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

Chapter 259 Xi Shi's Chance Encounter with Zi Gong! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

As soon as Chen Tang finished speaking, many court officials turned pale.

This guy can go to the abode of immortals, and immortals are omnipotent. If Confucius were to annotate the Analects, all Confucian scholars would have to relearn it and reinterpret many of its interpretations.

More importantly, few officials were qualified to be governed by the moral principles advocated by Confucius.

Everyone started to resent Wang Feng in their hearts. Why did he have to bring up such a sore subject? They'd be eating at his house after losing their official positions!

As for Zhang Yu, who had just been struck by lightning, the court officials were so eager to dig up his ancestral graves that they wanted to do it. As soon as they entered the court, they started jumping around and impeaching the great meritorious official who had returned from the Western Regions, and they even talked about good neighborliness and other nonsense. Wasn't this just courting death?
Now, thanks to a bolt of divine lightning, the world is peaceful again.

Liu Shi was eager to see Confucius's commentary on the Analects, so he quickly ordered his officials to clean up the ashes left by Zhang Yu. He then issued an edict demoting Zhang Yu to a commoner and confiscating all his property.

This move was not only a punishment, but also a message to the officials: just do your job well and don't try to make a big splash and gain attention.

You can have your own little schemes, but if you want to offend the gods because of this, then you can just wait to die!

After Liu Shi gave his final verdict on Zhang Yu, General of Chariots and Cavalry Xu Jia rose and presented his memorial:
"Your Majesty, before General Zuo entered the capital, he captured over a thousand Imperial Guards. They are currently repairing the road from Shili Pavilion to Chang'an... Many of the Imperial Guards are sons of nobles. It is inappropriate for them to parade around like this. I request Your Majesty to exempt the Imperial Guards from their labor and allow them to return to their ranks."

This time, Chen Tang remained silent; instead, Gan Yanshou stepped forward.
"As the General of the Guards, I was the one who gave the order to build the road. If the General of Chariots and Cavalry has any objections, he may raise them with me in person."

General Wei commands both the northern and southern armies and can even disobey the orders of the Grand Marshal. Xu Jia is now in a difficult situation. He cups his hands in greeting and sits down dejectedly.

He originally intended to take this opportunity to use the authority of the Grand Marshal and highlight his own importance in this way.

As a result, his nominal subordinate Chen Tang did not take the bait at all, while Gan Yanshou, as the top superior of the Imperial Guard, rejected his proposal.

The Grand Marshal's prestige was completely shattered.

The newly appointed Chancellor, Marquis of Lechang Wang Shang, also made a request to Liu Shi:

"In the past, the rebel Shi Xian controlled the court, deceived the emperor and the people, and framed many upright and capable officials, who were imprisoned, tortured, and demoted to commoners. Your Majesty should reinstate them."

Liu Shi granted the request and ordered Liu Xiang to be in charge of the retrial. If anyone was found to have been wronged, he was to be reinstated; if anyone was found guilty, he was to be punished according to the law.

After the morning court session, Liu Shi returned to Chang Le Palace. As soon as he entered the palace gate, Liu Ao greeted him with a glass of chilled juice in both hands.
"Father, you must be tired from court. This is a divine drink bestowed by Master. I dare not enjoy it alone, so I present it to you for your enjoyment."

It's been hot lately, and Liu Shi was in a rush. He took the glass and drank some juice, immediately feeling refreshed. His liking for Liu Ao unconsciously increased.

"Is Ao'er studying diligently?"

Liu Ao cupped his hands and said:

“I studied by candlelight at my master’s house and learned a lot of unheard-of knowledge about the celestial realm. Unfortunately, I am too dull in music and do not know how those celestial sounds are played. I am ashamed that I cannot play them for my father.”

These words made Liu Shi, who was engrossed in music, blush slightly:

"Music is but a minor skill. As the crown prince, you should learn more about governing the country... The Han Dynasty is in turmoil and needs someone to turn the tide. Ao'er, do not disappoint us."

