Pawn Crossing the River

At the end of the forty-one-year period, Qi Jiaozheng, the real person of Shenzhi, led thirty-six high-ranking Taoist priests from Quanzhen Taoism to visit Yunjin Mountain, including many second-grade Taiyi Taoist priests.

Qi Jiao, the head of the Shuzhou Taoist Mansion, presented gifts and greetings from the Earth Master to the Heavenly Master. On behalf of Quanzhen Taoism, he went to the family temple of Dazhen Mansion to worship Shangguan Wan, the first Earth Master after Xuan Sheng Zhongxing Taoism. At the same time, she is also the wife of the first heavenly master after Xuansheng Zhongxing Taoism. At this point, Quanzhen Taoism and Zhengyi Taoism can be regarded as having the same ancestors.

On the eighth night of the twelfth lunar month, the Heavenly Master personally hosted a banquet in the Dazhen Mansion for a group of high-quality Taoist priests from Quanzhen Taoism. Some high-quality Taoist priests from the Quanzhen Taoism, headed by Zhang Juchen, accompanied him. However, the specific content of the conversation was not known to outsiders. .

Because the Earth Master is a rotating Da Zhenren, who exercises the authority of the Grand Master and is based in Yujing, he cannot come in person. Master Cihang and Master Donghua respectively serve as the headmaster of Duzhitang and the headmaster of Ziwei Hall. They hold the financial power and personnel power of the Taoist sect respectively. They are both on duty in Yujing City and cannot come forward. Therefore, these two The No. 2 figure in Quanzhen Dao and Zhengyi Dao was not directly involved in this matter.

There is also the war in the Western Region Taoist House, which has not completely ended yet. The master of the Western Region Taoist House cannot leave easily. The master of the Qinzhou Taoist House will take over the Wanshou Chongyang Palace in place of the Earth Master. In this case, Qi Jiaozheng, the master of the Shuzhou Taoist House, can only step in.

On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Qi Xuansu had just finished a night of qi training when he found Zhang Yuelu waiting outside his door.

"What's the matter? So early?" Qi Xuansu couldn't help but ask after opening the door.

Zhang Yuelu was holding a food box in his hand, which contained a bowl of porridge and a basket of steamed buns. Zhang Yuelu has always kept his finger on the spring water. After all, you can't expect a person who is fasting to cook. This is too much. Zhang Yuelu bought this from the Taiping Inn in the town. It is said to be an inn and also takes into account the functions of a restaurant. , it just lacks the functions of the hospital.

Zhang Yuelu walked into Qi Xuansu's room and put his breakfast on the table. The small steamer with overlapping drawers is steaming. It seems simple, but it has a lot to say. Back then, Xuan Sheng was very fond of this kind of food. From the first drawer, you can see six small steamers with different shapes and colors: The white ones are refined noodles, the black ones are fine buckwheat noodles, and the yellow ones are glutinous millet. They are made of fine grains and coarse grains, meat and vegetable fillings, and omnivorous food. It is really particular.

Qi Xuansu was used to eating Zhang Yuelu and watching, so he was not polite. After washing his hands, he took the chopsticks, picked up a steamed stuffed bun with plain stuffing and put it into his mouth.

Zhang Yuelu took the opportunity to look at Qi Xuansu's palm, which had completely recovered as before.

Qi Xuansu was not in the habit of being silent while eating and sleeping. After swallowing the bun in his mouth, he asked again: "I always feel that something is wrong with you. Is something serious happening?"

"There is indeed something going on." Zhang Yuelu didn't like to be too pretentious and went straight to the point. "I just heard the news that the head master of Shuzhou Taoist Palace, led by thirty-six high-quality Taoist priests from Quanzhen Taoism, arrived at Dazhenren Palace yesterday."

