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

Chapter 410 King Jiulang of Hebei! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

In 1158 AD, the third year of the Zhenglong era of the Jin Dynasty, Xin Qiji, leading a Ferghana horse gifted by Ban Chao, and carrying his grandfather Xin Zan's identity document, entered Kaifeng, a city he had not visited for several years.

A few years ago, Xin Zan served as the prefect of Kaifeng. He took Xin Qiji to all the streets of Bianliang and witnessed the dilapidated state of this once prosperous capital.

Now, stepping onto this land once more, Xin Qiji was filled with emotion, his grandfather's words before his death constantly replaying in his mind:
"My Xin family are the henchmen of the nation; let us never forget the hatred between our family and our country!"

Xin Qiji's father, Xin Wenyu, was killed by a Jin soldier with an arrow for secretly organizing troops to train. This is the origin of the family feud and national hatred... The hatred of killing one's father is irreconcilable, and Xin Qiji's lifelong resistance against the Jin is also related to this.

Upon entering the city gate, Xin Qiji noticed that Kaifeng's sense of decay had lessened considerably. Both the streets and the houses on either side showed clear signs of repair, and in the distance, a group of laborers could be seen replacing the glazed tiles of the imperial palace.

Ever since Wanyan Liang designated Kaifeng as Nanjing, he began a large-scale renovation of the area and relocated many people there to increase its population, attempting to recreate the appearance of the capital region.

Xin Qiji looked around and felt that the Jin people were foolish, like monkeys wearing crowns.

They seized upon the abandoned capital of the Song Dynasty as if it were a treasure, and even relocated many nobles there, hoping to transform Kaifeng into a city reminiscent of the Northern Song era.

Unfortunately, Kaifeng was already completely ruined by this time. In addition, the Yellow River changed its course, passing by Kaifeng and heading straight for the Huai River in the southeast, causing Kaifeng to completely lose its status as the central hub of the canal transport. Its decline and fall into ruin were inevitable.

Arriving at a restaurant, Xin Qiji was about to check in when he encountered several men dressed as merchants coming out. The leader, a man in his late twenties, immediately brightened upon seeing Xin Qiji's Ferghana horse.
"Young master, your horse is absolutely gorgeous!"

Xin Qiji said with a smile:

"This was a gift from my esteemed teacher; please excuse my poor attempt to amuse myself."

Upon hearing this, the other party bowed respectfully.
"I am from Gaoping County, Bozhou. My name is Wang Youzhi, courtesy name Shengyi. Because I am the ninth child in my family, my friends call me Wang Jiulang... I have enjoyed making friends with chivalrous people since I was a child. Your horse is clearly no ordinary horse. May I ask your name?"

Wang Youzhi?
Upon hearing this name, Xin Qiji was overjoyed. He had come to Kaifeng hoping to obtain some grain, but unexpectedly, he encountered Hebei King Jiulang, who had also been a rebel leader in history.

In 1161 AD, Wanyan Liang launched a major southward attack on the Southern Song Dynasty, and righteous men from Shandong, Hebei and other places rose up in rebellion, including Wang Youzhi.

This guy didn't follow the usual path. First, he lied and claimed to be a Chengxuan Envoy appointed by the Southern Song Dynasty, gathering tens of thousands of people. Then, based on the military knowledge he had learned, he divided the rebel army into thirteen divisions. Each division was set up with generals such as commanders, supervisors, supervisors, commanders, and trainers according to the specifications of the regular army of the Song Dynasty. Compared with the chaotic rebel army on Geng Jing's side, he was essentially raising a well-structured regular army directly in the rear.

To test the strength of this large army, Wang Youzhi led his troops westward from Bozhou, captured Daming Prefecture in one fell swoop, and opened the granaries in the city to distribute grain, attracting countless followers.

