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

Empress Zhangsun named this book "Records of Immortal Objects".

Three bold, vigorous characters are displayed on the cover of Chengxintang Xuan paper, without any superfluous embellishment. They exude a ruthless intensity, as if to forcefully impose divine miracles into the rules of the mortal world and dissect them one by one.

She opened the title page and drew three clear lines at the top.

Category 1: Immortal Fruit. The following note, written in tiny characters, states: "First seen in the dog days of summer, it is shaped like a melon, with an emerald green outer skin and a reddish-brown inner flesh, and has the miraculous effect of relieving summer heat and prolonging life."

Category Two: Fairy Milk. Note: "Sealed in a red box with silver paper, white as jade, sweet and mellow."

Category 3: Immortal Candy. Note: "Wrapped in a transparent glass magic vessel; excessive consumption is forbidden."

After writing down these three categories, she cut out a larger, thicker sheet of yellow paper and respectfully wrote the words "Immortal Edict" at the top. The copy of the eight-character celestial scripture, along with the drawing marked with a large red cross, were carefully gathered at the bottom of this page.

"This is not just an account book." Empress Zhangsun put down her pen, rubbed her aching wrist, and murmured softly to the empty hall.

Early the next morning.

The rules of "The Tale of Immortals" officially began to operate within the circle of six confidants in the Hall of State Affairs.

Empress Zhangsun sat upright in the main seat, placing the new booklet in the very center.

"From now on, whenever an object falls from the sky, no matter how big or small, its landing point must be recorded by the hour." She pointed to the newly divided grid in the booklet, "Who was the first to touch it, what kind of silver needle was used to test for poison, and what unusual phenomena occurred afterward. Finally, within half an hour after the rhinoceros ate the food, whether it cried or laughed, moved or remained still, everything must be written down word for word!"

This requirement is extremely stringent, and the purpose is very clear—to obtain evidence.

She didn't want empty praise, only absolutely rational records. As long as the sample size was large enough, one day she would be able to fully understand the god's likes and dislikes and patterns when feeding the deity.

Qinglan, Imperial Physician Wang, and Lady Shangyi were immediately assigned the most crucial tasks.

Qinglan was in charge of keeping an eye on Sizi. She held a small notebook in her hand, and her eyes never left Sizi. She quickly wrote down even when the little guy hiccuped or said something incoherent in his sleep.

Imperial Physician Wang was in charge of monitoring the patient. He would run to the side hall four times a day to record the pulse, the frequency of coughs, and the changes in the amount of food and drink consumed each day.

The Lady-in-Waiting was responsible for monitoring objects. Whenever something new fell down, she had to sketch its shape with charcoal within half an hour, without any distortion.

The three recording lines are like a fine net, tightly covering the daily life of the ox.

……

at the same time.

Inside a rented room in Jiangcheng.

Li Mo held a glass of iced cola, leaned against the corrugated cardboard box, and watched the group of ancient people bustling about in the Lizheng Hall through the gap at the top, as if watching a miniature documentary.

He took a sip through the straw, and the cool liquid slid down his throat.

"The execution capabilities of these elites from the Tang Dynasty are truly terrifying."

In his eyes, throwing away a few lollipops and milk was no different from feeding stray cats on the street or keeping an electronic pet. But now, watching that woman in the phoenix robe categorize and register a candy wrapper or an empty box as if it were a top-secret national file, and watching that old doctor analyze the details of the rhinoceros's eating, drinking, and excretion as if they were clinical data, he was completely bewildered.

Li Mo's mindset is quietly undergoing a qualitative change.

These cheap goods, worth only a few cents in his eyes, would be considered crucial national-level clues in that era. A simple red cross he drew could instantly transform into the ruthless ironclad rules of the Tang Dynasty court.

"Since you're taking this so seriously, then I'll have to cure the little girl completely, no matter what."

Li Mo turned his head and glanced at the logistics information on his phone.

The children's ibuprofen and expectorant/cough granules I ordered are already on their way. Once the medicine arrives, this newly published book, "The Tale of Immortals," will likely add another groundbreaking category to its collection.

……

Time flew by in the sand table, and it was already afternoon.

The sun is shining brightly in Chang'an today, and the wind is not strong.

Little Sizi had just finished her daily serving of Want Want milk, and there was still a ring of white milk stains around her mouth. The little girl was unusually energetic today, unlike usual when she would curl up on the soft couch and doze off after eating.

"Mother, look! Feifei!"

Si Zi, barefoot, slipped on her soft little boots and, with her short legs, stumbled and staggered out of the side hall's threshold.

Under the corridor, a yellow butterfly the size of a fingernail was flying slowly.

The little girl's eyes lit up, and she giggled, waving her chubby little arms as she chased the butterfly for almost half a lap along the corridor. Her silvery laughter pierced the oppressive atmosphere of the Lizheng Hall, startling the palace maids on the outer perimeter who all turned to look.

Empress Zhangsun stood at the palace gate, watching her daughter's joyful figure running in the sunlight, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

too long.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Sizi so lively and energetic. Before, the little one would be out of breath and turn blue-faced after just a few steps. But today, she ran half a lap, and her cheeks only flushed a healthy red.

Doctor Wang, carrying his medicine chest, practically tumbled and crawled after him.

"Your Highness, please slow down! Let this old minister check your pulse!"

He knelt on one knee in the corridor, gently holding Si Zi's slender wrist. After closing his eyes and concentrating for a moment, Physician Wang suddenly opened his eyes, his breathing becoming extremely rapid.

He didn't bother with the formalities, turned around and rushed to the table in the main hall, opening the imperial physician section of "Records of Immortal Objects".

Physician Wang's hand trembled violently, but at the moment he put pen to paper, his strength penetrated the paper as he solemnly wrote four large characters:

"Your spirits are improving!"

Before the ink was dry, Empress Zhangsun had already reached the table.

She looked at those four words, took a deep breath, and very carefully folded the upper right corner of the page inward into a small triangle.

This was a mark she deliberately left.

When His Majesty returns to the palace, she will present this folded page, along with the object that fell from the sky, to Li Shimin in its entirety. She wants that arrogant emperor to see with his own eyes that this "divine intervention" not only exists, but is also slowly pulling their most beloved daughter back from the brink of death.

Night falls.

The Lizheng Hall returned to silence.

After washing up, Empress Zhangsun, dressed in a thin undergarment, stood alone before the golden nanmu wood offering table.

She opened the small sandalwood box with a mythical beast design used to seal the remains of the celestial artifact, preparing to lock the few loose pages of "The Tale of Celestial Artifacts" that she had just sorted out during the day, along with the empty red box from yesterday, inside.

The box door opens.

The faint light of the ever-burning lamp shone into the bottom of the box.

Empress Zhangsun's hand had only gone halfway in when she suddenly froze.

Beside the flattened milk carton lay a small, smooth, warm-smooth jade bead, about the size of a fingertip.

That was something Li Shimin personally picked out from the storeroom, strung on a red string, to be a personal accessory for Sizi. For the past two days, the little girl has been clutching it tightly in her hand, refusing to let go even while sleeping.

Now, the red string on this jade bead has been untied, and it stands alone yet perfectly upright in the very center of the celestial object.

Empress Zhangsun's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly understood what was going on.

She turned her head and looked at her daughter, who was sleeping soundly on the soft couch with her little mouth slightly pouting.

This was secretly put in by Sizi.

In this majestic and cold palace, where everyone is scheming to ask the heavens for blessings, only this three-and-a-half-year-old girl, in her most clumsy and purest way, put her favorite treasure into a box.

She wanted to give it to the "fairy brother" who was always watching over her from heaven as a return gift.