A Pawn's Passage

No matter what Zhang Yuelu personally thought, she had no choice but to acknowledge that the Heavenly Preceptor’s words made sense.

Without the Heavenly Preceptor’s support, she would have found it difficult to move forward. If necessary, the Heavenly Preceptor could even transfer her elsewhere, and she had no choice in it.

In truth, Zhang Yuelu understood this well. The Heavenly Preceptor was not punishing her without prior guidance. He had first given her an opportunity to try and had provided substantial support throughout. Without his backing, she would never have been able to firmly hold the position of Chief Deputy Mansion Master. Although she had achieved certain results over the past days, now that matters had reached a stalemate, those accomplishments could hardly be considered satisfactory.

This was also the reason Qi Xuansu had never rashly touched this issue during his tenure as Chief Deputy Mansion Master. His foundation was the weakest of all. He did not have the support of the Three Deputy Grand Masters, nor had he become a disciple of Sage Donghua at that time. Had he attempted something similar, he simply could not have afforded the consequences.

This was the tragedy of those born into humble families. They could not afford the cost of failure.

The children of great families were so often successful because they had backing, so they had room to make mistakes. If they lost 500,000 Taiping coins in business, their parents could repay the debt, and they could continue doing business afterward. Even in the worst case, they could still live comfortably as wealthy idlers.

To those from humble backgrounds, 500,000 Taiping coins was not merely a family’s entire fortune but a debt that could not be repaid even across ten lifetimes. One wrong step, and they would bring immediate destruction for the entire family.

Qi Xuansu faced precisely this dilemma, so he did not dare take a single wrong step. Once he stumbled, even if it did not doom him forever, his hopes of becoming the Grand Master would vanish.

The Heavenly Preceptor tossed the bamboo branch from his hand. Upon touching the ground, it took root and transformed into a new bamboo stalk.

Freed from the immense burden upon her shoulders, Zhang Yuelu took a deep breath and finally managed to stand upright.

After straightening herself, Zhang Yuelu admitted her fault to the Heavenly Preceptor. “Since assuming the position of Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, I have failed to live up to the trust placed in me by the Golden Tower Council. This is my dereliction of duty, and I will request for punishment.”

The Heavenly Preceptor said, “Your intentions are good, but one must pay attention to methods and timing. Impatience will not do. Cutting off someone’s source of wealth is akin to killing their parents. Actions that sever people’s financial interests inevitably tear away all pretenses of harmony, and that in itself is not the issue. The real question is whether you currently have the ability to deal with them or whether you have a way to forcefully suppress opposing voices. If not, then tearing away the mask now is simply acting too hastily.”

Zhang Yuelu lowered her head in shame. “I understand.”

The Heavenly Preceptor continued, “In this regard, Tian Yuan sees things more clearly than you. He understands that the reason he can shake Poluo is because the people behind him wish to do so. Without the support of his backer, how could he possibly shake Poluo by himself? Either Wang Jiaohe or Chen Shuhua could take him down with ease.”

The Heavenly Preceptor paused briefly. “Enough of that. I will discuss certain matters with Great Sage Lan myself. In the future, if you encounter difficulties in cultivation, you should seek guidance from Great Sage Lan more often.”

At that moment, Ke Qingqing hurried inside. Upon seeing the Heavenly Preceptor, she was visibly startled for a moment.

Ke Qingqing did not recognize the Heavenly Preceptor.

The Daoist Order would never print portraits of the Three Deputy Grand Masters in its official bulletins. Under normal circumstances, getting a glimpse of one of them was exceedingly difficult. Take Qi Xuansu as an example. Over the past year, he had only seen the Imperial Preceptor once, and that was during a Golden Tower Council meeting. Had it not been necessary for him to deliver a report, he would not even have had that opportunity. Qi Xuansu did not even know where the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor were.

Even someone of Qi Xuansu’s status faced such difficulty, let alone ordinary people. Many people might go their entire lives without ever seeing one of the Three Deputy Grand Masters.

