Pawn Crossing the River

To a certain extent, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were both partners in life and political allies. One partner can be strong and the other weak, and allies must be evenly matched. If one party is too strong, it is not an ally, but a vassal.

Zhang Yuelu agreed with Qi Xuansu's guess: "This possibility cannot be ruled out. If the adopted son sect and the son-in-law sect within the Li family reach a consensus and then form an alliance, then they will indeed be a force that cannot be ignored. The Tianshi will be controlled by Zhang The situation of the Grand Master and the National Master may be slightly better than that of the Heavenly Master, but it is also quite limited.”

Qi Xuansu added: "Some things can be said but cannot be said. Some things can be said but cannot be done. In the Li family, this matter of the family being in power for a long time can be done, but must not be promoted in a big way. The environment of the Zhang family and the Li family is The difference is that the Zhang family is conservative and has a hostile attitude towards people with foreign surnames. This move has certainly caused the Zhang family to become incommunicado, but it has both advantages and disadvantages. The Zhang family can continue to emphasize that the family is the main one, which is a matter of course. "

"The Li family is open and welcoming to people with foreign surnames. This move has allowed the Li family to be full of talents and prosperous for two hundred years. It also has advantages and disadvantages. The Li family cannot openly emphasize the Li family???????? ???????The superior status of our family in the Li family must be promoted as the three main factions of the family, the adopted son, and the son-in-law. If the Li family does what the Zhang family does, it will inevitably cause a strong internal backlash. "

Zhang Yuelu sighed: "You have seen it clearly. In the words of "Zuo Zhuan", if you prosper with this, you will die with it. If the Zhang family dies, it will die from conservatism. If the Li family dies, it will die from openness. At that time, Xuansheng advocated that friends should be more careful than others. The more the better, leaving behind the hidden danger of today's factions within the Taoist sect. At that time, the Li family advocated inclusiveness and equal treatment, and also left the hidden danger of the adopted son and son-in-law taking over the role. Taiping Taoism seemed to be very united, mainly because of the Zhengyiyi and Quanzhen. As a foil to Tao, objectively speaking, Taiping Tao is far from monolithic.”

Zhang Yuelu paused and asked, "When you met Master Qingwei, what was his attitude?"

Qi Xuansu smiled bitterly and said: "A big man of this level has his own city and is calm when facing important events. How can he show his worries on his face? Naturally, he is calm and talks and laughs freely. At first, I thought it was Master Qingwei who took the lead. After thinking about it carefully, I realized that it was wrong.”

Zhang Yuelu also felt that he had asked too much, so he said instead: "It seems that I can only go and find out what the old man says. After all, he is the one in charge."

Qi Xuansu had no objection and said, "Okay, we can discuss the rest in detail later when we meet."

Zhang Yuelu ended the conversation.

While the two were talking on the phone, the two airships were approaching the port. Qi Xuansu came to the deck and looked toward the port. He saw another "Huang Chi" moored on the sea. It should have been taken by the port. The stationed spiritual officer took control.

The two airships landed slowly, and Qi Xuansu ordered: "Don't use torture, and don't induce confessions. Interrogate on the spot overnight. Remember whatever you can ask. Put aside those who don't speak. Give me an overview before dawn. I want Go to see the real person in charge of the army at Chen time."

Several Taoist priests in charge accepted the order in unison.

Based on Qi Xuansu's previous conversation, Lu Yuting had some speculations in her mind. The reason why Deputy Hall Master Qi was so eager may be to use this summary to test the true intention of Master Qingwei.

What to do, or to what extent it should be done.

There is a saying by Deputy Hall Master Qi that she agrees with. The so-called "loyalty" is actually a grasshopper on a line. Therefore, if you want to move someone, you don't just move yourself, but you move the whole body. Involving everyone on his line.

So it's easy to deal with one person, but as long as a line is involved, it's very troublesome. Sometimes, a line can even reach the sky. For example, if we insist on saying that Zhang Kuquan is connected to the Heavenly Master, that would barely make sense.

In today's situation, people at the top of this line generally have two choices, one is to die, and the other is to cut off the gecko's tail. Of course, if someone is uprooted from the thread, no one on the thread can escape.

Zhang Kuquan's position on his line is neither above nor below, probably in the middle. There are two considerations. With such a big movement, Zhang Juquan must be finished, but whether the matter ends here is still open to question. You can use Zhang Guquan's case as a reason to continue digging deeper. It can also be triggered without triggering, creating a kind of shock.

At this stage, Zhengyiyi must be on the defensive, cutting off all ties with Zhang Kuquan, abandoning soldiers to protect the commander. If Taipingdao chooses to dig deep, but cannot attack for a long time, that is, it cannot dig deep enough to dig out anything, it will inevitably face a counterattack. However, if Taipingdao fails to attack and uses this as a deterrent, Zhengyiyi will not dare to counterattack rashly.

In Lu Yuting's view, it was this attitude that Vice-Tang Qi was testing.

On the other side, before Li Changge rushed to Jiangnan Daofu, Lu Yushu of Fengxiantang had already taken measures against Zhang Kuquan.

