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

Chapter 406 If a Ming Dynasty person came... [Requesting monthly votes]

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, the statue of Zhenwu the Great finally arrived. Tang Guilin drove over early in the morning and, under the guidance of Zhou Yi, carried out a complicated and solemn consecration ceremony.

After finishing this matter, it was lunchtime, so Zhou Yi took Tang Guilin to Jin Anchao's Mountain Retreat Restaurant for a meal.

The mountains were full of wild vegetables and home-raised chickens, ducks and geese. Tang Guilin enjoyed the meal very much. He not only insisted on paying for it, but also packed two roast chickens and a braised goose to take back for his family to try. He also made an appointment with Zhou Yi to bring his wife and children to visit when he was less busy.

Before coming to Hunyuan Palace, the tailor repeatedly told him to get along well with Zhou Yi. Tang Guilin had always listened to his uncle since he was a child and treated Zhou Yi like his own uncle, making Zhou Yi feel like he was taking his own nephew to a banquet.

Before leaving, Tang Guilin ordered peace charms for his entire family, which allowed Zhou Yi to make another small profit of 30,000 yuan.

After seeing off the lucky young tailor, Zhou Yi packed some braised meat from Jin Anchao's shop and drove back up the mountain.

The construction site was still busy today, and with the weather getting colder, Wu Meiniang, Zhao Yan, and Zhao Rui didn't want to move and stayed on the mountain... Zhou Yi was worried that the three of them would go hungry, and was just about to go to the Sanqing Hall to take a look when he saw a tall old man with white hair and beard walking out of the Wenxuan King Hall.

The two locked eyes, and Zhou Yi instantly thought of that humanoid Gundam who spoke eloquently to the camera, analyzing Huo Qubing's tactics from simple to complex.

"Wow, the venerable Mr. Lun Yulun, who is known for winning people over with virtue, has actually come..." Zhou Yi looked at the old man in surprise:

"Kong...Confucius?"

Confucius, dressed in the classic wide-sleeved robe of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, with the stern expression typical of a homeroom teacher, bowed respectfully upon seeing the Book of Changes.
"Today, my disciples and I were worshipping Heaven and Earth when, before we knew it, we found ourselves here... Confucius, a descendant of the Shang Dynasty, greets the Immortal Master Yiyuan!"

He had seen Zhou Yi's photo on Xi Shi's phone more than once, so as soon as they met, he recognized this handsome young man as the Immortal Master Yi Yuan, who stirred up the changes in heaven and earth.

Confucius was a descendant of Song Weizi, the first ruler of the State of Song. Therefore, although he was born in the State of Lu and served in the State of Lu more than once, he never referred to himself as a person of Lu, but rather as a descendant of the Yin-Shang dynasty or a person of Yin.

However, because his family lived too far removed from the time of Song Weizi, he was no longer a member of the Song royal family and could not enjoy the privileges of the royal family. He could only be considered an ordinary gentry who had broken away from the royal family.

The aristocratic families originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, flourished in the Warring States Period, and reached their peak in the Qin and Han Dynasties. They then rapidly transformed into powerful clans, which spanned the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Finally, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, they were brought to an end by Huang Chao.

Zhou Yi said with a smile:

"No need for formalities. Haven't eaten yet? Come on, let me take you to eat first. Then take the leaves from Emperor Gouchen back and tell them so they won't worry."

Confucius bowed again:

Please forgive any inconvenience caused.

"No need for formalities. From now on, you are a member of Hunyuan Palace. We will exchange your token later."

Before coming to Hunyuan Palace, Confucius carried a black iron token; now that he has come, it should be replaced with a stainless steel one.

Mentioning the token, Confucius took out the black iron token from his robes and presented it to the Book of Changes with both hands:

"This item is returned to you."

Zhou Yi confiscated:

"Take it back to your disciples. Give it to whoever you think is suitable. If there aren't enough, we can add more later."

Thinking that Ziwo and Zigong were going to the states of Wu and Yue, Confucius decided to give the bag to Zigong first, so that if there was any danger on the way, he could summon divine thunder to protect himself.

Zhou Yi led Confucius to the Sanqing Hall, first showing him the Three Pure Ones, and then to the back hall, where he met Wu Meiniang, Zhao Yan, and Zhao Rui, who were eating instant noodles.

Zhou Yi placed the packaged braised food on the table:
"Let me introduce you. Confucius is here. Zhao Rui, if you don't study hard in the future, I will have Confucius hit your palm with a ruler."

The chubby girl had a sweet tongue and immediately called out "Grandpa Kong," which made Confucius very happy.

Although Zhao Yan didn't say anything, she thoughtfully moved a chair over, while Wu Meiniang repackaged the braised food that Zhou Yi had brought... The old master has arrived, so we must treat him well.

Soon, several dishes, both meat and vegetables, were laid out on the table. Zhou Yi also made a small bowl of stir-fried noodles with shredded pork for the old master.

Confucius ate the braised food and noodles, marveling at the deliciousness of the celestial realm... He thought the sauce for the noodles was amazing enough, but he didn't expect that the sauce brought by Xi Shi was just a makeshift solution, and the Hunyuan Palace didn't eat that stuff at all.

Ever since he came across Xi Shi, Confucius had been diligently studying history. Upon hearing that the Zhao sisters, Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui, lived during the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, he exclaimed:

"Liu Shi was a man of no strategy and no decisiveness. He was led by the nose by his court officials from beginning to end. It was a pitiful and lamentable situation."

Historically, Liu Shi was always the kind of person who did whatever others said, lacking backbone and the ability to think for himself. Fortunately, Chen Tang is now leading him by the nose, and things are starting to look up for the better.

In later historical writings about the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Shi's evaluation should not be too low, since the things Chen Tang did would all be attributed to him as emperor.

