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

In a secluded room deep within the Imperial Medical Academy, candlelight burned for two hours straight.

Several young imperial physicians huddled at the window, holding their breath as they peered inside. In their eyes, this old imperial physician, who had served three emperors and meticulously crafted even his prescriptions, was surely returning from the Lizheng Hall to consult ancient texts and devise a miraculous, life-saving remedy.

But through the crack in the window, they were all dumbfounded.

There was neither the "Huangdi Neijing" nor the "Shennong Bencao Jing" on the table.

Physician Wang was slumped over the table, holding the finest purple-haired brush in his hand, sweating profusely as he drew circles on a sheet of Xuan paper. After drawing one circle, he added a stick underneath it. Then, he switched to a brush dipped in cinnabar and, with trembling hands, drew a huge red X over the circles.

"Master, is he... possessed?" a disciple asked in a low voice, his face full of horror.

"Shut up!"

Physician Wang, with his sharp ears, slammed his hand on the table and glared fiercely out the window.

"All of you, get out there and brew the medicine! Anyone who dares to peek inside again will be dismissed from the Imperial Medical Academy tomorrow!"

The heads outside the window instantly shrank away.

Doctor Wang turned his head back to look at the three crooked "fairy candy" patterns on the paper, as well as the shocking red cross, and then wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a sigh of relief.

This is the third time I've copied it.

He was terrified that he might draw a line incorrectly or a cross not sharply enough. If the Empress were to test him tomorrow and he answered even the slightest question wrong, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy would be in serious trouble.

This is a heavenly rule, a medical order personally drawn by the Immortal Venerable.

This thing is much more useful than those tens of thousands of medical books in the Imperial Medical Academy's warehouse!

The next morning.

A side hall of the Lizheng Hall.

Doctor Wang carried his medicine chest, his steps light and quick, unlike that of a man in his sixties. He stepped over the threshold, bowed respectfully, and then walked to the bedside to take the baby's pulse.

At this time in the past, he would always stroke his beard, shake his head, and say, "This old minister believes that Her Highness the Princess has internal heat in her lungs and stomach, and should be given a cooling remedy..."

But today, he kept his mouth shut.

After taking her pulse, Imperial Physician Wang pulled out a small booklet that had been bound overnight from his sleeve. Opening the first page, he didn't look at Empress Zhangsun, but turned directly to Qinglan, who served him closely.

"Aunt Qinglan, please tell me in detail. How much celestial elixir did Her Highness use last night? What time did she go to sleep? Did she sweat during the night? How many times did she cough?"

As he asked questions, he quickly jotted down notes in his notebook with his charcoal pencil.

Qinglan was taken aback by his earnestness and quickly answered truthfully, "Yesterday evening I drank half a box of immortal dew and ate a piece of immortal candy. I slept very well last night, only sneezing once around midnight, and didn't sweat."

Physician Wang nodded and wrote this information down stroke by stroke in the booklet, his expression as serious as if he were writing a daily record of the emperor's life.

On the couch, Empress Zhangsun held a sky-blue teacup in her hand, taking in everything.

She gently skimmed off the foam, and the lid touched the rim of the cup, making a crisp, porcelain-like sound.

The commotion inside the hall instantly ceased.

"Imperial Physician Wang," Empress Zhangsun spoke slowly and deliberately, her voice not loud, yet carrying an undeniable sense of pressure, "I ask you, this divine candy is sweet. If Her Highness has a good appetite today and eats a couple more sticks, from a medical perspective, is that appropriate?"

This is a blatant trap.

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the hall seemed to freeze.

Qinglan and several palace maids kept their heads down, not daring to even breathe. Everyone knew that the Empress had just issued the ironclad rule of "beating someone to death with sticks" yesterday, and today, by asking the imperial physicians in front of so many people, she was forcing the Imperial Hospital to make a public statement.

Who will have the final say in the future administration of the Imperial Medical Academy? Will it be the ancient prescriptions of your Imperial Medical Bureau, or the rules of that celestial being in heaven?

Physician Wang tensed up like a stone slab, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Without the slightest hesitation, he knelt down with a thud and held the booklet above his head with both hands.

