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

Chapter 365 Kissing the Talented Woman! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

As the army drew ever closer outside Chang'an, the people lined both sides of the road, warmly welcoming the warriors who had come from afar.

However, when the people saw the banner bearing the name of "General Li of the Rear," they began to whisper among themselves in discussion:

"The imperial edict says that the Grand Marshal and General annihilated the Xiongnu on the northern grasslands of Dingxiang. We are here to welcome the Grand Marshal. Did the General have any merit in this battle?"

"It seems not. I heard that the General always calls the General a cavalry slave and doesn't obey orders at all, and goes to meet the enemy alone."

"As a subordinate, how dare you humiliate your superior? Has the Li family of Longxi taught you to behave like a dog?"

“My brother wrote to say that he followed the general and beheaded more than a dozen Xiongnu people, and our family’s land may be exempt from taxes.”

"It's really enviable. My nephew wasn't so lucky. He was assigned to the rear general's camp and didn't achieve any merit for several years."

"..."

Since the Qin Dynasty, the people of Guanzhong have been passionate about war, hoping to lead their families to a better life through military achievements.

Military merit is not only something that people in Guanzhong pursue, but also a means for them to compete with each other... You keep bragging about how great you are, show us your military achievements.

Those with military merits were highly sought after in Guanzhong, while those without were looked down upon.

For example, now that they heard that it wasn't the illustrious Grand Marshal Wei Qing who was coming, but Li Guang, who had been lost ever since he went to the grasslands, the people's dissatisfaction was immediately revealed, and their original welcome turned into scorn.

On the city wall, Liu Che gave instructions to an official dressed as a scholar:
"Zhang Tang, have your men change into civilian clothes and lie in wait on both sides of the road. If Li Guang's men attack the people, arrest them if they should be arrested and sentence them if they should be sentenced. You must enforce the law impartially and not show favoritism."

Zhang Tang bowed and accepted the order, then led his ruthless officials down the city wall to prepare for enforcement of the law.

Liu Ju hadn't expected things to go this way. He wanted to offer some advice, but he was worried that it would upset his father.

Liu Che was quite frank:
"Do you think your father is cruel? The people of Guanzhong tightened their belts and contributed food and fodder for this expedition, and now that we've lost, we're being cursed by the people... Anyone who dares to complain will have to go to jail to reflect on their actions!"

Liu Ju sensed that recently his father had been intentionally or unintentionally teaching him how to handle state affairs:
"Father, the soldiers have returned empty-handed. Should we appease them or punish them?"

Liu Che felt that his son had a very keen eye for detail:
"If you want to win over the noble families, you should appease Li Guang by saying that the old general is being dragged down by the soldiers; if you want to win over the common people, you should demote Li Guang or force him to retire. The common people and soldiers will naturally support you... Now that the immortal is advocating treating the common people well, we can only make things difficult for the noble families and nobles."

Liu Ju asked:

"Can't we directly reassure the soldiers?"

Liu Che patiently explained:
"Regardless of the circumstances, they ultimately did not achieve any merit. Even if we want to appease them, we can only do so indirectly. Otherwise, what about the soldiers who won the battle? Remember, we must always put meritorious officials first. As an emperor, failing to reward and punish clearly will bring great disaster."

Liu Ju nodded as if he understood, feeling that the way of being a ruler was much more complicated than what was written in the books.

Soon, the army arrived outside the city and prepared to enter the southern camp to rest. The people who had gathered on both sides of the road asked enthusiastically about the soldiers' achievements, but the soldiers could not answer them at all.

When Huo Qubing led his special forces to wipe out a hundred Xiongnu soldiers, the Rear General's headquarters was lost; when Wei Qing found Yizhixie's main force, the Rear General's headquarters was lost; and when the Xiongnu were being slaughtered and fleeing in disarray, the Rear General's headquarters was still lost...

In short, from the moment they set out for Dingxiang until their return, all the troops under the General's command were in a daze and did not encounter a single Xiongnu.

The people waited at the city gate for a long time, only to be greeted by a "peaceful army" with not a drop of blood on their hands, and they were immediately displeased:

"We've been starving, and yet we've fed you good-for-nothings!"

"All the officials and nobles in the city say that the General of the Rear is a famous general, yet he has not achieved any victories for several years. Is this the behavior of a famous general?"

"All he does all day is keep retainers and boast about himself. Is he a famous general or just a braggart?"

"After waiting for so long, we finally get an incompetent army. It is a disgrace to our great Han Dynasty!"

"..."

Hearing these words, Li Guang's face was filled with anger, and he ordered his troops:
"Arrest all these troublemakers who dare to criticize the government! We risk our lives in the northern frontier; how can we tolerate such lowly people talking about us?"

He originally intended to silence the people, but unexpectedly, Zhang Tang, the most ruthless official of the Han Dynasty and the Imperial Censor, was in the crowd and heard everything he said.

Li Guang's troops were caught red-handed by Zhang Tang's men as soon as they made their move.

A minor conflict broke out between the two sides, and as a result, Zhang Tang immediately called in the city defense troops and disarmed Li Guang's troops... The fact that the field troops were subdued by the city defense troops further confirmed the rumors that Li Guang was incompetent in military command.

