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

Chapter 46 Wu Zetian Pays Rent! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Upon hearing that ten telescopes would be given to the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian was overjoyed:
"With these telescopes, I will have a reason to ask Your Majesty for the 'Letter of Mourning and Chaos' treasured by Your Majesty, to fill the void in this world that has no genuine works by Wang Xizhi."

Zhouyi: "..."

With just one sentence, you elevated these ten telescopes to an incredible level.

However, it must be said that there are no genuine works by Wang Xizhi in reality. All that we can see are imitations by others, and most of the imitators came from the early Tang Dynasty.

According to Zhou Yi, these authentic works were collected by Li Shimin, and were copied by Chu Suiliang and others after being borrowed, which allowed later generations to glimpse the masterful brushwork of the Sage of Calligraphy.

However, no matter how well one imitates, it can never compare to Wang Xizhi's original work.

Even Wang Xizhi himself, after a certain period, could not reach the level of his peak.

For example, regarding the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion," it is said that Wang Xizhi wrote several more versions afterward, wanting to remove the smeared parts and make the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" look neater.

No matter how hard he tried, the works he wrote could not achieve the flowing and elegant charm of the first edition of "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion".

After reading the "Flying Bird Calligraphy," Zhou Yi carefully put it away and said to Wu Meiniang:

"Don't forget to have Li Shimin write a donation note to Hunyuan Palace... make it clear that it is a voluntary donation, not a forced demand."

Wu Zetian nodded:
"Don't worry, sir, I understand."

After discussing these matters, Zhou Yi went to the kitchen to make egg-stir-fried noodles, while Wu Meiniang sat at her desk, carefully flipping through her elementary school textbooks, intending to systematically learn modern knowledge in preparation for staying here long-term.

After dinner, Zhou Yi drove his Wuling van to town and furnished her room with a desk, bookshelves, dressing table, wardrobe, shoe cabinet, and other furniture.

Last time I didn't have enough money, so I only bought a bed and matching bedding. Now that I have money, I need to get all the furniture I need.

To be honest, this is the Empress's temporary palace in Hunyuan Palace, so it can't be too shabby.

In addition to Wu Zetian and Gongsun Da Niang's rooms, Zhou Yi also added some furniture and study supplies to Li Bai's room. He also went to a Hanfu store to buy several sets of straight robes, inner garments, and shoes and socks so that everyone could change and wash them at any time.

In the evening, Wu Meiniang looked at the newly added furniture in her room, and was as happy as a blooming peony:

"From this day forward, this will be my home in Hunyuan Palace. Thank you, Immortal Master."

Zhou Yi smiled:
"Consider that gold ingot as payment for your rent."

Upon hearing this, Wu Meiniang took out a gold ingot engraved with the characters "Zhenguan" from her backpack and handed it to Zhou Yi with both hands:
“Then I will pay another piece, so that the immortal master will not give this room to someone else.”

After saying that, he added:
"Next time I come, I will also send you a formal invitation."

"Row!"

Zhou Yi had no intention of making his collection public, so whether or not there was a dedication letter was irrelevant. However, if needed, this letter could prove the provenance of the artifacts.

Although this Taoist temple never existed in history, as long as there are enough cultural relics, Hunyuan Palace can also be said to have been destroyed in war and rebuilt... Many concrete temples are forcibly traced back to history in this way.

After dinner, Zhou Yi changed into a black Taoist robe and sat at his desk, flipping through a black notebook.

Wu Zetian's territory remained at a radius of twenty zhang, unchanged, but the progress of exchanging household registrations had changed:
[4/363]

I stayed here for two days, which reduces the total number of days by two. The little red dot is also gone now. It seems that experiencing one sunrise and one sunset counts as a full day.

I wonder what will happen when the progress bar is full? Will a new household registration booklet just appear out of nowhere? Or will I need to go to the police station to process it...?

With a household registration, she was theoretically a modern person, someone who could travel back and forth between the late Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty.

After taking a bath, Wu Meiniang put the clothes the two of them had changed out of into the washing machine, poured in laundry detergent, and tried to use the modern home appliance according to the instructions.

After the washing machine started, she made a cup of tea and brought it to Zhou Yi's room. Zhou Yi, who was worried about the command of the Tang Dynasty's navy, took the teacup and asked Wu Meiniang:

What official position does Liu Rengui hold now?

