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

"This sounds like the name my mother used to call me."

Sizi raised her head, and her childish voice rang out clearly in the hall.

She tilted her head and pointed to the character "兕" (si): "This one has a big frame on top, like the little corners Dad bought for me. The bottom part looks like a little wooden figure."

Tong Yan Wuji.

But these words, spoken in the side hall, were like a thunderbolt striking out of nowhere!

The female official suddenly raised her head, her eyes fixed on the two characters, and the outline of the character "兕" in the old Han and Wei script flashed wildly through her mind.

Remove the complicated wavy strokes and empty the superfluous strokes.

The remaining skeleton...

Isn't it just this crisp, straightforward word on the paper?

Empress Zhangsun's breath caught in her throat.

She pressed down on the edge of the white paper, her gaze sweeping from right to left, following the four characters in the previous text, past the "protection" that Shangyi dared not assert, and past the "blessing" that the imperial physician Wang stammered out.

All the fragments fit together perfectly at this moment.

A complete and breathtaking sentence suddenly took shape in her mind.

Empress Zhangsun suddenly raised her chin, and an unprecedentedly terrifying light burst forth from her phoenix eyes.

"I am the Supreme One."

Her voice was extremely steady, yet it carried a tremor that was suppressed to the extreme.

"Protect the rhinoceros."

Eight words, perfectly implemented.

boom!

It was like an invisible mountain crashing down on everyone's back.

Qinglan's knees buckled, and she fell forward uncontrollably, her forehead slamming against the cold, hard gold brick with a loud thud.

Followed by.

The female official in charge of ceremonies, the imperial physician, and several attendants guarding the palace gate all bowed their heads in unison.

No one dared to look up, and no one made a sound.

Only the dull thuds of foreheads hitting the ground echoed one after another.

There were only eight characters on the paper, no imperial seal, no official approval from the Six Ministries and Three Departments.

But it was more oppressive than any decree—because it came from heaven.

Empress Zhangsun did not immediately kneel down and kowtow.

She still stood ramrod straight.

She bent down and gently lifted Sizi from the edge of the table, holding her tightly in her arms.

"Sizi, tell your mother."

Empress Zhangsun's voice trembled slightly, a rare occurrence, as she stared into her daughter's clear, innocent eyes. "What did you say to the heavens last night when you were by the window?"

She had to verify it.

Was this celestial book a premeditated gift from the gods, or a temporary response to the daughter's actions?

Sizi was somewhat at a loss because of her mother's serious expression.

The little guy nervously clutched Empress Zhangsun's collar with both hands and pouted.

"I...I had a dream last night."

She honestly confessed, "I dreamt that once the candy was eaten, it was gone. I'm afraid the fairy brother won't come to play with me anymore."

As she spoke, she carefully buried her face in the crook of Empress Zhangsun's neck.

"Mother, I just miss my fairy brother. I secretly told him in heaven not to forget me. I'm not greedy, Mother, please don't be angry, okay?"

Her soft, sweet voice carried a hint of grievance.

Empress Zhangsun's eyes suddenly welled up with tears upon hearing these words.

She took a deep breath, and her back, which had been taut like a bow, finally relaxed slowly.

The last layer of security has completely vanished.

Because of the babbling of a three-year-old child in his sleep.

Because of a trivial "I miss you".

The being in the sky tore through the void and sent down a divine decree on white paper, just to tell the little girl: I am here, I will protect you.

A person capable of such a thing would never harbor any ill will towards the Tang Dynasty.

He completely disregarded secular imperial power.

"Mother, don't be angry." Empress Zhangsun hugged her daughter tightly, gently patting her back. "Our Sizi is a person of great fortune."

She turned her gaze back to the A4 sheet of paper laid flat on the long rosewood table.

"Shangyi!"

Empress Zhangsun shouted sternly.

"Your humble servant is here!" The female official, Shangyi, scrambled to her feet.

"Go to the Imperial Painting Bureau and select three painters with the most steady wrists." A resolute glint flashed in Empress Zhangsun's eyes. "The characters on these scrolls must be drawn with the finest wolf-hair iron-wire strokes, meticulously outlining every single stroke, even the very edges!"

She began issuing the highest-level sealing orders.

"Make three copies. This original decree will be enshrined in a box made of the finest golden nanmu wood and placed in the main position in the Lizheng Hall."

"I carry one copy with me at all times. The other copy, Qinglan, you will guard it day and night, watching over Shilun."

Empress Zhangsun's voice was sharp and forceful: "Anyone who makes even the slightest mistake while copying this oracle will be punished as if they had damaged a divine decree, and their entire family will be exterminated!"

The order was like an ironclad rule, spreading out instantly.

The massive state apparatus of the Lizheng Hall began to operate frantically around these eight characters.

late at night.

The palace maids all retreated to the outer hall.

Inside the inner hall, Little Sizi was fast asleep, still clutching the empty Want Want milk carton that she treasured.

Empress Zhangsun stood alone before the newly set up altar made of Phoebe zhennan wood.

The A4 sheet of paper was neatly pressed under the crystal paperweight.

There was no incense burning around, only two simple, ever-burning lamps flickering with a faint light.

Empress Zhangsun straightened her phoenix robe and folded her hands in front of her.

Facing the paper, she bowed very slowly and solemnly, performing the highest level of respect.

At this moment.

In her heart, for the first time, she formally defined that mysterious and unpredictable "fairy brother" as an unattainable "celestial venerable one".

The identity gap has been confirmed.

From then on, the gaze of the Lizheng Hall toward the sky would no longer be a test or a sign of fear, but would be an absolute faith enshrined in black and white.