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

Chapter 197 Soybeans... Soybean Meal in the Sky?! [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Bribery by foreign envoys was common in the Song Dynasty. In the past, whenever an envoy came to Bianjing (Kaifeng), it was a must to give gifts; otherwise, nothing could be accomplished.

Zhao Xu seized the opportunity to carry out a large-scale investigation, which caught the officials somewhat off guard. Some officials have already been investigated and punished, but those in important positions cannot be investigated for the time being. They can only be fined first, and the fines can be used to lull the other party into a false sense of security.

Once they have more free time, many officials will gradually be replaced, all of them will be replaced by officials who advocate a tough stance on foreign policy.

From Emperor Taizong onwards, the Song Dynasty had been weak for far too many years. Now it was time to use the pretext of immortals to bare its fangs and bleed the surrounding foreign tribes.

After Li Gefei left, Zhao Xu issued another edict through the Secretariat:
"All foreign envoys in the capital, regardless of their relationship with the emperor, shall abide by the laws of the Great Song Dynasty. Those who violate these laws shall be investigated and punished in accordance with the laws of the Great Song Dynasty. Officials who are close to foreign envoys shall, in principle, not be promoted within five years. If there are vacancies at the border, they shall be given priority to be sent to the harsh and cold border regions."

The order was simple, but the uproar it caused in the court was even greater than the confiscation of Zeng Bu's brother-in-law's property by Cai Jing.

In particular, those officials who enjoyed indulging in revelry and discussing poetry and literature with foreign envoys thought they were charming and could win over friendly nations, but in reality, they were revealing a great deal of information about the court.

Although Zhao Xu stated "in principle" in his edict, this was merely a euphemism.

The Song Dynasty lacked everything except officials waiting for their positions. Hundreds of people were eyeing each official post. As long as a stain was found, the court didn't need to do anything; the waiting officials alone could impeach him.

This proved to be true. Upon seeing the imperial edict, many officials awaiting their appointments began to move around, paying attention to the affairs of the court and the opinions of the officials. Some even squatted in the major restaurants of Bianjing, ready to report any officials meeting with foreign envoys on the spot.

Meanwhile, inside the Hunyuan Palace.

Zhou Yi drove down the mountain early in the morning to preside over a funeral in a nearby village.

It's been too hot lately, so the burial was scheduled for the morning. All the procedures were simplified as much as possible, and the deceased was laid to rest by the time the sun was high in the sky.

After finishing the ritual, I drove back to Yunwu Town and ran into Zhao Wei, who had been fishing all night.
"Do you want to become a professional angler? Have you finished your work on the construction site?"

Zhao Wei took a silver carp weighing over ten kilograms and a grass carp weighing six or seven kilograms from the landing net and put them into Zhou Yi's trunk:

"Don't even mention it. Yesterday, that Manager Huang from the project department, I don't know what he was bragging about to the general engineering department, sent a flatbed truck around 8 pm last night to take away my excavator. He even said he would give me extra money. I had nothing to do, so I went night fishing. And let me tell you, night fishing is really good. I caught several big fish. No wonder those big shots like night fishing."

Zhou Yi put the fish into a woven bag, planning to make chopped chili fish head and boiled fish fillets for everyone at noon.

As soon as they returned to the mountain, Old Huang called:

"Master Zhou, I'm in dire need of help! Could you please come to Qingshui Town, north of Yiyang City? Something strange has happened at the construction site here. I called Master Han, but he said he was busy and told me to contact you. Can you come over now?"

Judging from his tone, he seemed quite anxious. Zhou Yi asked:

"What's going on?"

"I can't quite explain the specifics, but everything's going wrong. Hundreds of people have stopped working and are just waiting for you to come to their rescue."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi readily agreed:
"Okay, I'll grab my gear and head over there in a bit. Send me your location on WeChat."

