A Pawn's Passage

Some people always overlook one thing. Qi Xuansu was willing to be reasonable, but that did not mean he had to be reasonable. If he decided to be unreasonable, he could be even more overbearing than Li Minghuang.

That was because most people could not do anything to him. The Qi Xuansu of today was one of the Daoist Order’s major figures, powerful enough to stir up a storm.

In fact, the vast majority of people were not even qualified to provoke Qi Xuansu. That was why there were no longer any scions who would throw his weight around Qi Xuansu because they wanted to fight for Zhang Yuelu’s attention.

If someone really lost his mind and tried something like that, Hun Ahau alone could casually deal with him. There would be no need for Qi Xuansu to personally step in.

The last person to harbor a similar idea was probably Li Tianzhen, who ended up shackled in iron chains by Little Yin and reduced to a prisoner. In the end, Li Changge had to step forward to resolve the matter.

Li Changge was certainly qualified to do such a thing, but he was clearly not interested in Zhang Yuelu. Setting aside the longstanding conflict between the Zhang and Li families, which was difficult to reconcile, their visions for the future development of the Daoist Order were also worlds apart. Naturally, he would not compete with Qi Xuansu over matters of romance.

As for Pei Shenfu, Qi Xuansu had merely been somewhat disrespectful toward her at first. He had not yet gone so far as to be outright rude, out of consideration for his master, Pei Xiaolou, and Yao Pei. But Pei Shenfu should not have dragged Madam Qi into the matter.

If Pei Shenfu had merely tried to attack Qi Xuansu with words, he would not have done much about it. After all, he had climbed his way up from the very bottom. He was used to sarcastic jabs and being given the cold shoulder. But Pei Shenfu had insisted on dragging Madam Qi into it, which was no different from insulting his mother.

That was why Qi Xuansu did not bother to show her respect.

Pei Shenfu was thoroughly infuriated. Qi Xuansu’s tone was practically that of a superior who had squeezed some time out of his schedule to hear a subordinate’s report. What did he take her for?

Qi Xuansu said, “What? Do you have nothing to say?”

Qi Xuansu was not afraid of offending his master over this. Neither Sage Donghua nor Pei Xiaolou rarely mentioned their sister. Even as Yao Pei’s uncle, Sage Donghua was not particularly close to her and had instead decisively chosen Qi Xuansu. All the signs suggested that there was most likely a rift between the siblings.

Thus, Qi Xuansu decisively tested the waters with his words, bringing up how Pei Shenfu had come to resent both master and disciple because of what happened with Yao Pei.

Since Pei Shenfu had not denied it, it gave Qi Xuansu a good idea of where things stood.

It now seemed that Pei Shenfu had long since ceased to be on the same side as her brothers.

Perhaps it was precisely Pei Shenfu’s change in allegiance that had indirectly caused the alliance between Sage Donghua and the Yao family to fall apart. She was supposed to be the link connecting the two sides, remaining impartial. Yet in the end, she had sided with the Yao family, causing that link to break and destroying the mutual trust between them.

Naturally, the deeply disappointed Sage Donghua would want to find a successor who was truly of one mind with him, rather than toil away only for someone else to reap the benefits.

That person could only be Qi Xuansu.

Pei Shenfu once again composed herself. She was remarkably skilled at controlling her emotions. She recovered quickly and became the cold and imposing matriarch of the Pei family. “Qi Xuansu, you’re more like someone from the Li family. Your words are dripping with sarcasm; you act without restraint; you look down on everyone; and you’re arrogant and conceited. Yet when it matters, you know when to yield and when to stand firm, and you’re flexible enough to adapt.”

Qi Xuansu could not be bothered to engage with her barbs and asked, “Pei Shenfu, is your last name Pei or Yao?”

Pei Shenfu’s gaze turned inscrutable. “You call me Pei Shenfu, so naturally, my last name is Pei.”

“Not necessarily,” Qi Xuansu said. “Like Yao Pei’s name, Yao comes before Pei. According to Confucian conventions, a husband’s last name comes before a woman’s maiden name, so I could also call you Madam Yao-Pei.”

Pei Shenfu said coldly, “But this is now the era of the Daoist Order.”

Qi Xuansu said, “You know perfectly well where your true allegiance lies. Let’s get down to business.”

Pei Shenfu finally stopped trying to gain the upper hand through words and said, “Very well. Let’s have a calm discussion.”

Qi Xuansu also softened his tone. “Of course, Martial Aunt.”

Pei Shenfu said, “My main task in coming to Nanyang this time is to inspect the Nanyang Branch Headquarters of the Taiping Bank, coordinate with the personnel changes in the Poluo Daoist Mansion, and rectify various longstanding abuses.”

Although Taiping Bank had retained its old name, its nature had fundamentally changed. In essence, it was the central bank of the Daoist Order and the Great Xuan Court. It was the Daoist Order’s highest authority on monetary policy, responsible for formulating such policies and overseeing functions such as minting coins and issuing currency.

When necessary, the Taiping Bank’s highest decision-making body could make decisions independently and enjoyed considerable autonomy.

The Taiping Bank constituted an independent system of its own. Although it had to cooperate with the Daoist Order’s various major policies, neither the Golden Tower Council nor the Imperial Cabinet could directly interfere with its internal personnel appointments and could only exert influence indirectly.

As part of its system of checks and balances, the upper echelon of Taiping Bank consisted of seven Managers—three from the Daoist Order, three from the Imperial Court, and one from the Great Xuan royal family. All seven were prominent figures holding high office. Their terms lasted five years, and they could be reappointed.

