A Pawn's Passage

When a tree stood out above the forest, the lightning was bound to strike it. Qi Xuansu was that tree, having dealt with Wang Jiaohe and the others.

However, at the height of his power, no one dared to act rashly at that moment. After all, Qi Xuansu was able to shake the Poluo Daoist Mansion because someone was baking him. To smear Qi Xuansu at such a time would not merely be slapping Qi Xuansu in the face but would also be seen as an act of hostility toward his backer.

The situation would become complicated.

Sage Donghua had stood firm for so many years. What good end could there be for those who opposed him? If Sage Donghua were so easy to topple, would it really have taken until now? Was Sage Qingwei, who regarded Sage Donghua as his foremost enemy, really holding back all this time?

Thus, Qi Xuansu’s retreat into seclusion this time allowed many people to glimpse an opportunity.

With Qi Xuansu absent and unable to respond immediately, there was ample room for manipulation. Moreover, Qi Xuansu, as the Chief Deputy Mansion Master, had always maintained a rather delicate relationship with Yao Shu, the Mansion Master. A powerful Chief Deputy would inevitably erode the authority of the Mansion Master. When power was involved, harmony was impossible, let alone warmth and goodwill. This, too, was a point that could be exploited.

On the third day after Qi Xuansu entered seclusion, a female Daoist named Zheng Zaishi submitted a lengthy letter of over 30,000 words to the Mansion Master, Yao Shu. She lodged a real-name accusation against Chief Deputy Qi Xuansu for moral corruption, degenerate conduct, lack of faith, and grave violations of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor’s teachings.

This accusation letter was summarized into five key points.

First, although Qi Xuansu never directly accepted bribes, his methods were far more sophisticated. Through various means, he gained control over most of the shares of the Nanyang United Trading Company. Aside from the 30% directly held by the Daoist Mansion, the true power behind the second-largest shareholder was Qi Xuansu himself. As a result, all personnel appointments were decided according to Qi Xuansu’s will. For example, Chen Shuwen, the chairman of the Nanyang United Trading Company, was appointed solely at Qi Xuansu’s arbitrary decision, without any real deliberation. The so-called election was nothing more than a formality.

Second, Qi Xuansu formed cliques for personal gain and persecuted dissenters. Within the current Poluo Daoist Mansion, a small faction led by Qi Xuansu existed, including Xu Jiaorong, Ji Jiaozhen, Pei Xiaolou, Xie Jiaofeng, Sun Yongfeng, Lu Yuting, Han Yongfeng, and others. This faction suppressed and marginalized fellow Daoists.

Third, Qi Xuansu secretly nurtured his own merchants and engaged in a large-scale transfer of interests. Genki of the Fenglin Trading Company had originally been an insignificant small-time merchant. During the Fenglin War, Qi Xuansu became acquainted with Genki, who offered herself to him as his mistress. With Qi Xuansu’s backing, she swiftly rose to become a major merchant operating between the Central Plains, Fenglin, and Poluo. In reality, Genki became Qi Xuansu’s money pouch, providing him with as much as 200,000 Taiping coins annually for personal expenses. In order to maintain her favor, Genki would even personally procure various women to attend to Qi Xuansu together.

Fourth, Qi Xuansu colluded with multiple secret societies. Although Qi Xuansu had cracked down on the Lingshan Witch Cult and the Cult of Fate, he maintained close ties with the Ziguang Society, the Seven Treasure Pavilion, and the Eight Tribes. Figures such as Star Lord Yuheng of the Ziguang Society, Mogul Yao of the Seven Treasure Pavilion, and Shangguan Ya of the Eight Tribes effectively became Qi Xuansu’s black gloves, carrying out unsavory tasks on his behalf. This included eliminating rivals through assassination and laundering vast sums of money of unknown origin. The Ziguang Society even went so far as to specially select attractive members to serve Qi Xuansu.

Fifth, Qi Xuansu was a womanizer. Besides Genki, he kept many others, including Star Lord Yuheng, Mogul Yao, Shangguan Ya, Ke Qingqing, Mu Jin, Lu Yuting, Xu Jiaorong, Qi Muyu, Chen Jianqiu, Du Yuhua, and some others, totaling to more than a dozen women. Not only that, Qi Xuansu frequently kept a young girl named Little Yin by his side, and pedophilia was the worst of all.

Among these women, Ke Qingqing was Qi Xuansu’s former secretary, while Mu Jin was Zhang Yuelu’s secretary. Taking advantage of his relationship with Zhang Yuelu and the convenience of proximity, Qi Xuansu was said to have secretly “taken” both of them behind Zhang Yuelu’s back.

Xu Jiaorong was also described as Qi Xuansu’s old lover. Even though Xu Jiaorong was much older than Qi Xuansu, he had grown up without a mother, so he was especially attracted to mature women. After he became entangled with Xu Jiaorong in Poluo, he not only took Xu Jiaorong’s godson, Chen Jianchou, as his secretary, but also strongly recommended Xu Jiaorong to the Golden Tower Council. In the end, his deceptive means managed to elevate Xu Jiaorong to the position of Second Deputy. In turn, Xu Jiaorong repaid the favor by speaking well of Qi Xuansu before Great Sage Lan and echoed Qi Xuansu in all affairs in the Daoist Mansion, almost becoming his mouthpiece. They were so close to the point that Chen Jianchou even addressed Qi Xuansu as his godfather in private.

