Chapter 1394: Observations
Chapter 1394: Observations
Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji changed into plain clothes and headed to Lion City.In Huangfu Ji’s view, everything arranged by the Daoist Mansion had been carefully prepared in advance, so there was nothing authentic to see. He wanted to witness what Nanyang was truly like and understand how it had become a major financial pillar of the Daoist Order.
Having managed Nanyang for a long time, Qi Xuansu readily agreed to conduct a discreet inspection. After all, he was confident in Zhang Yuelu’s new policies that added fresh vitality.
They set out at 4 AM and arrived at Lion City by 6 AM, just as the city was waking from its slumber.
The streets were already bustling. Among the crowd were local Nanyang people, Central Plains folk, and Westerners. There were sailors, merchants, and Daoist priests everywhere.
Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji simply walked and observed, visiting various shops and some Daoist administrative stations.
The Daoist Order did not maintain governance through a handful of Immortals alone. While Immortals could easily destroy a city, building one was far harder, and making it flourish was harder still.
Thus, the true foundation of the Daoist Order lay in the low-ranking Daoist priests.
In general, the higher one went in any governing structure, there would be fewer people. But the lower-ranking ones were abundant.
In the Daoist Order, authority was extended fully to the grassroots, which was something the Western Daoist Order could not match.
The Western Daoist Order controlled military power and some upper-level authority, but its grassroots structure was hollow. Hence, Huangfu Ji was deeply interested in how the Daoist Order built its foundation.
This had to do with the Daoist examination system. Compared to the Confucian imperial exams, the Daoist Order relaxed restrictions and expanded participation, lowering the ceiling.