A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1403: The Three Posts

The day of the Golden Tower Council deliberations had finally arrived.

According to the Holy Xuan’s original plan, the Golden Tower Council consisted of only 36 Omniscient Sages, along with the Grand Master and the Deputy Grand Masters. However, many changes have occurred since then.

For example, there were now Virtuous Great Sages who were promoted from senior Omniscient Sages. These Great Sages could also attend Golden Tower Council meetings and had voting rights, bringing the actual number beyond 36.

Additionally, the nominal role of the Grand Master Consort gradually became a real office, assuming the role of a Deputy Grand Master, stepping in when the Grand Master was unable to preside. This unwritten rule was inherited from the Holy Xuan’s wife. Thus, at the highest level, there were actually five figures—the Grand Master flanked by the Grand Master Consort and three Deputy Grand Masters.

Of course, there were exceptions. There might not be five top figures if the Grand Master Consort also held the role of Deputy Grand Master or if the Grand Master had no partner.

Legally speaking, all Virtuous Great Sages and Omniscient Sages shared equal political status, forming the highest authority of the Daoist Order.

In theory, all major decisions required a vote by the Golden Tower Council. However, in practice, these officials held important posts and could not abandon their responsibilities to attend meetings in the Jade Capital.

As such, the Golden Tower Council deliberations were split into different tiers. Large meetings required the participation of all 36 Omniscient Sages, save for special exemptions. This included electing the small-meeting council members and electing the Grand Master. It was akin to a shareholder’s meeting.

Small meetings functioned like a board of directors’ meetings. Its members were elected in a large meeting. They handled daily affairs and exercised authority on behalf of the Golden Tower Council.

In reality, the small meeting became the true highest authority. The members often ranged from 9 to 12, typically chosen from those present in Jade Capital. The Nine Hall Masters held a strong advantage, which was why they ranked above Mansion Masters in the hierarchy.

The fifth-generation Grand Master once maneuvered cleverly by first appointing the Nine Hall Masters as small-meeting members and then having them concurrently serve as Deputy Zixiao Palace Masters, issuing orders through them to bypass the Golden Tower Council entirely. Unless the Golden Tower Council initiated formal impeachment, it could not effectively restrain the Zixiao Palace.

In this way, the Grand Master held absolute authority by monopolizing power.

This was how a strong Grand Master could bypass or suppress the Golden Tower Council, through the Zixiao Palace and by ensuring enough loyal supporters within the Court. After all, so long as enough people obeyed the Grand Master’s commands, authority remained intact even without institutional backing.

However, achieving this perfectly was extremely difficult. Generally speaking, the Daoist Order was a tripartite structure between the Grand Master, the three Deputy Grand Masters, and the Golden Tower Council.

For example, the Grand Master could appoint or dismiss Deputy Grand Masters through formal procedures, something the fifth-generation Grand Master already practiced. Conversely, the Deputy Grand Masters could unite to declare the Grand Master’s decrees invalid, something the sixth-generation Grand Master had experienced.

Similarly, the Grand Master could veto decisions passed by the Golden Tower Council, as demonstrated by the fifth-generation Grand Master. Meanwhile, the Golden Tower Council could override such vetoes through a two-thirds majority in a large meeting.

Deputy Grand Masters could not directly intervene in Golden Tower Council decisions like the Grand Master and could only influence voting outcomes. Likewise, the Golden Tower Council could not directly appoint Deputy Grand Masters. They must be nominated by the Grand Master and approved by vote. This was why the three Deputy Grand Masters were typically leaders of the three major Daoist sects. Otherwise, nominees would fail to pass the vote.

That said, Omniscient Sages were still subordinates of the Deputy Grand Masters. If a Deputy Grand Master gave orders, they could not simply be ignored. Many powerful Deputy Grand Masters have interfered in the Golden Tower Council affairs before, such as Donghuang and Elder Yao during the Holy Xuan’s seclusion.

At present, the position of Grand Master was vacant, and the three Deputy Grand Masters took turns as the Great Sage Lunzhi. As such, the Zixiao Palace could not function fully. The Great Sage Lunzhi lacked the authority to bypass the Golden Tower Council or veto its decisions outright, so all matters must still go through the Golden Tower Council.

