Journey to the head

Everyone was shocked. Xie Yongchang? What does the master mean?

Su Yan was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Master, after Xie Yongchang joined, he showed considerable management talent. When Senior Brother Li Da was in charge of the Management Department, he had already begun to serve as the Management Deacon. Of course, you know this experience."

"Later, before Senior Brother Li Da passed away, he recommended Xie Yongchang to take over as the head of the Business Department. So the sect focused on training and observing him for a period of time. About 30 years ago, the Elders Council voted and approved Xie Yongchang to serve as the Deputy Director of the Business Department."

Hearing that it was Li Da's recommendation before his death, Lu Qian was overwhelmed with emotions and couldn't help asking, "What did Li Da say before he died?"

Wang Ruoyu stood up and still felt sad when he recalled what happened fifty years ago.

He told Li Da's last words, and although everyone in the hall heard them again, they were still quite sad.

At the last moment, Li Da was still concerned about Yunshan's career and was still recommending talents to the sect. It is a great regret for our sect that such a loyal and excellent disciple died suddenly due to God's jealousy of his talent.

Lu Qian took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and said slowly: "When Xie Yongchang was the business deacon before, I also paid attention to him. Last night, I entered Meihuafang, and Xie Yongchang introduced me to the management of my faction and the development of the market cluster. I think he talked very clearly and had clear ideas. He is indeed talented. Since he was recommended by Li Da and selected by the Elders, he should be capable."

He paused for a moment. "Just fifty years ago, Xie Yongchang looked smart and capable. How come he has become fat, greasy, and luxurious now? He also looks lazy and listless, and seems to be addicted to alcohol, sex, and pleasure?"

"When he brought me to Deyue Tower, the shopkeepers of the luxurious restaurants and entertainment venues along the way were very enthusiastic and wanted to come up to chat with him, but when they saw me standing behind them, they didn't dare to come forward."

“Besides, his cultivation level, even though he has three spiritual roots, does our sect lack spiritual treasures now? He is also the head of the Eighth Department, so he is indispensable. Logically, he should not have just entered the late stage of foundation building!”

Everyone was suddenly enlightened, and in their hearts they admired Lu Qian's careful observation. Then they heard Lu Qian's voice suddenly become heavier: "I definitely don't judge people by appearance, but if he becomes the deputy director of the Business Department, and becomes obsessed with pleasure and relaxes his cultivation, or if he is flattered by other factions, has unclear relationships, and spends all day in places of wine and women, then no matter how talented he is, he cannot be reused!"

The disciples were shocked, and Su Yan quickly bowed down: "Master, the departments that have the most frequent foreign exchanges, such as the Business Department, Foreign Affairs Department, and Intelligence Department, have always been the focus of supervision by the Supervision Department. Especially the Business Department. Since the "Winter Thunder Operation" caused by the Banlan Liu family in the 406th year of Jiashen, the Supervision Department has taken it as a warning and has strengthened its surveillance."

"Since Xie Yongchang took charge of the Business Department, he has been under the observation of my Supervisory Department. I will explain the matter that the headmaster is worried about in two levels."

"One is the relationship between Xie Yongchang and the monks of his sect. Our sect worships the immortal scroll, governs the North, and manages the economic center market cluster of Cangzhou. He is in charge of the management of our sect, so he is naturally very popular. Various sects, major markets, and major chambers of commerce in this state and even in other states have come to us. It is natural that we often meet and greet, give gifts to each other, and socialize in the streets."

"The second is Xie Yongchang's personal spiritual practice. He was busy with his official duties. After handling his office affairs, he had to socialize and plan cooperation at the wine table, which naturally delayed his spiritual practice. He did this all day long, and even his image and temperament changed a lot. In addition, Xie Yongchang himself also has a side that loves to show off and be in the limelight. The combination of the two makes it seem that he is keen on sensual pleasures and has relaxed his spiritual practice."

Lu Qian was a little annoyed: "Since there are these problems, will the Supervisory Department and the Elders turn a blind eye?!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Lin Le stood up and said something hesitantly.

"Master, this is what you said at the time. The criteria for judging whether someone has committed a crime should be the 'heart' and the 'traces'!"

Lu Qian was stunned.

Lin Le continued, "After the Liu family incident, we were all confused and couldn't figure out the boundaries between interpersonal communication, official communication, and sect rules and regulations. It was you who made the final decision and told us to judge based on the 'heart' and 'traces'."

“‘Heart’ refers to character and motivation, and ‘trace’ refers to behavior and results.”

"You said it yourself, whether it's welcoming or seeing off guests, accepting or giving gifts, or even feasting every day and partying every night, as long as your 'heart' and 'element' do not harm the overall interests of the Yunshan Sect, you should be deemed not guilty."

"If there is a crime, we must also comprehensively weigh the 'heart' and 'traces', and cannot simply judge right and wrong based on 'traces'. We must properly combine the rule of man and the rule of law to build a harmonious and stable governance system."

