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

Chapter 49 Xiao Yi, do you have a talisman to make Liu Yifei fall in love with me? [Seeking monthly votes]

Upon hearing the words of the Director of the Imperial Household Department, Li Shimin did not appear particularly pleased:
"Don't think I haven't read the book bestowed by the immortal. Telescopes require a lot of experimentation and angle adjustments, and the polishing of the lenses also has very high requirements... Don't be overly ambitious; understanding the underlying principles is of utmost importance."

After saying that, he turned to the eunuch beside him and gave the order:

"A decree is proposed that officials at all levels of the Ministry of Works and the Five Supervisors be assessed on their knowledge of natural sciences at the end of the year. Those who fail will be investigated and punished. It is not enough for craftsmen to be the only ones to learn; officials must also be involved. They must not only know what to do, but also why they do it!"

Wu Zetian brought many books from Hunyuan Palace. Among them, the physics books were selected by Li Shimin, who copied them into a new book and named it "Gewu" (格物).

He disliked the word "physics" and felt that the word "investigation of things" better reflected the spirit of exploring the true nature of things.

After the Director of Military Equipment left, Li Shimin stuffed the two mirrors into his pocket, strolled away from the Liangyi Hall where he usually worked, and came to the garden in front of the Ganlu Hall, where Xiao Sizi Li Mingda was leading several palace maids to plant crops.

Seeing the fine beads of sweat on his daughter's forehead, Old Li's heart ached.

"Sizi, don't overwork yourself. Just tell me what you want to do. Why do it yourself?"

Li Mingda carefully buried a sprouted potato in the soft soil.

"The book given by the immortal says that if you want to know the taste of a pear, you have to taste it yourself. Everyone knows that farmers suffer the most, but if you don't cultivate the land yourself, you will never know why it is so hard."

Although the little girl is only twelve years old, she has already studied many classic texts and understands many principles.

Li Shimin was overjoyed. He lifted the hem of his round-necked robe and tucked it into his waistband. He took off his boots and stepped barefoot into the soft ground, intending to plant potatoes with his beloved daughter.

He picked up a potato with sprouts, then, remembering the shards of glass that the Imperial Armory had just delivered, he took them out of his robes and tossed them to Wu Meiniang, who was standing not far away.

"I'll show it to the Immortal Master next time. The Tang Dynasty doesn't have any tools for measuring angles. I wonder if the Immortal Master could bestow one or two upon me."

Just as Wu Zetian was about to speak, Li Shimin added:

"I can exchange it for the golden sword of Khagan Jieli."

"I will inform the immortal master."

Wu Zetian had already obtained the "Letter of Mourning and Chaos" and thought she could try to get one or two more, but unexpectedly, His Majesty would rather exchange it for the golden sword of Khagan Jieli than send away Wang Xizhi's original works.

How stingy... Wu Zetian held the lens in both hands, feeling that its clarity was still somewhat inferior to the glass in Hunyuan Palace. She wondered how well the telescope she made would perform.

Li Shimin's requirements were not high; he only needed to be able to build some 5x scopes to observe the enemy's situation, without needing anything too sophisticated.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Gongsun Da Niang had just finished eating a lot of fried food and wanted to eat watermelon, but Zhou Yi stopped her:
"Eat later, in case you get diarrhea, you won't be able to eat anything good tomorrow."

"Okay then... what should we eat tomorrow?"

"Li Bai plans to bring a goose over. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll have stewed goose in an iron pot for lunch tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Gongsun picked up her tablet and started searching for "iron pot stewed goose." She was immediately captivated by this hearty way of eating and decided to learn how to make it the next day and then teach it to the chef. Perhaps this would spark a goose-eating craze in the Tang Dynasty.

The next day, right after breakfast, Li Bai and Chen Tang arrived at Hunyuan Palace one after the other.

Li Bai brought two geese, and Chen Tang carried four or five lively cold-water fish. As soon as they arrived, they began sharpening their knives and preparing to slaughter the geese and fish.

After Zhou Yi moved three bricks, he found he still had the strength to move one more, and his desire for merit became even stronger.

If you accumulate a thousand or eight hundred catties of merit, wouldn't you be able to lift half a palace?
After moving the bricks, he was about to go to the kitchen to cook when he saw Wu Bo's son, Wu Aimin, riding an electric scooter to the entrance of Hunyuan Palace.

Wu Aimin is tall, fair-skinned, and quite handsome, but he just can't find a girlfriend, which has almost become the focus of the whole town's gossip.

Zhou Yi went over and greeted him:
"Brother Aimin, welcome to Hunyuan Palace. Yesterday, Uncle Wu said you weren't looking for a partner. What's going on?"