Taking advantage of the high morale, he sent people to contact the Southern Song Dynasty, hoping to go south to defend the emperor. He then obtained official positions such as Junior Guardian of the Imperial Guard and Military Governor of Tianxiong Army, which were personally conferred by Zhao Gou, and he was able to act freely.

At this time, Geng Jing and his comrades were still indulging in their bandit-like activities deep in the Yimeng Mountains, and did not head south immediately, thus missing the best time to be granted official positions.

When Wanyan Liang marched south, Zhao Gou was terrified, fearing another Jingkang Incident. Wang Youzhi's initiative to come to the emperor's aid moved Zhao Gou, who then appointed him as a regional military governor.

Unfortunately, before Wang Youzhi could reach Yangzhou, Wanyan Liang was killed by his subordinates. Zhao Gou was out of danger and no longer paid much attention to those coming from the north. At this time, Geng Jing, on the advice of his strategist, went south to contact the court, but missed the opportune moment.

Besides choosing the right time to march south, Wang Youzhi was also adept at creating a spectacle for himself. For example, when he marched south to defend the emperor, he carried two flags with the inscription "Loyal and Righteous General of the Great Song Dynasty, Prince Jiulang of Hebei," making a flamboyant and eye-catching appearance along the way.

Now this showy fellow has come to Kaifeng with a few followers, intending to find a person of ambition. After searching for several days without success, he was just about to leave when he ran into Xin Qiji.

Upon first meeting Xin Qiji, Wang Youzhi immediately sensed that this young man was no ordinary person.

At the age of seventeen or eighteen, he swaggered into the city, leading a priceless steed without a single attendant. Yet, there was no sign of nervousness on his face; instead, he exuded a transcendent air of looking down upon all living beings.

To test Xin Qiji's abilities, he used a horse as an excuse to strike up a conversation with Xin Qiji.

Xin Qiji was looking to recruit a talented person, and now that he had met Wang Jiulang, he immediately decided to bring this guy to the Yimeng Mountain base... Such a good military commander should not be wasted in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Wang Youzhi returned to the south around the same time as Xin Qiji, but his official rank was much higher than Xin Qiji's. He reached the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards, which was the highest among the generals who returned to the south.

Xin Qiji introduced himself as follows:

“I come from Licheng, Jinan. My surname is Xin, my given name is Qiji, and my courtesy name is Tanfu.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Youzhi slapped his thigh:
"I heard a storyteller mention you not long ago, saying that you were recruiting talents in the Yimeng Mountains. I never expected to meet you here... If Tanfu doesn't mind, would you be willing to drink a few cups with us?"

Xin Qiji took two bottles of Dukang wine from his horse's saddlebag:

“Ninth Brother is older than me, so I should be the one treating you to drinks… Waiter, take my horse to the back, and bring up a few more pounds of cooked meat. As for all kinds of fruit, just prepare them. I won’t skimp on your money.”

Wang Youzhi looked at the glass bottle of wine, somewhat surprised:

"It's so clear, could this glass bottle contain wine?"

Xin Qiji nodded:

"Ninth Brother, you'll know once you taste it." Soon, a waiter led Xin Qiji's horse to the back, removed its bridle and saddle, and fed it. Xin Qiji and the others, led by another waiter, went upstairs to a private room to drink.

Wang Youzhi asked:
What brings Tanfu to Kaifeng?

Xin Qiji frankly stated:

"We're running out of food in the mountains. We've heard there's a lot of grain and fodder stored here, so we're planning to borrow some."

"Borrowing grain" is slang for robbing grain, something Wang Youzhi, who frequently mingled with all sorts of people, knew very well.
"How can you borrow it all by yourself? Do you have men outside the city?"

Xin Qiji kept everyone in suspense:

"You can come with me tomorrow, and you'll see for yourself then."

This really piqued Wang Youzhi's curiosity, and he said with a smile:

“Alright, I’ll go with you tomorrow. If you need any help, just let me know. I’ve practiced martial arts since I was a child, and I can easily break through a military formation of thirty to fifty people.”

