A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1404: Golden Tower Council Deliberations

The assembly hall featured a raised platform, upon which stood a simple rosewood chair with rounded armrests that was currently empty. This was the seat of the Grand Master.

Behind the chair stood a large three-legged bronze incense burner with a lid carved in the pattern of the Eight Trigrams. Wisps of faint incense smoke drifted outward from its openings. On the northern wall above it hung a plainly mounted scroll that read, “Peace Under Heaven.”

The Grand Master’s seat faced south. In front of the platform was a standing space and a tall table about one meter high and slightly over 30 centimeters wide, used for placing speaking notes. This was the designated speaking position.

Facing the Grand Master were 12 seats for the small-meeting members, arranged in a semicircle. Due to the elevated platform, these seats were noticeably lower, placing their occupants under the Grand Master’s gaze.

On either side of the Grand Master were four additional seats, slightly lower than his but higher than those of the Omniscient Sages and Virtuous Great Sages. These seats were reserved for the three Deputy Grand Masters and the Grand Master Consort.

At this moment, only the seat of the Imperial Preceptor was labeled. The seats for the Heavenly Preceptor and Earthly Preceptor remained empty, indicating their absence.

Before long, 8 Omniscient Sages and 3 Virtuous Great Sages arrived one after another. Several greeted Qi Xuansu, including Sage Donghua, Great Sage Jiang, and even Sage Qingwei.

It made it seem as though Qi Xuansu was a familiar face within the Golden Tower Council.

For someone attending for the first time, such treatment left many observers quietly astonished.

The Imperial Preceptor entered second to last. Following him, as per tradition, was Sage Cihang, who then ordered the hall to be sealed, with Spirit Guards closing the doors from outside.

Everyone took their seats, except the Imperial Preceptor. He stood beside the Grand Master’s chair, resting a hand on its back, signifying his role as the Great Sage Lunzhi.

The Golden Tower Council clerks began preparing to record the proceedings with image, sound, and text.

As the Second Omniscient Sage, Sage Qingwei stepped to the speaking position before the platform, facing both council members and observers, and began presiding over the session.

The first topic of the session was not about the Western Daoist Order’s faults but a seemingly minor matter.

Recently, at the border between the Lingnan Daoist Mansion and the Poluo Daoist Mansion, a group of people had appeared. They had short hair, resembling monks who had only returned to the mundane life. The men wore front-buttoned jackets, while the women wore knee-length skirts. Their attire was even more bold and revealing than that of Westerners, and their hair was shorter than that of the Golden Horde men.

The locals referred to these people as shaven bandits. They called themselves maritime traders, though they resembled pirates. They claimed to be remnants of the Jin Dynasty who had drifted overseas, believed in the Holy Court, worshiped the Supreme Will, and even established a New Daoist Order. They abducted natives and commoners, forced them to shave their heads and change attire, and engaged in suspicious activities. They seemed to be an emerging secret society. Local authorities had attempted to suppress them but failed, so they reported this matter to the Daoist Mansion, requesting military support.

The Lingnan Daoist Mansion first consulted the Poluo Daoist Mansion to inquire with the Heavenly Court, which immediately denied any affiliation, stating only minor trade dealings with this group.

Considering the overseas implications, the Lingnan Daoist Mansion reported this to Jade Capital, seeking guidance from the Golden Tower Council on whether to eliminate or pacify these so-called Jin Dynasty remnants.

There were three Virtuous Great Sages attending this session—Jiang Hedao, Shi Hesheng, and Tang Fengxian.

Tang Fengxian was of the same generation as Li Changgeng, the Imperial Preceptor.

This Virtuous Great Sage had a fiery temper. He slammed the table and barked, “Is this really something that needs to be brought to the Golden Tower Council? What is the Lingnan Daoist Mansion even for then? Can’t they handle it themselves?”

Sage Qingwei smiled slightly, gesturing for Tang Fengxian to calm down. He said, “Let us have our colleague from the Lingnan Daoist Mansion explain the details.”

After stepping aside, a Deputy Mansion Master from Lingnan took the floor. Though much older than Qi Xuansu, he was far more nervous. The Golden Tower Council was no ordinary council, and unlike Qi Xuansu, he lacked familiar faces here.

The Deputy Mansion Master unfolded his prepared speech. “Esteemed Sages, I speak on behalf of Lingnan Daoist Mansion to present the following report. Based on our findings, these so-called Jin Dynasty remnants are not mere rabble. They possess a tightly organized internal structure, resembling the Golden Tower Council and the Western College of Cardinals, though their core leadership is hereditary rather than elected.

“They claim their ancestors fled overseas during the Golden Horde’s invasion of the Central Plains. Now, they are returning to their homeland and settling within Lingnan territory. Unlike typical secret societies focused on preaching, they exhibit strong separatist tendencies. They appoint officials and undermine local authorities. Unlike ordinary warlords, they also seek to assimilate the populace by enforcing shaved heads and new attire. Whether they aim to restore the Jin Dynasty remains uncertain.”

