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

Chapter 258 of the *Analects* is important? Then I'll ask Confucius himself to annotate it! [Seeking monthly votes]

After finishing a piece of braised pork knuckle, Liu Ao picked up a piece of tea-smoked duck with his chopsticks and started eating it.

"Master, if I hadn't become your disciple this time, would Zhang Yu have been the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince?"

Wang Mang and Liu Xin also looked at Chen Tang, forgetting to eat the delicious food on the table.

Chen Tang didn't hide anything:

"According to the normal course of history, Lao Gan and I should not have been able to return to Chang'an until next summer. However, Kuang Heng and others kept setting up obstacles to prevent us from returning to the capital. After arriving in Chang'an, we were imprisoned for another half a year before we were given a lukewarm title of Marquis of Guannei and the official position of Colonel of the Archers. A year later, we were demoted to commoners again and wasted our lives there."

He didn't hide the normal historical events, just so that they would know that the current situation was due to divine intervention, so they had all sorts of wicked ideas and ulterior motives.

Liu Xin asked:

"Would the original Zhang Yu have become a high-ranking official?"

Chen Tang nodded:

"After the Shi Kuang Rebellion ended, the Crown Prince... who is also the future emperor, appointed Zhang Yu as prime minister. Over the years, he has made no contributions to the country or the people. However, he lives a life of extravagance and debauchery. He was impeached by Zhu Yun for holding a position without doing his job. In the world of immortals, 'holding a position without doing his job' is a classic idiom that describes someone who occupies an official position but does not perform his duties."

He wanted to say something like "occupying the toilet without doing anything," but since his two apprentices and godson were all eating, he didn't say it.

While Liu Xin and Liu Ao were still processing this, Wang Mang took a plate, picked up some of the delicious food on the table, poured himself a glass of juice, and asked Chen Tang for help:

"My godmother has not yet tasted these delicacies, so please allow me to deliver them to the back room, godfather."

Chen Tang waved his hand:

"Go ahead, if your godmother has anything she likes to eat, she can come and get it."

After Wang Mang left, Liu Ao realized his rudeness and wanted to go to the back hall to pay his respects, but Chen Tang stopped him.
"There's no need for so much formality at home. In the coming days, I will lead the Imperial Guards out of Xiaoguan to sweep away the foreign bandits. You can come and play whenever you're not busy. It just so happens that Feng'er is still young and has no one to accompany him, so you can spend more time playing with him."

Liu Ao and Liu Xin put down their chopsticks and bowed simultaneously.

"I will follow my teacher's teachings!"

Inside Hunyuan Palace, Xi Shi seized every opportunity to study, while Gongsun Da Niang and Li Bai were busy downloading various textbooks and popular science videos. The enthusiasm for learning throughout Hunyuan Palace was at an all-time high.

Zhou Yi flipped through the black notebook and discovered that Huo Qubing had actually killed the eunuch Su Wen, which brought him five coins of merit.

If such a lowly henchman has such great merit, then Jiang Chong must be at least three or four thousand merits.
Su Wen died from being struck by lightning, which was actually quite a relief for him. Historically, after Emperor Wu of Han regained his senses, he had this gossipy eunuch tied to a bridge and burned alive. That was far less satisfying than being struck by lightning.

In the evening, Zhou Yi prepared a batter by watching a cooking tutorial video online. He put the braised and cooled pork knuckle into the batter, coated it with batter, and then fried it in oil.

The meat is already cooked, so all you need to do is fry the batter in hot oil until it's crispy.

In addition to braised pork knuckle, Zhou Yi also prepared dishes such as sweet and sour meatballs and spicy chicken nuggets, so that everyone could eat their fill before leaving.

Granny Gongsun held the two black iron tokens in her hands and played with them repeatedly:
"Besides the eldest grandson and niece, shouldn't others be given gifts? For example, Sima Chengzhen and Hu Ziyang, they are quite active in Yiyuan Temple now."

