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

Chapter 45 Another day of envying Daoist Yi! [Requesting monthly votes]

Inside the God of Wealth Temple, Zhou Yi set out offerings and began the ritual to invite the god.

The Guan Gong statue in this hall is depicted in armor, holding a sword, symbolizing the use of force to protect trade... The four Guan Gong statues in Hunyuan Palace are all different.

For example, in the Haotian Hall, there is a figure reading the Spring and Autumn Annals at night, which is the classic image of the Confucian Wenheng Emperor; in the Sanqing Hall, there is a figure wearing a parrot-green robe; and in the Daxiong Hall, there is a figure holding a sword and riding a horse.

Each religious sect has a different definition of Guan Gong, and his image varies from sect to sect.

With everything prepared, the ritual to invite the gods officially begins.

When Zhou Yi presided over the ceremony, Wu Zetian appeared in the main hall carrying a backpack. As soon as she appeared, her usually calm and composed expression became quite complex.

Once we arrived at Hunyuan Palace, we finally didn't have to be so tense anymore.

Stepping out of the main hall, Wu Meiniang noticed that some of the bricks had been cleared away and the weeds along the wall had been removed... Seeing the place gradually improving, the Empress felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Carrying her backpack, she headed towards the courtyard. As she passed the God of Wealth Temple, she heard some noises inside. She glanced at the entrance and confirmed that the man in the white Taoist robe was alright, which reassured her considerably.

Wu Meiniang did not disturb Zhou Yi's ritual of inviting the gods. Instead, she went to the courtyard, first looked around the newly bought Wuling Hongguang minivan, and then opened her own door to make her bed.

Wu Zetian lived in many places, including Jingzhou, Bingzhou, Luoyang, Chang'an, and Taiji Palace, but the only place that gave her a sense of belonging was Hunyuan Palace.

After tidying up the room, she went into the kitchen, boiled a kettle of water, and prepared to make some tea to entertain the pilgrims who came to Hunyuan Palace to perform rituals.

Inside the God of Wealth Temple, Zhou Yi was still carrying out the ritual of inviting the gods.

As soon as I finished reciting the "Guan Di's Descent to Earth Mantra", I felt a gust of wind blowing in from outside the gate of the God of Wealth Temple, accompanied by the sound of armor blades rubbing together and the neighing of warhorses.

Sun Chenglin, who was kneeling on the prayer mat, was overjoyed and quickly lowered his head, muttering to himself:

"May Lord Guan Yu bless me to become rich! May Lord Guan Yu bless me to become rich..."

When he came, he told Mao Cong several times that strange winds would appear during the consecration ceremony. At the time, Mao Cong didn't quite believe it and even complained that his cousin's performance was too over-the-top, and that he would only get a 2.0 rating on Douban at most.

Feeling the sudden breeze, Mao Cong was so excited that he almost forgot to recite the "Guan Sheng Di Jun Mantra".

Wow, wow, wow, it really works! I... I... what did I come to Hunyuan Palace to ask for... Mao Cong was so excited that he wanted to pinch his thigh, but he was worried that his actions would be too undignified and anger Lord Guan.

Finally, when the ceremony was completely over, Mao Cong was able to speak:
"It really is true! Damn, if I had taken a picture and posted it online, it would have gone viral!"

Sun Chenglin stood up, rubbed his knees, and said:

"What a load of rubbish! They've labeled it feudal superstition, and it's all over."

As the three left the Temple of the God of Wealth, Zhou Yi was about to mention that no tea had been prepared when he saw Wu Meiniang carrying a tea tray, gracefully walking towards them from the direction of the courtyard.
"You two have worked hard, please have some tea."

Sun Chenglin and Mao Cong exchanged a glance, silently turned around, and simultaneously gave Zhou Yi a thumbs up:

"Master, you're awesome!"

A thousand words are not as good as a gesture or a single "awesome!" to express my admiration and respect... Having such a beautiful female Taoist serve me tea and water, I'm so envious of Master Yi again!

The group sat down in the pavilion in the southeast corner of Hunyuan Palace. Wu Meiniang poured the tea and stood quietly behind Zhou Yi. Sun Chenglin and Mao Cong were deeply moved by what they saw, and even the Longjing tea in their cups tasted strongly of lemon.

Sun Chenglin put down his teacup and inquired about the gossip in the county town:

"Hey buddy, there's been any update on the incident where the fortune teller from Sanlizhuang got beaten up the other day."

Mao Cong shook his head:

"No, Shi Xiangu originally wanted to stay in the hospital to extort money, but for some reason, she hurriedly checked out in the afternoon and went home to lie down..."

He chatted briefly, and soon inquired about the rotten coffin that had floated up from Huangniwa, asking Zhou Yi if he had been to the site to see it.

The Book of Changes is full of nonsense:
“Someone in the town’s residents’ group mentioned it briefly, but I was busy at the time and didn’t pay much attention.”

Hearing this, Wu Meiniang behind him almost burst out laughing... It was clearly you who prepared the coffin, but now you're acting like an innocent passerby. You can lie so calmly; I wonder how many women you've fooled.

After finishing their tea, Sun Chenglin and Mao Cong said their goodbyes and left. Zhou Yi escorted them to the door.

