Chapter 51: Welcome Banquet

As usual, a welcoming banquet was held in the branch of Taiping Inn by the Penglai Pond in Haosheng Southeast Square.

Qi Xuansu recalled that the last time the welcoming banquet was hosted by the chief deputy palace master Zhou Jiaoxian. From this, it seems that the three main high-level officials of the Imperial Capital Daofu have a clear division of labor.

At the welcoming banquet, the five-member team plus Qi Xuansu and Zhou Jiaoxian sat at the same table.

The round table is arranged, facing the door is superior, and the right is honored. Zhou Jiaoxian, as the local host and the person with the highest rank and highest position among the Taoist priests present, naturally sat in the main seat. On his left and right were Yao Pei and Zhang Yuelu, while Qi Xuansu sat with his back to the door, facing Zhou Jiaoxian.

Zhou Jiaoxian first said a few polite words, which were nothing more than welcoming the five-member team to the Imperial Capital and that he would fully cooperate on behalf of the Imperial Capital Daofu.

No one would take such polite words seriously. When the seven-member team went to Jinling Prefecture, Bai Yingqiong and Li Tianlan also said similar polite words on behalf of the Jiangnan Daofu, but what was the result later? It was the fire that burned the Zhenwu Temple.

Zhang Yuelu sighed, "The last time I came to the Imperial Capital was ten years ago. To put it bluntly, the Imperial Capital Daofu at that time was full of smoke and dust. In every assessment, the Imperial Capital Daofu always ranked last among many local Daofu. But I heard that the Imperial Capital Daofu has changed a lot now."

Zhou Jiaoxian smiled and said, "It is thanks to the wise decision-making and heavenly virtue of Jinque, and the sincere efforts of the people from top to bottom in the Imperial Capital Daofu, that the Palace Master Li and Deputy Palace Master Shi have worked day and night and spent a lot of effort to achieve today's new atmosphere."

At this time, Yao Pei slowly said, "Deputy Palace Master Zhou, before I came to the Imperial Capital, I heard a lot of different voices."

"Really?" Zhou Jiaoxian's smile froze, and then returned to normal, "What Yao Fuli said That's right. After all, the past years have been difficult to reverse. Now there are still many areas in the Imperial Capital that need to be strengthened and improved. The five-member team came this time to show Jinque's concern and attention to our Imperial Capital. We must, under the supervision of the five-member team, check for deficiencies and make corrections immediately to reassure Jinque and satisfy Jinque. "

Zhang Yuelu smiled and said, "We came to the Imperial Capital for only one purpose, which is to make the Imperial Capital better, eliminate old problems, establish new trends, and focus on solving those key and difficult problems. In short, we can't just satisfy Jinque, but also satisfy the people of the world. We want to let the people of the world see the new look and new atmosphere of the Imperial Capital, which will make people feel refreshed. "

Qi Xuansu said nothing and watched the two women perform.

He only now knew that Zhang Yuelu would also say these polite words, but after thinking about it carefully, it was reasonable. Zhang Yuelu was not a fool. He was exposed to Yujing all day long, and he would learn it by listening. It would be strange if he didn't know it.

Li Changge did not speak, but twisted the wine glass with two fingers, smiling, acting as a bystander.

Of course, Qi Xuansu did not speak either. To put it nicely, he is now suspended from his job for reflection. To put it bluntly, he is now half a criminal. What can he say?

But Qi Xuansu did not even raise the wine glass, just looked at Zhang Yuelu.

While Zhang Yuelu raised the glass, she gave Qi Xuansu a warning look from the corner of her eye - in formal occasions, you are not allowed to flirt with her.

Qi Xuansu naturally followed suit, retracted his gaze, and looked at the dishes in front of him.

Zhou Jiaoxian's voice still reached Qi Xuansu's ears clearly: "Deputy Hall Master Zhang is as good as a man. Tiangang Hall is no different from other halls. It is very difficult. It was created in the midst of swords and swords."

"Deputy Palace Master Zhou is too kind." Zhang Yuelu said, "In the next month, we must work together to complete all the things arranged by Jinque."

Zhou Jiaoxian expressed his position again: "On behalf of the Imperial Capital Daofu, I will fully cooperate and give Jinque a satisfactory explanation."

Yao put the wine glass in his hand on the table and said calmly: "The wine is good. Thank you for the hospitality of Deputy Palace Master Zhou."

Qi Xuansu understood a little bit.

Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei did have a division of labor, one played the red face and the other played the white face.

On the Taoist side, in addition to the contradictions between the three Daos, there are actually contradictions between Yujing Jinque and local Daofu. Of course, this is not the crux of the Taoist family. From ancient times to the present, it has been a difficult problem in all dynasties. If one is not handled well, it is easy to form a trend of separatist regimes, which is difficult to get rid of.

Local prefectures always want to gain greater autonomy, while Jinque hopes to have deeper control over local prefectures. The two sides have both common interests and inconsistent interests, which makes the situation extremely complicated.

In the Imperial Capital Prefecture, on some matters, Li Ruoshui, Zhou Jiaoxian, and Shi Bingyun represent the positions of Taiping Dao, Quanzhen Dao, and Zhengyi Dao respectively, and they are irreconcilable. On some matters, the three of them represent the position of the Imperial Capital Prefecture, and they need to cooperate tacitly to safeguard their common interests.

What is a good boss? In the eyes of the subordinates, a good boss is one who knows how to fight for the interests of his family. Since they are in this position, many things are beyond their control, otherwise they will not be able to sit firmly in this position.

