laws are clear and unyielding. Even if I wished to be lenient, I would be powerless to do so.”

After a long time, Marcheno spoke slowly. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this. In recent years, the Daoist Order launched both the Western Region and the Fenglin campaigns. Though both concluded in resounding victory, the Daoist Order did not plunder. Instead, you Daoists pacified and comforted the people, winning their hearts. But where there is gain, there is loss. The Daoist Order lost vast sums of Taiping coins, so the current financial situation is far from healthy.”

Qi Xuansu immediately understood what Marcheno was about to say.

Sure enough, Marcheno continued, “In such circumstances, if you intend to stir up a storm that will sweep across the entire Nanyang, potentially destroying the region’s commercial environment in a short span, it may force merchants to flee. It’ll cause bankruptcies among the middle and lower classes and even break trade routes. This will undoubtedly worsen the Daoist Order’s already precarious finances. Sage Qi, have you considered this?”

Qi Xuansu said, “Mr. Marcheno, you’re exaggerating.”

Marcheno finally smiled and said, “There is no exaggeration at all. In the market, confidence is everything. Once confidence is gone, regardless of whether something has happened or will happen, investors will flee on a massive scale. There is no doubt that you’re destroying that confidence right now, Sage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu had to address it head-on. “If this so-called confidence is built upon corruption, slave-trading, and plunder, then such confidence is best discarded. Every gift bestowed by fate has long been marked with a price. Everything you plunder today

will become a burden you must shoulder tomorrow. The Daoist Order does not wish to have such burdens, not now and not in the future. We believe in winning people’s hearts. Most importantly, I must emphasize that it is under the purview of the Daoist Order whether the Nanyang United Trading Company is punished or not. It’s an internal matter, so no external power has the right to question or interfere.”

The smile on Marcheno’s face vanished once more. “So, you’re telling me that if you one day wield supreme authority within the Daoist Order, you will regard the West as an enemy because you consider slave-trading a sin, and therefore the West itself a sin?”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “Justice and evil are not for you or me to define. But if you insist on an answer, then perhaps you should ask the white bones scattered across the plains of West Shakya.”