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

Chapter 281: Is there any potential in using talismans to reinforce the Yellow River dike? [Seeking monthly votes]

The public trial was held in a drill ground in the city, a large area that was perfect for the people to participate in.

On the platform where Liao generals used to inspect their troops, dozens of Khitans and seven or eight Han Chinese were kneeling densely packed together. They were bound hand and foot, with wooden plaques bearing various crimes hanging around their necks, and their mouths stuffed tightly with straw.

Wang Pu didn't sleep a wink last night, busy investigating the people, finding the most heinous criminals in Zhuozhou, recording their crimes one by one, and then verifying them.

Guo Rong walked onto the stage carrying a small megaphone and solemnly announced to the gathered crowd:

"Fellow villagers of Zhuozhou, welcome back to the embrace of China!"

Most of these people are locals from Zhuozhou; they have never left and have no sense of nostalgia.

But for some reason, when Guo Rong said that they were returning to the embrace of China, they were genuinely happy, as if they were children who had been away from home for many years returning to their mother's embrace.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were far from the Central Plains and were basically not involved in the conflicts of the Five Dynasties.

But they did not live well because the Khitans exploited and oppressed them in every way possible. In recent years, in particular, the Khitan nobles were worried that Guo Rong would take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun sooner or later, so they began to plunder the people even more ruthlessly.

Historically, the lives of the Han Chinese people in the Liao Dynasty only began to improve after the Treaty of Chanyuan.

Firstly, the Liao court had become wealthy. The annual tribute paid by the Song Dynasty made the Khitans, who had never seen anything good before, feel depressed. In addition, the Song Dynasty's intentional or unintentional introduction of Buddhist scriptures, rituals, and other culture that fostered a love of pleasure caused the Liao nobles to lose their fighting spirit and spend their days studying poetry, songs, and chanting scriptures for blessings.

They stopped exploiting the Han people and instead identified themselves as spiritual Central Plains people, beginning to exploit nomadic peoples, forcing the grassland people to gradually unite, and the Mongols began to rise.

Now, Guo Rong has successively captured Ningzhou, Mozhou, Yingzhou, Yizhou, and Zhuozhou of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Next is Youzhou, which the Liao Kingdom uses as its base.

Once Youzhou is captured, the remaining prefectures will be within easy reach, and at the same time, it will form a strategic encirclement of the Northern Han regime that occupies northern Shanxi.

Guo Rong addressed the people:

"This time, I personally led the expedition not only to bring you all home, but also to make an important decision. From now on, no matter where you are in Hebei or Shanxi, the taxes will be the same as those in the Central Plains. Next, the court will distribute permanent land to everyone and redistribute the land so as to achieve the goal of 'those who till the land have their own land, and those who live in the land have their own houses'."

He knew the people were waiting to see the execution, so he didn't say much, but every word he uttered moved the people present.

These people who have returned to the Chinese order do not ask for much favor from the court; they would be grateful if they could be treated equally.

After announcing the court's decision, Guo Rong sat on a chair prepared for him. Prime Minister Wang Pu took the megaphone and announced with great enthusiasm that the public trial was officially beginning.

First, there are those with relatively minor offenses... Of course, this "minor" is relative.

Even the lightest crime was abducting women, murder, and arson. When the murderer was brought to the front of the stage, the agitated crowd picked up bricks from the ground and threw them at him.

The planned beheading was cancelled at the last minute because the criminal was beaten to death by the enraged crowd.

The crimes committed by the people who followed were increasingly heinous, and Guo Rong almost lost his temper when Wang Pu introduced them.

After all the heinous criminals had their heads chopped off, the people present spontaneously knelt down before Guo Rong, repeatedly shouting "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Guo Rong turned to Wang Pu and asked:
"Did you understand the meaning behind those words?"

Wang Pu tentatively replied:

"Is it... achievements?"