The people below are not ordinary people without weapons, but a large number of chiefs, stewards, spiritual officials, and Taoist priests who have been rooted in the Imperial Capital Daofu for a long time. They have both military power and power, as well as complicated personal connections. If there is anything to be done, they have to rely on them to implement the orders of Jinque and Daofu, and they have to rely on them to maintain the stability of Daofu. Although they come from different Daoist traditions, they don't care much about the Daoist tradition disputes at the top. They care more about their own practical interests, and their "public opinion" cannot be ignored. If they make trouble together, the real masters and deputy masters of the upper palaces will not be able to kill them, and they will not be able to get away with it. It is easy to lose their future and have to compromise. It doesn't mean that once you become the master of the palace, you can do everything according to your own will and say whatever you want. It's not that simple.

The measure needs to be carefully weighed and grasped, especially when the Daoist tradition dispute conflicts with the Yujing local dispute, it is difficult to say clearly how to choose.

So we can't assume that Zhou Jiaoxian is on the side of Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei just because he is a Quanzhen Daoist, nor can we assume that Li Ruoshui is of the same mind as Li Changge just because she is a Taiping Daoist. There may not be too many deviations in the general trend, but there are inevitably differences in details.

This requires specific analysis and specific treatment of specific things.

At the end of the banquet, Zhang Yuelu suddenly said: "The case of Qi Zhushi was directly investigated and upgraded by Jinque according to the Daoluo Division's notice and the report of Buddhists, so Yao Fuli, you have a heavy responsibility."

"Yes, Deputy Hall Master Zhang." Yao Pei responded expressionlessly, and then looked at Qi Xuansu.

Because Zhang Yuelu was the convener of the five-member group, she was the nominal boss of Li Changge and Yao Pei during this period, with greater voice and more weight.

Qi Xuansu coughed lightly and finally said, "I will fully cooperate with Deputy Hall Master Zhang and Assistant Manager Yao. I also believe that Deputy Hall Master Zhang and Assistant Manager Yao will clear my name."

Yao Pei said indifferently, "Master Qi, you don't believe in me and Deputy Hall Master Zhang, but you believe in Taoism and Jinque."

Qi Xuansu said seriously, "Yes, I believe in Taoism and Jinque."

Others couldn't help but complain in their hearts when they saw this scene.

What are you pretending to be? Everyone knows that you, Master Qi, have a close relationship with these two people. One is your old boss and lover, and the other is your classmate and friend in Shanggong. They are related, how can you not believe them?

You, Master Qi, naturally believe them, why don't you express your belief in Deputy Hall Master Li Dai?

It seems that you really don't believe them.

After the banquet, Zhang Yuelu and others stayed here-they would go to the Jade Emperor Palace, but they would not live in the Jade Emperor Palace. This place was temporarily requisitioned as their residence for the next month. After all, it is the Taoist's own property, and there are no other guests on weekdays, so it is the most suitable place to arrange a five-person team and a group of entourage.

Qi Xuansu was supposed to return to the Jade Emperor Palace with Zhou Jiaoxian, but when he reached the door, he was stopped by Yao Pei.

Yao Pei said: "Since Master Qi is the main person involved in this case, let's keep him here so that we can summon him at any time."

Zhou Jiaoxian was stunned. He didn't say yes or no, but just said: "It's not appropriate, right?"

"Nothing is inappropriate." Yao Pei's tone was cold and unkind. "After we arrive, we will take over the case. How to arrange Master Qi is our business. The spiritual officials outside are all arranged by the Imperial Capital Daofu. Is Deputy Palace Master Zhou afraid that Master Qi will run away? That's too much of an underestimation of us. Or does Deputy Palace Master Zhou think that Deputy Hall Master Zhang and I secretly let Master Qi escape?"

"I don't mean that." Zhou Jiaoxian naturally denied it. "In that case, Master Qi, you stay here and follow the arrangements of Deputy Hall Master Zhang and Yao Fuli."

"Yes." Qi Xuansu, who was following Zhou Jiaoxian, responded immediately.

Zhou Jiaoxian said, "I will explain this to Palace Master Li and Deputy Palace Master Shi after I return. In addition, I will send someone to deliver some of Qi's personal belongings."

Qi Xuansu thanked him, "Then I'll have to trouble Deputy Palace Master Zhou."

"It's okay." Zhou Jiaoxian waved his hand and walked out alone.

When only Qi Xuansu and Yao Pei were left, Yao Pei looked Qi Xuansu up and down with a blank expression, which made Qi Xuansu feel a little weak.

"What is Assistant Yao looking at?" Qi Xuansu asked.

Yao Pei said: "This time, you have fallen into my hands. I want you to die, and you may not survive."

Qi Xuansu became more and more uneasy: "Su Yi, we didn't have a holiday, did we? Although we are not close friends, we have been classmates for three months. Facing Zhang Wuhen by Xingye Lake, we can be regarded as sharing hardships. At least one-third of your "Earth Word Skill" is my credit."

Yao Pei did not laugh, but turned and walked inside: "Come with me, our deputy hall master Zhang wants to see you. It's really interesting for a female boss to interrogate an old subordinate late at night."

Qi Xuansu found Yao Pei's mouth so poisonous for the first time.

This is Yao Pei who was influenced by the "Taishang Wangqing Sutra". Now Qi Xuansu suspects that Taiping Dao has affected the atmosphere of the entire Taoist sect, but it is understandable, because Xuansheng himself is from Taiping Dao? What the superior likes, the subordinates follow.

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