A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu’s first task was to respond to the Holy Court’s accusations. It was nothing more than a routine formality. After all, the Holy Court was the one at fault, and everyone was simply turning a blind eye to it.

The representative from the Holy Court carried an absurdly long list of titles—descendant of this, lord of that, protector of something, ruler of somewhere, conqueror, breaker, banisher, princess, lady, queen, mother—followed by a string of names stretching over a dozen syllables. It was as if she wished to cram in every ancestor and ancestral estate from eight generations back.

Qi Xuansu remembered none of it and did not take it seriously.

He could easily imitate that style. Slayer of Fengtai County, Witness of Cuowenbu, Protector of Yishan City, Savior of Thanglong Prefecture, Guardian of Nanyang, Overseer of Lion City, True Lord Ziguang’s Favored One, Heir to the Ancient Wuist Sect, Candidate for the Eighth-Generation Grand Master, Loyal Friend of Mount Suzuka, Defender of the Imperial Capital’s Public Morality, Most Meritorious Eighth-Generation Disciple in the Fenglin Campaign, Youngest Second-Rank Taiyi Daoist of the Daoist Order, Second-Youngest Third-Rank Youyi Daoist, Future Daoist Companion of the Legendary Zhang Yuelu, Hope of the Qingping Society, Potential Enemy of the Buddhist Sect, Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, Xuansu, Tian Yuan, Wei Wugui, Yao, Qi, of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

What was the point? These were pure intimidation theatrics, no different from vulgar Jianghu nicknames like “Mightiest Dragon,” “Golden Dart of the Forest,” or “Best Sword in Jiangnan.”

The West had many tiny nations that had Queens, but they could not compare to the Great Xuan Emperor. Qi Xuansu had just helped install a queen in the Yu Kingdom.

Thus, Qi Xuansu only remembered that the woman’s name was Marianne.

Unlike Marcheno, Marianne represented the Holy Court as a Cardinal Deacon. She had a church and numerous attendants in Nanyang.

The Council of Cardinals corresponded to the Golden Tower Council, and a Cardinal Deacon was roughly equivalent to an ordinary Sage.

In the past, the Holy Court had no women in high office. This changed only after a certain goddess appeared, breaking the rule entirely. Since then, even women could rise to senior positions, aside from the position of the Pope.

In terms of rank, she and Qi Xuansu were equals.

Qi Xuansu met the blonde lady in Tianfu Palace and listened patiently to her lengthy tirade. He then replied that the Daoist Order already possessed more than enough evidence, including 113 confessions and material proof like recorded images. This was absolutely not baseless persecution. The evidence clearly showed that the ship’s crew was the mastermind behind the Lion City riot. They had financed the instigators of the chaos, and those aboard the ship had already confessed. Naturally, they must face trial.

Marianne was trying her luck in this protest. If the Daoist Order lacked evidence and had arrested people rashly, she might have extracted some concessions. But seeing the Daoist Order fully prepared, she could only leave in frustration.

After sending Marianne off, Qi Xuansu summoned Li Zhuyu again to ask about the progress.

Li Zhuyu did not disappoint him. A matter of this scale could not have been orchestrated by the Holy Court alone. There had to be collaborators within the Daoist Mansion. Since it was the sort of act that could cost one’s head, secrecy was essential. That meant fewer people involved and fewer layers to hide behind.

Li Zhuyu said, “According to the Westerners’ confessions, their contact was someone named Chen Feixue, whose real name was Chen Jianzi. She was from a distant collateral branch of the Yu royal family. She left Thanglong Prefecture with her family years ago and settled in Lion City, where she joined the Holy Court’s subordinate order—the Goddess Society.

“The Goddess Society is one of the major Holy Court orders. It imitates military discipline and enforces strict rules. Besides the three vows of no wealth, no lust, and no personal will, members must unconditionally obey the Pope and carry out any assigned tasks. To infiltrate all social strata, they do not wear distinctive uniforms nor reside in churches. They conduct covert work through preaching, teaching, running church schools and hospitals, or serving as officials and priests to local nobles.

“During the late Wei Dynasty, the Goddess Society entered the Central Plains. Many scholars and cabinet ministers were persuaded to convert to the Holy Court under slogans like ‘Correct Confucianism, Replace Buddhism.’ Some clergy even served as government officials. By the end of the Wei Dynasty, over one-fifth of all Goddess Society clergy were rooted in the Central Plains. After the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty, these clergy were expelled, but the Goddess Society remains active in Nanyang and Fenglin. We suspect Marianne is the local leader.

“Though Chen Jianzi joined the Goddess Society secretly, she publicly presented herself as a Daoist attendant under the name Chen Feixue. With the Goddess Society’s covert backing, she became a prominent merchant in Lion City, famously known as Lion City’s Most Beautiful Merchant due to her looks.

“Chen Jianzi is skilled at manipulation and profit-seeking. In past years, she and several merchants aggressively promoted a so-called parliamentary system, demanding that the Nanting Protectorate withdraw from Lion City and return power to the people, imitating the Western councils, with themselves as representatives. It is now clear the Goddess Society, and perhaps the Holy Court, supported these efforts.