The name sounded unfamiliar, and Wu Meiniang thought for a moment before speaking:
"Last month, His Majesty promoted several officials, including a man named Liu Rengui, who was appointed as a fifth-rank official, responsible for rejecting imperial edicts and adjudicating wrongful convictions... Why did you suddenly mention this person, Immortal Master?"

The Book of Changes says:

"When Li Zhi was emperor, he destroyed Baekje and appointed Liu Rengui, who was over sixty years old, as the local governor. The king of Baekje wanted to restore his kingdom and gathered tens of thousands of Japanese troops to besiege Liu Rengui. Liu Rengui led his army to block the attack at the mouth of the Baekgang River. The Tang navy won four battles in a row and also occupied a part of the Japanese territory. I originally wanted to recommend Liu Rengui as the commander of the navy, but I was worried that it would be too much to help him and ruin this talent."

Liu Rengui became a famous general in history because he had a wealth of experience and was able to know himself and his enemy. However, it will be almost twenty years before he shines, and it may not be a good thing to put him to use rashly.

Wu Zetian took out a small notebook from her inner pocket and wrote down Liu Rengui's name:
"I will go back and tell His Majesty that if Liu Rengui truly has such talent, then he should not linger in the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary for so long, but should instead train with the navy."

The next day, after breakfast, Wu Meiniang glanced at the newly decorated room, feeling somewhat reluctant to leave.

She wanted to stay a couple more days, but she was also afraid of affecting the affairs of state in the Tang Dynasty, especially the distribution of the telescopes. If not handled properly, the military officers might start fighting in the court.

After packing her things, Wu Meiniang bid farewell to Zhou Yi, who had returned from the Temple of the God of Wealth:

"Master, His Majesty is still waiting for news. I will return now. If I have the time next time, I will stay a few more days."

The Book of Changes says:

"Hold on."

He went to the kitchen, brought back half a bag of sprouted potatoes, and handed it to Wu Meiniang:

"Take these potatoes with you and let people try planting them. Potatoes have a high yield and are suitable for emergency relief in ancient times, but their disadvantages are also obvious. They cannot be planted in the same field repeatedly. Land that has been planted with potatoes needs to be planted with something else to help it recover, otherwise there will be a large-scale reduction in yield."

These potatoes were bought by my grandfather before he passed away. He bought a whole woven bag of them because they were cheap, but now more than half of them are still left, and they've all sprouted and are inedible.

Zhou Yi originally intended to throw it away, but then he remembered that such things didn't exist in ancient times, so he asked Wu Meiniang to take it and try planting it.

He confessed:

"If the potatoes are successfully grown, we must not let Li Shimin show them off in front of the foreign tribes. Also, we should recall all the seeds, craftsmen, and other things that Princess Wencheng brought to Tibet that we can bring back to the Tang Dynasty."

Three years have passed since Princess Wencheng's marriage. Tibet should have tasted the benefits and should find a way to reverse the situation to prevent Tibet from becoming a major threat to China again.

But Zhou Yi had no idea how to do it, so he could only pass the buck to Er Feng:

"Tell Li Shimin that his generosity this time has caused hundreds of years of turmoil in China. The Tibetans have attacked Chang'an several times, threatening Chengdu and other vast territories. Tell him to find a way to contain the Tibetans and make up for his mistakes."

We need to find an opportunity to get the people of Hunyuan Palace together and figure out some ways to harm the alien races. Otherwise, if we keep being passively attacked like this, when will we ever earn enough merit?

Zhou Yi found a small cart, first placing salt and spicy seasoning on it, then sprouted potatoes and a cardboard box containing binoculars, and finally two large bags of various snacks bought at the supermarket yesterday, all tied securely with rope.

Wu Meiniang dragged the cart all the way to the entrance of the Great Buddha Hall. She waved to Zhou Yi, said goodbye, and then stepped over the threshold, disappearing into thin air along with the cart.

After seeing the Empress off, Zhou Yi was about to go to work moving bricks when he suddenly received a call from Han Lao Er, a livestock farmer in town:
“Xiao Yi, ever since the New Year, nothing has gone right for our family. We have no appetite, we can’t sleep well, and more than half of the fish fry we bought have died. Could you come to my house and take a look? Have we offended any gods?”

The gods aren't as petty as you think... Zhou Yi said:
"I'll come to your house at noon to see what the situation is like before we discuss it further!"

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

(End of this chapter)