A Pawn's Passage

Although Wang Jiaohe’s faction had made arrangements and preparations in advance, Qi Xuansu’s instincts were exceptionally sharp, immediately seizing upon the biggest flaw, which was the procedural issue.

Even if Chen Jianchou’s high-ranking Daoist status could still be questioned, his role as a secretary and his status as a meritorious contributor were beyond doubt. This meant that Chen Jianchou was a special case and even held access to certain sensitive information. As Xie Jiaofeng had said, this could raise concerns about leakage of secrets. Even if the local branch of the Beichen Hall believed they could arrest him without prior approval, the very least they should have done was inform the Daoist Mansion. Otherwise, the Daoist Mansion would be completely unaware and be thrown into a highly passive position.

This was essentially bypassing levels of authority, which was a major taboo.

The reason Wang Jiaohe made such a mistake was due to habit. In the past, it had always been Wang Jiaohe’s one-man rule, so no one cared much about procedures. In truth, this was a common phenomenon that was not limited to the Poluo Daoist Mansion. Even Qi Xuansu himself had not always strictly followed procedure and sometimes bypassed it in pursuit of results. The key point was that such matters could never be brought into the open.

Qi Xuansu was a pragmatist. He occupied the moral high ground not to proclaim his own virtue, but because striking from a higher ground made it far easier to attack his opponents.

That was why Qi Xuansu had brought this matter into open discussion.

Regardless of whether Qi Xuansu had ever done the same, if no one saw it and no one caught it, then it did not exist. But when the Beichen Hall’s local branch did it, they were caught red-handed, and it was made into a major issue.

This was what internal strife looked like.

As a result, Wang Jiaohe was immediately pushed into a passive position.

Wang Jiaohe had not expected this, so he was at a loss for words. It also became difficult for others to step forward and rally support.

Every word Qi Xuansu had spoken fit his position and stood firmly on reason, so in the end, Wang Jiaohe decided not to confront Qi Xuansu head-on.

Of course, struggles within the Daoist Mansion were not merely about eloquence, nor solely about who held the truth. The key lay in momentum.

If Qi Xuansu had not represented the Golden Tower Council and did not have Great Sage Jiang’s backing, he could not have repeatedly struck at Wang Jiaohe’s faction, shifting the prevailing winds so that fence-sitters reasoned with his side. Without this, Wang Jiaohe could have reversed right and wrong and black and white.

Now that Qi Xuansu held both the advantage and the moral high ground, he advanced with unstoppable momentum.

At this moment, Wang Jiaohe found himself trapped in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat with ease.

If he chose to retreat, the solution would be simple—release Chen Jianchou immediately.

However, retreating would amount to an open admission of defeat. As Wang Jiaoying had once said, once that happened, the people in their faction would lose faith in them. Wang Jiaohe’s era in the Poluo Daoist Mansion would be completely over.

If Wang Jiaohe refused to retreat or concede, then it would mean staking everything on a final gamble.

Even if the procedures were flawed, he would have to settle the matter before releasing anyone, either forcing Chen Jianchou to confess, or directly seizing the Queen of the Yu Kingdom Chen Jianqiu.

Qi Xuansu had anticipated this as well, which was why he had directly arranged for Chen Jianqiu to go to Lion City. With Star Lord Yuheng there, her safety should still be assured.

Still, he could not afford to lower his guard. After the meeting concluded, Qi Xuansu planned to remind Zhang Yuelu to keep a close watch on Lion City. Zhang Yuelu belonged to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion, so she had not attended this Daoist Mansion Council. Instead, she was escorting Wang Jiaoyan and the other prisoners back to Lion City. By contrast, Li Changge, Li Zhuyu, and others from Jade Capital were able to attend as observers.

No matter what, either Qi Xuansu or Zhang Yuelu had to remain stationed in Lion City. When Qi Xuansu was there, Zhang Yuelu stayed in Thanglong Prefecture. Now that Qi Xuansu had come to Thanglong Prefecture, Zhang Yuelu returned to Lion City.

Qi Xuansu figured that Wang Jiaohe would not concede so easily, and there would be plenty of fighting ahead.

Ultimately, Qi Xuansu was still young and lacking depth. After a series of maneuvers, he eventually circled back to Chen Jianchou’s case.

Great Sage Jiang, second only to the three Deputy Grand Masters, was seasoned. Just as the council fell into silence, the Virtuous Great Sage lifted his teacup and took a sip. He then tapped the table lightly with his finger to draw attention.

Finally, Great Sage Jiang spoke. “Chief Deputy Qi makes a good point. This is a major issue signaling that there is a conspiracy at play. When handling matters, one should employ open strategies, not covert schemes. Yet some people are obsessed with intrigue, deception, and trickery. I believe that investigating a single case like this is not difficult. But is handling just one case enough? This merely addresses symptoms, not the root cause.

