One person said: The essence of Wuhou Qimen lies not in Qimen, but in Wuhou.

His tone was not harsh when he spoke, but every word precisely struck Zhang Zhiwei's most sensitive nerves, as if he were using a scalpel to perform a precise, emotionless, yet inescapable analysis: "Comrade Zhang, I hope that the Taoist priests of our Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion are the same."

Of course, this is not baseless speculation or unfounded speculation.

Just like what happened today, it was sudden, but it precisely illustrates the point.

A fraudster, possessing a genuine Taoist certificate bearing the seal of the Celestial Master's Mansion, was able to deceive the tourism bureau officials' identity verification—what does this demonstrate? It demonstrates that the authenticity of this certificate is so high that even professional auditors cannot distinguish it.

This is something that cannot be achieved through forgery.

There's a high probability that this certificate is genuine.

Comrade Zhang, as the head of the Celestial Master's Mansion, should be cautious.

We must learn from this lesson and restrain our disciples from engaging in petty theft or even illegal and criminal activities.

The Celestial Master's Mansion has a history of nearly two thousand years. It is the ancestral home of Taoism and the source of the Zhengyi sect's lineage. Countless eyes across the country are watching, and no detail can be overlooked.

Zhang Zhiwei finally spoke.

The centenarian, who had been blushing and speechless after being reprimanded by Director Li, finally let out a long sigh of relief in the face of Zhuge Ming's gentle yet precise rebuke.

He pulled his hands out of the sleeves of his Taoist robe, cupped them to Zhuge Ming and Director Li respectively, and his aged voice lost some of the previous politeness and smoothness, replaced by a heartfelt sincerity and shame.

Every word was dug out from the bottom of his heart and laid out on the table for everyone to examine: "Secretary Zhuge, Director Li, this old man is ashamed."

Every word you said makes sense; not a single one of them is an injustice to our Celestial Master's Mansion.

Director Li has already verified that the stamp is genuine—if the stamp is genuine, then it is genuine.

Since it was stamped by the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain, it is a matter for the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain, and therefore a matter for me, Zhang Zhiwei.

I have always kept the seal safe, but since this has happened, it is my fault for not keeping it safe and managing it properly. As the Celestial Master, I cannot shirk my responsibility.

I will definitely learn from this experience, thoroughly investigate the loopholes in seal management, and never evade or shirk responsibility.

I, Zhang Zhiwei, offer my deepest self-criticism to the two leaders.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Ming felt a greater sense of genuine respect for the old Celestial Master.

When a master over a hundred years old was publicly questioned to this extent, he did not make excuses, shirk responsibility, or pass the buck to his disciples. Instead, he simply said, "I failed to keep it properly, and I cannot shirk my responsibility," taking all the blame upon himself.

He is pragmatic and knows when to advance and retreat; he truly deserves to have held the position of Celestial Master for more than half a century.

He nodded slightly, deciding to offer this way out.

When he spoke, his tone shifted from the previous accusations to a gentle and pragmatic assessment, subtly changing the topic from assigning blame to solving the problem, while also giving Zhang Zhiwei ample face: "Comrade Zhang, this is not a matter of responsibility."

We have always been pragmatic—solving problems first.

As for how to determine responsibility, we'll discuss that after the matter is thoroughly investigated. Whoever is responsible should bear the consequences, and no one should be forced to take responsibility for things that aren't theirs.

He paused for a moment, then changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming more relaxed from a serious, work-related one. A gentle smile, as always, reappeared on his lips, as if he were making a suggestion. But everyone could tell that the suggestion itself was part of the work plan. He spoke in a casual, conversational tone: "Actually, I'm traveling light today because I wanted to come to our Celestial Master's Mansion for on-site investigation and research, to do some foundational work for the protection and development of Taoist culture in the future."

At the same time, I also have a request – I would like to take a group photo with Comrade Zhang under the red flag of our Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion.

The Tianshi Mansion on Longhu Mountain, a Taoist ancestral home, boasts nearly two thousand years of cultural heritage and is a rare cultural treasure of our country.

We must learn from it, protect it, and pass it on.

Taking a photo with Comrade Zhang is both a memento and a testament to the beginning of the work to protect Taoist culture.

Upon hearing this, Director Li's eyes lit up, and the shame and anger on his face were instantly replaced by a positive attitude of "we must implement what the leader has said immediately."

He turned and waved to his entourage, his voice loud and excited, as if he had finally found the right direction: "Secretary Zhuge's words are profound! We must learn from them, we absolutely must learn from them! Master Zhang, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

He raised his head and looked around the square, his gaze sweeping from the mountain gate to the palace, from the palace to the ancient camphor tree, and from the ancient camphor tree to the flagpole—no, there was no flagpole in the square.

He scanned the area again, from east to west, from south to north, in front of the main hall, in front of the mountain gate, in the center of the square, and on both sides of the flowerbeds—nothing.

There was nothing there.

His mouth was agape, and the expression on his face changed from excitement to confusion, from confusion to embarrassment, and from embarrassment to a deep panic of "It's all over, it's really all over now."

He muttered unconsciously, his voice not loud but clearly heard by everyone around him: "Where's my flag? Where's my tall, red, five-starred red flag that flutters in the wind?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the people accompanying him looked up and gazed around the square.

No.

Everyone confirmed one fact—the mountain gate square in front of the Tianshi Mansion on Longhu Mountain, a national-level cultural tourism scenic spot, the ancestral home of Taoism and the source of the Zhengyi sect, a famous cultural mountain with nearly two thousand years of history, had not a single five-star red flag on the square.

silence.

A long silence followed.

Director Li looked at Zhang Zhiwei, and Zhang Zhiwei looked at Director Li. Their eyes met briefly in mid-air, and neither of them spoke.

Zhang Zhiwei's expression was beyond words—when he was questioned earlier, he was red with shame, but now, when asked where the red flag was, he was silent with a deeper, soul-stirring intensity.

Today, this Celestial Master's defenses have been breached one after another. First, his disciples were found to have problems, then his management system was found to have loopholes, and now he can't even raise a single red flag in the square.

Zhuge Ming saw all of this, but his face still wore that gentle smile.

He didn't blame anyone, but simply brought the topic back on track in a relaxed and clear tone, as if the awkward silence of the past few seconds was just a passing mountain breeze.

He looked down at the female classmate who had been standing quietly beside him, her hand still holding his clothes, bent down, and said in a tone like an older brother talking to a younger sister, "Let's go, classmate."

Weren't you here at the Celestial Master's Mansion to pray for your mother? Come, let me accompany you inside.

Oh, by the way—would you like this unassuming Taoist priest to come with us? He's a direct disciple of the Celestial Master and knows every single thing about the Celestial Master's Mansion.

The female student looked up at him, then at Zhang Lingyu standing not far away, and nodded obediently: "Uncle, I'm fine with anything. Thank you, Uncle."

Zhang Zhiwei immediately understood.

He turned and nodded slightly to Zhang Lingyu, his eyes conveying multiple meanings—keep the leader company, take good care of the young lady, don't neglect her, don't make mistakes, introduce her as needed, and don't say a word that shouldn't be said.

His movements were small but his attitude was extremely clear, like an old chess player who had been checkmated and was repositioning himself.