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

Chapter 339 Deducing the Capital of the Great Song Dynasty? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The blind man, holding the abacus with great excitement, asked Zhou Yi:
"You're planning this so that you can sense the dragon's aura, right?"

The blind man proudly introduced:
"That's for sure. My Han clan has been able to observe dragons since ancient times. This abacus is a very important magical artifact... During the Anti-Japanese War, almost all of my family members died in battle, and the Han clan declined. However, the art of observing dragons did not decline. I had observed them before and was hunted down for four whole years."

Zhou Yi now understood his grandfather's good intentions:

"No wonder they confiscated your abacus. With how often you use it, you're probably being chased by dragons every day."

The blind man understood this, so he decided to have his fun and leave the abacus in the Hunyuan Palace. He could retrieve it later if needed, so as not to become the target of the mythical creatures again.

After unloading the cart, the blind man prepared to take his leave. Zhou Yi suddenly remembered the matter of helping Zhao Xu establish the capital and asked the blind man:

"If the Song Dynasty had unified China, where would have been a suitable place to establish its capital? I'm currently writing a web novel and will be using some of that knowledge."

The blind man was somewhat incredulous:

"Are you always so irresponsible?"

However, considering that the I Ching cultivates merit, he didn't say much, but instead followed the I Ching's questions to make connections:
“There are many limitations to the establishment of a unified dynasty’s capital… If it is located in Nanjing, it will lose control of the north; if it is located in Kaifeng, it will be far from the northwest; if it is located in Youzhou, the southern literati will band together; if it is located in Chang’an, it will be easy to starve… The Heluo region is better, as it is the birthplace of the Hetu and Luoshu, and it is also the center of the world. However, if it is to be the capital, the remnants of the Han and Tang dynasties must be swept away and a new city must be built.”

The Book of Changes asks:

"I plan to use a divination board to perform some calculations. How about you preside over the process?"

The blind man asked in bewilderment:
"Why are you going to such lengths to write a novel? But it's fine, I'll teach you some techniques for using the Bagua abacus."

"To deduce such a momentous event as the capital city requires the combined efforts of eight cultivators," the blind man said, counting on his fingers.

“The two of us, plus Jiang Wenming as an extra, are still five short… We can have Old Qiao come over; he has merit, so his deductions will be much more efficient. But other candidates might not have the time.”

The Book of Changes asks:

"Is it enough to just have good deeds?"

The blind man nodded:

"Ideally, it should be related to the fate of the Chinese nation, so that we can deduce the accurate location of the capital."

Since merit is all that matters, then Hunyuan Palace can gather the rest of the people, and even have a few more reserves... Merits related to the fate of the nation are easy to find.

With no problem finding the right person, Zhou Yi decided to conduct the divination at 11:00 AM five days later.

We should have everyone come early and change into their Taoist robes beforehand... After all, we are Zhao Xu's master, and we should try our best to find a good location for him to build the capital.

After seeing the blind man off, Li Qingzhao excitedly approached Zhou Yi:

"Immortal Master, may I participate in the divination of the capital's location in five days? This is a matter for our Great Song Dynasty, and as a citizen of the Great Song, I should do my part!"

Zhou Yi nodded in agreement:
"Okay, I'll let you participate. Just do your best, don't doze off or get distracted."

"Don't worry, with this talented woman on the job, I'm sure I can find a good spot!"

During the Song Dynasty, Luoyang was in ruins, and the Grand Canal was almost completely silted up. To restore navigation, a large amount of manpower would be needed to dredge it... This was the biggest drawback of making Luoyang the capital.

However, this was not a concern for Zhezong's world, because both the Tanguts and the Khitans were excellent laborers, not to mention there were boatloads of small-scale mining operations available, so labor was not a problem.

If the canal is not working, then just dig one. The Western Xia had at least three million captives. They could move mountains, let alone dig a canal.

Aunt Gongsun pulled a military overcoat from her bundle and put it on, her face beaming with surprise.

"It's so warm, Immortal Master, is there any for us?"

The blind man delivered 60,000 military overcoats, plus the 10,000 ordered from Song Aixiang, for a total of 70,000. After deducting the ones used by Li Jing, at least 30,000 can be spared.

The Book of Changes says:

"I'll share some with you then, hoping that Cen Shen will be a little warmer when he writes 'Song of White Snow Sending Judge Wu Back to the Capital'."

Just think how vast the territory of the Tang Dynasty was. The poem "Song of White Snow Sending Off Judge Wu Returning to the Capital," which I memorized with a headache in junior high school, was actually written by Cen Shen while he was on duty by Lake Baikal.

Today, Lake Baikal is far away in Siberia, separated by an entire country, and is no longer the vast ocean that was once part of China.

Wu Zetian placed the Bagua abacus back into the Sanqing Hall and asked Zhou Yi:

"Immortal Master, why haven't the Marquis of Champion and the others arrived yet?"

These words reminded Zhou Yi, and he quickly returned to his room. He pressed his right hand, fingers together, against the cover of the notebook, held it for three breaths, and then opened the notebook, where he saw the note that the passage had been opened.

Soon, a large herd of warhorses appeared outside the Temple of the God of Wealth. Guo Rong hurriedly came out of the temple and asked everyone:

"What happened? Why couldn't you come earlier?"

Just as Zhou Yi was about to speak, a pile of bamboo slips appeared at the entrance of the Hall of Longevity, and Huo Qubing also arrived:
"Master, what does it mean when my mind keeps reminding me that the passage is closed?"

Zhou Yi said to the two of them:
"We had some guests just now, and I was worried that your sudden appearance might frighten them, so I temporarily closed the time-space portal."

