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

Chapter 276 Zhang Yongde: Your Majesty, I also wish to advance my career! [Seeking monthly votes]

As Guo Rong was sitting in his carriage rehearsing his speech, a eunuch respectfully spoke from outside the curtain:
"Your Majesty, Zhang Yongde, the Commander of the Palace Guards, requests an audience."

Guo Rong immediately composed himself, sat up straight, and placed the Hunyuan Palace token on the imperial desk:
"Announce him to come in."

Soon, a burly man in his thirties, fully armored, boarded the carriage, respectfully bowed to Guo Rong, and reported on the military pay, provisions, and equipment for the Northern Expedition.

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Rong asked:

"Did you collect Zhao Kuangyi's body for burial?"

Zhang Yongde said respectfully:

“I am as close as brothers with the Zhao brothers. I arranged Zhao Kuangyi’s military post. Now that he has died unexpectedly, I should collect his body and let him rest in peace as soon as possible.”

Zhang Yongde was Guo Wei's son-in-law. He was instrumental in promoting the young general Zhao Kuangyin. After the Chenqiao Mutiny, he was promoted and ennobled, and was regarded as a confidant by the Zhao brothers. He did not die until the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

From the time he began following Guo Wei, Zhang Yongde lived through the reigns of seven emperors: Emperor Taizu of Zhou, Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Emperor Gong of Zhou, Emperor Taizu of Song, Emperor Taizong of Song, and Emperor Zhenzong of Song. He lived to the age of seventy-three, which was considered an exceptionally long life in the Five Dynasties period, a time filled with the dead.

Guo Rong said:

"When I last went to Hunyuan Palace, the Immortal Master performed a ritual in front of the statue of the Antarctic Longevity Emperor, removing a calamity for me. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but when I returned, I learned that several people in the camp had died unexpectedly... When we get to the front line in Zhuozhou, tell Zhao Kuangyin that no matter how well you hide your thoughts, they will be exposed in the eyes of the gods."

Zhang Yongde: "..."

You're not trying to relay a message to Zhao Kuangyin, but rather to give me a warning, are you?
He knew very well that after Zhao Kuangyin made his last oath, His Majesty seemed to have placed great trust in him and bestowed upon him boundless favor. Now that His Majesty was reprimanding him in person, it meant that he also needed to prove his loyalty with an oath.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yongde knelt on one knee and swiftly swore a solemn oath:
"Your subject Zhang Yongde hereby swears that he will be loyal to the Great Zhou and to Your Majesty for the rest of his life, and is willing to shed his last drop of blood for the Great Zhou. If he breaks this oath, he will surely die with ten thousand arrows piercing his heart!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a muffled clap of thunder sounded in the sky, startling him so much that he trembled all over.

Seeing that the divine lightning hadn't struck, Guo Rong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took out a jar of chili sauce for noodles and handed it to Zhang Yongde.

"This can be used to mix with soup noodles or sandwiched in steamed buns or flatbreads. It's very appetizing, and after eating it, you'll feel as comfortable as if your whole body is on fire. Brother-in-law, keep it."

Yes, before the oath was taken, they were ruler and subject; after the oath was taken, they were treated as relatives. This was a typical way for emperors to show goodwill.

Guo Rong had been worried for so long, but now he could finally put his mind at ease.

Zhang Yongde held the glass jar in both hands, looking at the bright red chopped peppers inside, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Guo Rong thought for a moment, then took out a windproof lighter, clicked it to produce a flame, and tossed it to Zhang Yongde:

"Take it. It's better than a tinderbox. I'll give you other treasures if the immortal bestows them upon you in the future."

Zhang Yongde bowed respectfully:
"Your Majesty, I wish to achieve merit..."

A few days ago, after Zhao Kuangyin received the telescope, he also took a look at it and thought it was a war artifact. Now that Guo Rong has given him food and a lighter, but not the telescope, he is a little anxious.