Initially, the seven Taiping Bank Managers took turns being the Chief Manager. Later, after the fifth-generation Grand Master came to power, he introduced several reforms to strengthen the Daoist Order’s leadership over the Taiping Bank. He stipulated that the rotating Chief Manager and the two Deputy Managers had to be members of the Daoist Order, ensuring that the Daoist Order could maintain absolute control over the Taiping Bank despite holding fewer seats.

At the same time, the position of Chief Secretary was established to oversee daily affairs while also serving as a coordinator and convener. Although the Chief Secretary had no voting rights, they had the authority to bring any major matter they believed might affect monetary policy to the attention of this Council of Seven. In addition, the Chief Secretary was responsible for carrying out other matters entrusted by the Council of Seven, essentially serving as Taiping Bank’s chief administrator.

Candidates for Chief Secretary were nominated by the Chief Manager and the two Deputy Managers before being put to a vote by the Council of Seven. Combined with the rule that the Chief Manager and the two Deputy Managers had to be members of the Daoist Order, this effectively ensured that the Chief Secretary would also come from the Daoist Order, further strengthening the Daoist Order’s leadership over the Taiping Bank.

From the Daoist Order’s perspective, the fifth-generation Grand Master’s series of decisions had all greatly benefited the Daoist Order. It was no wonder that the Great Xuan Emperor was extremely dissatisfied with the current state of affairs.

For major decisions, the Council of Seven used a system combining deliberation and voting. Each member had one vote, and all votes were cast on the record. In the event of a tie, the Chief Manager held the deciding vote.

This was where the advantage of the Taiping Sect became apparent. Given the relationship between the Taiping Sect and the Great Xuan Court, the royal family representative, the representative of the nobility, and at least one Confucian representative would all support the Taiping Sect. Together with the Taiping Sect’s own vote, this gave the Taiping Sect control over the Taiping Bank’s decision-making. Thus, in the struggle among the Three Daoist Sects, the Quanzhen Sect and the Zhengyi Sect held the advantage in the Golden Tower Council by joining forces, but were instead at a disadvantage within the Taiping Bank.

The two greatest powers were having control over personnel and finances.

The Golden Tower Council controlled personnel, while Taiping Bank controlled finances.

This was also one of the reasons why the Taiping Sect, despite appearing to be at a disadvantage, was actually holding its own.

If the Zhengyi Sect and Quanzhen Sect had not joined forces, the Taiping Sect would have dominated alone. The Li family’s arrogance was not without reason.

Now, Yao Yi served as the Chief Manager, with Li Changsheng and Zhang Wuliang serving as the two Deputy Managers. Following Yao Yi’s nomination and a vote by the Council of Seven, Pei Shenfu was appointed as Chief Secretary of the Taiping Bank.

Logically speaking, the Taiping Sect should have secured the position of Chief Secretary with an overwhelming majority. However, the four representatives of the Great Xuan Court became embroiled in an internal struggle over conflicting interests, ultimately resulting in a tied vote instead. Yao Yi then exercised his authority as Chief Manager to cast the deciding vote, settling the matter once and for all and helping Pei Shenfu secure the position of Chief Secretary.

This also became a source of resentment for the Taiping Sect. The Imperial Preceptor had once privately cursed the Confucians for being good for nothing, saying that even after more than 200 years, they had not improved in the slightest.

As Chief Secretary, Pei Shenfu could more or less be considered the highest-ranking person beneath the Council of Seven, similar to the Chief Deputy of the Three Great Halls. Although she was not an Omniscient Sage, her standing was comparable to one.

Pei Shenfu was certainly qualified to speak with Qi Xuansu as an equal. But Qi Xuansu had deliberately slighted her earlier.

“Tian Yuan, I heard that you’re planning to matchmake my elder brother with Sage Cihang?” Pei Shenfu finally revealed part of her true purpose.

Qi Xuansu neither admitted nor denied it. “Who did you hear that from, Martial Aunt?”

Pei Shenfu retorted, “Isn’t this common knowledge?”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “You must be joking, Martial Aunt. Setting aside the status and positions of the two Sages and just considering seniority, Sage Donghua is my master, while Sage Cihang is Qing Xiao’s master. How could a junior like me decide the marital affairs of two elders? That wouldn’t make any sense. Perhaps some elders of the sixth generation have such intentions, which would be perfectly proper. But I have no say over the wishes of those sixth-generation elders either.”

Pei Shenfu said, “Seniority alone doesn’t matter in something like this. What matters is whose words carry weight. I’m his younger sister, and Lin Ge is his younger brother, yet when it comes to my elder brother, I’m afraid neither of our words carries as much weight as yours.”

Qi Xuansu feigned surprise. “Is that so? There’s no need to overstate things.”

Pei Shenfu was beginning to lose patience. “Since we’re sincerely trying to negotiate, let’s stop beating around the bush. The Nanyang Branch Headquarters can continue supporting the Nanyang United Trading Company, including providing various preferential policies and special accommodations. Manager Hu will remain in charge as before. But the condition is—”

Qi Xuansu interrupted, “Martial Aunt, it seems that you don’t want a new sister-in-law. My master has no children, while I’m an outsider with a different last name, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to interfere in your family affairs. Lin Ge is the younger brother and defers to his elder sister, while the others are merely members of the collateral branches. If my master has no time to concern himself with Pei family affairs, then no one can keep you in check. After all, you were once the eldest young lady of the Pei family, so you would have the final say in the Pei family. But if a legitimate sister-in-law suddenly appeared, and one of such lofty status, then it would be hard to say who gets the final say in many household matters. Isn’t that right?”