A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1415: Leverage Power

After wrapping up a series of official matters, Qi Xuansu still had a personal issue to deal with—Li Ping, who used to be named Li Mingping before his removal from the Li family registry. Li Ping had little to do with Qi Xuansu, but Qi Xuansu suspected that the people behind Li Ping were closely connected to those who had been spreading rumors and slandering him, perhaps even the same group. Following this lead might expose them all.

But time was tight. He still had to accompany Huangfu Ji to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and could not remain in Jade Capital for long. Zhang Yuelu had already returned to Nanyang. That meant he needed someone capable and trustworthy to handle this task in his stead.

Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang were certainly qualified, but their status was too high. It would be inappropriate for Qi Xuansu to assign them tasks. Asking them for help would cost him favors, and spending such favors on this matter was not worth it.

The same applied to Great Sage Jiang and others. Qi Xuansu did have some connections with these figures, and those connections could be used, but they should not be wasted here.

Back when Qi Xuansu was still a seventh-rank Daoist, Sun Yongfeng had told him a simple truth about needing the right person at the right time to say the right thing.

Great Sage Jiang and the others were key figures. But Qi Xuansu did not consider Li Ping’s case worthy of that level. For him, the truly critical moment would be when he sought promotion to an Omniscient Sage. That was when he would need those people.

After much thought, Qi Xuansu came up with a candidate.

This person was also powerful and influential, not someone Qi Xuansu could command.

Some people already had conflicts with the Li family and were just waiting for an opportunity. If Qi Xuansu handed them that opportunity, they might act without being asked and might even thank him for it.

That person was Zhang Jucheng.

He was the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master, ranked among the top, if not the very top, of all Mansion Masters. Some Daoist Mansions might be larger, but those usually had another Great Sage alongside a Mansion Master. Jiangnan had no such position, so the Mansion Master was the undisputed number one figure.

Lei Xiaohuan was the Chief Deputy and Li Tianlan was the Second Deputy of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion.

Together, the three represented the Three Sects.

Under the current balance of power, Zhang Jucheng and Lei Xiaohuan could still cooperate. But Li Tianlan was a clear obstacle. Having held his position for many years, Li Tianlan’s influence ran deep. Even the Mansion Master might not be able to deal with him easily.

Zhang Jucheng would certainly want to take down Li Tianlan.

Of course, Zhang Jucheng might think further. Even if he removed Li Tianlan, the replacement would likely be another figure from the Taiping Sect, possibly even harder to deal with. He might instead choose to spare Li Tianlan, hold leverage over him, and keep him in check.

But after careful thought, Qi Xuansu felt that such an outcome was unlikely.

Though Zhang Juquan’s tragic end was indeed due to his own misconduct, the Zhang family might not see it that way. They would believe Li Tianlan and his faction orchestrated it. It was technically a move against Sage Qingwei, but it undeniably harmed the Zhang family. In the end, Sage Qingwei negotiated to settle matters. But the Zhang family was far from satisfied.

From the Zhang family’s perspective, every step they retreated was a step for the Li family’s advancement. In the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion scandal, the Zhang family had taken a hit. They would have to get back at the Li family.

Zhang Jucheng would understand this clearly. Li Tianlan had used Zhang Juquan as a pawn yet remained untouched, still comfortably holding his position as Second Deputy. Everyone in the Daoist Mansion was watching. If Zhang Jucheng, as the Mansion Master, could not even teach Li Tianlan a lesson and avenge his own kin, who would dare align with him?

If everyone believed Li Tianlan truly held power, they would gravitate toward him. Over time, the Mansion Master’s authority would erode.

Qi Xuansu had done the same in Nanyang. Yao Shu suffered from it deeply. In the Poluo Daoist Mansion, most officials were aligned with Qi Xuansu. Decisions required votes, and the Deputies all followed Qi Xuansu. If he did not approve, nothing passed. How much authority Yao Shu retained as Mansion Master was questionable.

At that time, Qi Xuansu could not always ensure that something succeeded. But if he wanted something to fail, he could guarantee it.

Yao Shu’s solution was to gradually replace Qi Xuansu’s people with his own.

But those people were not truly Qi Xuansu’s. They were sent by Sage Donghua. But Deputy Mansion Masters were appointed by the Ziwei Hall, not the Daoist Mansion. So the chances of replacing Sage Donghua’s people were slim.

Moreover, they were newcomers with no entrenched interests or past misconduct to exploit. Even with intent, Yao Shu lacked time and opportunity. Replacement would be slow and difficult.

