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

Chapter 224 Xi Shi Remains Silent, Yet Summons Thunder! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Zuili is located in the southwest of JX City. At the beginning of Goujian's reign, the Wu and Yue states fought the Battle of Zuili here. King Helü of Wu had his toes cut off by Ling Gu Fu, a minister of Yue, and died from his injuries.

Eighteen years have passed since the Battle of Zuili, and Goujian has served as a servant to Fuchai for two years. The status of the Wu and Yue states is now vastly different.

In fact, Goujian was able to survive because Wen Zhong bribed Bo Pi, the Grand Minister of Wu, which led to Goujian going to Wu as a servant and enduring hardship and humiliation.

Wu Zixu repeatedly advised Fuchai to destroy Goujian to prevent unforeseen circumstances, but Bo Pi assured him that Goujian would not cause trouble and would only be grateful.

Bo Pi was ordered to patrol the border this time to see what state the Yue Kingdom was in.

The territories of Wu and Yue were very close, separated only by Hangzhou Bay. Therefore, when Fan Li was ordered to build Kuaiji City, the side facing Wu was built short, small, and incomplete to lull the people of Wu into a false sense of security.

Bo Pi thought this was just another routine, aimless wandering, but unexpectedly he encountered a stunningly beautiful woman on the way. He was immediately captivated and ordered his followers to seize her.

Soon, a group of soldiers surrounded Xi Shi. Xi Shi wanted to find out where Sun Wu was, so she pushed her bicycle and came to Bo Pi's carriage.

Who are you?

"Xi Shi of Yue was ordered to go to Wu to visit Sun Tzu."

"Sun Tzu trained his troops on Mount Gusu... What is this thing you're pushing? Why have I never seen it before?"

Xi Shi lowered her head and said softly:

"This is called a bicycle. You can ride it like a horse. If you'd like to see it, I can ride it for you."

Bo Pi had indeed never seen anything like it before, and even the bag in the car seemed quite novel to him. However, this beautiful woman was now in his hands, and everything she owned belonged to him, Dazai.
"Then ride it. If it proves useful, I can petition the king to reward you."

Xi Shi had been waiting for these words. She calmly stepped onto her bicycle, pushed off, and sped off along the main road towards Suzhou. To increase her speed, she even stood up to pedal.

Bo Pi was so shocked his jaw almost dropped:

"It can actually run? Shouldn't two wheels tip over?"

He was completely baffled until his attendant whispered a reminder:
"Reporting to the Grand Chancellor, it seems she... has run away."

Bo Pi came to his senses and found that Xi Shi had already ridden her bicycle a mile away, and was getting faster and faster, about to disappear into the weeds ahead.

He didn't even bother inspecting the capital of Yue, and immediately issued an order:
"Chase it! If this item is presented to the King, everyone will be richly rewarded!"

This area is close to the heart of the Wu Kingdom. Although the road conditions are average, they are flat, which is a plus. Xi Shi was able to maintain a speed of over 15 kilometers per hour while riding her bicycle.

Although it can't compare to a road vehicle, its speed still far exceeds that of horse-drawn carriages during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Bo Pi realized that the further away they were getting, the more furious he became, and he kicked the carriage shaft violently.
"How could I have fallen for this woman's trick? Full speed ahead! Once I catch her, I'll make her pay!"

Xi Shi pedaled for two hours straight, leaving Bo Pi and the others a good ten or twenty miles behind. When she passed through a dense forest, she stopped to rest, opened her water bottle, drank some water, ate two Snickers bars to replenish her energy, and continued on her way after she had recovered.

The roads in Yue were in poor condition, or even nonexistent. So, the journey from Kuaiji to Zuili was only around Hangzhou Bay, yet it took her more than ten days to cycle there, and she had to push her bicycle through many places.

Now that we've entered the territory of Wu, the road conditions have improved considerably. Coupled with the mountain bike's powerful shock absorption, I wasn't too tired after driving for two hours straight. On the contrary, I experienced a sense of freedom while speeding along.

At the same time, inside the Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi looked at the Wu Cheng King's Hall, which was filled with grain and various farming tools, and asked Xin Qiji:
"Do we need to bring all of these?"

Xin Qiji, who had just climbed out of the main hall, nodded and said:

"It was only a part of the family. Some family members were also taken along. In addition to the Xin family members, there were also some friends and relatives who were on good terms with my family who went with us. Everyone could not stand the rule of the Jin people and could not wait for the court to launch a northern expedition, so they could only rely on themselves."

Zhou Yi felt that the phrase "self-reliance" was very apt:
"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. What you need to do next is to get everyone to give up their illusions, set lofty goals, and if necessary, create some miracles to increase everyone's confidence and hope."

"Master, rest assured, I will explain it clearly to everyone."

Zhou Yi looked at the farming tools from the Song Dynasty and said:

“These days are less busy, so I’ll buy you some more farm tools. Since we’re going to establish a new base, we need good tools. We should use them when necessary.”

As they were talking, a figure flashed by from the Wenxuanwang Hall next door, and the great female scholar Li Qingzhao came out.

This time she didn't push a bicycle, but carried a dozen or twenty scrolls:
"Master, these are all my master's calligraphic works. My father asked me to bring them all to present to you. He said that when my master returns, he will continue to write calligraphy for you."

Writing a few characters with a brush could bring about the rise of the Song Dynasty, expand its territory by thousands of miles, and create an invincible army... Given Su Dongpo's temperament, he wouldn't stop writing even if his arm swelled up.

Like Xin Qiji, he was a passionate man willing to exchange his literary talent for the prosperity of the court.

