A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu’s adventures in the Southern Continent had no impact whatsoever on the normal functioning of the Eastern world. Most members of the Daoist Order did not care what had happened, was happening, or would happen across the ocean in the Southern Continent.

They were far more concerned with their own affairs like their daily work, social obligations, weddings, funerals, and the like.

Marriage and funeral rites, in particular, were considered major events. Although the Daoist Order claimed to have abolished Confucian ritual propriety, deep down, it still adhered to the old traditions.

On one hand, the Daoist Order sought to de-Confucianize itself. On the other hand, it promoted the unification of the Three Religions with Daoism at its core. At first glance, this seemed contradictory, but in essence, it was not.

Confucian influence ran too deep to erase entirely. The best they could do was remove its outward appearance while internally merging the Three Religions, repackaging certain Confucian institutions so they could continue serving the Daoist Order under a different guise.

Fundamentally, both measures amounted to revising and modifying the Confucian system.

Take the clan system, for example. It was originally part of Confucian ritual doctrine, yet the Daoist Order had inherited it as well. Every prominent family within the Daoist Order operated according to the principles of the clan system.

An ancestor was one who established the foundation through great achievements, while the clan preserved and continued that foundation through virtue.

Take the Zhang family as an example. It was founded by the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor, distinguishing him from every subsequent Heavenly Preceptor of the Zhang family through the generations. Elder Zhang was regarded as one of the founding ancestors of the Daoist Order’s revival because of his contributions to Daoism itself, not because he was the ancestor of the Zhang family.

The Holy Xuan was different. His achievements belonged to the category of founding merit because he did not merely preserve the legacy of his forebears. Instead, he established an entirely new legacy of his own, one that transcended the scope of the Li family itself. Thus, he became an ancestor in his own right.

Simply put, it was equivalent to starting an entirely new genealogy beginning with the Holy Xuan. This new lineage was counted separately from the original Li family.

This created a problem. Since the Holy Xuan’s cultivation had reached extraordinary heights, he left behind no descendants, not even an adopted child. His family register contained no successors at all, effectively making his lineage extinct.

The Li family was unwilling to let the Holy Xuan’s immense legacy pass entirely into the hands of outsiders. At this point, Donghuang stepped forward to succeed his older brother, declaring that he would shoulder both family lines, continuing not only his father’s ancestral line but also his elder brother’s. These two families referred to the original Li family and the new Li family established by the Holy Xuan.

As a result, the Li family of today recognized two ancestors. One was the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, while the other was the Holy Xuan. In effect, the two Li families were forcibly merged into one. Strictly speaking, only the descendants of Donghuang’s branch could legitimately claim to be descendants of the Holy Xuan, their legal claim deriving from Donghuang’s succession of his elder brother’s lineage. No one else could legitimately bask in the Holy Xuan’s prestige.

Had the Holy Xuan left descendants of his own, there would now be two separate Li families within the Daoist Order.

As a result, the Li family effectively had two principal lineages. This was why one rarely heard of the distinction between the major and minor branches within the Li family. In practice, the adopted-son faction and the son-in-law faction occupied the role that would ordinarily belong to the minor branch. Meanwhile, those with Li family blood all belonged to the major branch.

The Zhang family never went through anything like this, so it had only one ancestor—the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor.

Precisely because there was only one direct family line that the distinction between the major and minor branches was so clearly defined.

In truth, Zhang Yuelu disliked belonging to the minor branch as well, since it came with far too many constraints. The Zhang family was only promoting her now because they had no one else from the major branch suitable to rely upon. Coupled with the Heavenly Preceptor’s high regard for Zhang Yuelu, they had no choice but to compromise. After all, it was better to benefit one of their own than an outsider. It was a solution born of necessity.

If Qi Xuansu were to marry into the Zhang family as a matrilocal son-in-law, then he and Zhang Yuelu would belong to the Zhang family’s minor branch. They might temporarily wield great authority, but once the two of them passed away, the minor branch would still remain as is.

But if Zhang Yuelu were the one to marry Qi Xuansu, the situation would be entirely different. Qi Xuansu did not know who his parents were. Although people often said he was the Yao family’s adopted son, the Yao family never acknowledged him, nor did Qi Xuansu wish to acknowledge them. The only person he truly recognized was Madam Qi. In essence, Qi Xuansu himself would become the founding ancestor of his own lineage. If Zhang Yuelu married him and if they did not count Madam Qi, then the two of them would stand at the very beginning of their family’s genealogy. From the standpoint of clan law, that would be an exceedingly comfortable position.

