A Pawn's Passage

Yao Pei was still the same as before. Even after advancing to the Zaohua stage, she had not been able to return to a “normal” state, still giving others the impression that she was half-asleep and never quite fully awake.

Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh inwardly. No wonder the Holy Xuan had chosen to strip away parts of these cultivation methods. Some techniques were better left forgotten.

There was not much conversation along the way. Others might assume that Yao Pei was sulking because Sage Donghua had switched his support to Qi Xuansu. But in reality, Yao Pei had always been like this.

Bored out of her mind, Little Yin began showing Yan Yongzhen the various cards she had treasured and collected over the years, recounting every one of them as though listing her most prized possessions. Yan Yongzhen was patient enough to listen attentively as Little Yin explained them all.

Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu chatted with Lu Yujue about various mundane matters concerning life and work.

After Li Minghuang was demoted, Lu Yujue and Zhou Xiaosong had formally divorced.

The Daoist Order’s laws had no provision requiring one party to leave a marriage with nothing, not even after committing a serious mistake. However, much of Lu Yujue’s wealth was held under the Lu family’s name, and hence could not be divided. He owned very little personal property.

Given his status and position, it would have been all too easy for him to line his pockets. In a place like the Southern Continent, with mountains of gold and silver everywhere, there was no shortage of people eager to curry favor with him. But Lu Yujue did not care about such things. That was precisely why Sage Qingwei had entrusted him with such an important position. For a high-ranking Daoist like him, a fortune of tens of thousands of Taiping coins was merely transient wealth. What truly mattered was his office and authority. As long as his power and status remained intact, a fortune spent could always be regained.

Now that Lu Yujue had been transferred to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, he had gone from being a regional Branch Hall Master wielding substantial authority to a Deputy Palace Master with largely nominal duties. It was indeed a demotion, comparable to going from being the Qizhou Daoist Mansion Master to the Sahul Daoist Mansion Master. This also served as an explanation to the Taiping Sect, showing outsiders that there was a price to be paid for betrayal. One could hardly stab the Taiping Sect in the back and suffer no consequences whatsoever.

In reality, however, this was essentially a change of allegiance.

The Taiping Sect also did not pursue the matter too aggressively partly because Li Minghuang was at fault and because it was in consideration to the Lu family. Instead, it tacitly accepted what had happened and handled the matter discreetly.

Qi Xuansu had already promised Lu Yujue that this arrangement was only temporary. After all, Qi Xuansu was currently only a Palace Master. Once he was promoted to Mansion Master, he would bring Lu Yujue with him to whichever regional Daoist Mansion he took charge of.

Lu Yujue also believed Qi Xuansu’s promise because Chen Jianchou was a ready example.

When that time came, Lu Yujue could take the crucial next step and become the Second Deputy Mansion Master, which was a promotion even compared to being a Beichen Hall Branch Manager.

On the other hand, Zhou Xiaosong was demoted from the Tiangang Hall due to her affair with Li Minghuang and was reassigned to the Western Region Daoist Mansion.

The flying ship soon descended onto Xingye Lake at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Sun Hewu personally came to welcome them, while Great Sage Shi waited in the ceremonial hall of the Upper Palace.

There were also many students standing in formation to welcome them, making the whole affair look like a grand review of the armed forces.

Qi Xuansu frowned slightly but said nothing.

The Upper Palace still retained its old layout, with entry through the southern gate.

The southern gate was the main entrance, also known as the Li Gate. It was connected to the Ming Hall by a one-kilometer long bridge.

To the northeast was Gen Garden, which housed the Upper Palace’s collection of books, where Qi Xuansu and Yao Pei had once snuck into. It was connected to the Zhen Garden and the Kan Garden.

To the southeast was Xun Garden, which connected only to the Zhen Garden. To the northwest was Qian Garden, which connected with Kan Garden and Dui Garden respectively. Besides an extremely spacious White Jade Square, Qian Garden also contained a massive ceremonial hall used for all types of formal ceremonies. Qi Xuansu’s inauguration would be held here.

Finally, to the southwest was Kun Garden, which faced the Xun Garden from afar across the Li Gate and connected only with Dui Garden. This was where the Great Sage and the senior officials of the Daoist Palace resided. Qi Xuansu’s residence had also been arranged here, making him neighbors with Great Sage Shi.

When they arrived at the ceremonial hall, Great Sage Shi was already waiting there. Besides the assembled instructors, the White Jade Square outside was packed with students. An exception had been made this time to allow them into the Upper Palace to attend the ceremony, and from there, they would also be able to hear Qi Xuansu’s speech.

Since everyone already knew Qi Xuansu, the usual preliminary formalities were dispensed with, and the assembled crowd gave him a warm welcome.

Then, in accordance with procedure, Yao Pei read out Qi Xuansu’s appointment and formally introduced him to everyone present.

Once the preceding formalities were concluded, it was time for Qi Xuansu to speak. This could be regarded as his inaugural address.

On the few occasions when Qi Xuansu had formally taken up a new post, he had always been appointed in the midst of some crisis, so he did not have that much experience with occasions like this. Nevertheless, Qi Xuansu had no stage fright. He walked onto the raised platform in the ceremonial hall, prepared to deliver his speech without a script.

Back when Li Changge took office, he delivered his entire speech without a script. His words had been full of spirit and grandeur, earning thunderous acclaim from the entire hall.

Since Li Changge could do it, Qi Xuansu had to as well.

Yan Yongzhen was also curious about what Qi Xuansu intended to say. Normally, a speech like this would be prepared by the secretary, after which the superior would make a few revisions, and that would more or less be the end of it. Secretaries were usually highly skilled at drafting written materials. When Zhang Jucheng had first introduced Yan Yongzhen to Qi Xuansu, he had specifically emphasized that Yan Yongzhen was a penman. Yet this time, Qi Xuansu had not made use of Yan Yongzhen’s skills and had written the speech himself.