Lu Qian's consciousness moved slightly, and he immediately recalled the previous events. He nodded: "So, the Elders Council believes that Xie Yongchang's 'heart' and 'traces' are fine, so he should not be punished?"

Wang Yu stepped forward and said, "Master, if we talk about his heart, Xie Yongchang is just trying to run his official business, so he socializes too closely with all kinds of monks and frequently goes to luxurious places and places of entertainment."

"As for the 'traces', the business that Xie Yongchang negotiated in the social scene has been investigated by the Supervision Department and my Punishment Department. It has indeed brought a lot of benefits to my Yunshan Sect. Lin Le and the General Staff have also calculated and verified that it is the best result. There is no harm to the Yunshan Sect, and there is no behavior of harming the public interest for personal gain."

"If there is any negative impact, it is that his personal image is not good and his cultivation is slow."

"Therefore, the Council of Elders believes that Xie Yongchang's behavior should not be considered a crime, let alone punishment according to the rules of the sect. Judging from his 'heart' and 'deeds', he has performed well in his position as the director of the management department."

"Of course, we can't say that he has no faults at all. Su Yan just said that he has the shortcoming of liking to boast. He has some signs of being addicted to such extravagant pleasures. It is wrong to neglect his cultivation. He should be reprimanded."

Lu Qian was silent for a moment, and the hall fell silent for a moment. Everyone felt a little uneasy.

Now it seems that the decision of the Council of Elders is not quite in line with the leader's wishes?
Jiang Qingfeng was beside Lu Qian, looking over with some concern. He had never encountered such a situation before and was afraid that Lu Qian would be unhappy.

After a few breaths, Wu Yan stood up and saluted: "Without Master here, we are bound to make mistakes. If our disciples made a mistake in this decision, please correct us, Master."

Then all the disciples bowed together and said, "Master, please give us your instructions!"

Lu Qian suddenly smiled and nodded slightly.

"Don't be nervous, putting this matter aside, I am actually quite happy that your ideas differ from mine."

"In our sect, since we have concentrated the highest power in the Council of Elders, we hope that the Council of Elders can play the role of deliberation and decision-making, and even correct the mistakes made by the Sect Leader. Only in this way can our Yunshan Sect be passed down for thousands of years and prosper for generations."

"Besides, the decision made by the Council of Elders regarding Xie Yongchang was also influenced by my previous instructions, so it was not wrong."

So all the disciples breathed a sigh of relief, and at Lu Qian's signal, they took their seats.

Lu Qian continued, "Back to Xie Yongchang's matter. Since the various departments and the Council of Elders have already conducted investigations and verifications, I naturally believe that there is nothing wrong with his 'heart' and 'deeds', and there is no need to hold him accountable."

"However, as the decision-makers of the Yunshan Sect, we cannot just deal with the issue at hand, but must draw inferences from it and take a long-term view."

"Xie Yongchang has no real problems now, but what about in the future? Will he be completely corrupted by such a life, unable to keep his original intention, and degenerate into using his power for personal gain at the expense of public interests?"

"Xie Yongchang is fine, but if there is a new head of the business department in the future, he will also be sought after like Xie Yongchang and will also need to hang out in bars and parties. Who can guarantee that he won't have any problems?"

The disciples were suddenly speechless, while Lin Le, An Fanghe, Wang Yu, Li Sheng and others all had a look of thought.

Lu Qian emphasized his tone: "From this incident, we should be alert and formulate regulations on the behavior norms of the business department and other departments in external exchanges."

"When Lin Le and Li Da were in charge of the business department, although our Yunshan Sect was not as powerful as it is today, it was still making a lot of money and doing great business. Lin and Li were not as obsessed with socializing as Xie Yongchang, so didn't they still have a good business relationship?"

"From this we can see that foreign communication cannot be equated with banquets, orgies, romance, and gift-giving."

"In that case, I order."

The disciples immediately became serious, listening attentively. "The five departments, namely, the Business Department, the Foreign Affairs Department, the Punishment Department, the Intelligence Department, and the Staff Department, should discuss and formulate detailed rules of conduct for interpersonal communication in the Yunshan Sect, clarifying the relationship between public and private, emotion and law, closeness and purity, frugality and extravagance, suffering and happiness, gain and loss, and then submit it to the Council of Elders for discussion."

"After the guidelines are issued, all disciples must conscientiously implement the code of conduct, strictly abide by the six major relationships, maintain a good demeanor, and improve their cultivation while doing their duties well. They must not slack off or fall into depravity."

"This is also the foundation of my Yunshan's eternal life. I will improve my work style starting today!"

The disciples were excited, bowed in unison, and responded loudly.

Lu Qian summoned Xie Yongchang. A moment later, Xie Yongchang came in tremblingly, sweating profusely under the gaze of the Yunshan high-level officials. He fell to his knees from a distance, bent his fat body, and shouted that he was guilty and asked the head to punish him.

It turned out that he was a man of quick mind. After waking up early, he suddenly discovered that all his fellow disciples had been summoned to attend a meeting, leaving behind only him, the powerful head of the business department!

