A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu arrived at the Dongdu Prefecture and conducted a brief inspection.

Her experience was somewhat similar to Qi Xuansu’s. Though she had not encountered a Deputy Mansion Master who forced her to drink, she saw enough to leave her deeply dissatisfied.

So she sought out the Deputy Dongdu Daoist Mansion Master.

This Deputy Mansion Master was Zhang Wenyue. From his name alone, one could tell he was of the same generation as Zhang Yuelu, though he was much older in age.

Due to this, they dispensed with formalities and went straight to the point.

Inside the office, Zhang Yuelu and Zhang Wenyue sat across a table from one another. There was no third person present.

Zhang Yuelu tapped lightly on the armrest of her chair. “I’ve read that case. Lin Yin followed the procedure. He reported the illegal dealings of the Nanyang United Trading Company to you, but you ignored him. Then he took matters into his own hands, yet suddenly, you accuse him of being unreasonable, lawless, and defiant toward the Daoist Mansion. Tell me, what exactly do you people expect him to do?”

Zhang Wenyue did not answer. Instead, he poured a cup of tea and gently pushed it toward Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu did not even glance at the tea. She continued, “Now, Lin Yin is dead. But the problem is still unsolved. What do you people intend to do?”

At last, Zhang Wenyue spoke. “Qing Xiao, who are you referring to exactly? Don’t you think that’s a bit improper?”

Zhang Yuelu said coldly, “Are you trying to tell me this is all part of a great web, that everyone’s caught in it? That we mustn’t lift the lid from this big pot no matter how foul the contents?”

Zhang Wenyue sighed. “You understand everything, yet you’re still the same as before. Why can’t you just look the other way?”

Zhang Yuelu raised a hand, motioning him to stop. “I call you cousin out of respect, but this isn’t about whether I can look the other way. It’s about right and wrong. When Lin Yin spoke reason, you people played tricks. When Lin Yin played tricks, you then spoke of the law. Now, I’m speaking to you about the law, yet you tell me to compromise. I know well enough what it means to just go with the flow, so I don’t need a lecture. The fact that I brought this up means I never intended to just go with it.”

Zhang Wenyue was silent for a long time before finally saying, “I’ve heard that Second Deputy Qi has been stirring storms in the Poluo Daoist Mansion, making quite a few people uneasy. So, are you planning to follow his example? You two are making enemies left and right. Aren’t you afraid you’ll have nowhere left to retreat?”

Confident as ever, Zhang Yuelu replied, “It’s only death. If one does not fear death, how can death be used to threaten them?”

Hearing this, Zhang Wenyue had nothing more to say.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “The Nanyang United Trading Company. That’s a fancy name modeled after the West Shakya Company owned by Westerners. As far as I know, the hidden owner behind that firm is Sun Jiaofeng, the son of Old Sage Sun Heyu. It’s tied to the Wang family. Seeing that you’re so afraid of stirring the hornet’s nest, are you shareholders in it as well?”

Zhang Wenyue immediately denied it. “As I said, there’s no financial entanglement. It’s only a matter of image and social obligation, which makes it awkward...”

“Is it awkward to offend a respected Old Sage who isn’t even in office?” Zhang Yuelu interjected.

Zhang Wenyue looked at Zhang Yuelu, who returned his gaze.

In the end, Zhang Wenyue withdrew and deliberately averted his eyes.

Zhang Yuelu said, “Are you siding with the person instead of the issue, or opposing the issue because of the person? I never said Lin Yin was right. I’m only asking, why won’t you solve the problem? You didn’t fix it before, and you won’t fix it after. An Old Sage’s image might frighten ordinary people, but can it really frighten people like us? Since you claim there are no financial ties between you and the Nanyang United Trading Company, then give me a clear answer.”

With no way out, Zhang Wenyue conceded. “Fine, I’ll give you an explanation. Do you know how many people the Nanyang United Trading Company supports and how much commerce it drives? Do you know how many Taiping coins it remits each year? If you move against it and bring it down, what can fill that hole? The Daoist Mansion won’t be pleased, and the Golden Tower Council even less so. This is about the bigger picture. You keep saying ‘you people’ as if you’re not included, but you are, now that you’re part of the Daoist Mansion. If things spiral into irreparable disaster, what good does that do you?”

Zhang Yuelu did not answer immediately.

Zhang Wenyue added. “Qing Xiao, I know you want advancement and results to contend with Li Changge and Yao Pei. But you must also consider practicalities. Get down from your moral high ground and handle problems pragmatically. Isn’t that better? Must you trample on others to climb up?”

Zhang Yuelu glanced at him. “So you think that I’m grandstanding right now? You think I’m merely discussing this matter so that I can use you and the others as a stepping stone, huh?”

Zhang Wenyue’s expression shifted slightly. “I didn’t say that.”