Whether or not they had descendants was beside the point. At least there would be no distant elders standing above them in the family hierarchy.

Of course, at the level of the Zhengyi Sect, matters remained unchanged. They would still support Zhang Yuelu’s appointment as Deputy Grand Master. That was an issue of political authority, not clan law. Even after marrying, Zhang Yuelu would still be a daughter of the Zhang family, which was far preferable to producing another non-Zhang Heavenly Preceptor.

For that reason, Zhang Yuelu had never considered the option of Qi Xuansu marrying into the Zhang family. Setting aside the fact that Qi Xuansu himself would never agree, even if he begged and pleaded to do so, Zhang Yuelu would still refuse.

By now, however, Zhang Yuelu had no choice but to seriously consider their marriage.

Although many people around them already regarded Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu as a married couple, the two were still missing a formal wedding ceremony.

The marriage itself had been decided long ago, but various unavoidable external circumstances had delayed it repeatedly. Most commonfolk could marry and have children by the age of 14. Under normal circumstances, by their thirties, their son would almost be old enough to marry. Yet the two of them had still not formally become Daoist companions. As such, they really ought to begin making preparations.

There was naturally a reason Madam Qi had chosen to spend the New Year in Jinling Prefecture. She discussed the matter again with Zhang Jucheng and settled on a tentative date together. It was only tentative because they intended to wait until Qi Xuansu officially became an Omniscient Sage before selecting an auspicious wedding day. It would also sound far more impressive that way, as the youngest Omniscient Sage was getting married.

Zhang Jucheng was the Zhang family’s heir apparent, so matters like these fell within his responsibilities. Especially now that the Heavenly Preceptor had grown old, nearly all affairs concerning the family were handled by Zhang Jucheng.

The heir apparent referred to the legitimate eldest son of the major branch, or in other words, the future head of the family. Besides inheriting the principal share of the family’s property, he also succeeded to the family’s titles, ancestral residence, and other inheritances. Within the clan, whether it be ancestral sacrifices, funerals, weddings, or hosting banquets for guests, the heir apparent always took the leading role.

Accordingly, Sage Qingwei and Yao Yi were both heirs apparent of the Li and Yao families, respectively. Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang were already the heads of their respective clans.

This was also one of the reasons Zhang Yuelu wished to leave the Zhang family and join Qi Xuansu’s household. Within the family hierarchy, she had no final say over her own marriage. Even her parents had no authority to decide it. At most, they were entitled to offer suggestions. Ultimately, only the head of the clan’s decision was final.

This time, it just so happened that the Heavenly Preceptor, as the head of the clan, approved of Qi Xuansu. With the old man in complete agreement with Zhang Yuelu, everything appeared harmonious and cheerful between them. But had the Heavenly Preceptor disagreed with her, the situation would have looked entirely different.

According to clan law, the heir apparent had the authority to discipline younger members of the family. Anyone who dared defy the heir apparent could be punished.

The Daoist Order had wanted to abolish the clan-law system, but with families like the Lis and Zhangs standing firmly in place, it was hardly something that could simply be eliminated by decree. While the Holy Xuan was alive, the major families restrained themselves, making it seem as though the system had truly been abolished. Yet the moment the Holy Xuan passed away, it immediately resurfaced.

Faced with the Zhang family’s clan law, even Zhang Yuelu could not do anything about it.

She had already suffered painful setbacks in Nanyang. Going head-to-head with the Zhang family would be an even more hopeless endeavor.

When Zhang Yuelu suppressed the old Daoists in Nanyang this time, she was, regardless of the circumstances, still in the right. No one could condemn her on moral grounds. At most, they could criticize her methods as being too rash or overly aggressive.

Even with justice on her side, things had been this difficult. If she openly opposed the Zhang family, she would not even have righteousness to stand upon. Perhaps centuries later, future generations would say that the clan-law system had been wrong and that Zhang Yuelu had been right to resist it. But in the current world, resisting one’s clan was considered wrong. No one would support Zhang Yuelu. Not to mention that the Zhang family was far stronger and far more formidable than those elderly Daoists of Nanyang.

If Zhang Yuelu wished to wrestle with the Zhang family for power, she could only do so after becoming the Grand Master or the Grand Master Consort. But for the Zhang Yuelu of today, it was better not to entertain such thoughts.

Zhang Yuelu understood this perfectly well. She had no intention of smashing herself to pieces by charging headlong into an immovable wall. Instead, she chose another path by joining Qi Xuansu’s household, where she could become the master of her own affairs rather than remain under the Zhang family’s authority.

