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

Chapter 288 The Aftereffects of Using Righteous Qi—A Craving for Reading! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Inside Hunyuan Palace, Granny Gongsun was showing Guo Rong a video of the martial arts demonstration at Lishan. Seeing Xi Shi arrive pushing her bicycle, she asked with a smile:

"Sister Xi Shi, did you film a video?"

Xi Shi parked the bicycle, unloaded the travel bag from it, and said:
"I've been explaining punctuation and various fonts to Zigong these past few days, so I haven't been traveling much. I'll take the photos when I set off for Qi."

In the past few days, she taught Zigong how to use punctuation marks and also popularized different fonts such as seal script, clerical script, regular script, and Song typeface.

If the purpose of inscribing a monument is to warn future generations, then a script that future generations can understand should be used to avoid misinterpretation or misunderstanding.

Zigong planned to add a warning line when carving the stele:
"Those who maliciously misinterpret and misunderstand, and use this to form cliques and attack dissidents, are a disgrace to Confucianism. They will surely bring disaster upon their descendants and leave a lasting stain on their reputation. Scholars throughout the land should unite to condemn them!"

What Confucianism cares about most is the continuation of the family line and the reputation of future generations. Therefore, Zigong hit the nail on the head and imposed a nuclear-level curse, which silenced all the great Confucian scholars of later generations.

Upon hearing this, Li Bai asked curiously:

"What if Confucius's ideas are neglected as a result and ultimately fail to become the mainstream ideology of China?"

Guo Rong rarely gets to chat with these historical figures, and he said with a smile:

"This may not be a bad thing. Without the restrictions of Confucianism, the people may be more exploratory, and ordinary people may be able to look up at the stars and observe astronomy. China may enter the industrial age ahead of schedule."

Xi Shi felt this statement was incorrect:
"The reason why Confucianism became a tool for keeping the people ignorant is because of the interpretations of later generations. Zigong read the annotated version of the Gongyang Commentary and felt that it was not radical enough. In fact, some of Confucius's propositions were much more extreme than those in the Gongyang Commentary."

Gongsun Da Niang said, like a radical:
"The old master never acknowledged that barbarians were human until his death. This is very important and must be upheld."

As they were talking, Huo Qubing, dressed in military attire, arrived at Hunyuan Palace.

Guo Rong bowed to him.

Why is the Marquis of Champion dressed like this?

Huo Qubing said:
"Liu An, the King of Huainan, intends to rebel. My uncle ordered me to lead the Imperial Guards to suppress him... The Kingdom of Huainan is about to be renamed Jiujiang Commandery."

With the treasury tight, the vassal kings could still make a living by following in Liu Che's footsteps. But if they tried to put on airs in front of Liu Che or even put him down, they were courting death.

Liu An went to extremes in this regard, even more so than Liu Pengzu.

Although Liu Pengzu was cunning, he was still outwardly docile. Liu An, on the other hand, was different; for some reason, this old fellow had his eye on the throne.

Liu Che had no son for ten years after ascending the throne, which Liu An felt was an omen from heaven for his family. In addition, Liu Che's uncle Tian Fen repeatedly praised him, and his sorcerers also predicted the prophecy that "the emperor will emerge from Huainan." Liu An began to look forward to succeeding Liu Che to the throne.

In order to adapt to the life of an emperor in advance, their whole family followed the emperor's etiquette and manners... It can only be said that their extermination was not unjust at all.

Historically, Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) would have chosen to endure for the sake of fighting the Xiongnu, but now that he has obtained the Black Iron Token, why should he endure it anymore?
After issuing the military order, Liu Che specifically instructed Huo Qubing to bring Liu An back to Chang'an alive, and that his first divine thunderbolt would be reserved for the family of the King of Huainan.

