A Pawn's Passage

The Empress Dowager was a typical Li family daughter. Back when her husband passed away and her son was still young, she made no small effort to help him secure the throne, employing ruthless and decisive methods when necessary.

It was only after Emperor Jiushi began to distinguish himself that the Empress Dowager gradually loosened her grip and stopped involving herself in political affairs.

While the late emperor had lived through the era of the fifth-generation Grand Master and ultimately died in bitterness and frustration, Emperor Jiushi came to power during the era of the sixth-generation Grand Master and the division of the Three Daoist Sects, allowing him to strengthen imperial authority.

The Empress Dowager enjoyed a life of leisure. After years of comfort and privilege, she had concealed her sharper edges and appeared gentle and benevolent. But whenever that sharpness occasionally revealed itself, it was still enough to make one’s heart tremble.

Li Ruoshui’s thoughts raced as she smiled and said, “So many years have already passed. It’s time to let it go.”

The Empress Dowager returned to her usual demeanor and sighed. “That was what I told him as well. The fifth-generation Grand Master has long since passed away, and the sixth-generation Grand Master could be said to have repaid the debts left behind by the fifth-generation Grand Master. But he just kept repeating those words over and over. It left me feeling deeply unsettled.

“Others may not know it, but I’m well aware that the late emperor quite literally died of anger. In front of the fifth-generation Grand Master, the late emperor was no different from those ordinary Daoists. When the Grand Master sat, he had to stand. When the Grand Master spoke, he had to listen. Once the Grand Master made a decision, he did not even have the right to object. At best, the Grand Master would give him a warning. But most often, the Grand Master would openly reprimand him and humiliate him.

“But there was nothing he could do about it. He could only swallow his anger and keep it bottled up inside. This eventually caused his Three Corpses to run out of control, so much so that he died at such a young age.

“Since the times of the Holy Xuan and Emperor Gaozu, the Daoist Order and Imperial Court have always kept accounts clear. But the fifth-generation Grand Master broke those rules. Yet in the end, nothing happened to him at all. What kind of justice is that?”

Li Ruoshui forced a smile and said, “The fifth-generation Grand Master was not deliberately targeting the late emperor. The former Three Deputy Grand Masters suffered under him as well. Even the current Three Deputy Grand Masters could not do anything about it.”

The Empress Dowager let out a soft snort. “Of course the Three Deputy Grand Master couldn’t do anything. If the fifth-generation Grand Master hadn’t promoted them, they wouldn’t be where they are today.”

Li Ruoshui felt there was simply no way to continue down that line of conversation, so she could only change the subject. “By the way, I’ll be making a trip to Jade Capital in a few days. Is there anything you would like me to bring to Princess Chiying?”

The Empress Dowager asked, “It’s not yet time to nominate the next Grand Master. What are you going to Jade Capital for?”

Li Ruoshui replied, “Someone is getting married, so I’m going to attend the ceremony.”

The Empress Dowager grew interested. “Someone from the Li family?”

Li Ruoshui replied, “Not a descendant of the Li family. The Zhang family’s son-in-law.”

The Empress Dowager grew even more curious. “Now, that’s strange. Our family and the Zhang family have never gotten along. Even if we wanted to keep up appearances, we could simply send a representative from somewhere nearby. The Imperial Capital is so far from Jade Capital, so why would they send you? Besides, shouldn’t the Zhang family’s son-in-law be getting married at the Dazhen Mansion? Why would the wedding be held in Jade Capital?”

Li Ruoshui explained, “Come to think of it, this person was once my subordinate, so we do have some connection. The invitation has already been sent to me, so I have little choice but to attend. The wedding is not being held at the Dazhen Mansion because he is not marrying into the Zhang family as a matrilocal son-in-law. So Jade Capital is more appropriate.”

The Empress Dowager said, “Now I understand even less. He was your subordinate, not your superior. Why would you have no choice but to go? It is not as though he were Yong Yan.”

