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

Chapter 248 He actually sprinkled water on the street! Yan Zhenqing is very polite! [Requesting monthly votes]

The world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, the Left General's Mansion.

Like an electrician, Chen Tang set up the solar panels he brought in the yard and even had someone bring stones to secure the tripod supporting the panels to prevent them from being blown over by the wind.

Liu Ao rolled up his sleeves and squatted down to help with the screws. It was the first time he had ever seen screws and nuts, and he had to tighten each one several times, having a great time.

Liu Xin, maintaining the reserved attitude expected of a scholar, watched from the sidelines with his sleeves tucked in, wanting to make a move but afraid of causing trouble.

After all the power generation panels were installed, Chen Tang connected them together with the matching wires, and finally dug a trench in the ground to bury the cables and lead them into the room.

Once the cable is connected to the indoor power storage station, the electricity can be used.

Chen Tang pulled out an electrical cord, plugged it into a socket, and powered on the automatic oscillating fan. For the first time, Liu Ao and Liu Xin felt the cool breeze brought by technology.

"General Zigong, what else can this thing be used for besides blowing wind?"

Liu Xin followed the oscillation of the fan, moving left and right, trying to figure out the principle behind it, but the more she looked, the more confused she became, unable to understand how it was implemented.

Chen Tang said:

"The core component of a fan is the motor. This thing can be used to pump water, grind flour, forge steel, cut, lift... Basically, anything you can think of or can't think of, a motor can do. As long as there is electricity, it is invincible."

After saying that, he opened a cardboard box, took out a pendant energy-saving light bulb, carefully hung it on the beam of the room, plugged it into the socket, turned on the temporary switch on the wire, and the light suddenly turned on.

The white light illuminated the room brightly, and Liu Xin looked on with envy.
"Reading under this lamp after sunset would surely be very pleasant, Your Highness. What do you think?"

Liu Ao hated reading, but he couldn't show it, so he could only vaguely agree:
"Yes, besides reading, you can also play pitch-pot, which is much better than oil lamps and candles."

Fearing that Liu Xin might discuss Confucian classics, he quickly slipped away and went to the courtyard to study the Divine Arm Bow.

Chen Tang reminded him:
"That's a sample, you can't touch it. Next time I'll bring you a set of compound bows to play with, to set a martial example for the courtiers."

After setting up the appliances, Chen Tang opened a box of sandwich cookies and gave one pack each to Liu Ao and Liu Xin.
"Try it, this is a gift from the gods."

Liu Ao accepted it with both hands, bowed, and expressed his gratitude:
"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Immortal Master."

Liu Xin had only come to visit and hadn't thought about becoming a disciple, but since the Crown Prince had taken the lead, he had no choice but to follow suit and greet him as his master.

And just like that, Chen Tang easily gained another apprentice.

One of his disciples was a future emperor, and the other was a future great Confucian scholar. Their status and the power of public opinion were both in the hands of his own people.

While the two young men were eating cookies, Chen Tang planned to instill in Liu Ao some examples of how maternal uncles and aunts are not close, and to lead him astray as possible before his values ​​were fully formed.

Before he could even speak, Liu Ao asked first:
"May I ask my esteemed teacher, what were my uncles doing during the Shi Kuang Rebellion? As generals, why didn't they stop Shi Xian and Kuang Heng?"

Chen Tang sighed dramatically, patted Liu Ao on the shoulder, and said earnestly:
"Your Highness, you must think this through carefully. Before you do, you must think this through carefully."

He originally just wanted to imitate Zhang Beihai's father and make a reference to "The Three-Body Problem," but Liu Xin immediately understood:
"The emperor's brother-in-law and others stood idly by for their own interests, turning a blind eye to the humiliation suffered by the empress... Master, was I right?"

It wasn't just a correct guess; he was practically the perfect straight man... Chen Tang never expected that Liu Xin was so good at pick-and-roll coordination. He had barely started when Liu Xin had already figured out the core idea.

