[Lightscreen]
[Speaking seriously—when you think about it, the Ming dynasty only really complained when it was dying. During its strong years, it wasn't actually that bad.
If we're talking about dynasties that obsessed the most over Han and Tang, it was really the Song.
Su Shi, Sima Guang, Xin Qiji, Li Qingzhao, Yang Wanli—whenever "Chang'an" appears in their poems, they're basically talking about Bianjing, Kaifeng.
Seen this way, the Southern Song poets had it the worst.
Not only was the real Chang'an gone—Kaifeng was gone too.
The Tang only suffered "six falls of the capital, emperors flee nine times." The Southern Song just… vanished outright.
Xuanzong, that half-muddled emperor, already managed to ruin the Tang badly enough. The Song? Three muddled emperors in a row—Huizong, Qinzong, Gaozong.
That the Song even lasted as long as it did was practically a miracle.
By the Southern Song, Xin Qiji was already sighing: "If only my son could be like Sun Zhongmou."
Forget Han Wudi or Tang Taizong—just imitate Sun Quan a little, and he'd be satisfied.
Looking back, the Tang's dual-capital system already showed the economic center drifting east.
If they'd truly reflected and moved the capital to Luoyang, things might've gone a bit better.]
Ganlu Hall
As the light screen slowly dimmed, Li Shimin sat upright in his chair, deep in thought.
Unlike before, he showed no interest in grabbing a brush to write poetry.
Instead, he handed a carefully wrapped bundle of silk to Zhangsun Wuji, signaling for him to deliver it to the luminous screen.
Then—he said nothing more.
Nearby, Fang Xuanling discreetly rubbed his lower back.
There had been far too much to record this time—copying while thinking was even more exhausting than handling state affairs.
Du Ruhui, meanwhile, looked genuinely stunned.
"Chang'an… fell six times?"
He had already stopped caring about the "emperors flee nine times."
After all, watching Emperor Xizong flee later on, one could only say the man was frighteningly experienced.
"What's so strange about that?"
Li Shimin lifted his head from his thoughts and gave a short laugh.
"When the Son of Heaven is this weak, which empowered regional commander wouldn't want to reenact Wei Wu's old ambitions?"
Now that they had established a tenuous connection with Zhuge Wuhou through the luminous screen, Li Shimin found himself thinking of him more often.
In Li Shimin's eyes, the jiedushi who trampled imperial authority were no different from the warlords of the late Han.
Seeing Zhangsun Wuji complete the offering to the luminous screen, Li Shimin's posture relaxed further.
"Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.
"In chaos, you allow the jiedushi to overstep their bounds.
"But once order returns, those powers must be reclaimed—one by one."
He paused, then sighed.
"Unfortunately… the late Tang's descendants lacked anyone capable of doing so."
The ministers fell silent.
Li Jing spoke with regret.
"If the Flying Cavalry and the Northern Garrison Guards had not been abolished, a capable general could have been dispatched to suppress them all."
Du Ruhui sighed.
"If those two forces still existed, Feng Changqing could have blocked the rebels outside Luoyang.
"How would disaster have reached this point?"
Chengdu
After sending off the prepared offerings, Kongming himself felt a pang of sorrow and softly recited:
"In dreams, Chang'an lies thirty thousand li away…"
From a literary standpoint, the poem wasn't exceptional.
But its sincerity struck deep.
The word dream here felt less like fantasy, more like returning.
On this point, Kongming resonated profoundly.
After all—the Han, too, stood at the brink of survival.
Chen Zilong entered office only to face the fall of the Ming.
And he, Zhuge Kongming—was he any different?
Fa Zheng also looked somber.
Had the times not decayed so thoroughly, would he ever have fled to Yi Province and wasted his prime years like this?
Seeing the atmosphere grow heavy, Liu Bei clapped his hands and smiled, drawing everyone's attention.
"I once told Kongming that east of my home stood a mulberry tree five zhang tall.
"At the time, Kongming didn't believe me.
"But once we reclaim Zhuo Commandery, I'll personally take him to see it."
Then he turned to Fa Zheng with a smile.
"I've heard that Xiaozhi once spoke of earning a marquisate in his youth.
"I've heard much of Chang'an. If I am to set foot there one day, I'll be relying on your counsel."
Kongming smiled, folding his fan and offering a respectful bow.
Fa Zheng's face warmed slightly—but he quickly declared with confidence:
"What difficulty is there in that?
"We will take Chang'an and let my lord ride through it in his carriage!"
Zhao Yun joined in:
"When we return to Changshan, I'll be sure to offer the Strategist some Zhengding pears.
"I tasted them as a boy—over ten years later, the flavor still lingers."
Kongming laughed, nodding repeatedly, clearly committing it to memory.
Zhang Fei, however, looked conflicted.
"Strategist… when we go back to Zhuo Commandery, should I catch you a couple piglets?"
Kongming burst out laughing, tapping Zhang Fei's chest with his fan.
"That later poet longed for a Marquis Huo Qubing.
"But with you and Yun Chang working together, you're hardly inferior to one.
"I only hope your border victories bring glory enough.
"Leave the butchery to others!"
At the mention of battle, Zhang Fei pounded his chest.
"I don't want to die like that An Lushan fellow.
"A true man should be wrapped in horsehide on the battlefield!"
Nearby, Xu Shu watched all this with quiet satisfaction.
Wasn't this exactly what he had hoped for?
A bird freed from its cage.
A dragon released from shallow waters.
