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

Chapter 311 Marquis of Dingyuan, Ban Chao! [Seeking monthly votes]

Upon hearing the figure of thirty tons, Granny Gongsun was so surprised that she even forgot to eat her melon seeds:

"Is this the regular yield, or data from an experimental field?"

When she learned about Xisen 6 last time, this girl knew that the experimental fields were testing the upper limit of crops. If the yield of the experimental fields alone was thirty tons, then conventional planting would have to be cut in half.

Wang Ge said:

"Sweet elephant grass is like chives. Once planted, it can be harvested all year round. If the roots don't rot, it can be harvested for seven consecutive years. In many parts of the south, the annual yield has long exceeded 30 tons."

Now, not only was Lady Gongsun tempted, but Mr. Zhou also became interested:

"Brother Wang, if I planted on the mountain, without much fertilizer or frequent watering, how much could I harvest in a year?"

Wang Ge scratched his head:
"It'll have to be at least ten tons... wait, you're planning to plant it?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"Didn't I want to raise some chickens, ducks, and geese on the back hill? Since sweet elephant grass is so suitable as feed, I might as well plant some. It's not much work anyway... Are these seeds easy to buy?"

Wang Ge said:

“Seed germination is too troublesome. Nowadays, people usually buy nodes for asexual propagation, which grows faster and is simpler to grow. My second aunt has planted about ten acres. If you want, I can take you to cut two bundles. This thing can grow into a big plant from a single node, and it also tillers. In less than two years, the mountain will be covered with sweet elephant grass.”

Zhou Yi felt that such good pasture should naturally be given to the ancients in greater quantities, so he asked:
"Can I take all ten acres of land from your second aunt's house? I'm afraid the crops won't survive. Plus, I need to buy chicks, ducklings, and goslings soon, so I need to stock up on feed in advance."

Wang Ge said:

"Let me ask first. If they don't sell, I'll give them all to you."

He picked up his phone and called his second aunt to confirm that none of the ten acres of sweet elephant grass had been sold, and then said:
"Second Aunt, I've found a buyer who plans to buy all the sweet elephant grass from our field. But I need to help him cut it and then cut it into sections, because he doesn't have time to process it here."

His second aunt was overjoyed and quickly agreed:
"No problem, Xiao Wang. After your second aunt and I have dinner, we'll go to the fields to cut some grass. I promise it won't delay anything."

Zhou Yi checked the price of sweet elephant grass, added labor costs, and negotiated a price with Wang Ge's second aunt over the phone. The other party was very satisfied.

Just as he was about to hang up the phone, Zhou Yi asked:

"Auntie, are you still going to plant your sweet elephant grass?"

Wang Ge's second aunt said:
"I'm not planning to plant any more. After this crop is harvested, I'll just plant wheat again. This stuff doesn't sell well. The feed mills say the market is saturated. It's more like I'll just run my own livestock farm."

Zhou Yi felt that a large number of sweet elephant grass seedlings might be needed in the future, so he said:
"How about this, you keep planting, and I'll harvest each crop as it grows. If we don't use it all, I'll put it in the biogas digester to make biogas."

This reason is quite valid. A few years ago, when the town was promoting biogas digesters, Zhou Banxian did indeed build one next to the Taoist temple. Although he didn't use it much, it was still a good excuse to consume organic matter.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Ge looked at Zhou Yi with a complicated expression and asked:

"Did you know my second aunt's family was struggling financially and come here to help them on purpose? My second aunt's husband broke his leg at the construction site, the boss ran away, the construction company went bankrupt, and they still haven't gotten the compensation. I'm so grateful for your help, Xiao Yi. If you need any help in the future, just let me know. If I even flinch, I'm not a true resident of Yunwu Town!"

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

I just wanted to get some sweet elephant grass for the ancient world, but I never expected to unintentionally help them.

He said:
"Go there for me this afternoon and tell your second aunt and uncle not to rush. They can take their time. I'm not in a hurry."

Wang Ge nodded and agreed. When it was almost lunchtime, he locked the shop door and went to Wang Shuangqing's house for a meal with Zhou Yi and Aunt Gongsun.

On the other side, in the world of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Deep in the Yimeng Mountains, near present-day Yiyuan County, Xin Qiji led thousands of laborers and reclaimed nearly a thousand acres of land in just ten days, almost all of which were planted with corn and potatoes.

At this moment, Xin Qiji was operating a crane to lift trees as thick as a person's embrace and erect them on the irrigation canal to serve as a bridge.

However, this is only temporary. When winter comes, arched bridges will be built over the irrigation canals to facilitate farming.

In addition, a dam will be built in a mountain valley upstream of the reclaimed area to store enough water to prevent drought in the spring and reduce agricultural production.

In the past few days, the internal selection process for each group has been completed. Each team has selected the most outstanding young man in terms of combat skills. Next, they will form patrol teams and elect a captain from within the team.

Through screening, Xin Qiji also discovered several skilled archers from hunter backgrounds who not only possessed outstanding archery skills but also strong counter-surveillance abilities.

Xin Qiji organized them into a separate team specifically for hunting, which would not only increase the meat supply in the base area but also eliminate wild animals in the surrounding area to prevent injuries to people and livestock.

After setting up a temporary bridge, Xin Qiji retracted the crane, tied a tree root the size of half a house to the steel cable on the vehicle, and dragged it towards his lodgings. Once dried, it would be split open with a chainsaw and become excellent fuel, not to be wasted.

