Chapter 1018: Second Floor
Qi Xuansu’s act of forcing Zheng Jiaohe to drink could be seen as a big deal or could also be downplayed.
It could be viewed as a clash between the Second Deputy and the Deputy Mansion Master. It could also be proof that Qi Xuansu was too wild, steeped in the ways of the jianghu. It could also be seen as a rowdy drinking-table prank, hardly worth turning into a matter of principle.
After all, this had taken place on Zheng Jiaohe’s own turf. He was the one who proposed the banquet and initiated the toasts. In the end, he was the one who got drunk.
Whichever way one looked at it, Qi Xuansu had not been the aggressor.
Qi Xuansu acted this way because he was establishing his authority. As a new official taking office in a new region, he had to burn a few fools who did not know their place to serve as a warning to the others. That was the only way they would listen to him.
Zheng Jiaohe, like Tian Yongfen, was one of those fools.
Moreover, Qi Xuansu was not there to act as the Mansion Master but as the Second Deputy in charge of enforcing discipline. His job did not require lofty preaching or managing every matter in the region. His position was meant to offend people, and this show of dominance was just right.
In plain terms, the real drama between the two had only just begun. This was merely round one.
When Zheng Jiaohe finally sobered up, the two would still have to face each other in the Daoist Mansion.
The reason Dreaming Death was said to be the Sage’s wine was that even Heavenly Beings could get drunk from it. Zheng Jiaohe had already been drunk before Qi Xuansu poured a full jar down his throat. Now, he was thoroughly inebriated and would not wake up in three to four days, perhaps not even in a week. Even if he did wake, he would not regain full clarity immediately. His mind might be muddled, forgetting half of what happened. By the time he completely recovered, Qi Xuansu’s half-month tour of the prefectures would be nearly done, just in time for him to return to the Sheji Palace for their second round of battle.
Of course, though Zheng Jiaohe lay drunk, his subordinates remained sober. They would certainly report this incident to the Mansion Master Wang Jiaohe.
This would be where the other Mansion Master, Great Sage Lan Hexu, would come into play. The two Mansion Masters could quarrel among themselves on how to settle this matter while Qi Xuansu continued his tour.