Liu Ao bowed respectfully:
"Your child will heed your teachings."

At the same time, inside Hunyuan Palace, Brother Wang delivered a large quantity of potato sprouts and also summoned a dozen or so people from the town to help plant them.

"Xiao Yi, you go ahead with your work. We'll finish this plot of land today. Once it sprouts, we'll give you some fertilizer, and the harvest will be huge in the fall."

Zhou Yi was surprised by how kind Wang Ge was. He quickly boiled water, brewed tea, and prepared cold drinks for everyone.

At noon, he bought several dozen yuan worth of steamed buns and stewed a pot of meat, inviting the villagers who helped with the planting to lunch. He also took some photos, intending to show them the correct way to grow potatoes to people in the ancient world.

Wang Ge also brought about two or three acres of sweet potato seedlings. Although it's a bit late to plant them now, as long as they are managed properly, a batch of sweet potatoes can still be harvested after the first frost.

However, Master Zhou had no intention of growing sweet potatoes. He planned to wait for the seedlings to sprout, then periodically cut some seedlings and transport them to the ancient world to cultivate them slowly.

Historically, during the Ming Dynasty, merchants brought sweet potatoes from abroad by winding the vines around ropes and cultivating them back in China, which led to the development of sweet potatoes as a high-yield staple food.

Conditions are much better now than they were in the Ming Dynasty, so the promotion of sweet potatoes and potatoes should go much more smoothly.

On the other side, in the Spring and Autumn Period.

After crossing the Yangtze River, Xi Shi bid farewell to her escort and slowly rode her bicycle northward.

At this time, the Wu Kingdom had not yet dug the Han Canal connecting the Yangtze River and the Huai River. One had to ride to the Huai River first and then find a ferry to cross the river.

North of the Yangtze River, there are many swamps and reed marshes. Xi Shi walked along the road built by the Wu Kingdom and suddenly heard the neighing of horses in the distance.

She immediately stopped, put her bicycle aside, raised the drone, and saw a horse-drawn carriage approaching, with a bronze-script flag of the State of Lu hanging on it.

She wanted to hide for a while, but also wanted to learn about the situation on the Huai River, so she held the Hunyuan Palace token in her hand and pushed her bicycle forward.

Soon, the two sides met.

A group of guards followed beside the carriage, and upon seeing Xi Shi, they immediately adopted a defensive stance.

The person inside the carriage, however, poked his head out with great interest, exclaiming "Interesting!" several times. He then climbed out of the carriage, bowed to Xi Shi, and pointed to the bicycle, asking for guidance:

"May I ask what this is?"

Xi Shi did not answer, but asked:

"Who are you?" The man in the carriage bowed again and introduced himself.

"My name is Duanmu Ci. I have come to pay my respects to the King of Wu on the orders of the King of Lu. Last year, when the King of Wu's army pressed on our borders, I advised him to leave. We made a one-year agreement. Now that the date is approaching, I wonder if he is waiting for me in Suzhou."

Duanmu Ci?
Upon hearing this name, Xi Shi realized what was going on:

"Are you Zigong, a disciple of Confucius?"

Zigong was greatly surprised:

"It is truly a fortunate thing that my master's name has actually spread to the Wu region!"

Xi Shi said to him:

"Fuchai is dead, Goujian is dead, and new rulers have taken office in the states of Wu and Yue. I am here on the orders of the immortals to pay my respects to Confucius..."

She briefly recounted her experience, then took out a map and pointed out that she should first go to the State of Qi, then head west to visit the States of Lu, Wei, and Chengzhou, and finally Hangu Pass.

Zigong was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth, he never expected to encounter a divine messenger.

It was noon, and seeing that he was quite friendly, Xi Shi decided to rest there, cook some noodles, and let Zigong broaden his horizons.

