Taishang Taoist ancestor said: Tao gives birth to 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 Dao Sect, there are three pillars of Taiping Dao, Quanzhen Dao, and Zhengyi Dao. Inside the Tao Mansion below, there are also three pillars: the real person 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 deal with the chief and second-in-command, 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 comes from the Wanxiang Taoist Palace. To be able to reach this point, he is far from the real person in charge of the palace. Knowing the real person is only one step away, which is not easy.
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 or something. However, when he joined Zhengyi Taoism, his name was relatively casual, so he was named "Xuansu". Now that I have transferred to Quanzhen Tao, there is no reason to change my name. After all, there are many people in Quanzhen Tao who are not named according to their seniority, such as Yao Pei, Pei Xiaolou, Pei Xuanzhi, etc.
This time, all large round tables were used for the reception banquet, which were laid out one after another, like a peacock spreading its tail. Qi Xuansu was placed at a table in the middle. In addition to the two deputy palace masters, there were also several third-grade Youyi Taoist priests and a second-grade spiritual official. They were all powerful figures, and there was even a member of the imperial court. The official is the second-rank Minister of Rites, in charge of the Daolu Department, and can be regarded as an old friend of the Daoist sect.
Compared with these people, Qi Xuansu, a mere fourth-grade wine-sacrifice Taoist priest, 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.
However, 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 Master. He was also a classmate of Yao Pei in the palace. The key to jointly solving Zhang Guyan's case is that he is less than thirty years old and has already become a heavenly being.
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 with Master Cihang and Master Donghua one after another, and the meeting was a very stressful one alone. It was difficult to overcome the difficulties in the past, 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 lower 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 lower palace.
Shi Bingyun is a generous person, at least on the surface he looks very generous. He 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, and 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, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves 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 Xuansu's alcohol tolerance can be regarded as being tempered by Zhang Yuelu. Coupled with the warrior's physique, even if he does not need cultivation to resolve it, he is not much drunk, so he simply walks slowly along the cobblestone path of the lake embankment. , and 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 is precious. 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. There are also various other expenses, such as clothing, food, 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 peace coins. .”
"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 of the peace money. The Taoist government can also reimburse you for official entertainment. There is just one thing, private Social contacts are not included in the reimbursement, you can't help but make friends. With your status, the friends you make must be people of good status, and interacting with them will cost a lot of money on various favors."
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, if he had to spend two peace coins to buy Zhang Yuelu a piece of jewelry, he would still be able to buy it. , but no matter what Zhang Yuelu's attitude was, he felt that he couldn't take it, so in the end he gritted his teeth and spent 200 Taiping.
The corner of Shi Bingyun's mouth curled up: "I asked about your regular money. The Taoist Priest of the Fourth Grade of Ziweitang's Jiu Jiu can have a monthly salary of 200 yuan of peace money, plus job subsidies and other subsidies, a total of 300 yuan of peace money. , which is 3,600 Taiping money a year. To be fair, it’s really not that small, but it also depends on who you compare it with. Compared with ordinary people, this is a huge sum of money. Compared with the dignitaries in the Imperial City, , this is just some people’s 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? So he also wants to buy some properties. Either let the Hakka servants of the Wangfumen go out to do business in the name of the Wangfu, or buy shares everywhere, even the Shibotang. If you do this, in one year, Ling Ling will probably have an income of about 50,000 Taiping."
"But the more income, the more expenses. Not to mention socializing everywhere, either this king or that prince, you can't lose face and etiquette. He is also famous for his good popularity and is very generous. Not only the Hakkas who are opposite him 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 be honest, 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 accumulated 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, 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."
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
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 the case. Let alone the emperor's feet, even the emperor's harem may not be clean."
