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

Chapter 232 Zhao Ji: Art is an explosion! [Seeking monthly votes]

Inside Hunyuan Palace, Granny Gongsun spread a bunch of snacks on the Sanqing offering table, sat cross-legged on the futon, and started chatting with the Sanqing.

At the entrance of the Wu Cheng King's Palace, Li Bai, having nothing else to do, continued to carry out the farm tools brought by Xin Qiji.

Looking at the Goguryeo seal presented by Li Longji, Zhou Yi suddenly thought of the Goguryeo war that was about to break out during the Zhenguan era. He wondered if this war to destroy Goguryeo would go smoothly.

Once the Wu Cheng King Hall is vacated, offerings should be placed in front of the statue to give Li Jing a mystical buff.

In the evening, Zhou Yi added some cooked mutton to the broth from the boiled mutton, along with some Sichuan peppercorns, and made a mutton soup for everyone. The main dish was sesame flatbread, a classic Guanzhong style of cooking.

Gongsun Da Niang said with a smile:

"It felt like eating mutton in the East Market of Chang'an, but unfortunately there was no chili pepper, so it wasn't very satisfying."

Zhou Yi inquired about the religious reforms in Chang'an:

"It is said that there were more than 120 Buddhist temples in Chang'an. How many of them are closed now?"

Li Bai flipped through his phone's notes and said:

"More than twenty temples have been closed. Groups of monks have been driven out of the temples by the abbots. The number of monks is so large that troops have to be sent to guard them along the way. The imperial court has issued edicts to various places to severely restrict the number of religious personnel. Monks who have returned to secular life must return to their hometowns as soon as possible to start families and establish careers. They are prohibited from staying in temples in other places."

When the decree was first issued, Li Longji kept observing the situation in various temples, fearing that it would provoke a backlash from the monks.

There are hundreds of thousands of monks in the Guanzhong Plain, and together with their followers, they form a considerable force.

Unexpectedly, things went surprisingly smoothly. Many temples voluntarily increased the number of people they dismissed, returned excess farmland, and even donated some shops and houses to the state free of charge.

Several eminent monks also stepped forward to advise temples to focus on reading and preaching scriptures, and to stay away from money and fame.

In the past, monks would often beg for alms to gild the Buddha's statue and persuade believers to renounce their families and pursue bliss. This practice is now strictly prohibited.

Wu Meiniang asked:
"Master, what do you think is the best operating state for Buddhism?"

Zhou Yi recalled several important anti-Buddhist movements in history and expressed his thoughts:

"I think the best way out for temples is to become grassroots welfare organizations, to help people solve their problems, mediate conflicts, and use the influence of Buddhism to provide assistance to those in need."

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the imperial court was very wary of Taoism's ability to win the hearts and minds of the people, but was not worried about Buddhism's ability to win the hearts and minds of the people.

As a result, Buddhism did not put any effort into this, and the various persecutions of Buddhism had nothing to do with the people's will. Rather, it was because of their insatiable greed. They not only seized a large amount of money and land, but also attempted to control the court, going down a self-destructive path from which there was no turning back.

Upon hearing Zhou Yi's words, Li Bai put down his chopsticks, wrote them down, and returned to relay them to Li Longji, instructing his officials to study the feasibility of converting temples into grassroots welfare institutions.

As for the Buddhist community, cooperating with the imperial court offered them a chance to survive; otherwise, the persecution of Buddhism by Emperor Wuzong of Tang would have occurred decades earlier.

The Book of Changes reminds us:
"We can't just focus on Buddhism. Those charlatans in Taoism should also be dealt with, especially those who impersonate immortals and try to fool the emperor. Every single one of them should be eliminated."

If the biggest drawback of Buddhism is its pursuit of wealth, then the biggest drawback of Taoism is its deception of emperors about achieving immortality.

We can't just focus on Buddhism; we also need to regulate Taoism. If we let it run rampant, the harm it causes will be even greater than that caused by Buddhism.

After dinner, Wu Meiniang brought over a cup of hot tea. Just as Zhou Yi was about to rest for a while, Uncle Ming called:

"Master Yi, I'm going back to Quanzhou to move and take care of some properties there. When I return, I hope you can attend our housewarming banquet. Thank you very much."

Zhou Yi agreed:
"Okay, let me know in advance, and I'll give you a gift."

The housewarming banquet is like a potluck feast, where friends and relatives from all sides are invited to gather together for a lively meal after moving into a new house.

Uncle Ming's villa has been purified by Wang Lingguan and the Ziwei Emperor, so there's no need to add any other feng shui ornaments. However, you can get a peach wood print with the character "福" (fortune) carved on it to increase your good fortune.

The next day, Xi Shi arrived at the courtyard early in the morning with her bicycle. She brought a pile of bamboo scrolls and a stone tablet, which she placed in the hall of Xiao Penglai.

The stone tablet is very ancient, but I don't recognize any of the characters in the Book of Changes on it.
"Speaking of which, we should thank Qin Shi Huang. If he hadn't standardized the writing system and the width of carts, the writing systems of various countries would probably still be like this: you feel you recognize them, but you just can't read them."

Qin Shi Huang's achievements were not limited to establishing a unified country. He standardized writing, currency, weights and measures, and replaced the feudal system with the prefecture-county system. These influences have permeated the entire history of China, and even modern society is still benefiting from Qin Shi Huang's legacy.

As for the centralized system and the system of decentralization of government affairs that he established, even a thousand years from now, it will still be the core system of Chinese society.

From this perspective, it is unfair to judge Qin Shi Huang's achievements solely based on the length of his reign... For more than two thousand years, people have been following in his footsteps, and for this alone, he deserves the title of "First Emperor".