If they focus on training even a little, the city defense troops will stumble... How can the capital's garrison compare to a field army forged in blood and fire?
From the city wall, Liu Che saw this and instructed Li Cai:
"Considering your cousin's advanced age, even if he hasn't achieved great merit, he has still put in considerable effort. Let's just give him a sinecure of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure) and let it go. And don't mention going to the battlefield again; our Han Dynasty doesn't support idlers!" Li Cai bowed and agreed.
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. I will explain to my brother."

Liu Che was too lazy to watch the farce unfold any longer, so he led Liu Ju back to the palace. On the way, he kept explaining terms like "reform" and "land reform" to his son, hoping that his son could take over the reins as soon as possible so that he could retire early.

Upon arriving at Weiyang Palace, a close attendant reported:

"Your Majesty, Li Yannian has composed a new piece of music, which he wishes to present to you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Che waved his hand dismissively:

"With the Han Dynasty on the verge of collapse, how could I be in the mood to listen to any music? If Li Yannian has such leisure time, send him to guard the late emperor's tomb. Don't bother me!"

If Liu Che, who loved music, hadn't read through the history, he might have been moved. But now that he had seen the entire course of history, he realized that Li Yannian's so-called offering of music was nothing more than a ploy to get his sister into the palace.

But Liu Che was too lazy to care about any of that. He felt sorry for Wei Zifu, so he wanted to spend as much time as possible with this strong-willed mother as possible. As for Lady Li and the like, he decided to forget about them.

Historically, Li Guangli has already proven with his actions that not every brother-in-law is like Wei Qing, and there is no need for Li Guangli to repeatedly cause the loss of Han soldiers.

With important matters at hand, Liu Che only wanted to destroy the Xiongnu, peacefully transfer the throne to Liu Ju, and then retire to Hunyuan Palace... Hearing that charming and handsome older men are popular in modern society, he decided to try his luck in this field.

Meanwhile, inside the Hunyuan Palace, Li Qingzhao was intently reading the instruction manual for the electric grinder, but her mind was filled with the scene of Wu Zetian studying the Book of Changes:
"Should I take the initiative?"

Well, I'm only doing this to emulate Sister Meiniang, not because I covet the tall and handsome immortal!
After Zhou Yi finished preparing lunch, he came over to call everyone to eat. Zhao Yan put down her book and obediently helped serve the dishes and set the table in the back hall. Li Qingzhao, as if possessed, took out a bottle of rice wine, wanting to "bring courage to the timid," which made Zhao Rui purse her lips in disapproval.
"The name of the country truly reflects its character. You Song people are cowardly from the inside out, unlike us Han people, who are fierce and valiant!"

Li Qingzhao pinched the chubby little girl's cheek and said:
"Don't provoke me. Believe me, in a fit of anger, I'll kiss the immortal until he cries."

Zhao Rui sighed like a little adult:
"Forget it, I'll help you instead, otherwise you'll definitely be left behind by Sister Gongsun... Let's make it clear first, you have to agree to one condition after it's done."

Although Li Qingzhao felt she could achieve her wish without help, having more help meant having more options.
"What's the condition?"

"Helping me with my homework is a piece of cake for you, right, Sister Zhao'er?"

Li Qingzhao thought for a moment, and finally nodded:
"I can try, but if I can do it myself, I won't do your homework for you."

The two quickly reached an agreement, devised a plan, and then began to busy themselves with lunch.

After the meal, the workers continued working. Wu Zetian went back to the Zhenguan World for a look, then washed the large thermos and prepared to boil some water for the workers to make tea.

Xi Shi bid farewell to the Book of Changes and returned to the Spring and Autumn Period to continue her journey. She would arrive in the State of Wei in two days at most and would soon be able to meet Confucius.

At this moment, Li Qingzhao, holding the instruction manual for the flour mill, found the Book of Changes:
"Master, I just can't understand the installation steps here."

Zhou Yi took it and searched for installation tutorials for the flour mill on the computer, intending to explain it to Li Qingzhao carefully with the help of videos.

He opened the video, and Li Qingzhao took the opportunity to come closer. Zhao Rui sneaked in and gave the talented woman a hard shove.

According to their plan, Li Qingzhao took the opportunity to pounce forward and kissed Zhou Yi on the face, along with a loving hug, making it a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

As a result, Zhou Yi thought Zhao Rui was playing a prank, so he dodged backward. Li Qingzhao didn't jump into his arms, but instead bumped into a bookshelf.

Zhao Rui: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

I gave you a chance, but you didn't do it. Fine, I'll do my homework myself.

Li Qingzhao straightened up, leaning on the bookshelf. There was no earth-shattering kiss, nor a loving hug. She looked at Zhao Rui with annoyance, and the chubby girl ran away as fast as she could, afraid of being blamed.

Zhou Yi looked at Li Qingzhao and asked:
"Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever? It's been cold lately, you should wear more clothes."

Li Qingzhao felt embarrassed to tell the truth, so she told a lie:

"I feel like I've caught a bit of a cold. Do you think I need to take any medicine, Immortal Master?"

Zhou Yi raised his hand and touched the talented woman's cheek; it was hot, indeed somewhat similar to the symptoms of a fever. He then took Li Qingzhao's hand and said:
"Come closer, let me check you out."

Li Qingzhao obediently leaned closer, and just as she was about to ask how the examination would be conducted, Zhou Yi kissed her smooth, delicate face:
"How's it going? Are you feeling better?"

The brilliant woman: "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

You know everything, yet you acted so seriously, severely hurting my young heart... No, you have to kiss me again, or I'll write a poem to accuse you!
(End of this chapter)