A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu did not personally take action.

Power was meant to be exercised. If one had to handle every matter personally, then what was the point of holding power in the first place?

But that did not mean Qi Xuansu was idle. He had already managed to reassure Lu Yujue.

They had both spent many years within the Daoist Order, so there was no need to speak too explicitly. A subtle hint was enough for each to understand the other’s intentions.

Lu Yujue intended to draw closer to Qi Xuansu, hoping to borrow his influence in order to exact revenge on Li Minghuang.

Qi Xuansu likewise wished to win Lu Yujue over to plant a hidden mine beneath Li Changge’s feet.

Naturally, the two men reached an immediate understanding.

In truth, once this incident had occurred, the Li family had already reached a point where they had to choose one of two sides—either Li Minghuang or Lu Yujue. But the Li family likely did not see it that way. Having stood at the top for so long, they had grown arrogant, wanting to have it both ways and hoping that Lu Yujue would put the greater good first. That way, they could reduce a major issue to a minor one and a minor one to nothing at all.

Though the Li family wielded enormous power because many people’s livelihoods depended upon their favor, those people were not the Li family’s servants.

Lu Yujue understood that since the Li family had urged him to put the greater good first, it meant he was too insignificant to be part of that “greater good.”

So, he had no intention of putting the greater good first. What he needed to do now was endure this. On the surface, he would appear cooperative and accommodating, lulling Li Minghuang and his supporters into complacency before delivering a thunderous blow at the decisive moment.

After all, a gentleman could wait ten years to take his revenge.

Even if Lu Yujue were to make a move, the Li family could not openly retaliate against him. First, he belonged to the direct line of the Lu family and had a solid backing. Second, he was the aggrieved party and held both reason and justice on his side.

Once this matter was brought into the open, both legal principles and public sentiment would support him. From the standpoint of principle, Li Minghuang was morally corrupt, and the Li family would stand accused of shielding him. From the standpoint of personal ties, the Lu family had supported the Li family for many years, and the two families were connected by marriage. In a sense, they were relatives. Was this really how the Li family treated its own people?

Therefore, the Li family had no choice but to placate the Lu family rather than punish Lu Yujue. Otherwise, they would completely lose the people’s support.

Originally, Qi Xuansu had intended to give Lu Yujue a few days off, but Lu Yujue declined of his own accord. As he put it, it was better to stay busy so that he would have no time to dwell on such miserable affairs.

To be fair, Lu Yujue belonged to the more traditional and conservative camp, which was why he cared so deeply about such matters. If he had been carefree, he likely would not have considered it an issue at all.

Li Minghuang was not exactly carefree. He was a conservative hypocrite, strict with others but lenient with himself. He could do as he pleased, yet the women associated with him were not permitted the slightest hint of betrayal. Even though Zhang Yuyue no longer had anything to do with him, he was still displeased when he saw her marrying someone else and even went looking for trouble.

As for Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, they belonged to the hardline faction among the conservatives, strict with themselves and equally strict with others. People like them were the sort who could easily end up getting someone killed.

That was why Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu agreed with many of the principles set by the fifth-generation Grand Master. Setting aside certain differences in political views, they found they had much in common with him.

Amidst his busy schedule, Qi Xuansu did not forget to get in touch with Zhang Yuelu.

After all, their wedding day was fast approaching. Strictly speaking, all Qi Xuansu really had to do was show up. There was little he actually needed to worry about. Even so, he intended to check on the preparations. Zhang Yuelu had her own ideas, Madam Qi had another set of ideas, while Tantai Qiong and the Zhang family were also involved. Who knew what the end result would be? As such, he felt he had to keep an eye on things. After all, he was the head of the household.

Leaning back in his chair, Qi Xuansu used the Cloud Message to contact Zhang Yuelu, asking how the wedding preparations were coming along.

Zhang Yuelu held nothing back and roughly recounted her conversation with Tantai Qiong.

Qi Xuansu found no real grounds for objection. The dowry had little to do with him. According to the customs of these great families, the disposition of a woman’s dowry was entirely her own affair. Whether she passed it on to her daughter or to a future daughter-in-law was her decision alone. If she were unfortunate enough to die without children, her natal family would generally reclaim the dowry.

If the two of them were ever unable to continue their marriage and Qi Xuansu wished to sell the dowry for an emergency, he would still need Zhang Yuelu’s consent.

So Qi Xuansu chose not to express any opinion. He respected Zhang Yuelu’s decision. But whether she could persuade the Zhang family depended on her own abilities, since it was equally inappropriate for Qi Xuansu to interfere.

What Zhang Yuelu mainly wished to discuss with Qi Xuansu was the wedding ceremony itself. If Qi Xuansu wanted to make it more grand and formal, that was entirely within his rights.

Regarding this, Qi Xuansu also disliked unnecessary extravagance and complexity. “It’s good to advocate frugality. As long as we don’t neglect our guests, I have no objections.”

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Who do you plan to invite?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “We’ll send an invitation to everyone connected to us. But whether they show up is up to them.”

Zhang Yuelu pondered for a moment before saying, “When you have time, make a guest list. I’ll make one as well, and then we’ll compare them to fill in any omissions. You have a wide network of connections, perhaps even some from Jianghu.”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “I’m afraid it won’t be that simple. A marriage is an affair between two families. On my side, it’s just me and Madam Qi, so our social circle is fairly straightforward. But the Zhang family is a millennium-old aristocratic clan. Who knows how many relatives by marriage and old family friends you’ll have to invite? That’s where the bulk of the guest list will come from.”