Soon, the waiter brought over various meats, vegetables, and fruits, and everyone started chatting about other things.

At the same time, inside the Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi downloaded some history-related e-books to Confucius's tablet computer and prepared a bunch of supplies and various materials.

After Confucius thanked him, he returned to the Spring and Autumn Period with the leaf of Emperor Gouchen and handed it to Xi Shi:
"The immortal has been thinking of you. Fairy, you may return to Hunyuan Palace now."

After saying this, Confucius called Zigong over and took out his black iron token:
"Tomorrow morning, you and I will set off for the kingdoms of Wu and Yue to bring back the Lotus Fairy's family. Keep this with you. Remember, be forgiving when you can, and don't chop things up indiscriminately."

Zigong never expected that he would be able to wield the token. He immediately decided to flip through the history books to see if he could kill a few treacherous officials along the way to help the immortal master earn merit.

Xi Shi wrote a letter to her parents, enclosing a photograph of herself in the envelope, and asked Zigong to take it to them. Once her parents saw it, they would naturally come to Yunwu Mountain.

After making all the preparations, Xi Shi returned to Hunyuan Palace and met Zhou, whom she had been longing for day and night.

Zhou Yi had just finished preparing dinner when he said to Xi Shi:

"We have your favorite spicy rice noodles and meat patties. Wash your hands and get ready to eat."

Xi Shi smiled and agreed, and everyone sat down together to eat dinner.

Wu Zetian said:
"The construction site needs to dry the walls tomorrow, so we'll have to stop work for a day... It's been so much noise all day, it feels a bit strange to stop all of a sudden."

Zhao Rui asked with a grin:

"So, does that mean we can go to the county town for a good meal tomorrow?"

Zhao Yan picked up the meat from her bowl and gave it to her younger sister:
"The statue of Zhenwu the Great still needs to be worshipped and cannot be left unattended... You and I are about to go to school, so we must learn our knowledge thoroughly and not bring shame to the immortal."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui obediently agreed and continued eating her dinner.

The next morning, Huo Qubing hurriedly arrived at Hunyuan Palace and said to Zhou Yi:

"Ah Guang has never eaten tofu before and wants to try it. Could Master buy some?"

The Book of Changes says:

"No problem, I'll drive to town later and buy you some more so your family can all try it... By the way, how about we buy a commercial soy milk maker so your biological father can make tofu at home?"

Huo Qubing was somewhat embarrassed:
"Wouldn't this be too much trouble for Master?"

"What's the trouble? The development of commerce and trade has a huge positive impact on society. He makes money by making tofu, and he needs to buy soybeans and fuel. This will inevitably lead to the flow of funds, which is a good thing."

Zhou Yi checked the time, too lazy to make breakfast, so he simply took a large sealed thermos and drove Huo Qubing to town, bought a bucket of spicy soup, and also bought a lot of fried dough sticks, steamed buns, vegetable dumplings and other staple foods.

After buying breakfast for everyone, he drove to the farmers' market and bought tofu, bean sprouts, bean curd sticks, bean curd puffs, bean curd sheets, dried bean curd, bean flour, dried bean curd sticks, artificial meat, fake chicken wings and other bean products. Huo Qubing was dazzled by the variety and never imagined that soybeans could be made into so many foods.

After all the purchases were completed, the two drove back to the mountain. Wu Meiniang said:
"If Huo Guang is interested in tofu, he can open a tofu shop in Chang'an and make braised tofu and fermented tofu to enrich the diet of the people of the Han Dynasty."

Huo Qubing agreed and was about to take the bean products back to broaden his younger brother A Guang's horizons when a small mountain of grain suddenly appeared in the open space outside the Wu Cheng King's Hall, completely filling the space between the second row of halls and the front row of halls.

Hey, isn't this the grain my uncle has been longing for? Huo Qubing was overjoyed; he could go on an expedition again!
(End of this chapter)