A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu did not hold out much hope for this. He did not ask for Great Sage Yan to support him. He only hoped that she would not oppose him.

Finally, after Pei Xiaolou made some inquiries and contacted the relevant parties, the Yao family sent back a reply.

Yao Yi had entrusted Yao Shu with speaking to Qi Xuansu, saying that he would not be coming personally.

All of them were passing the buck from one person to the next. How wonderful.

Pei Xiaolou and Pei Xiaoyun had pushed the matter onto their eldest brother. Then Sage Donghua had pushed it onto his brother-in-law. Yet in the end, Yao Yi, the husband himself, refused to step forward as well and handed the task to his own brother, Yao Shu.

What kind of situation was this?

Qi Xuansu wondered whether Pei Shenfu would feel hurt if she found out.

Yao Shu finally had no one left to pass the matter on to. After all, he was already in Nanyang and had nowhere to run, so he could only come and meet Qi Xuansu.

This meeting was much easier to arrange. There was no need for any grand display. They could simply meet behind closed doors. The location was set at the Sheji Palace.

Since Qi Xuansu and Yao Shu had worked together for two years, they were quite familiar with one another.

Back then, Yao Shu had personally escorted Qi Xuansu to the Poluo Daoist Mansion to take up his post, when the two of them were still allies on the same side. Later, Yao Shu became the Poluo Daoist Mansion Master while Qi Xuansu became the Chief Deputy. Although a rift had developed between them because of the shifting balance of power, they had never openly fallen out.

Yao Shu took the initiative to speak. “Tian Yuan, you certainly haven’t been idle since coming back this time.”

Yao Shu had deliberately used the words coming back, implying that Nanyang was still Qi Xuansu’s home, and hence drawing their relationship closer. It even signified that Qi Xuansu and the Yao family were still, in some sense, one family.

Whatever the case, the Yao family had never expelled Madam Qi from the family and still acknowledged her status. As Madam Qi’s adopted son, even if Qi Xuansu refused to acknowledge the Yao family, this connection between them still existed.

Qi Xuansu understood perfectly well but pretended not to. Instead of taking the bait, he said, “Sage Yao, you’re right. I really haven’t been idle. I went to Lion City and met with some representatives of the old Daoists. They generally complained that the atmosphere within the Daoist Order has deteriorated and that people are no longer what they used to be. They even singled out one person in particular. He isn’t from our Daoist Mansion, but from the Tiangang Hall—Li Minghuang. This man is especially fond of ‘showing concern’ for female colleagues. Someone even reported him under their real name, causing quite a scandal. His ‘glorious deeds’ have already made their way to Nanyang. The impact has been very bad.”

Yao Shu was also an old hand in the Daoist Order, so how could he fail to understand Qi Xuansu’s implied meaning?

This was Qi Xuansu naming his price. Yao Shu said, “I know this fellow Daoist. In my view, someone like Li Minghuang is best kept away from important positions. After all, Li Minghuang has barely accomplished anything after all these years in the Tiangang Hall. He can make empty promises, but when it comes time to get real work done, it always starts off well and ends with excuses.”

Yao Shu did not have the authority to decide Li Minghuang’s future, but the Yao family had that kind of influence. At this moment, Yao Shu was not just the Poluo Daoist Mansion Master; he was representing the Yao family.

With the Zhang family and the Yao family joining forces, as well as the several potent measures Qi Xuansu had prepared, it would be very difficult for the Li family to continue protecting Li Minghuang.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Several of the veteran Chief Deputy Hall Masters have reached retirement and are stepping down one after another. Li Minghuang has set his sights on the position of Chief Deputy of the Tiangang Hall. But how can someone of questionable conduct who has accomplished so little be entrusted with such an important responsibility for the security of the Daoist Order?”

Yao Shu did not object to this assessment. Instead, he said, “If Li Minghuang cannot be entrusted with an important position in the Tiangang Hall, he still needs somewhere to go.”