This was not to say that a woman had to depend upon a man in order to establish a separate household. Women could do so as well. For example, a princess and her prince consort would establish an entirely separate family genealogy of their own, sparing the princess from having to humble herself within another clan’s hierarchy. Of course, princesses who married into great families like the Li family were an exception.

The key was having a legitimate reason to establish a separate household. For Zhang Yuelu, attempting to separate from the clan without cause would inevitably meet overwhelming resistance. By the time she possessed enough power to overcome those obstacles, there would no longer be any need to separate from the family, because she would most likely have already reached the pinnacle of authority. At her current stage, marriage was actually the most appropriate justification.

After Zhang Jucheng and Madam Qi had settled the matter, they informed Zhang Juqi and Tantai Qiong, instructing the couple to begin making preparations.

Zhang Yuelu’s parents said nothing in response. They simply carried out the decision of the clan.

Tantai Qiong disliked traveling far from home, but there was no justification for allowing personal preferences to interfere with official duties by making Zhang Yuelu return home. Instead, she personally traveled to Nanyang to see Zhang Yuelu.

In truth, when members of great families married, the bride and groom had the easiest role of all. They simply needed to show up. Everything else was handled by others, requiring virtually no effort on their part.

As such, there were not many matters that Zhang Yuelu needed to concern herself with. But she had to be informed of the relevant details, such as the dowry inventory, the wedding date, the ceremony schedule, and so forth, to see whether she had any opinions. After all, Zhang Yuelu was no ordinary member of the Zhang family, and her wishes held weight. Her wedding attire and related garments also had to be custom-made according to her measurements. Such things could not be rushed at the last minute and had to be prepared well in advance.

Naturally, Zhang Yuelu had quite a few opinions. The first was that she objected to wearing traditional wedding attire.

Zhang Yuelu believed that since the Daoist Order advocated equality, there was no need to preserve such customs of dressing luxuriously on their wedding day. She and Qi Xuansu could simply wear their Daoist hechangs. There was ample precedent for this, as many Daoists had married in exactly that manner.

Beyond that, she wanted the dowry kept simple and declined any bridal residence as part of her dowry. She already had homes in Xuan City and Taishang Place, so there was no need for yet another house that would simply sit unused.

She had no say over Madam Qi buying houses for Qi Xuansu, but she could at least decide what she herself wanted.

Tantai Qiong naturally disapproved. Only impoverished and powerless Daoists held weddings in such a modest fashion. All prestigious Daoist families celebrated on a grand scale. When the Li family married a princess, both the wedding procession and the bridal escort stretched for kilometers.

Even setting the Li family aside, respectable female Daoists often had several different wedding outfits prepared. There were even Western bridal gowns that she ought to try on. They were beautifully elaborate and all white.

Upon hearing that, the conservative Zhang Yuelu became even more opposed.

She said, “White is for funerals. My hechang is perfectly fine.”

At the same time, Zhang Yuelu proposed simplifying the wedding rituals as well. Customs such as the bridal procession, stepping over a fire basin, bowing to heaven and earth, and the rowdy wedding chamber games should all be abolished. There was no need for divine birds or exotic beasts to pull the wedding carriage either.

She argued that Daoists should take frugality as their guiding principle. Qi Xuansu’s disciple ceremony had been an excellent example.

Tantai Qiong had never understood what went on inside her daughter’s head. She had even wondered at one point whether Zhang Yuelu had suffered some brain injury as a child or whether something had gone wrong during pregnancy. Now, she understood her daughter even less.

“Zhang Yuelu, a woman only gets one chance like this in her lifetime. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Don’t end up regretting it.” Tantai Qiong huffed.

Zhang Yuelu was holding a book in front of her face. Upon hearing those words, she lowered the book slightly, revealing a pair of phoenix eyes. “I never regret my decisions.”

Tantai Qiong flew into a rage, yet there was nothing she could do about her daughter. With a furious sweep of her sleeve, she stormed off.

The mother and daughter parted on extremely bad terms over the matter.

In the end, it was Zhang Juqi who stepped in to mediate, hoping that both his daughter and his wife would each give a little and reach a compromise.

Ordinarily, Qi Xuansu should have been the one to step forward because he was one of the principals involved, and these arrangements concerned him as well. Had he objected to simplifying the ceremony and reducing the dowry, it would have become a disagreement between husband and wife.

However, Qi Xuansu was tied up with other matters and had no time to take part in the discussion.

At that very moment, Qi Xuansu had already arrived before the gates of Kukulkan’s palace.

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