A Pawn’s Passage

As the Yinglong Warship departed into the distance, a thin line appeared out of nowhere in the forest below. That line slowly unfolded like a peacock spreading its tail, turning into a fan-shaped form. Finally, it materialized as a vividly painted uchiwa fan adorned with gold and silver foil, held in a fair, delicate hand.

Tamamo-no-Mae and Princess Tamako revealed their figures. Tamamo-no-Mae had already retracted her tails and continued to use the folding fan to conceal the lower half of her face, revealing only her eyes.

Princess Tamako rested her hands on the Raikiri and Kiku-ichimonji Norimune at her waist. Her expression remained fairly composed, but a dazed look lingered in her eyes. After a long pause, she slowly asked, "Did we lose?"

Tamamo-no-Mae's voice was low and rich, more resonant than the usual alluring charm of a seductive woman. "Of course, we lost. Nichinin, the Koga Ninja, Ishida Kanemasa, and Shinmen Konosuke are all dead. Only you escaped with your life by sheer luck. Meanwhile, the Daoist Order suffered virtually no losses. If this isn't a defeat, then what is?"

Princess Tamako's gaze dimmed completely. "It's more than just a defeat. It's a total rout. I should commit seppuku and atone with my life."

For this assassination attempt, nearly the entire Sonno-joi faction of Omi Province had been mobilized. Asahi-jingu, Jinsho-ji, the Koga School, and elite local feudal lords were all involved. They even deployed one of the Three Divine Artifacts—the Yata Mirror. Yet they were utterly crushed in a frontal assault. Ishida Kanemasa risked his soul in a divine descent, only to be blocked by that terrifying Yin Being. Nichinin was smashed into pulp, and Shinmen Kinosuke and the Koga Jonin were beheaded. Had Tamamo-no-Mae not intervened at the last moment, Princess Tamako would have already been captured.

Tamamo-no-Mae said, "Now is a time when we lack people. What you should do is atone through meritorious service, not by ending your life in apology."

Princess Tamako said nothing.

The Sonno-joi faction was already weaker than the Daoist Order to begin with. After two failed assassination attempts on Sage Qingwei and Toyotomi Hidemochi, their strength was severely diminished. If she were to commit suicide now, it would bring no benefit to the cause and only worsen the situation.

Tamamo-no-Mae's tone was steady and emotionless. "Your opponents this time were likely the elites of the Daoist Order's younger generation. Though I haven't left Fenglin in recent years, I've kept informed through other means. All three youths are what the Daoist Order defines as Banished Immortals, and all of them possess semi-immortal objects. In terms of status, none of them is inferior to you. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if one of them became the next Grand Master."

After a long pause, Princess Tamako asked, "Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, do we still stand a chance of winning this war?"

Tamamo-no-Mae replied, "Who knows? Perhaps you should ask His Majesty, or Sage Qingwei of the Daoist Order."

Princess Tamako murmured, "Sage Qingwei...is he the one who wounded both you and Katsura Yoshiyuki?"

"He's also the one who beheaded the Koga Ninja," Tamamo-no-Mae replied. "You've already seen him. It's clear he didn't intend to kill you, not because the heir of the Daoist Order pities beauty, but because he sees greater use in you. For example, marrying you off to the new regent he personally selected to win public favor."

Princess Tamako was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "The Daoist Order's methods are formidable. Many hoped they would violently suppress Fenglin, which would have ignited hatred across the region and driven more people to join us in resisting their rule. But they didn't do that. Instead, they used appeasement. As a result, the fatherless, the homeless, the opportunists, the cowards, and those greedy for wealth willingly joined their ranks, becoming obstacles in our path. The Daoist Order is dividing us, making us turn on each other."

"This is an old Daoist trick—divide and win over, treat each case differently, and ultimately use the locals to control each other," Tamamo-no-Mae said with an indifferent gaze. "Undeniably, such tactics work well under the premise of overwhelming strength."

Princess Tamako asked, "Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, what should we do?"

Tamamo-no-Mae closed her folding fan and let a mocking smile creep to her lips. "The Daoist Order now commands a million armored troops and a thousand elite generals. How can the flicker of rotting weeds compare to the brilliance of the full moon? If you surrender respectfully and cast aside your arms, you can still live as a wealthy noble. The country at peace, the people content—isn't that beautiful? Worst case, Sage Qingwei will swear to ensure the safety of your family."

Naturally, Princess Tamako heard the sarcasm in Tamamo-no-Mae's words and could only fall silent in sorrow.

Once this path was chosen, there was no turning back. What was to be done? Naturally, they had to see it through to the bitter end. At a time like this, speaking of peace would draw the wrath of the radicals, let alone surrendering.

On the other side, the Yinglong Warship continued without the slightest setback under the personal escort of Sage Qingwei, arriving at the Xiujing army camp later that day.

The Daoist Order had already arranged the welcome ceremony. In addition to the Daoists, many ministers, nobles, and feudal lords siding with the Chancellor's Office had been invited.

When Sage Qingwei and Toyotomi Hidemochi descended the ramp side by side, the Yinglong Warship fired cannon salutes. Rows of Spirit Guards bowed in unison, and Daoist musicians played ceremonial music. The spectacle was grand, moving many elder ministers of Chancellor Toyotomi's Office to tears.

What did this scene signify?

In the Western nations, kings must be crowned by the Pope of the Holy Court.

In Fenglin, Sage Qingwei, the Sage Commander representing the Daoist Order, played the role of pontiff. His act here was the equivalent of crowning the new Kampaku.

