A Pawn's Passage

The Black Robes had withdrawn from the West Gobi, but they had yet to return to Loulan and were still stationed in Yongzhou, with Qin Wubing leading the army.

“General, this is an official note from the Daoist Order’s Tiangang Hall.” A Regional General dressed in the Black Robes’ uniform strode into the General’s tent and handed a letter to Qin Wubing.

For some reason, Qin Wubing felt a little guilty. “Tiangang Hall? Are they here to investigate? But I thought they were aware that we weren’t responsible for the attack in Cuowenbu? Everyone knows it’s due to their infighting. Which division wrote to us? Could it be the new Tiangang Hall Master?”

The Regional General hesitated before replying, “It’s the Eighth Division.”

“The Eighth Division?” Qin Wubing was startled.

The Regional General explained, “They were originally the Ninth Division, called the Yaoguang Division, but they merged with the late Sage Shangguan’s former Seventh Division to become the Eighth Division. The Eighth Deputy Hall Master is Zhang Yuelu, Sage Cihang’s favorite disciple.”

Qin Wubing nodded and looked at the official note in his hand.

It was not lengthy, so he read through it quickly.

Qin Wubing frowned and muttered, “None of my personal guards are called Wei Wugui. But this name sounds familiar. I think I have heard it somewhere...”

The Regional General reminded him. “General, he’s the man who saved the District Princess.”

Qin Wubing was busy with military affairs, so he would not keep an insignificant person in mind. With this reminder, Qin Wubing nodded and recalled who the man was. “Oh, right! I gave him a badge.”

He flicked the letter in his hand, feeling a bit dumbfounded. “Based on Zhang Yuelu’s tone, this guy used the badge I gave him to commit some sort of crime that has even alerted the Tiangang Hall.”

The Regional General said with a wry smile, “Back then, this guy even forced his way through our blockade, killing one of our sentry officers. It shows how daring he is. But since our men were at fault first and considering that he had saved the District Princess, we let it slide.”

Qin Wubing paced the tent with the letter in hand. “Why is Zhang Yuelu looking for him? Is she trying to find fault with us? Also, she has never mentioned what crime this kid has committed.”

It was merely Zhang Yuelu’s suspicion that Wei Wugui had killed Wan Xiuwu. She did not have any real evidence supporting this claim. Moreover, the Imperial Court and the Daoist Order had autonomy in punishing their own people, so Tian Baobao did not mention Wan Xiuwu’s death in this note.

At this time, there was also a white-haired old man in the General’s tent. This man was the strategist for two generations of Jiangling Commandery Princes. His name was Sikong Song, and he came from a Confucian family. Before the Regional General came in, Qin Wubing was playing chess with Sikong Song.

Sikong Song, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. “If this matter involves the infighting within the Daoist Order, we must not get involved or have the slightest connection with it at such a sensitive and critical juncture.”

Qin Wubing stopped pacing and turned to look at Sikong Song. “You’re right. What happened to Shangguan Jing has already involved us. We mustn’t get involved any further. Otherwise, we won’t be able to escape unscathed.”

A tense silence radiated between them when their gazes met.

After a while, Sikong Song explained, “Daoism teaches inaction, at least in the explicit sense. So there is no way they can live without a leader. Yet the position of Grand Master has been vacant for 10 years, with the three Deputy Grand Masters taking turns to be the acting leader. But now that the three Deputy Grand Masters are approaching their time of ascension, the election for the next Grand Master will most likely happen within the next few years. The most promising candidates so far are Sage Donghua, Sage Cihang, and Sage Qingwei. Zhang Yuelu is a close disciple of Sage Cihang, so I’m afraid this query about Wei Wugui isn’t her real intention.”

Qin Wubing was confused. “Sir, please enlighten me.”

Sikong Song lowered his voice. “The Emperor has met Sage Qingwei, so it goes without saying that His Majesty intends to interfere in the internal affairs of the Daoist Order. However, the government and the public may not have the same views. Many cabinet ministers won’t dare to oppose it openly but disagree in secret. That’s because they are against the Li family holding more power. The Emperor is similar to the fifth-generation Daoist Grand Master, but he is slightly restrained by the Daoist Order. If His Majesty takes the Daoist Order under his wing, even the cabinet ministers will be restrained significantly under a real dictatorship. That’s why the cabinet ministers are against it.”

Qin Wubing added, “Furthermore, the Li family is deeply entangled with the royal family. Several cabinet ministers have good relations with the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect, with the same interests and goals. So they will most likely advance and retreat together.”

“Exactly.” Sikong Song continued, “Now, it seems like His Majesty’s intervention in the internal affairs of the Daoist Order will result in four consequences.

