My house's electrical wiring dates back to the Tang Dynasty.

"Finally finished cleaning."

July 1, 2025, a remote mountain village in Jianghai Province.

At 2 p.m., 28-year-old Li Mingbo sat on the high threshold, clipping his nails and smoking a Hongtashan cigarette, exhaling a long puff of white smoke.

After working away from home for several years, Li Mingbo was laid off by his company and couldn't find a job. With more than 200,000 yuan in his pocket, he went home to relax, tidy up his old house in the countryside, and planned to retire early.

I just finished cleaning today.

After finishing his cigarette, Li Mingbo stood up, intending to knock down the unusual wall in the room.

This wall is different from others; while the rest of the wall is made of blue bricks, this one is made of stone to form a doorway.

Li Mingbo has some obsessive-compulsive disorder, so seeing this unusual wall always makes him feel uncomfortable.

After trimming his nails, Li Mingbo picked up a hammer.

Bang.

"eighty"

Bang.

"eighty."

Li Mingbo smashed things while shouting.

The tremor caused dust to fall from the nearby pillars.

One stone after another fell with a whoosh, raising a cloud of dust.

It was a little after 2 a.m. on the seventh day of the sixth month of the sixth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, at the Ganlu Hall of the Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin was sleeping in his palace when he suddenly heard a thumping sound that shook the pillars in the palace and caused the candlesticks in the palace to fall down.

Li Shimin listened intently.

Yes, the sound came from inside the hall.

Looking at the empty hall, Li Shimin felt a nameless fear welling up inside him.

Could it be that someone has stormed the palace?

Li Shimin's forehead instantly broke out in fine beads of sweat, and he sat up in fright.

Six years ago, he killed his own brother and younger brother to seize the throne.

Could it be...? Impossible, Zhijie would never betray me. Could it be Changhe?

As the saying goes, once there is one, there will be two.

Chang He betrayed his elder brother back then, and he will betray me today.

Upon thinking this, Li Shimin couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

"Guards!" Li Shimin shouted.

Soon, Qianniu, dressed in gleaming armor and wielding a ceremonial sword adorned with gold and silver, rushed into the hall.

"Protect His Majesty!" exclaimed a tall, dark-skinned man who rushed to Li Shimin's side.

Who's on night duty at Xuanwu Gate tonight?

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is the Duke of Su."

"Summon Cheng Yaojin, the Right General of the Martial Guard and Duke of Su, to come see me immediately," Li Shimin said.

Then, looking at the guards inside the house, he asked, "Has anything happened outside?"

"Your Majesty, no," the dark-faced man said, bowing.

"Where did this sound come from?" Li Shimin asked, looking at the people in the room.

Everyone listened attentively.

thump.

dong dong.

The thumping sounds continued, causing dust to fall from the roof of the hall and candle flames to scatter onto the floor.

Everyone listened attentively as they tidied up the candlesticks.

Gradually, following the sound, everyone arrived at a wall on the east side.

"Your Majesty, the sound is coming from here," the dark-faced man said, pointing to the high wall.

As the dark-faced man finished speaking, the blue bricks on the wall collapsed with a loud crash.

The thumping sound continued, and more and more blue bricks collapsed.

"Your Majesty, someone is banging on the wall over there." The dark-faced man looked at Li Shimin. "It sounds like there's more noise."

Li Shimin remained silent upon hearing this. Seeing his palace vandalized, he was so angry he almost ground his teeth to powder. However, as an emperor who rose from the ashes, he managed to control his emotions.

"I'll see who had the audacity to dig a tunnel all the way to my palace," Li Shimin said through gritted teeth as he watched the blue bricks crumble and fall.

Moreover, this tunnel was dug directly into my palace; this is an assassination attempt on me.

Could they be remnants of the Crown Prince?

"What are you talking about?" Li Shimin asked.

"It seems to be eighty."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have heard it, it is indeed eighty."

The guards inside the house all echoed this sentiment.

At this moment, a burly man, nearly forty years old, with a dark face and a thick beard, walked in wearing a suit of gleaming armor.

"Your subject, Cheng Yaojin, General of the Right Guard and Duke of Su, greets Your Majesty," the dark-faced man said, bowing before Li Shimin.

"Zhijie, you've come at the right time. Take a look," Li Shimin said, pointing to the fallen blue bricks on the wall.

The thumping stopped for a moment, then started again.

With each sound, a pile of blue bricks fell down.

"These remnants... they actually managed to dig so precisely into His Majesty's palace!" Cheng Yaojin then noticed the unusual activity on the east wall. He quickly stepped in front of Li Shimin and said to the others, "Protect His Majesty."

Cheng Yaojin glanced at the room and saw that there were only twenty people inside. He said to Li Shimin, "Your Majesty, we don't know how many people they have. I think we should call more people over to deal with any unforeseen circumstances."

Cheng Yaojin's idea was approved by Li Shimin, who immediately ordered Yuchi Gong, Changsun Wuji, Li Jing, and others to be brought over.

"Summon Duke Yi, Shu Bao, as well," Li Shimin said finally.

Duke Qin Shubao of Yi State has been recuperating at home for the past few years and rarely attends court.

Out of habit, Li Shimin thought of this former fierce general.

I feel more at ease only when Brother Qin is present.

"Huh, what's that over there?" Li Mingbo knocked down the wall and saw what looked like the light of a kerosene lamp on the other side, just like the kerosene lamp his family used when he was a child. He exclaimed "Huh?" and stuck his head over.

Immediately afterwards, I felt my whole body fly into the air.

Li Mingbo saw himself being lifted up by a dark-faced man and slammed heavily onto the gold-brick floor.

A cold ceremonial sword was placed against Li Mingbo's neck.

Li Mingbo touched it and found it was bleeding.

"Hey, are you guys serious?" Li Mingbo looked up at the people in the room.

Each of them had a fierce look on their face, glaring at me with murderous intent.

Standing behind him was Li Shimin, who was in his early thirties and wearing a yellow round-necked robe.

Li Shimin, with his high nose bridge and brows exuding an air of cold authority, looked at Li Mingbo.

"Speak, who is behind you? Who is ordering you around? Tell me the truth, and I will give you a quick death. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time even if you want to die," Li Shimin said coldly.

"朕? You're the emperor?" Only the emperor can refer to himself as "朕," a rule that has been passed down since the time of Qin Shi Huang. Li Mingbo knew this basic historical knowledge.

"It is I who am asking you this," Li Shimin said, glaring angrily at Li Mingbo.

"Nobody's here. I was renovating my house just now, and who knew this would happen after I knocked down the wall?" Li Mingbo replied, then muttered to himself, "Did I travel through time? What dynasty is this? Judging from the clothes, it's not the Qing Dynasty. Could it be the Sui or Tang Dynasties, or the Ming Dynasty? Or even earlier?"

Li Mingbo knows a little about Hanfu, but he doesn't specialize in studying it, so he can't tell which dynasty it belongs to.

Li Mingbo then began to take in his surroundings.

The main hall is filled with huge pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes, and you can vaguely see the magnificent brackets on the roof. Red candles are lit all around, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime.

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides were half-closed, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.

In the very center of the north side is a rosewood table about 30 to 40 centimeters high, with the fragrance of sandalwood wafting from it.

To the west is a bronze hourglass, where fine sand drips in a line over time.

"Zhijie, take him out and execute him," Li Shimin said, waving his hand at the dark-faced general.