Sage Qingwei delivered a speech, recalling the longstanding friendship between the Daoist Order and the Toyotomi clan. He pledged the Daoist Order's full support in stabilizing the situation and quelling the rebellion, while also issuing a stern warning to all reactionary Sonno-joi faction members.

Military affairs had always been an extension of political affairs. From beginning to end, the Daoist Order emphasized one point: righteous cause. From the grand public memorials held across coastal regions to mourn those slain by the Wokou to the two speeches given by Sage Qingwei, everything centered on legitimizing the campaign.

Once that was made clear, with the immense power of the Daoist Order behind it, everything else would naturally fall into place.

After Sage Qingwei concluded his speech, Toyotomi Hidemochi, the future Kampaku, took the stage.

Toyotomi Hidemochi first expressed his gratitude to the Daoist Order for their support of the Chancellor's Office. He then recounted the long-standing friendship between the two, tracing it back to the Qi Dynasty. He fiercely denounced the Sonno-joi faction, stating that they were the continuation of the Wokou, the root cause of the fractured relations between Fenglin and the Central Plains, and that they had sparked war for selfish gain. Thus, they must be resolutely eradicated.

His words were sincere and impassioned, so much so that it was as if the Daoist Order had never bombarded the Xiujing Tenshukaku with the Yinglong Warship and forced Chancellor Toyotomi's Office to yield.

He was, without a doubt, the most capable Kampaku.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu watched on coldly from the flying ship.

Between nations, there was no morality, only interest.

It was not that morality should not be upheld, but the world simply had not evolved to a stage where morality could prevail over interest.

All morality that was too far ahead of its time was untimely, and untimely morality was doomed to bring even greater destruction.

After all that concluded, Qi Xuansu planned to return and rest briefly before getting to work. He wanted to deal with Genki's Daoist Priest Kindred certification first.

However, just as he returned to his tent, he was informed by Sage Qingwei's secretary that the Sage Commander was summoning him again.

He had no choice but to follow the secretary to Sage Qingwei's command tent, puzzled as to why he was being summoned again so soon after they had just met.

Upon arriving at the tent, Sage Qingwei got straight to the point. "I've summoned you because there's an urgent situation I need you to handle."

With that, Sage Qingwei handed a file to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu took it over and began to read through it carefully.

Although most of the logistical supplies had been centralized in Qizhou, a portion was still being transported directly from the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion. The Deputy Mansion Master in charge of this was Zhang Juquan, who hailed from the main branch of the Zhang family and relied on his family's influence to secure his position.

He had two major indulgences—hoarding wealth and lusting after women.

Among Zhang Juquan's subordinates was a Deacon Su, not from the Qingqiu Su family, but from the Cihang lineage. Though attractive, her talents were mediocre, and her abilities lacking. Furthermore, she had no familial support, and thus had been stuck in this rank for years.

Seeing herself aging with no prospects, Deacon Su began scheming. She frequently visited Deputy Mansion Master Zhang's office to report on matters and seek advice, gradually identifying and exploiting his weaknesses. In just a short time, she ensnared him, and before long, she was promoted to a superintendent.

Unlike Superintendent Su from the Qingqiu lineage, who was full of doctrinal ideals, this Superintendent Su was well-versed in the ways of the world. She enjoyed mentoring juniors and successively introduced several of her junior sisters to Deputy Mansion Master Zhang. Under her guidance, these junior sisters became deacons at a young age. Amidst their pleasures, they did not forget to band together and make money.

These women did show loyalty. Once they rose to success, they helped pull their sisters up too. Before long, most of Deputy Mansion Master Zhang's subordinates had become a women's battalion. He was even praised by his superiors for being inclusive and upholding equality.

From then on, Deputy Mansion Master Zhang lived a life akin to that of an emperor with a harem. He gradually grew cold toward his old flame, Superintendent Su, which deeply displeased her. The two even quarreled fiercely over an unfair split of the spoils.

In a fit of rage, Deputy Mansion Master Zhang threatened to strip Superintendent Su of her position. Though he did not officially have the power to appoint or remove a superintendent, his words carried weight. He could just as easily elevate her as crush her.

Enraged and fearful, Superintendent Su decided to go all in. She formally reported Deputy Mansion Master Zhang to the Fengxian Hall, accusing him by name of corruption and misuse of military supply vessels for smuggling.

Fengxian Hall and Beichen Hall both fell under the jurisdiction of the Taiping Sect. Since this occurred during wartime and involved military logistics, the case was naturally handed over to the Sage Commander for martial adjudication.

After reading through the file, Qi Xuansu hesitated and said, "Sage Qingwei, this case should be jointly handled by the Fengxian Hall and Beichen Hall. It seems more appropriate for Deputy Hall Master Yong Yan to handle it."

Naturally, Qi Xuansu was reluctant to get involved. His relations with the main branch of the Zhang family had only recently eased. How would they perceive it if he took charge of this case now?

Sage Qingwei smiled and said, "Indeed, it's more fitting for Yong Yan to take the lead. He'll personally go to the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion to apprehend Zhang Juquan and all related personnel. Your task is to arrest and investigate all Daoists and Spirit Guards involved in the smuggling."

Qi Xuansu had been assigned to Fenglin for two main responsibilities. The first was to assist in resolving the conflicts among the Three Noble Houses, which was now completed. The second was to oversee the allocation, transportation, and storage of food, munitions, and various supplies.

This matter happened to fall squarely within his responsibilities.

Qi Xuansu could only comply. "I shall obey the order of the Sage Commander."