Chapter 1071: Power Vacuum
Faced with Zhang Yuelu’s firm command, Zhang Wenyue had no choice but to obey.
After all, the position of Second Deputy held greater authority than that of an ordinary Deputy Mansion Master. Moreover, Zhang Yuelu had already been acknowledged by the Heavenly Preceptor as the third-generation head of the Zhang family after Zhang Jucheng. This was no empty title. It carried genuine weight that even the senior members of the Zhang family had formally recognized.
The matter had long passed the stage of debate and was now settled. As a peer of Zhang Yuelu, Zhang Wenyue opposing her was effectively defying the Heavenly Preceptor’s authority. None of the clan elders would stand by him, and the consequences of such defiance would be dire.
More importantly, Zhang Yuelu was reasonable.
Thus, Zhang Wenyue ordered his subordinates to apprehend all persons involved in the case, including those within the Daoist Mansion who were guilty of inaction.
After that, Zhang Yuelu convened a council meeting at the Dongdu Daoist Mansion, extending attendance to the level of deacons. Several Deputy Mansion Masters joined the meeting remotely through the mother-child mirrors.
During the meeting, Zhang Yuelu made no direct mention of Lin Yin’s case. She only raised one issue—there was no such thing as a power vacuum. Once power was withdrawn, another force would immediately fill that void and seize control of the authority left behind. Thus, if those responsible for governance failed in their duties, others would naturally take their place.
That was why Beggar Gangs existed in so many cities. The magistrates neglected tasks that should be theirs—cleaning drains, transporting corpses, guarding public graves, street patrols, and many more. Thus, the Beggar Gang took on those duties and grew more powerful in doing so, becoming a gray force between legitimate associations and secret societies. Eventually, they monopolized certain trades and rose as local powers.
In the New World, where the Holy Court’s officials failed to govern, an illegal group known as the Black Hand Gang filled the gap. They claimed to uphold justice for the people, and their leaders became quasi-religious figures.
To drive the point home, Zhang Yuelu gave another example, citing someone’s land being seized by another, yet when the original owner reported it to the local magistrate, the officials brushed him off and did nothing. Then, his clan stepped in and led an armed skirmish to reclaim the land. In this situation, the man had clearly put more faith in the clan than the state.
When the people recognized the clan but not the government, the government’s power became hollow, and the clan would seize that authority.
Over time, clans grew stronger, and the local gentry and nobles began to control grassroots power. Thus, imperial authority never truly reached the countryside.