Chapter 960: Act First, Report Later
Yao Pei submitted the draft list to the field camp, explaining her idea that Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu should fill the gap for this mission.
In truth, many observant people understood that the reason Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were granted leave was mainly because their military achievements shone too brightly. If they continued fighting like this, beyond exchanging their merits for semi-immortal objects and higher posts, they would also accrue immense prestige.
Thus, the only way to halt them was under the pretext of granting them leave.
As the carefully groomed eighth-generation leader of the Quanzhen Sect, Yao Pei did not fail to grasp such a simple truth. Despite this, she still put the proposal forward. One could say she was acting purely for the public good or that she was deliberately opposing Sage Qingwei.
After all, Sage Donghua was both Yao Pei’s uncle and master, and his greatest rival was Sage Qingwei.
From Yao Pei’s standpoint, letting Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu rest was to her benefit, but opposing Sage Qingwei also aligned with her interests.
Many suspected that the upper echelons of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect had secretly reached an agreement to fully block the Taiping Sect from further advancement. In this generation, both sects would wholeheartedly back Sage Donghua, and in the next generation, the Quanzhen Sect would return the favor and back Zhang Yuelu. The price would be “sacrificing” Sage Cihang and Yao Pei. However, the goal was to prevent Sage Qingwei and Li Changge from becoming the Grand Master.
Many dismissed Zhang Yuelu, saying she came from a minor branch of the Zhang family and that she had been a discarded pawn at the start, and so on. But this view was shortsighted.
Since nothing in this world was ever constant, one’s development was most important. Being a discarded pawn in the past did not mean remaining one forever. Some could not see this, especially the noble scions who forever looked down on the low-born. Even if Zhang Yuelu became the emperor, they would still look down on her. But such contempt was nothing but their own misfortune.
To this day, Zhang Yuelu still holds her position as the foremost of the three prodigies. Most in the Daoist community also acknowledged her as such. This was not judged by cultivation level alone, but also by office, rank, seniority, and intangible prestige. The Heavenly Preceptor had also helped resolve the issue of Zhang Yuelu being from the minor branch.