Li Ruoshui gave a wry smile. “He’s in no way inferior to Yong Yan. His name is Qi Xuansu, and his courtesy name is Tian Yuan. He’s now the youngest Omniscient Sage in the Golden Tower Council, commonly known as Sage Taiwei or Qi Taiwei. He was once my subordinate and Sage Qingwei’s subordinate. The woman he is marrying is the distinguished daughter of the Zhang family, Zhang Yuelu, who is ranked alongside Yong Yan as one of the Daoist Order’s Three Prodigies. She is now the Chief Deputy of Tiangang Hall. Since we have not completely fallen out with them, we still have to show them this much respect.”

“Oh, it’s him.” The Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised. “I’ve heard of him. A few years ago, he served as a superintendent in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. Later, I believe he went to Nanyang.”

Li Ruoshui said, “He is quite extraordinary. He was the one who brought down the Wang and Sun families of Nanyang. By now, he has practically become the emperor of Nanyang. Even Li Tianqing personally stepped in and failed to gain the upper hand. He was captured by Qi Xuansu, and it took Elder Lu personally intervening and paying 3 million Taiping coins to bail him out. Li Tianzhen is still being detained in Nanyang to this day.”

The Empress Dowager was even more astonished. “This man is actually so formidable that even Li Tianqing is no match for him? He dares detain members of our Li family and even became an Omniscient Sage before Yong Yan.”

Li Ruoshui explained, “You have spent many years within the palace and no longer concern yourself with political affairs, so naturally you wouldn’t know about these things. Yong Yan is a Pseudo-Immortal, and I have heard that Qi Xuansu has also advanced to the Pseudo-Immortal stage. Some busybodies have taken to calling the two of them the Twin Peaks of the Daoist Order. This man’s master is none other than Sage Donghua, Sage Qingwei’s greatest rival. He is also marrying a daughter of the Zhang family and becoming their son-in-law, and I hear he even has an adoptive mother from the Yao family. So while Sage Qingwei and Sage Donghua are now competing to become the seventh-generation Grand Master, it is entirely possible that Qi Xuansu and Yong Yan will be the ones competing to become the eighth-generation Grand Master.”

The Empress Dowager understood at once. “No wonder he’s not afraid of our family. He has Sage Donghua backing him and the Zhang family as his in-laws. There are only a handful of families in the Daoist Order capable of matching our strength, and he has practically gathered them all around him. This young man is certain to become a major threat to our family in the future.”

Li Ruoshui sighed. “He is already a major threat now. Many Virtuous Great Sages openly support him, including Great Sage Lan of Poluo, Great Sage Jiang of Zixiao Palace, Great Sage Shi of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, and the newly promoted Great Sage Qi. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that his momentum has already become unstoppable. Our family had a promising adopted son named Li Minghuang, but because he offended Qi Xuansu, his prospects were ruined, and he was thrown down from his lofty pedestal.”

The Empress Dowager fell silent for a moment before asking softly, “Have you considered employing certain...special methods?”

Li Ruoshui shook her head. “It might have been possible in the past, but it would be extremely difficult now. After all, he’s a Pseudo-Immortal wielding an immortal object. He also has no shortage of Pseudo-Immortals by his side. I hear that when Li Tianqing was captured, the two sides deployed no fewer than 8 Pseudo-Immortals combined. That newly promoted Great Sage Qi is especially close to him, almost as though the two were one entity. That is without even counting the Heavenly Preceptor, Sage Donghua, and the various Virtuous Great Sages who support him. Unless the Imperial Preceptor personally took action, I fear anyone else would find it exceedingly difficult to do anything to that man.

“Do you remember the Zhou family that defected from the Taiping Sect? For some reason, Zhou Mengyao became enemies with Qi Xuansu. I have vaguely heard that Qi Xuansu first became Zhou Mengyao’s disciple before later switching allegiance to Sage Donghua. Zhou Mengyao decided to teach Qi Xuansu a lesson, only to fall into his trap and nearly lose her life. To this day, she still does not dare show herself in public.”

