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

Chapter 154 May I ask, Fairy Osmanthus, how many more years do I have to live? [Seeking monthly votes]

Back in Yunwu Town, Zhou Yi parked the car at the entrance of the post station to pick up the package. Wu Meiniang got out of the car and bought some fried cakes and vegetable dumplings from Uncle Wu's stall – a kind of carbohydrate bomb.

Li Bai will be back in Kaiyuan World soon to draw a purifying talisman. Buy some food for him to take back so that Gongsun Da Niang and Princess Taiping can try it.

Li Qingzhao also got off the carriage and saw that there were discounted sports socks on sale at the entrance of Cainiao Post Station. They were 9.9 yuan a dozen, so she bought some for her younger brother Li Hang to wear.

Yesterday, Zhou Yi deposited 1,000 yuan into her WeChat account, and today she can finally experience the joy of shopping.

Chen Tang didn't originally intend to buy anything, but when he saw the sunglasses, he tried them on and bought a few pairs.

Traveling through the desert, staring at the sand for too long is unbearable for the eyes, and on windy days, it's impossible to open your eyes at all. Sunglasses make things much easier.

Of the group, only Li Bai didn't get off the carriage. He had food and drink, so he really didn't know what to buy.

There were quite a few packages today, and everyone hurriedly carried them onto the truck. Then they drove back up the mountain. When they were unloading the truck, Li Qingzhao saw that the package Zhou Yi had brought was actually beer.

Looking at the picture printed on the packaging, it seemed to be the one she wanted to drink last time, and the girl's eyes immediately lit up:

"Master, may I taste it to see if it's salty enough for you?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"Let's talk about it when you see Zhao Xu. Besides, it's best to put freshly bought beer in the refrigerator to chill it down so it tastes better."

The temperature is high now, and the beer is lukewarm. If you want to drink it comfortably, you have to drink it chilled.

Li Qingzhao said:
"If nothing unexpected happens, I will probably be going to the palace to meet His Majesty in a few days. Is there anything you wish to tell me, Immortal Master?"

Zhou Yi actually had something to tell this girl:
"When I meet Zhao Xu, I need to see if he is eager to expand his territory and pacify the world, or if he is single-mindedly pursuing immortality and disregarding the lives of the people. If it is the latter, I will have to consider Plan B."

Li Qingzhao nodded and wrote it down.

After unloading the truck, Li Bai carried various foods and some talismans, cinnabar, and other items, preparing to go back and practice his talisman-drawing skills so he could draw a water-purifying talisman for Huo Qubing.

Chen Tang was eager to go back and show off his collection of essays by Li Bai and Li Qingzhao, as well as "Mocking the Confucian Scholars of Lu" authorized by Li Bai. He changed out of the clothes he had worn when he came up and went back as well.

Li Qingzhao sat in front of the computer, diligently searching for the next person worthy of being struck by lightning. Her brother-in-law, Cai Jing, was a prime suspect, and she would have to sacrifice him for the greater good if given the chance.

Although they were relatives, Cai Jing, as a member of the New Party, impeached Li Gefei quite a few times. Perhaps if Cai Jing had been executed in advance, it would have strengthened the national fortune of the Song Dynasty.

Besides Cai Jing, figures like the powerful eunuch Yang Jian were also on the list.

Every dynasty has its share of deserving wrathful individuals, but only the officials of the Song Dynasty, when lined up together, were a veritable gathering of wise men; even the Thunder God would give them a thumbs up.

Zhou Yi looked at what the girl was searching for on the computer and asked Zhao Ji:
"How is he doing lately? Has he decided to become a Taoist priest?"

Li Qingzhao nodded:
"Before coming here, he was entrusted by His Majesty to bring gifts to my house and talk about cultivating immortality. He said that His Majesty does not allow it, but he still wants to try again... Why can't such a persistent person be a good emperor?"

Zhou Yi said with a smile:

“Zhao Ji is good in every way, but he is not suitable to be emperor. Now we should cut off his chances of becoming emperor, so that we don’t end up sitting on the dragon throne after all our efforts.”