Suddenly his heart skipped a beat, and he thought carefully about his behavior over the past few decades, as well as how the Sect Master seemed dissatisfied with him last night. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and his calves trembled.

It was clearly only early summer, and he had a body that had been built up so he was not afraid of cold or heat, but now he was sweating all over, and his long gown was soaked through.

Seeing how cautious and trembling he was, all the disciples became alert and thought that they must keep the "six major relationships" in mind in the future and not act recklessly.

Then Lu Qian said in a deep voice: "Xie Yongchang, you indulge in pleasure, sensual pleasures, and neglect your cultivation. I was originally very dissatisfied with you. But everyone present here has pleaded for you and recounted your merits."

Xie Yongchang's heart was in his throat, he was filled with fear, but also very grateful to everyone present.

"I think that although your behavior was absurd, it did not cause any losses, and you have been in charge of the management of the company for many years and have indeed made some achievements. Now I see that you are afraid and your nature is not bad, so I will not pursue it."

"You will continue to be in charge of the business department, but you must strictly abide by the interpersonal behavior code that will be issued soon. If you indulge in love affairs again, you will be punished without mercy!"

Xie Yongchang lowered his head blankly, the feeling of having been saved from a desperate situation made him stand there in a daze.

I. Am I okay?
Lin Le shouted softly: "Xie Yongchang, why don't you kowtow to thank the master!"

Xie Yongchang finally reacted, and without even having time to wipe the sweat from his forehead, he kowtowed heavily, but was supported by a gentle force.

He looked up in confusion, and Lu Qian's voice had become much softer.

"Xie Yongchang, you have made great contributions to the sect, and we have all seen it. Everyone says that our Yunshan Sect is good at business and started with business, which shows the importance of the Business Department. Now the heads of various departments have reached the Golden Core stage, but you, the head of the Business Department, are still at the Foundation Establishment stage. It is really unacceptable."

"You must improve your cultivation as soon as possible. I have decided that the vacant position in the Tianxin Lotus Pond of Qinglian Zhenzong will be temporarily occupied by you."

Xie Yongchang was stunned for a moment in disbelief, then his eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly bowed his head and kowtowed, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Thank you, Master! I have no way of repaying your kindness. From now on, I will do my best and work hard until my death!"

Lu Qian said with a smile, "Why do you want to die? You should quickly lose this fat and get back to your former lean and capable self! Otherwise, when people see me, the deputy director of the Yunshan Sect's business department, looking like this, their first reaction will be that they must give you kickbacks."

All the disciples burst into laughter. Xie Yongchang also smiled awkwardly, kowtowed again, and then stood up.

In this way, all the Yuanyings and Jindans have finished their speeches, and the heads of each department have gathered in the hall.

Everyone looked at Lu Qian, waiting for the leader's instructions.

Then Lu Qian said in a clear voice: "Everyone has made contributions in the past fifty years, and I am very pleased. Now, I have decided!"

"Promote Su Yan, Wang Ruoyu, and Xiao Tianci to the position of Yunshan elders!"

"Simultaneously promote Su Yan to the position of Director of the Supervision Department, Wang Ruoyu to the position of Director of the Public Security Department, and confirm Xiao Tianci as the founder of our Yunshan Sword Dao, and make him famous."

"Promote Jiang Baitao to deputy director of the Charity Department, responsible for the specific work of the Reward Department. Wu Yan will be in charge of the Reward Department and concurrently serve as director of the Foreign Affairs Department. We will make the change after we have found a person in charge of the Foreign Affairs Department."

"Promote Zhao Kongque to deputy director of the Public Security Department to assist Wang Ruoyu in handling public security work."

"As for the disciple ranks of the disciples, they have been adjusted by the Elders Council based on their merits over the past fifty years, so there will be no repeated awards this time."

After the appointment, there are eight elders in Yunshan Sect: Wang Yu, Jiang Qingfeng, Gu Nishang, Wu Yan, Lin Le, Su Yan, Wang Ruoyu, and Xiao Tianci.

The heads of the Eighth Department are:

The Director of the Transmission Department is Lin Le.

Department of Internal Affairs, Director Jiang Qingfeng.

Operations Department, Deputy Director Xie Yongchang.

The Reward Department, Director Wu Yan, Deputy Director Jiang Baitao.

Department of Punishment, Director Wang Yu, Deputy Director Li Jing.

Supervisory Department, Director Su Yan.

Department of Foreign Affairs, Director Wu Yan.

Public Security Bureau, Director Wang Ruoyu, Deputy Director Zhao Kongque.

The person in charge of the second department is:

Minister of Intelligence, Lin Le.

Deputy Chief of Staff, An Fanghe.

"Finally, I declare!" Lu Qian's voice became heavier again.

"Appoint Wang Yu and Lin Le as deputy heads of our Yunshan Sect!"

"When I am not around, the two vice-chiefs and the elders can discuss and decide on the sect's major affairs. They can adjust the sect's rules and regulations and decide on the appointment and removal of elders!" (End of this chapter)