A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1434: Laying the Plans

Overturning a case was difficult, and the higher the level involved, the harder it became.

At the level of the Zhou family, it might require someone at the level of the Grand Master to personally push things forward.

However, Li Ping’s case was not especially difficult, because Li Ping was not Li Tianlan. Li Ping himself did not hold a high rank, and the Daoists involved in his case were likewise of relatively low status. Resistance would certainly exist, but for Qi Xuansu and Zhang Jucheng, it was nothing significant.

Looking at it from another angle, Qi Xuansu represented the Quanzhen Sect, Zhang Jucheng represented the Zhengyi Sect, and the two of them also intended to find a member of the Li family to help push the matter forward. That would represent the Taiping Sect. With all three Daoist sects in agreement, resistance would naturally be reduced to its minimum.

Qi Xuansu intended to indirectly tip off the Li family through his own connection—Li Qingnu.

Qi Xuansu had originally intended to contact Li Qingnu after arriving at the Qizhou Daoist Mansion. But now, he would have to do so earlier.

Li Qingnu’s earliest role had been that of a carefully prepared present from the Li family for the Emperor.

For a woman to take the name of a type of bedding accessory, the implication was self-evident.

At first, Li Tianyue truly treated Li Qingnu as a tool—a bed companion meant to be presented to the Emperor.

But the Emperor simply did not accept her.

Later, Li Qingnu encountered Madam Qi, which became her turning point.

Madam Qi excelled most at placing long-term strategic pieces and investing in neglected prospects. Naturally, the person she devoted the most effort to was Qi Xuansu, transforming him from an obscure nobody into a rising star of the Daoist Order who was now only one step away from entering the Golden Tower Council. The effort Madam Qi invested in Li Qingnu ranked second only to Qi Xuansu. Due to this, Li Qingnu escaped the fate of being treated as a mere object and flourished greatly in recent years, though she could not compare to Qi Xuansu’s dazzling brilliance.

Nowadays, Li Qingnu was very close to people like Li Zhuyu. Within the Li family, there was also another woman named Li Ziqiong. Together, these three were known as the “Three Li Sisters.” These women were ranked only below Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei among the female Daoists.

Of course, these three women were not actually from the same generation at all. Li Zhuyu, as the adopted daughter of Sage Qingwei, belonged to the Tian-generation. Li Qingnu belonged to the Ming-generation, while Li Ziqiong belonged to the even older You-generation. In terms of family hierarchy, they were closer to three generations of grandmother, mother, and granddaughter. However, because they were similar in age and all belonged to the eighth generation of Daoist disciples, the Daoist generational hierarchy diluted the family hierarchy.

The Three Li Sisters were much like the Nanyang Trio—consisting of Lin Yuanmiao, Ji Jiaozhen, and Pei Xiaolou. They grouped mainly because of their shared hobbies.

At present, Li Qingnu could not yet be considered a core member of the Li family, but she was not some peripheral figure. She was more of a middle-level member who connected the upper and lower tiers and possessed considerable value.

Having Li Qingnu directly overturn Li Ping’s case would be asking too much of her. But having her pass along a message or quietly spread some influence behind the scenes was very easy.

After leaving Zhang Jucheng’s office, Qi Xuansu contacted Li Qingnu using his fish talisman.

“Yu Bo, how have you been lately?” Qi Xuansu spoke first.

Li Qingnu was somewhat surprised, though her tone carried the Li family’s characteristic sarcasm. “Why, I truly never expected that the great Chief Deputy Qi would lower himself to contact me first. When was the last time you contacted me? It’s been so long that I can barely even remember who you are. But I suppose it makes sense. A busy man like you only concerns himself with matters of the world. You’re accustomed to dealing with Sage Qingwei and Sage Donghua, so how could someone as insignificant as me possibly catch your eye?”