After the meal, Zhou Yi took the leaf from Emperor Gouchen and told Confucius to go back and tell everyone, and then have a good experience of modern life and broaden his horizons. Confucius took the leaf, and after receiving Zhou Yi's approval, stepped into the Wenxuan King's Hall, and then appeared on the top of Cloud Mist Mountain in the Spring and Autumn World. The incense and candles on the altar were still burning, and the disciples had not left.

After discovering his disappearance, Xi Shi guessed that he must have gone to Hunyuan Palace, and told everyone to remain calm. Now that they saw the old master return, all the disciples gathered around him.

"Master, did you go to Hunyuan Palace?"

"Is Hunyuan Palace big? Is it exactly like the mountains here?"

"The Lotus Fairy said that the Immortal Master is skilled in cooking. Has he prepared something delicious for you?"

"..."

Everyone chimed in with questions, which Confucius answered one by one. Then, holding up a leaf from the tree of Emperor Gouchen, he said:
"The immortal master asked me to give some instructions and then return. He still has some necessary knowledge to teach me. I will leave this place to you, fairy. Please make the most suitable plan."

After Xi Shi agreed, Confucius gave instructions to his other disciples and then disappeared back to Hunyuan Palace.

Zhou Yi brought him an oversized Taoist robe and found a set of XXXXXXXL size thermal underwear... This was originally prepared for Guan Yu, but Guan Yu didn't respond, and instead Kong Er came.

After changing into thermal underwear, putting on a Taoist robe, and finally donning cloud-patterned socks and ten-direction shoes, Confucius transformed into a Taoist priest.

He looked at himself in the mirror and said with a smile:

“In the past, I paid my respects to my teacher Lao Dan three times, but I never imagined that I would officially become his successor today.”

The fact that a Confucian sage became a disciple of Taoism would definitely shock many people if word got out. However, Confucius seemed to really like this identity. He not only looked at himself in the mirror from left to right, but also practiced Taoist etiquette. He planned to go back and add subjects like geomancy and feng shui to his repertoire, thus taking over the jobs of Taoism and the Yin-Yang School.

There will be no more Hundred Schools of Thought, only the Hundred Disciplines of the Yiyuan Academy... All the gentry of China will come from the Yiyuan Academy, and with the support of the idea of ​​unification, the entire Spring and Autumn period world will quickly set off a territorial expansion movement.

The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were the worst of times, but also the best of times. People during this period had ideas and would actually put them into action, rather than just talking big.

Zhou Yi first showed Confucius around the Hunyuan Palace, then drove him down the mountain for a tour, and on the way, went to the county town to retrieve the framed calligraphy scroll of "Yiyuan Academy".

On the carriage, Confucius stroked the scroll, his face full of admiration:
"The invention of paper is truly a great advancement in civilization. Immortal, could you please bestow upon us the art of papermaking? In the future, the Yiyuan Academy can make its own paper and end the era of pen and paper ahead of schedule."

If Yiyuan Academy wants to maintain its leading position, it must not only be ahead in terms of thought and academics, but also maintain absolute dominance over the feudal states in terms of technology. Only in this way will they be willing to send their elite students to study here.

Once these people come to the Yiyuan Academy, they will be unconsciously attracted by the narrative of unification... Even modern people are obsessed with this kind of narrative, and it would have been even more popular in the Spring and Autumn Period.

Zhou Yi drove Confucius around the county town, and when they returned to the mountain, Confucius felt that he had gained more than he had in his entire life of travel.

Everything about modern society shocked him, and the more he looked at it, the more backward the Spring and Autumn Period seemed... But the more backward it seemed, the more room there was for progress, which greatly aroused the old master's enthusiasm for education.

He was a man who grew stronger with each setback. He faced no shortage of cold stares and ridicule while traveling the world, but the more he was treated this way, the more determined he became.

Having witnessed modern civilization, he immediately wanted to leave and return to rebuild the Spring and Autumn Period world.

Before leaving, Confucius spoke of the Ming Dynasty:
"If any people from the Ming Dynasty come, could I ask them for a favor?"

Zhou Yi nodded in agreement:
“That’s definitely no problem. When the Ming people arrive, I also have something I need to ask them to do.”

The Age of Exploration, also known as the Golden Age, saw the Ming Dynasty achieve significant progress by taming the Yellow River, lifting the maritime ban, eliminating Japan, building a long-range fleet, and developing maritime trade.

Of course, the most important thing was to manage Jianzhou and implement a system of extermination against the Jurchens.

The massacres of Zhao Prefecture, Datong, Kaifeng, Xuchang, Nanyang, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Tongguan, Kunshan, Nanchang, the three massacres of Jiading, and Guangzhou...

Each blood debt and each blood feud is waiting to be settled.

When Zhou Yi and Confucius discussed these things, a completely new world emerged: the Jiming Mountain west of Yingtian Prefecture was bustling with activity.

A dignified middle-aged emperor, dressed in imperial robes, is offering incense at the newly built Temple of Merit, which enshrines only the generals who made great contributions during the founding of the dynasty.
Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Li Wenzhong, Deng Yu, Tang He, Mu Ying, Hu Dahai, Feng Guoyong, Zhao Desheng, Geng Zaicheng... almost everyone has left a significant mark on history.

The emperor, who came from humble beginnings, looked around. With each name he saw, he was reminded of the bloody battles he had fought. He closed his eyes, and the sounds of battle still echoed in his ears.

He held up the incense sticks, bowed, and placed them in the incense burner. He then waved to a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old behind him.
"Biao'er, come here and offer incense to the meritorious officials of our Great Ming Dynasty..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the emperor, who had only been in power for a year, vanished before the very eyes of his ministers!

(End of this chapter)