A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu had hit the nail on the head with a single remark.

Great clans like the Zhang and Li families had one advantage. They had a complete family structure and had no shortage of capable people.

Take the Li family, for example. Neither the Imperial Preceptor nor Sage Qingwei personally managed the Li family’s affairs. The two merely set the overall direction, devoting most of their energy to matters concerning the Daoist Order. Besides them, there were also Li Tianqing, Li Tianyue, Li Tianzhen, and others who collectively upheld the Li household, so there was little need to worry about family affairs.

The Zhang and Yao families were much the same. Among the senior elders of the Zhang family’s main branch, quite a few were even brothers of the same generation as the Heavenly Preceptor. The Yao family had Yao San, Yao Si, Yao Wu, and others. Madam Qi could also be counted, though her circumstances were rather special.

A small family like Qi Xuansu’s did not have much of a problem either. Its members could be counted on one hand. The most important issue in their household was Little Yin’s education, with perhaps the occasional conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

But the Pei family happened to be caught awkwardly in between. After so many years of growth, it had accumulated quite a large number of family members, yet there were few capable ones and even fewer who could shoulder major responsibilities. Among its core members, only Sage Donghua and Pei Shenfu truly stood out, while Pei Xiaolou had failed to live up to expectations.

Even the Zhang family, which was currently suffering from a shortage of talent in the younger generation, was still far stronger than the Pei family thanks to its deep foundations and sheer number of members. They might not have enough talent to manage the Daoist Order, but managing the Zhang family alone was more than within their capabilities.

For now, things were still manageable, as Sage Donghua could just barely spare some attention for family affairs. But if Sage Donghua became the Grand Master, he would basically have no time to manage the Pei family.

Centralizing power inevitably required a tremendous investment of time and energy. It was not as simple as issuing orders and considering the matter done. One had to follow up, understand the situation, make adjustments, review the results, and administer rewards and punishments. If the Grand Master simply issued orders and then paid no further attention, he would become nothing more than a rubber stamp, easily deceived by those beneath him.

If Sage Donghua won and successfully became the Grand Master, he would inevitably move forcefully to restore the Grand Master’s authority. That would require an enormous amount of his energy. By comparison, the Pei family’s affairs would all be minor matters and would inevitably be set aside.

If Sage Donghua had a son, then at his current age, that son would already have grown into an adult and could have taken up the burden, leaving his aging father free of such worries.

Unfortunately, Sage Donghua had no son. It was only because the Daoist Order did not practice hereditary succession that this was not a serious problem. Under a hereditary system, having no son would have been an enormous disadvantage, enough to undermine people’s confidence in him. Yet even though the Daoist Order did not practice hereditary succession and Sage Donghua had solved the problem of succession with Qi Xuansu, he still could not have Qi Xuansu handle the Pei family’s affairs. Qi Xuansu simply lacked the proper standing to do so, unless he changed his name to Pei Xuansu.

Sage Donghua had also made preparations. Knowing that his younger sister had become estranged from the family and had already married into another household, and that his younger brother was unreliable, he arranged for his brother to marry a strong-willed and capable wife. In the future, the Pei family would have to rely on his sister-in-law to hold things together. That was how Lei Xiaohuan came to marry into the Pei family.

What he had not expected was that Lei Xiaohuan would prove almost too capable. She was now the Chief Deputy of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion, a powerful regional official, and it appeared that she could rise even further. If Sage Donghua became the Grand Master, she would inevitably be promoted as well. At such a critical juncture, not only would her own future be at stake, but she would also have to support the Grand Master’s various policies on all fronts and help Sage Donghua consolidate his authority. Thus, she would also find it difficult to spare much attention for the Pei family’s affairs.

This gave Pei Shenfu room to involve herself in the Pei family’s affairs.

She had every right to do so as the eldest lady of the Pei family, and the members of the Pei family would not object too strongly.

Pei Xiaolou was even less capable of keeping her in check and would only end up being manipulated by her as she pleased.

At a time like this, Qi Xuansu proposed matchmaking Sage Donghua with Sage Cihang, which was akin to pulling the rug out from under Pei Shenfu entirely.

