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

No one can remain calm after learning their lifespan in the afterlife.

The one who felt it most deeply was Liu Bei himself.

Liu Bei rolled up his trouser leg and slowly ran his hand over his calf, only to feel a layer of soft, flabby flesh.

The flesh on the thighs is growing back; old age is approaching.

When he noticed this extra weight during a banquet at Liu Biao's place, he was moved to tears.

Fifty years old might be considered middle-aged in later generations, but in the Han Dynasty, it was already time to prepare for one's death.

The great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty seems far off, and I am already old and frail. What should I do?

Seeing Liu Bei's gloomy expression and staring blankly at his calves, Zhuge Liang guessed what his lord was thinking.

"My lord, why do you sigh so deeply and remain awake so late at night?"

Liu Bei gave a wry smile and pulled down his trouser leg: "Kongming, I am already over fifty years old, and time waits for no one."

"I'm afraid I won't live to see the day when this great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty is accomplished."

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, his smile warm and gentle: "Why do you say such a thing, my lord?"

"In the past, our lord was constantly on the move, living under the roof of others. How difficult it was for him."

"My lord now commands Jingzhou, and his enterprise is flourishing. Why lament the passing of time?"

Listening to Zhuge Liang's words, Liu Bei's sorrow lessened somewhat.

Looking at Zhuge Liang's confident demeanor, he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart.

Kongming never spoke without a purpose; every time he showed such a smile, it meant he had something to plan.

"Strategist, you're up in the middle of the night, why are you here? Is there some good news?"

Zhuge Liang put away his feather fan and took out two silk letters from his sleeve.

"My lord, please take a look."

Liu Bei unfolded the first letter, and the more he read, the more relaxed his brow became.

After reading the second letter, I stood up from the couch.

"The garrison troops of Langzhong and Baishuiguan?"

Zhuge Liang's brows furrowed with a hint of self-satisfaction, and his tone was unhurried:

"The day before yesterday, Liang used fine salt to successfully persuade the garrison troops of Langzhong and Baishuiguan to surrender. They can serve as our guides when entering Sichuan in the future."

Liu Bei looked utterly astonished: "The land of Sichuan has never lacked salt, how could they be bought off by mere fine salt?"

In Liu Bei's mind, Yizhou was a land of plenty, rich in resources.

With a continuous supply of well salt, how could they be swayed by a few jars of fine salt?

Zhuge Liang chuckled lightly, "My lord, you may not know this, but the well salt is entirely in the hands of local powerful families, and the coarse salt they produce is expensive and of poor quality."

"Although Tianmu taught the method of making fine salt, the powerful clans had no motivation to improve it and even intensified their deductions from salt salaries, but Liu Zhang ignored this."

"Many local generals have long harbored resentment about this, but they have no way out."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei vaguely understood something, and his breathing quickened.

Zhuge Liang picked up his teacup to moisten his throat and continued, "I first sent you a small amount of refined salt. Those who accepted it are already of different mind and can be used by me."

"Then, in the name of the lord's uncle, he promised that after the great undertaking is accomplished, he would be granted official titles and generous rewards."

"They have long been influenced by the powerful families under Liu Zhang's command; how could they possibly refuse?"

After listening, Liu Bei suddenly understood and couldn't help but slap the table in admiration.

"Brilliant! Strategist's plan is truly a stroke of genius!"

Zhuge Liang laughed along and added, "Actually, we have to thank Liu Zhang for making things go so smoothly."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Liu Bei asked curiously.

"Liu Zhang was quite confident in the strength of Yizhou and did not obstruct our spies and caravans."

"Liang took the opportunity to have his spies spread the word about the lord's benevolence, and the caravan made contact with the guards at various passes, which led to today's success."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei immediately understood.

So the spies we sent out before weren't just there to draw maps.

Come to think of it, if they hadn't gotten to know the garrison, how could they have drawn a map of the pass?

Liu Bei patted Zhuge Liang on the shoulder, his heroic spirit rising again.

With the help of Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, how can we not achieve our great cause!

Perhaps, I really will live to see the day when the Han Dynasty is restored!

-

Lu Li casually liked the video and saw in the comments section that everyone was debating whether lifespan counts as an item.

"But to be fair, modern people do live much longer than people in ancient times."

"Is it because we eat better? Or because of advancements in modern medicine?"

Lu Li scratched his head, suddenly becoming interested.

He left the comments section and typed a few words in the search box.

Why is penicillin considered the greatest invention since the atomic bomb?