Guo Rong said:

"Brother-in-law, don't be impatient. When you get to the front line in Zhuozhou, there will be even better weapons of war waiting for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yongde respectfully withdrew and then led the central army's cavalry ahead to Zhuozhou to meet with Zhao Kuangyin and devise a siege strategy together.

As darkness fell, Han Tong boarded the carriage and asked if they should stop. Guo Rong replied:
"Light the torches and continue onward, reaching the outskirts of Zhuozhou City as soon as possible."

After saying this, he gave his powerful flashlight to Han Tong, which moved the general to tears. Han Tong quickly made a solemn oath and left the carriage with the flashlight in his hands.

Thus, Guo Rong had three generals who rebelled and were struck by lightning; the next target was Wang Pu, the current prime minister.

Wang Pu both feared and respected Guo Rong. He admired this ambitious and capable emperor who could end the chaos of the times, but he did not agree with the strict laws that Guo Rong followed and felt that the country should be governed with leniency.

During the Chenqiao Mutiny, he took the initiative to act as Zhao Kuangyin's inside man and presided over Chai Zongxun's abdication ceremony, which can be described as meritorious and hard-working.

But as the saying goes, "those who are favored are fearless," Wang Pu's initiative actually lowered his value in Zhao Kuangyin's eyes. As soon as he took control of the court, he gave Wang Pu a sinecure.

The prime ministership that Wang Pu had been longing for ultimately fell to Zhao Pu, whom he saw as having little education.

Although Zhao Kuangyin could no longer be emperor, Guo Rong still wanted to use an oath to restrain Wang Pu and make him do his best to serve the court.

As for his Confucian propositions, let's leave them aside. The Great Zhou Dynasty is far from being in a state of recuperation and development.

We must gather all our strength to expand our territory, and only after unifying China should we focus on developing people's livelihoods.

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

Xi Shi turned on her camping lamp and used a stick to clear away the ashes from dinner, revealing round, dark potatoes.

She carefully peeled out the roasted potatoes, picked one for herself, and gave the rest to Zigong and his entourage.
"This is the simplest way to eat potatoes. It can be used to fill your stomach. The immortal said that if you find it tasteless, you can eat it with sauce."

Zigong held the potatoes in both hands, his expression somewhat regretful:
"Let's try to keep them for planting. I really can't rest easy eating them like this."

Xi Shi said, "If you don't taste it, how can you describe the flavor to the people? There are also some tricks to growing potatoes. After being grown for several years, they are prone to producing toxins, which need to be removed by freezing. I will tell you the specific steps later."

Zigong thanked him, then picked up the potato, carefully peeled off the charred parts, and a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out:

"The aroma alone is mouthwatering; it's so delicious, truly a delicacy!"

He took a bite, and the roasted potato was fragrant and soft, with a sandy texture. This wonderful taste left even the usually eloquent Zigong speechless. He kept muttering that he hoped his mentor could eat it soon.

After tasting the potatoes, Xi Shi, following the instructions of the Book of Changes, explained to Zi Gong the uses and methods of punctuation marks.

With punctuation marks, anyone can read, and knowledge and the right to interpret scriptures will no longer be monopolized by a small group of families.

The class lasted until 9 p.m. before ending.

At this moment, Li Bai and Gongsun Da Niang in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty were still sitting under the lamp working overtime.

The two men held a map of Chang'an, marking the locations and number of people in various temples. Some religious sites that had been demolished were marked with an X, and their original sites would be converted into official residences for young officials and students to alleviate the increasingly serious housing crisis in Chang'an.

Princess Taiping entered carrying two bowls of white fungus soup and said:
"Li Chengyi heard that the two elders are still busy, so he had the housekeeper bring over two bowls of white fungus soup. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Aunt Gongsun said with a smile:

"No need. We are eliminating these religious sites to increase the merit of the immortals. We only care about the intensity, not the efficiency. Slow and steady wins the race."

