Pawn Crossing the River

Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu heard someone knocking on the door. When he opened the door, he saw a strange young Taoist priest.

The young Taoist priest was very respectful: "I am the deacon Taoist priest of Ziweitang. On the order of Deputy Hallmaster Lei, I would like to invite Director Qi to meet her in the lobby of Ziweitang headquarters."

Qi Xuansu suddenly remembered that his nominal boss was neither Shi Bingyun nor Donghua Zhenren, but Lei Xiaohuan.

He followed the young Taoist priest out of the alley, got on a deer cart, and headed to the main hall of Ziweitang.

Qi Xuansu said that yesterday was the first time he entered the Zifu, but that was not accurate. When he left Yujing for the Imperial Capital, Master Donghua once talked to him. At that time, he had entered the Zifu, but Ziweitang was located in the Zifu. From the periphery, you can't see Jinque, Zixiao Palace, or even Yaochi, so Qi Xuansu never felt that he had really entered Zifu. It wasn't until yesterday, when he landed in Yaochi on the Imperial Master's ship, that he could see the true face of Zi Mansion.

Ziweitang is the only entrance located inside the Zi Mansion. It is easy to get out of the Zi Mansion. To enter the Zi Mansion, you must go through a strict inspection, so Qi Xuansu left sensitive items such as fish charms at home beforehand.

The two entered Zi Mansion from the side door. Not far away was the main lobby of Ziweitang. Under the leadership of the young Taoist priest, Qi Xuansu came to Lei Xiaohuan's signing room.

Seeing Qi Xuansu come in, Lei Xiaohuan, who was sitting behind the desk, stood up and walked around the table: "I'll treat you with admiration after three days of separation. When I first met you, I never would have imagined that in two years, From the seventh level to the third level, jump four levels in a row.”

Qi Xuansu said: "Zhenren Lei is overly praised. Now I am only a Taoist priest of the fourth grade wine offering."

"You will soon be a third-grade Youyi Taoist priest." Lei Xiaohuan took out a document and handed it to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu took a look at the document. Although he had expected it, he couldn't help but feel happy.

This is a letter of appointment.

The content is not complicated. Apart from those clichés, it mainly talks about one thing. The Qi of the Five Elements Mountain has changed. Qi Xuansu, the head of Ziwei Hall, participated in calming the Qi and maintained the integrity of Beilong. He has made outstanding contributions and was promoted to the third level. Deputy Hall Master, the seal of Jinque is stamped below.

There are no ranks in Taoist official positions. The deputy hall leader is the deputy hall master, and there is no such thing as a rank. The grade corresponds to the Taoist priest himself. The reason why the promotion of Qi Xuansu to "third-grade deputy hall master" is emphasized here is because this is the job grade that has been mentioned. To put it bluntly, Qi Xuansu will only be regarded as a third-grade Youyi Taoist priest when he is the deputy hall master. Once he is dismissed and stops his duties, he will still be a fourth-grade Jijiu Taoist priest.

In addition, this kind of job grade, or temporary grade system, is generally one of the wartime systems. Qi Xuansu's ability to be awarded a job grade should be related to the nearby Fenglinzhou war. This also means that Qi Xuansu will most likely be sent to the Fenglinzhou battlefield.

Qi Xuansu read the letter of appointment carefully several times and was filled with emotion.

"According to logic, the Master should announce this appointment in person. However, due to the matter of Feng Linzhou, Master Donghua has been very busy recently and has no time for the time being, so I will announce this appointment to you on his behalf. Congratulations, Vice-President Qi. Lord." Lei Xiaohuan smiled.

"There is Mr. Lau Lei." Qi Xuansu cupped his hands and thanked him.

Lei Xiaohuan has always regarded Qi Xuansu as one of his own, and joked: "Okay now, if you accompany Deputy Hall Master Zhang home for the New Year, no one will say that you are a freeloader. She is the Deputy Hall Master, and so are you. Deputy Hall Master, this is called evenly matched."

Of course, having said that, there is actually some gap between Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu. Not to mention that Zhang Yuelu is a real third-grade Youyi Taoist priest, not a job grade. Just talking about their rankings, there is a difference. Tiangang Hall and Ziwei Hall both belong to the Shangsan Hall. Because Shangguan Jing died in battle, Zhang Yuelu moved forward one place and ranked eighth in Tiangang Hall. Qi Xuansu filled the vacancy left by Qi Jianyuan and was the leader of Ziwei Hall. The ninth deputy hall master.

However, the Taoist sect has always advocated streamlining the power structure, so the nine deputy hall leaders do not mean that they are divided into nine levels. Except for the first and second seats, the other deputy hall leaders are all on equal terms in name, no matter where they are ranked. It can only be said that they are ranked It is easier to reflect the power in your hands.

Now that Qi Xuansu has officially become the "official" of Ziweitang, he naturally has to understand his responsibilities.

The Jiutang of Taoism refers to the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers of the imperial court to a certain extent, but it cannot be completely equated with the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers. Take Ziweitang as an example. It is indeed equivalent to the official department of the imperial court, but in many cases it also takes care of some of the responsibilities of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. For example, in the previous dynasty, the imperial censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate was often appointed as an imperial envoy to inspect local areas, and was called a "governor". As for the governor becoming a fixed local official position, that was all later.

Today's Ziwei Hall also has this function. The deputy hall master often serves as an "imperial envoy" to inspect local areas on behalf of Jinque, or presides over a certain case. Lei Xiaohuan often assumes such a role.

