Chapter 1517: Wrapping Up
When Qi Xuansu first visited the Tawantin royal palace, the royal guards had not been particularly friendly, and the Chief Chamberlain was resentful toward him. Yet who could have imagined that, in the span of only a few days, Qi Xuansu would storm the palace and depose the Emperor right before their eyes?
Only at this moment did they truly understand the weight carried by the title of Daoist Envoy.
They simply did not study history and lacked any real understanding of the Central Plains’ past.
As early as the era of Emperor Wu, envoys from the Central Plains had already behaved in such a manner. A single envoy sent to a small kingdom would rank above its king and might execute that king on the charge of refusing the civilizing influence of the throne. Some envoys even had affairs with queen dowagers, beheaded kings in open court, or publicly berated monarchs. If a king dared kill an envoy or refused to obey one, his kingdom would immediately be destroyed.
The Daoist Order’s power far surpassed that of Emperor Wu’s era. Although the Daoist Order now prided itself on civility and no longer practiced execution without warning or instruction, the authority of its envoys was only greater than that of the ancient Central Plains envoys, never less. Qi Xuansu was not an ordinary envoy but a plenipotentiary envoy. Such a position would ordinarily belong to a Virtuous Great Sage of the Golden Tower Council, yet it had been entrusted to Qi Xuansu. The extent of its authority was self-evident.
Those who still viewed Qi Xuansu through outdated lenses, as merely a Chief Deputy Hall Master, were gravely mistaken. A plenipotentiary envoy represented the Daoist Order itself, and their actions could destroy nations.
The two men watched helplessly as temple personnel escorted the Emperor away. Neither hesitated to drop to their knees before Qi Xuansu and begged for mercy.
Qi Xuansu did not even spare them a glance, so he paid no attention to their pleas.
Great figures concerned themselves only with the broader picture and major decisions, not such trivial details.
Huangfu Xi was quick-witted. She immediately gathered the guards that Manu Tancha had brought with him. While those guards had sworn loyalty to the Emperor, even the High Priest had tacitly accepted the Emperor’s deposition. Naturally, they saw no reason to resist to the bitter end and promptly transferred their allegiance to the new ruler. After all, whether one served the father or the daughter, it was still service to the royal family.
Huangfu Xi immediately ordered the guards to arrest the Commander of the Royal Guard and the Chief Chamberlain for interrogation.
Although both men had considerable cultivation, they dared not resist in the face of overwhelming circumstances and obediently surrendered.
Qi Xuansu remained where he was for a short while longer, and soon, representatives from Ixchel’s temple arrived as well.
The High Priest of the Sun Temple was an elderly man, while the High Priestess of the Full Moon Temple was a beautiful middle-aged woman. In terms of appearance, she was hardly inferior to Unulatu, though her style was entirely different. Her demeanor was gentle, dignified, and graceful. It seemed that Ixchel had a particular fondness for women, especially beautiful women.
The Full Moon High Priestess stepped forward and offered a respectful salute to Qi Xuansu.
“No need for formalities.” Qi Xuansu got straight to the point. “You should have already received the divine decree of the Full Moon Goddess, correct?”
“Yes,” the Full Moon High Priestess replied. “Please give me your instructions, Sage Qi.”
Qi Xuansu said, “Take some people to the royal palace and escort Unulatu to the Full Moon Temple. Let her devote herself to self-cultivation and reflection. Without authorization from either myself or the Full Moon Goddess, she is not to leave at will.”
“Yes.” The Full Moon High Priestess acknowledged the order and led a group of priestesses toward the royal palace.
After arranging matters for both the Emperor and the Empress, Qi Xuansu strolled through the Temple District.
Following such a tremendous disturbance, the Temple District was now eerily quiet. Gone was its usual bustle. Not a single worshipper could be seen, and there was certainly none of the grand spectacle of blood sacrifices.
Huangfu Xi quickened her pace to catch up with Qi Xuansu, then deliberately remained half a step behind him.
For Huangfu Xi, the primary source of her authority was Sage Qi.
Qi Xuansu had no particular desire to cultivate female sovereigns, but fate had other plans. Through his influence, two women had already become rulers of their nation. Yet from the Daoist Order’s perspective, such rulers hardly counted for much. A female Grand Master of the Daoist Order would be more meaningful.
However, at present, that seemed unlikely.
The political landscape was gradually becoming clear. The seventh-generation Grand Master seat would likely be a contest between Sage Qingwei and Sage Donghua, while the eighth-generation Grand Master position would most likely be between Li Changge and Qi Xuansu.
Both Sage Qingwei and Li Changge had marriage alliances with the princesses of the Great Xuan Empire. By contrast, Sage Donghua and Qi Xuansu both leaned toward forging marital alliances with the Cihang lineage of the Zhengyi Sect.
As for Qi Xuansu, there was hardly anyone who did not know about him and Zhang Yuelu. The more interesting case was Sage Donghua.
Qi Xuansu had left Chen Jianchou in Jade Capital as his news reporter. Chen Jianchou had not been idle and had sent Qi Xuansu a message a few days earlier.
Many people had approached Sage Donghua with suggestions. Though they spoke indirectly and tactfully, they hoped that Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang would become Daoist companions.
Although both Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang were advanced in years, in the context of Daoist Sages, whose lifespans commonly exceeded a century, 60 years was only slightly more than halfway through life. They still had nearly 40 good years ahead of them, so it was by no means too late.
This highlighted Qi Xuansu’s foresight. He had proposed this idea long ago because, in his view, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both sides.