Between a younger sister who had married into another family and a sister-in-law who had married into the family, the sister-in-law would have the stronger claim to involve herself in family affairs.

If Sage Donghua became the Grand Master and Sage Cihang became the Grand Master Consort, her position would be sufficiently exalted and would indeed carry real authority. More importantly, she would serve as the Grand Master’s backup and have plenty of free time, at least far more than the Heavenly Preceptor. Moreover, Sage Cihang had many disciples. In this respect, even Sage Donghua and Sage Qingwei combined could not compare with her. Sage Cihang had no shortage of disciples who could help share her burdens and solve problems on her behalf.

Sage Cihang could then conveniently take charge of the Pei family’s affairs. Whether in terms of legitimacy, authority, or status, Pei Shenfu would be no match for this sister-in-law and could only stand by helplessly and watch.

The Pei family’s affairs would then have nothing to do with Pei Shenfu anymore.

Looking at it this way, Qi Xuansu had not only blocked Yao Pei’s path but had also indirectly blocked Pei Shenfu’s path. No wonder Pei Shenfu found Qi Xuansu so irritating and kept throwing shade at him.

This brat was simply too hateful.

Yet Pei Shenfu had no choice but to ask Qi Xuansu for a favor, offering him a price in hopes of persuading him to abandon the idea.

What she had not expected was that Qi Xuansu would see through her motives at a glance.

Pei Shenfu realized that she had underestimated Qi Xuansu. This young man had climbed to such a high position at such a young age and had even managed to surpass Li Changge. He was certainly no ordinary person. No wonder her elder brother, who had always set his standards impossibly high, thought so highly of this disciple.

Qi Xuansu said unhurriedly, “Even if we put morality and personal feelings aside and talk solely about interests, the sincerity and bargaining chips you’ve offered are far too meager. Do you think you can coax me like a child?”

He paused for a moment and added, “Once you factor in conscience, morals, and feelings, do you really think I would agree?”

Pei Shenfu had indeed tried to be a little clever, hoping that Qi Xuansu would fail to see through her intentions and agree without fully realizing what he was getting into. But Qi Xuansu had remained clearheaded. How could he possibly fail to see through such a petty scheme?

Pei Shenfu stopped pretending as well. “Since we’ve already laid everything out in the open, why don’t you name your price? Then we’ll bargain from there.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Aren’t you going to consider the issue of mutual trust? If I take your payment and then don’t do what I promised, what could you possibly do about it?”

Pei Shenfu gave Qi Xuansu a long look. “Although I dislike you very much, I still trust your reputation.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Don’t make me sound like such a good person. Since you’re being open and frank, I can tell you plainly as well. I am determined to bring our families even closer through marriage, unless the two people involved are unwilling. Rather than coming to me, you might as well go to my master. The two of you are siblings. What could possibly be too difficult to say?”

Pei Shenfu’s expression finally turned somewhat ugly.

Qi Xuansu had struck right where it hurt. If she could persuade Sage Donghua, why would she have gone to all this trouble? She had already failed to persuade Sage Donghua in making Yao Pei his successor. Sage Donghua had still decided to take Qi Xuansu as his disciple. Did she really think she could persuade Sage Donghua on this matter instead?

Qi Xuansu stood up. “Alright, time’s up. I have to go meet the old Daoists.”

Pei Shenfu took a deep breath and enunciated each word. “Qi Xuansu, there is a price to pay for refusing me.”

Qi Xuansu said, “As Madam Qi says, if you’ve got the ability, then use it. I didn’t get to where I am today by being easily frightened.”

With that, Qi Xuansu pushed open the door and left.

Only Pei Shenfu remained in the office.

After a moment, Pei Shenfu connected the voice transmission talisman.

A woman’s voice sounded. “Sage Pei, this is the dedicated line of the Taiping Bank.”

Pei Shenfu said, “Connect me to Three Immortal Islands. I want to speak with Li Tianqing.”

“Certainly. Please wait a moment,” the woman replied.

They were all old acquaintances who had known one another for many years. If Zhang Jucheng could move against Yao Shu, then she could also join forces with Li Tianqing.

After a while, the deep voice of an elderly man came through. “Pei Shenfu?”

He did not address her by her courtesy name and instead called her directly by her given name, which was quite impolite.

