A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1391: Unsettled

“This is interesting,” Qi Xuansu said. He was not close to Li Tianlan and was not afraid of offending him. “At his age, remarrying is hardly for pleasure. It must be about lineage and inheritance. If so, why would Second Deputy Li neglect you? I know a bit about him. He has overseen the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion for years without faltering, so foolish is not a word that I would use to describe him.”

Back when the Zhenwu Temple was burned, Li Tianlan had been the mastermind behind it. The situation had nearly spiraled out of control, but because True Lord Siming intervened amid the Daoist Order’s internal strife, all the blame was ultimately shifted onto him. Even the burning of Zhenwu Temple was attributed to True Lord Siming, so the true mastermind was not held accountable.

In this world, matters might seem settled yet remain unresolved, often ending without true closure.

Qi Xuansu had been directly involved in that incident and had not forgotten it. Moreover, with people now targeting him, he suspected certain members of the Li family were behind it.

Li Ping said, “Because my stepmother gave birth to another son, I became far less important. She wants her own child to inherit the mantle, so she sees me as a thorn in her side and wants me gone. She plotted against me and framed me for attempting to violate her, leading to my imprisonment.”

Ye Qingshuang said, “Prepare an interrogation room. Take him there.”

Qi Xuansu became increasingly certain that this meeting was no coincidence.

Most coincidences in this world were, in fact, orchestrated behind the scenes. This matter was clearly arranged by Ye Qingshuang. Since Qi Xuansu had been passively taking hits for a while, it was time to strike back, and Ye Qingshuang had just handed him a convenient weapon.

However, Ye Qingshuang was not using Qi Xuansu as a pawn. She merely provided a blade, so whether to use it was entirely up to him. If he chose to act, he could pursue the matter and make a case of it. If not, he could dismiss Li Ping and let him remain imprisoned.

Qi Xuansu understood this clearly and bore no resentment. In fact, Ye Qingshuang had deliberately left clues so he could see through it and not take offense. She had no intention of jeopardizing larger matters over something small.

The reason for such elaborate handling, rather than stating things plainly, was that Ye Qingshuang did not want to directly confront the Li family. She needed plausible deniability.

The reason she cared so much was not because of Qi Xuansu. The real reason was her own grievances with the Li family.

Back then, Ye Qingshuang and Li Ruoshui had clashed, and both had suffered losses. However, backed by the Li family, Li Ruoshui was assigned to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. Though it was largely nominal, it was still within the Li family’s sphere of influence. Ye Qingshuang, on the other hand, was sent to Sahul Daoist Mansion.

Though it was overseas, the Sahul Daoist Mansion lacked a Great Sage, which meant it was a low-status Daoist Mansion, effectively a place of exile. Serving as Mansion Master here placed Ye Qingshuang at the bottom among her peers, even below some Palace Masters in standing.

Of course, Ye Qingshuang would harbor resentment.

As it happened, when Qi Xuansu had served in the Imperial Capital Daoist Prefecture, he had once been suspended and investigated by Li Ruoshui, forming a grudge between them. As they say, the enemy of one’s enemy is a friend. Coupled with the close ties between Poluo and Sahul, Ye Qingshuang and Qi Xuansu naturally became close.

After all, at the level of Omniscient Sages, everyone had fought their way up. There was no such thing as instant friendship.

Upon entering the interrogation room, Qi Xuansu asked, “Is there a case file for this?”

The superintendent replied, “Chief Deputy Qi, we are only responsible for detention, not adjudication. Any prisoner sent here has already had their case concluded, and the files have been submitted to the Fengxian Hall. According to Daoist law, if such a case is to be reopened, permission must first be obtained from Fengxian Hall before accessing the files.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

This was not an issue. Qi Xuansu could not command the Fengxian Hall, but Sage Qingwei could. Li Tianlan’s faction had opposed Sage Qingwei, catching the latter off guard in Fenglin and forcing him to yield to the Zhang family. Zhang Wuliang had personally gone there to negotiate with Sage Qingwei.

