Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 119 The Blind Man: It was just a friendly spar, why are you calling the police? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Upon hearing the name Wu Zetian, Li Qingzhao immediately said:

"Your Majesty the Empress of the Great Zhou?"

Wu Zetian nodded, then shook her head:
"If things had gone according to plan, I might have become an empress. But now that I'm with the immortals, I've decided to live a different life and pursue the path of cultivation. As for the Tang Dynasty, let them fend for themselves."

Even if you scheme and plot to get to that position, you'll only end up being betrayed and abandoned by everyone. You might as well follow the handsome immortal and cultivate immortality.

Li Qingzhao let out an untimely hiccup, realizing that her hangover hadn't worn off at all; in fact, she was even more drunk. She had actually seen the legendary Empress Dowager! She decided to go home and write a poem to record this experience...

As this talented woman was pondering which melody to use for her lyrics, Wu Zetian asked:
What year is it where you are now?

"Your Majesty, it was May of the second year of Yuanfu."

Wu Zetian took out her phone and searched for information on the second year of the Yuanfu era, while also looking at the information on Emperor Zhezong of Song, Zhao Xu:
"This is the year before Zhao Xu died. He passed away in the first month of the third year of Yuanfu, eight months before his death... Sister Zhao'er, what do you think of Zhao Xu? He will die in eight months. Do you think we should save him?"

Zhao Xu was considered one of the more diligent and hardworking emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty. At the beginning of his reign, Empress Dowager Gao held power in the court, and he did not begin to rule in his own right until eight years later in 1093 AD.

From the time he assumed power until his death in 1100, Zhao Xu reversed the forbearance and retreat of his predecessor. In just seven years, he launched three battles against the Western Xia, forcing the Western Xia to submit. At the same time, he also launched the Hehuang War, recovering Qinghai and other areas occupied by the Tibetan Empire, further expanding the territory of the Song Dynasty.

During this period, the Song Dynasty's army, which had previously been sluggish, decisively defeated the Western Xia and Tibetan forces, displaying remarkable bravery.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xu's reign was too short; he passed away before the age of twenty-four, becoming a representative figure of premature death.

His early death allowed Empress Dowager Xiang to seize power and then support Prince Duan, Zhao Ji, whom she had raised, to ascend the throne. Chancellor Zhang Dun repeatedly obstructed this and even made the famous assertion that "Prince Duan is frivolous and cannot rule the world."

Unfortunately, Empress Dowager Xiang did not listen and insisted on supporting Zhao Ji to the throne. Then this Prince Duan created a particularly prominent event in the entire history of China, one that historians have been unable to explain away – the Jingkang Incident.

Yes, Zhao Ji was Emperor Huizong of Song, who was known as the "shame of emperors."

From a later perspective, even a dog would be better than Emperor Huizong, but Wu Zetian felt it was better to let people of the same era speak. Whether or not to extend Zhao Xu's life should be decided by listening to Li Qingzhao's opinion.

But Li Qingzhao was completely bewildered at this point. A sixteen-year-old girl who usually spent her days drinking and playing, she was suddenly tasked with deciding the continuation of a dynasty. Even this renowned woman of exceptional talent was rendered speechless by the sudden decision.
"Your Majesty, is it too frivolous for me, a mere woman, to decide this matter?"

Wu Zetian smiled gently:
“You are from that era, so we should listen to you. But don’t rush to make a decision. Let me help you change your clothes first, and then get you something to eat. There’s still some pumpkin porridge that the Immortal Master cooked this morning; I’ll heat it up for you.”

After she finished speaking, she led Li Qingzhao out of the Wenxuanwang Hall and patiently introduced the entire Hunyuan Palace, as well as all the members of the Hunyuan Palace.

When Li Qingzhao heard of Li Bai's great name, she was so happy that she almost lost her composure:
"Your Majesty, is it really Li Bai himself?"

Wu Zetian nodded gently:
“Sister Zhao’er, we hit it off immediately. If you don’t mind, we can call each other sisters from now on. There is no empress or emperor in Hunyuan Palace, only immortals and pilgrims from different times and spaces.”

Li Qingzhao was a straightforward person, and since the Empress had spoken, she gracefully gave a curtsy.
"Zhao'er greets Sister Meiniang."

"Good sister, come on, let me take you to change into a set of clothes that fit."

Li Qingzhao nodded and asked quietly:
"Since you know that the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty only has eight months left to live, you must also know about Zhao'er's future fate, right? Can you tell me?"

Wu Zetian did not hide anything:

"You were the most talented woman in China, and you married a wonderful husband. Unfortunately, you never had any children. In addition, your father was demoted repeatedly due to factional strife, which implicated your husband's family, and your husband gradually grew to dislike you. Later, when the Jin army marched south, he, as the prefect, abandoned the city and fled, which you mocked in a poem. Later, you lived in Shaoxing and were tricked into marriage. You resolutely filed for divorce and then lived a lonely life, leaving behind countless poems and legends."

How could I marry such a man… Li Qingzhao took a deep breath. She could accept other things, but the fact that the prefect abandoned the city and fled was absolutely intolerable.

Especially now that Hunyuan Palace has Huo Qubing, who sealed the wolf's lair, Chen Tang, who would punish even the most distant enemies, and Li Bai, who could kill one person in ten steps and leave no trace for a thousand miles.

They are all outstanding individuals, but I married a good-for-nothing. It's so shameful!
After calming herself down, Li Qingzhao remembered the Jin army's southward advance:

"Where are the Jin soldiers from? Hasn't the Liao Dynasty always been the enemy of the Song Dynasty?"

