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

Chapter 107 Li Longji: Who exactly is Wang Zhongsi? [Seeking monthly votes]

Arriving at the village activity center not far from the land temple, lunch was already prepared.

In the past, raising the roof beam relied entirely on manpower, which was not only heavy physical labor but also very dangerous. Therefore, after the roof beam was successfully raised, the host family would set off firecrackers, sprinkle candy, and prepare a sumptuous meal to reward everyone. Over time, this became known as the "roof-raising meal."

Today's meal for raising the roof beam was arranged by Du Chunyi: a large stew, steamed buns, and the standard meal for people doing business in the Central Plains region.

The stew is rich in ingredients, including sliced ​​pork belly, sweet potato noodles, dried tofu, meatballs, wood ear mushrooms, and crispy pork. When stewed with Chinese cabbage, it provides all the water, salt, fat, and vitamins that the human body needs.

Paired with freshly steamed white buns, the satisfaction from the oil and carbohydrates can alleviate the fatigue of heavy physical labor to the greatest extent.

Zhou Yi carried two bowls of stew from a large pot and found a seat in the meeting room of the village activity center. Wu Meiniang followed with a few steamed buns and two pairs of disposable chopsticks. The two sat facing each other and ate lunch while enjoying the air conditioning.

In the following days, only some small, miscellaneous tasks remained, such as leveling the ground and cleaning up construction debris.

Once the formwork for the lintel has been removed, the ground in the small temple has been leveled, and the platform for placing the stone statue has been built, the stone statue of the God of Fortune can be transported over to prepare for the consecration ceremony.

Zhou Yi took a bite of his steamed bun and began to talk about the afternoon's plans:

"We'll take another look behind the mental hospital later. If there's anything you want to buy, you can buy it in the county town on the way."

Wu Zetian thought for a moment and decided to buy some more books.

The Book of Changes says:

"If you want to buy books, you can buy them online when you get back. I'll register an online shopping account for you, and you can buy whatever you want. It'll be a good opportunity for you to experience the fun of online shopping."

Wu Zetian was actually quite tempted:
"Thank you, Immortal Master."

It was her first time eating the housewarming meal, and in a good mood, she ate two steamed buns and a large bowl of stew in one go.

After the meal, Zhou Yi bid farewell to Du Chunyi and the others, and drove Wu Meiniang away from Sanlizhuang, through the county town, and headed straight for the East Ring Road.

Arriving at the street behind the hospital, he found that nothing had changed, except for a few more bird nests in the old locust tree... It must be said that in some ways, animals are more sensitive than humans.

This is a blessed land, so birds come here to make their home, just like the fish in the muddy pond have always swum in this blessed land.

Zhou Yi had taken a walk around, intending to find Hu Lijun to chat and see if anything had changed in the neighborhood recently. However, Hu Lijun was off work today and had taken his wife and children to the city to go shopping with Nan Nan's family.

Left with no other choice, Zhou Yi bought some Xuan paper and headed home.

Back on the mountain, he placed an order with an online store that sells custom business cards, ordering twenty boxes of business cards.

The title on the business card is Abbot and Chief Master of Hunyuan Palace in Yunwu Mountain, which sounds more prestigious.

After placing the order, Zhou Yi helped Wu Meiniang register an online shopping account and linked it to his Alipay account. Once the setup was complete, the Empress began her shopping spree.

She selected various science and technology books, as well as ancient books such as "Tiangong Kaiwu," "Mengxi Bitan," and "Nongzheng Quanshu," in order to improve the scientific and cultural level of the Tang Dynasty as much as possible.

Meanwhile, in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty, Granny Gongsun sat in her carriage, reminiscing about Wu Zetian:
"I wonder if Sister Meiniang went to Hunyuan Palace. I'll take a few more pictures when I go into the palace later to see if there's any difference between it and Taiji Palace over there."

Just as they were muttering to themselves, they arrived at the palace.

Just like last time, the carriage stopped at Chang Le Gate. As soon as it came to a stop, Gao Lishi eagerly stepped forward and lifted the curtain:

“His Majesty was reviewing memorials that day when he heard that you had cut off Huifan’s nose. He ordered me to leave the palace immediately to deal with the matter, which was only finished today… Why did you have to do such a trivial matter yourself? You could have just given the order.”

Gongsun Da Niang's act of cutting off Hui Fan's nose caught both Princess Taiping and Li Longji, who were on the verge of conflict, off guard.

One regretted not mobilizing troops to storm the princess's residence amidst the chaos, while the other was annoyed at not preparing in advance, otherwise he could have taken the opportunity to cause trouble in the palace.

However, Li Longji was mostly happy. Hui Fan had always been known as Princess Taiping's strategist, but now that her nose had been cut off, what kind of strategist was she? His aunt always liked to judge people by their appearance, and with Hui Fan's pig-nose face, just looking at her made him nauseous, let alone discussing plans.

Gongsun Da Niang spread her hands innocently:

"He said he was invulnerable to swords and spears, I just tested him out, who knew he was so fragile... Lao Gao, what did Hui Fan say? Does he want revenge?"

If you dare to speak rudely, next time you go to Hunyuan Palace, go to the Mahavira Hall and report it. If Buddha doesn't care, immediately take some snacks and go to the Three Pure Ones to cry and complain about Buddha as well!
Gao Lishi led Gongsun Da Niang into Chang Le Gate and said in a low voice:

"Princess Zhenguo was very dissatisfied with Huifan's arrogance and ordered him to stay at home and reflect on his mistakes. He was not allowed to go anywhere without permission."

Princess Taiping believed that Huifan must have privately altered the title of the God of Fortune and Virtue, angering the deity's presence on earth and thus suffering this great calamity.

