Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

Okay, okay, this is a very pointed question today. It seems I have to give it a sharp critique.

Let's first take a look at the three figures on the normal timeline and see what level they are at.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji – One of the few emperors whose fans and haters alike wished for his early demise.

"No, why would I want to die sooner?"

Li Longji's face twitched; he even felt a bit absurd.

Those who like him wish him dead, and those who hate him also wish him dead.

Is there anything more outrageous than this in the world?

Li Linfu, observing the situation, was about to offer words of comfort when Li Longji raised his hand to stop him.

"Let me think about it, what sins have I committed that would lead future generations to comment on me in this way?"

Li Longji looked outside the palace, completely baffled.

He believed he had done a good job, suppressing the rebellion of Empress Wei internally and quelling the troubles of the four barbarian tribes externally.

Even if he made some mistakes in his later years, what about his achievements in the first half of his life?

The creation of a golden age and the tribute from all nations cannot be glossed over, can they?

Zhao Kuangyin didn't even manage to unify the whole country, yet later generations have been lenient towards him.

Why are the evaluations so harsh when it comes to myself?

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin raised his hand and scratched his headdress.

Tianmu had previously mentioned the An Lushan Rebellion and the decline of the Tang Dynasty, so he was already mentally prepared.

I never imagined that people in later generations would even express the desire to die sooner.

Was Li Longji also a ruler like Yang Guang who brought about the downfall of his country?

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Changsun Wuji, "Which branch of my family is Li Longji a descendant of?"

Changsun Wuji shook his head. "Tianmu didn't go into details, but to be able to trace it back to the Kaiyuan era, it must have been several generations away."

Li Shimin nodded, his gaze meeting Li Chengqian's.

The two stared at each other for about two seconds.

Li Chengqian first looked away and lowered his head to drink his tea.

Li Shimin also moved away, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and neither of them spoke.

The atmosphere wasn't exactly tense, but it was definitely not relaxed either.

-

Li Longji's most significant achievement was bringing the Tang Dynasty to its peak.

There are many well-governed periods in history that have left their mark, such as the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, the Zhenguan era, the Kaiyuan era, the Renxuan era, the Yongle era, and the Kangxi and Qianlong eras.

However, in terms of sheer magnitude, the Reign of Zhenguan and the Kaiyuan Era are undoubtedly the two highest peaks.

"A golden age spanning two dynasties?"

All the emperors and ministers from before the Tang Dynasty were stunned and shocked.

The fact that Tianmu had previously mentioned Li Shimin and asked the teachers of New China to compose poems had already amazed them enough.

Now another Li Longji has emerged, creating new glories!

What exactly is this Li family? Are they some kind of divine being?

"My descendant is quite good!"

Li Shimin stood up, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

Previously, Tianmu's stories about Zhu Di and the Ming Dynasty had really made him feel uneasy.

No matter how he tries to justify it, his sons were indeed not very outstanding.

Li Chengqian was obsessed with Turkic culture and neglected his duties, Li Tai was too cunning and thought about seizing the throne all day long, and as for the ninth prince Li Zhi - did such a person even exist?

Now that the curtain has fallen on the past, the Zhenguan and Kaiyuan eras are the two highest peaks among all the prosperous dynasties in history!

No matter how many generations have passed, they are all Li Shimin's offspring!

-

"Haha, I knew it! 'Kaiyuan Prosperity'—what a great name!"

Li Longji, his previous gloom gone, excitedly addressed the crowd.

Li Linfu immediately stepped forward, bowing obsequiously: "Your Majesty's achievements far surpass those of previous dynasties, and are even comparable to those of Emperor Taizong!"

Li Longji was overjoyed and extremely pleased with himself.

All those previous comments were completely forgotten.

So what if he made a mistake in his later years? Everyone has moments of folly.

People can not escape from doing wrong?

What do minor flaws matter if the achievements are great enough?

Just how prosperous was the Kaiyuan era?

Du Fu once recalled: "I remember the prosperous days of the Kaiyuan era, when even a small town had ten thousand households. Rice was as white as oil, and millet was as white as snow; both public and private granaries were full."

Of course, you can't truly appreciate it just by reading the poem, so let's make a comparison.

The object of comparison will be the recent Kangxi and Qianlong era.

No other meaning intended, it's just that it's nearby and the data is relatively complete.

Emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong all experienced their eyelids twitching simultaneously.

Is it comparable to the prosperous Kaiyuan era?

Let's compete!

