Indeed, although Jiang Chen was the founding patriarch of Shangqing Palace, not many of his disciples had actually seen him.
Because he was often away and seldom at Shangqing Palace, even if he did return occasionally, he would either leave in a hurry or enter secluded cultivation in the Shangqing Hall, rarely interacting with his disciples.
It could be said that the growing prosperity and fame of Shangqing Palace today were all due to Zhang Daoling. It was he who widely opened the sect's doors, spreading the Tao across the land and vigorously preaching, thus attracting over ten thousand Shangqing Palace disciples.
For Shangqing Palace, Jiang Chen had done three things in total: the first was establishing Shangqing Palace. The second was taking Zhang Daoling as his disciple. The third was the reshaping of Cang Mountain.
The rest, such as developing Shangqing Palace, recruiting disciples, and teaching them, were all handled by Zhang Daoling.