“I don’t know how many such matters exist across the Poluo Daoist Mansion or even the whole Daoist Order, but I imagine they are not few. Can handling a single case truly reverse the overall atmosphere? I think not. If it cannot, then merely addressing the issue itself carries limited significance and is hardly worth placing on the agenda of a Daoist Mansion Council of this scale.

“One must act according to one’s position. I’m not the Grand Master of the Daoist Order, so I can’t speak for the Order as a whole. But I currently also serve as the Great Sage of the Poluo Daoist Mansion. In that capacity, I must express my views regarding the state of the Poluo Daoist Mansion.

“Chief Deputy Qi’s secretary has been arrested. Whether he should have been arrested, whether he is guilty, who should handle the case, how it should be handled, and whether approval and reporting were required—there are established regulations and statutes governing all of this. We will not dwell on these points here. They should be left to those specifically responsible for the matter, and I will not interfere. However, just as Chief Deputy Qi has stated, the various issues reflected by this incident deserve the Daoist Mansion’s close attention and vigilance. Whether such disorder exists on a broad scale cannot be determined by casual discussion here. It must be established through thorough and reliable investigation. After all, without investigation, there can be no right to speak.

“Therefore, I propose that once Second Deputy Xu returns, she can take the lead in conducting a large-scale, in-depth investigation across the entire Poluo Daoist Mansion. Those at fault should be corrected and punished. Those without fault should be rewarded and commended. Punish past wrongs to prevent future ones. We must neither be perfunctory nor use this as a pretext for retaliation, with more focus on education rather than punishment.”

Once these words were spoken, it became clear that this was using the incident as a pretext to carry out a full-scale rectification of the Poluo Daoist Mansion. This was truly digging at the very root of Wang Jiaohe’s power.

Compared to this sixth-generation disciple, Qi Xuansu was still somewhat green.

Upon hearing Great Sage Jiang’s words, Qi Xuansu was deeply enlightened and felt that he had gained immensely.

The gap between him and Great Sage Jiang did not lie in stratagems or political techniques, but in breadth of mind and overall vision.

The greatest distance between people was their difference in mindset.

Beyond this, Qi Xuansu felt profound admiration for Great Sage Jiang. This was the true occupation of the moral and righteous high ground, entirely different from the kind of self-proclaimed moral superiority others flaunted.

Thus, after Great Sage Jiang finished speaking, not a single person raised an objection or offered a rebuttal.

Even the neutral faction, unwilling to be drawn into the struggle between Mansion Master Wang and Chief Deputy Qi, had to acknowledge that Great Sage Jiang was right. They then voiced their support one after another.

When two factions were locked in a stalemate, the neutral faction became crucial. Whoever could succeed in winning the neutral faction over would become the final victor.

Great Sage Jiang looked toward Wang Jiaohe and called him out. “Mansion Master Wang, what do you think?”

Wang Jiaohe’s expression remained fairly calm, but it resembled the brief calm before a storm. He slowly replied, “I have no objections.”

“Since no one has any objections, then this matter is settled,” Great Sage Jiang concluded.

He turned to Xu Jiaorong and continued, “Second Deputy Xu, once you return from East Shakya, organize some personnel and draw up a detailed plan. Send a copy to me.

Both Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall’s personnel from the headquarters are here, so if there is anything you feel uncertain about, consult them for advice. Make sure no mistakes are made.”

Xu Jiaorong responded solemnly, “Yes, Great Sage.”

Great Sage Jiang scanned the room once more. “Once Second Deputy Xu’s preliminary investigation has reached a temporary conclusion and results are available, we will revisit this issue. Now, let’s move on to the next agenda—the impact caused by this windstorm. After a major disaster, a major epidemic is bound to follow. So we must discuss how to prevent the large-scale outbreak of diseases as well as post-disaster resettlement, relief, and reconstruction. Chief Deputy Qi, this is your area of responsibility, so you can take the floor.”

“Very well,” Qi Xuansu replied. The documents he had just been reviewing concerned these matters. After all, this was the primary responsibility of a Chief Deputy Mansion Master.

Qi Xuansu opened the file before him once more and began, “According to preliminary statistics, the affected area this time has reached—”

Various sounds gradually faded away.

Wang Jiaohe remained seated in his place, yet everything around him grew blurry. It was as though a layer of mist had settled before his eyes.

Their voices came intermittently, broken and uneven, as if Wang Jiaohe had already become detached from this mortal realm.

Wang Jiaohe realized with stark clarity that he had been driven to the very edge of a cliff, and behind him lay a bottomless abyss.