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

Chapter 394 A Good Girl Chosen by Confucius! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Li Qingzhao was worried that too much grain would be difficult to transport, so she only brought enough for a few days. She would bring another batch five days later so that Confucius and the others wouldn't go hungry.

Upon learning that Xin Qiji was going to visit Kaifeng, Li Qingzhao wrote down an address on a piece of paper:

"Come visit my house sometime, take some photos, and I'll use them to motivate Huang'er so he doesn't just think about playing all day long."

Historically, Li Qingzhao left Kaifeng in the second year of Emperor Huizong's reign and then wandered around various places, never returning. If we compare Kaifeng during the Jin Dynasty with Kaifeng during the reign of Emperor Zhezong, the difference is truly enormous.

Xin Qiji had lived in Kaifeng a few years ago and sighed:
"Kaifeng is now a scene of devastation, overgrown with weeds. The pavilions and terraces where scholars once composed poems are now just ruins... Bianjing City is no longer the glorious city it once was!"

In retrospect, the Song Dynasty in the early years of Emperor Huizong's reign was indeed prosperous. The population of China exceeded 100 million for the first time, society was wealthy, and the people were healthy and well-off. Although it did not have the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty, it had its own style and charm.

As a result, the Jurchens marched south and burned this once prosperous land to ashes.

Fortunately, Li Qingzhao did not experience these things and could continue to be a young girl pampered by the Book of Changes.

After telling Xin Qiji her home address, the girl, as if they were old friends, took Wang Qiang's arm and led the second most beautiful woman in the world to try on new clothes.

After the two left, Xin Qiji asked Zhou Yi:
"Master, new members have arrived at Hunyuan Palace. Has the total area for teleportation also increased?"

Zhou Yi stared at the entrance of the Hall of Salvation and said:

“Wang Qiang’s teleportation area is three zhang square. If you add all of you together, the total teleportation area will increase considerably.”

This further solidified Xin Qiji's idea of ​​going to Kaifeng to trade grain.
"Ever since Wanyan Liang designated Kaifeng as the Nanjing of the Jin Dynasty, he has turned it into a major base for his southern invasions, stockpiling up a great deal of grain and weapons."

The Book of Changes says:

"This is nothing now. In a few decades, after the Mongols annexed the Northeast and Youzhou, the Jin dynasty will officially establish its capital in Kaifeng. It will struggle for twenty years before finally being destroyed by the Mongols."

Xin Qiji asked:
Was Kaifeng the last capital of the Jin Dynasty?

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"No, the last one was Han Lin'er at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. He rebelled under the banner of being a ninth-generation descendant of Zhao Ji, opposed the Yuan Dynasty and tried to restore the Song Dynasty. He was emperor in Kaifeng for a year. After that, Kaifeng never served as the capital again."

Upon hearing that someone was rebelling under the banner of Emperor Huizong of Song, Xin Qiji remained silent and said:
"Even Zhao Ji himself was captured and taken to the Northeast, yet they still use his name. These rebels really know how to add negative buffs to themselves."

At noon, Zhou Yi caught two ducks from Zhao Wei's house, stewed them in a pot, and poured in the duck blood just before they were done cooking, making a pot of blood duck for everyone to enjoy.

Wu Zetian thought it tasted good, and Xi Shi planned to try making a meal with ducks from the Spring and Autumn Period when she had the chance.

Wang Qiang spoke of the progress of the construction of the Yiyuan Pavilion in Chang'an:
"Two meals a day not only attracted many refugees, but also people from the vicinity of Chang'an came to help with the work. The construction progressed quickly; the foundation had been laid and the walls were being built; the timber from the mountains had also been transported outside the city and was being processed into roof beams."

During the Han Dynasty, both the Zhongnan Mountains and the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi were home to many ancient trees that were thousands of years old. These trees effectively prevented soil erosion, which is also related to the fact that the Yellow River did not flood as often in ancient times.

However, during the Tang Dynasty, the demand for charcoal in Chang'an was too great, and the ancient trees on the Loess Plateau were all cut down, causing the land to become desertified rapidly, which led to the increasingly serious sediment content of the Yellow River.

Zhou Yi said to Wang Qiang:
"After you finish eating, I'll print out some coal mining and washing processes for you. When you get back, have Liu Ao start trying to use coal instead of charcoal, and try not to cut down trees in northern Shaanxi. Instead, plant more trees."

Once a mature coal mine is available, it wouldn't be a problem to provide a batch of coal washing machines. Small coal washing machines only cost tens of thousands of yuan and can process 300 tons of coal a day, which would be considered top-notch efficiency for people in ancient times.

However, coal washing machines did not need to be arranged so quickly, because there was no shortage of human resources at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. On the contrary, the large number of refugees gave rise to many bandits who occupied the mountains.

If we don't find a way to resettle the displaced people, even if the Red Eyebrows and Green Forest rebels don't emerge in the future, other rebellious forces will appear.

Wu Zetian placed a piece of duck gizzard into Zhou Yi's bowl:

"Please also prepare a copy of the coal mining and washing process for us. Although some people in the Tang Dynasty were already using coal, it had not yet reached a large scale. The nobility still used a lot of charcoal, and we need to guide them."

The Song Dynasty didn't need it, because it had standardized coal mining and washing processes, and even many dry distillation workshops that bought coal to produce coke... The word "coke" was coined by the people of the Song Dynasty, just like Shen Kuo's naming of petroleum, it was very appropriate and fitting.

After the meal, Xin Qiji changed into camouflage clothes and went to the construction site to help with the work, while Zhou Yi went back to his room to print out various coal mining processes.

