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

Chapter 422 Xuanzang: Shall we debate? The kind where we risk our lives! [Seeking monthly votes]

The world of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, within the city of Chang'an.

Princess Jinyang, Li Mingda, dressed in a plain Taoist robe and wearing a lotus crown, knelt in the Liangyi Hall, taking Li Shimin's blood pressure with an electronic blood pressure monitor. Princess Hengshan, Li Chengyang, stood to the side, learning attentively.

Soon, the blood pressure readings came back, and Li Mingda said to Li Chengyang:

"Yuebao, can you read the numbers I've been teaching you lately?"

Li Chengyang nodded, staring at the screen of the electronic blood pressure monitor, and said:
What do the numbers 139, 86, and 75 mean?

Li Mingda said earnestly:
"These are three indicators: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. If the systolic blood pressure is below 140, the diastolic blood pressure is below 90, and the resting heart rate is below 100, there is no major problem, but we cannot be complacent and need to measure them daily."

After several months of treatment and dietary adjustments, Mr. Li's health has greatly improved, and his blood pressure, which used to be 180 or 190, has now returned to normal.

Come to think of it, the physical condition of a fierce warrior who could lead troops into battle on the Goguryeo battlefield was absolutely superb; he only needed to pay a little attention.

Li Shimin removed the measuring strap from his arm and smiled as he said to his two beloved daughters:
"No need for that, testing once every five days is sufficient."

Li Mingda said with a stern face:

“That won’t do. A small leak can sink a great ship. If we’re not careful about small things, we can make a big mistake. I hope that Father Emperor will live to be a hundred years old and help me take care of the children. I can’t leave now.”

These heartwarming words brought tears to Old Li's eyes. He turned his face away, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and said in a seemingly casual tone:
“Birth, aging, sickness and death are the normal laws of life. As long as you two are well, even if I pass away, I can rest in peace in the afterlife.”

As they were talking, Li Mingda took out the blood glucose meter and began to teach Li Chengyang how to use it and how to install the lancet, like a little adult who was very concerned about his child.

Finally, Xiao Sizi didn't forget to clip the finger-clip pulse oximeter onto Lao Li's left middle finger to measure his blood oxygen levels.

After all the steps were completed, it was finally time to have lunch.

The eunuchs placed one carefully prepared dish after another on the table. Just as Old Li was about to start eating, the walkie-talkie next to him suddenly crackled to life:

"Your Majesty, news has come from Dingzhou that the Peony Fairy has arrived in Pingzhou and will soon leave the pass to enter Yingzhou."

Wu Zetian contacted the communication point in Fanyang from Pingzhou, then Fanyang contacted Dingzhou, Dingzhou contacted Luoyang, Luoyang contacted Chang'an... With just a few simple connections, she could quickly learn about news from two thousand miles away.

Old Li thought for a moment, then picked up the walkie-talkie and replied:

"Tell the Peony Fairy to mobilize the laborers of Liaodong to reinforce Liucheng, establish a communication point in Liucheng, set up the Liaodong Circuit in Pyongyang, and vigorously develop water transport to make up for the shortcomings of our Great Tang."

The future of the Tang Dynasty lies in the ocean, and Pyongyang is now a good pilot project. Goods can be loaded onto ships in Shandong and transported directly to Pyongyang, which is not only more efficient but also saves a lot of travel time.

After Li Shimin finished replying to the message, Li Chengyang tilted his head and asked:
"Pyongyang hasn't been captured yet, so why is Father in such a hurry to decide on the location of the capital in Liaodong?"

Old Li put down the walkie-talkie and said to his daughter with a smile:
"With Li Jing, Li Ji, and Su Dingfang all here, plus Niu Jinda, Xue Wanche, and a host of other fierce generals, if we fail to capture the capital of Goguryeo, they won't even have the face to return without me having to say a word."

Destroying Goguryeo was only the first step. The next step was how to govern it. If it wasn't governed well, these places would soon be lost again.

Li Mingda took a bite of his mixed grain bun and glanced up at the digital clock on the wall:
"My daughter will be going to see the Immortal Master in ten days. At that time, she will surely learn about the strategies for governing the border. Please do not be anxious, Father. With the Immortal Master here, everything can be resolved."

Li Shimin was deeply moved, but seeing his daughter eating steamed buns made him feel a little sad.

Fortunately, we can go to Hunyuan Palace in ten days. Once we arrive at the immortal's cave, we can probably eat some good food.

While the father and his two daughters were having a meal at the Liangyi Hall, thousands of miles away from Chang'an, in Rajagaha, Central India, a square was filled with monks and Brahmin nobles dressed in silk. The Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang, who was revered by Buddhism as the Great Vehicle Deity and the Deity of Liberation, was debating with a high-ranking Brahmin.

The core of this debate is whether the Brahmin class in India were true Brahmins.
Five days ago, Xuanzang raised this issue at a Dharma assembly in Rajagaha, and it quickly spread throughout the city. Even the Brahmins in the neighboring city were provoked and planned to behead Xuanzang through debate.

The high-ranking Brahmins near Rajagaha mobilized en masse, seemingly determined not to return home until Xuanzang was thoroughly defeated in the debate. Coincidentally, Xuanzang shared the same idea.

The Buddha gave the order that he could only use his strengths to make India an inseparable part of China.

Wang Xuance was worried about Xuanzang's safety, so he pulled the members of the delegation and the chief envoy Li Yibiao over to listen in, ostensibly to broaden their horizons, but in reality to protect Xuanzang.

When the Brahmans dared to harm Xuanzang, Wang Xuance immediately led the Tang guards, clad in bright armor, to kill these filthy bastards who were wiping their own behinds.

