A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 1205: August
Zhang Yuelu was not yet thirty. Tantai Qiong was not much older either, roughly the same age as Madam Qi.
In terms of achievements, Tantai Qiong could not be compared to Madam Qi. Yet there were objective reasons for this. Madam Qi was backed by the Earthly Preceptor and the Yao family, while Tantai Qiong’s backing was but a declining Confucian family.
The disparity in resources between the two was simply too great, so their accomplishments naturally could not be compared.
To be fair, Tantai Qiong was by no means weak. She had risen almost entirely through her own efforts to become a third-rank Youyi Daoist. Although she was a daughter-in-law of the Zhang family, her husband, Zhang Juqi, was from a minor branch. Even Zhang Juqi himself received little in the way of resources, let alone Tantai Qiong.
Before Xu Jiaorong became the Second Deputy Mansion Master, she had also been a third-rank Youyi Daoist, showing the considerable weight of someone in this rank.
Tantai Qiong was also strong-willed, as could be seen when she dared to take the issue of her daughter’s last name to the Heavenly Preceptor. Before Zhang Yuelu rose to prominence, this small household was largely held together by Tantai Qiong alone. Both Zhang Juqi and Zhang Yuelu had to listen to her without question, which in turn led to the mother-daughter conflict between them. Such a person was not very likable.
Qi Xuansu disliked her and never bothered to hide it. From this alone, one could tell that he was clearly not henpecked. After all, a man who feared his wife would not dare to fall out with his mother-in-law. Qi Xuansu was not being snobbish either. His attitude toward Sage Cihang was likewise distant, marked more by the cautious respect of a subordinate toward a superior rather than any eagerness to curry favor by leveraging that connection.
This was partly because Qi Xuansu was simply too busy, and it was partly due to his own personality.
Of course, Tantai Qiong did not like Qi Xuansu either.
No matter what, it was best for a husband and wife to be evenly matched. If one were strong and the other weak, many conflicts would arise. This balance did not necessarily mean equality of status or position. Even if one partner did not have a high rank, as long as the other partner was willing to negotiate as equals, that too constituted a form of balance.
Many times, Tantai Qiong felt deeply stifled.
Judging from her own experiences, she did not believe that a strong woman and a weak man could ever have a good future together.
After all, back then, Zhang Yuelu was the youngest Deputy Hall Master, with boundless prospects ahead of her. Qi Xuansu was merely a seventh-rank deacon relying on Zhang Yuelu’s favor, little more than a secretary. How could they possibly be a fitting match?
She was more willing to believe that her daughter had been momentarily bewitched and lost her head. If she intervened now, her daughter might resent her for a time, but in the long run, her daughter would eventually realize that she had been right.
What Tantai Qiong never expected was that the young man she had never thought much of would make such a comeback. Each time he came to the Zhang household, he bore a different identity. During the most recent visit, he was already a third-rank Youyi Daoist, standing on equal footing with Zhang Yuelu.
The facts proved one thing. When it came to judgment, she was far inferior to her daughter, Zhang Yuelu.
In the past, people used to ask, how could Zhang Yuelu have taken a liking to Qi Xuansu? But now, they asked, how could Zhang Yuelu see at a glance that Qi Xuansu’s future would be boundless?
Some might say that Qi Xuansu only rose by relying on his background. That was indeed true. Without a background or backing, Qi Xuansu could never have reached his current position. Yet Li Tianzhen and Wang Danqing also had backgrounds, so why had they not soared like Qi Xuansu?
Li Changge’s background was even greater than Qi Xuansu’s, and Yao Pei was a direct descendant of the Yao family, far more formidable than an outsider like Qi Xuansu. So why were they all overshadowed by Qi Xuansu? Was it that they had a background but did not know how to use it?
Put plainly, it was a matter of opportunity and ability. With ability but no background, one was easily buried. With background but no ability, one could not climb very high. Even if one’s father was an Omniscient Sage, he could not promote someone to his liking. Background could only guarantee a lower bound, while ability determined the upper limit.
This was like princes contending for the throne. Birth and background could ensure that even a useless prince would be able to live luxuriously, but whether he could become emperor depended on his own capabilities.
For example, if Qi Xuansu had not made a decisive move and stabilized the situation through forceful means during Great Sage Lan’s seclusion, Chen Shuhua would not have been exposed, and the subsequent development of Nanyang would have been difficult to predict.
At such a moment, what mattered most was ability, resolve, methods, and strategy. Qi Xuansu could hardly ask Wang Jiaohe and Chen Shuhua to surrender just because Sage Donghua was his backer. If Qi Xuansu could not stop Chen Shuhua, on what grounds would Sage Donghua promote him to the second rank?
There were many people with backgrounds, but resources were limited, so who would receive preferential allocation? There were also many who received support, yet only one could make it to the very end.
This required choices to be made.
In fact, Sage Donghua’s attitude toward Qi Xuansu was very similar to the Heavenly Preceptor’s attitude toward Zhang Yuelu. Both elders observed first, and only if the person proved to be capable did they begin to nurture them vigorously.
