Chapter 1162: Strange

Qi Xuansu left the Wang family estate and walked alone along the main road back to the Sheji Palace. As he moved, his robes fluttered, and his wide sleeves billowed in the wind.

He was in a very bad mood, not only because of Wang Jiaoying, but more so because the mention of Madam Qi made him think of the Yao family and the Earthly Preceptor behind her. He did not want to believe that Madam Qi would scheme against him, yet many facts seemed to point toward her. At the very least, she could not be completely uninvolved. This placed Qi Xuansu in a painful dilemma. He was far from as calm as he appeared on the surface.

This left Qi Xuansu extremely agitated, and yet there was no one he could talk to about it. How was he supposed to put it into words?

How could he say that it was all a deception, that he had been fooled? His life, future, and everything he had now were all given to him by Madam Qi.

What if he was wrong?

Without solid proof, Qi Xuansu was absolutely unwilling to believe it. Yet, he could sense that something was amiss.

This was undoubtedly a form of torment.

Qi Xuansu made up his mind. After returning to Jade Capital, he would first have an open and frank conversation with Madam Qi. If that led nowhere, then he would personally visit Lingshan Paradise to uncover the secrets hidden behind the Longevity Stone Heart.

Zhang Yuelu did not follow closely after Qi Xuansu. Instead, she walked with Wang Jiaoyan.

Wang Jiaoyan looked toward Zhang Yuelu and asked, “Second Deputy, are we just going to walk back like this?”

Zhang Yuelu smiled and pointed toward a solitary carriage parked not far down the street. “After you.”

“I see that you’ve prepared the prison carriage for me,” Wang Jiaoyan said with a self-mocking smile as she boarded the carriage.

Zhang Yuelu followed and boarded the carriage as well.

Escorted by Spirit Guards, the carriage slowly began to move.

The two women were sitting opposite each other in the carriage.

Zhang Yuelu spoke. “I acknowledge that it’s normal for people to have desires. But one must not be excessively greedy. Why must you—or rather, you all—be so greedy? Your family has enjoyed generations of wealth and honor, more than you could ever use up, yet you still go after money you should not earn, like trafficking slaves and embezzling the Daoist Order’s assets. Why sink to such lengths?”

Wang Jiaoyan said nothing.

Zhang Yuelu continued. “What do you need so much money for? You can’t take money with you in death. People say the Wang family are the local royals of Nanyang. At your level, money no longer has much practical meaning. In life, it all comes down to clothing, food, shelter, and entertainment. Is there anything you want that you cannot obtain?”

Wang Jiaoyan replied coolly, “Second Deputy Zhang, does the Daoist Order lack money? For an individual, once one reaches a certain position, money indeed has little practical meaning. Chief Deputy Qi comes out clean, for now. But for a vast entity like the Daoist Order, money still has real significance. Otherwise, the Daoist Order would not have established the Shibo Hall to oversee commerce. What is commerce for, if not to make money? The Holy Xuan said that governing the Daoist Order ultimately comes down to knowing where the money comes from and where it goes. Surely, you understand such a simple principle, Second Deputy Zhang.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “So by that logic, you are likening the Wang family to the Daoist Order. You mean that you were not amassing wealth for yourself personally, but for the Wang family behind you.”

Wang Jiaoyan’s expression turned cold. “I didn’t say that. I neither admitted to illegally amassing wealth nor did I say I was doing so for the Wang family. Also, I am me, separate from the Wang family. The Daoist Order does not practice collective punishment, so I ask that you don’t lump us together, Second Deputy Zhang.”

She suddenly realized that Zhang Yuelu did understand the issue, but was deliberately leading her on, intentionally speaking this way to draw something out of her.

Zhang Yuelu did not grow discouraged. She continued, “Perhaps what I said was somewhat biased. We can set that aside for now, and each retain our own views. As for whether you engaged in illegal trade, it doesn’t matter whether you admit it or not. It’s an objective fact—one you cannot deny.”

Wang Jiaoyan sneered. “Your so-called evidence?”

“Yes, evidence,” Zhang Yuelu replied evenly. “We also have statements from your several lovers. I may not know how you interacted in daily life, but I do know that there was no affection between you and them. It’s merely transactional. Those handsome men likely felt that your large ship was about to sink, so they jumped ship to save themselves and disclosed everything about you. You may think you left no cracks, but the hardest people to deceive are always those beside you in bed.”

Wang Jiaoyan’s expression darkened, and she was no longer as confident as before.

Zhang Yuelu continued. “I will give you one final piece of advice. If you turn back from this wrong path and voluntarily confess, there may still be a slim chance of survival. But if you remain stubbornly deluded, there will be only one thing left for you at the end of the path—death.”

Wang Jiaoyan murmured to herself, “Prosper together, fall together.”

Zhang Yuelu said nothing more.

Zhang Yuelu had captured Wang Jiaoyan, Qi Xuansu had crushed Wang Jiaoying, and although Lin Tianhe was still at large, this was a devastating defeat for the Wang family no matter how one looked at it.

Just as Wang Jiaoying had said, if Wang Jiaohe still did not make a move, then the hearts of his subordinates would truly begin to scatter.

Last time, the Wang family’s counterattack had been aimed at Lion City, stirring up massive unrest and causing Qi Xuansu considerable trouble. This time, however, the Wang family’s response appeared somewhat sluggish.

