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

Chapter 20: Taking out Personal Insurance for Wu Zetian! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Wu Zetian accepted the silk cloth with a calm expression, her face showing no emotion.

"If he kills me, it is because I am unfortunate and short-lived, and I have no one to blame but myself."

This attitude surprised Zhou Yi somewhat:
"Do you take life and death so lightly?"

Wu Zetian raised her head, her eyes shining like autumn water:
"I have never seen this world, nor have I ever ridden the high-speed rail or airplane you mentioned, so naturally I do not want to die. But life is unpredictable and cannot be changed by personal joys or sorrows."

"Not necessarily!"

Zhou Yi opened the drawer, took out a Taoist token made of stainless steel, and tossed it to Wu Meiniang.

This token was slightly smaller than the palm of her hand and felt cool to the touch. Wu Zetian held it in her hand and saw a Tai Chi symbol and several large traditional Chinese characters laser-etched on the front:

[Hun Yuan Palace Walks Among the Mortals]

Turn it over, and two lines of small characters are etched on the back:

[This deity represents me in patrolling the mortal realm, protected by the Six Ding and Six Jia; anyone who dares to tamper with this token will be punished by Heaven and have their descendants cut off.]

This was done by Sun Erfa last time. Anyway, it didn't cost much money. Just consider it as adding personal insurance for everyone in Hunyuan Palace.

To modern people, this thing may seem childish and laughable, but in ancient times, when superstition and supernatural beings were rampant, it was a deadly weapon.

Even the most bloodthirsty person would hesitate upon seeing this sign and dare not act recklessly.

After reading the words on the back, Wu Zetian smiled as brightly as a blooming peony:

"The immortal's poem is truly... truly full of childlike charm. If His Majesty were to see it, he would say you are petty."

The Book of Changes did not take it seriously:

"Say whatever you want, come on, let's go to the God of Wealth Temple to offer incense."

He carried the whisk out of the room. Wu Meiniang stroked the stainless steel token as if it were a precious treasure, carefully put it into her bosom, and quickly followed Zhou Yi.

"I am deeply grateful for the immortal's gift of this protective amulet."

“You gave me a piece of gold, so naturally I have to repay you in some way… By the way, I bought some Xuan paper. If Li Shimin writes to me again in the future, I can try using modern paper.”

Ancient paper, once in Zhou Yi's hands, became a fragile artifact that could be easily broken. It would be better to switch to modern paper, which would not only avoid trouble but also allow the letter to be read clearly and prevent it from being damaged by time.

"I will remember!"

Upon arriving at the Temple of the God of Wealth, Zhou Yi unfurled the three-colored tarpaulin, lit three incense sticks, and seeing that the bananas among the offerings were fully ripe, casually picked one up and handed it to Wu Meiniang:

"You've never had a banana before, have you? Try one, it tastes good."

Wu Zetian dared not accept:

"Immortal Master, these are offerings. May I eat them?"

"Food offered to the gods brings good fortune and benefits... Take this, I'll just put out a few more peaches later, as offerings to the God of Wealth are indispensable."

Wu Zetian held the banana in her hands, increasingly finding Zhou Yi to be an interesting person.

Other monks and Taoist priests also emphasize rituals, spouting a lot of mysterious and esoteric words, trying to make the atmosphere of Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries solemn and serious.

But the Book of Changes is different. It has always practiced demystifying things, adding a lot of life to places that should be solemn and dignified.

Just then, Chen Tang's voice came from outside:
"Sirs, where are you? Look what good things I've brought!"

Wu Meiniang was afraid that this reckless fellow would offend the gods, so she ran out and brought Chen Tang, who was wearing a long robe, to the God of Wealth Temple.

The first two times this guy came, he was dressed in military uniform. Today, he suddenly changed into a long robe, which surprised Zhou Yi.
"Are you going to follow the path of a Confucian scholar?"

Chen Tang adjusted the pheasant-feathered crown on his head and said:

"We're starting our return journey. The countries along the way are all friendly to the Han, so we can change into civilian clothes and continue our journey. Once we reach the Protectorate, the imperial decree should arrive, and then we'll have to rush all the way to Chang'an. The journey is long!"

Several months ago, he and Gan Yanshou set off from Chang'an to the Protectorate of the Western Regions. Before they could even establish themselves, they learned of Zhizhi Chanyu's whereabouts, then assembled a large army and marched a thousand miles to conquer Zhizhi City. Next, the two had to rush back to Chang'an to report on their mission and present Zhizhi Chanyu's head…

This round trip involved traveling over 10,000 li (approximately 5,000 kilometers), and even Chen Tang, in his prime, found it somewhat unbearable.

Just as Zhou Yi was about to inquire about the local customs and traditions along the way, Chen Tang suddenly noticed the statue in front of him:

"Who is this being worshipped?"

