Chapter 1058: Carry the Burden
After Xu Jiaorong finished speaking, the others began to voice their positions one after another.
Their stances were remarkably aligned. After all, the two great secret societies had gone too far this time. Their audacity had caused such a stir that no one dared oppose the proposal openly. A full-scale investigation was inevitable, and thus, everyone naturally agreed with Xu Jiaorong’s call for decisive action.
Although everyone present held a high-ranking position within the Daoist Mansion, all of them had climbed up from the bottom. They understood the danger of the secret societies as well as Qi Xuansu’s message about both internal and external causes. The two were inseparable, and to address only one was insufficient.
But for these officials, probing the external causes was acceptable; the internal ones, not so.
Thus, their consensus was to suppress the secret societies. The question was how.
At last, Chen Shuhua, who had remained silent until now, spoke. “Since everyone agrees that suppressing secret societies is necessary, there’s no need to debate that further. What we should discuss is how to suppress them.
“In my view, the campaign against the secret societies will be a major operation, far beyond the capacity of any individual. Many of the problems involved cannot be solved or coordinated by one person alone. To ensure success, the Daoist Mansion must take command as a whole, with unified planning, logistics, and leadership.
“Therefore, I have a few concrete proposals. First, establish a special task force to coordinate the entire campaign against the secret societies. All specific measures shall be decided by this group. Second, appoint Mansion Master Wang as the chief convener, overseeing the full scope of the operation. Third, assign Spirit Guard Ding Chou and Spirit Guard Jia Yin to command all Spirit Guards under the task force’s direction. Fourth, where royal families or the Buddhist Sect are involved, the Daoist Mansion must handle such matters with great caution to preserve regional stability.”
Chen Shuhua served as Wang Jiaohe’s mouthpiece, voicing what he could not conveniently say himself. Thus, her proposal effectively represented Wang Jiaohe’s intentions.
Wang Jiaohe understood that the situation was irreversible. To oppose the motion outright would be politically disastrous. He had never intended to resist investigation or delay action, as doing so would only allow his opponents to hold something over his head.
Instead, he chose to ride the tide and seize control of the narrative. As the Mansion Master, it was only natural for him to lead the operation. In doing so, he could even turn defense into offense, using the banner of a “unified campaign” to subtly curb Qi Xuansu’s military authority, bringing the two first-rank Spirit Guards under his direct command.
Qi Xuansu knew what they were up to. If he did not respond swiftly, he would be handing his achievements to others and would be trapped in a passive position. Thus, as soon as Chen Shuhua said her piece, he interjected. “I do not share that view. I have already said that striking at the secret societies will inevitably implicate certain individuals within our own Daoist Mansion, touching upon personal and vested interests.