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

"Ding!"

My phone vibrated again.

"Congratulations! User 【大唐六边形战士李世民】 has topped the donation leaderboard!"

The top-ranked fan left a comment requesting: "A review of my Tang Dynasty, to witness the glorious reign of Emperor Zhenguan."

Wang Xi was speechless upon seeing this cringeworthy comment.

"A review of Li Shimin? What's so interesting about that?"

Wang Xi scratched his head. "This guy was the strongest carbon-based life form in Asia in the 7th century, the absolute ruler of the Eastern Hemisphere. He could pacify the world with his pen and conquer it on horseback. He was a strong contender for the top spot as the greatest emperor of all time."

"Aside from that mess at Xuanwu Gate, his life is practically the standard for a protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel."

However, speechless as I may be, as the saying goes, no matter how big the world is, the top fan is the biggest.

"Since this die-hard fan of Emperor Taizong of Tang wants to see the glorious Tang Dynasty and wants to show off..."

A sly glint flashed in Wang Xi's eyes. "Then I'll have to come up with something special for him. What's the point of just praising how good he is at fighting? If the video doesn't have any plot twists or anything to make people laugh, where will the views come from?"

"Since you want to see it, I'll show you something exciting!"

Wang Xi immediately pounced on the computer like she'd been injected with adrenaline, skillfully opened the editing software, and her fingers flew across the keyboard.

Winning the battle? No way.

All nations come to pay tribute? No way.

If we're going to analyze something, let's analyze his most prized yet most insecure "Tang Dynasty Imperial Succession Law."

Two hours later.

Wang Xi looked at the rendered video with satisfaction and pressed the upload button.

Outside the Taiji Palace in the Great Tang Dynasty, the entire square was completely silent.

The most outstanding civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty stood on both sides, all their eyes fixed on the huge light screen in the sky.

Li Shimin sat upright on the dragon throne. Although he tried his best to maintain the dignity of an emperor, his slightly trembling fingers still betrayed his inner excitement.

Yesterday, after he reluctantly gave away the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" and the agate cup as rewards, the sky fell silent.

He waited all night.

Just now, a golden light finally shone brightly on the sky, and a line of large characters appeared.

[Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty is about to have his own special retrospective.]

The moment they saw these words, the Taiji Palace Square erupted in cheers.

"The Sage is mighty! The Tang Dynasty is mighty!" Fang Xuanling stepped forward excitedly and bowed deeply. "The Sage's achievements have now been recognized by the Heavenly Canopy and will surely be remembered throughout the world!"

"Congratulations, Father! Your civil and military achievements are unparalleled!" Prince Wei, Li Tai, seized the opportunity to loudly flatter him, his chubby face full of obsequiousness.

Although Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was standing to the side, had a slight limp, he quickly knelt down and echoed his sentiments.

But a hint of gloom flashed in his lowered eyes.

No matter how much glory his father achieved, it seemed that he, as the eldest son, could only live under the dazzling light, and if he was not careful, he would be replaced by Prince Wei, Li Tai.

"My beloved subjects, rise! Chengqian and Qingque, you may rise as well."

Li Shimin suppressed a smile, waved his hand, and said, "I have spent my life on the battlefield, conquering this vast land for the Tang Dynasty. Today's celestial revelation is surely meant to showcase the prosperity of my Zhenguan era. Everyone, look together!"

He was ready to receive the praise and accolades from the heavens.

On the sky, the title was prominently displayed in several eye-catching lines of text—

[In the Xuanwu Gate succession, you appoint me Crown Prince, I'll appoint you Emperor Emeritus.]

Great Qin.

Black banners fluttered in the wind, and an eerie atmosphere filled the square in front of the main hall.

Ying Zheng stared intently at the large characters on the sky.

"The Tang Dynasty? Li Shimin?"

Ying Zheng frowned slightly, turning to look at Li Si below. "You are well-versed in literature and knowledgeable about the past and present, but who exactly is this Tang Dynasty? And from which remote corner did this prince, Li Shimin, emerge?"

Cold sweat poured down Li Si's forehead as his mind raced, frantically going through all the historical materials from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

"Your Majesty," Li Si swallowed, "among all the countries in the world, even the Baiyue barbarians, there has never been a country called the Great Tang, let alone a person named Li Shimin."

"Never heard of it?" Ying Zheng snorted coldly, an aura of imposing authority spreading out.

The veteran general Wang Jian stepped forward slowly, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that since the celestial canopy can foresee Zhao Tuo's future secession of Nanyue, the Tang Dynasty must also be a dynasty that follows our Qin Dynasty. This celestial canopy is showing us a vision of the future."

"Future generations..." Ying Zheng took a deep breath, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly realized something, and his wide black robe stirred up a gust of wind.

"No!" Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the sky. "When the sky descended, it was said that anyone who offered treasures as a reward could designate the person responsible for inventory. I offered the bronze cauldron, but..."

Ying Zheng's voice gradually rose, filled with rage, "But now, the one being assessed by the heavens is Li Shimin of this later generation."

Li Si wiped his sweat and cautiously replied, "Your Majesty means..."

"This means that this celestial canopy is not only manifested in my Great Qin!" Ying Zheng sneered, his tone revealing his competitive spirit as the world's number one.

"The emperors of later generations could not only see this celestial canopy, but even... this descendant named Li Shimin smashed out treasures that were more valuable than mine, and actually stole my throne."

The courtiers were in uproar.

Later emperors were actually bidding against the First Emperor from afar? And the First Emperor was even outdone.

"Good! Very good!" Ying Zheng laughed instead of getting angry.

"However..." Ying Zheng's gaze returned to the sky, and he read aloud with interest, "The Xuanwu Gate inheritance system? I want to see today what kind of novel inheritance method this later generation has come up with. Could it be even more effective than the primogeniture system of my Great Qin?"

"Bang--!"

With a loud crash, Zhu Yuanzhang smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces and paced irritably back and forth on the steps.

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!" Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at the sky and cursed loudly.

"Is this system blind? The ten million strings of cash that our Great Ming Dynasty poured in, with black and white ink and the official seal of our Hongwu Emperor, are now being used to take stock of the Tang Dynasty?"

Zhu Biao, standing to the side, silently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He really wanted to remind him, "Father, those ten million strings of cash you have are so cheap in the common people that they wouldn't even bother wiping their bottoms with them. The Emperor probably thinks they're just worthless paper..."

But he would never dare to say those words out loud.

Xu Da and other veteran generals stood at the head of the military officers, keeping their eyes down and pretending not to see the emperor's outburst.

"Biao'er, you be the judge." Zhu Yuanzhang turned to stare at Zhu Biao, his beard trembling. "The Tang Dynasty is hundreds of years behind us. How could he possibly be competing with us for the throne? Does he think he's some kind of zombie, rising from the dead and giving rewards to the heavens in the underworld?"