Li Qingzhao and Wu Meiniang dragged Wang Qiang back to their room to continue trying on clothes, and also shared a lot of skincare products with Wang Qiang, which they could then sell in the Yuan Emperor's world to help the refugees.

Meanwhile, in the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Chu of Wei, upon hearing that Confucius was leaving, hurriedly led his civil and military officials to dissuade him, hoping that the old master would stay in Wei.

It's not necessarily true that the rulers of Wei were particularly fond of Confucianism. Starting with Duke Ling of Wei, whenever Confucius discussed governing the country, these rulers would evade the question or even ignore him.

But after Confucius left, they would repeatedly send people to invite him back, only to continue to neglect him afterward… From Duke Ling of Wei to Duke Chu of Wei, the rulers of Wei only liked the name of Confucius, but were not interested in Confucian thought. Now, hearing that Confucius was leaving, Duke Chu of Wei pleaded again, even shedding tears at times, showing his sincere sympathy.

Xi Shi, watching from a distance, shook her head in disbelief.
"Master is such a WiFi hotspot..."

Yan Hui asked for guidance:
What is WiFi?

"Everyone wants to freeload, but no one is willing to pay for the internet."

Duke Wei cried for a while, and the ministers also wiped away their tears, saying words of pleas to keep him... This scene had been played out three or four times already, and everyone was used to it.

Confucius had cooperated well in the previous instances, but this time was different. Confucius said:
“Your Majesty need not do this. I am going to travel thousands of miles to establish a school and teach students who are in the best interests of China. If you truly wish to take me as your teacher, you may send some members of the imperial family with me. I will certainly educate them into talented individuals.”

Upon hearing this, all the officials from the imperial family took a step back.

Following the ruler in a performance to win some popular support is fine, but if it means going out to suffer, then forget it... The nobles of Wei only want to ride the wave of popularity and don't want to invest too much.

However, some commoners and gentry in the city showed great interest and even inquired with Ziyou whether they could become his disciples if they couldn't afford tuition. Ziyou agreed.

"Anyone who wants to learn is welcome to join us. If you persevere and travel thousands of miles, you will surely gain something in the future."

Upon hearing that they would have to travel a thousand miles, most of the people backed down, leaving only twenty or thirty people who remained determined to set out with Confucius.

After the farewell ceremony was over, Confucius boarded a carriage and led his disciples and their families away from Diqiu, the capital of the State of Wei, towards the direction of Yunwu Mountain.

A minor incident occurred when leaving the city: everyone was required to pay a fee according to the regulations of the State of Wei to leave the city, otherwise they could not leave.

Zigong said with a smile:

"Now you know why the teacher ordered the grain and mounts to be transported outside the city, right? Although I am a citizen of Wei, I do not protect my own. Some regulations are not conducive to the people's livelihood. The teacher gave us a ten-year plan for recuperation, but they did not listen at all and only cared about their own enjoyment."

Fortunately, everyone's weapons were hidden in the carriage; if they had been taken out, they might have had to pay more money.

After leaving the city, they headed south. This time, Xi Shi did not ride a bicycle, but instead drove an electric tricycle, carrying Confucius's wife and several elderly family members.

Zixia and I found it fascinating and both wanted to try it. Xi Shi said:
"After we set up camp at the front, I will teach you."

She couldn't follow along the whole time during the journey, so the best way was to teach everyone how to drive, then put a stool or folding chair in the carriage and return to Hunyuan Palace from there.

This way, no matter how far Xi Shi travels, she will always be in the carriage when she returns, instead of being left behind.

When they were fifteen li away from Diqiu, the sun was already setting in the west. Confucius stopped the carriage and told everyone to set up camp.

Living in the wild with hundreds of people is not easy, but fortunately Zhou Yi made preparations in advance and bought some disaster relief tents and simple stoves.

Xi Shi returned to Hunyuan Palace from an open space, bringing with her the supplies from Xiaopenglai Courtyard.

Soon, everyone started setting up tents and using the firewood they had gathered to boil water and cook noodles... These noodles were wholesale from Zhou Yi. After the noodles were cooked, they were mixed with some noodle sauce produced by Zhao Dengke's factory. For people in the Spring and Autumn Period, this was a meal even more luxurious than a state banquet.

The twenty or thirty Wei citizens who had followed were extremely excited, never having imagined such a benefit.

But eating noodles was nothing. Soon, Zilu started handing out thermos cups to everyone. The soup from cooking the noodles was poured into the cups, which could quench thirst and replenish energy at the same time.

During the meal, Xi Shi brought the provisions donated by Li Qingzhao, which immediately put everyone's minds at ease as they worried about not having enough to eat the next day. Confucius was also very pleased.

"I wonder what I can do for this Osmanthus Fairy. If I were to accept this for free, I would truly feel ashamed."

Xi Shi stated the requirements of the talented woman:
"She hopes you can write a piece of calligraphy that reads, 'Li Qingzhao was a good girl,' in any style of calligraphy."

Confucius readily agreed, and had Ziyou grind the ink. Then, using standard Zhou Dynasty bronze script, he picked up a brush and wrote the words "Li Qingzhao is a good girl" on the silk cloth, added the date and signature, and stamped his seal.

Although he did not know the meaning of doing so, Confucius was not pedantic and even enjoyed writing such blessings to bring the people of Hunyuan Palace closer together.

Soon, the calligraphy appeared in Hunyuan Palace, and Li Qingzhao was overjoyed:
"I'm going to have the best craftsman in Bianliang frame this for me. If anyone ever argues with me again, I'll take out this old master's calligraphy and roast them to death!"

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

After going through all this trouble just to argue, Li Duidui's nickname is truly well-deserved!
(End of this chapter)