A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu understood very well that the Nanyang United Trading Company would not sit still and wait for death. They would definitely retaliate. He simply had not expected their counterattack to come so quickly.

Marcheno and the West Shakya Company behind him were clearly one of the Nanyang United Trading Company’s cards. If Qi Xuansu had only been suspicious before, he was now almost certain.

Marcheno had come talking grandly about the Nanyang United Trade Company being too big to fail and that its fall would cause a disaster. This was nothing more than a veiled threat.

In the past, when Qi Xuansu was only the Second Deputy in charge of legal affairs, he could ignore such things. But now, as the Chief Deputy holding the financial reins of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, he could not ignore it, especially given the Daoist Order’s recent grim financial state. Nanyang’s trade relations absolutely could not be jeopardized.

This undoubtedly made Qi Xuansu cautious, forcing him to act with restraint.

However, Qi Xuansu could not possibly be intimidated by a few words from Marcheno. He merely paused progress on the Taiping Bank issue and continued pushing forward with the investigation of the slave-trafficking case at No. 23, Yuwei Street.

The case itself had little suspense. Once Zhang Yuelu traced the clues and located the site, the outcome was already sealed.

With the culprits and evidence in hand, the stewards confessed everything once the Daoist Mansion promised a lighter sentence. The light sentence meant being sent to a Daoist temple under the Kunlun Daoist Mansion, but that was far better than being executed by the Poluo Daoist Mansion. After all, crimes like large-scale slave trafficking and harvesting organs from living bodies stirred public anger and were typically punished by death.

As for the Nanyang United Trading Company, they simply could not offer any reasonable explanation under such circumstances. They could not deny the facts. Their senior manager was interrogated by Xie Jiaofeng until he was speechless.

Although Qi Xuansu lacked the authority to directly seize the Nanyang United Trading Company, he could order them to suspend operations for internal restructuring and submit to a full investigation by the Daoist Mansion.

That was exactly what Qi Xuansu did. He ordered the company to suspend operations for investigation and instructed Chen Jianchou to summon Lu Yuting, intending for her to lead a task force and formally station it at the Company’s headquarters for inspection.

Although the catalyst for the investigation was the slave-trafficking case at No. 23, Yuwei Street, the direction of the investigation was certainly not limited to that. Despite Lu Yuting being from the Huasheng Hall, the Lu family’s roots lay within the Fengxian Hall. Having grown up steeped in that environment, Lu Yuting was still familiar with the field, though she was not at Lu Yushu’s level.

Back when investigating the former Yu King’s illness, Lu Yuting and Chen Jianchou had crossed paths. Now that they were working together under Qi Xuansu, their rapport had grown even deeper. As Chen Jianchou led Lu Yuting into the office, the two were chatting and laughing.

Qi Xuansu showed no displeasure with their casual demeanor. After all, they were both his trusted subordinates, and this was a private setting, so there was no need for excessive formalities.

He gestured for Lu Yuting to sit. After Chen Jianchou prepared tea for her, he exited the room.

The conversation finally began as Qi Xuansu said, “For this investigation inside the Nanyang United Trading Company, I still think that you’re the best candidate. Old Han can fight and kill, but he’s too rough for delicate work. As for Chou Zheng, I can’t spare him from my side. Moreover, he’s too young and lacks your experience.”

Lu Yuting looked hesitant, as though she wanted to speak but held back.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What are you thinking?”

Lu Yuting replied, “I’m concerned about the official taxation. The Nanyang United Trading Company doesn’t belong to the Jawa Kingdom nor to the Great Xuan Court. They pay taxes directly to the Daoist Order. In my view, it’s inevitable for a major taxpayer like them to have all sorts of problems. To put it nicely, they might have reasonably avoided unnecessary taxes, which could be considered tax evasion. The key is the amount and severity. Since they have connections with high-ranking people, it’s impossible for them to be spotless. If the Taiping Bank cooperates, we can practically hit the mark on every issue.

“The next concern I have is their gray industries, such as slave trafficking, and the eleven shipments the Daoist Mansion lost last year. All of this can be investigated. Second Deputy Zhang has already made significant progress in the Lingnan Daoist Mansion on this front. If we follow this trail, our work will become much smoother. We can easily trace the entire chain.

Qi Xuansu nodded and asked, “So what difficulties do you foresee?”

Lu Yuting finally explained, “We need manpower, especially professionals from Duzhi Hall and Shibo Hall. Among the professionals we do have, we don’t have many reliable ones. After all, the Nanyang United Trading Company has been rooted in Nanyang for years. They’re not only a major taxpayer but also deeply intertwined with many officials. Many people in the Daoist Mansion reimburse their personal expenses through this company, treating it like a personal purse. These people will certainly side with the company, defending them or even shielding them, making our investigation superficial and merely a formality.”

