A Pawn's Passage

In the end, the matter involving Li Minghuang could no longer be covered up.

Lu Yujue and Gu Ying filed real-name reports against Li Minghuang one after another, causing a major stir.

That was because both Lu Yujue and Gu Ying belonged to the Taiping Sect.

This was their own people turning against each other.

The Taiping Sect quickly split into two opposing camps over the matter.

One camp utterly despised Li Minghuang, believing that he would not even spare his own people. Even those in the Jianghu knew that sleeping with someone’s wife was a grave taboo, yet he dared to do such a thing within the Daoist Order. Worse still, Gu Ying’s report had even exposed Li Minghuang for framing Li Mingping, which these people found even more intolerable. In terms of generational hierarchy, Li Tianlan was Li Minghuang’s uncle, and Li Mingping was his cousin. What kind of person could do such a thing?

The other camp fiercely denounced Lu Yujue and Gu Ying as traitors who had become knives in the hands of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect. They claimed that this was a premeditated scheme and called upon their fellow Taiping Sect members not to fall for it, insisting that Li Minghuang must be protected at all costs.

However, the senior leadership of the Taiping Sect remained unusually silent.

It seemed that they also understood that anything they said at this point would be wrong and would inevitably offend one group or another, so they simply chose to say nothing.

The Zhengyi Sect and Quanzhen Sect were merely watching the drama unfold with interest, simply enjoying the spectacle.

However, the senior leadership of the Zhengyi Sect and Quanzhen Sect reached a consensus. Led by the Zhang and Yao families, they launched an investigation into Li Minghuang.

Both Gu Ying and Lu Yujue were placed under the protection of the Ziwei Hall.

Some might say that a matter like this should properly fall under the jurisdiction of the Fengxian Hall. However, since the Ziwei Hall was responsible for evaluating personnel appointments, there was also justification for its involvement. More importantly, an investigation by the Ziwei Hall did not constitute formally opening a case, leaving room to advance or retreat. If the Taiping Sect was willing to make concessions, the matter could stop at this stage without becoming too ugly. Li Minghuang could be made to suffer the consequences, while bearing the infamy himself.

At the very least, these sordid affairs could not be officially confirmed, as that would damage the Taiping Sect’s reputation. As long as no formal case was opened and concluded, everything would remain as rumors, leaving room for alternative explanations. At the very least, they could continue to deny the accusations, offer rebuttals, and trade arguments back and forth. Then it could simply be described as both sides sticking to their own version of events, with no resolution to the dispute.

Given enough time, they might even be able to manipulate public opinion, muddy the issue, rewrite history, or even pin their own deeds on someone else.

But if the investigation were truly pursued to the bitter end, and paired with irrefutable evidence, the Li family’s dirty laundry would be aired in public, and they would not be able to defend themselves no matter what.

In consideration of this, the Taiping Sect could not afford to ignore the matter. All they could do was try their utmost to minimize the damage.

This could also be considered a case of cutting their losses by surrendering.

Of course, the Zhengyi Sect and Quanzhen Sect did not want to push the Taiping Sect too hard either, because none of them were entirely clean. If they truly drove the Taiping Sect into a corner and ended up mutually destroying one another, everyone would lose face. It was better to stop at the right point.

Thus, the Golden Tower Council quickly reached a consensus on the matter.

The impact had been too damaging. Li Minghuang was no longer suitable to remain in his current position, so he would first be removed from office and reassigned elsewhere.

As for exactly what had caused such a damaging impact, that was left unstated, nor was Li Minghuang formally convicted of anything.

The public announcement mentioned only Li Minghuang’s removal from office, which made the matter somewhat ambiguous. After all, Qi Xuansu had also been removed from office, yet everyone knew that Qi Xuansu was about to be promoted to Omniscient Sage and enter the Golden Tower Council.

Therefore, Li Minghuang still had to be given a new appointment as soon as possible before this matter could truly be considered settled.

Sage Qingwei found the entire matter deeply distasteful, yet he had no choice but to deal with it, so he personally contacted Sage Donghua.

Sage Donghua was somewhat surprised. “Brother Zhi Qing, what made you think of me today?”

