Sky Curtain: With a vermilion mirror, Jing travels through the modern world, shaking all dynasties.

Chapter 120 The Poet Immortal Drinks Moutai

"A thousand years?"

Li Bai was taken aback, then carefully examined the tavern's decor and furnishings. He had never heard of any of them before, and began to believe it.

"Young friend Jiang, may I sit with you?" He patted the stool beside him. "I have a request. I wish to hear what has become of our Great Tang Dynasty a thousand years from now?"

Jiang Chuan nodded and sat down opposite him.

Lin Xiaoyu quietly brought over a few small dishes and pulled Zhu Jingjing aside.

Jiang Chuan held his wine glass, pondered for a long time, and then slowly spoke, "Mr. Taibai, the Tang Dynasty lasted for 289 years. In your later years, you personally experienced that catastrophic disaster."

Li Bai frowned: "What trouble?"

"The An Lushan Rebellion." Jiang Chuan looked into his eyes. "An Lushan and Shi Siming raised an army in Fanyang, and 200,000 cavalrymen marched south, sweeping all before them. Tongguan fell, and Emperor Xuanzong fled to Shu in panic. When he reached Mawei Post Station, the six armies refused to advance, forcing the emperor to execute Yang Guozhong. Yang Guifei was also forced to commit suicide."

The wine cup in Li Bai's hand trembled suddenly, and a few drops of wine splashed onto the table.

His expression changed drastically, and his lips trembled slightly.

"That barbarian An Lushan!" he spat out through gritted teeth, "When I was in Chang'an, I saw his wolfish ambitions, but I never expected—"

He couldn't continue, tilted his head back, downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, and slammed the glass down. "What happened next? Was the unrest quelled?"

Jiang Chuan nodded: "It's pacified. After eight years of effort, borrowing troops from the Uyghurs, we finally pacified it. But by then you were already—"

""

He paused, not continuing.

Li Bai understood, and gave a bitter smile: "I am no longer in this world, am I?"

Jiang Chuan remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "In the first year of Baoying, you passed away in Dangtu at the age of sixty-one. At that time, the An Lushan Rebellion had not yet been completely quelled, but the most chaotic years had already passed."

Li Bai closed his eyes for a long time, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he were swallowing a bitter cup of wine. "And then what happened after the pacification? Did the Tang Dynasty regain its former glory?"

Jiang Chuan shook his head and recounted the important parts of the subsequent history: the separatist rule of regional warlords, the eunuchs' monopoly of power, the Niu-Li factional strife, and the Yuanhe Restoration were all just fleeting moments. After that came the Huang Chao Rebellion, where the whole city was covered in golden armor, and Chang'an was trampled into ruins.

"The fragrance of incense fills Chang'an—" Li Bai murmured repeatedly, his bitter smile deepening, "Such arrogance, such ruthless methods."

"Then later," Jiang Chuan paused, "in the fourth year of Tianyou, Zhu Wen forced Emperor Ai to abdicate, and the Tang Dynasty perished."

"Dead?" Li Bai's voice was somewhat unsteady. "Two hundred and eighty-nine years, gone just like that?"

Jiang Chuan didn't say anything more, but silently filled his glass with wine.

Li Bai picked up his wine cup, but instead of drinking it immediately, he stared at the slightly yellow liquid in the cup for a long time.

The wine reflected the light of the lanterns, swaying gently as if it were shimmering across a thousand years.

"I once thought," he whispered, "that the Tang Dynasty would last for a thousand generations, never to decline! Though I have spent my life wandering, unable to contribute even a small amount to the court, I always believed that as long as the Tang Dynasty existed, my poems would be sung, and my name would be remembered. Now it seems—"

He suddenly laughed, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

"It seems I've outlived the Tang Dynasty." He put down his wine cup, his eyes glistening with tears, yet carrying a touch of melancholic magnanimity. "So be it! Even the most prosperous dynasty cannot escape the cycle of rise and fall. If my poems can be passed down for a thousand years, and if people like you in later generations can still recite a line or two, I will be content."

