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

Chapter 385 Xi Shi: Have I become an unstable factor? [Seeking monthly votes]

After reading the notes, Zhou Yi thought he had misread them, so he read them again and couldn't help but gasp in shock:
"Li Weigong, the military genius of the Tang Dynasty, is now incredibly awesome!"

The massacre of 100,000 Goguryeo soldiers to avenge the Han Chinese invasion was a heroic act that will surely be recorded in history and admired by future generations.

Comparatively speaking, the additional three hundred merits are not so important...

However, a new note soon appeared on the page:

"With merit exceeding ten jin, the Ninth Grade Wind-Gathering Technique is upgraded to the Eighth Grade Wind-Gathering Technique, the wind-gathering time is doubled, and each use consumes two coins of merit."

Zhou Yi didn't care about the unremarkable upgrade at all; all he could think about was how to get credit for Li Jing.

"How about we just buy a pagoda online and have Meiniang deliver it to him?"

Although Li Weigong is not yet the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, we can let him experience the joy of carrying the pagoda in advance.

Just then, Wu Meiniang entered the room:
"Immortal Master, why did you return to your room in such a hurry? Has something happened?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Lord Li massacred 100,000 Goguryeo soldiers on the Liaodong battlefield, avenging the Han people. This has increased my merit by nearly two jin, and my Wind-Summoning Technique has been upgraded to the eighth rank. I wonder what level of wind I can summon... Meiniang, what do you think I should reward him for?"

They've quietly accumulated so much merit; it wouldn't be right not to reward them.

Wu Zetian, who possessed a natural talent for the extraordinary, immediately had an idea:

"A statue of Li Weigong riding a horse and brandishing a whip can be erected on the east bank of the Liao River for future generations to admire."

Zhou Yi's eyes lit up:
"This is a good idea, but if we only build a statue for Li Jing, won't the other generals have objections?"

Wu Zetian smiled slightly, already having a plan:

"Then His Majesty will issue an edict that whoever conquers territory from foreign tribes should have a statue erected in that place... Given the Tang Dynasty generals' tradition of valuing face, they will surely turn into a bunch of eager warmongers."

Zhouyi: "..."

Everyone has their own expertise. Li Longji was just doing it for fun; the real key was his grandmother, Wu Zetian.

After the massacre of 100,000 soldiers, Goguryeo will likely find it difficult to organize a large army again in the short term. The vast territory on the west bank of the Yalu River will be gradually devoured by Li Jing and his men.

If they act quickly, by the time Wu Zetian arrives in Liaodong, the war to destroy Goguryeo might only be nearing its end.

Closing his notebook, Zhou Yi left the room and went to the construction site. The indoor floor had been hardened, and after it solidified, they would begin laying the underfloor heating to ensure everyone had a warm winter.

Li Qingzhao looked around the new house, then went up the stairs to the roof to take a look at the sunroom that was under construction. After that, she began to teach the Zhao sisters, Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui, to read.

The temperature was quite low today, so Zhou Yi put the pork ribs and pork bones in a casserole, and also added a lot of lotus root, making a famous Hubei dish, braised pork ribs with lotus root.

This dish allows you to eat both meat and drink soup. The stewed lotus root, which is tender and soft, is also rich in nutrients and has a very strong feeling of fullness.

Wearing her newly bought down jacket, Zhao Rui took a sip of soup from a cartoon bowl and began to dream about campus life.

"I wonder if the school has this kind of delicious food. If I get too thin from hunger, it won't match the name of Fairy Bright Moon. Will the gods in heaven be angry?"

Zhou Yi pinched her cheek and said:
“You’re going to a private school. As long as you have money in your meal card, you can have special meals every day without any problem.”

Public school cafeterias have to consider things like price, but private schools don't have that problem. As long as you have money, you can buy food for the large kitchen, small kitchen, or teachers' kitchen.

Zhao Yan asked:

"How do they live there? Are there several people sharing a room?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"Four people per room, Director Xu will arrange everything, so you don't need to worry. Besides, with divine protection, you won't encounter any bad people."

Zhou Yi obtained the Qingfeng and Mingyue amulets for the two sisters, which are considered their natal peace amulets. As long as they carry them, they will always be under the protection of the heavenly gods and will not encounter any accidents.

Xi Shi was still somewhat uneasy:
"Can I go with you to take Yan'er and Rui'er to school for registration?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Yes, but you can't bring your token."

Li Qingzhao covered her mouth and laughed. At first, she thought the unstable factor in Hunyuan Palace was the group of generals. But she didn't expect that the most beautiful woman in the world would become a hidden danger. She had to emphasize that she could not bring the token wherever she went.

Unfortunately, the ruler of Wei did not provoke her, otherwise another ruler would have died because of this beautiful woman.

Zhao Yan loves learning and has recently been secretly studying a lot of materials from the Spring and Autumn Period:

"Master, why did the states of the Spring and Autumn period always attack the State of Song? What treasures did the State of Song possess?"

Before Zhou Yi could speak, Xi Shi said:
"The State of Song has an original sin; if we attack the State of Song, the other states won't say a word." "Huh? Why?"

The Book of Changes explains the reason:
"After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, in order to settle the remnants of the Shang Dynasty, the area around Shangqiu was divided among them, thus the State of Song came into being... From a modern perspective, the State of Song was a remnant of the former dynasty, and it was not unreasonable to attack it no matter what."

Before the fall of the State of Song, all the neighboring states of Lu, Zheng, Chu, Wu, and Qi had attacked it, and not just once, making it arguably the most bullied state in the Spring and Autumn Period.