This time is different from the previous two major Jiangnan cases. The essence of the first two was to attack from the outside and face off, so there was back and forth, and there was even enough time to eliminate evidence and kill people. This time the Zhang Guquan case was essentially an internal strife. When one of our own people took the initiative to report it, it naturally collapsed in an instant.

However, Feng Xiantang's quick actions still proved that this was not an unexpected incident, but a long-planned incident. Otherwise, Feng Xiantang's reaction would not have been so quick, and Zhang Juquan would not have had the chance to destroy the evidence.

Lu Yushu gained a lot. I don't know if it was because of "accidental", but a lot of relevant rumors spread. Because of the "communication talisman array" and Zimu talisman and other communication methods, even across the East China Sea, people here in Xingying heard about it. .

When Qi Xuansu arrived at the camp, Master Qingwei was presiding over the meeting, so Qi Xuansu could only wait.

Of course, a high-quality Taoist priest at the level of deputy hall master cannot stand outside and wait. Not only is there a special waiting room, but there is also tea. At this time, there were several deputy hall masters in the waiting room. Everyone was waiting to see Master Qingwei and started chatting.

The most eye-catching topic at the moment is naturally Zhang Kuquan’s case. Deputy Hall Master Zhao of Huasheng Hall lowered his voice: “I heard that Feng Xiantang searched Zhang Kuquan’s detention room. This Deputy Hall Master Zhang is still A 'wonderful man', it is said that many 'picture stones' were found in his signature room."

Several other people became interested: "'Image Stone'?"

Deputy hall leader Zhao continued: "Zhang Jucheng has a special hobby. Every time he has sex, the entire process must be recorded with a 'photograph stone' for later viewing. It is said that Zhang Jucheng practices magic in the room, happy meditation, and mining. He is well-researched in replenishing techniques and other aspects. He is a master of both Buddhism and Taoism. Many of the 'image stones' can be used as teaching materials for Fang Zhongshu and Huanxi Zen."

After all, they were all people of status, and no one looked impatient or vulgar. They generally remained calm, with just a hint of a faint smile at the corners of their mouths.

Someone asked: "Approximately how many people were involved?"

Deputy Hall Master Zhao said: "According to Feng Xiantang's preliminary statistics, there are about a hundred people. There are many female Taoists among them, and they are not a small number."

Qi Xuansu didn't care much at first, but after hearing this, he had to pay attention.

One deputy palace master, dozens of female subordinates, an absolute scandal.

The reason why Feng Xiantang is not afraid of these "winds" harming the Taoist sect's face is actually not complicated. This kind of thing is still a big deal within the Taoist sect, but for the imperial court, it is really not a big deal. Maybe it can win a favor. "Fashionable" reputation.

The subsequent gossip gradually involved some substantive content, which was very exciting.

For example, a female Taoist priest sat on Deputy Palace Master Zhang's lap to discuss business. Deputy Palace Master Zhang moved his hands while listening to his subordinate's report, causing the female principal to gasp and flush. Or Deputy Palace Master Zhang acted as a matchmaker and married a female subordinate to a junior, but ended up keeping in contact with the female subordinate and often acting recklessly. Or perhaps Deputy Palace Master Zhang went directly to the home of a female subordinate, and the female Taoist priest's companion was watching outside. There is also Deputy Palace Master Zhang using Buddhism's "Great Joy Zen" to fight one against four, showing off his power and so on.

These female crowns, who usually look like chaste and fierce women, show off their magical powers and become completely different people. In the eyes of a poor boy, the unshakable iceberg beauty turns out to be so despicable in the face of power.

The deputy hall masters couldn't say they were envious, they just took it as a joke. After all, everyone is of the same level. If you really want to do this, it’s not impossible, it’s just not worth it. Not to mention others, after Qi Xuansu was promoted to the third rank of deputy hall master, many female Taoist priests took the initiative to flatter him. As long as Qi Xuansu hooked his fingers, they could take the initiative to crawl onto the bed. If Qi Xuansu is good at masculinity, then male Taoist priests wouldn't mind imitating him.

For these women, the young Qi Xuansu, who is also a third-grade Youyi Taoist priest, is naturally more popular than the bad old man. Women have a herd mentality, and the man that Deputy Hall Master Zhang likes will definitely be good. If good things are accomplished, who will suffer the loss?

Therefore, Qi Xuansu pays great attention to keeping a distance from women, and does not believe in any luck. The best hunters always appear in the form of prey. If you think it is luck, it may be a trap carefully designed by others. It looks like a wolf. Eating sheep is actually a group of female Taoist priests chasing power who in turn hunt these superiors.

So when something like this happens, usually one is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer, and no one is clean.

Speaking of this, several deputy hall masters couldn't help but lamented that Zhang Guquan must have fallen into trouble this time. Of course, this kind of personal morality issue will not lead to death, but the impact will be very bad. The key to the final conviction will be the amount of his corruption and smuggling. . Judging from the current situation, the position will definitely not be saved, and the Taoist priest's rank will be reduced to the bottom. The best result is to barely save his life.

But then again, what if I save my life? It won't turn around in another hundred years. From now on, there will be no such figure in the Taoist sect.

As for the women involved in the case, they can't escape either, leaving no idea how many places will be vacated.

Pawn crossing the river