Guo Rong shook his head:

"It is my responsibility. They call me 'Long live the Emperor,' and I cannot betray the trust of the people... Prime Minister, the Immortal has bestowed upon me many precious books and also envisioned the future of our Great Zhou. Would you be interested in knowing more?"

Wang Pu quickly knelt down, shouted "Long live the Emperor!" a few times with the people, and then quickly made a solemn oath.

When Guo Rong uttered the word "responsibility," he knew he had found a great hero who could end the chaos.

Many emperors regarded the people's shouts of "Long live the Emperor" as submission and enjoy this adoration as a matter of course. Only Guo Rong heard a sense of responsibility in each shout of "Long live the Emperor."

At that moment, Wang Pu suddenly understood why the gods would summon His Majesty to be their guest; it must be because of this magnanimity that cares for the people and has the world at heart.

Guo Rong stood up, took a small megaphone, and addressed the people:
"Today we're opening the granaries and distributing grain. Go line up to collect your food. We must regroup and continue our northward march. The people of Youzhou, Tanzhou, Jizhou, and other places are waiting to come home!"

While the people of the Later Zhou world were busily going to collect their grain, Zhou Yi was tending to his crops in the potato field inside the Hunyuan Palace.

Li Qingzhao, holding a parasol in one hand and a bottle of honey pomelo tea in the other, arrived at the gate. Seeing Zhou Yi working, she wanted to help but didn't know how to start.

"Master, I know nothing about farming, you won't look down on me, will you?"

Zhou Yi walked out of the field, smiling, and said:

"How could I look down on you? You're a poet, not an agronomist."

The talented young woman held up a parasol over Zhou Yi's head and happily reported:
"Immortal Master, I've made some money using the talismans I draw. Do you think I should make more money and then set up a charity hall to support orphans?"

Zhou Yi felt that this girl's perspective was not broad enough:
"Instead of helping three or five orphans, we should set a longer-term goal."

The talented woman blinked her beautiful big eyes:

"Then tell me your goal. I've been feeling a bit lost lately. I want to help the people of the Song Dynasty, but I don't know where to start."

Zhou Yi said, “You have already learned how to use fossil talismans, why not draw more and accumulate them for three to five years, and then use the talismans you draw to completely petrify the Yellow River dike? If you can do that, you can earn at least a ton of merit.”

Li Qingzhao was astonished by this goal. Controlling the Yellow River? That was something Emperor Yu did! If I, the Osmanthus Fairy, could accomplish that, wouldn't I become... Emperor Zhao'er?

The more the girl thought about it, the more excited she became, and she immediately said:

"Alright, from now on, I will draw talismans every day and use fossil talismans to reinforce the Yellow River dike... Immortal Master, what can I do with one ton of merit?"

Zhou Yi didn't know either, but that didn't stop him from making grand promises to Li Zhaozhao:
"It can free you from the shackles of heaven and earth, making you a true fairy."

Li Qingzhao could hardly believe her ears:

"Does that mean I can become an immortal within a few years? I really don't understand how those people who spend their whole lives seeking immortality cultivate themselves. It's such a simple thing, how come they can't even glimpse the door to immortality until they die?"

Zhouyi: "..."

Do you think managing the Yellow River is an easy task?

Emperors of all dynasties were adept at dealing with foreign tribes, but they were helpless when it came to the Yellow River, not knowing where to begin.

Using the fossil talisman was a sudden inspiration from Zhou Yi, wanting to find something for this girl to keep busy. As for whether it would work, he couldn't guarantee it... but if it did succeed, the merit gained would be an astronomical figure.

The two went to the Houtu Temple to change the incense, and Zhou Yi asked:

"What do you want to eat for lunch? I'll make it for you."

The temple houses a statue of Houtu Niangniang (Goddess of the Earth). Since we can't go to town for meals, we have to cook on the mountain.

Li Qingzhao was so engrossed in her dream of becoming an immortal that she didn't care what she ate:
"A simple meal of rice will suffice, Immortal Master. If I were to become an immortal, would I remain eternally young?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"Yes, forever young, forever... forever beautiful."