Sage Qingwei did not get straight to the point either. “I know Brother Xuan Ji is an extremely busy man these days. I’ve heard that the Ziwei Hall stays brightly lit every night up until dawn and that quite a few people are working around the clock. Has an idle fellow like me interrupted your work?”

Sage Donghua laughed. “What are you saying? No matter how busy I am, surely I still have time for a conversation. Besides, when the esteemed Sage Qingwei personally comes calling, I certainly cannot refuse you that courtesy.”

Only then did Sage Qingwei turn to the main subject. “Speaking of personnel matters, I do have a suggestion. There are far too many rumors circulating at present. Perhaps we should resolve Li Minghuang’s matter as soon as possible, so as to quell the gossip and steady people’s hearts.”

Sage Donghua immediately understood. “Regarding this matter, I’ve discussed it with several other fellow Daoists, and quite a few have also offered me their suggestions. Fellow Daoist Zhang from Jiangnan and Daoist Yao from Poluo both have some opinions on the matter. They are members of the Golden Tower Council and Omniscient Sages, so their views cannot simply be ignored. Therefore, my thought is this. Fellow Daoist Li Minghuang is clearly very good at showing concern for his female colleagues. Why not assign him to the Female Daoist Association of Mutual Aid, where he can make even greater use of his abilities? Of course, this is only a preliminary idea. I will still need to hear your opinion before making the final arrangements.”

Sage Qingwei found the suggestion even more repulsive, but he merely said, “I agree. This is also a matter of making the best use of everyone’s talents.”

Neither side stated it outright, yet everything that needed to be said had been made perfectly clear. Li Minghuang’s future was finished.

There was no helping it. Even if Sage Qingwei had not been so ruthless, he still could not have stopped this political assassination of Li Minghuang. The man had offended far too many people. Neither Zhang Jucheng nor Qi Xuansu would ever allow him to become Chief Deputy of the Tiangang Hall.

Even within the Taiping Sect itself, there was considerable dissatisfaction, especially among Li Tianlan’s relatives, friends, and former associates. Li Tianlan had already fallen from power, and many people sympathized with him. Yet now, something like this has happened to his wife and son. Gu Ying’s report explicitly accused Li Minghuang of coercing her into sex, which aroused even greater sympathy for her.

In any case, whether the accusations were true or false was no longer important. The key was to quell the rumors as quickly as possible.

If someone had to be sacrificed, then so be it. Sage Qingwei even seized the initiative, making his own wings appear spotless and white. Though it seemed somewhat heartless, it was the only way. After all, Li Minghuang could hardly claim to have been wronged. He knew perfectly well what he himself had done.

Looking on the bright side, this could also serve as a warning to Li Tianqing’s faction, creating a deterrent and further consolidating the Taiping Sect internally.

Naturally, Li Minghuang also learned about the matter. Sage Donghua even summoned him to the Ziwei Hall for a talk, one that nearly made him cough up blood on the spot.

Not only had he failed to become the Chief Deputy of the Tiangang Hall, but he was no longer given the option to be the Chief Deputy of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. He was not even allowed to retain his current position as Deputy Tiangang Hall Master. Instead, he had been assigned to be the goddamn Chief Deputy of the Female Daoist Association of Mutual Aid.

Granted, in terms of official rank, this Chief Deputy position was equivalent to Chief Deputy Hall Master or Chief Deputy Mansion Master. But it could not compare with either of those positions. Its actual authority was inferior even to that of an ordinary Deputy Hall Master. All he would be dealing with were empty formalities—study sessions, education, discussions, issuing official documents, trivial matters, and petty domestic affairs.

Compared with the Ziwei Hall’s control over personnel, the Tiangang Hall’s military affairs, or the Beichen Hall’s security and intelligence work, these were nothing but trivialities.

Even then, Li Minghuang would have no real authority over them. Everyone knew that any woman who held a place in the Female Daoist Association of Mutual Aid had an impressive background. She was either the young lady of some prominent family or the wife of some important figure. It would not be an exaggeration to call the organization a social club for noblewomen.