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager could not help but sigh. “If only we had known it would come to this...”

Li Ruoshui replied helplessly, “No amount of gold can buy foresight.”

The Empress Dowager asked, “Does the Emperor know about this?”

Before Li Ruoshui could answer, the Empress Dowager lightly slapped her forehead and said, “Look at me, I really am getting muddle-headed with age. Of course the Emperor would know about something like this.”

The Empress Dowager asked again, “Has the Emperor said anything about it?”

Li Ruoshui shook her head. “It’s difficult to fathom the Emperor’s thoughts. Even those who remain at His Majesty’s side all day may not necessarily know what he is thinking.”

The Empress Dowager sighed. “That is true.”

Li Ruoshui observed the Empress Dowager’s expression and continued, “But if you truly wish to know, you could ask His Majesty directly. His Majesty is sincere and filial, so naturally, he would not conceal anything from you.”

The Empress Dowager waved her hand. “Forget it. Once a son is grown, his mother can no longer decide everything for him. He will have his own plans. If he wishes to tell me, he will do so of his own accord. If he does not tell me, then he has his reasons for keeping it from me. There is no need for me to ask too much.”

Li Ruoshui followed her lead. “You see things clearly, Your Highness.”

Just then, a figure strode into the Empress Dowager’s residence.

There were only two people who could disregard protocol so openly. One was the Emperor, while the other was Prince Liao.

The current Prince Liao was the Emperor’s younger brother born of the same mother. As such, the two shared an exceptionally close relationship. Although he had not quite reached the status of a deputy sovereign, his influence was still not to be underestimated. He currently served as the Director of the Imperial Clan Court, while Prince Jin served as the Left Chief Examiner and Prince Qi as the Right Chief Examiner. Together, they were responsible for evaluating members of the royal family as well as administering rewards and punishments.

Prince Qi had kept a very low profile in recent years and rarely appeared in public. Most matters were handled by Prince Liao and Prince Jin.

Prince Liao, Qin Quanxiao, was the Empress Dowager’s youngest son.

Moreover, Emperor Jiushi’s aptitude had been so exceptional that he advanced to the Immortal stage at an early age and had no descendants. Emperor Jiushi himself had little interest in women, and since it was already difficult for him to have children, he had no reason to take additional consorts. The princesses had all been adopted from among the royal family’s daughters, so there was no particular need for strict segregation between men and women within the palace. Prince Liao could therefore come and go freely when visiting his mother.

The Empress Dowager intended for Qin Quanxiao to inherit the throne in the future, with the younger brother succeeding the elder. Although Emperor Jiushi had not directly agreed to this arrangement, he had not opposed it. Presumably, he was still evaluating his younger brother.

Of course, there was another possibility. Emperor Jiushi might attempt to undergo his tribulation to become a First-Tribulation Immortal and hence continue ruling for another 100 years.

Qin Quanxiao walked in, and Li Ruoshui rose to greet him. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

“Mansion Master Li.” Qin Quanxiao returned the greeting. “What were you talking about?”

Li Ruoshui replied, “We were just talking about Qi Xuansu’s wedding.”

“Oh, Qi Xuansu.” Qin Quanxiao paused in surprise.

“What, you know him?” the Empress Dowager asked.

Qin Quanxiao bowed to the Empress Dowager before replying, “More than that. He has even killed my men. But that is a minor matter now. Back at Wuxing Mountain, the reason everything fell apart at the final step was entirely thanks to him. This man is no simple character. His marriage this time is a signal that the Zhengyi Sect and Sage Donghua are entering into a full alliance. Zhang Yuelu is the Heavenly Preceptor’s granddaughter and also Sage Cihang’s disciple. The Zhengyi Sect remains quite united internally. I’ve also heard that the Zhengyi Sect is trying to matchmake Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang. It seems the Zhang family has truly mastered the art of marriage alliances.”