She was clearly mocking the two major events in Qi Xuansu’s life—being appointed as Beichen Hall’s Chief Deputy to represent Sage Qingwei in the New Continent, and becoming Sage Donghua’s disciple. In other words, she was saying that Qi Xuansu had long since forgotten old friends from the past. Naturally, she was quite dissatisfied.

Qi Xuansu coughed lightly. “I really have been busy.”

“Now, you’re suddenly not busy anymore? I suppose you only thought of me because you need something from me. People always keep others close when they’re useful and toss them aside afterward.” Li Qingnu mocked him.

What else could Qi Xuansu say? He was always careful about maintaining distance from other women, so naturally, he rarely contacted Li Qingnu. Yet he could not really refute her, so he simply changed the topic. “It’s not that serious, is it? What do you mean by tossing you aside afterward? You could have contacted me too. I certainly wouldn’t shut you out. Since you didn’t contact me either, how did this become my fault entirely?”

Li Qingnu had been taught since childhood how to read emotions and serve others. She understood moderation. After expressing her dissatisfaction, she did not push things further. No matter what, she could not afford to offend Qi Xuansu at his current status. So she played along and said, “Fine then, I’m also at fault. Let’s call it fifty-fifty and settle even. So, what instructions does the great Chief Deputy Qi have for me? I’m all ears.”

“I wouldn’t call it an instruction. I mainly wanted to ask you for a favor.” Qi Xuansu did not beat around the bush. “Do you know Li Ping?”

Li Qingnu fell silent for a moment, likely trying to remember. “I think I’ve heard of him. Isn’t he the scum accused of trying to force himself on his stepmother? Why are you asking about him?”

Qi Xuansu said, “That’s the one. But he did not try to assault his stepmother. He was framed.”

Li Qingnu did not seem particularly concerned. “What, are you planning to overturn his case?”

“I’m not the one who’s going to overturn his case. You all are,” Qi Xuansu said.

“Us?” Li Qingnu was startled. “Who exactly are you referring to?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Naturally, you, Li Zhuyu behind you, and lastly, Li Changge behind Li Zhuyu.”

Li Qingnu roughly understood what he meant.

Qi Xuansu continued, “You’ve recently started taking over some of the Li family’s intelligence work, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” Once the conversation turned to serious matters, Li Qingnu also adopted a more serious attitude. “Those countless pleasure houses are naturally perfect places for gathering intelligence. The Li family isn’t so petty as to obsess over a few coins earned from entertainment. They care more about the powerful and influential people who frequent such places, especially Daoists. The Daoist Order forbids Daoists from visiting brothels, but human nature is what it is. Some Daoists are regular patrons of those establishments, and while indulging themselves, they often unintentionally leak important information. I’m currently in charge of matters related to that.”

Qi Xuansu said, “I hope you can quietly tip off Li Zhuyu’s faction without exposing yourself. It concerns Li Ping and Li Tianlan. Li Zhuyu and the others have long been dissatisfied with Li Tianlan. They probably won’t let an opportunity to strike at him slip away.”

Li Qingnu considered it seriously for a moment. “That can be done. But the act has to be convincing from start to finish. Who’s going to leak the information?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I’ll make the arrangements.”

Li Qingnu agreed.

Which actor did Qi Xuansu intend to cast in this performance?

He already had the perfect candidate in mind—Xu Kou.

Li Ping had once said that Gu Ying had a lover, and that person was Li Minghuang.

Li Minghuang was currently serving in Tiangang Hall, making him and Xu Kou colleagues. So it would be perfectly believable for Xu Kou to have accidentally learned about the matter.

Xu Kou was from Qizhou and occasionally returned there. His wife had already passed away, so it was also entirely reasonable for a widower like him to visit pleasure houses.

This matter had nothing to do with Xu Kou’s personal interests. It was purely someone else’s affair. After drinking, he could plausibly let something slip by accident, which would then be overheard by one of Li Qingnu’s subordinates. The subordinate would report it to Li Qingnu, who would then pass it up to Li Zhuyu. The entire chain connected smoothly and naturally.

