Tang Dynasty: Starting with Dimo, he was targeted by Li Shimin.

Chapter 25 What virtues have I lost?

The next morning.

Lin Luo was awakened by a system notification sound.

[Ding! Water-type Pokémon detected entering the sanctuary area: Bubble Shell x1 (Arrived)]

[Ding! Water-type Pokémon detected entering the sanctuary area: 1 Lanternfish (estimated arrival in two hours)]

[Ding! Water-type Pokémon detected entering the sanctuary area: 1 Little Otter (estimated arrival in three hours)]

Three.

Three more arrived overnight.

Including the Bubble Shell from last night, there are now four Water-type Pokémon within the shelter area.

Lin Luo rolled over and looked at the map on the panel—

Four small blue dots of light are slowly moving toward the Magic Treasure Shop from different directions.

The cocoa shells have arrived; they're in the alley outside the wall—they're probably still gnawing on last night's cocoa shells.

The two-lamp fish came from the southeast and are currently still outside the city.

Another small otter came from the north, moving at a slower pace.

Lin Luo closed the panel and stretched.

Dimo was still sleeping next to the pillow, while Abu was curled up in the corner of the blankets—this guy no longer slept on the roof beam, but instead shared a bed with Lin Luo.

Although it still sneezes and spits fire from time to time, the frequency is much lower than when it first arrived.

I guess I wasn't so nervous anymore.

"Get up." Lin Luo patted Dimo.

"Mmm..." Dimo ​​rolled over, covering his face with his little wings, clearly not wanting to get up.

"Get up!"

"Mmm... Mmm... Call me again in five minutes..."

Lin Luo looked at the increasingly lazy Elf King juvenile and his lips twitched.

Who taught you this habit?

No need to guess.

She must have learned it from him.

╮(´∀`)╭ Salted fish are too contagious.

After getting up and washing up, Lin Luo went to the backyard.

Xiao Xiao is already making breakfast—today it's millet porridge with pickled vegetables, simple but filling.

Shui Lanlan was perched on the courtyard wall early in the morning, her bow bow askew at a 150-degree angle—

It was staring at the bubble shell outside the wall.

The bubble shell was also watching it.

The two water-type spirits stared at each other through a wall, maintaining this posture for at least half an hour.

"blue?"

"Bubble?"

"Blue."

"Bubble."

"...What are they saying?" Lin Luo asked.

Little Owl yawned: "They're probably having a contest to see who can blink first..."

(´-ω-`) The way elves socialize is really hard to understand.

And Abu—

Abu did something today that no one expected.

It walked from the backyard to the front door by itself.

The curtain was pushed open.

It cautiously poked its head out.

I looked at the street outside.

Then it shrank back.

The whole process takes about three seconds.

But this was the first time Abu had walked to the front of a shop by himself since arriving in the Tang Dynasty.

It was the first time I had taken the initiative to see the outside world.

Although I only looked at it for three seconds before turning back, but—

Progress is progress.

Seeing this, Dimo ​​proudly puffed out his little chest.

"Mmm!"

Like an older brother seeing his younger brother finally learn to walk.

(◍•ᴗ•◍)

at the same time.

Taiji Palace, Taiji Hall.

5:00 AM (卯时).

Court meeting.

The officials filed in and lined up on both sides.

Civil officials are on the left, and military generals are on the right.

Cheng Yaojin stood in the ranks of the generals, unusually quiet today—after causing a ruckus at the Magic Treasure Shop all day yesterday, he had finally quieted down.

Yuchi Gong stood beside him, expressionless, but his eyes were darting out to steal glances at Li Shimin.

Fang Xuanling stood at the head of the civil officials, and of course, he didn't bring the little spirit mask. He wasn't stupid.

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, with a stack of memorials on the dragon table in front of him.

His expression was calm.

But this calm made everyone feel that something was wrong.

"I have a question to ask during today's court assembly."

Li Shimin's voice wasn't loud, but the entire hall fell silent.

"The severe drought in Gyeonggi Province has lasted for more than two months. The water level of the Wei River has dropped by three feet, resulting in a complete crop failure and immense suffering for the people."

"I read through reports from various regions every day, and cannot sleep at night."

He paused at this point.

Then his gaze slowly swept over everyone present.

"But I've recently heard some very interesting things."

The air pressure in the main hall instantly dropped by three degrees.

"Someone said—" Li Shimin's tone became very soft, so soft it was as if he were talking to himself.

"This drought is because I... have lost my virtue."

"The calamities that have befallen us are because my ascension to the throne was illegitimate."

"The blood shed at Xuanwu Gate has not yet been washed away."

The entire room fell silent.

No one dared to speak.

Several people in the civil officials' line visibly stiffened for a moment.

Li Shimin saw it.

He saw everything.

"I would like to ask everyone present—"

He stood up.

The hem of the dragon robe trailed a golden arc on the ground.

"What virtue have I lost?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a knife, cutting into everyone's ears.

"Is it the virtue of allowing the people to rest and recuperate?"

"Or is it the virtue of reducing taxes and opening granaries to distribute grain?"

"Or perhaps—it's a virtue that refuses to bow down to the powerful and influential to borrow grain?"

As the last sentence was spoken, the expressions of several people in the hall changed simultaneously.

Five surnames and seven prominent families.