However, the State of Song is not worthy of sympathy because they have retained some of the bad habits of the Shang Dynasty, such as the famous Sanglin Dance, which is said to involve carving people into skeletons, but the historical records are vague and can only be found in some fragments.

In the mid-Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Dao of Jin, the restorer of the Jin state, visited the Song state after helping the Song state defeat the Zheng state. To show their respect, the nobles of Song offered to perform the Mulberry Grove Dance for him.

Duke Dao of Jin thought it was just a regular song and dance performance and readily agreed. However, halfway through the performance, he was so frightened that he hid in his room and refused to come out. He then fell seriously ill and died not long after.

The fact that the dance of the mulberry grove could frighten the most powerful ruler of the time shows just how barbaric it was.

Scenes like those at Yin Ruins, where children were boiled in large pots, were quite common in the Shang Dynasty... It would be strange if Duke Dao of Jin in the Zhou Dynasty could have adapted to them.

Li Qingzhao asked:
"Why not destroy the Song dynasty and leave their remnants alive?"

Wu Zetian said:
"Keeping them is to show the Zhou people how barbaric and ignorant the Shang people are. It seems that every dynasty does this, leaving a group of former officials as a memorial arch to demonstrate the legitimacy and orthodoxy of the regime."

After the meal, Li Qingzhao took the leaves of Emperor Gouchen back to the mill in Bianliang City. Even more people came to grind flour, and the queue stretched half a street away.

Li Qingzhao glanced at the flour milling records and instructed the accountant:

"Those who have had their flour ground are not allowed to come back for ten days. Let the people in the city see the efficiency and working method of the electric mill as much as possible."

The purpose of opening mills is to make things convenient for ordinary people, not to serve as processing plants for grain merchants. They need to be restricted, otherwise all the major grain merchants would be queuing up day and night to grind flour.

The accountant wrote it down, then pointed to a cabinet behind him and said:
"We've collected quite a bit of money since yesterday, what should we do?"

Li Qingzhao had already made arrangements:
"When I've saved up 100 strings of cash, I'll find a way to spend it. Your wages should be paid on time, without any delays. If anyone needs money urgently, remember to tell me, and I'll handle it."

These clerks and accountants have all sworn an oath before the token, so they can be fully trusted.

After making these arrangements, Li Zhaozhao contacted Cai Jing via walkie-talkie, asking him to prepare some provisions to support Confucius. He then contacted Li Hang, instructing him to study hard, before leaving the world of Emperor Zhezong and returning to Hunyuan Palace.

As soon as she arrived, she took out her phone and saw that the things she had ordered online had arrived. So she drove her electric tricycle down the mountain with the Zhao sisters, Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui, to pick up the package and buy some other supplies.

Zhou Yi contacted the tailor's nephew and arranged to go to Zhengzhou tomorrow to deal with the troubles in his home... He had spent some money in a rush these past two days and needed to recover his losses quickly.

It's quite interesting. Ever since the roof of the God of Wealth Temple was repaired, every time we spend money, new business comes in, creating a situation where the more money we spend, the more we get.

Wu Zetian began arranging the personnel to go to the provincial capital the next day:
"If Sister Gongsun comes before breakfast, let her and Sister Xishi accompany you; if she doesn't come at breakfast time, let Xishi and Zhao'er accompany you, how about that?"

Zhou Yi grabbed her hand and asked:
"Don't you want to see the Big Corn and the February 7th Memorial Tower?"

Wu Zetian pointed to the construction site and said:

"I have matters to attend to at home, and I would be uneasy if I left."

Having a housekeeper really makes a difference.

The Book of Changes says:

"Once you get your household registration, we'll go abroad for a trip and show you around the world."

Wu Zetian kissed Zhou Yi:
"I will also accompany you to earn merit in the lands of foreign tribes and eliminate evil."

While the two were chatting, in the world of the Tang Dynasty during the Zhenguan era, on the east bank of the Liao River, more than 20,000 troops worked together to fill half of the large pit. Li Jing planned to have the prisoner camp slowly fill in the remaining earth.

After the army returned to camp to rest and reorganize, they would then begin the second phase of the battle.

Taking advantage of Goguryeo's lack of fresh troops, they quickly occupied the cities east of the Liao River and forced the residents of those cities to serve as slaves in western Liaoning and other places.

Next, Chang'an will gradually relocate some prisoners, refugees, and hidden populations released by aristocratic families to Liaodong. They will gradually settle down by planting crops such as potatoes, corn, and sorghum, and cultivate the land of the Liaohe Plain through farming.

In the central command tent, Li Ji asked Li Jing for advice:

"Liaodong is far from the Central Plains, and government orders take months to reach. If this continues, it will inevitably be assimilated by the barbarians. Does Lord Li have any good solutions?"

Li Jing pointed to the book that Wu Meiniang had sent and said:

"This book mentions an object called a radio, which can receive radio signals. If each county were to have a radio to listen to the government orders from Chang'an every day, they would not be bothered by the distance."

At the same time, on the Yellow Sea, the warships of the Tang Dynasty navy gradually appeared on the western coast of the peninsula. At dusk, they suddenly raised their sails and quietly sailed into the Paesu River (the ancient name for the Daedong River) estuary, heading east against the current. They planned to approach Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, by waterway and then seize the city with lightning speed.

After Li Weigong led the infantry and cavalry in their performance, it was time for the Tang Dynasty navy to shine...

(End of this chapter)