Old Huang quickly sent the address of the Qingshui Town project office. Zhou Yi arrived at the mountain, slaughtered the two fish, salted them, washed his hands, and said to Wu Meiniang, who was studying:

"Meiniang, come with me to the construction site. The rest of you stay on the mountain and keep an eye on the horses on the back hill."

Yesterday evening, Zhou Yi bought some iron plates from the town and made water troughs to lay on the back mountain. He also ran a water pipe over there so that the horses could have water to drink.

The ordered horse feed will arrive tomorrow, and then the horses can enjoy their meal to their heart's content.

Upon hearing that she was going to the construction site, Wu Meiniang went back to her room and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"Is it dangerous? Should we call Gongsun Sister to come along?"

Zhou Yi pointed to Leopard 8 and said:

"I brought all the magical artifacts I could carry, so there shouldn't be any danger. Even if there is, it's not suitable for Granny Gongsun to do anything in broad daylight. Let's go check first, and if there's anything else, we can go again tonight."

Old Huang stammered and couldn't explain what was going on. To be on the safe side, he had no choice but to bring everything he could. As for the red leaves given to him by Wang Lingguan, Zhou Yi now carried them with him every day.

He put the Bagua jade around Wu Meiniang's neck, told the three people left behind not to wander off, and then drove down the mountain, following the navigation straight to Qingshui Town.

As soon as the car left, Granny Gongsun started causing trouble:

"I suddenly have a brilliant idea, but I don't know if I should share it?"

Li Qingzhao asked with a smile:
"You don't mean to go down the mountain to town for fun, do you?"

Gongsun Da Niang shook her head:

"No, I bought everything I wanted to eat yesterday. I was thinking of using that bald-headed writing brush from the Wenxuan King's Palace to give the horses in the back mountain some more fodder. What do you think?"

Li Bai and Li Qingzhao exchanged a glance, completely captivated by the girl's brilliant idea:
"How should we add the fodder?" Aunt Gongsun asked.

"Horses seem to like eating alfalfa. Do you think if I take a brush and write the word 'alfalfa' on the hill behind the mountain, it will turn into a sea of ​​alfalfa?"

Li Bai did not quite agree with this point:
"If you just want to feed the horses, you might as well write soybean meal directly. A horse needs to eat at least two kilograms of soybeans a day to maintain its muscle mass. Soybean meal is more nutritious than alfalfa, and these horses will get stronger and stronger as they eat it."

Li Qingzhao voted in favor on the spot:

“I agree with the soybean meal. Even if the horses can’t eat it, we can collect it and transport it to our respective worlds. It’s just that we don’t know how much it will reduce, so we need to be careful.”

Lady Gongsun originally intended to secretly play with the Confucian scholar's brush while Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang were away, but she didn't expect the poet and the talented woman to be so serious. Helpless, she also joined the discussion group:

"If soybean meal really does appear, where will it come from? Should I include the place of origin?"

Li Qingzhao couldn't wait to try it:
"Let's see if we can conjure it up first before considering this problem. Let's get started."

All three had accumulated merits, but Li Bai had the fewest and was also the youngest, so he was eliminated in the first round.

Although Lady Gongsun had done good deeds, she couldn't compare to the most arrogant woman in the Song Dynasty, where treacherous officials were everywhere. Therefore, the task of writing the two characters "soybean meal" fell to Li Qingzhao.

The three of them arrived at the Wenxuanwang Hall, bowed to the statue of Confucius, and then, holding the bald writing brush, excitedly went to the back mountain.

The back hill is a gentle slope covered with wild grass. Warhorses from the Han Dynasty and stallions from the Tang Dynasty, some are hiding under the trees to cool off, while others are leisurely grazing, creating a pleasant pastoral scene.

Li Qingzhao arrived at the center of the gentle slope and heard that the small mound not far away was the grave of her grandfather, Zhou Yi. She even paid her respects, hoping the deceased would not be offended.

