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

Chapter 336 The Empress Steals a Kiss! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

To convince Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui of his words, Chen Tang took out his phone and played an aerial video of Yunwu Town Elementary School for the two girls.

This was taken by Wang Ge using Chen Tang's phone during the last test flight of the drone. At that time, the school was doing their morning exercises, and the uniformity of the movements was pleasing to the eye. Especially when viewed from the air, one could feel the vibrant energy emanating from the scene.

As soon as the video started playing and the people in it moved, Zhao Rui was so frightened that she hid in her sister's arms. Zhao Yan also looked terrified, and her eyes showed more fear when she looked at Chen Tang.
"Were the people inside imprisoned by the gods?"

Chen Tang could only manage a wry smile:

"This is a video recording, not a video of him being locked up."

To prove his point, he opened his phone camera, took a picture of Gan Yanshou playing with a magnifying glass, and played it back, which dispelled the sisters' doubts.

Zhao Rui was particularly interested in mobile phones:

"General, once we get there, will we be able to obtain this?"

Chen Tang nodded:

"Yes, but the Immortal Master will not allow you to play for too long, lest you become distracted by play. He will provide you with smartwatches that can make and receive phone calls."

He showed off the tactical watch on his wrist, briefly explained how to use it, and also said that smartwatches have many more functions than tactical watches, which he would find out when he arrived at Hunyuan Palace.

Now, the naturally lively Zhao Rui completely agreed and wanted to set off immediately.

Chen Tang glanced at the date on his watch and said:
"We can't go today, we can only set off tomorrow. You can stay at Uncle Gan's house for another day, and I will come over early tomorrow morning to take you to Hunyuan Palace."

Zhao Rui turned around and started packing her things, worried that she wouldn't have enough time by tomorrow morning, but Zhao Yan hesitated a bit more:

"General, after we go there, will we be able to come back?"

Chen Tang also couldn't answer this question:

"This is the first time we've taken people to a celestial abode, so it's hard to say yet. This is the first time you sisters have ever been here before, so anything is possible... What? Do you still want to come back to a life of hardship?"

A hint of sadness appeared on Zhao Yan's face. In the end, she gently shook her head and said nothing.

She wanted to see her parents again, but they had sold her off like merchandise and were now happily taking the money and her younger brother to Jiujiang to live a better life.

Gan Yanshou and his wife spent some time with the two girls and understood their thoughts:
"Yan'er, would you like to go back to the house you used to live in? How about this, I'll take you there. If there's anything you haven't done yet, I'll help you fulfill it."

After saying this, Old Gan instructed the steward to prepare a carriage to take the two sisters to the house where they used to live to say goodbye.

Chen Tang followed on horseback to a farm on the outskirts of the city, where he saw a dilapidated courtyard and several thatched huts. Most of the thatch on the roofs was missing, presumably taken away by the neighbors.

There were many discarded items in the yard, all belongings that Zhao Lin's family hadn't taken with them.

Zhao Yan's eyes welled with tears. This place held her childhood memories, but now everything had changed. Zhao Rui, on the other hand, kicked a clump of straw away and said in a cute but fierce tone:
"No one will ever call me a good-for-nothing again, and I won't have to carry a basket to collect firewood. I hope I will never have to go back to this dilapidated courtyard again."

Chen Tang took photos of the two of them with his phone, and then launched a drone to film an aerial view of the courtyard. He would take it to Hunyuan Palace tomorrow and save it on his computer so that Zhao Yan could look at it whenever she missed home.

Of course, all of this is based on success; if it fails, that's another story.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi was also considering this matter. But then he thought, "There are immortals all over the place. This little thing can definitely be resolved... We must have faith in the immortals of our China!"

Wu Meiniang took out her phone and started setting her alarm for tomorrow: get up at six, offer sacrifices to the Three Pure Ones at seven, and go to the Four Heavenly Kings statues at the main gate at seven-fifty to wait for Chen Tang to bring his people over.

At that time, Zhou Yi will bring a black notebook and a copy of the Modern Chinese Dictionary with all the leaves inside, and burn incense and pray for blessings at the Sanqing Hall.

This involves human lives and cannot be taken lightly.

After setting the alarm, she carried a long bamboo pole and a bamboo basket, and followed Zhou Yi out of Hunyuan Palace. When they arrived near the mountainside, she began to knock down chestnuts with the bamboo pole.

There are many chestnut trees on the mountain, and people from the town come to harvest chestnuts every year at this time.

Having nothing to do today, Zhou Yi decided to grind some chestnuts and make some sugar-roasted chestnuts for Her Majesty the Empress to try.

Wu Zetian searched for modern chestnut production figures on her phone and asked Zhou Yi:

"May I transplant some chestnut trees back with me?"

Zhou Yi pointed to the small trees emanating from the surrounding area and said:
“These can all be transplanted, but if you think you can use them to fight famine, then you’re dreaming. When famine comes, you won’t even have leaves, let alone chestnuts.”

Wu Zetian said:
"I only want to give the people of the Tang Dynasty more choices. I read online that the yield of chestnuts in modern times is much higher than in ancient times. I think we can improve the chestnut trees in the Tang Dynasty."

