A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 649: Five Investigators

The Golden Tower Council responded swiftly. Just two days after Shi Bingyun and Li Ruoshui separately reported the matter, the Golden Tower Council issued an official decision.

It must be said that, for reasons not easily stated in public, the Golden Tower Council seemed to be making a mountain out of a molehill in this matter. This case only concerned a fourth-rank superintendent, so it should have been handled internally by the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. Yet, the Golden Tower Council dispatched a five-person investigation team.

However, the Golden Tower Council was aware that doing so solely over Qi Xuansu’s issue would seem excessive and draw criticism. So officially, the inspection team was sent to audit the entire Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion under the pretense of responding to the Daoist Relations Department’s official letter. Qi Xuansu’s case was merely incidental.

The five-person investigation team consisted of members from five different bodies, each with distinct responsibilities.

Since the case involved secret societies and heretical cultists, Tiangang Hall was obligated to participate. Representing Tiangang Hall was Deputy Hall Master Zhang Yuelu, who held the highest rank among the investigation team, making her the designated leader, just like Lei Xiaohuan during the second Jiangnan case.

As it was an internal Daoist matter, both Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall also participated. Fengxian Hall sent only a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master who was nominally subordinate to Zhang Yuelu’s command. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Beichen Hall also sent a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master as well—the Acting Deputy Hall Master Li Changge. Beichen Hall’s justification was that although Acting Deputy Hall Master Li had brought great honor to the Daoist Order during the Three Religions Assembly and was exceptionally promoted, he lacked practical experience and was still in a probationary phase. Thus, this was a chance for Li Changge to gain real-world training. Moreover, Deputy Hall Master Zhang had handled two Jiangnan cases and was highly experienced, making her an ideal mentor.

Li Changge had no objection to being nominally subordinate to Zhang Yuelu. He expressed full acceptance of the Golden Tower Council’s decision and promised to cooperate fully with Deputy Hall Master Zhang and learn from her.

Though Li Changge and Li Tianzhen were from the Li family, they were vastly different. Li Tianzhen resembled the Donghuang—rebellious, arrogant, brazen, and disdainful. In contrast, Li Changge resembled the Holy Xuan—enigmatic, kind, and neither overbearing nor ostentatious, with the air of a refined gentleman.

The Chongyang Palace of Immortality was also involved because Qi Xuansu was a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, which was under their jurisdiction. They would focus solely on Qi Xuansu’s case. Wuxu Palace could have stepped in, but the Quanzhen Sect decided to dispatch their newly appointed Deputy Palace Master, Yao Pei. Her position was prestigious enough, but since she was one rank below Zhang Yuelu and did not hold office in the Jade Capital, she would have to be subordinate to the latter.

The final member was a Golden Tower Council Envoy, who was not part of the Nine Halls and reported directly to the Golden Tower Council—a high-ranking Daoist entrusted with many tasks.

In the previous seven-person investigation team, Lei Xiaohuan had doubled as both the Deputy Ziwei Hall Master and the Golden Tower Council Envoy. Typically, the leader would serve as the envoy, consolidating authority into one role. However, this time, Zhang Yuelu was not granted that dual role. Another envoy was appointed instead, seemingly to supervise the group.

This Golden Tower Council Envoy did not belong to any of the three sects and was a neutral party directly under the Grand Master’s lineage, named Han Yongshuang.

Jade Capital was thousands of kilometers from the Imperial Capital. Even with a flying ship, the journey would take a day or two. However, news of this five-person delegation reached faster, causing quite a stir among the upper ranks of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.

To many, the Golden Tower Council’s excessive attention was one thing. What was even more obvious was its protection of Superintendent Qi.

In the five-person delegation, one was Qi Xuansu’s former superior and “close friend,” and another was his fellow classmate from the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace. Though there was also a prodigy from the Li family, he could at most cancel out only one of the two prodigies, leaving this “pro-Qi faction” in the majority.

Many who had previously doubted rumors of Qi Xuansu’s unbelievable connections were now convinced, as these facts spoke louder than words.

......

Superintendent Cui paid another visit to Wen Weng, but not at the Taiping Inn’s main branch. This time it was at Sycamore Villa, a first-class pleasure house in the Imperial Capital.

