Sky Curtain: My Happy Daily Life Exposed by Xiao Sizi

Chapter 74 A Step into the Tang Dynasty

"What good news?" Little Sizi blinked her big, watery eyes.

"The good news is that you're going home! Back to the Tang Dynasty!" Lu Chen solemnly declared.

"Huh? Zhengda?"

The little rhinoceros opened its mouth into a round "0" shape, completely unaware that the cloth tiger had rolled out of its arms.

The little guy turned around and pounced on Lu Chen's lap, pointing his little finger at the setting sun outside the window, his voice trembling with excitement: "Brother!"

"When—when will I be able to see my parents?"

Lu Chen gently stroked her soft hair: "Yes, we'll reach Chang'an before sunset."

The little one's eyes widened instantly, and she tugged at Lu Chen's clothes: "Brother! I want the tablet to show Mommy!" She tiptoed to reach the tablet, her favorite thing to do when traveling. "There aren't any animated pictures in Chang'an, but this one is still pretty!"

"Of course, I'll take all of these with you," Lu Chen comforted the little guy.

"Thank you, bro~~ I'll take my books with me~~" The little guy jumped up and started tidying up the picture books on the coffee table.

Under the sky, Li Shimin suddenly gripped the armrest of the throne.

Empress Zhangsun gazed at her daughter holding up the tablet, tears welling in her eyes: "This child—she still thinks about making me happy."

""

"My daughter is so filial," Li Shimin murmured.

Ding Dong!

Ding Dong!

The delivery doorbell rang incessantly.

"Hey bro, another shipment has arrived!"

The little ox ran around the new goods.

"Oh my god! Bananas! Cherries!" Little Sizi's eyes lit up when she saw the fruit, and her little hands unconsciously reached out to open the plastic box.

"Hey, don't touch it. Take this back for your parents. You eat this." Lu Chen took out a bag of instant noodles.

"Oh. What's this?" Little Sizi picked up the dry noodles. "These are curved noodles!"

The little guy recognized him.

"That's right! This is the noodle I just ate, chocolate, it's sweet! Start from here." Lu Chen pointed out the opening to Xiao Sizi.

Crunch, crunch, crunch! The little guy started eating like a mouse.

"Sweet! So sweet! Na na na..." The little one was so happy.

Outside the canopy, countless eyes are fixed on the scene, all eagerly awaiting the little princess's return.

Li Shimin and his wife, in particular, were extremely eager to see him.

"Why isn't Sizi back yet? What is that young master Lu dawdling about?" Li Tai started pacing back and forth in the room, rubbing his fists together.

"Qingque, you must not be rude," Empress Zhangsun admonished.

"I was just in a hurry, and besides, I only dare to say this behind your back."

"You can't talk about it behind my back either." Li Shimin glared.

"I know I was wrong." Li Tai lowered his head obediently.

Here.

Lu Chen received all the packages. He packed his tablet, laptop, and some small items into his waterproof backpack, put the rest of his things into his storage box, and then packed his clothes into his suitcase. He couldn't take anything else with him, so he decided to leave it at that for now. If he ended up stranded in the Tang Dynasty until winter, he would have to do as the Romans do.

Leather shoes, down jackets, small electric cookers, and the like are also out of the question; we'll deal with that later.

Lu Chen slung his waterproof backpack over his shoulder, placed Xiao Sizi on the storage box with a soft cushion under her bottom, and then picked up the bulging suitcase.

Amidst the creaking of the luggage wheels, Si Zi suddenly exclaimed "Eek!" and pulled a bag of rainbow candies from the sofa cushions, holding it up to Lu Chen: "Brother, give the phoenix some candy! It's protecting its nest from the Thunder God, so tie the bird up tight!"

"No, we won't take a plane, we can just walk all the way to the Tang Dynasty," Lu Chen said with a smile.

Outside the sky, it was in an uproar.

"Huh? So fast?"

"The young master and princess seem like immortals? They suddenly appeared in the Tang Dynasty?"

"It must be," Li Shimin said with certainty.

"Yes, Sizi must have arrived in the modern world in an instant. She herself didn't even realize it." Changsun also thought so.

"Sizi, please come back soon," Chang Le murmured softly.

"Sizi, you must come back safely~~" Chengyang held Chang Le's hand tightly, his little palms were sweaty.

At this moment, the people of Wanchao outside the sky dotted the sky without blinking, staring intently at it, afraid of missing a single detail.

Lu Chen took a deep breath. "Sizi, now, think with your brother: We must return to the Tang Dynasty, return to the palace, and Sizi must find her mother."

"Yes, we really need to find our mother," Xiao Sizi said emphatically.

"Close your eyes," Lu Chen gently reminded him.

Little Sizi immediately closed her eyes obediently, her little hands tightly gripping Lu Chen's clothes.

Lu Chen focused his mind, and the majestic halls and vermilion walls of the Taiji Palace in Chang'an appeared in his mind, along with the figures of Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun eagerly waiting in front of the palace gate.

He silently prayed, "Send Sizi home, back to the Tang Dynasty, back to her parents."

In an instant, the storage box, the suitcase, and the soft cushion beneath Xiao Sizi all emitted a layer of lustrous blue light, the light flowing like water ripples and enveloping the two of them.

The surrounding living room scene began to blur and swirl, like smoke blown away by the wind.