Thus, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu shared very similar experiences. Their early paths were difficult, with little background to speak of and not much assistance.
It was their similar experience that created a resonance between Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, forming their bond.
Tantai Qiong could only watch helplessly as Qi Xuansu rose step by step. First, he became a Superintendent of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, then the Deputy Hall Master of Ziwei Hall, and later the Chief Deputy Mansion Master of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, as well as the youngest second-rank Taiyi Daoist master of the Daoist Order.
This was no longer standing shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Yuelu. Instead, he had even surpassed her. In the recent purge of the Poluo rebels, Qi Xuansu was unquestionably the core figure, while Zhang Yuelu, Li Changge, Yao Pei, and the others had all become supporting figures. This was indeed an honor.
Even Great Sage Jiang and Great Sage Lan held Qi Xuansu in very high regard.
If not for Qi Xuansu’s relatively shallow seniority and excessively rapid promotion, he could have replaced Wang Jiaohe as the Mansion Master of Poluo.
But this was only a matter of time. Qi Xuansu was now the acting Chief Deputy. After a few years, once the situation in Poluo was completely stabilized, he would return to the Jade Capital to serve as Chief Deputy Hall Master, accumulate seniority, and then be reassigned to Poluo as the Mansion Master. By then, he would have been an Omniscient Sage, with a seat at the Golden Tower Council.
Given Qi Xuansu’s age, if nothing unexpected happened, he would certainly not stop at an Omniscient Sage. At the very least, he was guaranteed to be a Virtuous Great Sage. Beyond that lay the possibility of becoming the Zixiao Palace Master, a Deputy Grand Master, or perhaps even contending for the position of the eighth-generation Grand Master.
At this moment, Tantai Qiong did not know what to do. She would never bow to her prospective son-in-law, as that would be more unbearable than death itself. Yet if she did not lower her head, what else could she do?
A few days earlier, Zhang Yuelu had sent a letter. Aside from the customary words of greetings and reporting her safety, she mentioned only one matter.
The Grand Examination was approaching. The young Daoists would sit for the major exam to seek a formal Daoist priest status. The newly promoted second-rank Taiyi Daoists would participate in their final period of study at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.
This time, all instructors were Great Sages, Omniscient Sages, and Virtuous Great Sages. If they were fortunate enough, sometimes, even the three Deputy Grand Masters would personally give lectures.
Although Zhang Yuelu held only a positional rank, she was still counted among the newly promoted Sages. Of course, Qi Xuansu, as the youngest second-rank Taiyi Daoist, would also attend. Thus, the two of them would travel together to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.
Xu Jiaorong would have to wait another year. After all, the Poluo Daoist Mansion was now lacking one Mansion Master. If both the Chief and Second Deputies went to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace to study, the Poluo Daoist Mansion would fall into complete chaos. Not to mention, it would give Great Sage Lan a big headache.
The Golden Tower Council had already officially approved their leave. Since both the instructors and the attendees all held high positions and were burdened with heavy affairs, they could not spend too much time on this. Thus, the term was shortened to 21 days in total. However, the Golden Tower Council approved a full month of leave, with the extra days mainly used for handovers and handling miscellaneous matters.
This gave Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu just enough time to return to the Jade Capital, pay visits to their respective elders and superiors, check out their new residence, and make a trip back to Yunjin Mountain.
After reading this letter, Tantai Qiong was truly overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
If there was anyone she least wanted to face right now, it was undoubtedly this prospective son-in-law.
In truth, Tantai Qiong was secretly annoyed with herself. She was not a fool, so how could she still oppose the marriage between the two? She simply could not get past her pride and had no way to step down gracefully. All she needed was that step, which would naturally be most appropriate if given by Qi Xuansu. Yet Qi Xuansu stubbornly refused to provide it.
If Qi Xuansu were merely a slow-witted fool, that would be understandable. But judging from his performance in Poluo, he was clearly a clever man. He had taken care of the restructuring of the Nanyang United Trading Company so well that hardly anyone spoke ill of him.
It was obvious that he was doing this deliberately.
This only made Tantai Qiong even more infuriated.
However, Tantai Qiong had forgotten to put herself in his shoes. If she had not taken the initiative to scheme against Qi Xuansu, he would not have held a grudge. Qi Xuansu had always lived by the principle that if others showed him a hint of respect, he would return it tenfold. This was true of Madam Qi, Pei Xiaolou, Lei Xiaohuan, and Daoist Ji as well. But if someone crossed him, he would reclaim what was owed.
As Madam Qi taught him, one should harbor resentment in the heart when defeated. But when victorious, one should strike back and settle accounts.
The verdict for Wang Danqing had been settled. He was to be exiled to the Kunlun Daoist Mansion to build Daoist temples or possibly to carve statues of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. It was said that the Kunlun Daoist Mansion planned to sculpt an entire mountain into the likeness of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, which was an enormous project with an estimated construction period of 100 years.
Tantai Qiong slammed the letter onto the table, then slumped back weakly against the chair, muttering, “Ugh, these two will be the death of me!”