"Come back in nine days and take the statue away. Just put it in the car dealership lobby. You don't need to offer incense and prayers every day, but make sure the statue doesn't get covered in dust, or Lord Guan will be unhappy."

There aren't many rules for the statue of Zhao Gongming, but for Guan Yu, the rules are stricter. For example, the statue cannot be dusty, and the deity cannot have done anything wrong.

After the two brothers left, Zhou Yi turned to look at the stunningly beautiful Wu Meiniang and asked, "What would you like to eat for lunch? I'll make it."

Wu Zetian smiled broadly:
"Egg noodles, please. I still haven't had enough of the egg stir-fry noodles you made last time."

"Okay, I'll go knead the dough now."

Zhou Yi arrived at the courtyard and was just about to wash his hands and go into the kitchen to get busy when Wu Meiniang brought over her backpack:

“I lied to Li Mingda, saying that you ate two meals of cornbread mixed with bran to buy her a red velvet cake. She believed me and wanted to steal the ‘Preface to the Orchid Pavilion’ so you could exchange it for white steamed buns…”

Zhou Yi never imagined that the Empress would have the potential to be a fraudster:
"She didn't manage to steal it, did she?"

Seeing Wu Meiniang nod, Zhou Yi finally felt relieved.

The "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" is a cultural treasure that Comrade Erfeng requested be buried with her. If Li Mingda were to steal it for him, Old Li would definitely go crazy.

"Thank goodness it didn't work..." Zhou Yi was just feeling relieved when Wu Meiniang took out a scroll of calligraphy and painting from her backpack:
"Since she couldn't steal the 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion,' Li Mingda settled for second best and stole Wang Xianzhi's 'Flying Birds Calligraphy.' She also asked me to tell you that you're not allowed to eat chaff anymore. If you don't have money, she can steal treasures from the palace to support you."

Tsk... Isn't this just a repeat of "I'll steal electric bikes to support you"?
The Book of Changes says:

"Don't keep teaching her like this, or her values ​​will become distorted and she'll never be able to correct them."

He looked at the scroll of calligraphy and painting in front of him, wanting to take it in his hands, but worried that after more than a thousand years of weathering, the entire scroll would shatter instantly.

Although the "Flying Bird Calligraphy" is not as famous as the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering", it is also a lost cultural treasure. What exists on the market is a copy by Chu Suiliang, not the original.

He wanted to read the Book of Changes, but was worried about destroying it, so he was in a dilemma.

Wu Zetian, on the other hand, appeared quite calm:

"Immortal, there's no need to look back. This item didn't survive to later generations, most likely it was destroyed during the Tang Dynasty. Since it's destined to be destroyed anyway, why not give it a try and see if it can withstand the test of time?"

Zhou Yi thought about it and agreed that it made sense.

At worst, we can find someone from the Eastern Jin Dynasty to come and have Wang Xianzhi rewrite it... As the number of people in Hunyuan Palace increases, people from the Jin Dynasty should come.

Zhou Yi raised his hand and grasped the scroll of calligraphy and painting.

Soon, the yellow color on the scroll surface began to deepen, and the paper began to become brittle.

After the changes stopped, he carefully unfolded the paper and saw that the writing on it had faded considerably, but he could still vaguely make out the breathtaking regular script... The treasure had not been destroyed!
The scroll was covered with numerous seals at the top and bottom, the most recent being the two characters "Zhenguan," which must have been stamped by Old Li.

Zhou Yi carefully put the box away, led Wu Meiniang back to her room, and displayed the artifacts inside:

“Li Bai’s father even wrote a special letter of tribute. You can ask Li Mingda to make me a copy later. This ‘Flying Birds’ calligraphy can be considered her contribution to Hunyuan Palace.”

"Your concubine obeys!"

Zhou Yi inquired about matters concerning the Tang Dynasty:
"How is Li Jing's health? Is he capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of command?"

Wu Zetian said:
"He has ordered Su Dingfang to be the vanguard and Li Daozong to be the commander of the vanguard. He has also asked Li Ji, the Minister of War, to serve as the chief commander of the army. Li Weigong is only responsible for drafting the battle plan and the route of action. His workload is not large."

Upon hearing that Su Dingfang would be the vanguard, Zhou Yi immediately felt relieved; the land forces were now secure. However, the historical commander of the navy, Zhang Liang, had not performed very well.

"Where is Zhang Liang? Is he on the expedition?"

"He requested to lead the troops three times, but was refused each time by Li Weigong. Some people in the court impeached Li Weigong for taking the opportunity to eliminate dissidents and for plotting a rebellion. His Majesty dismissed and executed the person who impeached him in court."

When Li Jing defeated Jieli Khan, someone impeached him for treason, and from then on, Li Jing secluded himself and refused to see anyone.

After conquering Tuyuhun, there were accusations of treason, and Li Shimin stopped contacting his relatives and refused to attend Li Shimin's summons.

Now that he's been reinstated, before he's even had a chance to take office, he's already facing impeachment and treason again... What kind of strange, controversial personality does Lao Li have?

To support the military genius, Zhou Yi pulled a cardboard box from under the bed and said to Wu Meiniang:
"Here are ten telescopes. Take them back to Li Jing and tell him to go all out and destroy Goguryeo!"

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(End of this chapter)