As a regular there, Superintendent Cui did not use the main gate. Instead, he entered through a side door into a triple-entrance courtyard. First-tier establishments were usually expansive, with hidden sanctuaries inside. Thus, many prominent figures liked to rent an entire compound for privacy and repose.

Red silk lanterns hung under the eaves of the corridors in this courtyard, casting the residence in a sea of crimson light. Each of these lanterns bore the name Sycamore Villa.

A steward from Sycamore Villa led the way, and one by one, the lanterns passed overhead and receded behind them.

When they arrived at the door to the bedchambers, they found it wide open. The red light inside added warmth and debauchery to the atmosphere.

The steward halted there, while Superintendent Cui stepped inside. He went behind the screen and saw a round table where Wen Weng sat at its head, impeccably dressed. Beside Wen Weng, a woman wearing only a layer of translucent gauze was holding a pipa, which concealed her most intimate areas, leaving the sight to one’s imagination.

Another woman, dressed similarly, sat further away, calmly playing another pipa. Some notes clattered like urgent rain, while others were like murmurs. A blend of these notes sounded like pearls of all sizes cascading onto a jade plate.

Wen Weng tilted his head and tapped with the rhythm.

What was more striking was the other guest beside Wen Weng—a bald monk in full robes sitting calmly with a woman in his lap.

The floor heating made the room warm like spring despite the chill of early winter outside. The woman in the monk’s arms was barefoot, her gauze robe stripped halfway to reveal two fair shoulders. She straddled the monk’s lap with her arms around his neck and her cheek resting on his chest, giggling softly.

The monk was none other than Yan Xiu. His face showed not a trace of lust, only a solemn calmness. Yet his hands—one above and one below—rested unmistakably on the woman’s intimate areas.

Superintendent Cui held back a scoff. Such hypocrisy! These so-called “religious” men always preached about shedding desires, but who could truly achieve it? They cried “no lust” in public, yet they behaved more shamelessly than anyone behind closed doors.

Still, none of this contempt showed on Superintendent Cui’s face. He smiled as usual.

Wen Weng saw him and gestured toward the woman playing the pipa. “Brother Cui, that one’s specially saved for you.”

Superintendent Cui was not exactly a man of virtue himself, but he was not in the mood today. He waved and said, “Let’s skip that today and talk about business first.”

Wen Weng did not press him, allowing the woman beside him to pour wine while he instructed the pipa player, “Keep playing. Don’t stop unless I say so.”

The woman answered with a soft murmur.

With the pipa’s music flowing, the servants outside could not hear their conversation.

Superintendent Cui sat across from the monk. On the table were some exquisite side dishes, three pairs of ivory chopsticks, a delicate crystal decanter, and three luminous cups. The decanter held a dark red liquid, likely imported Western wine.

This bottle alone cost hundreds of Taiping coins, a sum common folk might never save in a lifetime.

Yet Wen Weng poured it casually over the woman beside him. Her pale, dewy skin and her thin gauze robe were doused in blood-red wine. She had a soft blush that was accentuated in the crimson lantern light, creating a strange kind of beauty.

When Superintendent Cui first arrived in the Imperial Capital, scenes like this had shocked him. But now, he was completely unfazed. He simply said, “The case blew up. The Golden Tower Council is using this as an excuse to step into the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.”

Wen Weng said nothing and only stared at him closely.

Superintendent Cui roughly summarized the Golden Tower Council’s decision, then added, “Anyone can see that these eighth-generation disciples aren’t acting alone. They are clearly backed by their seventh-generation masters. Zhang Yuelu represents Sage Cihang, Yao Pei represents Sage Donghua, and Li Changge represents Sage Qingwei. The real struggle is between the three Omniscient Sages. Sage Cihang and Sage Donghua are trying to protect Qi Xuansu at all costs, but Sage Qingwei saw through it and sent Li Changge to counter them, even throwing in a Golden Tower Council Envoy to keep Zhang Yuelu in check.”

Wen Weng paused for a while. He then put down his wine cup and murmured, “The situation has grown complicated. That Junior Imperial Preceptor may be talented, but two fists can’t fend off four. Now it’s clear that the Quanzhen Sect and the Zhengyi Sect have divided their roles. The Quanzhen Sect is focused on pulling Qi Xuansu out of trouble. But High Mage Zhang is probably here to demand an explanation and hold someone accountable.”