King Harsha originally intended to come, but due to Wang Xuance's efforts, his prime minister Arunasva suddenly sought him out to discuss the matter of presenting spices to the Tang Dynasty, preventing him from attending in person.

King Harsha was a follower of both Buddhism and Brahmanism and had close relationships with many high-ranking Brahmans. If he were there, Xuanzang might not be able to gamble away his head, so he found an excuse to send him away.

Of course, neither of them expected to wipe out the entire Brahmanical hierarchy through debate. As long as they could plant the seeds of doubt in the hearts of Brahmanical believers, they could then develop their own agenda.

The claim that the Tang Dynasty was inhabited by Brahmins not only aligns better with Brahmanical doctrines, but also matches some details. For example, Brahmins in the doctrines are described as more refined, more meticulous, and with fairer skin... These characteristics are far superior to those of the local Brahmanical class in India.

Li Yibiao, sitting on the viewing platform to the side, turned to Wang Xuance and asked:
"You've been spending a lot of time with Master Xuanzang lately. Are you planning a coup in India?"

Wang Xuance chuckled:
"We just want to do something insignificant for the Tang Dynasty. We won't do anything reckless. After all, we are a land of etiquette, not bandits."

Less than an incense stick's time after he finished speaking, the Brahman who had been debating with Xuanzang was rendered speechless and voluntarily admitted defeat. He was then escorted off the stage by the Indian soldiers responsible for maintaining order and beheaded.

Xuanzang closed his eyes, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and waited until the body was dragged away and the blood was washed away before slowly opening his eyes and pressing his palms together in prayer towards the Brahmin elders opposite him.

"My Buddha is compassionate!"

Li Yibiao was amused by this remark:
"He was beheading people while talking about compassion. Master Xuanzang was far better than those monks in Chang'an who only knew how to chant sutras and worship Buddha."

At this moment, the second Brahmin leader also took the stage for debate. Xuanzang calmly took a sip of water to moisten his throat and took the opportunity to review the grammar of the Indian language.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi looked at the newly added merits in the black notebook and thought he had misread it:

[Xuanzang used the art of debate to eliminate the high-ranking Brahmins of Rajagaha, earning +5 merit]

what's the situation?
Xuanzang, who was studying and visiting India, actually started to earn merit for Hunyuan Palace without anyone noticing.
He told Wu Meiniang about this, and Wu Meiniang, looking at the calendar, said:

"His Majesty's decree should not have reached India yet, so why did Xuanzang act ahead of time? Could it be because of the Buddha?"

Zhou Yi thought it was possible. Everyone was trying to accumulate merit, and the Buddhist community certainly wouldn't be willing to lag behind... Everyone was receiving offerings at Hunyuan Palace, so who wouldn't want to prove themselves?

As the two were analyzing the situation, Huo Qubing arrived:

“Master, I will be leading the army to war tomorrow. I want to buy some shoes for A-Guang, based on his foot length.”

He held a rope with a knot at both ends, representing Huo Guang's foot length, along with other data such as his height, hoping Zhou Yi could help him buy some clothes and shoes.

After speaking, Huo Qubing took out a stack of Han Dynasty gold ingots and placed them on the table:

"I will cover all expenses."

Wu Zetian put away the gold ingots and said with a smile:

"You're really good to A-Guang. I hope he won't marry the wrong wife this time, lest he bring disaster upon the Huo family."

Huo Guang's first wife, Lady Donglu, was quite good. The one who caused trouble later was Huo Xian, Lady Donglu's dowry maid. After Lady Donglu's death, Huo Xian took over and became the principal wife. Then she committed the act of poisoning Xu Pingjun, digging a huge grave for the three Huo clans.

From this perspective, the old saying that marriage should be between equals is not nonsense. When Huo Guang remarried, if he had been able to find a daughter of a high-ranking official, he would not have poisoned the empress.

Zhou Yi drove Wu Meiniang and Huo Qubing to town, where they selected a lot of clothes, including quite a few belonging to Liu Ju.

While Wu Zetian was choosing her clothes, Zhou Yi strolled out onto the street to greet the neighbors. Big Head Yang said:

"The incense at the Lijia Ferry Land God Temple is very popular. Xiao Yi, should we invite a Land God for our town too?"

Uncle Wu said:

"If you want to build a temple, you have to prove that such a temple exists. Our Yunwu Town was poor back then, and no one built this thing. Now if we want to build it, we have to ask the people in the town archives to make up a story. There's no need for that... As the saying goes: If you have a wicked heart, burning incense will not do you any good; if you are upright, what's wrong with not worshipping the gods?"

That makes perfect sense. We can't build for the sake of building. With the money raised, we could buy some rice, flour, and cooking oil and distribute them to the elderly living alone in the town.

Half an hour later, all the clothes and shoes were bought, and Zhou Yi scanned the code to pay, spending several thousand yuan.

Just as he was about to drive back up the mountain, Uncle Ming suddenly called:
"Xiao Yi, there's a funeral service job at Xishan Cemetery the day after tomorrow. They're offering 40,000 yuan. Let's go and do it together, split the cost 30/70, I get 30% and you get 70%, how about that?"

Money came immediately after the money was spent; after the temple of the God of Wealth was built, there was indeed more money than one could spend.

The Book of Changes says:

"Let's split it 50/50. I'll come see you the day after tomorrow morning."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi drove back up the mountain, saw Huo Qubing off, and began inspecting the cabinets installed in the new house.

Two days later, he arrived in the city and started a funeral business with Uncle Ming. At the same time, in the Ming Dynasty's Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Zhu Biao to the imperial study:
“Other worlds have temples and halls dedicated to Immortal Yiyuan. Biao’er, what kind of temple do you think would be suitable for our Great Ming Dynasty to build to worship Immortal Yiyuan?”

(End of this chapter)