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

Chapter 189 Lotus Fairy – Xi Shi! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Zhou Yi went outside and, following the sound, saw a young woman dressed in a wide-sleeved robe with a deep collar, about 1.67 meters tall, wearing wooden clogs, wandering aimlessly around the Hunyuan Palace.

who is this?

Zhou Yi felt that the style of the Shenyi was somewhat similar to the photos of Han Dynasty women taken by Chen Tang, but there were also obvious differences. The sleeves were wider, and it seemed to be made of hemp cloth, which was quite different from the silk and linen cloth commonly seen in ancient times.

Zhou Yi cleared his throat and asked curiously:

"Excuse me... what's your name?"

The woman turned around, and her exquisite features and stunning beauty shocked even Zhou, who was used to seeing all kinds of online beauties... No, are there really beauties in this world who come with their own beauty filters?

Upon seeing Zhou Yi, the woman bowed and said softly:
"My name is Shi Yiguang. Today, I am here on the king's orders to worship the moon goddess... Are you the sorcerer the king has invited to curse the Wu Kingdom?"

Shi Yiguang? Wu Kingdom?

Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening:

"Are you Xishi?"

Goodness, is Gongsun Da Niang's mouth blessed? She mentions Li Qingzhao and Li Qingzhao appears; she mentions Xi Shi and Xi Shi appears now... Next time, let her say the Chinese national football team will qualify, so that the fans can have something to look forward to.

However, Xi Shi was from the Yue Kingdom. According to historical records, women from the Yue Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period had "short hair, tattooed faces, black teeth, and walked barefoot." In modern terms, they had short hair, walked barefoot, had their faces covered with various patterns, and painted their teeth black.

I saw these two sentences in a book a couple of days ago, and I even imagined Xi Shi as a mountain hermit. Suddenly, the mystery of the number one beauty in China was debunked.

But now that I've met her in person, I've discovered that Xi Shi herself didn't have broken hair or tattoos, nor was she barefoot or black teeth. She was a stunningly beautiful woman with incredibly fair skin.

"Who is Xi Shi? I am a descendant of the Shi clan, surnamed Zi. Where is this place?"

Shi Yiguang noticed the Leopard 8 charging not far away and found it very novel, but Zhou Yi's mind was in turmoil.

The surname Zi... isn't that the royal surname of the Shang Dynasty?

The surname Shi was the same as that of the vassal state of the Shang Dynasty. After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, the people of Shi scattered around and took Shi as their surname. From this perspective, Xi Shi was a genuine descendant of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Shang Dynasty, a noble family. No wonder she didn't have short hair or facial tattoos.

When Zhou Yi first encountered people from the Spring and Autumn Period, he was somewhat at a loss as to where to begin, so he simply said:
"Come with me. I'll show you a video first so you can get a general understanding of your life."

Xi Shi lived in the Yue Kingdom from a young age, so she probably didn't know anything about reign titles, and she used bird-script script at that time, which she couldn't understand modern characters.

At this point, the only thing we can do is let her watch her own biopic.

First, understand yourself, then understand the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and then, based on this history, define the five thousand years of history above and below. This makes it much easier to understand.

It must be said that Xi Shi lived only about three hundred years after the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, but their writing and culture were vastly different.

The three hundred years following Xi Shi witnessed the Warring States period, the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, and the Chu-Han Contention... This was not only a period of flourishing Chinese civilization but also an era of rapid expansion of China's territory.

Zhou Yi led Xi Shi to the restaurant, turned on the television, found a ten-minute short film about Xi Shi, and selected to play it.

"You are a famous figure in history. This is your biography, but it is not very accurate. After all, the era is too far back, and we still only have a vague understanding of the history of the Yue Kingdom."

Xi Shi was puzzled, but she obediently sat down and pointed at the television, asking in a low voice:

"What is this?"

"A television set, used for playing videos."

"Were the little figures inside imprisoned?"

"No, it's just an image. It's a crime for us to detain people randomly here. There's no one inside. Watch the video carefully; it tells your story."

There are many short videos introducing ancient figures, which are basically made by taking content from the Internet or encyclopedias and adding short animations or film and television clips.

Xi Shi watched intently, not understanding the meaning of the image, but ultimately did not ask.

After the video ended, Zhou Yi asked:

Is there something wrong with it?

Xi Shi frowned and said timidly:

“From the moment I entered the palace until now, the strategist Fan Li has never said a word to me, and I have no feelings of affection for him whatsoever. Why are you making such a fuss about us?”

Zhouyi: "..."

The short video just showed how you were drowned, and now you're focusing all your attention on denying your relationship with Fan Li... You've got the priorities backwards!
He briefly explained that it was people's beautiful vision, and then played a short video about the rivalry between Wu and Yue, so that Xi Shi could have a general understanding of the era and strategic environment she lived in.

After seeing this, Xi Shi looked somewhat surprised:
"Is the King's war against the Kingdom of Wu an unjust war?"

The Book of Changes says:

"It's all personal grudges, there's no question of justice or injustice. The Yue people are fighting the Wu people, it has nothing to do with you, a descendant of the Yin Shang nobles, and you don't need to get involved."

Xi Shi was startled by these words:
"The king brought me into the palace and ordered people to teach me court etiquette, saying that this was the Yue people's plan for revenge, and that if they did not go to the Yue Kingdom, they would be in danger of being overthrown..." Zhou Yi felt that this was not true. Not long after Goujian died, the Yue Kingdom was destroyed. The conflict between the seven Warring States led to the Yue people being gradually assimilated by the Central Plains states. Some of the Yue people became people of the Central Plains, while the rest became various ethnic groups of the Baiyue. In the end, they were assimilated step by step during the Han Dynasty.