That was close! I almost blurted out the words "tears welling up in my eyes".

Li Qingzhao chuckled and said:
"When Hang'er becomes a decrepit old man, won't I be like his granddaughter? Immortal Master, can you make Hang'er stay young forever?"

The Book of Changes says:

"He has his own path to follow. Just encourage him to study and not be too playful."

"Understood, Immortal Master!"

Zhou Yi went to the vegetable garden, picked a few tomatoes, and prepared to make a tomato and egg stir-fry, and then lightly stir-fry some green peppers and cured meat. That would make lunch.

Li Qingzhao took a bath and changed into a set of casual home clothes. The Taoist robe she had worn to the dungeon had been washed in the washing machine and hung out to dry in the yard.

During lunch, the girl brought up the imperial court's sea voyage plan and hoped that Zhou Yi could purchase some walkie-talkies and similar items.

These things can be bought online. Zhou Yi immediately placed an order for several sets, including sextant, anemometer, inclinometer, and star finder, etc., for use by the Song Dynasty navy. He bought more than ten sets of each of these items.

While the two were eating, in the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji officially promulgated the "Regulations for the Management of Religious Personnel of the Great Tang" through the Central Secretariat, which imposed restrictions on both Buddhism and Taoism.

Buddhist temples are not allowed to amass wealth or accept any land. The donations they receive must be publicly disclosed regularly, and they must also pay a portion of their taxes to the imperial court.

The Taoist sect, however, forbids alchemy and even more so, the offering of elixirs to the emperor; violators are to be arrested... The Dan Ding sect Taoists followed the Imperial Preceptor Sima Chengzhen to study chemical principles.

To boost everyone's enthusiasm, Sima Chengzhen revealed some inside information to the Taoists of the Dan Ding Sect through internal channels: as long as all the elements in the periodic table could be collected, they could ascend to heaven and reach the celestial realm.

Well, it's a bit difficult to get Taoists, who are used to being idle, to obey the imperial court's orders, but as long as "rumors" related to becoming an immortal are spread, the Taoists of the Dan Ding School will put in 300% effort, and will even take the initiative to ask for more work!

After lunch, Granny Gongsun rode her electric scooter leisurely out of the Daozhengfang gate and followed the officials from Chang'an County to demolish the various Buddhist temples.

The number of Buddhist temples in some wards of Chang'an was staggering. For example, Liquan, Buzheng, and Huaide Ward each had more than five Buddhist temples, and there were more than a dozen wards with four or more Buddhist temples. The entire city of Chang'an supported a huge number of monks.

The monks have now been driven away, and the Buddhist temple is to be demolished and rebuilt in another place. The yamen runners are worried that the Buddha will be angry if they demolish the Buddha statues, so they asked Granny Gongsun to accompany them.

The girl rode her electric scooter to a Buddhist temple that was being demolished. Seeing the Buddha statues gleaming with gold, she asked the county magistrate:

What were they done with the gold that was removed from the site?

"Your Excellency, according to the regulations of the imperial court, all gold has been deposited into the national treasury and sealed away."

Gongsun Da Niang immediately objected upon hearing this:
“What’s the point of sealing it up? I’m going to meet His Majesty later and spend all this gold, turn it all into weapons, and seize the territory of the foreign tribes… Buddha is cooperating with the anti-Buddhist movement so much, we should let him earn some merit.”

Just as she was saying this, the girl suddenly noticed that the golden statue of Buddha in front of her seemed to have come to life, and it actually showed a faint smile. The original Abhaya Mudra had also changed into a gesture resembling the OK sign...

Eh? Did this fairy speak the Buddha's mind...? Gongsun Da Niang looked up at the smiling Buddha statue, never expecting that the Buddha was also a warmonger.

Hmm, not bad, it aligns well with the values ​​of Hunyuan Palace!

(End of this chapter)