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

Chapter 293 Liu Ao: Solving problems with formulas is so fast! [Seeking monthly votes]

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Wu Meiniang placed a cup of hot tea on the desk. Seeing Zhou Yi mischievously flipping through a black notebook, she asked in surprise:
"What's wrong, Immortal Master? Did something happy happen?"

Zhou Yi recited the merits he had just gained, and then said:

"Wang Mang was restless in Chang'an and took the initiative to break away from the Wang family. Chen Tang also captured thousands of foreign tribes on the banks of the Qingshui River outside Xiaoguan. These two were causing trouble at the same time, hundreds of kilometers apart. They really are father and son."

Wu Zetian sat down and began to analyze the problems facing the Yuan Emperor's world:

"Liu Shi is still alive, and the Wang Feng family has not yet reached the point of having absolute power. If we can dismantle this family in advance, Wang Feng would be a capable minister."

Wang Feng is capable, but asking him to save a collapsing empire is asking too much.

If judged by a scoring system, Wang Feng would score over 70 points, but he is not suitable to be in charge of the central government. In contrast, Wang Zhang, Chen Xian, Xin Qingji, and others from the late Western Han Dynasty are more suitable to be cultivated into pillars of the state.

Zhou Yi believed that the court's mindset needed to change at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. Ever since Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Xun, stopped advocating the Gongyang Commentary and instead promoted the Guliang Commentary, the Confucian scholars of the entire Han Dynasty changed. They no longer pursued killing foreign tribes to gain military merit, but instead engaged in ideological struggles in the court.

His political skills are utterly incompetent, yet he's adept at framing his colleagues.

When Emperor Yuan, who had been deeply poisoned by the Guliang School, ascended the throne, the entire Han Dynasty completely collapsed. All Confucian scholars talked about benevolence and righteousness, but their actions were completely contrary to benevolence and righteousness.

They feared the reappearance of an emperor with great talent and ambition like Liu Che, and did not want the country to be too powerful. They preferred it to remain in a state where farming and studying were still possible.

In this way, the people are ignorant and apathetic, and they will not cause any trouble. Even if the emperor wants to do something, the country's strength does not allow it, so he can only engage in internal factional struggles and play the balancing act.

Driven by this ideology, the Han Dynasty rapidly declined within a few decades, becoming terminally ill and plagued by chaos.

When Wang Mang usurped the throne, he originally intended to hold a funeral ceremony for the Liu family. Unexpectedly, this gave the Han Dynasty a comprehensive shock treatment, clearing the blocked arteries and allowing the Han Dynasty to live a second life.

Wu Zetian took out her little notebook and asked Zhou Yi:
"Besides Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, who else from the Eastern Han Dynasty do you intend to have represent us?"

Zhou Yi thought of the emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty at its peak, who also died young and was full of regrets—Emperor He of Han, Liu Zhao.

He said to Wu Zetian:
“I intend to bring Emperor He of Han here. He created the pinnacle of the Han Dynasty. If he could have lived a few decades longer, the history of the entire Han Dynasty, and even the history of the entire Chinese nation, would have been changed.”

As a representative figure of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Zhao ascended the throne at the age of nine and died at the age of twenty-seven, making him one of the emperors who died young.

In the early years, the Empress Dowager ruled from behind the curtain, and her relatives held power. However, without any help, Emperor He of Han overthrew the powerful relatives and ministers in the inner palace, regained imperial power, and carried out a series of reforms for the Han Dynasty.

During his tenure, Ban Chao was wreaking havoc in the Western Regions. In those years, Ban Chao had nothing to do, so he sent Gan Ying as an envoy to Rome. Unfortunately, the Parthians interfered and he was unable to cross the Mediterranean Sea. He only managed to erect a monument on the beach before returning. Even so, he set the record for the farthest westward journey by a Han Chinese.

As for the Han Dynasty, science and technology were flourishing, printing presses appeared, papermaking techniques were improved, and there were signs of good governance and harmony among the people.

A few days ago, after researching the I Ching, I wanted to push the Eastern Han Dynasty to its peak and see if it could create a new peak in Chinese history.

