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

Chapter 244 Wang Mang: If the Crown Prince becomes my disciple, I will recognize him as my godfather! [Seeking monthly votes]

Upon hearing that she was allowed to participate in the war, Li Qingzhao was overjoyed and happily went to take a bath.

After she finished showering, as she was drying her hair with the hairdryer, she suddenly realized:
"Master, what you mean by 'luring the snake out of its hole' isn't going to mean I'll be chased by dogs, is it?"

Zhou Yi patted his chest and guaranteed:

"Don't worry, I won't let you get hurt. I'll take you to buy new clothes and a little electric scooter later. Then you can ride your little electric scooter all over Bianliang and have a blast."

Upon hearing about the reward, the top female talent immediately perked up and decided to challenge her weakness.

She took out her phone and handed it to Zhou Yi:

"The memorandum contains things that our world needs. Immortal Master, could you please buy all of these things first?"

Zhou Yi took it, saw the densely packed items in the memo, and immediately opened the online shopping app to make the purchases according to the list.

Standard weights are numerous and are usually sold in sets. Zhou Yi chose a shop and bought six sets, ranging from 1-gram weights to 100-kilogram weights.

These weights, once transported to the ancient world, could be used to calibrate various weighing devices in the military arsenal, enabling the adoption of new weights and measures, which would be very convenient for both research and the customization of standard parts.

In addition to weights, I also bought several sets of standard rulers and standard containers of various sizes.

Zhou Yi bought things one by one, while Li Qingzhao tied her hair into a ponytail with a rubber band, stood behind him, and carefully learned the online shopping process.

As she watched, the girl wanted to try it too. Zhou Yi installed an online shopping app on her phone, registered an account, and linked his Alipay account.

With everything ready, he set a limit for password-free payments, then tossed his phone to the talented woman and told her to go and study it.

After purchasing all the items, Zhou Yi checked the time and decided to drive the two beauties down the mountain. They had lunch in town and then went to an electric vehicle store to buy Li Qingzhao and Wu Meiniang each a high-performance electric vehicle with good shock absorption.

Li Qingzhao planned to ride around Bianliang City after returning home; after all, a fairy must be ethereal and otherworldly.

While the two were learning to ride bikes in town, Zhou Yi went to a safety equipment store and bought a bunch of safety gloves, rubber gloves, stab-proof gloves and other supplies for Zhao Ji and the others.

As for other equipment, all the necessary parts have been provided.

Once the wind power equipment arrives, it will be combined with photovoltaic panels to form a wind-solar power generation system, providing a certain amount of electricity to the Ordnance Supervision Bureau.

It must be made clear that no electrical appliances can be used with gunpowder, lest Zhao Ji kill himself before he even blows up the Western Xia people.

In addition to using electricity scientifically, we also need to take precautions from a metaphysical perspective. We should bring some peace-keeping amulets and statues of the Fire God to maximize the safety level from a metaphysical point of view.

The reason for choosing this deity is that the Fire God is in charge of the fire of the three realms. Wherever he is worshipped, the fire will burn brightly where it is meant to be, and where it is not meant to be, not a single spark will appear.

Compared to using water to extinguish a fire, it is safer to control the fire at its source.

On the other side, in the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty.

Chen Tang glanced at the dilapidated courtyard, took out his phone and snapped a few photos. He then said to his wife, who was wiping away tears:

"My wife, don't cry. Haven't you been looking forward to moving to a new house and a big mansion? Now our family is moving to the Left General's Mansion, a large mansion with several courtyards. Without someone to guide us, we'd all get lost."

Chen Tang's wife, Zhang, looked at the cramped courtyard and sighed:
"We got married here and had Feng'er here. Now that we have to leave, I am very reluctant to part with her."

Looking back, Chen Tang used to sit in the courtyard, thinking about who to give gifts to, how to find some money to give as gifts, and hoping to find a job.