Zhou Yi put down the bamboo pole and said to Her Majesty the Empress: "Meiniang, you should not always feel guilty. Although you did some absurd things in history, the root cause is still the Li Tang family... Besides, what Wu Zetian did in history has nothing to do with you now, and you do not need to atone for it."

The Zhenguan era never progressed to the point where Wu Zetian controlled the court, and it never will, because Emperor Taizong (Li Gong) was already wielding his hammer and starting to patch things up.

These words deeply moved Wu Meiniang. She put down her basket and threw herself into Zhou Yi's arms.
"Thank you for your comforting words. I feel much better now."

Zhou Yi patted her shoulder and said:

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Show your empress-like aura. You're nothing like Wu Zetian, who used to chop people up and feed them to the dogs. Instead, you've become a weeping Lin Daiyu. You're not quite what you expected."

Wu Zetian gently punched Zhou Yi's chest, then looked up and said:

"Immortal, don't move, there's a leaf stuck in your hair."

Just as Zhou Yi was about to rummage through the chestnuts, Her Majesty the Empress suddenly tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek before running off to pick chestnuts all over the mountainside with her basket.

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

I praised you as Lin Daiyu, and you actually acted like a hooligan towards me. Aren't you afraid I'll write a long essay and post it online to complain?

He continued harvesting chestnuts, filling an entire woven bag before carrying it home.

Wu Meiniang's basket was also full of chestnuts. She planned to bring some back to Li Mingda so that this little girl who missed the immortal master every day could taste the chestnuts from Hunyuan Palace Mountain and see how they differed from those from the Tang Dynasty.

Back at Hunyuan Palace, just as Zhou Yi was about to rest for a while, Song Aixiang and her husband drove over in a Foton high-top pickup truck, delivering the cotton overcoats they had been processing over the past two days.

The coat is very thick, with a high-density waterproof fabric on the outside and other materials added inside in addition to cotton, making it not only warm but also moisture-proof.

Zhou Yi tried it out and found that it could basically cover the entire area above the calves, which was pretty good.

A total of one thousand military overcoats were transported this time. After unloading the truck, Zhou Yi looked at these cotton-padded coats and began to consider the transportation problem.

The journey from Chang'an to Liaodong is several thousand miles long and fraught with difficulties. If we could move directly from Hunyuan Palace to Liaodong, we could greatly reduce the transportation costs.

But how can we get directly to Liaodong?

He glanced at Wu Meiniang, who was rolling up her sleeves to prepare dinner, and suddenly had an idea:
"Meiniang, if you come to Hunyuan Palace from a moving carriage, when you return, will you appear in the carriage or at the place where you traveled back?"

This tricky question stumped Her Majesty the Queen:
"I've never tried this before. How about I give it a try when I get back this time?"

Zhou Yi thought it was possible to conduct an experiment: if one came from a carriage and returned still in a carriage, then one could have someone drive an empty carriage to Liaodong.

Once the carriage reaches Wu Meiniang, it will appear in Liaodong. All supplies can be transferred to Li Weigong, and they can even be taught how to use high-powered radios, long-range walkie-talkies, infrared night vision devices, and other equipment.

This conjecture from the Book of Changes greatly excited Wu Zetian, because she could finally see the vast territory of the Tang Dynasty and just how harsh and cold Liaodong truly was.

If the high-powered radio that Li Yongkang bought works, then Li Shimin will be able to maintain contact with the Liaodong front at any time, and the court's control over the border troops will be greatly enhanced.

However, whether it will work or not, we have to try it first; we can't open the champagne halfway through.

Wu Zetian said:
"If the Zhao sisters, Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui, can come tomorrow, I will go back and have someone drive a carriage away from the palace. I will then go back to see where they will appear. If possible, I will set off for Liaodong. What do you think, Immortal Master?"

Zhou Yi felt there was no need to rush for the time being:
"Once the radio arrives, we can teach Li Shimin how to use it before setting off."

There aren't many radios available, so Liu Che needs to receive one or two sets so he can keep track of Wei Qing's movements. The Kaiyuan World radio station also needs to be available to prepare for the upcoming war against Tibet.

As for the Eastern Han Dynasty, the situation at court was unclear, so it was not advisable to grant it to them for the time being, lest Ban Chao be led by the nose by the Dou family.

Zhao Xu didn't need it either, because if anything happened in Tokyo, Li Qingzhao could tell him when he came to Hunyuan Palace. Although this was not as efficient as radio communication, it was much faster than postal relay.

What is most needed is the world under the Zhenguan Emperor. The war against Goguryeo in the northeast, the war to destroy Yanqi and Kucha in the western regions, and the movements of Li Ke in the south all require contact with the imperial court.

The next morning, Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang ate something casually and then went to the Sanqing Hall to set out offerings to the Dao Ancestor, hoping that the transmission would go smoothly.

Meanwhile, in the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, Chen Tang, along with his wife, children, and adopted son Wang Mang, arrived at the General of the Guards' residence, intending to witness this moment.

At exactly eight o'clock in the morning, Chen Tang said to Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui:
"Say goodbye to everyone, I'll take you away."

After saying goodbye, he took a little girl's hand in one hand, lifted his leg, and the three of them disappeared into thin air.

Chen Tang suddenly appeared inside the gate of Hunyuan Palace, but Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui were not with him, which startled him.
"What happened? Could something have gone wrong?"

(End of this chapter)