Wu Zetian wrote down Emperor He's name, intending to go back to her room and thoroughly research this emperor's background.

The next day, after breakfast, the two offered a sacrifice to the statue of Houtu Niangniang (Goddess of the Earth), and then climbed onto the roof to continue repairing it while it wasn't too sunny in the morning, hoping to finish repairing the God of Wealth Temple as soon as possible.

At the same time, in the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang, accompanied by Liu Xin, arrived at the Chang'an County Government Office, holding up his petition and crying out for justice at the entrance.

Fearing that his commotion wouldn't be big enough, Liu Xin brought a small megaphone and started making a scene to attract a crowd of onlookers before explaining how Wang Mang's property had been seized.

Wang Mang knelt silently at the entrance of the county government office with a stern face, but his aggrieved expression immediately evoked sympathy from many of the people.
"Is it human to bully such a young child?"

"Royal relatives, indeed! What a disgrace! When has our Great Han ever produced such a scoundrel?"

"When General Zigong was in Chang'an, his family didn't dare to utter a word. But as soon as General Zigong left, they started causing trouble. Your Majesty should restrict the influence of the imperial relatives."

"..."

While the common people were eating melons in front of the Chang'an County government office, inside the palace, Liu Ao held an orange peel to his eye, and tears immediately streamed down his face uncontrollably.

He instinctively rubbed his eyes, and now both eyes were burning, and tears streamed down his face like a broken string of pearls.

"Oh no, we squeezed too many people in."

Taking advantage of the warmth of his tears, the boy ran into Wang Zhengjun's palace, crying and shouting "Mother, save me!" several times before even entering the room.

The commotion startled Wang Zhengjun, who thought Liu Shi had passed away. She hurriedly came out to greet him.

"My son, what has happened?"

Liu Ao said with a sob in his voice:

"Mother, please save my cousin Mang'er! He has been called a beast and driven out of the house. His second uncle's land has also been seized... Your second uncle was so close to you. If he knew in the afterlife that my cousin Mang'er had suffered so much humiliation, he would not rest in peace."

Wang Zhengjun was somewhat puzzled:
"With all your uncles at home, who would dare to bully Mang'er like this?"

“My third uncle beat up my younger brother Mang’er yesterday and kicked him and his second aunt’s family out of their home. If it weren’t for my teacher’s wife taking in this poor family, they would have been sleeping on the streets last night.” Wang Zhengjun felt that there must be something else going on, but since Chen Tang’s wife was willing to take in her nephew, she, as his aunt, couldn’t remain silent.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhengjun took off an exquisitely crafted hairpin from her hair, placed it in a small lacquer box, and handed it to her wretched son, Liu Ao:

"Stop wailing. Next time you go to General Zuo's residence, please give this to your teacher's wife for me. Tell her to bring her children to the palace when she has time. General Zuo is loyal to the country, and his wife deserves to be treated well."

Liu Ao put the box into his bosom and sat down to recount Wang Mang's experiences.

After listening to the whole story, Wang Zhengjun asked Wang Feng:
Where is your eldest uncle?

"He went hunting in Lishan, and may not be back for three to five days."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhengjun immediately became dissatisfied with her elder brother, Wang Feng:
"What kind of time is this to be hunting? Send someone to bring him back to Chang'an immediately and deal with this matter as soon as possible, lest rumors spread in Chang'an. I can't afford to lose face like this."

Liu Ao, however, seized the opportunity to instigate it:
“My uncles oppressed the people, seized land, and abducted women. They did many things that angered both heaven and man. If I fail to inherit the throne, it will definitely be because of them.”

Wang Zhengjun said worriedly:

“I have long heard about what your uncles have done, but if you want to ascend the throne, you must rely on the power of your maternal uncles’ families, otherwise don’t even think about taking the throne.”

Liu Ao took out a folding fan from his sleeve, opened it, and started fanning his mother.

"Mother, don't worry. I have my master as my backer. There are gods standing behind my master. Anyone who disobeys will be struck by lightning... My master said that when I ascend the throne, he will give me a token that can summon divine lightning. Any court official who dares to be corrupt, accept bribes, or oppress the people can be struck dead by divine lightning. It's really amazing."