Qi Xuansu pondered briefly. “You make a good point. In that case, since the Poluo Daoist Mansion’s people can’t be trusted, I’ll speak with Second Deputy Zhang and temporarily borrow personnel from the Lingnan Daoist Mansion to help us with the investigation.”

Borrowing personnel was a common practice. Qi Xuansu himself had once been loaned from the Ziwei Hall to assist in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.

Lu Yuting smiled. “With your assurance, I can work with full confidence.”

Qi Xuansu gave his final instructions. “I won’t say more. If you encounter any difficulties, tell me anytime. There’s no need to hold back. Since we are investigating others, we must first endure scrutiny ourselves. So I emphasize only one thing—adhere to the facts, follow Daoist law, and maintain absolute integrity. No one should be able to find fault with our work.”

Lu Yuting answered solemnly, “Yes, Sage.”

After Lu Yuting left, Qi Xuansu took out the Daoist License to contact Zhang Yuelu. Although she was already in Lion City, she could still command things remotely. After all, the Lingnan Daoist Mansion belonged to the Zhengyi Sect. Its internal situation was far less complicated than that of the Poluo Daoist Mansion.

As the successor of the Zhang family, Zhang Yuelu could give orders to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion, and they would be carried out promptly regardless of whether she was physically present. This was the advantage of a strong family. Predecessors paved the roads and built the bridges, while descendants simply had to walk them.

Zhang Yuelu readily agreed. In fact, she had already anticipated the need, just like Qi Xuansu. Before coming to the Poluo Daoist Mansion, she had prepared the necessary personnel. But to avoid drawing too much attention, she came alone first. Once the timing was right, her people could arrive at any moment, saving the trouble of summoning them later.

Zhang Yuelu guaranteed that her people would reach Lion City within two days.

For Qi Xuansu, this was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise. He had a newfound appreciation for Zhang Yuelu, his future Daoist companion and his most steadfast ally.

The next day, after Qi Xuansu officially launched a full investigation into the Nanyang United Trading Company, their counterattack began.

Strictly speaking, it was a well-structured series of blows.

Almost on the same day Lu Yuting entered the Nanyang United Trading Company, rumors spread across Lion City that Sage Qi toppled Sage Chen by using Thanglong Prefecture as the battlefield. Now, Sage Qi intended to topple Sage Wang, and Lion City would be the new battlefield.

In a sense, this was indeed true.

But clearly, they were deliberately exaggerating by using words like “battlefield,” trying to stir panic among the people.

At first, Qi Xuansu paid little attention. Compared to the violent confrontation in Thanglong Prefecture, Lion City’s situation was primarily a battle of words. Even if some panic arose, it would only create the illusion of wealth leaving the city, seemingly validating Marcheno’s so-called “disaster.”

Qi Xuansu believed that as long as he secured the Nanyang United Trading Company quickly, the frightened merchants would return. Merchants pursued profit. Since ancient times, people dared to risk beheading for profit, but no one would engage in sure-loss trades. Thus, merchants would not flee unless they were losing money.

Lion City’s geographical position made it a natural treasure basin. Merchants would not truly abandon it. Even if they left, it would only be temporary. Once the storm passed, they would immediately return.

But the situation changed rapidly beyond Qi Xuansu’s expectations. A new rumor spread. Everyone connected to the Nanyang United Trading Company was within Qi Xuansu’s strike range. The Company was merely a fattened pig raised by the Daoist Order, fat enough now to be slaughtered and eaten.

At first glance, the rumor seemed logical and well-supported. It listed the Daoist Order’s expenditures in recent years. Two large-scale wars had strained its finances to the breaking point. The Daoist Order dared not slash the stipends of its Daoist priests either, so deficits emerged. Thus, to maintain stability, it targeted the merchants.

This forced Qi Xuansu to take the matter seriously. These people clearly had a motive.

As Qi Xuansu pondered how to quell the rumors, Han Yongfeng reported shocking news. “Chief Deputy, I’ve received confidential intelligence. Some merchants in the city are secretly forming alliances. They’re saying that rebellions have always been started by farmers. But today, they want to show us whether merchants can overturn the heavens.”

Qi Xuansu immediately realized that Wang Jiaohe’s true counterattack had arrived.

Even though Wang Jiaohe was far away in Thanglong Prefecture, he could still stir up a storm if he wished to.