“We believe Chen Jianzi acted as the intermediary between the Holy Court and traitors inside the Daoist Mansion for their collaboration. We are still investigating who she contacted on the Daoist Mansion’s side. We have already placed her under tight surveillance to prevent escape. If she attempts to flee, we will apprehend her immediately.”

After hearing this, Qi Xuansu said, “If this can be confirmed, then this is no longer an internal dispute. She will be condemned for colluding with foreign powers. Even if we didn’t wish to play righteous enforcers, we would have no choice.”

His words were blunt. Li Zhuyu could not read his intent for a moment and thought to herself, Is he treating me as a trusted ally? Or had he merely let a thought slip? But from everything Qi Xuansu had done since arriving in Nanyang, he’s clearly not someone who spoke rashly.

Li Zhuyu nodded. “Exactly.”

Qi Xuansu continued, “Speaking of internal struggles, our internal fights have always been ruthless. Do you think there’s a chance Chen Jianzi will be silenced?”

Li Zhuyu’s face turned grim. “There is indeed such a possibility.”

She no longer dared make any guarantees. The waters of Lion City were deep. If even Qi Xuansu could be attacked in broad daylight, she could not guarantee Chen Jianzi’s safety. She could only make sure that Chen Jianzi could not flee.

Qi Xuansu said, “Consider whether we should immediately detain Chen Jianzi and move her somewhere secure.”

At that moment, a Beichen Hall superintendent hurried in, glanced at Qi Xuansu, and hesitated to speak.

Li Zhuyu said sharply, “Speak.”

The superintendent wiped the sweat from his brow. “Chen Jianzi just escaped...”

Li Zhuyu spun around abruptly. “What exactly happened?”

She had just assured Qi Xuansu that Chen Jianzi was secured, only to be contradicted moments later, so how could she not be furious?

The superintendent replied cautiously, “Someone attacked Chen Jianzi’s residence. The scene was chaotic. Our Spirit Guards and the Nanting Protectorate’s Black Robes fought the intruders. After repelling them, we discovered Chen Jianzi had fled.”

Li Zhuyu’s expression turned dark.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Did those people stage the attack to give her the chance to flee? Or did Chen Jianzi seize the chaos on her own without prior planning?”

The superintendent had no answer to that.

Li Zhuyu said, “If it’s the former, then Chen Jianzi has likely already left Lion City. If it’s the latter, a spur-of-the-moment decision with no preparation, then she is likely still hiding somewhere inside the city.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Let’s hope it’s the second possibility.”

Then Qi Xuansu suddenly realized something. “I just met Marianne. She was here to test our reaction. If we had no evidence, they would have held back. But once they sensed we had evidence, they acted immediately to silence her.”

Li Zhuyu pondered briefly. “The timing does match.”

Qi Xuansu instructed, “Deputy Hall Master Li, request immediate support from the Nanting Protectorate to search for Chen Jianzi. She must understand her only chance of survival is cooperating with us. Those behind her only want her dead.”

Li Zhuyu accepted the order and departed.

Qi Xuansu considered for a moment, then went to see Zhang Yuelu.

When it came to tracking someone down, the Black Robes were not necessarily the best choice. The Ziguang Society was far more effective.

When Qi Xuansu arrived, he found Little Yin being scolded. The little imp had failed to escape after all.

Zhang Yuelu never raised her voice nor lectured endlessly. Instead, she would calmly interrogate her suspect with soft, even tones. Little Yin could not play deaf or feign ignorance because she did not want to be sent back to the Ghost Kingdom, so she endured it miserably.

Seeing Qi Xuansu enter, Little Yin instantly perked up.

To her, Qi Xuansu was nothing less than a savior.

Little Yin had just begun to dart toward Old Qi when Zhang Yuelu’s cold gaze swept over. “Who told you to move? Stand properly.”

Little Yin could only stand against the wall, sulking.

Qi Xuansu did not speak up for Little Yin this time, partly because he had official business to discuss and partly to avoid getting himself involved in her punishment.

He briefly explained the situation. Before Zhang Yuelu could respond, Little Yin volunteered eagerly. “Leave this small matter to me! Just let me smell her scent once. I guarantee I can find her!”

Qi Xuansu asked skeptically, “What are you, a dog?”

Little Yin huffed. “Don’t underestimate me. If I want to, I can distinguish every scent within 5 kilometers!”

“I did underestimate you.” Qi Xuansu admitted. He was unexpectedly pleased by this discovery. Though he knew perfectly well Little Yin just wanted an excuse to go out and play, he did not mind giving her a chance to escape Zhang Yuelu’s clutches for a bit.

Naturally, Zhang Yuelu saw through her intentions as well. She said, “Little Yin, if you want to earn merit, we won’t stop you. If you can truly find this person, I’ll let you play for three days and even give you 1,000 Taiping coins. But if you get distracted and mess this up, we won’t go easy on you.”

Qi Xuansu had already defected to Little Yin’s side and chimed in. “Yes, this is serious. You need to make a military pledge.”

Little Yin thumped her chest confidently. “As long as she’s still in Lion City, I guarantee I’ll find her within three days. If I can’t, you can send me back to Grandpa!”