Qi Xuansu said, “I looked into it briefly. Doesn’t Li Minghuang enjoy showing concern for female Daoists? He also seems to be very popular with women, so we should make the best use of his talents. I think it would be quite appropriate to transfer him to the Female Daoist Association of Mutual Aid as its Chief Deputy. That way, he can put his strengths to good use and do his part for our female Daoists.”

It was not enough to kill a man; one had to crush his spirit as well.

Although Qi Xuansu had no intention of physically eliminating Li Minghuang, he had already begun the process of killing his political career.

Although the Chief Deputy of the Tiangang Hall and the Chief Deputy of the Female Daoist Association appeared to be of equivalent rank, the difference in actual power between the two positions was enormous. The former might not technically be an Omniscient Sage, but wielded power comparable to one, while the latter was only marginally better than retiring into the mountains.

However, Li Minghuang was not a member of the Yao family, so Yao Shu hardly bothered to care. He said, “Tian Yuan, you really are thoughtful to have considered everything so thoroughly. I think this arrangement couldn’t be more suitable.”

With that, they had reached an agreement.

But Qi Xuansu’s appetite did not stop there. He continued, “By the way, when I went to Lion City, I also stopped by Nanyang United Trading Company.”

“You’re the former Chief Deputy of our Poluo Daoist Mansion. You’ve handled the reorganization of the Nanyang United Trading Company all by yourself. I certainly didn’t dare interfere.” Yao Shu spoke half-jokingly. “So, after this inspection of yours, what are your thoughts?”

Qi Xuansu said, “I wouldn’t call it an inspection. I was just taking a casual look around. As for my thoughts, Old Chen from Nanyang United Trading Company did complain to me quite a bit. He went on about problems with the Heavenly Court, and lending, policy, and credit issues. I told him that his mindset had seriously deteriorated and that he has grown so accustomed to fighting only when the wind is at his back, and the moment he encounters the slightest headwind, he starts complaining. He needs to learn how to overcome difficulties and face challenges head-on...”

Once again, there was more behind Qi Xuansu’s words than what was said outright. and Yao Shu caught the implication as well. He said, “Tian Yuan, you really can’t blame Old Chen for this. I am still the head of our Daoist Mansion, and I’ve learned something about Nanyang United Trading Company through other channels. Some of the problems Old Chen mentioned do objectively exist. Take the lending and policy issues, for example. They were mainly caused by certain personnel changes at the Taiping Bank’s Nanyang Branch Headquarters. Old Chen can’t really be blamed for that.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “The impact isn’t too serious, is it?”

Yao Shu said, “Protecting economic and trade development is one of the Daoist Mansion’s responsibilities to begin with. Don’t worry. I have already written to the Taiping Bank, and we will do our utmost to minimize the impact.”

Qi Xuansu deliberately let out a long sigh of relief. “That’s good, then. The economy is a serious matter. We cannot afford to be careless.”

Yao Shu also agreed to Qi Xuansu’s second demand.

This had been a bargaining chip that Pei Shenfu had fabricated out of thin air in the first place.

Before negotiating with Qi Xuansu, they had first hit him with a series of coordinated moves, then used the withdrawal of those same moves as bargaining chips in the negotiations. In reality, they had not conceded anything at all.

Since those measures had been fabricated out of thin air to begin with, Yao Shu suffered no loss whatsoever by agreeing to Qi Xuansu’s demand. So he agreed to withdraw them and restore everything to the way it had been before.

After stating his two demands, Qi Xuansu fell silent and simply looked at Yao Shu.

His meaning was perfectly clear. He wanted Yao Shu to fill in the third demand himself.

Yao Shu understood immediately. When his elder brother Yao Yi had entrusted this matter to him, he had also sent something to Yao Shu through a special channel. This was the real bargaining chip offered by the Yao family.

