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

Chapter 207 Thunderous Roars in the Song Dynasty Palace! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

“Master, there is a leaf here.”

Wu Zetian, with her sharp eyes, spotted the leaves on the offering table and quickly stepped inside to pick them up, afraid they would be blown away by the wind.

Zhou Yi took the leaf and looked at it from left to right. The golden leaf seemed to be made of gold, but it felt like a real leaf to the touch, as if it had just been picked from the tree.

The leaves are perfect, with clear veins and a thick texture, very similar to the purple leaves of the Buddha and the red leaves given by Wang Lingguan.

"Why would the Ziwei Emperor give me a leaf out of the blue?"

Zhou Yi recalled the circumstances of the two previous times he obtained the leaf. The time with Wang Lingguan was the incident of borrowing money for longevity. Wu Meiniang burned the envelope for borrowing money for longevity in front of Wang Lingguan, and soon a red leaf appeared on the offering table.

Later, through chatting with Hu Lijun, I learned that a department director at the municipal psychiatric hospital had been scattering money around to borrow money for his birthday, and was eventually disqualified from practicing medicine and dismissed from the hospital.

Red leaves can protect one from all mental attacks, and even in illusions, they can keep the mind clear. They have now become Zhou Yi's protective charm.

The purple leaf came from when Gongsun Da Niang killed Hui Fan and bargained with the Buddha statue, and the Buddha gave her a leaf.

It's still unclear what the purple leaf is used for, as there's never been an opportunity to use it, so the leaf can only lie quietly in the modern Chinese dictionary.

Wu Meiniang asked:
"I recently obtained so many amulets that supposedly bring peace and safety, are there any problems with those amulets?"

Zhou Yi took out his phone and checked the construction machinery discussion group. The excavator operators and drivers were debating whether gasoline trucks or electric trucks were more economical, and no unexpected incidents occurred.

If anyone's excavator overturns or gets stuck, it will definitely become the hot topic in the group... These guys who love to watch the drama unfold would love to go to the space station to spread the word about their colleague's embarrassing incident.

After reading the group messages, Zhou Yi took out some copper coins to perform a divination, then shook his head and said:

"It's not a problem with the peace charm; it must be related to the ancient world."

Speaking of this, Wu Zetian's thinking suddenly broadened considerably:

"The Ziwei Emperor governs the Ziwei Emperor Star, a star position closely related to the emperor. Now that the Ziwei Emperor has descended with divine leaves, could it be related to the emperors?"

Zhou Yi was a person who took things as they came and was willing to give up if he couldn't understand something. However, he found that Wu Meiniang was quite curious, so he led Her Majesty the Empress to the Sanqing Hall, brought out the Bagua abacus, and began to divine in front of the statues of the Three Pure Ones.

The divination results came out quickly:
"It's related to Zhao Xu. We'll know what happened when he and Li Qingzhao return."

Upon learning that the incident did not occur in the Zhenguan World, Wu Meiniang decided to stay a few more days until the statue of Houtu Niangniang was consecrated before returning home.

The two returned to the courtyard, took showers, and went to their rooms to read and rest.

The next morning, Zhao Wei led the town's construction team up. They drove two trucks, which were loaded with building materials such as sheet metal, steel pipes, and triangular iron.

Zhao Wei drove his small excavator to the back of the mountain and, seeing horse manure on the ground, asked curiously:

"Does anyone raise horses over there on the back hill? The fence really needs to be reinforced. If big animals run in, the vegetables you grow in your yard won't even be enough to fill their teeth."

After saying that, Zhao Wei operated the excavator to start digging a trench in preparation for laying the steel mesh fence.

After finishing these tasks, he dug a trench near the Taoist temple to build a shack, which could be built with corrugated iron sheets for nearly 100 meters.

A water trough will be built in the shed for the livestock to drink from, and a septic tank will be dug to put horse manure in to ferment, and then spread on the vegetable garden as fertilizer.

Zhou Yi's public statement was that he raised some chickens and ducks, and he would indeed buy some chicks and ducklings, but most of them would be sent to the ancient world for crossbreeding, rather than left in the Hunyuan Palace.

Modern chickens and ducks have been carefully bred over many generations. There are significant differences between broiler chickens and laying hens. If these young chickens were transported to the ancient world, they could greatly improve the chickens and ducks of that time.

As for viruses... just bring a few talismans and let the chickens and ducks drink the talisman water.

If you can solve a problem with metaphysics, then use metaphysics; if metaphysics can't solve it, then use science... Always prioritize saving money.

In fact, Zhou Yi has made quite a bit of money recently, with cash on hand exceeding one million. However, he still needs to be frugal where possible. As the saying goes, "Ride a bicycle to a bar, save where you should, spend where you should," and use your resources wisely.

While everyone was working hard here, the world under Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty presented a completely different picture.

Li Gefei hadn't slept all night, and now he discreetly yawned twice during the court meeting, then applied some refreshing medicated oil to his temples.

After discussing all sorts of trivial matters, it was finally his turn to speak:
"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

He recounted the events leading up to the assassination attempt on Prince Duan the previous day, and then produced Yang Jian's confession as well as the confessions of Lü Jiawen and others.

Under the influence of the wicked monk Zhang Huaisu, this group of people conceived the idea of ​​establishing a new emperor, and actually put it into action.

Zhang Huaisu, a historical figure, once visited Bianliang during the reign of Emperor Zhezong. He called himself the "Flower-Interlacing Monk" and claimed to know five hundred years before and five hundred years after. Unfortunately, the New Party was busy expanding its territory and repairing water conservancy projects, so no one paid him any attention, and he had to return to Yangzhou.

