A Pawn's Passage

While Zhang Yuelu went to meet the people of the Ziguang Society, Qi Xuansu was preparing to meet the members of the Qingping Society. This made for a rather symmetrical balance.

Given Qi Xuansu’s relationship with the Qingping Society, there was no need for any games. The three revenge operations he participated in were already the best token of loyalty. They had even shared spoils together, so they were all on the same side.

When Qi Xuansu was rectifying the public morality in the East City, he deliberately made things difficult for a brothel called Lengfei Villa, which was rumored to have backing from Cabinet Minister Xie.

Or rather, the Xie family was just one of Lengfei Villa’s backers. The reason it was just “one of” and not the sole backer was because the Xie family valued its reputation and did not want to be directly involved in such businesses. But since holding office in the Imperial Capital came with large expenses, the Xie family needed such ventures to sustain themselves. As such, the Yang family also became one of the principal owners of Lengfei Villa.

Whenever dealings with the government or Daoist officials were needed, it was usually the Yang family that stepped forward.

In the capital, the Yang family could be counted as a mid-tier household. Their ancestors had also been rooted in Jinling Prefecture, so they were considered old family friends with the Xie family. But in terms of power, the Yang family naturally could not compare with the Xie family, which had entered the Imperial Cabinet. But it was precisely because they were only a mid-tier household that they did not need to fuss over the decorum of a Cabinet Minister’s household. As such, the Yang family could handle many things the Xie family could not risk doing. Cabinet Minister Xie had also arranged for his nephew to marry the Yang family’s daughter, formally tying the two families even closer.

So by this logic, it should have been the Yang family stepping forward if something happened at Lengfei Villa. However, the Yang family lacked the confidence to go up against the infamously fearsome Mage Qi, who did not even care about offending Commandery Prince Langya or even Prince Liao. It was barely a draw because things had ended inconclusively. Granted, both princes did not confront him personally. Thus, the Yang family felt that it was impossible for them to take on such a notorious figure.

Left with no choice, the Yang family had to consult the Xies. For minor everyday matters, the Xie family could stay aloof for the sake of their reputation and status. But with a matter this serious, it would be inappropriate if they still did not show up.

The Xie family readily agreed, saying they would invite this Mage Qi for a talk, hopefully to avoid unnecessary conflict.

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Only then did the Yangs breathe a sigh of relief.

This was how Qi Xuansu received Cabinet Minister Xie’s invitation, asking him to come to his residence for a discussion.