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

Chapter 28 Did you use a coffin to dig a hole? [Happy May Day]

Last time, they tricked Chen Tang into seducing Wang Zhaojun, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Today, they're trying to seduce Zhao Feiyan, who was historically as famous as Yang Guifei, along with the underage Li Mingda...

Your Majesty, are you treating Hunyuan Palace like a telecom fraud park?

Zhou Yi, unsure where to begin his long-standing rant, simply changed the subject:
"We have tens of thousands of yuan in hand now. Should we buy a minivan, or save it and buy a small excavator later when we have more money?"

The ancient people had never seen an excavator before, nor did they know its function. However, they were quite familiar with minivans, and encountered several Wuling series minivans on their way back.

They were all quite tempted by cars like the Wuling Hongguang, Wuling Rongguang, and Wuling Zhiguang, which cost tens of thousands of yuan and had all the necessary features.

Wu Meiniang asked:
"Why doesn't the immortal master exchange the gold I brought for money?"

Zhou Yi, holding a tiger-skin chicken foot, said while gnawing on it:
“Once it passes through my hands, it becomes a cultural relic. The law stipulates that no unit or individual may melt, destroy, or possess gold cultural relics without permission, and selling gold products without permission is also a risky illegal business operation… This may not matter to ordinary people, but as a Taoist priest, I cannot overstep the bounds.”

Although Hunyuan Palace has always emphasized that there are no taboos, this is only a relaxation of personal behavior. In terms of laws and regulations, you still have to abide by them. Otherwise, you may fool the law, but you can't fool the ancestral master.

Moreover, nowadays one can make money through exorcising evil spirits and feng shui of ancestral graves, so there is no need to get involved in things like selling cultural relics.

For those who cultivate the Tao, maintaining purity and self-discipline is a fundamental skill.

Unable to use gold to help Zhou Yi resolve his predicament, Wu Zetian was very disappointed:
"I have already raised some gold at Taiji Palace. If you do not wish for it, Immortal Master, how can we possibly repay your kindness?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Domestically, we should care for the people and promote education; externally, we should conquer barbarians and expand our territory. We must ensure that all craftsmen and skilled workers do not fall into the hands of foreign tribes. This is our way of thanking you... When you go back this time, bring Li Shimin a globe, a big one, so he can see that there is still a lot of land on Earth waiting for the Tang Dynasty to cultivate and occupy. Don't just focus on this small piece of land in front of your house."

Wu Zetian's eyes lit up:
"His Majesty has recently been troubled by the issue of the fiefdoms of his officials. With the globe, the pressure on the court can be eased."

In the past, everyone thought that the world was only this big, and that China was located at the center of the world. But once you see a globe, you'll realize that there are many other wonderful places in the world.

Given the classical militaristic style of the Tang Dynasty court, upon seeing the globe, the entire court would surely be clamoring for battle.

Upon hearing about this delicious treat, Chen Tang forgot all about eating the pig's trotters:
"Sir, could you buy a globe for my big man too?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"Sure, I'll buy a few more, so that people over there can see what it's like."

After the meal, Zhou Yi changed into a black Taoist robe, rode his motorcycle down the mountain, went to the shop at the entrance of the town's middle school, and bought several globes and more than ten world maps, as well as teaching aids such as compasses, rulers, and set squares.

When he returned to the mountain, Chen Tang packed up all the remaining two roast chickens and braised dishes:

"Sir, Commandant Gan has never tried this before. May I bring it to him?"

Zhou Yi waved his hand:

"As long as he doesn't mind, I have no objection."

Upon hearing this, Chen Tang happily picked up a globe and three world maps, along with the books he had bought that afternoon, and scurried back to the Western Han Dynasty world.

Gongsun Da Niang packed the remaining fried cakes into a plastic bag and was about to leave when Wu Meiniang called her back:
"Don't leave tonight, stay here with me for the night."

Seeing that Gongsun Da Niang was somewhat apprehensive, Wu Meiniang continued:

"No matter what our status is over there, here with the immortal, we are sisters. I am a few years older, but if you don't mind, you can call me Sister Mei."

Gongsun Da Niang was both surprised and delighted:

"Wouldn't that be me overstepping my bounds?"

Wu Zetian shook her head:
"Don't say that. You're so clever and quirky, and your dancing skills are so good. I like you a lot."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty!"

Wu Zetian possessed top-notch intelligence and emotional intelligence, coupled with her shrewdness, and Gongsun Da Niang quickly began calling her "elder sister" repeatedly.

Zhou Yi took a bath, washed and hung up the Taoist robe he had worn during the day, and sat in his room reading for a while. Suddenly, he remembered that Uncle Ming still had an exorcism job.