As expected of a great Confucian scholar, his mind is indeed very sharp.

Liu Ao looked completely incredulous:

"My uncle isn't that kind of person!"

Chen Tang did not refute, but instead said:

"Whether it is or not, you need to observe more. For example, now that Lao Gan has become General Wei, it will inevitably infringe on your uncle's power. If he really cares about you, he should put the overall situation first. But is that what he is doing?"

Liu Ao thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook his head dejectedly:
"This morning he went to the palace and cried to his mother, saying that his official position had been taken away and that he hoped his mother would intervene and ask his father to grant him the position of prime minister, or transfer him to the position of grand marshal. He also said that Wei Qing and Huo Qubing were both grand marshals back then, and that he and Xu Jia could also be both grand marshals, and that he did not seek exclusive favor."

No, it sounds like they've suffered a huge loss!
Chen Tang felt that Wang Feng was really impatient. Both thunder and rain were expressions of imperial favor, so how could he be so picky?

Liu Xin sighed like a little adult:
"Your Majesty's brother-in-law is being a bit... I've heard that His Majesty has been fond of the Prince of Dingtao for the past two years. This move to demand an official position will only make His Majesty more annoyed, and it will also implicate the Crown Prince. Which is unwise!"

This assist almost made Chen Tang shout "Bravo!" He took out two jars of pickled cowpea noodle sauce and gave them to his two apprentices, saying meaningfully:

"Some relatives are true relatives, while others are just flies that suck blood. You two must distinguish between them in the future and not be deceived by superficial kinship."

Just then, the gatekeeper brought over a visiting card:
"Tomorrow, the Commandant of the Guards will bring Wang Mang to pay a visit."

Chen Tang took the visiting card and glanced at it, immediately feeling as if Dong Zhuo had possessed him:
"Wang Mang wants to acknowledge me as his godfather? Is this kid's main weapon the halberd? Why did he suddenly think of finding a godfather?" But remembering that he had a token, Chen Tang decided to meet this young upstart and, if given the chance, make him swear an oath to be a loyal general of the Han Dynasty for life... Transforming a usurper into a loyal subject would also be a reward for merit, right?
As darkness fell, Chen Tang used the frozen meatballs he had brought to make a spicy mixed dish for his two apprentices, Liu Ao and Liu Xin, who ate it with gusto, gasping for breath.

Two young boys from the Western Han Dynasty discovered for the first time that there was actually spicy food in the world.

After leaving the Left General's residence, Liu Xin returned home and told Liu Xiang what he had seen and heard, to which Liu Xiang praised him repeatedly.
"I was worried that Zigong would become a powerful minister like Huo Guang, but now it seems that I was overthinking it."

On the other side, after Liu Ao returned to the palace, he found his mother, the famous Empress Zhengjun, who was known for supporting her brother. He begged her not to do anything for her uncle's official position, as the gods had already warned her that if she persisted, it would inevitably jeopardize the throne.

Wang Zhengjun wouldn't care about anything else, but if it affected Liu Ao's succession, then forget about it; everything was for her son's throne.

Wang Zhengjun holds a rather unique position in the entire history of China. This "brother-supporting demon" single-handedly raised the Wang family to power, yet watched helplessly as Wang Mang usurped the throne.

When Wang Mang led his men into the palace to demand the imperial seal, she faced the threat of death and threw the seal on the ground, breaking off a corner. From then on, the imperial seal had a gold corner patch as an anti-counterfeiting mark.

Even if Wang Zhengjun had smashed the imperial seal, it wouldn't have stopped Wang Mang from becoming emperor. But by smashing it, she made her stance clear, and her infamy in history was reduced by 90%.

In the early morning, after Zhou Yi finished washing up, he drove Wu Meiniang and Li Qingzhao down the mountain, had breakfast in town, and then turned onto the highway, heading towards Luoyang.

Both Wu Zetian and Li Qingzhao were riding on the highway for the first time and were very excited. They kept taking out their phones to take pictures, wanting to bring back everything they saw.