There was also Chen Jianqiu, who only became the sovereign of the Yu Kingdom due to Qi Xuansu’s favoritism. Even back in Jade Capital Qi Xuansu had already become involved with Qi Muyu. On the surface, the two addressed each other as siblings, but in reality, they were lovers. Later, in order to curry favor with Qi Xuansu, Qi Muyu took the initiative to act as a go-between, introducing Chen Jianqiu to Qi Xuansu at a welcome banquet. Chen Jianqiu’s exotic charm greatly impressed Qi Xuansu, and as soon as the banquet ended, he took her back to his room. Afterward, the two often met secretly at a Western-style bookstore. Later, after Chen Shuzhen was executed, Qi Xuansu elevated Chen Jianqiu to the position of Queen.

In short, Qi Xuansu was portrayed as a lust-driven monster, indiscriminate in age and welcoming anyone who came his way.

The female Daoist who reported Qi Xuansu stated that, as a subordinate officer under Qi Xuansu, she too had been subjected to his harassment. On one occasion, Qi Xuansu asked her to come alone to his office. At first, he was very polite, telling her to sit and make her report. But halfway through, Qi Xuansu stood up, went behind her, placed both hands on her shoulders, and even blew air toward the back of her neck. Fortunately, at that moment, Chen Jianchou came to inform Qi Xuansu that he needed to attend a meeting temporarily convened by the Mansion Master, allowing her to escape. Chen Jianchou, however, appeared unsurprised, making it evident that Qi Xuansu had frequently engaged in this sort of misconduct.

A letter of accusation involving the Chief Deputy was not something Yao Shu alone could decide upon. Moreover, Yao Shu had not fallen out with Qi Xuansu. There was not even a real rift between them, merely a lack of intimacy, so he likewise had no motive to suppress the matter. Thus, Yao Shu forwarded the letter to Great Sage Lan Hexu.

Even though Great Sage Lan rarely involved himself in affairs anymore, he could not remain indifferent when faced with such a matter. After all, the letter of accusation indirectly implicated him as well. For instance, it mentioned Xu Jiaorong speaking favorably of Qi Xuansu. If this were true, would it not make him appear senile—played around by his subordinates, believing whatever they said without any judgment at all?

However, Great Sage Lan was experienced. No matter how displeased he felt, he would not lightly make a statement while the situation remained unclear, at least not a public one. Thus, he handed the letter of accusation to his new secretary, Sun Yongfeng.

Sun Yongfeng, shrewd and perceptive as he was, immediately understood the implication and passed the letter on to Zhang Yuelu through the special channels of the Virtuous Great Sage.

Since Sun Yongfeng was listed as a member of Qi Xuansu’s faction, he would feel extremely uncomfortable about this.

That said, if such a small faction truly existed, with Qi Xuansu as its leader, then Zhang Yuelu would be the deputy leader. Perhaps the one who planned this scheme feared the Heavenly Preceptor and the Zhang family, which was why Zhang Yuelu was not dragged into it. Instead, Zhang Yuelu was portrayed as a clueless victim, kept in the dark and betrayed by her soon-to-be Daoist companion Qi Xuansu. Yet no one could deny that the person Qi Xuansu trusted the most was still Zhang Yuelu.

After receiving this letter of accusation, Zhang Yuelu was naturally furious.

She trusted Qi Xuansu enough to know he would not do such things. But if this matter were to blow up, Qi Xuansu’s reputation was not the only one on the line. She herself would not escape unscathed. To put it crudely, this single letter slapped more than a dozen green hats onto her head while portraying her as an ignorant woman.

After calming herself, she immediately came to one conclusion. This was not an individual act but a premeditated attack, carefully orchestrated by a faction operating behind the scenes.

Many of the matters involved here were things no ordinary Daoist could possibly know—such as Chen Jianqiu’s Western-style bookstore or the existence of Star Lord Yuheng and Shangguan Ya. Anyone capable of uncovering such details could not be insignificant.

Of course, the greatest suspect was undoubtedly the Taiping Sect. However, having the greatest motive did not necessarily mean the Taiping Sect was the suspect. It was also possible that someone was trying to conveniently pin the blame on the Taiping Sect—striking Qi Xuansu while simultaneously stirring trouble for the Taiping Sect, killing two birds with one stone.

Moreover, the Three Sects had too many entanglements. The Taiping Sect only appeared the most united.

Thus, there was a possibility that someone from the Zhang family was the mastermind behind this.

The Heavenly Preceptor’s approval of Qi Xuansu did not mean that all of the Zhengyi Sect factions liked him. There were plenty who believed that Qi Xuansu stood in their way. They might not be targeting Qi Xuansu at all, but instead aiming at Zhang Yuelu by striking Qi Xuansu. After all, Qi Xuansu’s neutral stance was too pronounced. If he failed in the contest for the Grand Master, he would likely succeed the position of the Zixiao Palace Master, which would not harm the Zhengyi Sect’s interests. But the Heavenly Preceptor position was different, directly affecting vital interests.

Following this line of thought, the Quanzhen Sect also had strong motives. After all, Qi Xuansu was still nominally affiliated with the Quanzhen Sect and was highly valued by Sage Donghua. If Sage Donghua became the seventh-generation Grand Master, he might well designate Qi Xuansu to succeed as Earthly Preceptor instead of Yao Pei. This was something that would certainly displease the Yao family.

In short, there was no concrete evidence for now, so anything was possible. Further investigation was needed to get to the bottom of this letter.

However, the most urgent task was not to identify the mastermind. It was to defuse the immediate crisis and prevent the matter from escalating.