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

Chapter 308 Li Linfu Struck by Lightning! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Why is this place so quiet?

Riding on his horse, Li Linfu, a member of the imperial clan, was looked down upon and despised by his relatives. Now, he could finally hold his head high.

Once the plan succeeds, everyone in the entire Tang Dynasty will remember the name of Li Linfu!
Several armed foreigners rode up and asked Li Linfu:

“If the Emperor Emeritus is willing to comply, the Tang Dynasty should compensate our church and allow us to develop followers within the Tang territory and become an open religion.”

Li Linfu nodded in agreement:

"No problem, no problem. As long as we succeed, none of this will be a problem."

Several other members of the imperial clan glanced at the tightly closed gates of the Prince Shen's residence and asked Li Linfu:

"This is Li Chengyi's residence. Should we go in and wipe them all out? Although he doesn't hold military power, he is still a general. If he raises a call to action and the people are incited, we'll be in trouble."

Li Linfu pointed to the Yiyuan Temple and said:

"Let's take down the retired emperor first, then we can deal with Li Chengyi... It's strange, the streets of this neighborhood are deserted, are they all dead?"

The group arrived at the entrance of Yiyuan Temple in a grand procession. Li Linfu did not dismount but rode his horse inside.

As soon as I entered the gate, I saw the brothers Li Chengqi and Li Chengyi standing under the eaves, each carrying a lance. Their eyes were fierce and filled with murderous intent.

Beside the two men stood a group of bald monks, their hands clasped together, who addressed Li Linfu as follows:

"The sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore. How long do you intend to remain deluded?"

These were meant to be words of encouragement, but Li Linfu immediately flew into a rage:

"I am stubborn and deluded? It is Li Longji who is stubborn and deluded by recklessly threatening the lands of the aristocratic families. The foundation of our Great Tang Dynasty lies in the aristocratic families, yet he is taking action against them for the sake of a mere commoner. This move will inevitably plunge the Great Tang Dynasty into an abyss of no return. As a member of the imperial family, I should set things right and make the Great Tang Dynasty great again!"

He spoke with great passion, but the two princes and the group in the corridor could only yawn as they listened.

Li Chengyi said with a grin:
"In the eyes of a donkey, everything a thoroughbred horse does is wrong. This is cognitive bias... Little monk, isn't what I'm saying quite Zen-like?"

A line of people said earnestly:
"Donkeys are born to pull millstones and plow fields without complaint. Your words are an insult to donkeys."

The two men, speaking in unison, infuriated Li Linfu so much that his beard trembled. He drew his Tang-style sword from his waist and ordered his followers:

"Kill them, don't waste time!"

No sooner had he given the order than a graceful and elegant woman appeared in his line of sight. Li Linfu rubbed his eyes, looking utterly incredulous.

"Your Highness... Princess Zhenguo?"

Princess Taiping was too lazy to waste words with him. She grabbed the token, raised her hand, and with a flick of her wrist, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, turning Li Linfu, the notorious traitor who would go down in history, into charred remains.

In an instant, the rebel soldiers who had come with them tumbled off their saddles, begging for their lives, while the foreign merchants who had come with them were terrified and sweating profusely, never expecting that the renowned Princess Taiping, who had protected the country, was still alive.

Princess Taiping instructed her two nephews:

"Go, confiscate their weapons, bind all these traitors, and interrogate the person who instigated them!"

Li Chengyi agreed and picked up the walkie-talkie, saying:
"Alright, let's close the net!"

Soon, the gate to his courtyard opened, and a troop of ten thousand cavalrymen charged out, encircling Li Linfu's forces.

Li Chengqi never imagined that he, a leisurely prince, could earn military merits. It was so comfortable following his elders; he could even earn military merits effortlessly.

This incident strengthened his resolve to move to Daozhengfang. He was even willing to pay double the price to buy a mansion... He and his second brother had a close relationship since childhood, and now that they were married and had established their own careers, they wanted to live together so that it would be convenient to visit each other.

Yes, it's purely because of our deep brotherly bond; I didn't have any other thoughts whatsoever.

Princess Taiping returned to the palace with the token in her hand, and Li Dan greeted her:
"Taiping, did you summon that lightning bolt just now?"

Princess Taiping showed him the token:
"This was obtained by my mother from the immortal, for my self-defense. Sanlang also has one, but we thought we wouldn't need it. Unexpectedly, there are treacherous officials who intend to disrupt the court... The descendants of the Prince of Changping are leading the rebellion. When Sanlang returns, we will have him expel the entire lineage of the Prince of Changping from the imperial clan, and expel the deceased from the ancestral temple, as a form of punishment!"

Li Dan nodded and said:

"Okay, I'll tell Sanlang when he gets back."

Only after he finished speaking did he belatedly realize that something was wrong. How did he end up back in the days before the coup, when his sister would interfere in court affairs all the time?

Strictly speaking, this is not interference, but assistance... Princess Taiping, who was willing to serve as Li Longji's advisor, was a blessing for the people and a good thing for the Tang Dynasty!

Meanwhile, inside the Hunyuan Palace.

Li Qingzhao returned to the world of Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty with newly arrived seamless steel pipes, welding machines, and other items, intending to witness the entire process of gun manufacturing.

After seeing the girl off, Zhou Yi returned to his room, wanting to check on the situation in the Kaiyuan World. But as soon as he opened the window, he was stunned by two notes:
Li Bai uses the Confucian scholar's brush to summon a meteorite to destroy the rebel army, gaining +58 merit.