Later, when Qi Xuansu was promoted, Yao Shu strongly supported it, essentially sending him off with courtesy.

Zhang Yuelu came afterward. Though she could still contend with Yao Shu, her influence was far less than Qi Xuansu’s, partly because her reforms had made many enemies.

If Qi Xuansu could do this, Li Tianlan could as well.

Zhang Jucheng had to consider this. Controlling Li Tianlan would not be easy. Forced cooperation might only become a delaying tactic. It would be better to replace him outright. Just as Qi Xuansu’s departure allowed Yao Shu to breathe again, replacing Li Tianlan would do the same for Zhang Jucheng.

At this stage, not everything was entirely under Zhang Jucheng’s control. Lei Xiaohuan was no mere figurehead. If necessary, Qi Xuansu could also ask her for assistance.

Now that Qi Xuansu had become a disciple of Sage Donghua, Lei Xiaohuan was considered his senior. Privately, relationships could be more flexible. But in public, rank came first. Even if Qi Xuansu met the Heavenly Preceptor, he would address him formally, not Grandpa. Xie Jiaofeng, a seventh-generation disciple, still had to humble himself before Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu. Li Changge’s seniority exceeded Sage Qingwei, yet he still behaved with proper respect.

Madam Qi barely counted as part of the Daoist Order. Her fourth rank was largely symbolic. Between her and Qi Xuansu, there were few official matters, mostly messy personal dealings or even questionable schemes. When serious matters did arise, like dealing with powerful enemies, she handled them precisely and always stayed one step ahead of him.

Before Zhang Jucheng left Jade Capital, Qi Xuansu paid him a visit as the Zhang family’s prospective son-in-law.

Zhang Jucheng’s attitude toward Qi Xuansu was telling. He had never openly opposed the marriage between Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu. At first, he remained silent, letting others, like Tantai Qiong and Zhang Yuyue, take the lead in confrontation. He simply watched the situation unfold. When the tide turned, he stepped in, hosted Qi Xuansu, and settled the matter.

This was how cunning a seasoned Daoist was. They would never take a stance too early and would always observe first.

As such, there was no open conflict between Zhang Jucheng and Qi Xuansu. Their relationship was quite good on the surface.

Fundamentally, once Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu adopted Little Yin, the crisis that the main branch of the Zhang family faced disappeared. Initially, many in the Zhang family feared Qi Xuansu would marry into the family and support Zhang Yuelu in competing for leadership. But as circumstances changed, they realized that was unrealistic. Even if the Zhang family begged him, Qi Xuansu would never agree to it. He was aiming for the position of Grand Master, not a mere matrilocal son-in-law.

Zhang Yuelu’s options also expanded. Beyond becoming Grand Master or Heavenly Preceptor, she now had the possibility of becoming the Grand Master’s Consort.

More importantly, they had no biological children.

With the Heavenly Preceptor’s support, Zhang Yuelu’s standing within the Zhang family rose rapidly, and the main branch no longer had reservations, fully backing her. The clearest sign was spending tens of thousands of Taiping coins to renovate the couple’s new mansion in Taishang Place.

It was almost laughable how quick the Zhang family went from arrogance to deference.

Some in the Zhang family might even hope to delay the wedding a few more years until Qi Xuansu reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage. This way, the chances of them having children would be even lower.

They were afraid that the main branch of the Zhang family would no longer remain as such if Zhang Yuelu actually had a biological child who followed her last name.

Of course, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were aware of this. They just chose not to think about it.

They simply had no energy to think about such matters.

During the six-person meeting, Huangfu Ji had mentioned the principle of yin and yang. Though he did not elaborate, everyone present already understood.

It was essentially striking a balance between opposites, the path of compromise.

Balancing between Kukulkan and Ixchel was certainly not the best solution, but neither was it the worst.

All matters in the world followed this logic. Qi Xuansu was no exception. He could not escape the web of interpersonal relationships. He might eliminate enemies without mercy, but with his own people, he could only compromise and maintain balance.

Even the Heavenly Preceptor faced the same predicament.

When Qi Xuansu met Zhang Jucheng, he did not hide anything and went straight to the point. After all, they were both seasoned players. There was no need to play clever games, which might only irritate Zhang Jucheng.

Thus, Qi Xuansu laid it out plainly that he wanted to strike at Li Tianlan. Would Uncle Zhang be willing to deal with that old fox?

Sure enough, Zhang Jucheng did not disappoint. He took the deal.