Wu Aimin propped up his electric scooter at the door and said with a dejected look:

"The people I like don't like me, and the people who like me... let's not even talk about it. In short, this is a misplaced world, and my marriage is also misplaced. There is no other way but to stay single."

A world out of place… Zhou Yi never expected a bachelor to utter such philosophical words, and said with a smile:

"It sounds like Brother Aimin has a target in mind. Who is he looking for? I might be able to help you figure out a way."

Wu Aimin didn't reveal the name of his crush, but instead asked about Zhou Yi's methods:

"Xiao Yi, give me a hint, do you have some kind of talisman here that, once used, can make the other person fall in love with me and never leave me again..."

Brother, did you mistake the talisman for a love potion from the Miao region?
Zhou Yi pinched his brow and said, "There is, but it's not as exaggerated as you say. At most, it can increase your favorability a little. Whether it will work out or not depends on your efforts."

The Love Talisman is for this purpose; it can make the other person develop feelings for the user without them even realizing it.

Zhou Yi and his grandfather both felt that this thing was unfair to the user and might cause great karmic consequences, so they never let anyone else use it.

Wu Aimin slapped his thigh:
"If you have it, can I try it out? I don't care how much it costs, as long as she accepts me!"

"Oh, you're quite the romantic one..." Zhou Yi asked.
"Tell me who you've got your eye on first. Does anyone have a birthday? If so, I'll help you with a compatibility analysis so you don't end up with nothing but disappointment."

Wu Aimin smiled shyly:
"You know that person."

The fire of the Eight Trigrams in Zhou Yi's heart suddenly ignited:

"From our town?"

Wu Aimin shook his head:
"No, it's from out of town, but it's quite famous."

Holy crap, did she hook up with some internet celebrity?

Zhou Yi, too lazy to guess, asked directly:

"Just tell me your name. Whether it works out or not, let's have our compatibility tested first."

Wu Aimin looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before lowering his voice and whispering:
"It's Liu Yifei... Xiao Yi, you're so capable, can you get Liu Yifei to marry me?"

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
No, are you kidding me, coming all this way up the mountain?
I was just speculating about Wu Aimin's romantic interest, but I never expected that he would be eyeing a big star.

Zhou Yi didn't know what to say, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Uncle Wu.

What sins did she commit in her past life to give birth to such an unreliable son who, without batting an eye, says he wants a celebrity to marry him.

In terms of shamelessness, he has the demeanor of Emperor Gaozu of Han, and is a man destined for great things.

To avoid disappointing Uncle Wu, Zhou Yi took out a peach blossom charm from his pocket and said:

"Liu Yifei, stop thinking about it. I have a peach blossom charm here. Put it in your pocket and carry it with you. It can increase your luck in finding a partner. As for whether it will work, that's another story."

Wu Aimin was quite perceptive; he took out his phone and asked:

"How much? I'll scan it for you. I hope Yifei won't blame me for falling for someone else."

Zhouyi: "..."

There's no need to portray yourself as a devoted lover now, right?

"This talisman costs five hundred."

Wu Aimin paid quickly and carefully folded the peach blossom charm and stuffed it into his pocket.

He originally intended to go straight down the mountain, but upon hearing that the Taoist Grand Master Xuandu was in charge of romantic luck, he ran to the Sanqing Hall without hesitation and kowtowed several times to the Xuandu statue enshrined on the left.

After kowtowing, he hurriedly rode his electric scooter down the mountain... Wu Aimin works at the town's substation, and it was almost noon, so he had to hurry back to avoid being checked on by his superiors.

After seeing Wu Aimin off, Zhou Yi transferred the 500 yuan he received to his bank card, went to the God of Wealth Temple to exchange incense, and then went to the kitchen to start making braised goose in an iron pot and pan-fried cold-water fish.

On the other side, Wu Aimin, whose mind was filled with thoughts of Liu Yifei, rode his electric scooter down the mountain. Just as he was about to turn into the substation compound, he was hit head-on by a speeding new energy vehicle.

He reacted quickly and jumped off the vehicle. He was unharmed, but his Yadea electric scooter, which had been with him for five or six years, was smashed to pieces.

As soon as the car came to a stop, a beautiful woman in her late twenties got out, looking at Wu Aimin with an apologetic expression:
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. Are you hurt? Let me take you to the hospital for a check-up."

Upon seeing the woman's appearance, Wu Aimin's heart skipped a beat:
"Yifei, let's not contact each other anymore. I'm afraid the new energy lady will misunderstand..."

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First update delivered, please vote with monthly tickets, brothers!

(End of this chapter)