Pei Shenfu did not mind. “It’s me.”

Li Tianqing asked, “What do you want?”

Pei Shenfu said, “You seem quite interested in Nanyang. You even sent Li Tianzhen over here to stir up trouble.”

Li Tianqing chuckled. “You have a problem with that?”

Pei Shenfu scoffed. “Of course I do.”

Li Tianqing said, “Elaborate.”

Pei Shenfu replied, “This storm is too small. It’s nowhere near enough to shake Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu.”

Curious, Li Tianqing asked, “You mean...”

Pei Shenfu cut him off. “I’m in Nanyang right now.”

Li Tianqing fell silent for a moment on the other end before saying, “Some things aren’t suitable to be discussed over the voice transmission talisman. It would be better for us to talk face-to-face.”

Pei Shenfu hummed. “I’ll wait for you at the Nanyang Branch Headquarters.”

“No problem. I can make it there tonight.” Li Tianqing then took the initiative to end the communication.

Pei Shenfu leaned back in her chair and muttered, “You two master and disciple have gone too far!”

Qi Xuansu’s reason for leaving the Nanyang Branch Headquarters was not just an excuse. He really did have to meet with the representative of the old Daoists, sit down for a discussion, and placate them. This did not mean that Qi Xuansu was betraying Zhang Yuelu, because when the time came to settle accounts later, those accounts would still be settled.

Qi Xuansu was not meeting with all the old Daoists, but rather the representative they had chosen. This elderly man had some connection to Wang Jiaohe, making him a distant relative of the Wang family. However, the Daoist Order did not practice guilt by association. Besides, they were too far removed to be treated as remnants of Wang Jiaohe’s faction.

It was just like the relationship between Qi Xuansu and Qi Jiaozheng. If Qi Xuansu lost the contest for Grand Master, Li Changge could not implicate Qi Jiaozheng’s entire Qi family along with him. There was no such logic.

As long as the connection was not too deep, one could distance oneself from it.

This elderly man had once served as the Chief Deputy of the Lingnan Daoist Mansion and had also served as the Chief Deputy of Tianji Hall. After retiring, he moved to Lion City and stopped involving himself in political affairs, devoting himself instead to literary pursuits.

A few years ago, he had even published a collection of his writings at his own expense, containing essays he had written over the years.

In this incident involving the old Daoists, he belonged to the faction that could be won over. Thus, choosing him as their representative this time could also be regarded as a gesture of sincerity toward reconciliation.

Although Chen Jianchou was already a Deputy Mansion Master, he still temporarily served as Qi Xuansu’s secretary, accompanying Qi Xuansu everywhere.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Have you prepared the collection of writings I asked you to get?”

Chen Jianchou replied, “Everything is ready.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

Before long, Qi Xuansu returned to Tianfu Palace and met with the representative of the old Daoists.

Old Daoist Wang was extremely enthusiastic, even somewhat excited to meet Qi Xuansu. Everything he said revolved around the same point. Chen Shuhua’s era had been terrible, but things were not much better now either. Just look at how many people had fallen from power. Only when Qi Xuansu was in charge had things truly been good. As far as he was concerned, Qi Xuansu should have been promoted directly from Chief Deputy to Poluo Daoist Mansion Master. What was the point of taking such a long detour?

Qi Xuansu did not dwell too much on what had happened recently. He motioned for Chen Jianchou to take out the collection of writings and said, “Elder Wang, this collection of yours is very well written. I’ve read it, and so has Qing Xiao. We both found it very enlightening.”

Elder Wang found that a little hard to believe. “Chief Deputy Zhang read it too?”

“Of course she did. She couldn’t make time to come because she has to enter seclusion. Just yesterday, she even reminded me that I absolutely had to ask you to personally inscribe the book for her, Elder Wang,” Qi Xuansu spoke with an utterly sincere expression.

Elder Wang’s eyes immediately lit up.

Chen Jianchou immediately fetched a brush and handed it to Elder Wang.

Elder Wang began writing an inscription on the book’s title page, his hand even trembling slightly.

Naturally, the conversation that followed went smoothly in every aspect.

Afterward, Elder Wang would tell everyone he met that they could count on Chief Deputy Qi.