A short while later, Chen Tang arrived wearing sunglasses and carrying a large, fat sheep. Upon learning that Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang were not there, he immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to give everyone a demonstration of stewed mutton in an iron pot:

"The best mutton is from animals raised by other tribes. The mutton I ate in Chang'an these past few days was bland and tasteless. It wasn't until I left Xiaoguan and saw rows of tents that that familiar feeling returned."

He skillfully bled and butchered the sheep, with Huo Qubing assisting him. Guo Rong joined in to help fetch water to wash the entrails. Li Bai and Gongsun Da Niang picked chili peppers and peeled potatoes, respectively. Xi Shi looked around but didn't trust Chen Tang's cooking skills, so she decided to take charge of the cooking herself.

Zhou Yi had a lot of leftover chili paste from making Guizhou spicy chicken last time. This stuff can be stored for a long time after being stir-fried in oil.

Xi Shi rummaged through the cupboard and decided to use glutinous rice cakes and chili peppers to make braised mutton... Ever since she watched Zhou Yi make spicy chicken last time, the beautiful woman wanted to challenge herself.

The immortal said we should be brave enough to try new things, so let's start with cooking!

After the mutton was properly prepared, Huo Qubing used a large cleaver to chop it into chunks. The internal organs were also blanched and cut in the same way.

When Zhao Xu and Xin Qiji arrived at Hunyuan Palace one after the other, Xi Shi had already stir-fried the mutton and started stewing it. The glutinous rice cakes and chili peppers not only added a spicy flavor but also gave the mutton an enticing color.

Zhao Xu brought several hundred kilograms of black powder pellets, all sealed in airtight bags, as well as some empty shells of melon grenades, which could be used after a little assembly.

Emperor Huizong of Tang also made ten explosive packages, which were tightly bound with multiple layers of cloth and contained a fuse. These could be tied with a long rope and buried in the route that the Khitan cavalry would inevitably take. Pulling the rope would ignite them.

Guo Rong patted Zhao Xu on the shoulder to express his gratitude:
"Good brother, thank you very much. After we take Youzhou, I will share some warhorses with you."

He learned the process of assembling hand grenades from Zhao Xu and memorized the key points of using black powder:

"The denser the compression, the stronger the explosive force!"

Huo Qubing listened from the side with his arms crossed, planning that after arriving in Huainan, he would arrest all the alchemists under Liu An and bring them to Chang'an to study chemistry.

Researching elixirs your whole life won't make you an immortal, but if you could develop chemical materials that benefit the people, you might be able to ascend to the celestial realm through merit. Hmm, it's time to tailor-make a grand plan for the alchemists of the Han Dynasty.

Xin Qiji placed the Confucian scholar's pen in the Hall of the King of Literature and spoke of his feelings after using it:
"After praying for rain, I have a strong urge to read. I can't fall asleep without reading Confucian classics. Have you ever felt this way?"

After thinking for a moment, Aunt Gongsun said:
"I've experienced intense hunger when I'm hungry, and I usually only read when I have insomnia. It's an excellent sleep aid!"

Li Bai found it somewhat strange:
"Last time, Master said that the Confucian Scholar's Pen consumes merit, so there shouldn't be any feeling about it. Could it be that your method of activating it is different?"

He wanted to give it a try, but he was worried that it would cause trouble, since there was a lot of gunpowder in the yard.

Guo Rong also had some doubts about these young people:
"You guys chat, I'm going back first. I need to quickly assemble them into hand grenades and give the Khitans a surprise."

Zhao Xu reminded him:
"The West once had a period of popularity for grenadiers, who were soldiers who specialized in throwing black powder grenades. When you go back, you can also select some soldiers with strong throwing abilities to form a separate team to specialize in throwing black powder grenades."

Upon hearing this, Guo Rong was actually considering giving it a try:

"When I get back, I will select skilled throwers from the army. Gentlemen, I have important business to attend to and cannot dine with you all. Please forgive me."

He bowed to everyone and returned with the supplies Zhao Xu had given him.

On the other side, at the Lushan County Crane Equipment Factory, Zhou Yi took a tour and felt that the factory really had problems, and quite serious ones at that.