Whether Goujian sought revenge or not had no impact on the basic structure of China. On the contrary, Xi Shi used all her charms to make King Fuchai of Wu fall in love with her, but in the end, none of them had a good ending. Corrupt scholars even used this to criticize this great beauty for not being virtuous and lacking in wifely virtue, which is quite tragic.

After watching the Wu-Yue rivalry video, Zhouyi played short videos about the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Seven Warring States, providing a comprehensive understanding of the entire historical process of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Next, I looked at the chronology of Chinese dynasties, which systematically explained the entire process from the Xia Dynasty to modern society.

After reading it, Xi Shi pursed her lips, finding it somewhat hard to accept:
"So, there's a time difference of over two thousand years between us?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"To be precise, it is 2,500 years."

"Then aren't you the sorcerer the king summoned to curse the Wu kingdom?"

The Book of Changes says:

“I am a Taoist priest. My grandfather built this Taoist temple, and now I have inherited it. This Taoist temple can summon historical figures. Eight people have come before you. You are the ninth, and also the one from the earliest dynasty.”

Xi Shi sat in the chair, looking dazed and a little confused. Zhou Yi didn't say anything more, but simply brought over a watermelon, cut it open, and let her taste the watermelon of modern society.

But the beautiful woman wasn't in the mood for food at the moment, and pitifully turned to Zhou Yi for help:
"If I don't go back, the king will surely kill my parents. If I do go back, he will surely teach me etiquette and send me to the state of Wu as a gift... Master Zhou, what should I choose?"

Xi Shi is about to turn eighteen and has already undergone two and a half years of rigorous training by court etiquette masters sent by Goujian. Soon she will be sent to the State of Wu as a gift to bewitch King Fuchai.

Her etiquette instructor was also quite distinguished, reportedly from the Central Plains, and was well-versed in various etiquette practices. He was treated as an honored guest by Goujian.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, both Wu and Yue were barbarians, with short hair and tattoos as their main characteristics. However, compared to Yue, Wu was at least a noble state personally appointed by the Zhou emperor. Although they had some barbaric culture, the nobles were always trying to learn the etiquette of the Central Plains.

For example, Ji Zha, the prince of Wu, was well-versed in rites and music and was famous among the feudal states. Even Confucius praised him... If Ji Zha were a barbarian with short hair and tattoos, given Confucius's temperament, he would have lost if he had even glanced at him.

Zhou Yi thought for a moment, then went back to his room and brought back a token that allowed him to walk among mortals, placing it on the table:
"Keep this with you. If anyone bullies you, take it out and a divine thunderbolt will strike down from the sky and kill the bully. With this, Goujian will not dare to let you go to the State of Wu."

Xi Shi touched the token, hesitant to accept it:
"If the king sends someone to demand it, what should I do?"

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Yi said:
"Just kill the person who's demanding it, it's that simple."

Xi Shi's eyes lit up, but she quickly regained her gentle and weak expression. She carefully put the token into her bosom, knelt gracefully on the ground, and performed a grand ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows to Zhou Yi:
"Thank you, Taoist Master Zhou, for saving my life. If I can protect my parents' safety, I will burn incense and pray for you every day."

Zhou Yi waved his hand:

"Get up, no need to be so polite. Now that we're in Hunyuan Palace, we're family. You can come every five days. Whatever you need, I can get it for you. Do you know bird script?"

Xi Shi still had that timid and shy look:

"I understand, I've learned a lot since I entered the palace."

"Then carve some words on the stone, or engrave them on the pottery jar, such as your thoughts on coming to Hunyuan Palace. Bring them over after you've finished carving them."

Xi Shi nodded and quietly agreed.

Seeing her so gentle and weak appearance, Zhou Yi couldn't help but wonder, "She's so timid, I wonder if she'll turn around and clutch the token, afraid to unleash divine lightning to protect herself."

To boost Xi Shi's confidence, Zhou Yi gave her a Taoist robe and a complete set of inner garments, and told her to go to Wu Meiniang's room to change into them, dressing up as a Taoist priest, which would at least intimidate some people.

In addition to the Taoist robe, the wooden clogs were replaced with white sneakers. Last time, Wu Zetian bought a bunch of white sneakers from the shoe store in town, ranging from size 36 to 42, so that Lady Chenyu could wear them as she pleased.

To prevent Xi Shi from not knowing how to put on underwear, Zhou Yi even gestured and explained it to her... Although Xi Shi was timid, she was intelligent. In less than ten minutes, she came out of the room wearing a brand-new Taoist robe and white shoes.

The light gray Taoist robe she wore gave her an ethereal air, though her voice still sounded somewhat weak.
"Master Zhou, I've heard that cultivators all have names. May I ask what my name is?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Since you are associated with lotus flowers, let's call you Lotus Fairy. Right now, Hunyuan Palace has Peony Fairy, Pomegranate Fairy, and Osmanthus Fairy. You are the fourth fairy."

Xi Shi bowed to Zhou Yi, intending to take her old clothes and wooden clogs back with her to avoid delaying too long and having her parents killed by Goujian.

Zhou Yi originally wanted her to wait for Meiniang, but since that was the case, he followed her to Xiaopenglai and saw this timid and cowardly beauty, who didn't dare to speak too loudly, off from Hunyuan Palace.

Back in his room, Zhou Yi lay down on the bed, opened the black notebook, and wanted to look at Xi Shi's information.

As soon as I turned to the first page, I saw that my merits had increased significantly:

[Merit: 1.39 jin]

Scrolling down further, a note appeared:
[Xi Shi summons divine lightning to strike down King Goujian of Yue, gaining +30 merit]

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
No, she killed Goujian less than two minutes after returning. Is this still the same gentle and delicate beauty who speaks cautiously?
Am I being scammed by some ancient telecom fraud?

(End of this chapter)