Chapter 1031: Inner and Outer
In the blink of an eye, almost six months had gone by in the 43rd year of the Jiushi Era.
Earlier that year, the Daoist Order had carried out a trial reform. Since it did not touch the upper echelons of the hierarchy, and with most attention still drawn to the Fenglin Campaign, the change stirred little uproar.
The reform targeted only the superintendent and deacon ranks without affecting the Deputy ranks. It was not a structural overhaul and was merely a move to turn the long-standing informal customs into explicit regulations.
The main adjustment lay in introducing a Chief Superintendent and Second Superintendent, as well as a Chief Deacon and Second Deacon.
For example, when Qi Xuansu served as a Superintendent in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, he wielded the most power among his ranks, second only to the Deputy Mansion Masters. Thus, he was the de facto Chief Superintendent.
However, a Chief Superintendent and Second Superintendent could not be compared to a Chief or Second Deputy Mansion Master. That was because the latter two functioned as a check and balance for the Mansion Master, forming a stable trio of authority.
By contrast, the Chief and Second Superintendents did not enjoy such privilege. They still had to obey the orders of the Deputy Mansion Master. Even when seasoned Superintendents bullied a young Deputy Mansion Master, it was considered a petty maneuver, not one backed by the Daoist Order.
The difference lay in governance. During the council meetings within every Daoist Mansion, there were two veto powers—one was held by the Mansion Master, while the other vote was shared between the Chief and Second Deputy. It was much like how the three Deputy Grand Masters could jointly veto the decisions of the Grand Master.
When matters escalated to the Mansion Master level, things grew even more tangled. If there was infighting within a Daoist Mansion, each side could veto the other’s decisions, leading to a stalemate and eventually forcing the Golden Tower Council to intervene. This usually ended in mutual removal from office or total ruin.
Hence, under normal circumstances, even when conflicts arose, the involved parties seldom allowed matters to reach a stalemate. They would usually compromise and, at the very least, maintain the facade of unity.
Superintendents were not involved in council decisions, so they had no means of restraining the Deputy Mansion Masters.
In the end, this reform merely formalized unwritten conventions, bringing them into regulations. Thus, it did not cause any turmoil within the Daoist Order.