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

Chapter 356 Guanyin's Divine Revelation! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Li Mingda obediently carried the small bowl back to the inner palace, took out two bowls of freshly made milk cake from the refrigerator in Yiyuan Hall, and walked towards Guanyin Hall, which was not far from Yiyuan Hall.

Empress Zhangsun's nickname was Guanyinbi, meaning the maid of Guanyin Bodhisattva. At the beginning of Li Shimin's reign, he built a Guanyin Hall in the palace and invited eminent monks to chant sutras and pray for Empress Zhangsun's well-being.

Unfortunately, Empress Zhangsun passed away at the age of thirty-six, in the tenth year of the Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin was heartbroken. He not only raised his two children, Li Zhi and Li Mingda, but also commissioned a painter to paint a portrait of Empress Zhangsun and hang it in the Guanyin Hall. When he was depressed, he would come in and talk to Empress Zhangsun. Li Zhi, Li Mingda, and the youngest Princess Xincheng, Li Chengyang, would also come in to pay their respects from time to time.

Upon entering the Guanyin Hall, Li Mingda first placed a bowl of milk cake in front of the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, lit incense and candles, knelt down and kowtowed in respect, inviting Guanyin to eat first, before placing another bowl of milk cake in front of the portrait of Empress Zhangsun to the side.
"Mother, I've made something delicious. Father said it's extremely tasty. Please try it and see if it suits your taste. If you don't like it, I'll make it for you again."

Eight years ago, Li Mingda was just four years old. At that time, she did not understand death and thought that her mother was just sick and would be fine after sleeping.

As she grew older, she realized that she would never see her mother again, nor feel the warm embrace of her memories. The portrait in the Guanyin Hall was her only solace.

Li Mingda knelt on the prayer mat, rambling on and on about the recent events that had happened to his mother.

“In the past, my father was often brought to tears by court officials, and I felt very sorry for him. I racked my brains to say words of comfort to him. The attendants all said that I was like my mother. But I don’t have your abilities at all. You can comfort my father, educate the children, and often spin yarn and weave cloth yourself to educate the people. If I had even one ten-thousandth of your abilities, that would be enough.”

"Ever since the Immortal Master bestowed the token upon Father, Father has never been brought to tears by court officials again. On the contrary, Uncle's white hair has increased significantly, and his wrinkles have deepened. If you were here, you would surely laugh at him for becoming a decrepit old man, no longer the handsome and elegant young master of the Changsun family."

"Sister Meiniang brought many books and textbooks. The Tang Dynasty is about to undergo earth-shattering changes. Unfortunately, I am not very talented and cannot learn many of them. I can only study secretly at night, hoping to share Father's burdens and prevent him from overworking... Mother, I miss you so much. If you were still here, my eldest and second brothers would not have ended up like that..."

As the little girl spoke, she began to sob. Although she comforted and consoled others every day, she was still only a twelve-year-old girl and had many troubles she wanted to confide in someone.

Just as the palace maids and several nuns from Guanyin Hall were about to come over to offer some words of comfort, they suddenly felt someone in the shadows stopping them, so they left Guanyin Hall one by one, leaving Li Mingda alone in the hall sobbing.

The little girl cried and cried, and perhaps she was tired, so she lay down on the cushion and fell asleep.

In her sleep, she felt her mother's touch and the long-lost warmth, and her whole body felt warm and cozy.

When she opened her eyes and woke up, she found herself facing a statue of Guanyin with a benevolent expression. A thought suddenly popped into her mind:

[Forty-nine days later, depart for Hunyuan Palace]

Li Mingda recited the words in a daze, thanked Guanyin and his mother, and ran away from the Guanyin Hall, finding Li Shimin teaching Li Zhi how to handle memorials under the lamplight:

“Father, I received a divine revelation just now at the Guanyin Hall.”

Li Shimin's hand trembled:
What kind of divine revelation?

"Forty-nine days later, we will set off for Hunyuan Palace... Just now, my daughter suddenly fell asleep in Guanyin Hall. When she woke up, she forgot everything in her dream, but she remembered this sentence. It seems that my daughter can go to Hunyuan Palace."

Li Zhi looked delighted:
“That’s wonderful! My sister is going to become a fairy. Tomorrow morning, I will arrange for someone to solemnly worship Guanyin Goddess to thank her for her inspiration.”

Li Shimin nodded. If his daughter could go to Hunyuan Palace, then Li Zhi's throne would be secure, and a grand ceremony was indeed necessary.
"Sizi, starting tomorrow you will begin wearing Taoist robes, dressed as a female Taoist, just like Meiniang. As for your Taoist name, the Immortal Master will bestow it upon you when you go to Hunyuan Palace."

"My daughter obeys!"

Li Mingda was happy to be able to help her father and brother, but she worried that her father might not follow the doctor's orders and overeat without her by his side.

"Let's bring Yuebao over tomorrow and have her supervise Father's diet."

Yuebao was the childhood name of Princess Li Chengyang of Xincheng. The original meaning of Yuebao is rabbit. Like Li Tai's childhood name Qingque, Li Zhi's childhood name Zhinu, and Li Mingda's childhood name Sizi, all of them used small animals to refer to the children's childhood names.

This naming style originated with Li Yuan. For example, Li Yuanji, who died at Xuanwu Gate, had the character Yuanji in his name, which is an elegant name for a deer.

After Empress Zhangsun passed away, eight-year-old Li Zhi and four-year-old Li Mingda were raised by Li Shimin, while two-year-old Li Chengyang was raised by his wet nurse.