Zhang Yuelu scoffed. “It’s not just me. You’re now Sage Donghua’s disciple, and the Daoist Order views master-disciple relationships as those of parent and child. Now that you’re getting married, plenty of guests will attend out of respect for your master. I imagine it won’t be any less than your disciple acceptance ceremony.”

Qi Xuansu said, “That reminds me, there is one issue. The ceremony itself is only a minor detail. The real key is receiving the guests. This time, you’re marrying into my family, so my family should be hosting. My master can entertain the male guests, but we’re still missing someone to host the female guests.”

Zhang Yuelu looked puzzled. “Shouldn’t Madam Qi be the one receiving the female guests? Isn’t that obvious?”

Qi Xuansu gave a wry smile. “I’m worried Madam Qi will absolutely refuse to make an appearance. Knowing her, she’s entirely capable of doing something like that. In all likelihood, she actually will. The problem is that my master has always been a bachelor...”

How could Zhang Yuelu still not understand? She scoffed. “Qi Xuansu! You’re actually setting your sights on my master?!”

Qi Xuansu did not pretend otherwise. “That’s not fair. Your Zhang family elders are the ones who first brought up the idea. At most, I’m just voicing my support.”

In truth, Zhang Yuelu had thought about this as well. After all, once children were grown, parents would usually seek their opinions on matters like these.

Of course, Sage Cihang would never ask Zhang Yuelu directly. However, Zhang Yuelu’s fellow sisters had discussed the subject among themselves and each expressed an opinion. If Sage Cihang had been firmly opposed, none of her disciples would have dared bring it up casually for fear of offending their master. Since the conversation was taking place at all, it suggested, to some extent, Sage Cihang’s own attitude.

Zhang Yuelu’s position was to respect whatever decision Sage Cihang made.

It was a rather passive stance, as she chose not to intervene.

However, it was clear that Qi Xuansu took a different approach. His attitude was far more proactive. Not only did he respect the idea, he supported it and even wanted to help move it forward.

Zhang Yuelu said, “Are you suggesting they become Daoist companions before us just for the sake of our wedding ceremony? Isn’t that far too hasty? Besides, that doesn’t really make sense.”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “You’re such a blockhead. Why not look at it from another angle? Use our wedding as a way to test the waters and serve as a warm-up.”

Zhang Yuelu was no fool. With that single hint from Qi Xuansu, she immediately understood. “You mean the male host has already been decided, which is none other than your master, Sage Donghua. Since Madam Qi will be absent, our wedding will be missing a female host, so my master can fill that role and receive the female guests. However, we don’t have to make the relationship between my master and yours explicit. We can use the occasion to gauge the outside world’s reaction. If the two of them truly have such intentions, then their appearing together this time will serve as an advance warm-up before officially confirming their relationship later.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Exactly. Kill two birds with one stone.”

Zhang Yuelu did not object. Instead, she asked, “What about Madam Qi? Will she be hurt by this?”

Qi Xuansu could not help but feel touched. Although Madam Qi and Zhang Yuelu clearly did not get along, when it came to a matter like this, Zhang Yuelu could still think of Madam Qi’s feelings first. This was one of the reasons Qi Xuansu liked Zhang Yuelu. She judged matters on their own merits, unlike some people who, once they formed a prejudice, brought it up at every opportunity, dredging up grievances from decades ago until the whole family was left unhappy.

Qi Xuansu said, “I already sounded her out some time ago. She didn’t want to appear in public. I can’t exactly tie her up and drag her here. I’ll ask her properly one more time. If she still refuses, then I’ll have no choice but to respect her wishes. The two of us can simply serve her a cup of tea in private[1].”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “That’s probably the only way.”

Qi Xuansu said, “If Madam Qi doesn’t want to show up, then you’ll have to step forward and invite Sage Cihang.”

Zhang Yuelu shrugged indifferently. “All right. At worst, my master will scold me a little.”

Qi Xuansu confidently said, “In my opinion, this is a win-win situation for everyone. Our masters are clearly interested as well. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have remained silent all this time. Silence itself is a kind of answer. So not objecting is the same as agreeing. It’s just that, at their age, they can’t quite bring themselves to take the first step. They still want to preserve a little dignity. That’s when we need to step up and play the role of matchmaker. Put simply, all we have to do is persuade them earnestly. It’ll give them an excuse to bring them together. In doing so, we’ll fulfill our filial duty.”

Zhang Yuelu could not help but laugh. “You certainly have plenty of little schemes.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Becoming even more closely related by marriage isn’t such a bad thing.”

Zhang Yuelu said nothing more. That was simply her attitude. If it worked out, wonderful. If it did not, there was nothing to regret. Since Qi Xuansu was genuinely enthusiastic and cared deeply about the matter, she had no objection to cooperating with him.

It was much like an ordinary family. When children were young and immature, their opinions carried little weight. But once they became independent adults, their views became important. Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had reached that stage. With both of them on the verge of becoming Omniscient Sages, their opinions naturally could not be ignored. Their attitudes were often enough to influence the thinking of Sage Cihang and Sage Donghua to some extent, just as the Three Daoist Heirs could influence the views of the Three Deputy Grand Masters to a certain degree.

Qi Xuansu was making very active use of that influence, steering events toward the outcome he hoped to achieve.

Remembering something, Zhang Yuelu asked, “By the way, have you decided on your groomsmen?”

1. In traditional Chinese weddings, the bride and groom will have to serve each elder a cup of tea during the ceremony as a show of respect and gratitude. ☜