Wu Zetian, standing to the side, reminded him:

"If that day really comes, Sister Zhao'er, remember to kill him to prevent future troubles."

Li Qingzhao, not one to shy away from stirring things up, nodded:
"Don't worry, sister, I know what to do!"

In the evening, Sun Erfa brought some more wild boar spearheads. Zhou Yi unloaded them with him at the entrance of the Great Buddha Hall. When Wu Meiniang returned to the Tang Dynasty tomorrow, they would be enough to equip an army.

Early the next morning, Wu Zetian and Li Qingzhao bid farewell to the Book of Changes and returned to their respective worlds.

The once bustling Hunyuan Palace became deserted again. With nothing else to do, Zhou Yi went to the Sanqing Hall to divine the future fortune of Yunwu Town and see if it would be hit by a rainstorm.

Everything was fine on the mountain, so he wasn't worried. But it was hard to say whether the town's residents would suffer a disaster. Zhou Yi felt that relying solely on the weather forecast wasn't reliable enough; he needed to add the power of metaphysics.

He used his abacus to divine the future and found that there was no major problem with the weather, but there was a possibility that Cloud Mist Town would be attacked by a malevolent creature in the future.

Upon seeing the words "inauspicious object" displayed on the hexagram, Zhou Yi couldn't help but chuckle:

"Is this a zombie attack?"

He guessed it was probably someone's dog that had gone mad, and that it wasn't a big problem. Plus, the divination showed no casualties, so it was likely a close call.

Over the next few days, Zhou Yi was busy moving bricks, building the Hunyuan Palace little by little.

In the world of the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan era, Li Shimin examined the wild boar spearhead from left to right, growing increasingly fond of it. He ordered someone to drape a suit of Tang Dynasty Mingguang armor over him, then, gripping the long-handled wild boar spear, he thrust it forcefully, actually piercing a hole in the breastplate of the Mingguang armor. "Truly worthy of later steel," he thought, "sharper and stronger than the steel of the Tang Dynasty. If all the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty could be equipped with this, their strength would definitely rise to another level."

After expressing his feelings, Li Shimin looked at Wu Meiniang and asked:
"Did the Immortal Master give any explanation regarding the war against Goguryeo?"

Wu Zetian said:
"The Immortal Master said that the key to conquering Goguryeo lies not in conquering, but in managing it. In the past, whenever Emperor Wu of Han conquered a piece of land, he would send soldiers and civilians to occupy it and educate the local people. As a result, the land of China doubled in size, extending from Jiaozhi in the south to Lelang in the east. Prefectures and counties were established in all of them, and people from the Han Dynasty were relocated to guard the borders and cultivate the wasteland. The Immortal Master hopes that Your Majesty can also consider the issue with the mindset of an entrepreneur."

Emperor Wu of Han had many flaws, but in terms of territorial expansion, he was undoubtedly the greatest emperor of all time, even surpassing Li Shimin in status.

In his territorial expansion, Li Shimin always employed the strategy of "barbarians controlling barbarians." At first, the barbarians would submit, but over time, those foreign tribes would rebel.

Comparatively speaking, Emperor Wu of Han's method of relocating people was more sophisticated. For example, after occupying the four commanderies of Liaodong, he built cities on the spot, divided them into counties, and then those areas became the territory of the Han Dynasty. Until the period of warlord separatism at the end of the Han Dynasty, the four commanderies of Liaodong were still controlled by the Han people.

After listening to Wu Zetian's explanation, Li Shimin said:

"I originally intended to relocate all the people of Goguryeo to western Liao. Was this a mistake?"

He instructed the eunuch beside him:
"Go to the Hongwen Hall and find the border expansion strategies from the time of Emperor Wu of Han. I want to read them overnight."

After giving these instructions, he examined the globe again, comparing the map of China with the map of the Tang Dynasty, and reproached himself as he looked at it:
"Are these all lost territories of our Great Tang? It seems that our border defense strategy really needs to be changed."

Meanwhile, in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji was also muttering to himself while looking at a globe:
"Where is the Aral Sea of ​​my Great Tang? Where is Jiaozhi of my Great Tang? Where are the various prefectures of Liaodong of my Great Tang?"