Wu Zetian said:
"This is the Temple of the God of Wealth, so naturally the God of Wealth is enshrined here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Tang, the money-grubber, knelt down on the prayer mat and kowtowed several times before the statue:
"May the God of Wealth bless me, Chen Tang, so that everything goes smoothly and I may become wealthy, never again to worry about money in this life!" Zhou Yi: "..."

Other military generals pursue the goal of sealing the wolf's lair and becoming a marquis in one battle, but you have been seeking wealth from beginning to end, which can be considered as unwavering in your ambition.

Wu Meiniang was also confused. The Temple of the God of Wealth was not far from the Temple of King Wu Cheng. Chen Tang had passed by it several times but ignored it. Instead, he came over to worship the God of Wealth. He was truly an oddball among military generals.

Chen Tang, however, didn't take it seriously and shouted as soon as he finished kowtowing:

"Sir, Captain Gan and I have obtained a treasure for you. Please come to the main gate to take a look."

The incense in the God of Wealth Temple had already been lit, and Zhou Yi said:

"Let's go to the main gate."

After saying that, he left the Temple of the God of Wealth first.

On the way, Wu Meiniang broke off a banana and handed it to Chen Tang. She also peeled one for herself and tasted it, finding that the banana was outstanding in both texture and flavor.

She asked curiously:

"Master, the Nanzhao Kingdom and other places once presented Chang'an with a fruit called banana, but its taste and texture were far inferior to this. Why is that?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Modern fruits are all cultivated by scientists, especially bananas, watermelons, lychees, etc. Let alone a thousand years ago, even if we go back a few decades, the taste and flavor are very different."

Chen Tang wasn't particularly interested in bananas at first, but upon hearing they were delicious, he quickly peeled one and tasted it. Then, he earnestly asked Wu Meiniang for some:

"Your Majesty, could you please have another one? Our Commandant Gan has never tried it before. I'll take it over to him so he can see for himself."

Wu Zetian laughed upon hearing this:

"You want to sell it to him, right?"

Chen Tang quickly denied it:

"No, no, absolutely not! Commander Gan insisted on waiving my debt, and I felt bad about it, so I was going to give him a banana."

Well, in the end, it all comes down to borrowing money.

Upon arriving at the entrance, Zhou Yi saw a stone tablet, about two meters long and more than half a meter wide, lying quietly in the previously empty doorway.

Why would you send a stone tablet out of the blue?
Did the Han Dynasty have such etiquette?

Chen Tang walked to the stone tablet as if presenting a treasure, pointing at it with both hands:
"Sir, please look, this is a gift from me and Commandant Gan to you!"

Zhou Yi lowered his head and began to read the text above:
In the spring of the third year of the Jianzhao era, Gan Yanshou, the Cavalry Commandant of the Western Regions, and Chen Tang, the Deputy Commandant, traveled to the northwestern desert to assume their posts. Hearing that the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu Zhizhi was building a capital city with the intention of dominating the Western Regions, they organized a large army, crossed a thousand miles, captured the city, killed over 1,500 members of Zhizhi Chanyu's family, and took over 10,000 prisoners. Deputy Commandant Chen Tang of the Western Regions seized a golden sword from Zhizhi Chanyu, which he presented to the Hunyuan Palace for safekeeping. A stele was erected to commemorate this event.

After reading it, Zhou Yi was completely baffled:

Why carve a stone tablet?

Chen Tang said smugly:
"Last time you said that the cultural relics couldn't be taken out, so Commander Gan and I thought about it and decided that we could make this a real thing... Since we can't prove the origin of the golden knife, we'll carve a stele to prove it. You just need to raise your hand and touch it, and this stele will be a Han Dynasty cultural relic... With a stele and a golden knife, who would dare to question it?"

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Isn't this a classic case of adding water when there's too much flour, and adding flour when there's too much water?

The matter of the golden knife is all in the past, yet you're still trying to make amends. It's not important... Originally there was only one prohibited artifact, but now there are two.

But since it's already been delivered, we can't let Chen Tang take it back.

Zhou Yi squatted on the ground, raised his hand and stroked the stone tablet. The original blue stone tablet quickly began to weather, the stone carvings became shallower, and the smooth surface looked like it had turned to sand, showing the erosion of time.

In the blink of an eye, the bluestone tablet transformed into a well-preserved Han Dynasty cultural relic.

If the National Museum of China saw this, it would definitely "borrow" it like Chen Tang borrowed money, and then never return it.

Zhou Yi and Chen Tang pushed the stone tablet behind the statue of Guangmu Tianwang, then clapped their hands and said:

"The opening of the lobster restaurant requires a religious ceremony, which I can't handle alone. You two should come too, so you can broaden your horizons in the county town."

Wu Zetian's eyes lit up:
"Can we have the crayfish you mentioned that day?"

"Enough!"

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(End of this chapter)