With everything ready, the girl held a brush in her hand, held her breath, and raised her hand to write the two characters for "soybean meal" in the air in running script... Using running script was the result of her discussion with Li Bai. Regular script was too slow, and if the two characters were separated, the horse would not be able to eat. Cursive script was too fancy, and if the gods mistook it for something else, it might backfire.

Therefore, the fast yet accurate running script becomes the best choice.

After writing it, the words "soybean meal" appeared in the void. The two words were connected and slowly floated up. When they reached a height of more than three meters, they suddenly burst apart and turned into clumps of soybean meal that fell down and piled up on the grass as high as a person.

This scene startled the group, but the horses around them recognized the value of the food and rushed over to feast on it, thoroughly enjoying themselves. They would occasionally snort, clearly in high spirits.

Grandma Gongsun found it amazing and clicked her tongue in amazement:

"In ancient times, there was a celestial maiden scattering flowers; now, there's a shower of soybean meal. Let's call this move 'Soybean Meal Sky,' haha, I'm such a naming genius!"

While the three were discussing the soybean meal, in the world of Emperor Wu of Han, Su Jian and the others retreated to the battlefield from a few days ago, began to collect the corpses, clean up the battlefield, and pick out the damaged but repairable weapons and pile them together.

Gongsun He asked Huo Qubing:
"When you return to the capital in triumph, would you like me to accompany you to Pingyang County?"

On the eve of his expedition, Huo Qubing changed his surname from Wei to Huo. Now that he has made military achievements, he should, in principle, go to Pingyang County to acknowledge his ancestors. After all, in the Han people's mind, making military achievements is a great thing that brings honor to one's ancestors.

As Huo Qubing's maternal uncle, Gongsun He was worried that his nephew would be unfamiliar with the place, so he wanted to accompany him. After all, he was the Left General of the court, and when he went to the small Pingyang County, even the county magistrate had to bow and scrape and smile.

Huo Qubing thought for a moment and said:

"Forget it, let's not go for now. Let Ah Guang enjoy a carefree life for a while longer."

He planned to return to the capital and be granted a title, and then take some time to make a special trip to Pingyang County.

Although he eventually recognized his relatives in history, it was as the Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry, leading tens of thousands of troops directly to Pingyang County to do so.

The scene is impressive enough, but it might scare people away. This time, I'll just bring a few attendants and go quietly.

Anyway, he didn't plan to stay in Pingyang County for long; he just needed to bring his younger brother Huo Guang to Chang'an.

Once Huo Guang arrived in Chang'an, he was sent to Liu Ju's side to serve as Liu Ju's study companion... In history, this gentle, humble, and polite cousin was framed and eventually committed suicide. Now, we must make arrangements in advance to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

As for His Majesty… Huo Qubing believed that after the war was over, this emperor of the mortal world would also retire to Hunyuan Palace, just like himself.

When the time comes, please ask Master to buy a few computers so we can all play Red Alert online together. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Upon hearing that his nephew wouldn't be going to Pingyang County this time, Gongsun He didn't bring it up again. Su Jian, however, rode over on horseback. After hearing about Xin Qingji and Xin Qiji's correspondence spanning a thousand years the previous night, he also wanted to experience the feeling of connecting with future generations.
"Qubing, you were able to meet people from various dynasties at the immortal's place. Are any of my descendants particularly capable?"

Huo Qubing nodded and said:
"The Su family's martial arts have been passed down for thousands of years, and there have been many famous Su family members in every dynasty. But the most famous one should be Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty."

Su Jian suddenly became smug:
"What is he most famous for? His literary and military talents? Or his ability to rise from a military to a high-ranking official position?"

Huo Qubing thought for a moment and said seriously:
"It is famous for its food, and many anecdotes related to its cuisine have been left behind."

Su Jian: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

No, I am a descendant of the Marquis of Pingling, and I am just a foodie.

(End of this chapter)