The Tang Dynasty in the Sand Table: Starting by Feeding a Small Rhinoceros

It's 11:30 p.m. in Jiangcheng.

Li Mo dragged his tired body and pushed open the door of the rented room.

The stuffy air, mixed with the smell of instant noodles, hit him. He didn't even turn on the light, and collapsed onto the sofa like a lump of mud.

Today is his 25th birthday.

There was no cake, no feast, not even a single blessing.

Some workers only received a severe dressing-down from their supervisor before leaving get off work: "What kind of plan is this? Redo it! If it's not ready by tomorrow morning, you're fired!"

An adult's breakdown often happens in an instant, but Li Mo didn't even have the strength to break down.

He groped his way to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of ice water, and gulped down two mouthfuls. The icy liquid flowed down his throat, which made him a little more awake.

"Ding-dong—"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Who would come in the middle of the night?

Li Mo frowned as he walked to the door and looked through the peephole; there was no one outside.

He carefully opened the door, only to find a huge corrugated cardboard box sitting quietly on the ground outside.

The box was about half a person's height, and its length and width were nearly a meter. It looked quite heavy.

Li Mo was stunned for a moment, then squatted down to check.

There was no tracking number or sender information on the box; only four large characters were scribbled on the seal with black marker:

【Happy birthday】.

Li Mo's heart tightened, then he gave a self-deprecating laugh.

His parents back home can't even remember his birthday, and his friends are all busy with their own lives. Who would send him such a big package?

"Could this be a prank blind box from some merchant?"

Despite his doubts, he still struggled to drag the heavy box into the house.

Li Mo turned on the living room light, found a utility knife, and slashed open the tape on the top of the box.

"Sizzle—"

The moment the box lid was opened.

There was no foam plastic or bubble wrap as I had imagined.

What came into view was a vast expanse of land and sky.

Li Mo stood frozen in place, still holding the utility knife in his hand, his eyes wide open like saucers.

He rubbed his eyes and looked into the box again.

You read that right.

Inside this one-meter square cardboard box, there is a living miniature world!

A few white clouds drifted across the azure sky, and the rolling green hills were lush and verdant, with even a wisp of mist swirling among them.

A clear river meanders by, its surface shimmering, and the faint sound of flowing water can be heard.

In the very center of this landscape stands an ancient city of unparalleled grandeur.

The streets are straight and orderly, the neighborhoods are lined up one after another, the tall vermilion palace walls are high, and the glazed tile roofs shimmer with golden light in the sunlight.

This all feels so real!

It was so realistic that Li Mo could even see tiny figures, as small as ants, moving slowly outside the city gate, and miniature carriages carrying goods raising a faint cloud of dust on the official road.

"This... what kind of cutting-edge technology is this?"

Li Mo gasped, a chill running down his spine.

He leaned closer to the box, almost pressing his face against the massive palace.

The palace's details are simply outrageous; the beasts on the eaves, the carved window grilles, and even the patterns on the floor tiles of the long corridors are clearly visible.

Just as his gaze swept across the inner courtyard of the palace, his eyes suddenly fixed on the outside of an extremely magnificent palace.

The plaque of that palace had three characters written in traditional small seal script.

But in Li Mo's eyes, three small, modern-style regular script prompts suddenly appeared next to these three characters:

【Lizheng Hall】.

boom!

Li Mo's brain exploded instantly.

As a history enthusiast, he knew all too well what those three words meant.

Ritsujeon Hall!

Taiji Palace in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty! That was Empress Zhangsun's bedroom!

"Are you kidding me...? This box contains the Tang Dynasty?!"

Li Mo felt that his worldview was collapsing rapidly.

He stretched out a finger, tentatively reaching towards the sky inside the box.

Without encountering any glass or screen, my fingers passed through an invisible barrier without hindrance, feeling a gentle breeze carrying the heat of midsummer.

It's true! This isn't a holographic projection; it's a real, miniature spacetime!

Just as Li Mo was utterly shocked.

A soft, almost inaudible child's voice, tinged with a sob, suddenly drifted into his ears from the box.

"It's so hot... Mother... Sister Qinglan... Where are you...?"

Li Mo shuddered and looked up sharply in the direction of the sound.

A small figure could be seen under the long red-lacquered corridor outside the Lizheng Hall.

It was a little girl dressed in an exquisite Tang Dynasty ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), who looked to be only three or four years old.

She wore two cute little buns, her skin was fair with a rosy glow, and she was as lovely as a carved jade sculpture.

But at this moment, the little guy is pitifully crouching in the shadows under the eaves.

Her little face was flushed red from the blazing sun overhead, and the stray hairs on her forehead were soaked with sweat and stuck to her cheeks.

She waved her chubby little hands, trying to fan her face, but the weak movement was of no use.

"Waaah... It's so hot! The rhinoceros is going to be roasted alive..."

The little one was so upset that tears streamed down his face, glistening teardrops clinging to his eyelashes, a sight that broke anyone's heart.

Upon hearing the word "Sizi", Li Mo's heart skipped a beat.

Sizi? !

Princess Jinyang, Li Mingda?!

The most beloved daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Empress Zhangsun, who tragically died young at the age of twelve.

Looking at the poor little thing in the sand table, who was about to faint from the heat, Li Mo's mind was instantly swept away from the exhaustion of being a corporate slave and the frustration of being scolded.

He didn't know why this magical sand table had appeared in front of him.

All he knew was that right now, this most beloved little princess in history was suffering right under his nose.

Summers during the Zhenguan era were notoriously hot and unbearable.

"With that small frame, it'll definitely get heatstroke if it stays in the sun any longer."

Li Mo gritted his teeth and glanced at his dilapidated rented room.

Although the air conditioner was broken, there was still a floor fan that cost a few dozen yuan standing in the corner.

An absurd yet incredibly powerful thought arose in his mind.

"Could I... help her?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Mo grabbed the electric fan plug and plugged it into the socket.

He moved the fan to the edge of the box, aimed it at the direction of the Rissei-den (Imperial Hall), took a deep breath, and pressed the highest setting switch.