On the surface, Wang Jiaohe seemed to lack the strength to strike back, yet Qi Xuansu had always felt that after operating in Nanyang for so many years, Wang Jiaohe must still have deadly moves hidden away. Wang Jiaohe was clearly not someone easy to deal with. Vindictiveness was his norm. Once he struck back, it would certainly be aimed at Qi Xuansu’s weak point.

Over the following days, aside from waiting for arrangements from Great Sage Jiang, Qi Xuansu also began handling matters related to the Nanyang United Trading Company. After all, its behind-the-scenes owners and most of its senior executives had been arrested. The entire company had fallen into paralysis, or at best, was running on the momentum left over from the past. Qi Xuansu did this for no other reason than to honor his promise. He had to begin preparations early for reorganizing the shareholders’ meeting and reelecting the board of directors so that the Nanyang United Trading Company could resume normal operations as soon as possible.

This required Qi Xuansu to communicate and coordinate with power players such as Qi Muyu.

It was also during this period that rumors constantly reached Qi Xuansu’s ears that Wang Jiaohe’s people had been very active recently. These were all individuals deeply bound to the Wang family’s interests.

Qi Xuansu sensed that the Wang family’s counterattack might be imminent.

Many people believed that advancing within the Daoist Order required only having someone above to back you. In reality, that was not the case. Having someone above was merely one condition. High cultivation, strong ability, and tangible achievements were, at times, even more effective in securing promotion. After all, if one performed well, one would become a resource for one’s superior too, since one’s achievements also reflected on them. It was a symbiotic relationship.

For example, if Qi Xuansu handled everything entrusted to him by Sage Donghua flawlessly, it naturally showed that Sage Donghua had keen judgment and employed the right person, bringing him honor. Conversely, if things were botched, it would mean poor judgment and improper use of personnel. This was a relationship where honor and loss were shared alike.

Suppressing someone within the Daoist Order was not merely a matter of whether they had backing. It also depended on whether someone had seized their weaknesses or leverage. If they were caught with damning evidence of betraying the Daoist Order, then even the strongest backer could not protect them. The only option would be to sever all ties and avoid being dragged down in the tide.

To seize another person’s leverage, one usually had to start from places where the opponent was not paying attention.

Starting small and following the thread to unravel the scheme was not a new technique that Qi Xuansu came up with. An old hand like Wang Jiaohe certainly knew how to do it as well, and far more skillfully than Qi Xuansu.

After arriving at Thanglong Prefecture, Qi Xuansu did not rush back to Lion City. Instead, he remained in the office of the Fire Palace.

Just today, Chen Jianqiu contacted Qi Xuansu through Ke Qingqing, expressing a desire to meet him in person.

Chen Jianqiu could have come to see Qi Xuansu directly, yet she deliberately went through Ke Qingqing, wishing to invite Qi Xuansu to meet privately at a bookstore.

Qi Xuansu’s secretary, Chen Jianchou, was well aware of the bookstore’s location.

Qi Xuansu set aside some time and had Chen Jianchou lead the way to that Western bookstore. The place was very quiet and unlikely to draw attention because it sold only Western books. The owner was a Western lady, so if one did not speak her language, communication was difficult.

Chen Jianqiu had Western blood and spoke the Western tongue, so she came here often.

It was a standalone three-story building. The first floor was a large hall filled with bookshelves displaying books. The second floor consisted of individual rooms, which could be used either for reading or for private discussions. The third floor was the owner’s living quarters, where customers were not allowed.

Chen Jianqiu was waiting for Qi Xuansu in the small sitting room on the third floor.

After arriving, Qi Xuansu noticed that Chen Jianqiu had a poor complexion.

Qi Xuansu sat down across from Chen Jianqiu and went straight to the point. “What’s wrong?”

Chen Jianqiu said, “Sage Qi, people from the Beichen Hall went to the royal palace to look for me yesterday afternoon.”

Qi Xuansu was taken aback. “Beichen Hall?”

The two Deputy Hall Masters of Beichen Hall—Li Changge and Li Zhuyu—were both on Qi Xuansu’s side, so why would they go looking for Chen Jianqiu at a time like this?

Qi Xuansu asked, “Which people from Beichen Hall?”

Chen Jianqiu scrutinized Qi Xuansu. “You truly knew nothing about this beforehand?”

Qi Xuansu said, “Nonsense! I’ve been busy with the Nanyang United Trading Company lately. How would I know anything about this?”

Only then did Chen Jianqiu explain, “It was the people from the local branch of Beichen Hall. They suspected I was a member of the Ziguang Society and wanted to take me away, but I happened not to be in the royal palace at the time, so I narrowly avoided it.”

Qi Xuansu frowned. “Anything involving the ruler of the Yu Kingdom has to be handled by the local Daoist Mansion or the main headquarters of Beichen Hall in Jade Capital. What business does a local branch have meddling in this?”

After speaking, Qi Xuansu immediately realized that there was something highly suspicious about this.

“Wait a moment,” Qi Xuansu said as he connected to Tianfu Palace through his license. “Deputy Mansion Master Xie, please have Deputy Hall Master Dan Jin come over. I have something to ask her...yes, have her come as soon as possible.”

A moment later, Li Zhuyu’s voice came through the license. “Chief Deputy Qi.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Deputy Hall Master Dan Jin, have you or Deputy Hall Master Yong Yan issued any orders recently to the local branch of Beichen Hall?”

Li Zhuyu was clearly startled. “This time, we’ve only been using our own personnel from Jade Capital, supplemented by Spirit Guards from the Old Port Pacification Commission Office. We didn’t use anyone from the local branch. Did something happen?”