There would be a place for him in Ji Han.
He said nothing—but his thoughts had already drifted toward Jing and Xiang.
At that very moment, the luminous screen slowly unfolded again.
The officials of Chengdu Prefecture turned their heads together, laughing and chatting—
[Lightscreen]
[Hey hey hey! First off, massive thanks to the big boss for such a valuable gift!
Verified—real gold. Boss is generous!
But can we talk about the name? My real name is Wen Mang, not "Uneducated One" (Zhang Yu)! QAQ]
Everyone's gaze dropped downward, and they saw the two gifts displayed.
One was a Qiong walking staff—clearly sent by Kongming.
The other was from "His Majesty Erfeng."
To the people of Ji Han, it looked like a celebratory card.
In the upper right corner were the two characters: 丈育.
In the center:
"Universal Celebration — The Beginning of a Flourishing Age."
In the lower left corner:
"Emperor Li Shimin."
What set it apart was its dazzling brilliance.
The entire card was golden, its characters inlaid with silver thread.
And in the upper left corner—
A very obvious bite mark.
Clearly the "verification method" the later generations spoke of.
[Server Chat Log]
ChronicleBreaker: I've gotta say, UP host, you're really something. One bite like that—didn't it hurt your heart? Though honestly, you weren't biting off the gold, were you? What really hurts is ruining the aesthetics, right? And this heading—absolutely killed me. "Zhangyu" confirmed.
MandateError: Pretty sure this references the Taizong-era New Year card tradition. Legend says the earliest greeting cards were bronze, made by Erfeng himself and given to ministers. Later people copied it, switched to paper, and the custom spread to today. This one—gold plate, silver inlay—seriously thoughtful. Gold-and-silver inlay is also an intangible cultural heritage craft. Looks great.
HeavenPatch: As for this low-key walking staff—that should be a Qiong bamboo staff. A Shu specialty since the Han, a real historical artifact. Speaking of Qiong bamboo and Erfeng, this reminds me—one of Wang Xizhi's Seventeen Letters is the "Qiong Bamboo Staff Letter." And yeah… also got "Erfeng-ed." Well, not destroyed exactly—collected in the palace, but not buried. Maybe it was lost in the An Lushan Rebellion.
Ganlu Hall
The ministers in Ganlu Hall looked at the golden card.
Then they looked at Li Shimin.
At last, a smile appeared between his brows.
"Let this junior keep calling me by a nickname…"
"Then I'll return the favor."
The ministers exchanged amused glances.
It was… unexpectedly charming.
But then Li Shimin frowned again.
"Why is the loss of the Qiong Bamboo Staff Letter my fault?"
From his perspective, palace storage was far safer than leaving things among the people.
Who could've foreseen An Lushan?
Still, the thought gave him pause.
If priceless treasures were hoarded in the palace—
And a foolish ruler or traitorous general arose—
They'd all be wiped out in one sweep.
Perhaps… something like a later-age museum system?
Then another thought struck him.
"How goes the matter of glass?"
Hou Junji immediately broke into a sweat.
He had eagerly taken responsibility for finding saline lakes and producing transparent glass.
But even with future hints, progress was slow.
Grinding his teeth, he replied:
"The glass is still cloudy, with impurities. Grant me one more month, and I will—"
Li Shimin glanced at his expression and nodded.
But inwardly, he decided to push the Directorate of Works after the New Year holidays.
They had previously reported success using plant ash to produce alkali.
Continuing glass research seemed promising.
As for Hou Junji…
Well. Science clearly wasn't his strength.
Shaking his head inwardly, Li Shimin looked outside.
It was only the third day of the New Year.
Seven full days of rest remained.
Seeing Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui's weary faces—and the Yan brothers buried under stacks of sketches—Li Shimin mercifully dismissed them all to continue their holiday.
Plans could wait.
He himself intended to head to the inner palace.
Classes for the princes and princesses had been suspended, and with the ten-day New Year rest, the children had been bonding daily.
Crown Prince Chengqian no longer looked lifeless.
He seemed far more cheerful—something Li Shimin found deeply satisfying.
His only concern was how close Chengqian seemed to be getting with a certain young Lady Wu…
Just then, however, a memorial arrived.
"Zunli—Master Xuanzang has reached Chang'an?"
The report came from Li Junxian, courtesy name Zunli, now serving as Left Commandant of the Imperial Guard.
Among the sixteen Southern Garrison units, the Left and Right Thousand Ox Guards and the Left and Right Gate Guards were Li Shimin's personal troops.
Guard duty, intelligence gathering, independent reports—
All fell under their purview.
With the left ranked above the right, Li Junxian was one of Li Shimin's trusted confidants.
"One of them," at least.
"He arrived late last night," Li Junxian replied.
"Your Majesty had pressing affairs this morning, so I reported now."
Li Shimin nodded and walked with him into a nearby garden, away from the playing children.
"I heard Xuanzang hesitated after being released?"
Li Junxian thought briefly.
"To my knowledge, he petitioned several times to leave the realm for India—each denied.
"But after I personally released him and conveyed Your Majesty's words, Master Xuanzang became certain he would succeed.
"So he took his time—farewells, purification, scriptures, supplies—only then setting out for Chang'an."
"A fascinating man."
Li Shimin nodded, changing course.
"Then I shall meet him."
Another name surfaced in his thoughts.
He issued a brief command.
"Check on Su Lie's recent status."
Li Junxian bowed silently and obeyed.