Wu Meiniang asked:
"Is it true that in Feng Shui, Mangshan is part of the dragon vein of China?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"The dragon veins start from the Kunlun Mountains and there are three in China. The northern dragon vein is the Helan Mountains, Yin Mountains and Yan Mountains, with Changbai Mountain as its head; the central dragon vein is the Qinling Mountains, Xiao Mountains and Mang Mountains, with Tai Mountain as its head; and the southern dragon vein is along the Yunnan-Guizhou and Hunan lines, all the way to the southeast coast."

These are the three recognized major dragon veins, and there are also some minor dragon veins.

It is said that at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Bowen was ordered to cut off all the dragon veins in the world, but he left the dragon vein of Changbai Mountain untouched, which allowed the Tartars to enter the pass.

Of course, regardless of how many dragon veins there are, Mangshan is a recognized sacred place for burial. The saying "born in Suzhou and Hangzhou, buried in Beiman" is not just a casual remark.

Since the Xia Dynasty, this place has been a gathering place for imperial tombs. From the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the end of the Ming Dynasty, emperors of all dynasties were buried here, and countless other famous figures were also buried here.

Historical figures such as Yi Yin, Su Qin, Zhang Yi, Lü Buwei, Jia Yi, Ban Chao, Guan Yu, Du Fu, Meng Jiao, and Di Renjie are all buried in Mangshan.

There are over a thousand ancient tombs in the entire Mangshan Mountain area, no wonder the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Jian once wrote a poem lamenting this:

The northern slopes of Mangshan Mountain have little idle land; they are all old graves of people from Luoyang. Many families return to bury their dead there, and even piles of gold cannot buy their remains.

Well, you can't even buy a burial plot with money, which shows how high Mangshan's status is in the funeral industry.

Li Qingzhao sat in the back seat, eating some snacks she had bought, and asked Zhou Yi:
"Immortal Master, neither Sister Meiniang nor I have ID cards. What if we run into someone checking our IDs, get arrested, and then be severely tortured?"

Zhouyi: "..."

Are you projecting your father's Gestapo image onto this?

He said:
"Don't worry, before we set off, your sister Meiniang prayed to the Ziwei Emperor, so we won't encounter any troubles along the way."

The person to be conferred an imperial title this time is Yan Zhenqing, who is a judge under the command of the Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole. The Great Emperor Ziwei will also receive a share of the merits that Yan Zhenqing has earned, and he will surely bless this trip to be successful.

Cars were whizzing along the highway. When they passed a service area, Zhou Yi turned in and took the two ancient beauties for a stroll around the service area. He also bought a box of fruit slices for Li Qingzhao.

Around noon, they finally arrived in Luoyang. Zhou Yi followed the Erguang Expressway all the way to the northern suburbs of Luoyang, and then followed the Lianhuo Expressway eastward until they reached Yanshi, where they arrived at Yan Zhenqing's cenotaph.

The entire Mangshan mountain range spans Zhengzhou and Luoyang, and is about 100 kilometers long. People buried on this mountain range are all part of the Mangshan burial complex.

After getting off the highway, Zhou Yi didn't go directly to Yan Zhenqing's tomb. Instead, he found a noodle shop in the village, had lunch there, and then continued on his way.

As the car approached Yan Zhenqing's tomb, the sky suddenly darkened, and a light drizzle began to fall, washing away the dust on the ground.

As soon as Zhou Yi parked the car, the rain stopped abruptly, the dark clouds dispersed, and the sky above returned to its blue and white state.

Li Qingzhao chuckled lightly:

"This Yan Zhenqing is very polite; he even knows to sprinkle water on the streets... As a celestial being, isn't it a waste of his talents to be a mountain god here?"

Zhou Yi slung his bag over his shoulder and said to the girl:
"This is called a temporary posting, and only key personnel who are being groomed for leadership positions receive this kind of treatment... Let's hurry in and bestow the title of Mountain God while no one's around, so as not to delay things."

(End of this chapter)