Xin Youzhi sat in the driver's seat and discussed the upcoming arrangements with Xin Qiji:

"Washing clothes by the stream is inconvenient, so Third Aunt hopes to bring a crane over and place some large stones along the riverbank; Uncle Sun from Group Four led a group to carve some stone slabs, and he hopes to transport them to the residential area to pave the roads..."

It's basically all about cranes. Ever since these things came out, the people have loved them so much that they subconsciously want Xin Qiji to hoist anything they see.

Xin Qiji drove a crane for a few days and felt that it had some limitations. He thought it would be better to use an excavator, which could be used for road construction, canal digging, ground leveling, land clearing, tree removal, and reservoir excavation.

In the past few days, the storytellers in the base area have carefully watched the stand-up comedy and storytelling videos that Xin Qiji downloaded. After listening to them, they were greatly inspired and can now perform several segments of stories about Yue Fei, Tang Dynasty, and so on.

However, the dross parts, such as Jin Wuzhu being a red-bearded dragon descended to the mortal realm, were all deleted.

Invaders are invaders and have no right to be glorified. Only by exposing their evil deeds and atrocities to the public and passing them down through generations can we be worthy of the sacrifices and achievements of Yue Fei's army.

As for the Southern Song court, they could simply spread the message that their rule was illegitimate. This would reduce the Southern Song court's influence in the Jin-occupied areas and pave the way for Xin Qiji to ascend the throne as emperor.

In the past, emperors would try every means to promote how great and noble their ancestors were before ascending the throne. Xin Qiji did not intend to do that; he planned to directly promote himself as "the son of a peasant."

To be frank, I am an ordinary citizen, representing the interests of the common people.

Ascending the throne as a commoner may lack some mystery, but it ensures legitimacy and eliminates any sense of guilt.

Just like in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang started with a broken bowl, which can be called the most tragic start among emperors. His family and brothers all starved to death before he started his rebellion, and he had no family support.

But he reshaped China, demonstrating the indomitable spirit of the Han people with every sword and spear.

Whether a country's rule was legitimate or illegitimate can be determined by whether anyone attempts to restore it after its collapse.

For example, after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, bandits, landlords, righteous men, pirates, foreign powers, the White Lotus sect, the Han emperor faction, democrats, revolutionaries, and so on, all started their businesses under the banner of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming.

Even the Manchus themselves crossed the Shanhaiguan Pass under the pretext of avenging the Ming Dynasty when they entered the Central Plains.

Another dynasty with a legitimate claim to power is the Han Dynasty. From the end of the Han Dynasty to the Republic of China, every dynasty had rebellions that used the Han name as a symbol, such as the Former Han, Later Han, Southern Han, and Northern Han, which was quite confusing.

Back at the camp, Xin Qiji filled the crane with fuel and checked the solar power generation. He planned to bring two water pumps next time to use the excess electricity for pumping water, so as not to waste the power.

Meanwhile, in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji issued an edict stating that the retired emperor would move to Yiyuan Temple immediately to pray for the well-being of the people and spend the rest of his life praying for their happiness.

This reason was so plausible that the court officials couldn't even bring themselves to impeach him. And just like that, the Yiyuan Temple's meditation class gained another heavyweight layperson.

When Yan Zhenqing's mother moved here, she thought Yiyuan Temple was just an ordinary Taoist temple.

But she was shocked to see the retired emperor stealing the crispy snacks, Princess Taiping who was supposedly dead, the white-haired imperial advisor, and Hu Ziyang, who claimed to have three thousand disciples. She couldn't sleep all night.

In addition, there were Prince Li Chengyi and Prince Li Chengqi, who were busy setting out the bowls and chopsticks during mealtimes. The entire Yiyuan Temple had an alarmingly high level of imperial influence, and she considered moving back home several times.

Princess Taiping noticed her embarrassment and said softly:

“I’ve been quite exhausted from teaching these children lately. I heard that you often explain the scriptures to Yan Zhenqing at home. From now on, you can stay and be my assistant. The immortal master calls you an assistant teacher… yes, that’s the word. Starting tomorrow, you will be the assistant teacher, and Yan Zhenqing will study with these children. Are you willing?”

Lady Yin was naturally willing. A child growing up in such an environment would certainly be extraordinary, not to mention that the Emperor Emeritus would sometimes share his tips on handling state affairs, knowledge that many outsiders could never learn in their entire lives.

And so, Yan Zhenqing and his mother settled down at Yiyuan Temple, becoming one of the few "commoners" there.

In Yunwu Town, Zhou Yi and Granny Gongsun had a hearty meal. Wang Shuangqing packed the extra bowls into a lunchbox and let Zhou Yi take them with him.

Grandma Gongsun was very happy. She found that this kind of steamed dish only tasted good when eaten at a grand banquet. The ones made in the small kitchen on the mountain always felt a little lacking.

After thanking Wang Shuangqing, the girl rode her electric scooter back home with Zhou Yi on the back, wondering whether she would have steamed buns or rice for dinner that night.

Upon arriving at the mountain, Zhou Yi got out of the car. As soon as he unlocked the gate with his key, he saw a white-haired man in ancient costume standing inside the doorway, holding a Han sword and assuming a defensive stance.

Upon seeing this, Granny Gongsun quickly grabbed a broom from the doorway and stood protectively in front of Zhou Yi:

"Who's next?"

The man scrutinized Zhou Yi and Granny Gongsun's attire, a hint of doubt flashing between his brows:
"I am Ban Chao, the Chief Military Officer of the Protectorate of the Western Regions. May I ask where this place is?"

(End of this chapter)