Granny Gongsun said while cracking melon seeds:

"They've all been lost. You appointed foreigners and implemented the military governor system, which led to border generals establishing their own independent regimes. Foreigners grew stronger by absorbing the blood and flesh of the Tang Dynasty, eventually becoming a major threat to the empire."

Gao Lishi tried to smooth things over:

"Pomegranate Fairy, can't we blame His Majesty entirely for all of this?"

Gongsun Da Niang nodded:

"Indeed, no. Many of those who seized power and wreaked havoc on the court were promoted by you. You also drafted the Jiedushi system. You are capable and loyal to your grandson, but throughout Chinese history, apart from your loyalty to His Majesty, there's nothing else to say about you."

Gao Lishi: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Why is my mouth so foul? There was nothing wrong, but I always had to go looking for a scolding.

After listing all the negative things about the two men, when the time was right, she changed the subject and rewarded the ruler and his minister with a few sweet words:

"Don't compare yourself to those incompetent emperors; instead, compare yourself to Emperor Taizong and Emperor Wu of Han. Actually, you, my grandson, are quite capable. Even the Immortal Master admires your ability to recognize talent. You should make good use of your strengths and manage the court well. Once you achieve certain results, the Immortal Master will reward you."

Upon hearing this, Li Longji bowed respectfully.
"If I have done anything wrong, please point it out, Aunt. I will humbly accept your teachings and will not dare to be arrogant in the slightest."

After finishing her melon seeds and snacks, it was time for Granny Gongsun to go home.
"Let me make this clear beforehand: there are a few treacherous officials I'm going to kill. This will help the immortal accumulate merit. I heard from my brother Li Bai that Sister Zhao'er of the Song Dynasty killed another treacherous official and has accumulated so much merit that she can't even count it all. Our Tang Dynasty is really disappointing; I haven't encountered a single one yet."

Li Longji: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The fact that you don't encounter them just proves that we have few treacherous officials here, doesn't it? Does having few treacherous officials also mean that the Tang Dynasty has a weakness?
While Li Longji was complaining, in the Song Dynasty, a world rife with treacherous officials, Zhao Xu, dressed in plain clothes, accompanied by Zhao Ji, left the palace and went to the Xiantian Temple to meet Li Qingzhao.

Emperor Huizong originally intended to arrange for them to meet at the palace, but Zhao Xu, in order to show his sincerity, insisted on meeting at the Xiantian Temple as a Taoist believer.

Early in the morning, the Imperial Guards placed the area under martial law, and a quiet room in the Taoist temple was set aside for Zhao Xu and Li Qingzhao to use for their conversation.

The reason for choosing Xiantian Temple was that the Song emperor would come here to offer incense every year. Zhao Xu was quite familiar with Xiantian Temple, and since it was a Taoist site, Li Qingzhao would not be nervous, and the two could chat with peace of mind.

Zhao Xu offered incense to the Three Pure Ones and went to the quiet room that had been prepared in advance, where he met Li Qingzhao, who was sitting there reading Taoist scriptures.

Upon their first meeting, Zhao Xu proactively greeted Li Qingzhao with Taoist etiquette, which won her favor.
"Prince Duan said that His Majesty has some doubts and wants me to answer them. I wonder what His Majesty's doubts are?"

Zhao Xu coughed twice, and Zhao Ji, who was standing next to him, quickly brought him a cup of honey tea to soothe his throat.

After making some adjustments, Zhao Xu looked at Li Qingzhao and asked:
"Can the immortals you see know five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future?"

Li Qingzhao put down the Taoist scripture in her hand and said:

“It’s not just five hundred years; the entire history of China, spanning five thousand years, is within the Immortal’s control.”

Upon hearing the number five thousand years, a look of surprise flashed in Zhao Xu's eyes. He never expected that Chinese civilization could continue for so long.

He calmed himself down and asked the question that had been on his mind most:

"May I ask, Fairy Osmanthus, how many years do I have left to live? Have... have I recovered Western Xia?"

(End of this chapter)