He picked up the wine pot, poured a cup for himself and Jiang Chuan respectively, stood up, and said loudly, "Young friend Jiang, thank you for telling me today. Let us drink this cup to the last drop. Life is short, so let us enjoy it while we can, and not let our golden goblets stand empty before the moon!"

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "It is truly an honor for this junior to meet and share a drink with Mr. Taibai!"

The Great Tang Dynasty, Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin held his infant daughter Sizi in his arms, his brows furrowed deeply like mountains.

Jiang Chuan's few words encapsulated the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty over its 289-year history!

"Has the empire I founded been lost in less than three hundred years?" Li Shimin sighed, looking up at the sky, filled with regret.

"Two hundred and eighty-nine years—less than three hundred years." He repeated in a low voice, his tone hoarse as if he were swallowing bitter gall. "I personally quelled Dou Jiande, captured Wang Shichong, and established the prosperous reign of Zhenguan. The foundation I built with all my might is only enough for my descendants to enjoy for a little over two hundred years?"

In his arms, the little ox looked up at his father, his bright, black eyes gazing at him.

Seeing her father's sorrowful expression, she reached out her slender hand and gently stroked Li Shimin's furrowed brows.

"Father, stop frowning," she said in her childish voice. "If you blow on it, it won't hurt anymore."

Li Shimin was taken aback. He looked down at his daughter's innocent and carefree face. The bitterness in his heart eased slightly, but he still could not hide his melancholy.

"My son, your father's pain is not physical, but heart-wrenching! The great Tang Dynasty that your father built will one day perish!"

"The Master once taught me, 'Heaven rewards diligence.' If Father Emperor is diligent every day, the Tang Dynasty will surely be well. I, too, should grow up quickly and lend Father Emperor a helping hand!" said the little rhinoceros.

These innocent words from a child, like a gentle spring breeze, greatly comforted Li Shimin.

He suddenly lifted the little rhinoceros slightly, bringing its face close to his own, and said in a deep voice, "Indeed, I am still here, you are still here, all the civil and military officials, and all the people of the world are still here! Heaven has no favorites, but only favors the virtuous. If I were to give up now, I would truly be the end of the Tang Dynasty!"

modern.

Li Bai raised the cup to his lips, and before even taking a sip, he first inhaled its fragrance.

His eyes narrowed slightly, his nostrils twitched slightly, and a strange look flashed across his face.

"This wine—" he murmured, tilting his head back to drink it all.

The moment the wine touched his throat, Li Bai froze. The cup was empty, but he didn't let go of it.

After a long pause, he slowly exhaled a long breath and asked in a trembling voice, "What kind of wine is this?"

"Maotai!" Jiang Chuan replied with a smile. "This wine is known as the national liquor of our time, and is hailed by the people as the modern national liquor."

"Maotai—" Li Bai repeated, then proclaimed loudly, "Young friend Jiang, I have tasted the finest wines of the world, and I pride myself on having savored all the exquisite spirits of humanity. Yet, compared to this wine, all that I have drunk in the past is as bland as water!"

He raised his glass high again, letting the last drop flow into his mouth, unwilling to waste a single drop. "I've always been a heavy drinker, and I used to boast that I could drink three hundred cups in one go." But after drinking this Moutai, I realize that those three hundred cups are no match for this one!

"If Mr. Taibai enjoys it, you are welcome to come again in the future. I will certainly have fine wine to entertain you!" Jiang Chuan picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and said, "I believe the door to the wooden house by the Lushan Waterfall is now connected to the door of my tavern. If Mr. Taibai has the time, you may try it again!"

Upon hearing this, Li Bai rose and clasped his hands in greeting. "Since you, young friend Jiang, have spoken of this, I will certainly visit again. However, a thousand years have passed since I left the Tang Dynasty. I wonder if there is any way for me to return to this dynasty?"

Jiang Chuan was taken aback; he had been so excited that he had completely forgotten about this!

Li Bai came here from the door of a wooden house next to the waterfall in Lushan. If we push open the door of the tavern now, will we arrive in the Tang Dynasty?