Sky Curtain: A Review of Historical Foes and the Secrets of Ministers

Could it be that someone, after my death, has been so audacious as to alter my will?

Upon realizing this, Ying Zheng's pupils constricted sharply, and an unprecedented killing intent rose from his body.

Usurpation; that's the only explanation.

Someone betrayed me, betrayed the Great Qin, and conspired to kill Fusu and put the puppet Huhai on the throne.

Who was it? Li Si? Zhao Gao? Or some general in the army?

Ying Zheng forcibly suppressed his anger.

Now is not the time to kill. He cannot act rashly before he has figured out the whole truth.

"Enough, I am not dead yet, and the Qin Dynasty is not over yet." Ying Zheng coldly interrupted Fusu.

"There must be something fishy about this. You think it's because you're incompetent? Hmph, you may not be ruthless enough, but in some people's eyes, you might be a huge threat."

Fusu raised his head, looking at Ying Zheng with a blank expression, "Your Majesty means..."

"Stop asking. Go and wash your face properly, get some rest for the night." Ying Zheng waved his hand, directly issuing the order to leave. "When the celestial curtain rises tomorrow, remember to come to the outside of Xianyang Palace, stand beside me, and watch the spectacle."

"Your subject... obeys the decree." Fusu was completely bewildered, but could only retreat with a heavy heart.

Watching Fusu's departing figure, Ying Zheng sat alone in the empty study, lost in thought.

Rewards can be given to specific individuals. Since this celestial canopy can foresee future events, whose accounts should I consult to quickly identify the usurper?

Watching Hu Hai? No, watching a good-for-nothing squander his wealth will only fuel my anger.

Should we look at Zhao Gao? Li Si? Xiang Yu?

"How about..." Ying Zheng's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, and he slammed his hands heavily on the table, "...and look at my own!"

Immediately, Ying Zheng made up his mind. He stood up and shouted towards the door, "Guards! Send word to open the imperial treasury! Pick out all the priceless treasures that the six kingdoms have offered as tribute! Tomorrow morning, I will personally reward this canopy."

……

Meanwhile, in Chang'an City, on the square outside the Taiji Palace.

Last night, the moment the reward function was enabled on the screen, Li Shimin's competitive spirit was completely ignited.

What kind of person was he? A hexagonal warrior who was extremely concerned about his reputation and how future generations would rate him.

He not only wanted to surpass Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han in martial arts, but also to deliver a crushing blow to the previous dynasty in terms of culture and sophistication.

"My Great Tang Dynasty is a land of tribute from all nations, encompassing all things. If I were to bestow a reward, it must be a priceless treasure that truly reflects the grandeur of my Tang Dynasty! Vulgar gold and silver are simply beneath my feet."

"Guards!" Li Shimin shouted.

"This servant is here!" The chief eunuch Wang De immediately bowed and jogged forward.

"Go to my private treasury and bring back that painting, personally copied by Chu Suiliang, which I have treasured for many years... No!"

Li Shimin was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly gritted his teeth, a flash of pain crossing his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a burning desire to win. "Go and bring me that 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion'!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji, who were standing to the side, exchanged a glance and both gasped.

"Your Majesty! That is your most cherished possession..." Fang Xuanling couldn't help but speak up to dissuade him.

"Xuanling, don't try to dissuade me!" Li Shimin waved his hand and said with great magnanimity, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub! To let the heavens witness the profound heritage of my Great Tang, to let the world see who the true emperor of all time is, what is a mere calligraphy scroll?"

"Not only that!" Li Shimin felt it wasn't shocking enough and continued to order, "Go and bring back the pair of pigeon-blood ruby-inlaid gold-headed agate cups that Gaochang Kingdom just presented as tribute!"

"The calligraphy represents the civil achievements of my Great Tang Dynasty, and this agate cup represents the military prowess that has subdued the world! With both civil and military achievements combined, I am determined to take the top spot on this reward list today and have the Heavenly Curtain review my reign of Zhenguan!"

The Tang emperor and his ministers were impressed by Li Shimin's extravagant spending and exclaimed, "The sage is wise, and the Tang Dynasty is mighty!"

……

In another time and space.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang was pacing back and forth on the steps with his hands behind his back, like an old farmer haggling over prices at a market, muttering curses under his breath.

"Damn it, why is this celestial canopy asking for money? What kind of deity is this, so ignorant of the rules? If they want money, they should turn stones into gold themselves, not ask us mortals for it!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was born a beggar. He herded cattle, was a monk, and begged for food. He can be said to have fought his way up from the very bottom of society to become an emperor.

Because he had suffered greatly, he hated corruption and extravagance to the extreme and was stingy to the core.

In his view, every tael of silver in the national treasury was the hard-earned money of the people of the Ming Dynasty who worked the land, and it was used to pay military salaries, repair water conservancy projects, and provide disaster relief.

Spend real money to tip a screen that floats in the sky? Are you crazy? Only a spendthrift would do that!

However, Old Zhu, who was always competitive, also wanted to show the world his martial arts skills.

"We drove out the Tartars and restored China—such unparalleled achievements deserve to be admired by future generations! We must take the top spot!"

Old Zhu's eyes darted around, and an idea popped into his head.

"Biao'er! Biao'er!" Zhu Yuanzhang waved to his crown prince Zhu Biao, who was standing to the side.

Zhu Biao stepped forward. "What are your orders, Father?"

"Isn't Tianmu after money? The last thing our Great Ming Dynasty has in abundance is money!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said triumphantly, "Go to the Ministry of Revenue and bring me ten million taels of Ming Dynasty paper money!"

"Huh?" Zhu Biao was completely dumbfounded.

He stared wide-eyed at his father and said, "Father, you mean the Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes? That thing..."

That thing was just a piece of mulberry paper with words printed on it.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang vigorously promoted the use of Ming Dynasty paper money in order to solve the problem of copper shortage.

But he had no understanding of economics, printed money without collecting it, and had no reserves.

This led to a dramatic devaluation of the Ming Dynasty's paper money among the people. If an ordinary person tried to buy rice with 10,000 strings of paper money, they might not even be able to buy a single bushel of rice.

In the eyes of people in the Ming Dynasty, this thing was too hard to even wipe one's butt.

"What's wrong? Ten million taels isn't shocking enough? Isn't money in our Great Ming Dynasty valuable?" Old Zhu glared, speaking with righteous indignation.

"It's printed in black and white: the Great Ming Treasure Note, in circulation throughout the land! It was stamped by our Emperor! Ten million, isn't it more than enough to buy the top spot on the list?"

Zhu Biao was speechless.

"Father, shouldn't the tributes given to the Heavenly Emperor be decorated with some gold, silver, and jade to make it look presentable? Just a stack of paper is really unbecoming of the Celestial Empire," Zhu Biao earnestly advised.

"That makes sense. Biao'er, you've thought things through. We can't let people think our Ming Dynasty is poor." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in deep agreement.

Then he called out to the eunuch beside him, "Go to the Imperial Household Department and bring me a silver basin! Remember, don't bring one of those carved and openwork ones; they're wasteful of materials and labor. Just bring a plain silver basin!"

After everything was ready, Old Zhu looked at the pile of mulberry bark paper and two plain silver basins on the ground, and stroked his beard with satisfaction, laughing heartily.