By comparison, the advantages enjoyed by the children of great families became even more apparent. These lofty figures were nearly impossible for those of humble origins to meet, let alone get to know personally. Everything they knew came from hearsay and speculation. However, the children of prestigious families grew up under the watchful eyes of these influential figures. They might not see these elders every day, but they certainly met them regularly. How could the two situations possibly be compared?

Zhang Yuelu glanced at Ke Qingqing. “What’s the matter?”

Ke Qingqing lowered her voice. “Sage Liu has passed away in meditation.”

Zhang Yuelu raised an eyebrow.

Sage Liu was one of the representative local powerbrokers of Poluo, though he could not compare to Sun Heyu. After all, Sun Heyu had once served as the Great Sage of the Poluo Daoist Mansion and an Omniscient Sage. Upon retirement, he had even been promoted to the first rank. During Sun Heyu’s years in power, Sage Liu had merely been a third-rank Youyi Daoist. Only shortly before retiring had he received a promotion to the second rank, and so he retired with the title of Sage.

After returning to his hometown, Sage Liu no longer held office or formal authority. However, the connections he had built over the years remained intact, and he maintained considerable prestige. The later generations of Daoists were all his juniors and naturally had to show some respect to an elder.

These old Daoist families were linked through kinship and alliances, effectively securing a degree of local autonomy. Once they possessed autonomy, they naturally monopolized certain industries. The descendants of these families did not necessarily become Daoists themselves, but they spread throughout all walks of life and were far from ordinary people. Together, they formed a vast network of interests that spanned the entire region.

Theirs were the first interests affected by Zhang Yuelu’s reforms. To implement her new policies, she had to tear apart this entrenched local network of interests. As a result, the conflict between Zhang Yuelu and the old Daoists was extremely severe.

The old Daoists initially filed complaints, but Great Sage Lan refused to intervene. After all, even if they were of similar age, they could hardly be considered members of the same circle.

It was much like the relationship between Qi Xuansu and Cheng Lixue. Their ages were not far apart, but the disparity in status was enormous. If someone investigated Cheng Lixue, Qi Xuansu would hardly step forward to defend him for no reason.

With Great Sage Lan refusing to intervene, Yao Shu found it difficult to intervene as well, since he had no desire to offend either the Zhang family or the Cihang lineage. Eventually, the matter escalated all the way to Jade Capital, where it was ultimately suppressed by Sage Cihang.

The old Daoists also realized that Zhang Yuelu had the backing of both the Heavenly Preceptor and Sage Cihang, so pursuing normal channels was futile. As a result, they began organizing people to cause disturbances. Having been rooted in the region for many years, their influence was considerable. Through coordinated efforts, they gathered more than 10,000 people and surrounded Tianfu Palace. At that point, Great Sage Lan could no longer remain indifferent. Such sudden incidents fell squarely within the responsibilities and authority of a Great Sage.

Great Sage Lan dispatched a first-rank Spirit Guard to manage the situation, arresting several hundred core organizers who had been coordinating the movement. Once that happened, the crowd of more than 10,000 people immediately dispersed.

Seeing this, Great Sage Lan was deeply dissatisfied. After all, some people had already begun gossiping behind his back, claiming that he failed to manage the Daoist Mansion properly since the incidents involving the secret societies and Chen Shuhua. With this stunt, his reputation would go down the drain.

Great Sage Lan was furious, ordering the old Daoists’ arrests. After all, Great Sage Lan was the eldest among them all, so no one could possibly flaunt seniority in front of him.

The old Daoists behaved themselves for a time and stopped engaging in direct confrontations, but their covert struggle against Zhang Yuelu never ceased.

Nevertheless, Zhang Yuelu gradually gained the upper hand. This was what the Heavenly Preceptor had meant when he said that what had already been done need not be discussed further. At heart, the Heavenly Preceptor approved of Zhang Yuelu’s suppression of the local powerhouses.