As a result, the Golden Tower Council became somewhat dominant.

Currently, there were 12 members in the small meeting of the Golden Tower Council, including the Nine Hall Masters and three Virtuous Great Sages.

The Chief, Second, and Third Omniscient Sages each held a specific authority, effectively splitting the powers of a chairman into three parts.

The Chief Omniscient Sage’s power was highly variable. In the event of a tie, they gained an extra vote to determine the outcome. At times like this, such power was immense and could decide the Golden Tower Council’s direction. At other times, it was practically irrelevant.

The Second Omniscient Sage controlled the agenda, deciding what to discuss first and what follows. When discussions stalled, they decided whether to postpone or take other measures, acting like a moderator. When used well, this authority was highly influential.

The Third Omniscient Sage was responsible for maintaining order. Since these Sages all had high cultivation levels, they could theoretically speak for days without rest. But deliberations could not drag on indefinitely. To prevent this, the Third Omniscient Sage could interrupt or halt speeches, issue warnings for inappropriate remarks or personal attacks, stop physical altercations, and even expel participants. However, such extreme behavior was rare in formal sessions.

Since these three Omniscient Sages held such crucial authority, there was an unwritten tradition within the Daoist Order that the older generation did not compete for these positions, leaving them to younger members of the Golden Tower Council, or more specifically, those with potential to compete for the Grand Master position. Naturally, those in these three posts were regarded as the Daoist Heirs.

Today’s Golden Tower Council session was a small meeting. The Imperial Preceptor would also attend. Although he would not vote, his mere presence exerted tremendous pressure.

Aside from the Imperial Preceptor, many others attended as observers. Some were there to listen, while the rest were Golden Tower Council clerks. These clerks were fourth-rank Jijiu Daoists or third-rank Youyi Daoists, assisting Omniscient Sages primarily with documentation.

Qi Xuansu was a special case, like a witness in court. He was more involved than a mere observer yet not truly a participant, as he had no right to speak.

Early in the morning, Qi Xuansu donned the formal attire of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist, hung the Sword of Wisdom by his waist, put on his golden lotus crown, and headed toward the Purple Mansion.

Even though the Ziwei Hall was located in the Purple Mansion adjacent to the Golden Tower, this was his first time actually entering the Golden Tower itself.

After passing identity checks by the Spirit Guards, Qi Xuansu was guided by a Golden Tower Council clerk into the grand tower.

He was immediately struck by a sense of familiarity even though he had never been here before. That was because ceremonial halls across all Daoist halls, palaces, and mansions were modeled after the Golden Tower Council.

Qi Xuansu was confident that even without a guide, he would not lose his way.

After only a few steps, he met Sage Cihang. She was the Third Omniscient Sage, responsible for maintaining order. Typically, she entered last after everyone else, then sealed the chamber. No one was allowed to enter until the session concluded.

Late arrivals were treated as absentees. Unexcused absence resulted in demerits, and three such absences led to serious punishment and public criticism, administered by the Third Omniscient Sage.

Qi Xuansu naturally stopped to greet his future mother-in-law. In this setting, he addressed her by her title as the Third Omniscient Sage.

Sage Cihang acknowledged his greeting but did not linger. “Go in. No need to admire the place now. You’ll have plenty of time for that in the future. You may end up seeing it for decades until you grow tired of it.”

This was undoubtedly high praise for Qi Xuansu. Only those who frequently entered the Golden Tower Council could grow tired of it, and that was not something an ordinary second-rank Taiyi Daoist could achieve.

Qi Xuansu kept his expression calm, bade farewell to Sage Cihang, and stepped into the hall.

Glancing around, he saw that each seat was labeled with a name, and quite a few of them were familiar—Pei Xuanzhi, Li Wugou, Su Yuanyi, Jiang Hedao, Ning Lingge, and Xu Dacheng. He had dealt with all of them before, some even to the point of friendship.

As for the others, while not close, they were at least familiar faces and names he had encountered.