Emperor Qianlong, forcing himself to maintain his composure, said with a stiff upper lip, "Our Great Qing Dynasty has a population of hundreds of millions; this is a truly solid achievement!"

Heshen knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly in agreement: "Your Majesty is right. The Qing Dynasty's golden age surpasses even the Han and Tang dynasties!"

Kangxi gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, constantly encouraging himself:

The Qing Dynasty was powerful and had a vast territory; it was by no means inferior to the previous dynasty.

First of all, a prosperous era must be judged by how it treats its people.

The most direct measure of people's happiness is the price of rice.

According to the Tongdian, in the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, a dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice cost ten coins in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and five coins in Qingzhou and Qizhou.

During the Kaiyuan era, ordinary people could save about two thousand coins a year after working hard and deducting taxes and their own food rations.

When the people heard this, some could hardly believe their ears.

How much? A peck of rice only costs ten coins?

"Two thousand coins left over? My goodness! What kind of day is this?"

"I can earn thirty coins a day, enough to buy two bushels of rice! My wife and kids can have enough to eat! We eat dry food every meal!"

"Not only will we be full, but we can also buy two feet of cloth to make new clothes for the kids, and even get two ounces of meat for the New Year!"

The people couldn't quite say how prosperous this golden age truly was.

But using rice prices as a measure is too straightforward.

Inside the Taiji Palace, Li Shimin's eyes welled up with tears.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji and other meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion were also trembling with excitement, and many of them had tears in their eyes.

They, the Great Tang Dynasty, did it!

It ushered in an unprecedented golden age!

This is not self-praise, nor is it embellishment by historians; it is a glorious achievement verified by later generations with data!

Wei Zheng, unusually, did not disagree, but instead bowed deeply to Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, this is a blessing for all the people of the land."

"My beloved ministers, I have not failed the people!"

Li Shimin helped Wei Zheng up, his tone filled with excitement and pride.

Inside the Forbidden City, Emperor Kangxi gripped the armrest tightly.

Why are later generations so strict in judging a prosperous era?

They even bring up trivial details like the price of rice.

Could the Qing Dynasty's golden age withstand such a test?

Just as the thought crossed Kangxi's mind, Tianmu spoke in a teasing tone.

In contrast, how did people's living standards fare in the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of the 18th century, when farming techniques far surpassed those of the Tang Dynasty?

If we don't consider years of famine and instead take the mid-Yongzheng period as an example, a dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice would cost around 1,000 wen (another unit of dry measure).

Some might argue that the Qing Dynasty used a silver standard, making the use of copper coins for calculations unreasonable.

Okay, let's compare them using per capita grain possession.

According to historical records, the average grain per person during the Tianbao era was about 700 jin, while in the Qing Dynasty, the average grain per person was about 300 jin.

Please note that this does not include food quality.

During the Tang Dynasty, ordinary people ate rice and millet, while during the Qing Dynasty, the lower classes mostly ate coarse grains such as sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Starting from the end of the Kangxi era, the population explosion led to soaring grain prices, and land annexation became unprecedented.

Even with the Qing emperors' continuous disaster relief efforts, a massive number of refugees still emerged.

We can't help but wonder: can a prosperous era with a large number of displaced people still be called a prosperous era?

Surely the standards for a prosperous era shouldn't be this low?

"Nonsense!"

Emperor Kangxi slammed his fist on the table and stood up, pointing at the sky and cursing loudly.

"I personally led the campaign against Galdan, recovered Taiwan, quelled the Three Feudatories, and built over a hundred new water conservancy projects. Why can't this be called a golden age?"

"Will future generations only look at rice prices? Only at per capita food consumption? Does the territory I conquered not count? Does the dictionary I compiled not count? Does the river I tamed not count?"

Zhang Tingyu lay on the ground and sighed inwardly.

Can a prosperous era be called a prosperous era when the people can't even get enough to eat?

-

"I'm not watching anymore, I'm not watching anymore!"

Emperor Qianlong sprang up from his dragon throne, his face flushed red, and shouted at the eunuchs.

"Lower the curtains and close the windows. I don't want to see this awful sky!"

Enraged, Emperor Qianlong rushed to his desk and swept all the memorials on it onto the floor.

He possessed unparalleled military prowess, made six trips to the south of the Yangtze River, compiled the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), and expanded the territory to its largest extent in history.

Which one of them isn't a monumental achievement?

Why is it that even a prosperous era couldn't be preserved in the eyes of later generations?