While at home unemployed, Zhang hoped every day that her husband could get a good job, but when the imperial edict for the position of deputy commander of the Western Regions came down, she was filled with reluctance.

The Western Regions were so far away; she was terrified that something might happen to her husband.

Now, the family's fortunes have turned around. Chen Tang is riding on horseback, and Zhang Shi is holding Chen Feng in the carriage. The family is heading towards the Left General's Mansion.

Yesterday afternoon, Chen Tang visited Liu Xiang's home and brought two stacks of Xuan paper... Liu Xiang only used half a sheet of the Xuan paper that was sent last time, and put the rest away as an offering.

The paper money is meant to be worshipped; it would be a waste to use it.

At Liu Xiang's house, Chen Tang talked about many things, including the Five Barbarian Invasions. Upon hearing this, the great scholar suddenly drew his sword, wanting to join the army and fight on the battlefield.

As a member of the imperial family and having served as the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, he can be considered a true descendant of the Liu family.

Liu Xiang was demoted to commoner status for offending Shi Xian. Now that Shi Xian is dead, Chen Tang will soon submit a memorial to His Majesty requesting that Liu Xiang's status as a member of the imperial clan be restored and that he be reinstated as Grand Master of the Imperial Clan.

In addition, the Wuwei prefect who recently went to great lengths to curry favor with the Qiang people will be dismissed and replaced by a hardliner to take charge of Wuwei.

The next step is to submit a memorial to the court, hoping that His Majesty will transfer Xin Qingji to the Western Regions to serve as the Protector-General of the Western Regions, so that he can wreak havoc on the foreign tribes.

Chen Tang rode on his horse, pondering the affairs of the court as he went.

Before long, they arrived at the Left General's residence.

He had barely dismounted when someone delivered a visiting card:
"The Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry hopes to pay a visit to General Zuo tomorrow."

Chen Tang took the visiting card and looked at it:
"Go back and tell General Chariot and Cavalry that I will be going to the Immortal's Cave tomorrow and will not have time to receive you. I will arrange a banquet to welcome you back when I return." Tomorrow is the day to return to Hunyuan Palace. Not to mention Xu Jia's visiting card, even if it were Liu Shi's imperial edict, he would still put it aside.

No sooner had the messenger left than Crown Prince Liu Ao rode up on a fast horse.
"My esteemed teacher moved to a new house without informing me. Isn't that treating his students like outsiders?"

Chen Tang said with a smile:

"There's only a cart full of stuff, no need for help. But since you're here, let's have dinner together later, and I'll let you try the new cooking I learned at the Immortal's Cave."

Liu Ao dismounted, bowed to his teacher's wife in the carriage, and then began to help move things.

At the same time, in Wang Feng's residence, Wang Mang knelt before his uncle, explaining his plans:

"I wish to become General Zigong's godfather. I humbly request your permission, Uncle."

Upon hearing the word "godfather," Wang Feng was somewhat surprised:

"My Wang family is large and prosperous, with many members. Do we need to recognize an outsider as our godfather?"

Today, the news that Kuang Heng recognized Zhizhi Chanyu as his adoptive father is all over the place. At this time, his recognition of Chen Tang as his adoptive father could easily lead people to have negative associations.

Wang Mang replied:

"General Zigong's ideas are contrary to those of the Wang family. Given time, he will surely split up the Wang family and distribute the land under his name to the people... If we do not want to lose everything, we can only try to build a relationship with General Zigong and gain military merit."

Wang Tan and Wang Chong scoffed at these words, but Wang Feng and Wang Yin frowned and fell into deep thought.

Wang Yin was Wang Feng's cousin, or paternal cousin. Historically, before his death, Wang Feng appointed Wang Yin as Grand Marshal, instead of his brothers who only knew how to compete and enjoy themselves.

It's clear that in Wang Feng's mind, her cousin Wang Yin was much more reliable than her own brothers.

