A Pawn's Passage

In the end, after assessing which way the winds were blowing and displaying the composure expected of a Mansion Master, Yao Shu still decided to compromise.

If a single letter were enough to make a Mansion Master back down, it would make him seem far too weak and incapable.

But with the Great Sage of the Daoist Mansion personally stepping in and another Mansion Master putting pressure on him, backing down and compromising at this point was perfectly appropriate. Yao Shu would not lose his dignity. This was what it meant by the saying that a wise man knew when to yield to circumstances.

Yao Shu compromised, and Zhang Yuelu’s plan came to fruition.

Throughout the Poluo Daoist Mansion, the four highest-ranking leaders—Great Sage Lan, Mansion Master Yao Shu, Chief Deputy Mansion Master Zhang Yuelu, and finally Secondary Deputy Mansion Master Xu Jiaorong—were now united in their position.

Naturally, there would be no dissent at the subsequent Daoist Mansion Council. Even the Spirit Guards and Branch Managers of the various branch halls, as well as the superintendents and deacons, knew which way the wind was blowing. Everyone unanimously declared that they firmly supported the decision of the Daoist Mansion Council and would remain highly aligned in both thought and action with the Daoist Mansion under Great Sage Lan’s leadership.

This was what it meant to be united as one.

Great Sage Lan once again convened a Daoist Mansion council meeting and invited the relevant fellow Daoists from the Fengxian Hall and Beichen Hall to attend as observers.

Yao Shu still presided over the meeting, but this time, his tone had changed completely from before. “It has not been easy for Poluo to achieve the favorable situation we enjoy today. It could not have happened without the efforts of everyone throughout the Daoist Mansion. Everyone has devoted their time and energy to this, from the senior leadership to the ordinary members of the Daoist Mansion. We must cherish the favorable situation we have today.”

Yao Shu continued, “However, in the course of our efforts to build this favorable situation, there will always be some fellow Daoists who succumb to temptation and fall. Does the senior leadership of the Daoist Mansion bear responsibility for this? In my view, we do, and that responsibility is by no means small. We must remain clearheaded and establish three points. First, we must correct our attitude. Second, we must learn from our experience. Third, we must remedy the negative impact. There is no question about any of this.”

Yao Shu waved his hand. “As Mansion Master, I oversee personnel matters, so I too must reflect and learn from this. First, I must make a self-criticism. Now that something has gone wrong with Xie Jiaofeng, I have some responsibility. Xie Jiaofeng is my subordinate. If he performs well, lives up to the expectations of the Daoist Order and the Daoist Mansion, and contributes to our Poluo Daoist Mansion, then that proves we chose the right person, did our utmost, and fulfilled the responsibilities expected of us.

“Conversely, if Xie Jiaofeng performs poorly and something goes wrong, then I have failed in my oversight and cannot escape responsibility. I must make a thorough self-criticism before the Golden Tower Council.”

Immediately afterward, Zhang Yuelu also spoke and made her self-criticism. “I’ve also been reflecting on this lately. How did things come to this? How did I fail to notice Xie Jiaofeng’s problems? It wasn’t merely a matter of choosing the wrong person. It was also a failure of oversight. I saw that Xie Jiaofeng was capable, obedient, and easy to work with, so I overlooked his other problems and simply took things for granted. In the end, this was the result. I have failed to live up to the Daoist Order’s expectations and brought embarrassment upon the Daoist Mansion. As such, I must make a thorough self-criticism before the Daoist Mansion.”

Great Sage Lan finally spoke. “The Daoist Order began expanding into Nanyang during the tenure of the third-generation Grand Master. More than a century has passed since then, and the situation is still relatively complicated. Though there are great achievements to be made in this region, there are also numerous problems. The most prominent problem is not interference from external forces. We have suppressed and defeated the Westerners, the former Nanyang Federation of Daoist Expulsion, and the rebellions by secret societies. The key issue still lies with certain problems within our own ranks. To put it plainly, personnel problems.

“This is not a problem with any particular Mansion Master. It is a deep-rooted, chronic malady, the ultimate result of a whole series of problems acting together. Wang Jiaohe, Sun Heyu, and Chen Shuhua are prime examples of this problem. Even the senior leadership of the Daoist Mansion had fallen into corruption and depravity, which shows just how serious the problem is. Completely resolving it will be extremely difficult and certainly cannot be accomplished overnight. Throughout this long process, we must address both the root cause and the symptoms. Addressing the symptoms means cracking down on embezzlement and corruption.”

“Fellow Daoists, we must keep our heads clear. At all times and under all circumstances, we must safeguard the interests of the Daoist Order. If we simply turn a blind eye to such matters, we will lose the people’s support. Those who win the hearts of the people win the realm. Just as we were able to win the realm, we can also lose it. We cannot afford to let down our guard. Therefore, we must take severe measures and strike hard, showing no leniency toward these various abuses.”

At this point, Great Sage Lan paused before abruptly changing tune. “However, we cannot view everything in absolute terms. We cannot see nothing but problems while ignoring our achievements. Poluo certainly has many problems. For example, the lingering influence of Wang Jiaohe, Sun Heyu, and Chen Shuhua has yet to be completely eradicated. That is an objective fact. But our achievements have also been considerable. The various tasks assigned by the Golden Tower Council last year and the year before were by no means easy, yet we completed every one of them successfully and even exceeded our targets. The Nanyang United Trading Company was successfully reorganized, fiscal and tax revenues have risen, the work of eliminating the remaining harmful influences is proceeding in an orderly manner, and the overall situation has stabilized.

