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

Chapter 390 Liu Che: To kill, you must first destroy their spirit! [Seeking monthly votes]

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Li Qingzhao heard that Li Bai's merits were about to reach five jin, and she could hardly believe it:

"Master, please check the exact figure again. I must strive to catch up and not be left too far behind."

Zhou Yi smiled and opened the black notebook, found Li Bai's page, and was about to announce the amount of merit when he was stunned by the weight shown.

[Merit: 3 catties and 14 taels]

No, it was four jin and twelve liang just now, how come it's suddenly fourteen liang less?

Zhou Yi held his breath and focused intently on his eldest disciple's page, noticing two newly added notes:
[Using the Confucian Sage's Carving Knife to alter the celestial phenomena at the mountaintop, Merit -160]

[By freezing hundreds of provocative Tibetan soldiers to death during an extreme cold wave, merit +20]

Just ten minutes ago, Zhou Yi was exaggerating his disciple's merits, but he was proven wrong so quickly.

"Immortal Master, how much merit does the Poet Immortal possess?"

Li Qingzhao leaned closer and stared intently at the black notebook, but couldn't figure out what it was about.

The Book of Changes says:

"Now there are only three catties and fourteen taels left... Just now it seems that several hundred Tibetan soldiers were provoking us on the mountaintop. They directly changed the weather on the mountaintop, causing an extreme cold wave. All those hundreds of people froze to death."

Li Qingzhao's eyes lit up upon hearing this:
"The Confucian sage's carving knife has such a use? When Li Bai comes again next time, please let me take it and study it for a few days, okay, Immortal Master?"

After saying that, the girl cupped Zhou Yi's face and kissed him several times, acting as if she would seduce him if he didn't agree.

Zhou Yi patted her on the back and said:

"Sure, but don't do anything reckless. If you ruin the scholar's pen, don't destroy the carving knife too. Otherwise, the old master will really lose his guard."

Li Qingzhao sat down in Zhou Yi's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said sweetly:
"Don't worry, I will only try my best to accumulate merit, and I won't do anything reckless."

While the two were being affectionate, chubby little Zhao Rui passed by the door and, seeing this scene, immediately took off on her short legs and quickly found Aunt Gongsun:

"Master, Master, why haven't you gone to kiss the Immortal Master yet? You're making our sect lose all face!"

Little Fatty followed Granny Gongsun to learn the full-court posture, and then became the disciple of Big Glutton Girl... Granny Gongsun had always wanted to find an obedient little follower, and now, that wish has finally come true.

She pinched Zhao Rui's cheek and asked:
"What do you mean by 'the sect has lost all face'? Is it shameful to have never kissed an immortal master?"

The chubby girl broke free from her hand and sat down on the threshold of the Sanqing Hall. She wanted to cross her legs, but couldn't manage it, so she had to give up.
"If everyone else has kissed the immortal master but you haven't, wouldn't you feel ashamed?"

Gongsun Da Niang: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Just as she was about to ask what was going on, she heard Xi Shi shout from the back hall:

"Dinner's ready, Yan'er and Rui'er, come and serve the dishes and set the table."

Zhao Rui quickly ran over, leaving Aunt Gongsun with a head full of questions.

Tonight's meal consisted of four simple dishes: stewed pig's trotters with soybeans, braised pig's tail, stir-fried eggs with lichen, and stir-fried sausage with celery, plus a side of loofah and egg drop soup.

Once everyone had arrived, Zhou Yi recounted how Li Bai used a carving knife to alter celestial phenomena, warning everyone to be careful when using it to avoid inadvertently causing natural disasters.

Wu Zetian wrote it down, intending to inform Huo Qubing, Xin Qiji, and others when they arrived, so as to prevent everyone from making random carvings with their carving knives.

Li Qingzhao said:
"The Marquis of Champions hasn't come for several days. I wonder what he's doing."

Wu Zetian served Zhou Yi a bowl of soup:

“When escorting Liu An to the capital, he has to keep watch. If there is a gap in the journey to Hunyuan Palace, Liu An might use his eloquence to make a series of promises to the guards, which could easily cause unforeseen problems.”

No matter how abstract Liu An may seem, he was still a member of the imperial family. In terms of seniority, Liu Che would have to call him uncle.

If someone were to promise to bestow the titles of Three Dukes, Grand Marshal, or Grand General, some might actually be tempted. After all, Liu An had bestowed such titles upon many people in history, and his subordinates gladly accepted them, each receiving an official seal and ribbon.

Of course, Liu An's most invincible quality was his self-confidence. This guy once envisioned a very grand plan, which was to order the generals of Wuguan, Yiqueguan, Xuanyuanguan and other passes to block the passes, trap the court in Guanzhong and Luoyang, and starve Liu Che to death.

But this grand plan was halted by his subordinates before it could even be implemented:

"Those fortress commanders don't receive your military pay, nor are they under your control, so why should they listen to you?"

Liu An couldn't answer, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with his plan. He felt that as long as he raised his arm and called, none of the feudal lords in the world would dare to disobey him. However, he was kind-hearted and ultimately decided to spare Liu Che's life... Judging from these unreliable words and deeds alone, it is hard to connect them with the content of the Huainanzi.

Therefore, the most reliable explanation is that the thousands of retainers of the Prince of Huainan, under the banner of rebellion, used Liu An's investment to jointly compile a set of books, which became the foundational work in various aspects such as traditional Chinese medicine, Taoism, alchemy, geomancy, the Five Elements, and astronomy.