Unfortunately, what the Song Dynasty was best at was cooling down the enthusiasm of all kinds of hot-blooded men.

Zhou Yi led her to his room and put all the scrolls of calligraphy and painting in the cabinet... These things would turn into cultural relics if touched, so it was better to keep them as they were for the time being, which would also make them easier to store.

After carefully placing the scrolls of calligraphy and painting, Li Qingzhao took out a portable hard drive from her bag:
"Master, could you download some more movies and TV shows for us? My ministers come to my house every night to watch them. We'll finish watching 'Bright Sword' in a few days. What will we watch next?"

Zhou Yi felt that watching only anti-Japanese war dramas wasn't good, as it could easily lead the court officials to extremes. Sometimes, watching some historical dramas would be nice. With that in mind, he decided to download the CCTV version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to his external hard drive and give the Northern Song court officials a good history lesson, letting them see what kind of demeanor the Confucian scholars of that time possessed.

Even Sun Quan, who had the worst reputation at the end of the Han Dynasty, was still several levels above the court officials at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Xin Qiji mentioned Sun Zhongmou many times in his poems, not to praise how great Sun Quan was, but to say that even if Sun Quan had been there, the Southern Song Dynasty would not have ended up in such a miserable state.

The moral low point of the Three Kingdoms period became an unparalleled figure in the Southern Song Dynasty... It can only be said that corrupt scholars misled the country and its people, causing immense harm.

When Li Qingzhao heard that Xin Qiji had moved his entire clan to the Yimeng Mountains, she asked curiously:

Will the Jin people let you go?

Xin Qiji said:
“I have sold all the farmland and houses of the entire clan to the relatives of the Jin people. They can’t wait for us to leave. When autumn comes, I will return to Jinan and empty the granaries near the Xin family’s ancestral home, just to collect some interest in advance.”

Well, the discounts offered on the houses were all recouped through grain purchases. To be honest, Xin Qiji was someone who never suffered a loss.

The Book of Changes reminds us:
"Be careful along the way, make necessary arrangements, and gather as many refugees as possible. As long as we can reach the Yimeng Mountains safely, it will be a victory."

This is how Xin Qiji planned it:

“Whenever we arrive at a new base, we will recruit refugees under the pretext of land reclamation. The gold coins of each family will be useless once we arrive at the new base. We plan to spend them all along the way to gather as many people as possible.”

After the brief introduction, Xin Qiji returned home. His clansmen had already set off, and he wanted to catch up with them to prevent anyone from backing out.

Before leaving, Zhou Yi gave him some handicrafts he had bought wholesale, telling him to exchange them for food or money along the way.

After Xin Qiji left, Zhou Yi went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Li Qingzhao took a nice hot bath, dried her hair with a hairdryer, changed into jeans, canvas shoes, and a white T-shirt, and transformed into a modern beauty.

"Master, do I look like a high school student?"

Zhou Yi glanced at the girl and shook his head, saying:

"Not really. High school doesn't allow earrings and hair accessories. A simple ponytail is fine, it looks clean, fresh, young and beautiful."

At noon, the two had a spicy hot pot meal, and Li Qingzhao told them about Emperor Zhao Xu's personal military expedition:

"Did emperors in history personally lead military campaigns? I think this part of history is written vaguely."

The Book of Changes says:

"There is no such statement in historical records, but he commanded several major battles. Before his death, he also planned to personally lead an expedition to Helan Mountain. He personally told Zeng Bu, 'When the snow melts in spring, I will personally lead an expedition to Helan Mountain.' Unfortunately, he passed away before he could carry it out."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingzhao sighed:
"What a pity! I hope the Emperor can finally realize his long-cherished wish of herding horses in the Helan Mountains this time!"

After the meal, Li Qingzhao took the initiative to wash the dishes, while Zhou Yi opened a wholesale app, intending to buy some farm tools wholesale.

Meanwhile, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Xi Shi rode her way until noon and, through her binoculars, discovered a pass ahead, which must have been built to defend against the Yue people.

Xi Shi pushed her cart into the nearby woods, first cooked herself a bowl of noodles, mixed it with the fried sauce made by Zhou Yi, and enjoyed a delicious meal. Then she changed into a Taoist robe, dressed as a Taoist priest, and pushed her bicycle to the front of the pass.

The garrison commander found her somewhat strange:
"Where did you come from, you sorcerer?"

"They came from the State of Yue, on orders to visit General Sun Tzu."

After speaking, Xi Shi presented the Yue Kingdom's official document. The guard glanced at it and was about to let them pass when one of Bo Pi's attendants rode up on horseback, panting, and said:

"Do not let this vixen leave! She has tricked the Grand Chancellor; her crime is unforgivable!"

Upon hearing this, the garrison commander ordered his men to surround Xi Shi. As for how to deal with her, a decision would have to be made when Grand Tutor Bo Pi arrived.

After waiting for almost an hour, Bo Pi finally arrived by carriage via a side road, exhausted and panting heavily.

The journey was so bumpy that he felt like his whole body was about to fall apart.

However, upon seeing Xi Shi, Bo Pi's exhaustion vanished instantly.

"Go ahead and run, why aren't you running anymore?"

Xi Shi didn't even glance at him, but took out the Hunyuan Palace token from her bosom and said to the guard:

"I am a deity, watch closely."

After saying that, she pointed the token at Bo Pi, who had just jumped off the carriage. A bolt of lightning instantly fell from the sky, turning Bo Pi into a charred corpse.

Xi Shi pointed the token at the guard:

"Drive me to Gusu Mountain to see Sun Wu, or your fate will be the same as Bo Pi's!"

(End of this chapter)