“You thought it.” Zhang Yuelu snorted. “You mentioned the big picture, so I’ll talk about the big picture. Why do you insist on protecting the Nanyang United Trading Company? If they stop trading here, can no one else take over these Nanyang trades?”

Zhang Wenyue replied. “It’s commerce that supports hundreds of thousands of people. Who can easily step into that role?”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Let me ask you this. Are there really only two options? Either we don’t touch it at all, or we uproot everything and drag hundreds of thousands down with it. Is there truly no flexible or balanced solution? Is it so difficult to punish only the main culprit? Is this the extent of your competence?”

Zhang Wenyue was speechless.

Zhang Yuelu said, “Clearly, it’s not about competence. It’s about willingness.”

Zhang Wenyue took a deep breath and said, “Qing Xiao, the regional Daoist Mansions are not like the Nine Halls. You’ve been in Jade Capital too long, so you don’t understand how things work on the ground.”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “Then please, enlighten me.”

After some thought, Zhang Wenyue asked, “Qing Xiao, what do you think defines a good or bad Daoist Mansion?”

Zhang Yuelu answered, “A Daoist Mansion governs its region. Naturally, it should be judged by the actual conditions of the land it oversees.”

Zhang Wenyue shook his head. “I disagree. First and foremost, the Daoist Mansion must keep the Golden Tower Council satisfied, then take local circumstances into account. That’s the true measure of whether a Daoist Mansion is doing well.”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “I see no difference. If a Daoist Mansion is truly thriving, would the Golden Tower Council be displeased? Conversely, if the region is in poor condition, would the Golden Tower Council truly be satisfied?”

Zhang Wenyue huffed. “Qing Xiao, are you pretending to be naive, or are you really this innocent?”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Perhaps I am naive. But I’ll still say this — since we call ourselves the rulers of this world and regard it as something held within our grasp, then we ought to treat it kindly and govern it well, not endlessly exploit and drain it. The Primordial Daoist Ancestor once said that the Way of heaven takes from the surplus and gives to those lacking, while the way of man takes from the lacking to serve the surplus. We should strive to avoid the way of man and emulate the Way of heaven.”

Zhang Wenyue waved his hand. “Whatever you call it, what matters is that the bigger picture always comes first. Some people are too shortsighted, seeing only the few steps before them and not the broader future. They ignore the greater good and fail to understand the difficulties the Daoist Mansion faces...”

Zhang Yuelu interrupted sharply, “You ask others to sympathize with the Daoist Mansion’s difficulties, but has the Daoist Mansion ever sympathized with other people’s difficulties?”

Zhang Wenyue was rendered speechless again.

Zhang Yuelu pressed on, “Why must you complicate something so simple? It can be done. There are laws you can follow. It’s perfectly just and reasonable, yet you drag in talk of the ‘greater good’ just to find excuses not to act on it. You’re afraid of offending people and hurting your own interests, so you thought it best to do nothing and keep everyone smiling, isn’t that it?”

Only now did Zhang Wenyue finally realize that his cousin truly was as troublesome as the rumors claimed. She was not ignorant or naive. Instead, it was quite the opposite. She understood all the twists and turns behind these matters and despised them, so she simply refused to accept these crooked dealings, even if it made her seem difficult to work with.

No wonder Zhang Yuelu was not liked by many. It was not because she was forceful. Rather, it was her unwillingness to pretend everything was fine for the sake of harmony.

Zhang Wenyue could only keep his mouth shut.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “Back when the Holy Xuan debated with Elder Xu, the latter made only one point. The problem at that time was that there wasn’t enough to eat. The solution was to make the pie bigger to ensure everyone had enough to share. So from the Holy Xuan Era through the fourth-generation Grand Master, the Daoist Order focused on unifying the Central Plains, pacifying the Western Region, subduing Fenglin in the east, conquering Poluo in the south, and stabilizing the Golden Horde in the north, all while expanding maritime trade. We raised annual revenue from 10 million Taiping coins to 100 million. Then, during the transition between the fourth- and fifth-generation Grand Masters, we even took control of East Shakya.

“At that point, the pie was already large enough. We had reached the limits of what we could achieve. The fifth-generation Grand Master raised a new question about distribution. How should the pie be divided? Who gets more, and who gets less? Those who receive more are naturally pleased, while those who get less will harbor resentment.

“The Heavenly Preceptor once saw in the Guizang Lantern that the crown will fall, and the monarch’s dream will shatter. Successors rise, and blood stains the realm. Heaven collapses, earth ruptures, and the world is told anew. What drives such people to sacrifice their lives? At its root, it all boils down to injustice.

“So, in my view, the Daoist Mansion must look at every matter with fairness. I’m not asking you to be selfless. I only ask that you hold the bowl level to keep things even. Is that really so hard?”

Zhang Wenyue had fallen silent so many times he had lost count. At last, he asked, “So what exactly do you want to do, Second Deputy Zhang?”

Zhang Yuelu answered firmly, “I only want things to be as they should be.”