Princess Taiping summoned protective divine lightning, which struck and killed Li Linfu, earning her +58 merit points.

Before he could even react with surprise, he flipped through Li Bai's page again. This senior disciple had even more notes. First, he had used the Confucian Scholar's Pen, which had consumed two ounces of merit. Then, because of saving the emperor and eliminating the rebel army, he had gained a whole pound of merit.

No wonder everyone says there is no greater merit than saving the emperor. These two ounces of merit were well spent. I just wonder if I will need to study Confucian classics to recharge after using the merit to activate the Confucian pen.

The Confucian scholar's pen is of great use; be sure to take it with you when you go abroad. Isn't the purpose of working hard to accumulate merit so that you can go abroad to spread warmth?

"Why is the immortal so happy?"

Wu Meiniang brought over tea and, seeing Zhou Yi's delighted expression, couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Yi recounted how Li Bai used a meteorite to defeat the rebels, and also described the merits everyone had gained, which delighted Wu Zetian.
"The Confucian scholar's pen has such a use. If we encounter war in the future, we can use it to get out of trouble."

Zhou Yi thought that when Zhuge Liang came back, he could lend him the Confucian pen and give Sima Yi's troops a romantic meteor shower, and then have Zhao Ji expedite the production of a batch of solid incendiary bombs for Zhuge Liang.

It's said that Sima Yi and his son had tough lives, but now, with a combination of science and metaphysics, even the toughest of them can be turned into authentic Sanyuan smoked chicken!
After reading the notes in the black notebook, Zhou Yi felt much more at ease, thinking that Li Longji would most likely be using modern appliances. He planned to wait for Gongsun Da Niang to arrive and then go directly to Li Yongkang's shop to choose a set.

Wu Zetian was very pleased to learn that Princess Taiping had earned merit for Zhou Yi:
"They actually executed a notorious traitor who will go down in history. Next time, I'll buy her a few outfits and have Sister Gongsun take them over as a reward."

In terms of personal ability, Li Linfu was quite capable. Unfortunately, the Kaiyuan era was not the Song Dynasty, which had a host of virtuous ministers such as Yao Chong, Song Jing, Zhang Jiazhen, Zhang Shuo, and Zhang Jiuling. Even if Li Linfu was capable, he would not have been able to take charge of the court.

Besides, as long as Li Longji doesn't slack off, there will be no room for people like Li Linfu to survive. Getting rid of him sooner will benefit all parties.

At noon, the two did not cook, but instead rode their motorcycles down the mountain to the town, where they first picked out several sets of clothes that fit Princess Taiping at a clothing store.

After buying clothes, the two went to eat at a newly opened Cantonese claypot rice restaurant in town. Wu Zetian really liked this kind of rice and thought it was delicious, especially the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot, which became more and more fragrant the more you chewed it.

On the way back, Zhou Yi said:

"Let Li Shimin develop the Jiangnan region properly. Then I'll get him some high-yield rice seeds. They can harvest two crops a year there, and the Tang Dynasty will soon no longer have to worry about food."

Wu Meiniang wrapped her arms around his waist. For some reason, every time she listened to Zhou Yi talk about the future, she felt at ease, as if she had something to look forward to and a direction for the future.

On the other side, in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty, by Kunming Pool.

Li Longji waited for a long time before finally catching a ten-pound golden carp. He was overjoyed, even more so than when he had just casually wiped out tens of thousands of rebel soldiers.

Unfortunately, there was no time to cook, so he had to hang the carp on the horse's back, just like a fisherman showing off his catch on the roof rack of a car.

Gao Lishi spoke rapidly about the upcoming arrangements:

"We must use severe torture to force each family to hand over some fertile land and the people they have hidden. If they do not cooperate, I can forge some letters and other documents to silence those powerful families."

Li Longji smiled confidently:
"No need for such trouble, I have a way to skin them alive."

Now the tide has turned, and a meteor shower has arrived. The powerful families are in a hurry because this miracle once again points to the destiny of Li Longji.

Based on the practice of aristocratic families not putting all their eggs in one basket, soon scions of these families will arrive with land deeds, money, and provisions to ease tensions. Even marriage alliances, which they have always considered taboo, should be allowed to proceed with some leniency.

During the Tang Dynasty, the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families were even more aloof than the imperial family, refusing to intermarry with any clan outside of these groups. Even when the emperor proposed marriage to his children, he would be turned away.

Now things are really looking up; the good days for these aristocratic families are almost over.

Li Longji also planned to choose a sunny day to tell the story of Huang Chao in the imperial court.

Of course, this name couldn't be used in the story, lest those powerful families secretly search the whole country for someone named Huang Chao and then harm him... Don't find it funny, they really would do that.

As they were walking, someone blocked their way. The magistrate of Wannian County hurriedly came before Li Longji, bowed, and reported:

"Your Majesty, just now when a fireball fell from the sky, in Dunhua Ward within the jurisdiction of Wannian County, a child suddenly claimed to be a deity from the Arctic Exorcism Institute, and also served as the mountain god of the three-hundred-mile Mangshan Mountain... I believe this is an auspicious sign, so I have come to report it!"

The deities of the Arctic Exorcism Temple?

Li Bai spurred his horse forward and asked the magistrate of Chang'an County:

"What is this child's last name?"

The magistrate bowed and replied:

"His surname is Yan, and his given name is Zhenqing. Do you know him, Daoist Master?"

Li Bai smiled gently:
"Of course I know him. His position as the mountain god was bestowed upon him by my master!"

(End of this chapter)