The Book of Changes says:

“Once the One Yuan Charity Hall is built and truly helps the people, I will grant it to both of them.”

Upon hearing this, Granny Gongsun felt relieved. Sima Chengzhen and Hu Ziyang were simultaneously promoting the Immortal Master Yiyuan, which would definitely allow the followers of Hunyuan Palace to spread throughout the entire Tang Dynasty in a short period of time.

During the meal, Zhou Yi said to Xi Shi:
"You have plenty of time, so there's no need to rush. If you come across a beautiful place, you can stay for a couple of days to relax and unwind."

Gongsun Da Niang suggested:
"Sister Xi Shi can take pictures of the beautiful scenery along the way and show us the scenery there... As the saying goes, cultural workers must be cultured, and video bloggers must also be video creators!"

Xi Shi nodded readily in agreement:
"Okay, I will try my best to film."

After the meal, she packed her luggage, took some new supplies, and left Hunyuan Palace on her bicycle.

Li Bai and Gongsun Da Niang took the leftover braised pork knuckle with them and arrived at the Kaiyuan World of the Tang Dynasty one after the other.

Upon arriving here, Li Bai was nearly bumped into by Li Chengyi:

Why are you in such a hurry?

Li Chengyi gestured towards the main hall with his lip:
"My third brother is here. He's discussing politics with my aunt right now and won't let us disturb him... If only we had been this close earlier, we wouldn't have had to fight to the death."

Gongsun Da Niang whispered:

"If they had been this close earlier, their supporters might have eliminated the aunt and niece and promoted you to the position... Fatty, here's some braised pork knuckle. Take it back and eat it. Next time, I'll find a recipe for you and have the imperial kitchen research it so you can eat it in the palace." Hearing that there was food, Li Chengyi stopped complaining and quickly left Yiyuan Temple with the food, afraid that his third brother would smell the aroma and come after him.

When Gongsun Da Niang entered the main hall of Yiyuan Temple, she saw Hu Ziyang, Li Longji, Princess Taiping, and Sima Chengzhen discussing current affairs... No wonder Li Chengyi was dissatisfied; he had kicked him out by himself.

Gongsun Da Niang handed two black iron tokens to Li Longji and Princess Taiping:

"Grandson, niece, this is a gift from the immortal. Once you receive the token, you will be protected by the Heavenly Thunder Department and will be able to summon divine thunder to strike people, just like my brother Li Bai and I."

Li Longji accepted the gift with both hands, looked it over from left to right, and suddenly, as if remembering something, turned and bowed to Princess Taiping:
“Aunt, I have respected you since I was a child. I hope you will not take the past to heart.”

Princess Taiping knew that Li Longji was worried that she might secretly plot something against him, so she smiled and said:

"Your aunt has always loved you very much. If you have any questions in the future, you can come and ask me."

The aunt and niece now both possess powerful weapons, and for their own safety, they can only rely heavily on family ties.

This scene left Li Bai speechless with disapproval:
"The Immortal Master gave you two tokens so that you could better serve the people, not so that you two, aunt and niece, could fight amongst yourselves!"

Seeing the eagerness in Hu Ziyang and Sima Chengzhen's eyes, he offered words of comfort:

"The Immortal Master said that once the One Yuan Charity Hall you built begins to benefit the people, each of you will be given a token so that you can better serve the people."

Upon hearing this, the two apprentice Taoist priests were immediately filled with fighting spirit.

They weren't afraid of difficulties, but rather of not having a goal... As long as Immortal Master Yiyuan pointed out the direction, the two of them had the motivation to strive.

Granny Gongsun turned on the oscillation function of the fan, sat on the futon, and asked:

"What are you talking about?"

Li Longji sighed:
"As for the strategy against Tibet, Tibet is now making moves and constantly encroaching on the Longyou region. We can only passively take the hits, but we cannot form a strategic suppression. We don't know what to do."

Li Bai took out a small notebook from his pocket, which was full of sayings from the Book of Changes.

