Taishang Taoist ancestor said: Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things.
Therefore, Taoists like the number "three" very much and believe that "three" is the most stable.
So above the Taoist gate are the Taiping Tao and the Quanzhen Tao, which stand as a three-legged tripod. Inside the Taoist mansion below, there are also real people in charge, the chief deputy palace master and the second deputy palace master. As long as the chief deputy palace master and the second deputy palace master are determined to work together to check and balance.
The real person in charge can completely compete with the real person in charge, because the real person in charge does not have the power to replace or dispose of the first and second positions, unless some special means are used, but if it fails, it will inevitably lead to fire, which can be said to be endless troubles.
The person responsible for hosting the reception banquet is the chief deputy master of the Imperial Palace, named Zhou Jiaoxian. He is from Quanzhen Taoism. He does not have a prominent family background, but is from the Wanxiang Taoist Palace. To be able to reach this point, he is far away from the real person in charge of the palace.
It is only one step away from knowing the real person, which is extremely difficult.
If Qi Xuansu had joined Quanzhen Taoism from the beginning, and if his surname was still Qi, he would probably have been called Qi Yong. However, he joined the Zhengyi Taoism at the beginning, and the name was relatively casual, so he was named "Xuansu". Now he is transferred to
There is no reason to change the names of Quanzhen Taoists. After all, there are many people in Quanzhen Taoists who are not named according to their seniority, such as Yao Pei, Pei Xiaolou, Pei Xuanzhi, etc.
This reception banquet used large round tables, which were arranged one after another, like a peacock spreading its tail. Qi Xuansu was placed at the middle table. In addition to the two deputy palace masters, there were several third-grade Youyi on this table.
The Taoist priests and a second-grade spiritual official were all powerful figures, and there was even an official from the imperial court who was the second-grade Minister of Rites and was in charge of the Daolu Department. He was considered an old friend of the Taoist sect.
Compared with these people, Qi Xuansu, a mere Taoist priest of the fourth grade offering wine, is a bit unsatisfactory.
Many people who don't know the details of Qi Xuansu can't help but murmur in their hearts, how can a fourth-grade wine-sacrifice Taoist priest, even if he has some family background, be so ostentatious?
Some people looked at Qi Xuansu frequently, and some of them couldn't hide their thoughts, and their faces showed contempt. But in front of the two deputy palace masters, no one would get angry at this time.
There are many people who are thinking viciously in their hearts: The Qi family is really full of talents. Qi Jianyuan just died, and another Qi Xuansu has been introduced. It's just that Qi Jianyuan died in the Wanxiang Dao Palace. This person must not die in the Imperial Capital again.
but
There are also people who recognize Qi Xuansu and tell others about Qi Xuansu's deeds. First, he was favored by Zhang Yuelu, the headmaster of Tiangang Hall. He participated in the second major Jiangnan case and was personally praised by Donghua Zhenren. He was also a classmate of Yao Pei in the palace.
The key to solving Zhang Guyan's case was that he was already among the heavenly beings under the age of thirty.
To be more realistic, other people's so-called exercise is just to satisfy their hunger. This person is really here to exercise his ability. It is inevitable to be promoted and reused after returning. Although he has no family background to help him, he has no hope of competing for the top master like Yao Pei and others.
, but it should not be difficult to compete for a position as a real person in the future.
Before Qi Xuansu came to the Imperial Capital, he had met Master Cihang and Master Donghua successively, and the meeting was a very stressful one alone. It was difficult to overcome the difficulties before, and now sitting at the same table with the two deputy palace masters was nothing.
.
Probably because they were both from the lower palace of Wanxiang Taoist Palace, Zhou Jiaoxian naturally had a good impression of Qi Xuansu. In addition, Qi Xuansu was also a Quanzhen Taoist with a promising future, so the dignified Chief Deputy Palace Master actually took the initiative to talk to him.
It happened that Qi Xuansu went to the palace not long ago. Although the two were not of the same generation, they still had many common topics and had a lot of fun while reminiscing about their time in the palace.
Shi Bingyun is a generous person, at least on the surface, she looks very generous. She doesn't feel that Zhou Jiaoxian is poaching her, but is rather curious about the lower palace mentioned by the two of them. In her own words, she
This temperament is not suitable for Cihang's lineage, and is obviously more suitable for life in the lower palace.
For a time, Qi Xuansu actually became one of the three protagonists at the table, while the others could only be reduced to supporting roles.
When it falls in the eyes of other people, it is inevitable that many speculations will arise.
What is the origin of such a posture? Zhang, Li, Yao and others are nothing more than this.
At a banquet, both the guests and the host had a great time and dispersed.