The Cui clan of Boling, the Cui clan of Qinghe, the Li clan of Longxi, the Li clan of Zhaojun, the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Zheng clan of Xingyang, and the Wang clan of Taiyuan—

These seven powerful clans controlled nearly half of the land and grain reserves of the Tang Dynasty.

Since the drought began, officials in the court have repeatedly submitted memorials suggesting that grain be "borrowed from aristocratic families."

But everyone knows that borrowing grain from powerful families is tantamount to giving them leverage.

They'll pay it back today, they'll pay it back tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow they'll come back with the IOU demanding something else.

Li Shimin was unwilling to lend it.

Therefore, some people began to spread the idea that "the drought was due to the emperor's lack of virtue"—

It means that if you don't bow down to powerful families, Heaven will make your people suffer.

This is not superstition.

This is politics.

"I didn't come here today to argue with you." Li Shimin sat back down on the dragon throne.

"I've only come to tell you one thing."

He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Then, in an extremely calm tone, he said a sentence—

"The drought will be relieved within three days."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

"Your Majesty—this…" a civil official couldn't help but speak up, "To alleviate the drought within three days? How is that possible?"

"Does His Majesty possess the power to summon wind and rain?" Another civil official asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Li Shimin glanced at him.

Just one glance.

The civil official immediately lowered his head.

"I do not possess the power to summon wind and rain," Li Shimin said, putting down his teacup.

"But I have... I have another way."

He didn't explain further.

Because he doesn't need to explain to anyone.

He only needs three days.

Three days later, when a dozen or so water-type spirits gathered around the Magic Treasure Shop—

When water began to seep across a large area within a ten-mile radius of Chang'an City—

When the people saw water gushing from the dried-up wells again—

All arguments of "immorality" will fall apart on their own.

Because facts are more powerful than any excuse.

"Court adjourned."

Li Shimin got up and left.

The hem of the dragon robe swept across the ground, making a soft rustling sound.

The officials behind him looked at each other in bewilderment.

No one knew what Li Shimin was really planning.

But everyone felt it—

The emperor is more confident today than ever before.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong walked out of the Taiji Hall and exchanged a glance.

The corners of their mouths curved into smiles at the same time.

Because they know.

What is that "other way"?

It's a small shop called Magic Wonders Shop.

They are a group of spirits who can create water out of thin air.

He's a salted fish shopkeeper who enjoys sour plum juice but doesn't want to go to work.

"Blackie," Cheng Yaojin whispered, "didn't you think the expressions on the faces of those aristocratic officials were particularly interesting?"

"Hmm." Yuchi Gong rarely showed a smile. "Their expressions will be even more interesting when it really rains in three days."

"Hahaha!! I'm already looking forward to it!!"

"Keep it down."

"Oh—yes—keep it down."

"...You'll never learn."

"Hehehe."

ᐠ(ᐛ)ᐟ

That evening.

Magical Object Shop.

Two more water-type Pokémon have arrived—

A small, deep-sea lanternfish, its body emitting a faint blue glow, lay in the shadows outside the enclosure.

Like a moving street lamp.

A new little otter, smaller than Yuchi Gong's, is picking up pebbles in the alley.

Adding yesterday's water bubble shell—

Three wild water-type Pokémon have now gathered outside the wall.

The system panel shows that even more are on their way.

Lin Luo sat on the courtyard wall, watching the three water-type spirits outside, each busy with their own tasks—

The water bubble shell is munching on its second cocoa pod, the double-lampfish is dozing off, and the little otter is piling up pebbles.

They do not disturb each other, but they vaguely form a loose little community.

They were all drawn here by the power of the shelter.

They were unaware of the drought.

I have no idea about the imperial court.

I don't know Li Shimin.

They were simply drawn by the magic of water to a place where the "smell of water" was strongest.

But their arrival—

It will change a city.

Lin Luo opened the encyclopedia entry.

"...Pokémon Pokédex, Season 7. Lanternfish."

"A Water-type Pokémon, its evolved form is Lanternfish. It resembles a blue lantern with a tail, and has two barbels on its head, each ending in a small, glowing orb."

"This Pokémon's most remarkable feature isn't its combat strength—which is below average for a Water-type Pokémon—but rather its bioluminescence. The light orbs at the tips of Lanternfish's tentacles can provide continuous illumination in complete darkness, and their brightness is adjustable."

"In the Kingdom of Rock, the Double Lantern Fish is an essential Pokémon for exploring deep-sea caves. Without it, you won't even be able to see the path."

"In the context of the Tang Dynasty—Chang'an was pitch black at night, relying entirely on oil lamps and torches for lighting. If a group of 'double-lamp fish' were distributed throughout the city, Chang'an's nighttime lighting problem would be essentially solved."

"However, this idea is still too advanced. Let's solve the drought first."

"This two-lantern fish has a very cute habit—it doesn't turn off the light when it sleeps, so as soon as it lies there, the whole alley is brightly lit."

"The butcher next door has already started using its light to slaughter pigs."

"...Don't ask me why Butcher Wang slaughters pigs at night. I don't know either."

Lin Luo clicked "save".

[The elf tutorial recording is complete. Reward: 2 Cocoa Berries.]

He turned off the panel and looked at the skyline of Chang'an in the distance.

Under the setting sun, a small patch of thin cloud in the sky—

It's a little thicker than yesterday.

Just a little bit.

But for a city that has been suffering from drought for two months—

That little bit is hope.

(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

……