There were also nominal members such as Great Sage Yan, Sage Cihang, Ye Qingshuang, Li Ruoshui, Zhang Yuelu, Yao Pei, Lei Xiaohuan, Xu Jiaorong, and Shi Bingyun.

These formidable ladies all did as they pleased and went about their own affairs. On top of that, the Daoist Order had all sorts of preferential policies for female Daoists. Who among them would possibly take a man like Li Minghuang seriously? Who could he possibly boss around?

He could not boss around anyone because he was merely the Chief Deputy, not the Palace Master.

This Female Daoist Association of Mutual Aid was an organization at the Daoist Palace level. In theory, it was on the same level as the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and had its own Palace Master. Traditionally, this position was held by the Grand Master Consort. Since there was currently no Grand Master, let alone a Grand Master Consort, Sage Cihang concurrently held the position.

So when people said that Sage Cihang was the leader of the female Daoists, it was not just flattery. It was officially recognized by the Daoist Order.

After all those twists and turns, Sage Cihang would still be Li Minghuang’s superior.

Qi Xuansu was also doing work that was largely ceremonial and removed from practical affairs, but Qi Xuansu had been promoted to Omniscient Sage. More importantly, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace cultivated new-generation talent. Anyone who graduated from there in the future could be considered one of Qi Xuansu’s students, forming a natural core faction loyal to him. It was obvious what kind of path was being paved for Qi Xuansu.

On top of that, Qi Xuansu was still so young, yet he was already going to become a teacher and role model to others. Meanwhile, Li Minghuang would have to wait hand and foot on a group of formidable ladies. Comparisons really could drive a man mad. Where could Li Minghuang even go to complain about the unfairness of it all?

At this point, Li Minghuang had little left to lose and had no choice but to struggle one last time. He proposed to Sage Donghua that he serve only concurrently as Chief Deputy of the Female Daoist Association while retaining his current position in the Tiangang Hall.

Sage Donghua rejected the proposal outright. Neither the Golden Tower Council nor the Ziwei Hall had any such arrangement in mind. Besides, Li Minghuang had already been removed from office. How could an official decision already issued simply be taken back?

Of course, Li Minghuang did not dare entertain the extravagant hope of becoming Palace Master either. He had already lost so miserably when competing against Zhang Yuelu. If he tried to compete with Sage Cihang, wouldn’t he be courting death?

Sage Cihang might seem weak, but that depended entirely on whom she was being compared with. Compared with Sage Donghua and Sage Qingwei, she did indeed fall short. But compared with everyone else, Sage Cihang was still as imposing as a mountain.

Li Minghuang left the Ziwei Hall looking utterly dejected, but he still refused to give up and went to see Sage Qingwei.

Sage Qingwei appeared very sympathetic toward Li Minghuang’s predicament. He sighed and said, “There’s no point asking too much about something already decided by the Golden Tower Council. After all, I only have one vote.”

Li Minghuang immediately went to see his former superior, Sage Cihang. Compared with Sage Qingwei, Sage Cihang was far less polite. Before Li Minghuang had even finished speaking, she directly said, “What difference does it make where you work? Isn’t it all about contributing to the Daoist Order? Besides, I am the Palace Master of the Female Daoist Association. We’ll still be superior and subordinate, just as we are now. Nothing has really changed.”

Li Minghuang also went to see Great Sage Tang, with whom he had some personal ties. But that old man immediately played dumb. “Weren’t you the one who asked to go to the Female Daoist Association? I heard that you wanted the post, so I even supported it. But this is good too. It gives you a chance to lie low for a while.”

In the end, Li Minghuang simply returned to the Three Immortal Islands of Donghai and went to see the Imperial Preceptor.

The Imperial Preceptor did not turn him away. He was even quite gentle with Li Minghuang, taking the initiative to speak. “You came at just the right time. Even if you hadn’t come to see me, I would’ve called you over for a talk. What happened this time should serve as a lesson. You should make good use of this opportunity to retreat, carefully summarize the lessons and experience you have gained, and strive toward change. Alright, I still have matters to attend to. You may leave.”

With that, the Imperial Preceptor sent him away.