The first advantage was that the Zhang family would support it wholeheartedly. They faced a difficult question of who would succeed the Heavenly Preceptor. Zhang Yuelu was certainly outstanding, but she was from the younger generation. Even if she were to succeed, it would not be now. Her cultivation and seniority were insufficient, and it was impossible for her to jump directly from Chief Deputy Mansion Master to the position of Deputy Grand Master. At present, the strongest contender for the position of Heavenly Preceptor was Sage Cihang. If she were to lose the election, the need for compensation would become even greater.
Yet the Zhang family fundamentally did not want to surrender the Heavenly Preceptor’s position. They had no desire to see another person with a different last name claim the Heavenly Preceptor’s position. At the same time, they could not ignore Sage Cihang’s feelings. Thus, if Sage Cihang became the wife of the Grand Master, the dilemma would resolve itself. In terms of status, the Grand Master’s wife was in no way inferior to a Deputy Grand Master. When the Deputy Grand Master was unable to perform his duties, his wife would serve as Acting Grand Master. This was also a reflection of the Daoist Order’s principle of equality. Such an arrangement would strengthen the unity of the Zhengyi Sect.
The second advantage was that Sage Cihang herself had many supporters. A great number of female Sages backed her. If Sage Cihang and Sage Donghua became Daoist companions, her votes would almost certainly shift to Sage Donghua under the principle of a married couple being one entity. In every sense, this would unite the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect. Combined with the support of the Grand Master’s faction, it would almost guarantee that Sage Donghua could overwhelm Sage Qingwei and become the seventh-generation Grand Master. After all, the imperial family of the Great Xuan Empire had no voting rights in the Grand Master election.
The third advantage was that there was hardly a better choice for the two parties. In terms of family background, both the Su family and the Pei family ranked just below the three great families, making them a perfect match. In terms of status, both were among the top three Omniscient Sages and were evenly matched. In terms of cultivation, both had reached the Immortal level and stood on equal footing. By any measure, they appeared to be a match made in heaven. Moreover, both Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang had never married, so it would be a first marriage for both, with neither side at a disadvantage. There were no complications involving children, and their beloved disciples had already laid the groundwork in advance. It would truly be a case of strengthening ties through an added marriage.
With so many advantages, it was no surprise that so many people wished to see the matter succeed. In particular, several of the Heavenly Preceptor’s contemporaries, who were the patriarchs of the Zhang family’s main branch, had become extremely enthusiastic. In order to keep the Heavenly Preceptor’s position within the Zhang family, they had cast aside concerns about status and personally taken on the role of matchmakers.
The key point was that although Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang had not directly agreed, neither had rejected the proposal. Their attitudes remained ambiguous.
If Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang rejected the Zhang family’s goodwill, it was difficult to predict how the Zhang elders would react. Even the Heavenly Preceptor might be unable to control the situation. After all, the Heavenly Preceptor did not have much time left in the mortal world. He lacked the time necessary to rebuild an entire power structure, which meant he could not dismantle the existing one. As a result, the Heavenly Preceptor’s authority had begun to erode.
The Heavenly Preceptor was not the only one facing such a problem. The Imperial Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor faced similar issues. As the ascension of the three Deputy Grand Masters drew near and a generational transition approached, all three Daoist Sects began showing varying degrees of instability. The Li family, once said to be as solid as a single metal block, had begun infighting. Sage Donghua had defied the Earthly Preceptor’s wishes by promoting Qi Xuansu instead of Yao Pei. The Zhang family had more complications than anyone else.
If the Zhang family were to suddenly change sides at the critical moment for the sake of its own interests and stubbornly continue promoting Sage Cihang, it could very well hand Sage Qingwei an enormous advantage. Consequently, under such pressure, neither Sage Donghua nor Sage Cihang dared reject the proposal outright. In fact, a marriage alliance between them had become increasingly likely.
In this regard, Sage Qingwei simply could not compete. After all, he was already married.
After hearing this news, Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh with mixed emotions. If it really came to pass, what should I call Sage Cihang in the future? Mother-in-law? Master-mother? Or perhaps simply address her by title and call her Grand Master Consort?
Qi Xuansu pulled his thoughts back to the present and instructed Huangfu Xi, who was following beside him, “After you return, draw up a list and clean out some of the unstable elements. Be careful to distinguish between them. As long as they are willing to surrender their authority, don’t make things difficult for them. Stability is the top priority. As for the specific details, I’ll leave them to your judgment.”
“Yes, Sage,” Huangfu Xi replied.
This could be considered her first test, and she was determined to deliver excellent results.
Qi Xuansu continued strolling through the Temple District, his gaze sweeping across the various temples.
Huangfu Xi did not hurry to leave. She continued following behind Qi Xuansu while silently drafting plans in her mind. The Crown Prince’s and the Empress’s people were spread throughout the court, making it impossible to remove them all. If some were willing to change sides and support her, a portion of them could still be retained.
Qi Xuansu suddenly asked, “I intend to use the deposition of the Emperor and Empress as an opportunity for the Tawantin Empire to formally abolish blood sacrifice through an official decree. Past offenses will not be pursued, but once the decree is issued, anyone who continues practicing blood sacrifice and refuses to stop will be punished. What do you think?”
Huangfu Xi was momentarily stunned before quickly answering, “This is a good policy, comparable to abolishing live human burial. The merit would be immeasurable. However, some temples and the ancient gods behind them will likely be dissatisfied, especially Kukulkan.”
Qi Xuansu sighed and looked toward the pyramid temples standing one after another. “You’re right, the ancient gods will not be pleased.”
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