Qi Xuansu, who was about to grab the second bun, suddenly froze and slowly raised his head to look at Zhang Yuelu: "The master of Shuzhou Taoist Palace led thirty-six high-level Taoist priests from Quanzhen Taoism to visit Dazhenren Mansion. On the other side, Qingwei Zhenren Leading thirty-six high-ranking Taoist priests of Taiping Dao to the Imperial Palace to meet the Holy Spirit, they are all thirty-six, I’m afraid it’s not a coincidence, right?”

"Of course it's not a coincidence." Zhang Yuelu said, "Taiping Tao wants to test the reactions of all parties. This is the reaction given by Quanzhen Tao and Zhengyi."

Qi Xuansu lost his mind about eating and said: "The underlying meaning of this is that if Taiping Dao and the imperial court join forces to force His Majesty the Emperor to intervene within the Taoist sect to elect the Grand Master, then Zhengyi Dao and Quanzhen Dao will join forces."

"Yes, this is an alliance." Zhang Yuelu nodded.

"In this case, wouldn't the Taoist sect be...split?" Qi Xuansu said hesitantly.

Zhang Yuelu said: "So in my opinion, now we are fighting a wolf with a straw, and we are afraid of both sides."

"What do you mean?" Qi Xuansu asked.

Zhang Yuelu tapped the table with his fingers: "Not only are we afraid of the split of the Taoist sect, Taipingdao is also afraid of the split of the Taoist sect. After all, Taipingdao is also a member of the Taoist sect. Taipingdao keeps moving in order to lead the Taoist sect, not to destroy it. , What good is a fragmented Taoist sect to them? If the Taoist sect cannot maintain the balance of yin and yang with the imperial court, even if Taiping Taoist wins the position of chief master, it will only become a vassal of the imperial court. For them, it is better to maintain the status quo. At least it can maintain a relatively aloof status.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly said: "I understand, everyone does not want the Taoist sect to be divided, and they all want the position of the great leader, so Taiping Tao wants to force Quanzhen Tao and Zhengyi to retreat through external ties to the court, while Quanzhen Tao and Zhengyi are willing to give up. They would rather be broken than destroyed, and they would not retreat to the death, and let Taiping Dao throw the enemy into the trap. Now it depends on who is more determined, whether Quanzhen Dao and Zhengyi will take the initiative to surrender, or Taiping Dao who will take the initiative to give in. I'm afraid it's inevitable that the weapon will go wrong."

"That's probably what it means. Once you can't grasp it, the result will be unpredictable." Zhang Yuelu did not hide his worry, "If a war breaks out, who will benefit the most? It's the imperial court, so the imperial court is most interested in civil strife in the Taoist sect. There are also those secret associations, They will also take the opportunity to stir up trouble and add fuel to the flames. Just imagine what would happen if the imperial court tried to set fire to Taiping Dao while creating tension between the three roads, or even personally attacked Taiping Dao and Zhengdao by pretending to be people from Taiping Dao. ?”

Qi Xuansu was silent for a moment, and then slowly said: "If such a thing happens, Quanzhen Taoism and Zhengyi will be in a dilemma. If they don't fight back, they will bear pressure from within. If they fight back, the situation will be completely out of control. No matter whether it is the three Neither the deputy head master nor anyone else can stop it."

Zhang Yuelu sighed: "Xuansheng said that it is easy to start a war, but it is difficult to end a war. I believe that the three deputy masters all understand this simple truth, but understanding is one thing, whether the situation is Whether it will develop as they envisioned is another matter.”

Qi Xuansu started eating steamed buns again, eating them very quickly, regardless of meat or vegetable, one bite at a time. After finishing the bowl of white porridge, he said: "This reminds me of the big case in Jiangnan you mentioned. Everyone understands one thing. , you can take the opportunity to enrich yourself, but you can’t go too far, and at least you have to restrain yourself. These principles are extremely simple, but the problem is that everyone expects others to practice this principle.”

