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

Chapter 205 Prince Duan, Do You Want to Be Emperor? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Zhao Xu's plan was simple: first, exchange a small amount of handicrafts for a large amount of gold and expensive materials from the Liao Kingdom; once the Liao nobles were hooked, he would then dump them on a large scale.

If a massive amount of handicrafts were thrown at the Liao Kingdom, its economy would suffer a severe blow in a short period of time.

When the time comes, the army will march north, and people will be sent to bribe those spineless cowards within the Liao Kingdom, so that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun will be within easy reach.

After Zhao Xu shared his thoughts, Chen Tang added to them:

"The baiting time needs to be longer, until the fish have completely bitten the hook and some old-timers have staked everything on it, then the chances of success will be greater."

Huo Qubing said:
"The timing of the northward march must be just right. Once chaos breaks out in the Liao Kingdom, the army must quickly adopt an attack posture, using bluff to frighten the Liao nobles and make them lose their will to resist."

Xin Qiji offered some opinions:
"The Han Chinese in the Liao Kingdom are also worth winning over. They are in the Liao Kingdom, but they may not be of one mind with the Yelü family. We should try to win them over if we can."

Finally, Wu Meiniang, the head steward of Hunyuan Palace, gave a summary:

"Have Li Gefei and the others make up a good story. Take advantage of the completion of the Yiyuan Palace to say that treasures fell from the sky. Most of them were taken by the royal family, and only a small portion was transported to the Liao Kingdom by a few merchants at the risk of their lives... Since it concerns becoming an immortal, the Liao Kingdom will definitely buy them at a high price. Once the price goes up, reduce the amount released and keep the Liao Kingdom hanging on."

The group racked their brains and quickly came up with a feasible plan.

Xin Qiji didn't even bother to eat. He put down his chopsticks, picked up his pen, and began writing. He wrote down the entire plan in detail in his notebook, tore it out, and handed it to Zhao Xu, telling him to go back and think about it.

This scene deeply moved Chen Tang:

"Now I finally understand why there's a saying in later generations: 'Three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang.' In just a few words, we actually devised a plan to destroy a country. It's a pity that no historian recorded it. Otherwise, many years later, the history books would surely record our deeds of destroying the Liao Dynasty with ease."

Zhao Xu accepted the battle plan written by Xin Qiji, cupped his hands and said to Chen Tang:
"General Zigong, rest assured, after we conquer the Liao Kingdom, I will personally erect a monument in Yanjing City to commemorate it."

In Qingshui Town, after the foundation of the Dragon King Temple was dug, the foundation layer was laid on the same day. Zhou Yi used a compass to check and found that the Dragon King Temple was located in the Qian position of the entire wetland park, with the Xingmin Reservoir covering tens of thousands of acres behind it. For the Dragon King, this was definitely a good location with good fortune and prosperity.

After leaving the wetland park, he first had lunch with a group of leaders in the town, and then drove to the construction site. The place where the Dragon King statue was dug out had been filled in and passed inspection, so the next step of construction could proceed.

At the same time, in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty, Gongsun Da Niang's family finally arrived in Chang'an after a long journey and moved into the house next to the Shen Wang Mansion in Daozheng Ward.

Grandma Gongsun rode her bicycle over and, upon seeing her parents and younger siblings, was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. She jumped off the bicycle, hugged her family, and cried and laughed at the same time. She even pinched her younger sister's cheek, making the little girl cry loudly.

Li Chengyi walked in with a protruding belly, followed by a group of maids who brought various daily necessities and some dishes:
"Welcome to your new home. As your neighbor, it is only right that I come to congratulate you. Please forgive any inconvenience caused."

Gongsun Da Niang's father, Gongsun Liang, was a musical instrument craftsman. Upon seeing Li Chengyi dressed in royal robes, he hurriedly tried to kneel and pay his respects, but Li Chengyi stopped him.

"We're all neighbors, so let's skip the formalities. Mr. Gongsun, I've just taken over a musical instrument workshop in the East Market, and I'm short of an experienced craftsman to oversee it. Why don't you come over and give me your opinion?"

The East Market is next to Daozheng Ward; you can reach the East Market by crossing the West Ward Gate. They are very close.

Working in the East Market means you can get home and have a hot meal in just a few minutes, which is much better than working in the Imperial City. Young officials from other places who come to the capital can only rent houses in the outer city and spend a lot of time commuting to and from get off work every day.

Gongsun Liang and his wife were deeply moved and thanked him repeatedly. Li Chengyi waved his hand.
“We’re neighbors, so we should help each other out. You two continue chatting, I’ll take my leave now. I have to go to the palace to have dinner with the Emperor Emeritus later.”

He showed off and then walked away with a flourish.

Knowing her parents had many questions, Aunt Gongsun handed out lollipops to her younger siblings, coaxing them out to play, before speaking:

"Now I am a maid of the gods. From the emperor to the merchants, everyone treats me very politely. Li Chengyi is not a bad person. I just need to honestly help him make musical instruments. As for other people's goodwill, I should refuse if I can, especially things like drinking. We must keep ourselves clean and not get involved in trouble."

These words deeply moved Gongsun Liang:
“My daughter has really grown up. The naughty little girl she used to be has now become the pillar of the family. My daughter, you have suffered.”

Aunt Gongsun chuckled:
"It's not bitter at all. Ever since I was taken in as a maid by the gods, everything I do has gone smoothly. If I suffer any grievances, I can go to the Three Pure Ones and other gods to complain. I feel much more comfortable than before."

Gongsun Liang getting a job relieved Gongsun Da Niang's mother.

"Daughter, how much did this house cost? Once we're settled, I'll find a job and try to earn as much money as possible."

