Chapter 337: Commandery Prince of Jiangling

Chapter 337: Commandery Prince of Jiangling

Pei Xiaolou’s appearance in Jiangling Prefecture was certainly not a coincidence. He was not there to escort Zhang Yuelu or Qi Xuansu but had other important matters to deal with.

As much as Pei Xiaolou wanted to imitate the lifestyle of his fellow Quanzhen Sect buddy, Daoist Ji, who had a nominal position with no real duties, his identity as Sage Donghua’s brother stopped him from having a leisurely life.

He only got to his position because of his family, so he had to repay them, especially at the critical moment when his brother was competing for the position of Grand Master.

Thus, Pei Xiaolou went to the Commandery Prince of Jiangling’s Mansion.

In recent years, the Yuan family claimed to be equal in status to the Commandery Prince of Jiangling, as the Yuan family dominated the civil affairs of Jiangling Prefecture, while the Commandery Price dominated the military affairs of Jiangling Prefecture. In fact, this was too much praise for the Yuan family.

Since the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty, the Commandery Prince of Jiangling was a title passed down from generation to generation for more than 200 years, so they had strong roots and influence in the area that should not be underestimated.

Although the Yuan family had a long heritage that could be traced back to the previous dynasty, they had only become an affluent family in recent decades.

Thus, in terms of influence, the Yuan family was still far inferior to the Commandery Prince of Jiangling.

However, the Commandery Prince of Jiangling had always kept a low profile. They rarely flaunted their status and no longer had their focus on Jiangling Prefecture. Instead, Qin Wubing, the future Commandery Prince of Jiangling, had his eye on being a cabinet minister in the Imperial Capital.

It was a custom passed down from the reign of Emperor Gaozu that the nobility would have at least one seat in the cabinet. Compared with the civil servants, who typically came from Confucian backgrounds, the emperor regarded the nobility as his own. Even if it was difficult to achieve a balance between the Confucian civil servants and the nobility in the Imperial Court, the nobility served as a check and balance so that the Confucian civil servants would not monopolize power.

In this regard, the royal family and the Daoist Order were on the same page.

Although the Daoist Order had relaxed its control over the Confucian School, they were still wary of the latter. Thus, the Daoist Order and the nobility had the same stance on this.

That was why the Commandery Prince also had a mansion in the Imperial Capital. Before the Commandery Prince of Jiangling retired, his whole family lived in their mansion in the Imperial Capital.

However, after retirement, the Commandery Prince of Jiangling moved back to his mansion in Jiangling Prefecture.

When Pei Xiaolou arrived at the Commandery Prince of Jiangling’s Mansion, he noticed armored guards at the door lined up in an orderly manner, carrying weapons.

The guards dared not stop Pei Xiaolou because he was wearing formal Daoist attire at the moment. Instead, a sentry officer took the initiative to come forward and salute him. “Sir, may I ask what is your intention of coming here?”

Pei Xiaolou was a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, so it would be embarrassing if he presented his insignia like any other person. He said, “Please inform the Commandery Prince that Pei Xiaolou, the Deputy Chongyang Palace Master, is here to visit him.”

The sentry officer was knowledgeable in the Daoist ranks, so he responded solemnly. “Sage Pei, please wait a moment while I report it to my master.”

Pei Xiaolou did not put on airs. He cupped his hands and thanked the guard.

The sentry officer quickly entered the mansion. Not long after, the main gate of the mansion opened, and an old man in an azure military uniform strode out.

Pei Xiaolou knew that he would only get this treatment because of his brother’s status, so he took the initiative to greet the man. “I’m flattered that you came out here to receive me, Commandery Prince.”

Pei Xiaolou stood up and clasped his fists. “Of course. Thank you, Commandery Prince.”

......

Yuan Chongzong was sitting alone in his study when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Yuan Chongzong responded.

The butler of the Yuan Residence opened the door and came in.

“How is it?” Yuan Chongzong asked, nervous. Although Yuan Chongzong’s face was expressionless, his voice was laced with concern.

The butler’s expression was stiff and flustered as he stuttered, “Y-Young M-Master is g-gone.”

Yuan Chongzong’s eyelids twitched slightly, but he remained silent.

The butler grew more alarmed, thinking, How can the Old Master be so indifferent when hearing news of his grandson’s death? Is it because I didn’t explain it clearly? Or is it because he didn’t hear me?

Thus, the butler repeated the news of Yuan Fengchan’s death with a trembling voice.

Yuan Chongzong finally spoke. “I understand. There is no need to repeat it.”

The butler held his breath and dared not utter another word.

After a while, Yuan Chongzong asked, “What about my son?”

The butler replied, “Master Yuan is still leading our people to hunt down Mage Zhang.”

Yuan Chongzong’s expression softened slightly. “Is there anything wrong?”

“Nothing went wrong. Master Yuan didn’t get injured at all. Mage Zhang was just too cunning. So they couldn’t get her yet. But it’s just a matter of time before they succeed.” The butler hurriedly replied.

“The death of one grandson doesn’t matter on the grand scale of things. All that matters is that the Yuan family is still standing.” Yuan Chongzong breathed a sigh of relief.

......

The Heavenly Being who injured Qi Xuansu stood with his hands behind his back, looking indifferent. Many lackeys stood behind him, all of them silent and motionless.

There were also two corpses by his feet, side by side.

They were the father-and-son pair, Yuan Shangdao and Yuan Fengchan.