Soon, Zhao Xu, Xin Qiji, and Ban Chao arrived. Zhao Xu brought a bunch of weapons, while Xin Qiji had secured the bases of three wind turbines, this time using fossilized symbols drawn by Li Bai instead of concrete.

They were all fellow disciples, so they helped each other out, which allowed Li Bai to earn some merit.

Ban Chao also brought some warhorses for Zhao Xu, and then raised the issue of the design of the Yiyuan Temple.

The Book of Changes says:

"Let's take the style of Han Dynasty palaces as an example. This will fundamentally change the aesthetic problem of the people from the Western Regions. All the buildings, clothes and so on will be made in the style of the Han Dynasty, giving those bumpkins a little aesthetic shock."

In order to ensure that the Western Regions remain under the control of China for a long time, we must take a comprehensive approach, addressing issues related to culture, customs, beliefs, and ethnicity.

Guo Rong, upon hearing that Zhao Xu was preparing to move the capital, inquired about the Later Zhou dynasty:

"Do we also need to relocate our capital?"

He just expanded Kaifeng; if he were to move the capital, the entire court would likely protest.

The Book of Changes says:

"Let's fight the war for now. When we reach the Western Regions, without you even having to bring it up, court officials will propose moving the capital... There are too many former officials in Bianliang, which greatly affects the interests of the new elites. The best solution is to start afresh."

At noon, Zhou Yi stewed pork ribs and braised pork hock, steamed dishes, and baked some honey-glazed pork belly in the oven, along with stir-fried vegetables, making for a hearty and delicious meal for everyone.

Zhao Rui ate until her face was covered in rice grains. She never mentioned Zhajiangmian again, because rice mixed with meat broth tasted even better than Zhajiangmian, exceeding her expectations.

Li Qingzhao asked Gongsun Da Niang:

Why didn't Li Bai come?

“I rode my bicycle to Tongguan to pick up Yuan Danqiu, and he also found Cen Xun…Master Cen, Danqiu Sheng and Li Bai’s younger brother met several years in advance. Yesterday, my eldest grandson came to Yiyuan Temple to eat barbecue, and I recited ‘Drinking Alone Under the Moon’ on the spot, which amazed everyone.”

Zhao Xu almost burst out laughing:

"Will students from now on no longer be able to recite the senior brother's poems and essays?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"No, there will only be more to memorize. Li Bai will write new masterpieces. The students of the Kaiyuan world are blessed."

The creator's talent is not lacking. If you publish his work first, it will only force him to write better works... I hope the eldest disciple will not only focus on cultivating immortality, but also leave some homework for future generations of students.

After the meal, Huo Qubing brought up the matter of changing Huainan Kingdom into Jiujiang Prefecture... They had just left Chang'an when the imperial edict to change Huainan Kingdom into Jiujiang Prefecture was issued, and even the prefect of the prefecture set off with the edict.

Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) was an unconventional emperor. He wouldn't hypocritically discuss many things in court; instead, he would make a decision on a whim and then assign people to carry it out.

Every courtier who encountered Liu Che would give 200% effort to complete the tasks assigned to him, and would not complain even if they were later demoted or punished.

It can only be said that the Liu family has succubus blood, and the more capable a person is, the higher the probability of falling for their trap.

However, Liu Che also had moments of weakness. For example, after Wei Zifu committed suicide, the emperor realized with dismay that his imperial ambitions and achievements were all thanks to Wei Zifu's dowry.

Wei Qing was a dowry, Huo Qubing was a dowry, the talents they discovered were also dowries, and even Huo Guang, the last minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, was also part of the dowry... That woman gave him everything, but also despised him, preferring to commit suicide rather than bow down and admit her mistakes.

After the meal, Xin Qiji said that he would level the land and install the wind turbines, and would not come back for five days until the wind turbines were fully installed.

Before leaving, he took a stack of wind-generating talismans with him. In case there was no wind, he could stick them on the wind turbine and generate electricity with a continuous breeze.

Ban Chao didn't have time to participate either; he needed to organize his troops and wipe out the kingdoms of Kucha and Yanqi as soon as possible... The people of these two kingdoms had slaughtered the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and now Ban Chao wanted to retaliate and show the mighty fury of the Han Dynasty.

The only one left is the show-off Chen Tang. Although he's not here today, he'll definitely be willing to participate in an event like the simulation of the Song capital. Huo Qubing will also be there, along with Li Qingzhao and her eldest disciple Li Bai. That's enough.

As for backup personnel, there are Gongsun Da Niang and Xi Shi, whose merits are not low and can be added at any time.

Having made the agreement, Xi Shi packed some clothes and left, planning to return in five days to stay a couple more days to rest before heading to the State of Qi to search for Tian Rangju's writings.

Gongsun Da Niang also left, taking dozens of military overcoats with her. She asked Li Longji to promote cotton and also informed Li Bai to come and participate in the ceremony in five days.

This is a big event, and the eldest disciple of Hunyuan Palace cannot be absent.

Wu Meiniang also left, planning to go back and test the limits of the long-distance walkie-talkie. She would return in five days by carriage, and then she would know whether she could exploit the bug.

Li Qingzhao didn't leave; she planned to stay for five days to teach the Zhao sisters, Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui, modern Chinese characters and how to use some household appliances, so that they could be ready to go to school as soon as possible.

That night, the two sisters, dressed in soft pajamas, lay on their bunk beds, reminiscing about the day's events.

Zhao Rui, who was sleeping on the top bunk, turned over and hugged the pillow in her arms, saying:

"The food the host makes is so delicious, I love it here... Sister, what about you?"

Zhao Yan hummed in agreement.
“I like it here too… By the way, Rui’er, when Sister Xi Shi left, she said that we could only dance for our master from now on, so don’t forget that.”

"I remember, Sister Xi Shi is going to teach us the clapper dance, I can't wait..."

(End of this chapter)