Wang Zhengjun had also heard about Chen Tang's deeds. Although she had some doubts about why her son had been chosen, she still decided to take the gamble.
"Write down the names of the court officials who are on good terms with your master, and I will send someone to win them over."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ao quickly wrote down the names of Liu Xiang and the others. He was eager to see the drama unfold at the Chang'an County government office, so he took his leave as soon as he put down his brush and hurriedly walked out of the palace.

As he walked, he ran into Liu Shi, who was coming from the morning court session. The father and son exchanged greetings, and just as Liu Ao was about to bow, Liu Shi asked with displeasure:
"What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful! What's wrong with your eyes? If you go out like this, and someone sees them, they'll impeach you for your inappropriate behavior."

Liu Ao didn't know how to answer. Thinking that his hands might still be stained with orange peel juice, he raised his hand to rub his eyes, and tears fell again. He took the opportunity to sob and talk about how Wang Mang was bullied.

Seeing his son in tears, Liu Shi's resentment vanished instantly.
"He is so heartbroken that even his cousin on his maternal uncle's side is being bullied. He is truly kind-hearted. Our Han people are saved!"

Well, Liu Shi only judges people by one thing: as long as you can cry and know how to cry, you're a good person. Even if you make a huge mess of things, as long as you cry right after, he'll still forgive you.

Historically, Liu Shi sent Liu Ao to attend a funeral. Upon returning and discovering that Liu Ao had not cried, Liu Shi flew into a rage and nearly stripped Liu Ao of his position as crown prince.

Now, with Chen Tang's guidance, Liu Ao devised a targeted plan that quickly reversed his image in Liu Shi's eyes... It just goes to show how fast it is to solve problems with formulas!

At the entrance of the Chang'an County Government Office, crowds of onlookers formed three or four deep, blocking the entire street.

The calls to punish the Wang family grew louder and louder, and the magistrate of Chang'an County was in a panic. He personally went to the Prefect of Jingzhao to ask for a solution to the current situation.

Wang Tan held an important position in the imperial court, and he was not someone that a mere county magistrate could investigate.

However, the Prefect of Jingzhao was also in a dilemma. He had no choice but to send someone out of the city at full speed to find Wang Feng. He told him not to use hunting as an excuse to avoid the turmoil in the court. If he didn't show up soon, the Wang family would fall apart.

At the foot of Mount Li, Wang Feng held a strong bow and steadily shot a yellow sheep. He was pleased and was just about to have the sheep skinned and salted when a fast horse came galloping from afar.

He guessed that an emergency must have occurred, so he rode off to meet it.

The two exchanged glances, and Wang Feng asked:

Has anything important happened in the city?

The messenger reported:

"Your younger brother Wang Tan drove Wang Mang out of the family home. Now, with the help of Gu Yong, Liu Xiang, and others, Wang Mang has gone to the Chang'an County government to appeal his case..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Feng felt a wave of dizziness and her vision went black... Just what she feared had come to pass; Mang'er and the family had still come to this point!
While Wang Feng was lamenting his fate, the world in the Later Zhou Dynasty presented a completely different picture.

Groups of Khitans were led out of the prisoner-of-war camp and prepared to be transferred to another camp. During the transfer, several members of the Khitan royal family found themselves on the outskirts of the camp, where a group of warhorses were grazing.

They exchanged glances, seized the opportunity, and suddenly ran desperately out of the camp, preparing to seize a horse and escape.

Not far away, Zhao Kuangyin issued an order through a walkie-talkie:

"No more than three members of the Yelü royal family should be allowed to escape, and one of them should ideally be wounded by an arrow. This way, when they return to Youzhou, their anger will be even greater... Your Majesty hopes that the Xiao clan will surrender, but you cannot allow them to become a threat. So, let's use these few members of the Yelü royal family to cut off the branches and tendrils of the Xiao clan!"

The reply came from the walkie-talkie from Shi Shouxin, the Commander of the Palace Guard:

"Don't worry, brother. My arrows never miss. I will make sure they enter Youzhou wounded!"

(End of this chapter)