Under such circumstances, when one of the elder Daoists suddenly died, the remaining old Daoists naturally intended to make a major issue of it.

Ke Qingqing said softly, “Chief Deputy, many people are saying...”

“What?” Zhang Yuelu asked.

Ke Qingqing replied, “It’s all nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart. They’re saying that you drove Sage Liu to his death.”

Zhang Yuelu’s expression remained unchanged as she asked, “What else are they saying?”

Ke Qingqing answered, “They’re saying that because of you, Sage Liu no longer wished to live and therefore chose to enter his final meditation ahead of time. Some are saying the Daoist Mansion must provide an explanation. Others claim that before his death, Sage Liu left behind a final poem condemning you.”

Zhang Yuelu gave a faint snort. “The dead deserve respect, and the troublemakers always move first. Once a person dies, old accounts are settled.”

Ke Qingqing said, “The atmosphere feels wrong right now, so I specifically came to report it to you.”

Zhang Yuelu headed toward the exit. “Bring Old Lin with us. Let’s go take a look.”

Sage Liu also resided in Lion City.

“Yes, Chief Deputy.” Ke Qingqing responded and hurried after Zhang Yuelu. Before leaving, she did not forget to glance at the Heavenly Preceptor.

From beginning to end, Zhang Yuelu made no effort to avoid the Heavenly Preceptor. The Heavenly Preceptor likewise offered no opinion, remaining as calm and detached as ever.

By the time Zhang Yuelu arrived at Sage Liu’s residence, both the interior and exterior of the estate were already draped in mourning white cloth. Many people had come to pay their respects. Under normal circumstances, there would not have been nearly so many visitors. But at a time like this, there were simply too many people looking to exploit the situation, so together, they had created a considerable show of force.

The moment Zhang Yuelu appeared, a crowd immediately surrounded her. Sage Liu’s daughter cried and wailed loudly, “What are you doing here? Haven’t you harmed us enough already? Get out! You’re not welcome here!”

Ke Qingqing stepped forward and stood in front of Zhang Yuelu. “The Chief Deputy heard about Sage Liu’s passing and came to pay her respects. Stop being unreasonable.”

Someone sneered, “Hmph, pay respects? I think you’re here to enjoy the spectacle, aren’t you? Everyone knows that you people drove Sage Liu to his death!”

Some were even more agitated. One person shouted and lunged directly toward Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu was the Chief Deputy Mansion Master. If she truly started fighting people here, it would look bad and be difficult to justify. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Lin Yuanmiao intervened and stopped the man.

Ke Qingqing raised her voice. “We’re here to pay our respects. What exactly are you trying to do?”

However, these people relied on their overwhelming numbers. They also relied on the notion that the law could not punish everyone and that the dead deserved special consideration. One after another, they pressed forward.

Although Lin Yuanmiao’s cultivation was extraordinarily high, everyone around him belonged to the Daoist Order. He could not start slaughtering people indiscriminately. This was precisely where the difficulty of worldly affairs lay.

The crowd shouted one after another, “Zhang Yuelu, kowtow before Sage Liu’s spirit tablet to apologize!”

“That’s right! Kowtow and apologize!”

“You don’t leave until you’ve kowtowed!”

“Zhang Yuelu, all you want is to drive us to our deaths and use our heads as stepping stones to climb higher, isn’t that right?”

“How could someone be worthy of becoming Grand Master?”

“How could Chief Deputy Qi ever marry a woman like you? He must have been blind!”

Throughout the entire ordeal, Zhang Yuelu remained expressionless. She offered no rebuttal. Beneath her sleeves, however, her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles nearly turned white.

Lin Yuanmiao said softly, “Qing Xiao, perhaps we should leave for now.”

The man whom Lin Yuanmiao had stopped earlier removed his hechang and blocked their path once more. “Zhang Yuelu, when you were still nursing at your mother’s breast, I was already risking my life for the Daoist Order. How dare you think that you can come here and throw your weight around? If you’ve got the guts, then kill me!”