Wu Zetian said:
"The Jin dynasty was an ethnic group that rose to power in the Northeast after the death of Emperor Huizong of Song. They first conquered the Liao dynasty, and finding the Song dynasty weak, they marched straight in, besieging Kaifeng, the capital. Emperor Huizong, his son, and their wives and concubines were all captured by the Jin soldiers and taken to the harsh Northeast. Nobles and princes were enslaved, and princesses and imperial concubines were forced into prostitution. Their misdeeds are too numerous to recount..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Qingzhao couldn't help but interrupt:
"Such a humiliating disgrace! Sister, I choose to prolong the life of the current emperor; we must not allow Prince Duan to ascend the throne!"

Wu Zetian said:
“Alright, I’ll tell the Immortal Master when he returns. You should change your clothes and eat first. Please don’t mind my cooking, sister.

As the two headed to the courtyard, Zhou Yi and the blind man were finishing their breakfast at the entrance of the mutton soup restaurant.

The blind man put down his bowl and said:
"Yesterday I became the feng shui consultant for the highway project department. I will be here often in the future. If I ever have the chance to visit you, I hope you will not turn me away."

The Book of Changes asks:

"Xie Yukun has disappeared. What are your plans?"

“Yesterday evening, his car was heading north when it overturned into the Yellow River while crossing the Yellow River pontoon bridge. The car and the driver sank into the silt at the bottom of the river, and there was no trace of his body. The police identified the deceased in the car as Xie Yukun, the president of the Yiyang City Fengshui Folk Customs Association, through the surveillance footage at the entrance of the pontoon bridge.”

Zhou Yi never expected that the blind man had even arranged this:
"What about the driver?" "Xie Yukun's driver was his nephew. He was an idle loafer who bullied men and women. It was too good for him to die in the Yellow River."

He truly deserves to be called a feng shui master; the arrangement was spot on.

The blind man wiped his mouth with a tissue and gave a phone number:

"This is my number. You can call me if you need anything urgent."

Recording the Book of Changes on your phone:
"What is your surname, sir? I'll write it down."

"My name is Han Chu Jiu, the future... president of the Yiyang City Feng Shui Folk Customs Association!"

Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment:
"Are you still planning to be the president?"

The blind man nodded and said calmly:
“A group of evil cultivators have occupied the positions of the righteous path. I can’t stand it. I’m going to kill them all one by one, purify this organization, and find some truly ambitious people to do good deeds and accumulate merit.”

At this point, the blind man "looked" at the Book of Changes:

"I haven't asked you yet, what do you cultivate? Spiritual energy? Mental power? Magical power? Yin-Yang power?"

Zhou Yi shook his head. He hadn't guessed any of them correctly. However, he was a little surprised that there were so many cultivation methods in modern society. He had thought that only he knew how to cultivate.

His moment of hesitation angered the blind man.
"Why don't you speak?"

I shook my head.

The blind man almost coughed up a mouthful of blood:
"Will I be able to see it?"

To be considerate of the feelings of the elderly, the Book of Changes states:
“What I cultivate is different from all of these; what I cultivate is merit.”

Upon hearing the word "merit," the blind man gasped.
"Where did your grandfather pick you up from back then? You're actually cultivating merit! Most people can't withstand the impact of accumulating merit. I'm so jealous!"

Zhou Yi finished the last bit of mutton soup in his bowl, got up to pay the bill, and the blind man took out a hundred yuan and slammed it on the table:

"I won't take advantage of you, a junior. Consider the change as your errand fee."

"Thank you for treating me."

Zhou Yi paid the bill and was just about to drive up the mountain when the blind man suddenly said:

"Take me to the project site. The car assigned to me hasn't arrived yet; I'll have to wait two more days."

"Okay, just don't complain that my car is too bad."

"I've ridden in hand tractors many times, so the Wuling is already considered a high-end model."

Once in the car, Zhou Yi started the engine, and the blind man skillfully fastened his seatbelt, then headed back to the past:

"Your grandfather and I were once being chased. We escaped to the foot of the mountain in a van. After resting, we went back that very night and beat them to a pulp... That battle was really exhilarating. If your grandfather hadn't gouged out my eyes at the end, it would have been perfect."

Zhou Yi was somewhat curious:

"Why would I gouge out your eyes for no reason?"

The blind man smiled but didn't speak, instead staring intently at the windshield of the van.

Just as Zhou Yi was about to ask if his nickname was Golden Eagle, he suddenly felt the sky in front of him begin to distort, forming spirals, as if Van Gogh's "Starry Night" had materialized.

He quickly stopped the car and found that his hands and feet were no longer under his control. People walking around outside the car seemed to be unable to see it.

Oh no, I've been made invisible!
Zhou Yi could only move his neck and above. He turned to look at the blind man and saw that the old man's eye sockets were bleeding. He was so frightened that he cried out "Ah!"

Hearing his own shout, Zhou Yi immediately realized he could still speak, and quickly woke up his phone's voice assistant by shouting:
"Dial 110 immediately!"

The voice assistant's gentle voice echoed in my ears:

"We have dialed 110 for you. Please be ready to answer the call."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a reassuring voice rang out:
"This is the 110 emergency call center. How can I help you?"

As the sound rang out, the scene before him shattered like a mirror, and Zhou Yi found himself still sitting at the mutton soup stall, the blind man opposite him wiping his mouth, but now with a look of exasperation on his face:
"No wonder he's the kid Zhou Banxian raised; he's picked up 99% of his scoundrels! It was just a friendly sparring match, why did you call the police?"

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Is it wrong to call the police when you're in trouble?
(End of this chapter)