"Those who were executed by the ancestral court, after the shipwreck, they knew that the situation was very dangerous. Duzhitang, Shibotang, and Beichentang had all noticed Jiangnan Daofu, but they still refused to spit out some goods and bring them As long as they passed this level and the people of Duzhitang and Beichentang were gone, the Jiangnan Daofu would still be theirs. But these people refused to let go, even if they died in the end and ransacked their homes, they did not pay for it themselves. To overcome the calamity, they all hope that others will spit out some, just as they hope that others will be less greedy when they first pass the lard. "

"Do you think today's Zhengyi Dao, Taiping Dao, and Quanzhen Dao will be like this? Even if the Taoism splits in the end, none of them will retreat. They all hope that others will retreat, and eventually they will all perish."

Zhang Yuelu looked at Qi Xuansu blankly.

Qi Xuansu said: "Although some masters feel that the difference between them and the people at the bottom is greater than the difference between humans and monsters, in terms of the most fundamental human nature, how much higher can those big people be?"

Zhang Yuelu said softly "Ah" after a long time, seeming to agree but also helpless.

Qi Xuansu sighed: "You and I are indifferent and we are too far away, so it is useless to say these things."

"Then let's talk about something closer to us." Zhang Yuelu changed the subject.

Qi Xuansu asked: "What happened?"

Zhang Yuelu said: "Even if a war is really going to start, it will not happen in a moment. It will take time to integrate the internal affairs, transport supplies, mobilize before the war, and even unite the vertical and horizontal lines, etc. Back then, Xuansheng suppressed the Buddhist sect and raised the Taoist sect. Although we have been preparing for it for four years in advance, what I want to say is already here, which is one of the reasons why Zhengyi Dao and Quanzhen Tao responded so quickly this time."

"What is going on?" Qi Xuansu became more and more curious.

Zhang Yuelu said: "After the Sixth Generation Grand Master ascended to the throne, the Grand Master's position was vacant, and the three deputy Grand Masters took turns exercising the Grand Master's authority. The Grand Master in charge was called the rotating Grand Master. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Jiushi. In the first half of the year, from the first day of the lunar month to the 30th day of the lunar month, the Celestial Master will act as the Grand Master. In the second half of the year, from the 1st day of the July lunar month to the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, the Earth Master will act as the Grand Master. Today is the beginning of the twelfth lunar month. 9. There are only two ten days left before the New Year's Eve. From the first day of the first lunar month to the first day of the seventh lunar month, the National Master will become the rotating Grand Master and exercise the authority of the Grand Priest. "

Qi Xuansu had to admit that this was indeed a matter related to the fate of the two of them. It was said that once the emperor was the emperor, there were always ministers. Under such a situation, the upper echelons of the Taoist sect should undergo some personnel changes.

When the Great Master of Quanzhen Dao became the rotating Great Master, he appointed Zhang Yuelu as the deputy hall master. Although it is impossible for Taiping Dao Da Zhenren to take the initiative to embarrass a junior like Zhang Yuelu, there are no absolutes in the world. It is not impossible to depose Zhang Yuelu during the personnel changes because of Li Tianzhen. Even if Zhang Yuelu is not dismissed as deputy hall leader and transferred to the Requiem Division of the ancestral hall, the future is bleak.

At that time, even if the Earth Master wants to promote Zhang Yuelu, he will have to wait until the Earth Master serves as the rotating Grand Master, or he can only be a deputy palace master in the local Taoist government.

It can be said that Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu are both prosperous and destructive. If Zhang Yuelu leaves Yujing, then Qi Xuansu will probably leave with him. After all, Qi Xuansu has offended Li Tianzhen in a sense, and it is difficult for him to stand out.

After all, grand propositions such as the disputes between the three realms, the rise and fall of Taoist sects, and the general trend of the world are too far away, but personnel changes are a major event that is close at hand.

Qi Xuansu was a layman and suddenly became a little nervous.

Zhang Yuelu sighed: "Let's take it one step at a time."