That completed the entire performance. Even if the Li family investigated afterward, they would only conclude that Zhang Jucheng had seized the opportunity presented by their own internal conflict to take advantage of the situation, not that they had been deliberately lured into a carefully laid trap.

The only remaining question was whether Xu Kou could truly be trusted.

He had originally belonged to the Taiping Sect, which made him seem somewhat unreliable. It did not appear wise to entrust such a matter to him.

However, after careful consideration, Qi Xuansu ultimately decided that it was acceptable.

There were three reasons for this. First, Xu Kou had been personally promoted by Zhang Yuelu over the years and had effectively become a Daoist aligned with the Zhengyi Sect. Second, Xu Kou had a poor relationship with Li Tianzhen. Although Li Tianzhen had recommended Xu Kou into Tiangang Hall, he had also instructed Xu Kou to offend Zhang Yuelu. It was one thing for Zhang Yuelu to be magnanimous and not hold it against him, but if she had chosen otherwise, Xu Kou would have been discarded as cannon fodder. Due to this, Xu Kou had gradually distanced himself from the Taiping Sect, while Li Tianzhen happened to belong to Li Tianlan’s camp. Third, Sage Qingwei had once recognized Xu Kou’s talent and given him opportunities. Striking at Li Tianlan might not align with the overall interests of the Li family, but it did align with the interests of Sage Qingwei’s faction. Xu Kou would therefore not feel conflicted because of past loyalties, nor would he resist the plan.

Taking these three points into consideration, Qi Xuansu ultimately decided to let Xu Kou handle the matter.

As it happened, because of Qi Wangui’s case, Xu Kou was temporarily under Qi Xuansu’s command, which made things even more convenient.

Since Qi Xuansu had decided to use Xu Kou, he did not conceal too much from him. Aside from the later stages of the plan, which he withheld, he roughly explained the entire background of Li Ping’s case and instructed Xu Kou to deliberately leak the information to the Li family.

Naturally, Qi Xuansu did not mention that Li Qingnu was also one of his people. That was perfectly reasonable. Even without Li Qingnu, the information Xu Kou intentionally leaked could still plausibly reach Li Zhuyu’s ears.

The reason Qi Xuansu chose to involve Li Qingnu was to ensure that this deliberately leaked information would definitely reach Li Zhuyu, rather than merely having a chance of doing so. He also did not want it to end up in Li Tianzhen’s hands or be suppressed midway by someone else.

After hearing everything, Xu Kou did not hesitate much and immediately agreed.

Xu Kou came from the Green Phoenix Guard, an organization notorious for its ruthless methods. He did not possess overly lofty moral standards, and such schemes were commonplace to him. Moreover, this matter was not directed against Sage Qingwei, so Xu Kou did not feel conflicted. As for whether Sage Qingwei cared about the Li family’s broader interests or wished to pursue Li Tianlan further, that was an entirely separate matter.

Qi Xuansu then granted Xu Kou ten days of leave under the pretext that the Qi Wangui case had already concluded. Since Zhongzhou was not far from Qizhou, Xu Kou could conveniently return to his hometown as well.

Though Xu Kou was under Tiangang Hall, and Qi Xuansu was from Beichen Hall, Qi Xuansu could still grant Xu Kou leave through Sage Cihang. Within the Daoist Order, not everything operated strictly according to rules. Much depended on personal relationships and social maneuvering.

With that, the preliminary phase of Qi Xuansu’s arrangement was essentially complete.

If everything proceeded smoothly, it would be like slipping a noose around Li Tianlan’s neck and slowly tightening it.

Struggle was not conducted solely through open strategies. When open tactics were appropriate, one should act openly and honorably. But when covert schemes were required, frontal assaults were no longer suitable.

This was precisely why Qi Xuansu was so cautious not to leave any weaknesses. If Li Tianlan had not accumulated so many vulnerabilities, then no matter how much Qi Xuansu and Zhang Jucheng schemed, they could not have done much to him.