Princess Taiping sat down, glanced at the map, and offered an idea:
"We can ask the Buddhist and Taoist families to send people to conduct a preliminary screening. Those who are heinous and need to be completely eradicated can be sent over by the two elders. For ordinary minor characters, the Buddhist and Taoist families can handle the task."

Li Bai asked:

"Wouldn't that allow Buddhism and Taoism to grow too powerful and become uncontrollable?"

Princess Taiping shook her head:

“Slight restrictions would suffice. For example, those without followers should be self-reliant, while those with followers should pay taxes according to the law. A portion of the incense money they receive must be paid to the imperial court. All monks and Taoists should be subject to regular examinations and must memorize at least one scripture; otherwise, they should grow their hair back and return to secular life.”

Gongsun Da Niang looked somewhat surprised:
"Isn't this Guo Rong's policy of suppressing Buddhism? He required all monks to be able to recite a scripture fluently and destroyed a large number of Buddha statues. He was hated by Buddhists so much that they were itching to do something about it."

Guo Rong's reason for suppressing Buddhism was simple: if you really like Buddhist scriptures and study them, memorizing a single volume is not a problem at all.

As for Buddha statues, the view is that Buddha is compassionate, and instead of using gold to make a golden body, it would be better to use the gold to help the poor. As long as one has Buddha in their heart, then Buddha statues have no meaning to exist.

He was the last emperor to advocate the suppression of Buddhism. Although there were some measures to suppress Buddhism starting from the Song Dynasty, most of them were only slightly restrictive and could not be compared with the intensity of the suppression of Buddhism by the Three Wu and One Zong emperors.

When Princess Taiping heard about the persecution of Buddhism by the three Wu emperors and one Zong emperor, she earnestly inquired about the identities of these four emperors. Upon learning that there was actually a Tang Wuzong more than a hundred years later, she sighed softly.

"He was capable and shrewd, but he was defeated by longevity. What a pity."

Gongsun Da Niang said:

"From the time Emperor Suzong ascended the throne, all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty were cleaning up the mess left by their grandson. Although there were a few rulers who could restore the dynasty, in the end they only delayed the pace of its demise."

The next morning, when Sima Chengzhen and Hu Ziyang arrived at Yiyuan Temple, Gongsun Da Niang and Li Bai had already left for Hunyuan Palace.

Sima Chengzhen raised a considerable amount of money and planned to expand the scale of the charity, so that all the orphans in Guanzhong could be sent there for support.

At that time, collective education and patriotic education will be carried out for the orphans, and Li Longji will occasionally visit them to offer his condolences. When they grow up, they will gradually become the backbone of the Tang Dynasty, thus breaking the monopoly of the court by aristocratic families and nobles.

Inside Hunyuan Palace, Granny Gongsun was happily eating pan-fried buns, reporting on her achievements over the past few days:

"Master, how much merit have I accumulated?"

"It weighs 1.5 jin and 1.5 liang, and it will soon break through 2 jin."

The student who was at the bottom of the class finally caught up with the class average.

In her excitement, the girl inquired about the crane donation:
"How big is the crane? Can it lift the statue of the God of Fortune?"

The Book of Changes says:

"A five-ton crane. Huo Qubing will bring it over later. You two can learn from it. If the Kaiyuan World needs to lift heavy objects, you two can drive the crane over there."

As they were talking, Huo Qubing walked into the courtyard. Gongsun Da Niang saw him and asked:

"Is the crane easy to use?"

Huo Qubing nodded:
"It's incredibly useful. Yesterday, my uncle hoisted several Xiongnu nobles who refused to surrender more than ten meters into the air. They were so terrified they wet themselves and cried until their voices were hoarse. The people watched all day long..."

Gongsun Da Niang's eyes lit up:
"Great! I'm going to grab a priest and hang him up, and see if God will come to his rescue..."

(End of this chapter)