Naturally, Yao Shu would not state outright that this was a bribe. Instead, he put it more tactfully. “By the way, Tian Yuan, if I remember correctly, you’ll be getting married when you return to Jade Capital this time.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Thank you for remembering, Sage Yao. The exact date hasn’t been set yet, but it will be sometime this year. When the time comes, I’ll have to invite you to join us for a wedding drink.”

Yao Shu said, “You know the current situation in the Daoist Mansion. It isn’t just the Taiping Bank undergoing personnel changes. Our entire Daoist Mansion is going through all manner of personnel changes as well. In fact, you could call it a storm of sorts.

“Xie Jiaofeng was a veteran of the Daoist Mansion, and many people had dealings with him. When he fell, his case alarmed Jade Capital. Not only did it put us in a very difficult position, but it also caused considerable disruption to the entire power structure within the Daoist Mansion. Dozens of people connected to him were disciplined.

“That would have been bad enough, but a few days ago, there was another incident involving a collective complaint. The fellow Daoists from the Fengxian Hall are responsible for precisely this sort of thing, so they tend to be rather suspicious by nature. They’ve also never worked at the local level, so they don’t understand the importance of stability and balance. Using this incident as a pretext, they launched a campaign to purge the lingering influence, leaving everyone fearing for themselves. At present, as many as 11 third-rank Daoists or above are implicated, including some who have already retired. More than 60 people of fourth rank and above, and hundreds of those below the fourth rank are involved.

“I proposed that since so many people were involved, it would be best to take a more conservative approach in order to maintain stability, but the Daoists from the Fengxian Hall disagreed.

“With so many positions suddenly left vacant, many posts are now being filled on an acting basis. The case has yet to reach its final conclusion, so no one can say what the ultimate outcome will be. There may well be further repercussions. As for those who remain, they may be clean, but they are not the most competent. I’m afraid they’ll start the year making grand declarations, spend the middle of the year spouting nonsense, and end the year with nothing left to say. But never mind that.

“This is a major test for our personnel arrangements, and as the Mansion Master responsible for personnel matters, how could I possibly get away? So I probably won’t be able to attend your wedding banquet. I can only offer my congratulations in advance.”

Qi Xuansu said, “It’s not a problem. Official business must come first, after all. With such problems arising in Nanyang, even I, as its former Chief Deputy, cannot help but feel uneasy.”

Only then did Yao Shu take out a box about the size of a pillow. He placed it on the tea table between them, then slowly pushed it toward Qi Xuansu. “This is my wedding gift to you, Tian Yuan.”

Qi Xuansu raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at the box.

Yao Shu smiled. “It’s nothing particularly valuable, and it doesn’t violate any rules. It’s merely the customary exchange of gifts between relatives. Tian Yuan, there’s no need to be so formal with me.”

Qi Xuansu reached out and lifted the lid slightly with his fingertips. He then lowered his gaze to look inside.

The box was lined with velvet, storing two pieces of Xuan Jade.

Although he had only caught a fleeting glimpse, he could already tell that these two pieces of Xuan Jade were no ordinary specimens. The bloodlike veins within them were so dense that they had nearly dyed the Xuan Jade red.

These two pieces of Xuan Jade were in no way inferior to the two that Sage Donghua had given Qi Xuansu.

This was exactly what it meant to cater perfectly to someone’s tastes.

It was an offer that Qi Xuansu could not refuse.

Thinking about it carefully, this was only reasonable. The Yao family possessed the Longevity Stone Heart, so they must also have a considerable stock of Xuan Jade. Thus, it was not surprising that they would have Xuan Jades of this quality.

Qi Xuansu showed no change in expression as he said, “Sage Yao, you’re too thoughtful. Xuansu is undeserving of such treatment, but I shall accept your gift.”

Yao Shu chuckled. “There’s no need for such formality between us.”

Qi Xuansu put away the box and said, “As for the matter concerning the Metal Palace, I will bring it to a conclusion as soon as possible.”

Yao Shu stood up and extended his hand. “That would be for the best.”

Qi Xuansu rose as well, took Yao Shu’s hand, and gave it a gentle shake.