Zhou Yi glanced at the calendar and said:
"Next time Huo Qubing comes, we should send him to Pingyang County to pick up Huo Guang, so that Liu Che's three SSR cards can be reunited ahead of time... Talents need to be cultivated from a young age, and it's time for A-Guang to memorize the multiplication tables and write down his most unforgettable experience."

Zhao Rui added with a grin:
"He'll definitely write 'My Champion Marquis Brother' and win first place in the Great Han Essay Contest." Everyone chatted as they ate, but only Aunt Gongsun was preoccupied. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the girl bid farewell to everyone and rode her electric scooter back to the Kaiyuan World.

As soon as she appeared, she pulled Princess Taiping to a corner of the main hall and whispered her question:
"Little Taiping, I suddenly realized that everyone else seems to have kissed the Immortal Master, but I haven't. Do you think the Immortal Master will be disgusted by me?"

Princess Taiping thought something terrible had happened:
"The immortal master dotes on you so much, how could he possibly dislike you? Besides, matters of the heart need to develop naturally, there's no need to force it."

When talking about love, Princess Taiping unconsciously reminisced about the past.

She and her first husband, Xue Shao, were deeply in love and inseparable. However, she was eventually caught up in her mother's power struggles, her husband was executed, and she remarried to Wu Youji.

Princess Taiping always indulged her son Xue Chongjian, partly because she felt guilty towards her first husband.

Once Xue Chongjian conquers Japan, he can rightfully restore his ancestral surname and recreate the glory of the Xue family.

She looked at Granny Gongsun and asked:

"Is the mother over there still obsessed with power struggles?"

Gongsun Da Niang said:

"What are you so infatuated with? You're completely like a little woman in love right now. You're practically drooling over the immortal... I didn't notice it before, but I only realized this problem today when Zhao Rui pointed it out."

Princess Taiping comforted her:
"Your presence at Hunyuan Palace means you are destined to have a connection with the Immortal Master. Don't be distressed; perhaps the Immortal Master will take the initiative to kiss you next time."

When Gongsun Da Niang thought of that scene, her pretty face suddenly flushed red:
"I won't let him kiss me unless he's the first one I get to kiss!"

The next day, the gluttonous girl, still feeling annoyed, sent someone to the West Market early in the morning to find out if there were any places to pray to Allah. Following the clues, they busted an underground illegal religious organization, and all its members were sent to Nanshan to quarry stones.

On the other side, in the world of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty.

After traveling day and night, Huo Qubing and his men finally arrived in Chang'an from Shouchun. Along the way, Liu An lost more than ten kilograms and his thighs were chafed and bleeding, truly experiencing the hardships of being a cavalryman.

But he did not give up his idea of ​​becoming emperor. He even felt that this was a test from heaven for him. On the way, he recited Mencius's "Born in hardship, die in comfort" to encourage himself.

An Guo Shao Ji tried to whip him several times, but Huo Qubing stopped him.

His Majesty hasn't had his fill of satisfaction since receiving the token. He must bring Liu Quan to Chang'an unharmed so that he can finally unleash his fury.

After entering Chang'an, Liu An looked at the people on the street and said disdainfully:

"If I were to govern the Han Dynasty, the people would never suffer from famine."

An Guo Shaoji retorted:
"Even more people starved to death in Shouchun, and I didn't see any benevolent governance from you."

Liu An opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but didn't know what to say, so he could only sigh:
"How could a mediocre person understand me?"

Huo Qubing grinned:
"The person who understands you will appear soon, just bear with it a little longer."

When the group arrived at Weiyang Palace, Liu Che, who had received prior notice, came out to greet them at the entrance:
"Oh my, I've been waiting for you! I can't even drink sweet fermented rice wine if I don't see you soon... Qubing, quickly untie my uncle and change him into some nice clothes, otherwise when he goes down to see his grandfather, he'll complain that I'm impolite!"

Liu Che has been making trouble for his ministers these days, but everyone has gotten used to his whims and no one makes mistakes. He can't find anyone to test his methods on.

Now things are really messed up. A rebellious imperial uncle has come from the southeast, and he's not even from my branch of the imperial family.

What are we waiting for? Let's just chop it up!

It can be said that the fate of Liu An and his family was sealed the moment Huo Qubing led his men into Shouchun.

The Huainan Kingdom was renamed Jiujiang Commandery, and its capital was moved from Shouchun to Yinling, giving the Han Dynasty another prosperous land... If Liu An hadn't rebelled, Liu Che would have been too embarrassed to take action against him.

Soon, Liu An was forced to change into a set of luxurious clothes, taste ice cream, see various household appliances, and watch "Emperor Wu of Han" for a while.

In any case, Liu Che had been preparing all these days to launch a series of psychologically damaging actions, which he then demonstrated to Liu An:
"You've been cultivating immortality for many years, and I thought I could enjoy these things through your connections. But it's better to rely on yourself than others, so I simply took matters into my own hands. Guess what? I mastered the Lightning Strike Technique in just half a month, and now I've finally got you here... We're both cultivators, how about we have a friendly spar?"

Instead of hurling insults, Liu Che showed Liu An the beauty of life... but the more he did this, the more vulnerable Liu An became.

What kind of rebellion is this? If they had just bowed down and submitted earlier, with their royal connections, wouldn't they be enjoying all these sofas, color TVs, and large refrigerators?

Unfortunately, the more he thought about it, the more he regretted it, and the more he regretted it, the more upset he became. In the end, he sat down on the threshold of the main hall of Weiyang Palace and began to sob.

Liu Che sat beside him and asked with a smile:

"Tell me, who in the court has been corresponding with you... As long as you tell me their name, I'll create a good posthumous name for you, how about it?"

(End of this chapter)