"Your Majesty, please be wise! This old minister is of limited knowledge and ability; how could I presume to understand the rules of the immortals based on mortal medical knowledge!"

Physician Wang's voice was resounding and echoed in the empty hall.

"Since the Celestial Venerable has already bestowed the divine map, clearly indicating that the Celestial Candy should not be consumed in excess, from this day forward, all of Her Highness's daily life and diet shall be subject to the Celestial Venerable's instructions! This old minister only dares to supervise from the sidelines and record changes in her pulse, and would never dare to overstep his bounds in the slightest!"

In short, it was concise and to the point.

Empress Zhangsun looked at his gray hair sticking to the gold bricks, and her brows relaxed slightly.

"It's remarkable that someone your age can see through these heavenly secrets so clearly. Get up."

Just as the atmosphere was beginning to ease, a rustling sound suddenly came from the soft couch.

Little Sizi crawled barefoot to the edge of the tatami mat.

She held a leftover rose mille-feuille pastry in her hand, her little hands greasy and covered with sesame seeds. The little one leaned forward and shoved the half-palm-sized pastry right in front of Physician Wang, who had just stood up.

"Old man with the white beard, you're so good."

Sizi tilted her head, her voice sweet and childlike, "Mother said that those who listen to the fairy brother are good people. This delicious treat is for you!"

Qinglan, who was holding a basin of water next to her, suddenly shuddered, biting her lip tightly, almost bursting out laughing.

The dignified head of the Imperial Medical Academy, a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, was being praised as "so well-behaved" by a three-and-a-half-year-old girl.

But Physician Wang didn't feel embarrassed at all.

He accepted the deformed mille-feuille pastry with both hands as if it were a sacred object, his eyes even turning a little red.

"This old minister...this old minister thanks Your Highness for your generous gift! This old minister will certainly remember the Immortal Venerable's teachings and wholeheartedly protect Your Highness's health!"

This scene, as seen by the surrounding palace servants, was like a heavy hammer, shattering the last glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts.

Everyone in the Lizheng Hall understood.

Even the most senior and notoriously ill-tempered Physician Wang of the Imperial Medical Academy completely bowed his head, even taking pride in being the "caretaker" of the Celestial Venerable. As for the rest, anyone who dared to use "never seen it before" or "not in accordance with the rules" as a shield was simply courting death.

The resistance from the conservatives officially crumbled amidst the crumbs of this mille-feuille.

Empress Zhangsun pressed her advantage, her cold gaze sweeping across the entire room.

"Qinglan."

"This servant is here."

"From this day forward, the rules of the Imperial Household Department will be tightened even further. Four of the most reliable female officials will be transferred from the Shanggong Bureau, along with two eunuchs who have served me for ten years."

Empress Zhangsun stood up, her phoenix robe trailing on the ground, and walked to the small sandalwood box with auspicious beast motifs.

"From now on, if any celestial objects fall from the sky into this hall, only the six of you are permitted to directly handle, move, and enshrine them. Everyone else, no matter what they see or hear, even if celestial fire burns their feet, must kneel and obey orders without the summons of these six. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on them will be immediately strangled!"

"This servant obeys the decree!"

The six trusted confidants whose names were called knelt down in unison, their eyes filled with both supreme glory and extreme fear.

A core circle revolving around "fate to immortality" was thus formed within the Hall of Establishing Government.

That night.

The night wind blew through the palace walls.

Empress Zhangsun dismissed everyone and sat alone at her desk.

The table was piled with scattered records from the past few days: there were pulse diagnosis folds sent by the Imperial Hospital, several sketches of celestial objects drawn overnight by the Lady of the Imperial Household Department, and some messy notes written down by Qinglan from memory.

As more and more things descend from the sky, even the rules have been turned into drawings. If we continue to remember them so haphazardly, trouble will inevitably ensue sooner or later. What if one day a celestial being bestows a great favor, and we can't even match the exact time a celestial object fell from the sky? That would truly be a sinner against the Tang Dynasty.

She spread out a stack of fine Chengxintang Xuan paper, picked up scissors to trim the edges, lit the candle wick, and prepared to work through the night to rewrite and organize these scattered records into a booklet for her to read only.