Little Sizi felt a gentle breeze brush past her ears, as if she were riding on a flying cloud.

Outside the canopy, the audience of Wanchao held their breath in rapt attention.

Li Shimin unconsciously leaned forward, while Empress Zhangsun clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her fingertips turning slightly white.

In the scene above, amidst the flickering blue light, Lu Chen and Xiao Sizi's figures suddenly blurred, transforming into a gentle stream of light that streaked across the chaotic clouds like a shooting star.

Just a moment later, the light faded, and the scene changed.

It is no longer the bright living room of a modern villa, but the ancient and solemn palace courtyard.

"We're home!"

"The little princess has returned to the Tang Dynasty!"

66

"They arrived in an instant, just as expected!"

"This is so convenient! Traveling through time is like playing a game!" Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I, Old Zhu, want to try it too!"

"I hope we are destined to be together," Empress Ma said, touching her increasingly protruding belly.

"It's possible!" Zhu Yuanzhang was very confident. "Perhaps, when our little princess turns three, she too will be chosen by time and space!"

Empress Ma smiled slightly, "Zhongba, we don't even know if she's a princess yet."

"A prince would be fine too. Our child will surely be intelligent and charming, no less than Li Shimin's little princess."

"I hope so."

The courtyard paved with bluestone slabs was bathed in the golden glow of dusk, while in the distance, golden eaves were set against a backdrop of purple sunset.

The evening breeze wafted through the lilacs in the courtyard, bringing with it a delicate fragrance.

Little Sizi was still sitting on the storage box, opening her eyes blankly and looking around in bewilderment.

When she saw the familiar vermilion pillars and stone lions in front of the hall, her little mouth slowly opened and her eyes gradually widened.

"Ah—Mother?"

She murmured softly, then fixed her gaze on something not far away.

Below the palace steps, Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun stood side by side, both dressed in ordinary clothes, seemingly having been waiting there for some time.

Empress Zhangsun's eyes were slightly red, and her lips trembled slightly; Li Shimin tried his best to maintain his imperial dignity, but his tightly clenched sleeves betrayed his inner turmoil.

"Sizi!" Empress Zhangsun could no longer contain herself and quickly stepped forward, lifting her skirt.

Little Sizi finally realized what was happening, and with a "whoosh," slid off the storage box, stumbling and falling towards it on her short legs, crying out, "Mama! Mama!"

The mother and daughter embraced tightly.

"Sizi, you're finally back." Empress Zhangsun knelt down and hugged her daughter tightly, her cheek pressed against her daughter's soft hair, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.

Li Shimin strode closer, gently stroking the back of his daughter's head with his broad hand. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't speak for a moment.

Lu Chen stood quietly to the side, watching this scene, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

He put down his suitcase and backpack, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding courtyard where several eunuchs and palace maids stood with their heads bowed. Further away, Li Tai peeked out from behind a pillar, his face full of curiosity and joy. The slender and tall Princess Chang Le led the quiet Princess Cheng Yang slowly over.

"Sister." Li Tai followed Chang Le's steps nimbly.

At this moment, Li Taiyuan's body felt incredibly light.

Under the eaves, the figures of several ministers could be vaguely seen, all holding their breath as they watched this reunion that transcended time and space.

Cheng Yaojin glanced at Wei Zheng, then at Changsun Wuji, his big eyes blinking: "Brother Wei, Brother Fuji, shall we go over there?"

"Later," Wei Zheng said casually, stroking his beard.

Changsun Wuji didn't speak; his eyes welled up with tears.

Cheng Yaojin wisely kept quiet.

Little Sizi snuggled in her mother's arms for a while, then suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Lu Chen, and called out in her childish voice, "Brother! Come and see, it's really back!"

Upon hearing the sound, Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun simultaneously looked up at Lu Chen.

Empress Zhangsun wiped away her tears, took Xiao Sizi's hand and stood up, bowing solemnly to Lu Chen: "Young Master Lu has protected Sizi all the way, your kindness and righteousness are profound, and I am deeply grateful."

Li Shimin nodded, his voice steady yet revealing a barely perceptible undercurrent: "Young Master Lu, you've worked hard. The Tang Dynasty will never fail you."

Lu Chen returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Your Majesty and Your Majesty are too kind. Si Zi is intelligent and lovely; it is my honor to escort her back."

"Thank you for taking care of Sizi, young master." Chang Le also bowed solemnly.

"Thank you, young man."

"Thank you, Mr. Xiaolang."

Chengyang and Li Tai also bowed in greeting.

Meanwhile, Li Tai's small eyes kept scanning the box that Lu Chen had brought.

At this moment, a gentle evening breeze begins to rise, and the lanterns in the courtyard gradually illuminate with a soft glow.

Little Sizi, holding her mother's hand with one hand and reaching for Lu Chen's clothes with the other, her eyes crinkling into crescents, cried out, "Brother, let's go inside! I want to show Father and Mother the TV program, and some sweet candy!"

Li Shimin laughed heartily: "Good! The return of the ox is a joyous occasion for the Tang Dynasty. Young Master Lu, please come with me into the palace! Tonight, we shall hold a banquet to welcome you back and discuss the past and present."

""

Not far away, Crown Prince Chengqian and Emperor Gaozong of Tang also walked over gracefully.