“Overall, the Daoist Mansion is still doing well. It is merely a handful of individuals who have problems. We cannot generalize from isolated cases, nor can we magnify individual cases to the point of damaging the Daoist Mansion’s reputation. We must remain vigilant against this and avoid extrapolating isolated examples into sweeping and objectively unfounded judgments. Generally speaking, the Golden Tower Council remains basically satisfied with the Daoist Mansion. That is the fundamental assessment, and all three Deputy Grand Masters agree with it.”

As the Secondary Deputy Mansion Master, Xu Jiaorong immediately spoke in support of Great Sage Lan. “The Great Sage is absolutely right. The facts concerning Poluo are plain for everyone to see. As long as one harbors no ulterior motives and is capable of viewing the issue reasonably, one could not possibly arrive at any other conclusion.”

Great Sage Lan said meaningfully, “Even if certain people do harbor ulterior motives, there is nothing to fear. Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Everyone has a scale in their heart, and the annals of history will ultimately render a fair judgment.

“Recently, I heard that construction at the Southern Continent’s New Port has been proceeding at full capacity and that the first phase of the project has already been completed. Sage Huangfu once said that it is impossible to avoid mistakes entirely. When mistakes occur, they must be corrected and dealt with. We must face these errors and shortcomings squarely. We must possess the fearless spirit of not being afraid to make sacrifices, allow mistakes to be made, and have the courage to take responsibility for them. I believe what he said applies equally well to us. We should all take them to heart.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Great Sage Lan’s words are deeply insightful. With such a major case involving Xie Jiaofeng, as Chief Deputy Mansion Master, my mistakes are not insignificant, nor is my responsibility. I must acknowledge what should be acknowledged and conduct whatever self-reflection is necessary.”

“That is the right attitude,” Great Sage Lan said. “You must not let your emotions get the better of you. Do not assume that just because you have no problems, you can become self-righteous or act impulsively. That would be an irresponsible attitude.”

The people from Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall found something amiss the more they listened. How had the winds suddenly changed direction? Not long ago, Yao Shu had been trying to force Zhang Yuelu to shoulder responsibility, yet in the blink of an eye, Yao Shu himself was voluntarily making a self-criticism.

Great Sage Lan’s words sounded stern, but in reality, they barely scratched the surface. First, he insisted that everyone should also look at their achievements. Then he went on about how Zhang Yuelu should not assume she had no problems. Wasn’t this simply a roundabout way of absolving Zhang Yuelu? It was nothing more than a token punishment.

These people were not novices in the Daoist Order, and they immediately realized what had likely happened. Perhaps Yao Shu and Zhang Yuelu had found some point of equilibrium and reached some sort of compromise over the past few days.

Thus, the situation they least wanted to see came true. The entire Daoist Mansion had become a united front. More importantly, the Daoist Mansion was not obstructing their investigation into Xie Jiaofeng. They were free to investigate him however they pleased, but the investigation had to remain limited to Xie Jiaofeng’s case. If they wanted to broaden its scope, that would not be allowed.

One should never underestimate the strength of a Daoist Mansion. When Qi Xuansu investigated Wang Jiaohe, no one had been able to mobilize the Daoist Mansion’s full strength. It had always been an internal struggle within the Daoist Mansion. Some supported Qi Xuansu, some supported Wang Jiaohe, while others simply stood by and watched.

Now that the entire Daoist Mansion was united as one, a handful of Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall officers could hardly do anything to it. Unless the Golden Tower Council was determined to transfer its senior leadership away and appoint a new Great Sage and Mansion Master, the Daoist Mansion would be impenetrable, leaving the investigators unable to make a single move.

Local authorities resisting the central authority was nothing new. The slightest mishandling could immediately lead to a situation where regional powers became stronger and more entrenched. There were already some signs of this among the Three Daoist Sects. This can be seen with the Qizhou Daoist Mansion’s repeated expansion, which had somehow grown from a coastal Daoist Mansion into a behemoth with an inland sea of its own.

However, the people from Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall were merely attending the meeting as observers. They could listen in but had no right to speak. Even if they had been allowed to speak, there was little they could say in the face of a Virtuous Great Sage and an Omniscient Sage.

The person leading the group this time was a Deputy Fengxian Hall Master. As soon as the meeting ended, he immediately reported the situation to his superior. However, the report did not go to Sage Qingwei. Although Sage Qingwei was aware of the matter, he was not personally directing it. After all, he had his status to maintain. Moreover, he had an unspoken understanding with Sage Donghua. If Sage Donghua did not make a move, neither would Sage Qingwei. Thus, from beginning to end, Sage Donghua had neither said nor done anything.

The person truly pulling the strings behind the scenes was Li Tianzhen. Although Li Tianzhen was merely a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist priest, even a Deputy Hall Master had to obey his instructions. He could even influence the promotion of an ordinary Sage.

Anyone who learned of this would inevitably think that it was absurd. How could Li Tianzhen actually wield that much influence? But that was the reality.

Even members of the Daoist Order could not help but sigh that the game of power was so nonsensical. They wondered if Li Tianzhen was the only one playing it this way or if everyone was playing the same game.

After Li Tianzhen learned of the situation, he immediately instructed one of his attendants, “Ask them what exactly is happening over in the Southern Continent.”

The people he dispatched replied, “Huangfu Ji has us trapped in New Port. Although Zhang Wuyue is still in our hands, getting him out of New Port is proving extremely difficult. Zhang Wuyue is a tough nut to crack and refuses to cooperate no matter what we do. We’re afraid we might accidentally beat him to death, so things have reached something of a stalemate.”

Li Tianzhen also knew that they could not rush matters. If they really beat Zhang Wuyue to death, they would truly be breaking the rules, and the consequences would be extremely serious.

There was only one option left.

Li Tianzhen gave another order. “Help me contact Grand Leader Wu of the Heavenly Court.”