He guessed that it must contain some bold remarks, perhaps even words that crossed certain taboos, because a secretary could never write things like that. Such words could only be conceived by the person in charge, written and spoken by oneself.

Qi Xuansu was a man whose talents were heavily skewed toward certain areas. He was not a scholar or a refined gentleman, so he did not appreciate calligraphy and paintings, composing poetry, or classical studies. However, he could handle official documents. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

After taking his place on stage, Qi Xuansu swept his gaze around the hall and said, “A long time ago, rumors began circulating that I would become the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master. Therefore, from quite early on, I began examining this possible new position that might one day come my way.

“As the saying goes, even a wise man will make a mistake after a thousand considerations, while even a fool will gain something after a thousand thoughts. I have given this matter a great deal of thought and managed to arrive at a few modest insights. Today, I would like to share them with all of you.

“One important lesson behind the Daoist Order’s ability to achieve success and victory has been its emphasis on work concerning Dao and virtue. Dao and virtue are two separate matters, encompassing requirements both for the organization and the individual.

“On the organizational side, we cannot avoid mentioning the Daoist Order’s Nine-Rank System. During the conflict between the Buddhist Sect and the Daoist Order, the Holy Xuan introduced the Nine-Rank System for Daoist priests and reorganized the Daoist Order, fundamentally transforming its organizational structure.

“This was also one of the main reasons for Buddhism’s eventual defeat. The two sides once fought an extremely important battle that neither side had planned. Due to the terrain and other factors, the fighting turned into an enormous whirlpool. Every established formation and unit was scattered. Commanders did not know where their troops were, and vice versa. The situation descended into utter chaos. Yet it was precisely through its rank system that the Daoist Order was able to rapidly reorganize its forces. It gradually exploited its numerical advantage to isolate and eliminate the Buddhist forces, who were each fighting independently, ultimately securing our victory.

“During this process, the Buddhists attempted to reorganize as well. The problem was that none of them would submit to anyone else. One would boast about who his master was and how distinguished his lineage was, while another would insist that his cultivation level was the highest. How could they possibly organize themselves under such circumstances? They squandered their opportunity for victory simply by arguing among themselves.

“By contrast, on the Daoist Order’s side, the Holy Xuan had laid down the rules. Regardless of one’s background or cultivation level, rank was what mattered most. This is the precious experience and legacy that the Holy Xuan left to us, his successors. So we must inherit it and carry it forward.

“However, from what I have observed, in recent years this system has shown clear signs of becoming rigid. It has even begun affecting various aspects of the Daoist Order, including our own Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

“I myself came from the Wanxiang Daoist Lower Palace, so I understand the mindset of many of my former classmates. We all once believed that passing the Wanxiang Daoist Palace’s grand examination would allow us to rise above everyone else. Yet the moment we stepped beyond the gates of the Daoist Palace, the brilliant results we achieved in the Palace’s competitions were quickly subjected to the merciless beating of the real world outside.

“Some could not withstand it and fell into cognitive dissonance. They began mocking themselves, imitating the mannerisms of certain eccentric scholars, becoming what Westerners called ‘cynics.’ They mock themselves by saying that despite coming from a prestigious institution like the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, they are inferior even to country bumpkins from the backwaters and people from the Jianghu. But if someone else actually believes what they say and approaches them as someone from the Jianghu, they will start to flaunt their prestigious academic background.

“Although they claim to be inferior to people from the Jianghu, those are the people they look down upon the most. Even if they cannot rise above others in status, they still want to stand above others in terms of educational credentials. Their prestigious academic background is the weapon they use to attack others, while their so-called self-mockery is actually the shield behind which they retreat.

“They may appear rebellious, but in truth, their rebellion comes from failing to obtain the status and recognition they desire. They may appear indignant at injustice, but in truth, they are dissatisfied with their own circumstances. Under the exact same system, if they themselves had risen above everyone else, would they still be dissatisfied with it?

“I once saw an example of this. When a certain Sage fell from power, some students commented that the Sage was a wild Daoist without a proper educational background. But in my view, that is nothing more than childish talk.

“When they mock themselves by saying they are inferior to people of the Jianghu, what they really mean is that, at the very least, they are still a cut above Jianghu people. They like doing this because they know that even if they cannot rise above everyone else, they will never be at the very bottom. Even if they feel inferior after watching the sons and daughters of some powerful family rise effortlessly through the ranks, they can always turn around and step on the Jianghu people, who struggled in the mud beneath them. Doing so restores their own sense of psychological balance.

“This is undoubtedly a widespread problem produced by a hierarchy based on educational credentials. But at its root, it is merely an outward manifestation of the increasingly rigid stratification of the Daoist Order’s Nine-Rank System. On the individual level, this reflects the two-faced nature of cynicism. On the organizational level, it means that something has gone wrong with our Nine-Rank System.

“I am sure there is a question in everyone’s mind. If our system is fundamentally sound, then why do certain unhealthy tendencies persist and even grow more severe despite repeated attempts to suppress them?

“I can tell all of you the conclusion I have reached after thinking this through. I believe the key problem lies in the stagnation, and even regression, of our work concerning Dao and virtue. Dao concerns our broader direction, while virtue concerns our thinking and moral conduct. When the Holy Xuan established the Nine-Rank System, its purpose was to enable people to cooperate with one another. Those at the top would make decisions, those at the bottom would carry them out, and those in the middle would serve as the link between the two. It was never intended to create the rigid barriers and divisions we see today, much less to obstruct the normal movement and advancement of talented people.”