The pressure of accumulating merit was too great; he had to find a way to catch up. He picked up his phone and sent a message to Uncle Ming:

"The opening business is finished. Can you still take on that exorcism business you mentioned before?"

Uncle Ming posted a meme of Zhang Baoqiang smoking:

"I was originally planning to save it for you, and I even discussed it with the host family to increase the reward to nine thousand. I didn't expect someone to interfere today and take him away from the mental hospital and get rid of him... You have a master over there, so you have to be careful. After all, those in the same trade are always enemies."

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Taking people away from the mental hospital—isn't that exactly what happened with Xu Tian being possessed?
Good heavens, he subcontracted a 20,000 yuan business to me for only 8,000 yuan, and kept saying he overpaid... This Uncle Ming, turns out he's a middleman.

In traditional industries, no matter what kind of business it is, there must be a middleman, which is a kind of guarantee for both buyers and sellers.

Zhou Yi never expected that Uncle Ming not only made statues, but also worked as a business referral agent.

Being able to act as a broker in this circle indicates that one has good connections and a certain status; otherwise, neither the buyer nor the seller would feel comfortable having just anyone introduce business to them.

Uncle Ming seems to be a chatterbox; seeing that Zhou Yi hadn't replied, he sent another message:
“You’re going to build a highway over there, which will change the feng shui of many homes. There should be a lot of feng shui modification services available recently. I’ll contact you if you’re interested.”

Wow, you're really well-informed! You even know about the highway construction project here.

Zhou Yi replied with an OK sign and then quickly ended the chat.

The next morning, after Zhou Yi finished his meditation and breathing exercises, he had breakfast with Gongsun Da Niang and Wu Meiniang.

Wu Zetian took a sip of millet porridge and said:
"The imperial court has been pushing forward with education, but the powerful families are putting a lot of pressure on them. Once they see the globe, this pressure may lessen."

The previous restrictions on the imperial examination system and the rejection of the anonymous grading system were intended to prevent students from poor families from taking over the path to advancement.

However, if the focus were now on expanding territory, military achievements would become a faster path to advancement than the imperial examinations. Powerful families had their own soldiers and resources, making it far more likely for them to gain fame and fortune through military service than to spend ten years studying for the imperial examinations.

In this way, the upward mobility channels prepared for ordinary people are freed up.
The Book of Changes reminds us:
“If Li Shimin disagrees, tell him the story of Huang Chao… If no changes are made, the aristocratic families will eventually wait for their true destiny, Huang Chao.”

"Your concubine obeys!"

After the meal, the two fairies from Hunyuan Palace left one after the other, leaving Zhou Yi all alone once again.

However, he was already used to it and didn't care about it.

I'll work hard when I need to, meditate when I need to, and occasionally browse Autohome, wavering between pickup trucks and Wuling Rongguang.

Pickups are better suited for mountainous terrain, while Wuling offers better value for money, making it a difficult choice for Zhou Yi.

Shortly afterward, Yunwu Mountain was hit by a heavy rain. The road leading up the mountain had not been repaired for several years, and after this heavy rain, many parts of the road surface were washed into gullies.

Although it doesn't hinder walking, it's still quite dangerous.

On the tenth day of the lunar month, Zhou Yi rode his motorcycle to the town. He first went to Uncle Niu's house to give him 100 yuan as a gift, and then called Zhao Wei, the excavator owner in town.

The weather forecast says the next few days will be sunny, so we need to take advantage of this lull to repair the mountain road to prevent it from getting worse and eventually cutting off traffic.

"I'm fishing, Xiao Yi, you want to use the excavator, right? Wait, I'll be right back, and I'll show you my catch from last night's night fishing..."

Zhao Wei is three or four years older than Zhou Yi. His family owns two excavators, but recently he has become obsessed with fishing. He leaves early and returns late every day, and he hardly takes any more excavator jobs.

Zhou Yi waited in town for about an hour and saw Zhao Wei, sporting two black eyes, slowly riding a Yadea electric scooter from a distance.

A grass carp weighing over ten kilograms was hanging on the back of the electric scooter. Whenever it saw people, it would flick its tail, showing off its catch that it had stayed up all night to the neighbors.

As Zhao Wei slowly approached, Zhou Yi suddenly exclaimed "Eh!"

His forehead was dark, his face was deathly pale, a typical sign of a violent death... He was fine a couple of days ago, but today he's like this. Did this guy use a coffin to bury his dead?
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Today is Labor Day, wishing everyone a happy holiday! If you have any monthly votes, please remember to cast them, thank you so much!
(End of this chapter)