After Zhao Ji ascended the throne, he heard that the emperor was a devout follower of Taoism, so he immediately grew his hair back and returned to secular life, calling himself the "Unconventional Taoist," and claimed to be able to command birds and beasts and possess great supernatural powers.

During Emperor Huizong's reign, the atmosphere in the court gradually shifted from pragmatism to abstract thinking, and Zhang Huaisu's rhetoric immediately gained popularity. The ministers in the court treated him as an honored guest, and even the brothers Cai Jing and Cai Bian often invited Zhang Huaisu to their residences for a grand reception.

Over time, Zhang Huaisu actually found being an emperor quite easy and decided to install one for fun. He promoted the idea in Bianliang that Jiankang (Kaifeng) possessed the aura of an emperor, and the Lü Jiawen family, Deng Xunwu, Cai Bian, and others all supported him. However, the plot was quickly exposed, and he was arrested and executed. Zhang Huaisu was beheaded and his head displayed in public, and dozens of people were implicated and executed. Some court officials, although pardoned, were repeatedly demoted and died far from home.

Li Gefei never expected that the emperor would curry favor with a deity, and the increasingly tense situation in the court would ironically allow this wicked monk to succeed on his first trip to the capital.

Last night, he sent men to arrest Zhang Huaisu and put him in the Ministry of Justice prison. They subjected him to a standard interrogation procedure, and the guy confessed to everything he had ever done, including the time he helped a group of noblewomen in Yangzhou to "bless" them.

Coincidentally, his supporter, the wife of Jian Xuchen, the prefect of Yangzhou, who was also the daughter of Lü Jiawen, was also blessed by Zhang Huaisu, and several times in a row... Before dawn, Jian Xuchen had earned the title of "Prefect of the Tortoise Slave".

After Li Gefei finished explaining the case, the entire court immediately became as lively as a market, with everyone whispering and discussing it. They never expected that such a shocking revelation would take place during this ordinary court meeting.

As the courtiers were engaged in heated discussion, Zhao Ji, dressed in a Taoist robe, stepped forward, approached the imperial desk, and, pressing his hand on a brass token, loudly swore an oath:

"I, Zhao Ji, swear here today that no matter what the situation in the court becomes, I will never covet the throne in this lifetime. If I ever have such an improper thought, I will surely be punished by Heaven!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a muffled clap of thunder sounded above the hall, startling all the officials into silence.

Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Ji, his heart filled with mixed emotions:
"I certainly believe you, my dear brother, there's no need for that!"

Zhao Ji gave him a carefree smile, then swore an oath:

"From this day forward, I, Zhao Ji, sever ties with the royal family and will no longer enjoy any royal privileges. For the rest of my life, I will serve the immortals in the Yiyuan Palace, no longer getting involved in court disputes or concerning myself with royal affairs. May Heaven and Earth bear witness!"

The sound had barely faded when another rumble of thunder echoed in the sky. Zhao Xu jumped to his feet, instinctively wanting to slap his younger brother, but this time he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Brother, why must you do this?!"

Zhao Ji said with a smile:

“I’m stupid and I’m always worried that people will use this against me to manipulate my brother. But I don’t have to worry about that now. Take care, brother. If you want to beat me up again, you’ll have to go to Yiyuan Palace.”

After saying this, he bowed to his beloved elder brother and turned to leave the court.

As if they had planned it together, after Zhao Ji left, the other princes also swore that they would never covet the throne in their lives and only wanted to be carefree princes.

Each oath was accompanied by a rumble of thunder. Early in the morning, thunder rumbled over the Chui Gong Hall, and it took a long time to stop.

Now that's settled, all the princes of Zhao Xu's generation have sworn not to covet the throne, and the court officials can no longer think about establishing another emperor.

When the sun was high in the sky, the morning court session finally came to an end.

Zhao Xu issued an edict that all officials who committed offenses would be jointly tried and convicted by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel... He was worried that Li Gefei would not be able to draft the charges well, so he also asked Cai Jing, the Minister of Personnel, to participate.

After the morning court session, just as Zhao Xu was about to return to the inner palace and have everyone swear an oath, Li Gefei suddenly caught up with him and slipped a note into his hand:

"There is still one member involved in the rebellion, but I am unable to investigate him. I request Your Majesty to make the decision personally."

Zhao Xu took the note and glanced at it; an angry expression immediately appeared on his face.

"The Empress Dowager of my Great Song Dynasty really loves to interfere in state affairs!"

Meanwhile, in the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou traveled day and night and finally arrived at Guzang County, the capital of Wuwei Commandery. Before they even reached the city gate, they saw that the road ahead was swept clean, with colorful flags one after another, and crowds of people lined up to welcome them on both sides of the road.

Chen Tang was somewhat surprised:

"Wow, is this a welcome?"

Gan Yanshou looked through the binoculars and said:

"That doesn't seem likely. They didn't react at all when they saw us. Could it be that some important official from the court passed through here?"

The two walked forward, muttering to themselves. Just as they were about to ask what had happened, several constables shoved and pushed them off their horses.

"Distinguished guests from the Qiang ethnic group are coming! Dismount and move aside immediately! If you offend our distinguished guests, you'll be going to jail!"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Tang's blood pressure soared to over 200.

Fearing he might suddenly kill someone, Gan Yanshou spurred his horse forward, suppressing his anger as he asked:

"A mere Qiang person dares to call themselves an honored guest?"

Chen Tang didn't waste any words and instructed his attendants behind him:

"Put on your armor, change horses, and form a charging formation!"

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(End of this chapter)