He flipped through several pages and said to Li Longji:
"When facing a powerful enemy, the first thing to do is to unify our thinking, strike at the internal divisive faction, the compromise faction, and the surrender faction, and win over the moderate faction and the opportunist faction. We must unify our thinking and carry out the idea of ​​confrontation to the end. It may be difficult at first, but as long as we get through the initial stage, we can turn the tide and turn defeat into victory!"

Li Longji knew these principles, but putting them into practice would inevitably come at a great cost. He came here today seeking psychological comfort.

Since even the gods have said so, there's no need to hesitate. Let's unify our thinking and fight to the end!
Even if the Tibetan envoys knelt down to beg for a marriage alliance, we would never agree. We would mobilize the sons of the Tang Dynasty to fight against them generation after generation. One day, the dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty would be planted on the plateau!
As he left, Granny Gongsun reminded him:
"Remember to read 'On Protracted War' again. Don't be afraid of the Tibetans' strength. As long as the Tang Dynasty is united, we can drive them back to the plateau and tan their faces like monkey butts!"

Li Longji felt much more at ease, knowing exactly where to focus his efforts.

Back in the palace, he wrote an inspiring article modeled after "On Protracted War," which he had Gao Lishi read aloud at the morning court session the next day.

While the officials listened to this, Li Longji took out a black token, intending to find someone who was oblivious and give them a red envelope!
Meanwhile, in the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, a court assembly was also being held, but the person holding the token was not Emperor Liu Shi, who sat on the dragon throne, but Chen Tang, the Left General and Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Zhang Yu was unaware that his life was already on a countdown; as soon as the morning court session began, he started clamoring to impeach Chen Tang.
"This man is utterly vulgar. He ate meat and drank wine with the Crown Prince and made outrageous remarks, intending to provoke conflict between neighboring countries. Your Majesty, I request that you remove Chen Tang from all his posts and demote him to a commoner as a warning to others!"

Chen Tang dusted himself off, smoothed out the wrinkles, and wore a warm smile:
"Keep talking, don't stop. I didn't even realize you'd offended me so badly. Even the murder of one's father wouldn't warrant such a vengeful grudge, would it? Could it be that you've also recognized Zhizhi Chanyu as your adoptive father?"

The court officials burst into laughter. After the laughter subsided, the officials, led by Gu Yong and Liu Xiang, began to impeach Zhang Yu.

This time, Chen Tang didn't make up stories or label people; instead, he genuinely made Gu Yong and the others recount the mistakes Zhang Yu had made.

While underhanded tactics can bring down political enemies, they always seem illegitimate and lack legitimacy; this method is better.

After listing the charges, Chen Tang revealed the Hunyuan Palace token in his hand:
"Zhang Yu, do you dare swear to the gods that none of these things have anything to do with you?"

Upon hearing the word "swear," everyone unconsciously recalled the tragic scene of Kuang Heng being struck by lightning, and even Zhang Yu's forehead broke out in sweat.

At this moment, Wang Feng suddenly stepped forward to plead for Zhang Yu:
"Dr. Zhang is responsible for the interpretation of the Analects and holds a highly respected position in Confucianism. Without Dr. Zhang, no one in the world would know the meaning of the Analects!"

Chen Tang laughed in extreme anger:

"When Emperor Gaozu established the Han Dynasty, did he have any reference to the Analects? When Emperor Wu of Han expanded the territory, did he have any merit from the Analects? Now that the Han Dynasty is in turmoil, you are suddenly emphasizing classical texts. If foreign tribes invade in the future, do you plan to rely on the Analects to repel them?"

After saying this, he struck Zhang Yu dead with a bolt of lightning and announced on the spot:

"If you truly believe the Analects is important, I can ask Confucius himself to explain its essential meaning one day... But let me make this clear beforehand: if you cannot recite the entire text or uphold the virtues and conduct advocated by Confucius, I will send you to see Zhang Yu!"

(End of this chapter)