Li Bai liked the words very much and immediately made a rubbing of them on Xuan paper:

"Master, where is this monument located?"

Zhou Yi thought for a moment and said:
"Let's place it outside the Wu Cheng Wang Temple to add a sense of historical weight to the temple of Chinese military generals."

At this moment, Xi Shi asked a question:
"Master, Sun Tzu suggested I visit Tian Rangju in the State of Qi. Do you agree?" Zhou Yi countered.
"Do you want to go? If you do, I'll agree; if you don't, I won't force you."

Xi Shi nodded:
“I really enjoy the feeling of riding around on my bicycle. If you agree, I will go to the State of Qi, and then travel west from Qi to visit the States of Lu and Wei, look for Confucius, and finally wait for the Daoist Ancestor at Hangu Pass.”

Gongsun Da Niang asked:

"Sister Xi Shi, aren't you afraid to spend the night in the suburbs?"

Xi Shi shook her head:

“Every time I zip up the tent, I feel so safe. I’ve stayed in the wild so many times and no wild animals have come near me. It must be the Six Ding and Six Jia on the token protecting me… Immortal Master, may I thank them?”

This question really stumped Zhou Yi, because the Six Ding, Six Jia, and Four Duty Officers were all minor gods in the Heavenly Court's duty room, with very low ranks, and they had no divine positions in the Hunyuan Palace.

After thinking about it, he simply led Xi Shi to pay her respects to the Ziwei Emperor.

If you can't find the person in question, find their superior. It's like going to a hospital to present a banner to thank a doctor; don't give it directly to the doctor, but go to the medical affairs department. That way, the doctor will feel more honored.

As for the stone tablet, it's too heavy to move. Zhou Yi plans to buy a small car for moving other vehicles, specifically for transporting heavy objects like stone tablets and statues.

Wu Zetian opened her notebook, wrote down the names of Goujian and Fuchai, then crossed them out with a red pen, and sighed:
"If either Fuchai or Goujian had survived, they would have unified Wu and Yue, thus affecting the Central Plains. Now that Xi Shi has killed both of them, Wu and Yue are leaderless and will remain in this state for a long time to come."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Zhou Yi:
"Should we support a vassal state and then unify the Warring States period?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"Until a better path is found, it's better to let nature take its course. Forcible intervention might lead that world down a different path."

At noon, Zhou Yi led everyone in making dumplings. It was Xi Shi's first time participating in such an activity, and the dumplings she made looked like little pigs, which instantly restored Gongsun Da Niang's confidence.
"Haha, the dumplings made by the number one beauty in China are actually uglier than the ones I make. I feel better now."

Xi Shi was a little embarrassed and wanted to redo the work, but the more she wrapped, the worse it got.

Zhou Yi realized that he couldn't boil them, so he simply set up a frying pan and pan-fried the broken dumplings until they were cooked, allowing everyone to taste the deliciousness of pan-fried dumplings.

While everyone was enjoying dumplings, in the courtyard of the gunpowder workshop of the Military Equipment Bureau in a corner of Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhezong was living in peace.

Dressed in a Taoist robe, Emperor Huizong rolled up his sleeves and personally weighed the gunpowder with a steelyard balance. After weighing it, he compared it with a book titled "The Evolution of Gunpowder".

The book details the proportions and manufacturing methods of gunpowder.

For example, all powders need to be sifted, and egg whites need to be rubbed into small particles before drying, etc.

The book describes it in great detail, and Zhao Ji plans to try them one by one. Once he can develop a powerful bomb, the battle to attack Western Xia will become very simple.

The advent of artillery not only enabled them to attack fortified positions, but more importantly, it significantly boosted the morale of their own troops.

The military equipment inspector standing nearby didn't dare to breathe, afraid of disturbing Zhao Ji and triggering a series of explosions that would blow the two of them into the air.

After Zhao Ji finished weighing, he asked:
"Prince Duan, can this explosive be used to blow up the city gate of Ping'an County in one shot, just like Li Yunlong did when he attacked Ping'an County?"

Zhao Ji wiped his hands with his robe and said:

"I've told you so many times, my Taoist name is Xuanhe. You can call me Master Xuanhe or Xuanhezi. Don't call me Prince Duan anymore... The Italian cannon that Li Yunlong used to bomb Ping'an County seems to have nitroglycerin as its main gunpowder, which is much better than the black powder we're making now."

He looked through "The History of Gunpowder Evolution" and felt that studying nitroglycerin at present was a bit unrealistic. It would be more in line with the current situation of the Song Dynasty to focus on gunpowder.

Once a suitable ratio and appropriately sized particles are developed, the artillery technology of the Song Dynasty will make significant progress.

Then we can study the cluster bombs, exploding shells, and other types of artillery shells mentioned in the book.

Soon after, the gunpowder was thoroughly mixed, and Zhao Ji carefully poured it into a small porcelain bottle. He inserted a fuse into the bottle's mouth, sealed it tightly with a cloth, and then lit it in an empty brick house.

Everyone covered their ears and carefully hid themselves outside.

Soon, a violent explosion came from the room, the whole house shook, many tiles fell from the roof, the windows were destroyed by the shock wave, and several broken pieces of pottery were stuck in the willow tree next to it.

Inside the room, it was like hell on earth. Broken tiles were scattered everywhere, some even embedded deep in the walls. The whole room reeked of a strong, pungent smell of gunpowder, making it hard to breathe.

Zhi Junqijian was so excited that he rubbed his hands together.

"If this item were placed inside the fortified village of the Western Xia, the people inside would cease to exist. This item is truly a national treasure!"

Standing in the devastated room, Zhao Ji looked around and then, as if suddenly enlightened, said:
"Art is an explosion, and an explosion is art... Haha, I get it!"

(End of this chapter)