Since there are no specific errands arranged for Qi Xuansu, most of his duties are to serve as various special envoys and conveners, representing Ziweitang, Jinque, and Taoism, to inspect and inspect various local Taoist offices.

Qi Xuansu was actually quite satisfied. At least he didn't have to be bored in Jade Capital all day long, and the officials in the capital were always at a higher level than those in Beijing. Take Lei Xiaohuan for example. When she was the convener of the seven-member group, even the real person in charge of Jiangnan Daofu had to give her three points.

If we talk about disadvantages, of course there are, that is, there will not be too many direct subordinates. Not only compared to Tiangang Hall, but also compared to the Imperial Palace, they are much inferior.

There is nothing we can do about this.

Then there is the remuneration issue that Qi Xuansu is more concerned about. Because it is a job grade, his regular salary has not been adjusted. However, in terms of job subsidies, he has changed from principal to deputy hall leader, which has been increased by one hundred yuan in peacetime. Qi Xuansu originally received a basic salary of 200 yuan of peace money per month. With various subsidies, the total amount was 300 yuan of peace money per month. Now the basic monthly payment remains unchanged, and the subsidy increases by NT$100, so it becomes NT$400 per month. After one year, the total income was 4,800 yuan in peace money.

While Qi Xuansu was overjoyed, he couldn't help but think of Qiniang.

I have to admit that although Qiniang couldn't help him get promoted directly within the Taoist sect, it gave him a relatively fair environment. Without this fairness, even if he made merit, he might not be able to get promoted immediately.

You must know that the personnel arrangements at the deputy hall master level have already been discussed by Jinque. Without some background connections, it is not that easy. Especially for young people like Qi Xuansu, who are framed by the suspension system, even if they have enough credit, It is also a matter of two choices. One disadvantage is that after a few more years of training, he can be promoted exceptionally, or there is a real big shot who has spoken out, such as Zhang Yuelu becoming the deputy hall leader. Either someone did something great.

No matter what the situation is, it is inseparable from Qiniang.

Qi Xuansu originally wanted to report good news to Qiniang, but then he thought about it. Qiniang was well-informed and might know it earlier than him. Moreover, she was probably still competing for the "Pai Sheng" at this time, so it was better not to disturb her.

Lei Xiaohuan led Qi Xuansu to his signing room, which was right next door. Because Ziweitang is located in Zifu, its area cannot be compared with that of the Jade Palace. The signing room is naturally much smaller, even a little smaller than Zhang Yuelu's signing room. There are only three rooms inside and outside, and the outer room is where the secretary is. In the middle is the living room and study room, and the inner room is the quiet room and bedroom.

Qi Xuansu came to the book desk. On the table were the clothes and crowns of the third-grade Youyi Taoist priest. The main thing was that the crown was changed into the "Five Mountains Crown", also known as the "Five Mountains Lingtu Crown".

Next to it are his ultimatum and the "Zhongji Sutra Urn" corresponding to the third-grade Youyi Taoist priest. There is nothing much to say about the urn. Compared with the "Intermediate Sutra Ruan" and the "Primary Sutra Ruan", the structure is similar, but more ornate.

Speaking of which, the issuance and management of seals and scriptures are also within the scope of Ziweitang's responsibilities, so a lot of things are saved. "Zhongji Jinglu" is equivalent to a middle-grade treasure. In addition to the function of the mother-child talisman, it also has the function of the "communication talisman array". However, it can only be bound to one object each, which is quite inconvenient.

It is said that the restrictions will be relaxed after switching to the "Shangdong Sutra Urn" corresponding to the second-grade Taiyi Taoist priest.

Qi Xuansu has already thought about it. The Zimu Talisman should be bound to Zhang Yuelu, and the "Xun Talisman Array" should be bound to the lobby of Ziweitang headquarters. This means that there will be no delay between public and private matters.

Lei Xiaohuan suddenly remembered something and said again: "As for the candidate for your secretary, we haven't decided yet. What do you think?"

According to the usual practice, most of these close candidates are decided by the deputy hall master, and they are usually close confidants of the deputy hall master. Take Zhang Yuelu as an example, Mu Jin is her secretary, and when she was still in Beichen Hall, Mu Jin was already Followed her.

Qi Xuansu became famous in less than two years, so how could he have any confidants? He thought for a while and said: "When I was working in the Imperial Palace, I had a secretary named Ke Qingqing. She was from Master Shi, so she was a close friend. Basically, it’s pretty easy to use.”

Lei Xiaohuan nodded: "It shouldn't be difficult to transfer her from the Imperial Palace."

This is another advantage of Ziweitang. It has the power of personnel, and transfers at the deacon level are just a matter of words.

For Ke Qingqing herself, it was like pie in the sky. Because of Qi Xuansu's words, she was transferred from the local Taoist government to Yujing Jiutang, or Ziweitang, the head of the nine halls, and from a secretary in charge Becoming the deputy hall master's secretary has a bright future. It can be regarded as "a path to enlightenment" in a sense.

Come and try it quickly. 】

Of course, there is both prosperity and loss, and Ke Qingqing is tied to Qi Xuansu's chariot. If Qi Xuansu can advance all the way, Ke Qingqing will naturally rise to the top, but if Qi Xuansu overturns, Ke Qingqing will inevitably be doomed. Gains and losses are always two sides of the same coin.

After explaining these things, Lei Xiaohuan finally said: "After Qi Jianyuan's death, his subordinates were assigned to other deputy hall masters by the master leader, so you don't have subordinates for the time being. The specific arrangements may have to wait until the Fenglinzhou war. it's over."

Qi Xuansu said helplessly: "I am just a polished general."