The feng shui layout inside was a mess, people were restless, and everyone was full of hostility.

The owner of the crane equipment factory has disappeared without a trace, leaving Zhang Yuqiang, a small shareholder, to struggle to keep it afloat.

The Book of Changes asks:

"If you turn the equipment factory's business around, will that big boss suddenly appear and try to take over management from you?"

Zhang Yuqiang shook his head:
“We have passed the shareholders’ vote, and he can no longer manage the company. Once I raise the funds, I will acquire his shares and take control of the equity.”

With this guarantee, Zhou Yi pointed out several problems and asked the construction team to make rectifications. Then, he set up ritual implements and performed a ritual in the yard of the crane factory to purify the evil energy in the factory.

However, rituals alone are not enough; a deity statue must be invited to suppress the evil spirits.

Based on Zhang Yuqiang's birth chart, the I Ching offered suggestions on how to enshrine deities:
"Either it's the minor version of the Ziwei Emperor, the First-Rank Heavenly Official of the Upper Yuan, or the Taoist Dharma Body of Guanyin Bodhisattva, the All-Encompassing and Free Heavenly Venerable. You can choose either one; either one is suitable."

Zhang Yuqiang's family worships Guan Yu, which has a natural ability to suppress evil spirits. However, Guan Yu is, after all, a general who is good at killing, so he needs to be paired with a celestial official who bestows blessings or a celestial deity who saves people from suffering.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yuqiang chose the First-Rank Heavenly Official of the Upper Yuan Dynasty.

The crane equipment factory is enormous, with more than a dozen giant factory buildings alone. Small statues of deities are simply not enough to satisfy the eye. Therefore, Zhou Yi recommends a wooden statue that is ten feet tall, which needs to be custom-made.

Fortunately, Uncle Ming was there, and they were able to place an order on the spot to commission a wood carving factory to process the wood.

In order to take a gamble, Zhang Yuqiang readily paid Zhou Yi 200,000 yuan for the statue, plus an annual "consultant fee" of 300,000 yuan.

From Wan Ke Lai to Xishan Cemetery, and then to the crane equipment factory, Zhou Yi's consulting business earns 900,000 yuan a year. He is just a little short of achieving the milestone of earning one million yuan passively.

When signing the contract, Wu Zetian looked at it repeatedly, fearing that there might be some traps inside.

After the signing was completed, Zhang Yuqiang hosted Zhou Yi in the factory canteen.

Don't be fooled by its appearance as just a cafeteria; it's a hidden gem with private rooms resembling those in a five-star hotel, upscale marble dining tables, soft-padded walls, and air-conditioned restrooms... far more luxurious than your average restaurant.

The food they ate was all kinds of rare dishes, which amazed Zhou Yi.
"You're spending all your money on the hilts of your knives, no wonder you're not getting any business."

Zhang Yuqiang smiled wryly:

"It was all done when the big boss was still in charge. I've made a lot of changes since I took over, and I even laid off the entire public relations department. We're currently sorting out the accounts, and all the money saved will be distributed to the workers as high-temperature subsidies."

Based on this point alone, Zhou Yi felt that the factory couldn't go out of business. Thousands of workers were waiting to eat; how would they survive if it went out of business?

During the meal, several factory leaders accompanied us. None of them were very talkative, typical of engineering types. However, despite their engineering mindset, they were still very curious about metaphysics and asked Zhou Yi to read their faces one by one.

They didn't get it for free; each of them paid a consultation fee, which Zhou Yi gave to Wu Meiniang as pocket money.

Meanwhile, in the Later Zhou Dynasty, Guo Rong had someone bring over a pile of fist-sized pebbles and said to Han Tong, who had been waiting all night:
"Let all the soldiers compete. Those who can throw stones twenty zhang away will form a separate team and let the Khitan cavalry experience the taste of hell on earth!"

(End of this chapter)