Old Li's two daughters have quite meaningful names. The name Mingda for Xiao Sizi is a Buddhist term referring to wisdom, while the name Li Chengyang is a Taoist term.

"Cheng" is taken from the name of Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, while "Yang" symbolizes vitality and energy.

After Empress Zhangsun gave birth to Li Mingda, her health fluctuated. Emperor Taizong named his daughter Mingda in the hope that Buddhism could help the empress overcome her illness. After Li Chengyang was born, Empress Zhangsun's condition worsened, so Emperor Taizong named his youngest daughter Chengyang, hoping that Taoism could also contribute.

However, naming a girl Chengyang would be too yang, so for her nickname, Li Shimin chose the elegant name for a rabbit – Yuebao.

Upon hearing his daughter mention her younger sister, Li Shimin said, "From now on, let Yuebao live in the Wude Hall. I owe her too much, and it's good to have her by my side to make up for it."

When Empress Zhangsun passed away, Li Shimin originally wanted to take all three children with him, but Li Chengyang was too young, so he had to entrust him to his wet nurse, which made Li Chengyang and his wet nurse have a better relationship.

Because of this sense of indebtedness, when Li Shimin conferred the title of princess, he directly violated the prohibition in the "Tang Liudian" that "famous mountains and great rivers shall not be conferred titles," and conferred the title of Princess Hengshan upon Li Chengyang.

The fact that the princess was bestowed a title at the temple of the Great Emperor of Mount Heng shows how important Li Chengyang was in Li Shimin's heart.

Li Zhi asked:

"Should we prepare some gifts for the Immortal Master? There are several goldsmiths in Chang'an who make exquisite goldware. If the Immortal Master likes them..."

Xiao Sizi said decisively:

"The Immortal Master dislikes such worldly things. Do not taint the Immortal Master's arduous path of cultivation with the stench of money... Starting tomorrow, I will follow the Immortal Master's example in all aspects of my eating, clothing, and daily necessities. I will not dare to be extravagant in the slightest, lest the Immortal Master finds me distasteful. The cabbage rolls that Sister Meiniang brought last time were saved by the Immortal Master after going hungry for two days."

Li Shimin always felt that Wu Zetian was deceiving his daughter, but he had no evidence, so he could only say:
"Now is the time when you are growing, so whatever you eat, you must eat your fill."

"As ordered!"

The next morning, Li Mingda, dressed in a well-fitting Taoist robe, with his hair tied up, wearing a lotus crown and holding a whisk, became a Taoist priest of the Yiyuan Hall.

Li Shimin announced this in the court, completely extinguishing the court officials' hopes of proposing marriage.

During the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, when Chen Tang led the Imperial Guards to Xiaoguan, the road was already half-finished. In order to go to the capital to perform his duties as soon as possible, the Commandant of Xiaoguan organized all the foreign prisoners into groups and divided the entire road construction process into tasks, such as quarrying, transporting stones, leveling, rolling, and compacting. Each process was handled by different groups, which was both efficient and time-saving.

Chen Tang thought this guy was a promising talent, so he encouraged him a few words and then led his troops along the Qingshui River towards Zhongwei, heading north along the Yellow River to Shuofang to earn merit.

He marched very fast and used this method to eliminate hundreds of Imperial Guards... Now there are no more alien races to kill, so we can only eliminate them through training exercises.

The Imperial Guards still have a good foundation, but they have become somewhat neglected due to the lack of war in recent years. Once they undergo a few trials of blood and fire in Shuofang, the Imperial Guards of the Han Dynasty will shine with new brilliance.

To prevent these strong young men from hesitating to carry out the attack, Chen Tang would tell them stories of the Five Barbarian Invasions every night before they went to sleep, making them fall asleep with hatred for foreign tribes, which was much more effective than general ideological education.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, after the foundation layer was laid, Xi Shi planned to leave, taking Tian Rangju's writings with her to the State of Wei to find Confucius and see if he had any writings.

The Book of Changes says:

"You can leave this afternoon. Take the leaves of Emperor Gouchen with you on your journey, so you can come back anytime and I won't have to worry about your safety."

The fact that the leaves were taken away suggests that Wu Zetian will not be returning to the carriage anytime soon.

To prevent any trouble from the group of knights, Zhou Yi went to Jin Anchao's shop and bought fifty roast chickens and about ten cases of liquor. He also cooked a large pot of stew and asked Wu Meiniang to take it over to treat the knights to a good meal. He promised to bring them safety shoes next time so they could drive carefully and avoid overturning.

The carriages in the Tang Dynasty were never very comfortable, so Zhou Yi planned to buy a modern carriage with shock absorption and have Wu Meiniang take it with her. This would not only be more comfortable, but also allow them to travel faster and reach the Goguryeo front sooner.

Wu Zetian delivered the food, instructed the cavalry to be careful, and then returned to Hunyuan Palace, handing the leaf to the beautiful Xi Shi.

"If you encounter danger, come back immediately, sister. Don't let yourself fall into danger."

Xi Shi agreed:
"Don't worry, sister, I know what I'm doing."

Zhou Yi packed some food for her and took her to Xiaopenglai.

"Is riding a bicycle tiring? Should I get you a motorcycle instead?"

Xi Shi shook her head:

"That's good, I can get some exercise too... Goodbye, Immortal Master, I'll be back soon."

She took the food, and unexpectedly kissed Zhou Yi on the cheek before quickly disappearing into the Little Penglai Palace.

Zhouyi: "..."

No, why are you running away? Just kiss me openly, how could I refuse?
(End of this chapter)