Many people drank a lot and simply stayed at the Taiping Inn, which was like a guild hall, and went to Xuan Shang Beifang tomorrow morning.
Those who are close to vermilion are red, those who are close to ink are black, Qi
Xuan Su's alcohol capacity was cultivated by Zhang Yuelu, and with his martial arts physique, he was not too drunk even if he didn't need cultivation to resolve it. He simply walked slowly along the cobblestone path of the lake embankment, overlooking the lake view at night.
But after walking a few steps, he met Shi Bingyun who was also out for a walk, and the two of them started walking side by side.
Qi Xuansu returned "Taiyi Yunyi" to Zhang Yuelu before leaving. Apart from various "eating" guys, he only had 700 Taiping money with him. He was most concerned about various expenses, so he asked about this
aspects of content.
Shi Bingyun smiled and said: "It is said that living in the capital is not easy, but it is true. Land is expensive and every inch of land costs a lot. Houses are bound to not be cheap. Naturally, rents have also gone up. After paying the rent, many people don't have a lot of money left in their pockets.
However, there are various other expenses, such as clothing, meals, travel and entertainment, etc. If you live in the more prosperous Nancheng, it will cost about three peace coins a month. If you live in the inner city, it will cost at least ten dollars.
A piece of peace money.”
"Of course, this is just an ordinary family. As a high-quality Taoist priest of the Taoist sect, Tianyuan, your food, clothing, housing and transportation are all taken care of by the Imperial Palace. You don't have to spend half a peace coin. The Taoist government can also reimburse you for official entertainment. There is one thing, private
Social contacts are not included in the reimbursement, but you can't help but make friends. With your status, the friends you make must be people of good status. The expense of all kinds of favors in dealing with them is a big part."
Qi Xuansu suddenly had a headache. Although the Taoist sect advocates simplicity and does not advocate actions such as fighting for wealth, human nature is such that it is unavoidable in many cases. Take him as an example, it really cost him two peace dollars to buy Zhang Yuelu a piece of jewelry
, could also be bought, but no matter what Zhang Yuelu's attitude was, he felt that he couldn't afford it, so in the end he gritted his teeth and spent 200 Taiping.
The corner of Shi Bingyun's lips curled up: "I asked you about your regular money. The Taoist priest of the fourth grade of Ziweitang can get two hundred yuan of peace money every month. Plus job subsidies and other subsidies, the total is three hundred yuan of peace money.
, which is 3,600 Taiping money a year. To be fair, it is not that small, but it also depends on who you compare it with. Compared with ordinary people, this is a huge sum of money, but compared with the dignitaries in the Imperial City.
Than, this is how some people
It’s just change.”
Qi Xuansu nodded.
Shi Bingyun continued: "Take Lao Qin as an example. With the title of prince, his annual salary of 10,000 Taiping is not too small, but it is far from enough to live on just 10,000 Taiping.
How can he support a large family of hundreds of people? A maidservant is dressed in gold and silver, comparable to some young ladies from a small family, so he also wants to buy some properties, instead of letting the Hakka servants of the palace bear the name of the palace.
I went out to do some business, that is, buying shares here and there, and even getting involved with Shibotang. In one year, Ling Ling totaled about 50,000 Taiping dollars in income."
"However, with more income, the expenses are even greater. Not to mention socializing in various places, it is either this king or that prince. You must not lose face and etiquette. He is also famous for his good popularity and is very generous. Not only does he deal with Hakkas
He is generous and generous even to his friends outside. If anyone encounters a problem, he can be solved by going to the palace and paying homage. Many people call him 'King Buddha', and some sycophants praise him.
It's 'Buddha of all families'. This name sounds majestic, but to put it bluntly, it was all made with white peace money."
"I tried to persuade him several times, but he just didn't listen. He couldn't make ends meet every year. If he hadn't saved up some savings during the good times of sea trade in the New World in the past few years, I'm afraid the palace's books would have been empty. Now,
Life is very tight, and I have been told to build a garden to escape the summer heat, but it has been delayed for more than half a year, and the foundation has not been laid yet. I don’t know when or what month we can start construction."
Qi Xuansu was stunned when he heard this.
His annual salary is less than a fraction of his salary.
Shi Bingyun finally concluded: "This is the Imperial Capital. A gold-swallowing beast can swallow even a mountain of gold and silver without causing any ripples."
Qi Xuansu sighed: "The horse is not fat at night. If two or three evil cult monsters happen to hit the mouth of the gun, it will be a big income. Unfortunately, it is not easy to see the cult monsters under the emperor's feet."
Shi Bingyun smiled: "That's not necessarily true. Let alone the emperor's feet, even the emperor's harem may not be really that clean."