Having her nose cut off is tantamount to disfigurement. Even if she were to seize the throne in the future, Huifan would no longer be qualified to serve as the Imperial Preceptor. As for whether or not to retaliate against the person involved, Gongsun Da Niang, Princess Taiping had no such intention... She had already heard about the words on that token and confirmed that Gongsun Da Niang could regularly travel to and from the immortal's abode. To make a move against this fairy would surely incur divine retribution.

Upon arriving at the Wude Hall, Gongsun Da Niang saw Li Longji reviewing memorials. Various palace snacks were laid out on a low table beside him.

Clearly, Li Longji was deeply impressed by someone's good appetite on previous occasions.

Ever since Li Longji could remember, he had never seen anyone dare to eat and drink lavishly in the palace... Everyone was always trembling with fear when they met the emperor. The only one who ate and drank lavishly was Gongsun Da Niang, who managed to finish several plates of snacks.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed after eating too many snacks the previous times, this time, as soon as Aunt Gongsun entered, she took out a carefully prepared gift from her bag—a photo of Marquis Huo Qubing, complete with a frame, which could be placed on the imperial desk.

Li Longji had just invested in Huo Qubing's 500 cavalrymen with swords, and upon seeing the photo, he couldn't help but think of this great Han Dynasty war god:

"This man is full of heroic spirit, could he be the Marquis of Champion who sealed the wolf's lair?"

Granny Gongsun picked up a mung bean cake from the table and put it in her mouth:
“Yes, the immortal took a picture of him that day, and I got you a copy… The photo was taken with a camera. Lao Gao, don’t move, I’ll take a picture of you.”

Gongsun Da Niang took out her phone from her bosom, snapped a picture of the somewhat nervous Gao Lishi, and then waved it at the two of them:
"Print this image onto special paper, and you'll have the photo you have."

Li Longji only half understood what he was hearing, and he lowered his head to look at Huo Qubing's photo.

Gao Lishi wanted to see what he looked like on the phone, but worried about offending the high and mighty fairy, so he awkwardly approached Gongsun Da Niang and asked:

"Miss Gongsun, did I not stand properly just now?"

Grandma Gongsun popped a lotus-shaped pastry into her mouth:

"I can adjust it for you."

After saying that, she opened Gao Lishi's photo, clicked on photo enhancement, first whitened his skin, then smoothed it, then slimmed him down, lengthened his legs, added blush, and even enhanced his breasts and buttocks...

After a series of actions, Gao Lishi, who originally looked quite heroic, became a flamboyant and beautiful woman, especially with the baby bottle effect on his head, which looked quite comical.

Gao Lishi was stunned for a long time:
"Is this... still a servant?"

"Of course it's you. Look how beautiful you are."

Gongsun Da Niang skillfully preserved the photos, planning to find an opportunity to trick Li Bai by saying she would send him a beautiful woman, and see if the little guy would fall for it.

Li Longji held Huo Qubing's photo, looking at it from left to right, and only put it down after a long while:
"I only regret that I do not have a general like the Marquis of Champion by my side. If I had the Marquis of Champion, what would I have to fear from the surrounding barbarians?"

Granny Gongsun tasted one of the fruits and found it quite delicious, so she simply placed the plate in front of her.
"During our last meal, the immortal mentioned that Emperor Wu of Han had Huo Qubing, Emperor Taizong had Li Jing, Emperor Gaozong had Su Dingfang, and you have Wang Zhongsi... Yes, that's the name. He seems to be a general similar to the Marquis of Champion."

Wang Zhongsi?
Li Longji looked puzzled and questioned Gao Lishi, who bowed and replied:
"Among the generals of the guards, there is no general named Wang Zhongsi. I will quickly review the roster to find his whereabouts."

He had been by Li Longji's side since childhood, and their tacit understanding had long surpassed that of ordinary rulers and ministers... Since he was His Majesty's Huo Qubing, we must dig three feet into the ground to find this Wang Zhongsi.

Li Longji asked Gongsun Da Niang for advice:
"Pomegranate Fairy, could you tell me more specifically where this Wang Zhongsi is from?"

After recalling for a moment, Aunt Gongsun said somewhat embarrassedly:

"He seemed to be a great general who had earned a great reputation among the alien races. I've forgotten the specifics, but the immortal mentioned him briefly. I have a bad memory, so I didn't remember it clearly."

Li Longji: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

My dear aunt, how could you forget something like this?

When the immortal gives divine revelation, can you please stop letting it go in one ear and out the other?!
While Li Longji was going crazy, Princess Taiping was also at home, holding a letter and throwing a tantrum.

Since being placed under house arrest, Hui Fan realized that he would never have a chance to rise again. He decided to throw caution to the wind and wrote down the whole story of his conspiracy with Princess Taiping to assassinate the emperor. He planned to expose Princess Taiping and exchange her for a lifetime of wealth and honor from Li Longji.

This wicked monk thought he had done something flawless, but Princess Taiping's men saw through it all, and unsurprisingly, the letter of denunciation ended up in Princess Taiping's hands.

Princess Taiping looked at the current prime minister, Cen Xi, and asked:

"If Mother were here, how would she deal with this person?"

Cen Xi had served under several emperors, including Wu Zhou, Zhongzong, and Ruizong, and was considered a veteran of the court. He stroked his beard and said:
"This person will be skinned alive and paraded through the streets as a warning to others... But for the greater good, Princess, please do not act rashly."

Princess Taiping lit the letter and delivered her final verdict:
"The Hu monk Huifan has committed heinous crimes, insulting the righteous gods of our Chinese land. His sins are unforgivable. Order the Dali Temple to cut out his tongue, gouge out his eyes, sever his tendons, and throw him into the deep mountains and forests to fend for himself!"

(End of this chapter)