Zigong was shocked by the death of King Fuchai and originally planned to go to Suzhou to pay his respects, but when he heard that Xi Shi was going to find her mentor Confucius, he decided to return the way he came.

First, return to the State of Lu to report back, and then go to the State of Wei to inform your mentor.

The personal visit of a divine messenger is a momentous occasion; our revered teacher must be prepared in advance.

He asked cautiously:
"May I ask, fairy, does the immortal have something to tell my master?"

Xi Shi said:

"Confucianism was carried forward and developed in later generations, and even became the foundation of the country. However, some of Confucius's propositions have been tampered with and misinterpreted, leading to the harm to the country and the people. My elder hopes that Confucius can personally annotate the Confucian classics and return to the original source."

Zigong's eyes widened. Every word Xi Shi said stirred his heart. He never expected that Confucianism would actually rise up. His mentor's years of hard work had finally paid off.

However, if misinterpreted... it seems to be using Confucian principles to satisfy personal desires, which definitely needs to be addressed.

Xi Shi turned on the gasoline stove, placed a small titanium alloy pot on it, poured in half a pot of water, and started boiling the water. Zigong was so surprised that he couldn't speak:
"This thing can actually save us from the trouble of burning firewood?"

For ordinary families to cook, the first thing they need to do is gather firewood. If they can't gather any, they have to buy some; otherwise, they can forget about cooking.

I never imagined that the immortal's messenger could cook without firewood!

Xi Shi asked Zi Gong:
Did you bring any cutlery in your car?

"I brought it. I'll go get it right away."

Xi Shi served him a large bowl of noodles, poured two spoonfuls of noodle sauce and a spoonful of pickled cowpeas on top, and finally used a grater to shred some cucumber.

Yesterday, while studying at Hunyuan Palace, she saw in a book that not eating vegetables could easily cause internal heat, so she picked a few cucumbers and put them in her bag. Unexpectedly, she met Zigong today.

Once the bowl of noodles was ready, Zigong couldn't wait to stir it, then picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks and tasted it, immediately exclaiming in amazement:

"Truly a divine delicacy, it's absolutely delicious!"

When Xi Shi learned that he was not going to the Kingdom of Wu, she said:

"Let's travel north together. After we cross the Huai River, I will head north to the State of Qi, and you will head northwest to the State of Lu. Once I obtain Tian Rangju's works, I will visit him in Qufu."

She arranged things very systematically, but Zigong was completely dumbfounded:
"Did the fairy once visit the State of Lu?"

Xi Shi shook her head:

“I have lived in Kuaiji since I was a child. This is my first time coming to Jiangbei. I have never been to the State of Lu before.”

Zigong forgot to eat the noodles:

"Then how do you know the location and route of the State of Lu?"

Xi Shi took out a map and showed it to him:

"This is a treasure map given to me by the immortal. It records the mountains and rivers, but it is not complete. I need to mark it along the way."

This map horrified Zigong:

"If this logistics were to fall into foreign hands, it would surely become a coveted treasure fought over by various nations... The power of the gods is indeed terrifying!"

While he marveled at the map's ingenuity, Xin Qiji, from the Southern Song Dynasty, was also impressed by the detailed and reliable Shandong map of the Jin Dynasty printed using the Book of Changes.

They traveled south from Jinan and are now about to reach Tai'an.

As they were walking, a commotion broke out ahead. Xin Qiji rode over and saw a group of bandits blocking the road and robbing people. The leader was dressed in monk's robes and a kasaya, with a shaved head bearing a shaved head and a shaved head with a shaved head.

The man, carrying a machete, stood with his hands on his hips and said:
"This humble monk's Dharma name is Yiduan. I have taken refuge here. If you wish to pass through, you must leave behind toll money and provide ten young women. Otherwise, none of you will live!"

Upon hearing the name Yi Duan, Xin Qiji silently picked up the spear bestowed upon him by the Book of Changes... The merit he had been longing for had finally arrived!
(End of this chapter)