After much deliberation, Wang Feng finally agreed to Wang Mang's request:

“Alright, I will personally discuss this with Chen Zigong when I have time. If he agrees, Mang’er will stay by his side and try to find out more about the immortal’s plans. It would be best if my Wang family could also get in touch with the immortal.”

Seeing Chen Tang swaggering around in the court, he was furious.

The fact that Gan Yanshou was appointed as the General of the Guards also made Wang Feng extremely uncomfortable.

As one of the Nine Ministers, the Commandant of the Guards was responsible for controlling the Southern Army and, together with the Grand Master of Ceremonies who controlled the Northern Army, protecting the safety of the imperial court.

As a result, now there is a General of the Guards who can directly control the Northern and Southern Armies. The defenses inside and outside the palace are all under Gan Yanshou's control, and Wang Feng, the Commandant of the Guards, has been effectively sidelined.

Gan Yanshou was experienced and capable, and was now a highly sought-after figure in Chang'an City, so Wang Feng dared not say a word.

But swallowing this insult was impossible; he was constantly looking for an opportunity to gain enough power to restore the Wang family's former glory.

Unfortunately, Wang Feng had no idea that one of Chen Tang's political propositions was to severely restrict the influence of maternal relatives. Historically, the "five generals and ten marquises" of the Wang family would never appear again in this lifetime.

The best outcome for the Wang family is to go to the battlefield and earn military merit. If they don't even have that courage, then the Wang family will soon be submerged in the long river of history.

When the Wang family plotted to seek benefits by siding with Chen Tang, Marquis Wang Shang of Lechang led his men to confiscate the homes of Kuang Heng, Shi Xian, and Fan Yanshou, and all the fertile fields and houses occupied by the three clans were confiscated.

The three men's accomplices and students will also be investigated and punished... In short, it's a major political purge.

The next morning, Chen Tang changed into his official robes, and under the watchful eyes of his wife and children, he took a step and disappeared from the spot, reappearing at the main gate of Hunyuan Palace.

As soon as he appeared, he saw Li Qingzhao riding a brand-new pink electric scooter, carrying Aunt Gongsun, whooshing past him in a flash.

Good heavens, the main entrance has become a traffic hazard zone?

He strolled into the courtyard and saw Li Bai practicing swordsmanship, Wu Meiniang reading aloud, and Zhou Yi making breakfast in the kitchen.

"Oh, a meritorious official of the Han Dynasty has arrived?"

Zhou Yi was making egg pancakes when he saw Chen Tang and asked with a smile about the changes in the Yuan Emperor's world.

Chen Tang vividly recounted how Kuang Heng was struck by lightning, how Shi Xian and Fan Yanshou were tortured to death, and then he mentioned his new official position:
"Now I am the Left General of the Great Han Dynasty, holding the same official position as Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, at the end of the Han Dynasty. I hope I don't pick up his habit of crying."

Zhou Yi felt it was best not to say this in the Temple of the God of Wealth, otherwise, given Old Guan's temper, he might make you penniless.

When it was time to eat, Li Qingzhao and Gongsun Da Niang rode back on their bicycles, bringing some fried dough sticks, fried cakes, and other snacks... The two of them raced around town and back to test the range of their electric bicycles.

Wu Zetian said:
“If Sister Gongsun likes it, you can ride this one back first. But don’t cause any trouble in Chang’an City, because you are representing the Immortal Master’s face.”

"Don't worry, Sister Meiniang, I will definitely be good."

That's what they said. Right after finishing her meal, the girl swaggered into the main hall of the temple, carrying several fried cakes, intending to have a heart-to-heart talk with the Buddha.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yi led Wu Meiniang to the Sanqing Palace, took out the Bagua abacus, and prepared to use the captured thousand-year-old dog soul to deduce the location of the tomb raiders, and then set up an ambush there.

Wild ginseng is as precious as wild ginseng; it can escape if you're not careful, so you must seize the opportunity!
(End of this chapter)