Owning a three-courtyard house in the wealthy Chang'an area must cost a lot of money. The couple were worried that their daughter would have a hard time, so they wanted to earn money on the very first day they moved into their new home.

Gongsun Da Niang said:

"Don't worry about the money. Starting tomorrow, all the younger siblings except my little sister will go to Yiyuan Temple to study. I've prepared a tutor for them. Everyone should study together and not get distracted, or the gods will flick your forehead."

Gongsun Liang asked:
"Who is the one who enlightened him? Could it be that Prince Shen again?"

"No, it's his aunt." Gongsun Liang: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Goodness, my daughter has really hit the jackpot!
Just then, Gao Lishi led a group of eunuchs in, bringing some silk fabrics and various utensils, again citing the joy of moving to a new house, which left Gongsun Da Niang speechless.

This Li Sanlang joins in every kind of excitement. He'd rather kill more alien races than anything else. Other worlds are all killing alien races, but the Kaiyuan World is so lukewarm that it makes this fairy feel ashamed.

Gao Lishi had lived in the palace since childhood and was skilled at saying auspicious words, which made the Gongsun family beam with joy. Seeing that Gongsun's aunt was carrying a plastic bag, he asked curiously:

"Pomegranate Fairy, what's inside?"

“Cai Zi, the yard is too big, I plan to have my mother plant some fruits and vegetables. There are nearly two acres of open space in the backyard, where we can plant potatoes and Chinese cabbage to increase our winter vegetable storage.”

Upon hearing the names of these vegetables, Gao Lishi became excited:
"Fairy, do you have any extra seeds?"

"Yes, we do have them, but they're in Hunyuan Palace. I'll bring you some next time. These seeds are quite troublesome; they need to be offered and prayed before the statue of Shennong the Great before they can be brought here. It's a pity we missed the season, otherwise we could have planted some watermelons."

Gao Lishi quickly said:
"It's nothing, it's nothing. His Majesty plans to cultivate two hundred acres of fertile land in the Western Inner Garden as... experimental fields. If the fairy could obtain some seeds from the immortal master, the entire court would be eternally grateful!"

"Go back and have His Majesty write a letter requesting seeds. I will take it to the Immortal Master at Hunyuan Palace, and he will make arrangements after reading it."

Gao Lishi quickly wrote it down, intending to tell His Majesty upon returning to the palace, lest he miss the opportunity for the rise of the Tang Dynasty.

It was already noon when Li Bai rode his bicycle over and delivered two watermelons that had been chilled in the refrigerator for half a day, inviting Gao Lishi to eat with him.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, when Zhou Yi returned, Huo Qubing and Zhao Xu had already gone back with their weapons, armor, and steeds.

Wu Zetian was analyzing the strategy for establishing a base in the Yimeng Mountains for Xin Qiji, while Chen Tang, holding half a watermelon, was also analyzing the situation while eating it heartily.

Upon seeing Zhou Yi return, the three stopped and stood up to greet him.

The Book of Changes says:

"I was too busy at noon to come back. Are you all alright?"

Xin Qiji said:
"Her Majesty the Empress went to town and bought some food. We ate our fill, and Huo Qubing took the leftover fried dough sticks, braised pork, and other dishes with him. He said that Sima Qian really liked to eat the leftovers here."

Next, Wu Meiniang reported on Zhao Xu's plan to destroy the Liao Dynasty, and Zhou Yi immediately agreed:
"I'll buy some handicrafts online later. Since Hunyuan Palace is a Taoist temple, I can sell these kinds of items. When we finally destroy the Liao Kingdom's financial system, I'll buy a whole truckload and squeeze every last drop out of the Liao Kingdom."

Wars are fought on the economy; when the economy is weak, even the strongest army will become cannon fodder that collapses at the slightest touch.

In the evening, Xin Qiji and Chen Tang left one after the other, leaving only Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang in Hunyuan Palace. As the sun set and the statue of Shennong no longer needed offerings, Zhou Yi said to Wu Meiniang:
"Change into casual clothes, let's go to town for a meal, and while we're at it, let's talk to Zhao Wei about repairing the shack and reinforcing the fence."

When Zhou rode his motorcycle down the mountain with Wu Meiniang on the back, it was the construction site of the Yiyuan Palace in the world of Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty. Workers were returning home in twos and threes as dusk fell.

After a long day of hard work, it's time to go back, have a drink, and enjoy a hearty meal.

Bianliang during the Northern Song Dynasty was a typical city with high income and high consumption, but the standard of living was really good, and ordinary people could eat meat every day.

After the workers left, Zhao Ji, dressed in a Taoist robe, wandered around the construction site, collecting any tools he found that had been left behind.

Ever since he took on the task of building the Yiyuan Palace, he has been coming before dawn and leaving after dark, even more dedicated than the foreman.

As dusk fell, Zhao Ji finally finished touring the entire Yiyuan Palace. Just as he was about to ride away, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows and knelt down to pay his respects upon meeting him.

Zhao Ji was somewhat surprised. Only after shining a lantern on the light did he recognize Yang Jian, the eunuch and steward of the palace's back garden.

"What brings you here, Eunuch Yang?"

Although Zhao Ji had not yet formally taken vows, he already considered himself a Taoist priest and was even prepared to shamelessly display his Taoist register at the Yiyuan Palace. Now, upon suddenly seeing the people in the palace, he felt somewhat resistant.

Yang Jian bowed again, looked around, and asked in a low voice:
"Your Highness, the Great Song Dynasty is now in a precarious situation. If you do not step in to turn the tide, the century-old foundation of the Great Song Dynasty will be destroyed!"

Zhao Ji was somewhat puzzled:

"I have a lot of things to do. What exactly do you want to say?"

Yang Jian stepped forward, lowered his head, and asked softly in a seductive tone:

"Prince Duan, do you want to be the emperor?"

(End of this chapter)