Qi Xuansu found the report rather dull. During his tenure in Poluo, he had vaguely heard of such a group but dismissed them as mere traders. He had not expected them to grow into something significant.

He thought, So what if they are remnants of the Jin Dynasty? The Jin Dynasty’s Imperial Preceptor is currently helping to babysit my daughter!

Even if the emperor of the Jin Dynasty were to come back to life, he would still have to live under the laws of the Great Xuan Dynasty.

Soon, the Deputy Mansion Master of Lingnan finished his speech, bowed, and withdrew to the observer’s section.

Tang Fengxian spoke first. “Jin Dynasty remnants? They look more like the hunting and fishing folk of Liaodong who are fond of shaving their heads and changing their attire. My opinion is to wipe them out entirely.”

Shi Hesheng objected. “I find that inappropriate. It is wrong to punish without first teaching. We should heal and save. If they are willing to repent and serve the Daoist Order, we should act with compassion. After all, the Primordial Daoist Ancestor spoke of compassion, frugality, and humility.”

Since the matter did not concern core interests, the two Virtuous Great Sages did not argue intensely. After stating their views, they fell silent.

The others could not even be bothered to discuss, waiting only for the final vote.

The fate of an entire group of people was to be decided by just a few words from these powerful figures.

This was some food for thought.

Great Sage Jiang proposed a compromise. “Why don’t we capture only the ringleaders and put them on trial in Lingnan? Ordinary civilians should be sent back to their places of origin, while those of unknown origin are to be transferred to Poluo.”

Sage Qingwei said, “Then let us vote.”

In the end, Great Sage Jiang’s proposal received the most votes and was passed as the official resolution. The Golden Tower Council clerks formalized it into written orders and dispatched them to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion.

Next came two more agenda items that were not particularly major. They proceeded without much discussion, quickly entering the voting stage and passing without incident.

Sage Qingwei said, “The final agenda item concerns a summary of the merits and faults of the recent New Continent Campaign. Our colleague Qi Xuansu from Beichen Hall will report the situation to the Golden Tower Council.”

Everyone perked up because it was time for the main event.

Qi Xuansu rose and stepped before the platform, as Sage Qingwei yielded the speaking position.

Qi Xuansu took out the report draft that had gone through multiple revisions and glanced around the assembly.

The pressure hit him head-on, not merely from the authority these Sages wielded, but more so from their high cultivation levels. Among those seated were at least five Immortals. It was no wonder the Deputy Mansion Master of Lingnan had been so nervous earlier.

Qi Xuansu withdrew his gaze, lowered his head to the report, and began speaking. “Honored Great Sages, Sages, and fellow Daoists, I will now present my report on behalf of Beichen Hall. The main content of this report concerns certain inherent problems revealed in the recent New Continent Campaign. For example, the issue of overexpansion caused by the rapid growth of the Western Daoist Order in recent years; structural problems within both the Western Daoist Order and the Tawantin Empire; and tactical flaws exposed during the war, such as overly aggressive, risky, and impulsive strategies.”

The Imperial Preceptor on the platform behind Qi Xuansu smiled faintly.

This report was, on the whole, quite satisfactory.

At that very moment, Sage Cihang slammed the table, interrupting Qi Xuansu. “If this is meant to be a summary of merits and faults, why does it contain only faults and no merits, only losses and no gains? Is this a summary? This is a denunciation.”

As the one responsible for maintaining order, no one could reprimand her at this moment, allowing her to act without restraint.

Sage Donghua also spoke. “The decision to support the Western Daoist Order was passed by the Golden Tower Council. We are not glory-seekers. We are willing to hear criticism and admit to strategic mistakes. However...”

He paused, then spoke louder. “I believe that many of the recent criticisms, discussions, and suspicions are not based on facts. They are even quite abnormal. I don’t know if you’ve heard. Lately, some people have been chattering incessantly, claiming that the Western Daoist Order seeks to break away from us completely to establish its own institution. They even say that within our Order, there are those loyal to the Western Daoist Order, using our resources to feed an ungrateful wolf. The intensity of such rhetoric is obvious, and so is its intent.”

Sage Donghua swept his gaze across the room. “I emphasize once again that we must face our mistakes, but merits and faults always go hand in hand. If we fixate only on errors while ignoring what has been done well, we cannot move forward. Fellow Daoists, the Western Daoist Order has painstakingly pieced together the fragmented Tawantin Empire into the present unified Southern New Continent, sparing its people from enslavement and brutal exploitation by Westerners. They have made immense sacrifices and put in immense effort. Fairly evaluating the Western Daoist Order and Tawantin Empire is not only about the fate of the New Continent but also about the future direction of our Order. There is no room for carelessness or bias.”