“The first outcome is that His Majesty successfully takes over the Daoist Order, becoming both the Daoist Grand Master and the Emperor. That way, there will only be one figurehead in the empire. This is undoubtedly the ideal result for His Majesty, but it is also the most difficult to achieve.

“The second outcome is that His Majesty supports the Li family in gaining the position of Grand Master. Both the Qin and Li families will join forces to suppress the other parties, just like Emperor Gaozu and the Holy Xuan in the past. But since the Li family has requested help from the Emperor, they will have to bow to the throne. Thus, the Daoist Order will be subordinate to the Imperial Court. A hundred years later, the world will praise His Majesty for subduing the Daoist Order, unlike the previous dynasties that had been controlled by the Confucian School.

“The third outcome is that neither the Emperor nor the Li family could seize the title of Grand Master, maintaining the status quo. As such, all three Daoist sects will try to seek help from the Imperial Court. But it will be hard to find a balance, especially in future generations.

“The fourth outcome is the worst one, where the Daoist Order becomes united and elects a powerful Grand Master, who will lead a counterattack against the Imperial Court.”

Qin Wubing asked, “What does all this have to do with this letter from Tiangang Hall?”

Sikong Song explained, “The nobility has always been headed by the Commandery Prince of Jiangling, but your father rarely handles political affairs now. Even though you are in the military and haven’t been to the Imperial Court, your every move is still seen to be representing the nobility.

“I heard that Zhang Yuelu was from the Zhang family of the Zhengyi Sect, but she was promoted by the Earthly Preceptor. Furthermore, with the recent alliance between the Quanzhen Sect and the Zhengyi Sect, Zhang Yuelu has become a key figure in this matter. She may very well be the agreed-upon candidate for the Grand Master as a compromise between the Quanzhen Sect and the Zhengyi Sect.

“This way, both Quanzhen Sect and Zhengyi Sect disciples will regard her as one of their own, so there won’t be fierce opposition from either side. If it comes to it, they can elect her as a puppet leader to go against the Taiping Sect.

“As for the guy who saved the District Princess, you have seen him yourself. He is just a Martial Arts Practitioner in the Yuxu stage, so even if he is really a cult demon, what can he do? Even if an Ancient Immortal resurfaces, it will not affect the overall situation. So at this moment, don’t you think that it’s strange for Zhang Yuelu to ask you about such a trivial matter?”

“It is indeed strange.” Qin Wubing’s eyes darkened. “But how should we reply to Zhang Yuelu? If we say that we have given Wei Wugui our badge, we will be put in a passive position since Zhang Yuelu will have something over us. Should we deny it to the end?”

“No,” Sikong Song answered decisively. “The badge that you gave Wei Wugui is genuine. We also have clear records of who and when it was issued. If this guy falls into the hands of the Daoist Order, we will be caught in a lie, and Zhang Yuelu may hold a grudge against us. More importantly, Zhang Yuelu may think that we intend to stand with His Majesty. But I’m not saying we have to go against the Emperor. I’m merely suggesting that it’s not yet time to pick sides.”

Qin Wubing looked at Sikong Song and asked, “Then what do you think we should do?”

Sikong Song stroked his beard while he pondered. “Delaying the answer is the best course of action. Over time, big things can be turned into trivial matters, and small things can be put off indefinitely. You don’t need to give a clear answer first. You can just say that you have to investigate further and will notify her once you’ve cleared up the situation. That is, at least until you understand Zhang Yuelu’s true intentions.”

Sikong Song paused for a moment before continuing, “This had happened before with Beichen Hall last time. They made a big fuss about having a secret society member in our ranks to make us stop all operations. Although it was not our original intention, we have indirectly offended the Zhengyi Sect. We don’t want to bear any more blame. So we might as well use it as an excuse to pit Tiangang Hall and Beichen Hall against each other. That’s how we can deflect and settle this without getting ourselves involved.”

“That’s good advice, sir.” Qin Wubing smiled and praised.

Qin Wubing looked at the Regional General and dictated a reply to Zhang Yuelu.

“To Deputy Hall Master Zhang Yuelu of the Yaoguang Division, Tiangang Hall:

Dated 12th March, 42nd year of the Jiushi Era.

I am writing to inform you that my army consists of thousands of borrowed troops from other regions, so it will take some time for me to investigate whether there is a person named Wei Wugui among us. I will send you a separate letter informing you of the results.

On another note, in January of this year, Beichen Hall claimed that core members of the Qingping Society were hiding among the thousands of Xizhou troops entering Yongzhou, harboring evil intentions. Afterward, I conducted a thorough investigation and found no members of the secret society among my army. I wonder, how did Beichen Hall get such dubious information? Is this matter you’ve mentioned also related to that piece of information from Beichen Hall?

Best Regards,

Qin Wubing, Deputy Protector of the Xizhou Protectorate.”