Qi Xuansu was there in the negotiations.

Could Sage Qingwei really swallow that humiliation?

Even if Sage Qingwei prioritized the greater good, could the hot-blooded Li Zhuyu turn a blind eye to it?

Qi Xuansu already had a plan. He would find a way to tip off Li Zhuyu, letting her act under Sage Qingwei’s banner to retrieve the case files and thoroughly investigate this case. This was what it meant to kill with a borrowed knife.

Li Tianlan had long sown his causes, offending Qi Xuansu with the burning of Zhenwu Temple and opposing Sage Qingwei in Fenglin. With the conflict between Li Ruoshui and Ye Qingshuang, these would bear bitter fruit sooner or later.

Qi Xuansu said, “Li Ping, you heard that? If you want your case retried, approval from the Fengxian Hall is required. You claim innocence, but you need evidence first before requesting a retrial. You can’t overturn a case with mere words. What else do you have to say?”

Li Ping hesitated, as if unsure whether to speak.

Ye Qingshuang understood and said, “You may all leave.”

After the others left, only Qi Xuansu, Ye Qingshuang, and Huangfu Ji remained.

Only then did Li Ping speak. “I have evidence. That woman set me up. I didn’t expect her to disregard her own reputation, but I had taken precautions. Before this, I secretly investigated her. She has a lover named Li Minghuang.”

Qi Xuansu raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, Enemies are bound to cross paths, huh?

Qi Xuansu continued, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you tell Second Deputy Li directly?”

Li Ping said, “I was framed by that wretch and lost the initiative. My father formed his judgment first and believed her version of lies. No matter what I say now, he sees it as baseless slander, so how could he believe me? Besides, I have no concrete evidence.”

Qi Xuansu fell into thought.

Ye Qingshuang clearly already knew the situation. Instead of judging Li Ping’s claims, she turned to Huangfu Ji and said, “I’ve made a spectacle of myself before you, Sage Huangfu.”

Huangfu Ji waved it off. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s quite an interesting show.”

In truth, Ye Qingshuang had her reasons for involving Huangfu Ji. Given his special status, he could help break the deadlock. Many cover-up tactics became far less effective when foreign parties were involved.

Huangfu Ji saw through it but chose not to expose it. The “interesting show” he referred to was not the Li family’s scandal but the internal strife within the Daoist Order.

After all, the Li family was not spotless. In their past internal conflicts, similar tactics had been used to slander the Holy Xuan. Later, the Holy Xuan ruthlessly purged the Li family. It was not entirely for public justice but also mixed a measure of personal grievance.

Qi Xuansu said, “Your word alone hardly counts as evidence.”

Li Ping lowered his head and said nothing. As someone born into the Li family, how could he not understand?

Some people targeted Qi Xuansu without any basis, fabricating accusations out of thin air. Now, Li Ping was offering him an opportunity with this piece of information, though he lacked hard evidence.

If Qi Xuansu chose to make use of it, what he had said would be enough. If not, even solid proof might not overturn the case.

In the end, the decision lay with Qi Xuansu. No one could force his hand.

Those in power determined the law, not the other way around, and power was decided by force. Whoever commanded the greatest force held the highest power.

Since power determined the law, there was a great deal of room for maneuver. On the surface, one must have solid evidence, follow procedures, and comply with regulations to reopen a case. But in reality, it could all come down to a single word from someone in power, and it would be handled as a special case.

To blindly believe that rules were unshakable and to insist that everyone must obediently follow them was a kind of naivety.

The proper way was to outwardly respect rules yet not treat them as untouchable absolutes. When necessary, one could break them, alter them, and establish new ones.

Li Ping’s cry of injustice was undoubtedly a risky move, but it was made with calculated intent.

He saw the conflict between the two factions as his path to survival.

Qi Xuansu made up his mind and said, “Mansion Master Ye, please keep this man under separate custody. Don’t let anything happen to him.”

Ye Qingshuang had orchestrated this matter herself and immediately understood. “Rest assured. Nothing will go wrong on my turf.”