The headline immediately drew everyone's attention.

Earlier, when Tianmu talked about the miracle of industrial ammonia synthesis that feeds billions of people, he mentioned penicillin alongside it.

Back then, everyone was wondering what kind of magical substance it was that could be on par with synthetic ammonia.

Now we can finally catch a glimpse of the true form of this divine object!

"Quickly! Bring pen and ink! Have the historian move to the front of the hall!"

Ying Zheng stood up from his seat and shouted at the attendants outside the palace gate.

As he watched the attendants hurry away, a look of excitement welled up in Ying Zheng's eyes.

He knew, of course, that with the current conditions of the Qin Dynasty, it was impossible to manufacture anything, including penicillin and atomic bombs.

But Tianmu has always been long-winded... He likes to explain the cause and effect, in great detail.

Even if we can't develop penicillin, we can at least learn how future generations maintain their health, right?

Ying Zheng did not have high demands.

I don't need to live to be seventy or eighty, as long as I'm better off than Jiajing.

Everyone else was taking elixirs, but Ying Zheng was still unconvinced that he hadn't lived as long as that good-for-nothing who was strangled to death by a palace maid!

Li Shimin looked at the sky, his expression inexplicably awkward, unsure whether he should remember it.

The courtiers in the hall noticed this unusual behavior, exchanged glances, and remained silent.

Living a few more years is an irresistible temptation for anyone.

But Li Shimin's mind was filled with the assessment from before the heavens—an emperor cannot live too long.

Take Li Longji for example. He did an excellent job in the first half of his life, leading to the Kaiyuan era, which was the most prosperous period in history.

However, he later became extremely incompetent and personally triggered the An Lushan Rebellion, plunging the Tang Dynasty into hell.

Li Shimin considered himself wise, but he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't become senile if he lived too long.

What if he gets senile and causes some kind of chaos?

Li Shimin's hesitation did not escape Wei Zheng's notice. He rolled his eyes and spoke without any politeness:

"Is Your Majesty worried that living too long might lead you down the same path as Li Longji?"

Li Shimin, having been hit where it hurt, gave a dry laugh in an attempt to cover his embarrassment.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order; if one insists on a certain lifespan, I fear..."

"absurd!"

Wei Zheng did not back down and stepped forward, looking directly at Li Shimin.

"The Heavenly Curtain teaches the art of healing and saving lives, benefiting millions of people in the Tang Dynasty. The people will not become tyrannical rulers just because they live long."

"But Your Majesty, you only think about how long you can live. Isn't that putting personal interests before public duty?"

The atmosphere inside the hall turned cold.

Changsun Wuji was sweating bullets and desperately tried to signal Wei Zheng with his eyes.

This guy is so rude. Couldn't he be a little more tactful and save His Majesty some face?

Li Shimin remained silent for a moment, then finally let out a long sigh.

Yeah, why did I get so fixated on this?

The knowledge bestowed by Heaven is meant to heal the people of the Tang Dynasty.

As long as the people can live and work in peace and contentment, even if I get old and senile, I will have these upright officials watching over me, so what is there to be afraid of!

"Xuancheng is right to scold me; I was narrow-minded."

Li Shimin nodded readily and then ordered, "Summon Yan Liben to write down all the pictures and words on the celestial canopy, without any errors!"

Seeing that Li Shimin had regained his spirits, the ministers all breathed a sigh of relief.

"If only I could live another ten years..."

Zhao Kuangyin didn't have so many complicated thoughts; his biggest worry was his own lifespan.

The Liao people in the north are still standing there, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have not yet been taken back.

If he could live a few more years, he was absolutely certain that he could pacify the north and recover the Yan and Yun regions.

When the time comes, I will kick the bucket and hand over the Han lands to Zhao Guangyi, thus fulfilling my wish.

Although Zhao Guangyi was not very good at fighting, he was adept at handling domestic affairs and was a sure bet to be a peaceful emperor.

Why is penicillin considered the greatest invention since the atomic bomb?

The reason is actually very simple: it has saved the lives of almost every one of us.

Before the advent of penicillin, human history was a dark age filled with the word "infection".

A cut, childbirth, or even a decayed tooth can silently take a person's life.

Inside Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Biao couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at his father's nervous expression.

"Father, why didn't you scold Tianmu for being long-winded this time?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at Zhu Biao, puffed out his beard, and said, "How can that be the same? This is a life-saving contraption!"

"As long as it lets our dog live a few more years, we'll listen to it talk for three days and three nights straight!"