As for the painting signed with Zhuge Liang's name, Li Shimin understood it at a glance.
"Capturing Xiahou Yuan in Yong and Liang rather than Hanzhong?"
"And this timing…"
Fang Xuanling was quick. In the brief moment just now, he had already calculated it mentally.
"It should be the seventeenth year of Jian'an, when Cao Cao led four hundred thousand troops south to attack Sun Quan at Ruxu and failed."
With that reminder, Li Shimin recalled it as well. If his memory was correct, according to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei should still have been in Yizhou at that time.
Yet here, he had already fought a bloody battle with Cao's army in Yong and Liang, defeated them, and even taken Chang'an.
The implications were obvious to Li Shimin.
If Tong Pass were not already in Liu Bei's hands, if the natural defenses of Guanzhong were not secured, how could the Marquis of Wu be so at ease, calmly painting such a scene?
Cao occupying the Central Plains, Liu holding Guanzhong, the remnants of Jiangdong not worth discussing. This situation had likely already diverged completely from what was recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms.
Moreover, Cao's defeat would only be a matter of time.
After all, this was a Zhuge Liang who could survey the entirety of the land under Heaven.
Beyond that, what interested Li Shimin even more was how much the people standing beside the Marquis of Wu at this moment differed from what history recorded.
The next time the light screen appeared, he would have to ask in detail.
Suppressing his curiosity, Li Shimin took a deep breath. Now that the light screen had gone dark, no matter how restless he felt, he could only wait patiently for the next three months.
Before that, he still needed to devote his attention to the Tang dynasty, which stood on the brink of war.
Still, when he thought of the scene in that painting, of Liu Bei and the others standing high and overlooking Chang'an, Li Shimin found a trace of heroic fervor stirring in his own heart.
If the Marquis of Wu's vision had already changed so greatly, then Tang's coming war against Tuyuhun should also unfold differently.
After the light screen slowly faded, the first to take their leave were the Yan brothers, or more precisely, the impatient Yan Lide.
He hastily rolled up the sketches in his hands, cupped his fists toward Li Shimin, and hurried off.
His mind was already racing with thoughts. Before his feet had even stepped out of Ganlu Hall, he was already calculating how many laborers would be needed to dig pits, plan lakes, and carve channels into rivers, and where such works would be best located.
The pressure wells would be easy enough to make, but what materials should be used to ensure they were both cheap and durable?
Should he burn all the drafts of tomb designs he had previously studied at home?
Yan Liben chose to slip away quietly along with his elder brother.
After all, Sun Simiao was still standing in Ganlu Hall. Usually that was fine, but after exchanging a glance with the physician just now, Yan Liben had felt an inexplicable chill down his spine.
Yan Liben trusted his instincts. He planned to follow his brother and leave. Either he could help out and accumulate some merit, or gather a few friends to drink and enjoy themselves outside Chang'an. In any case, he could not waste his days of rest.
"Your Majesty must remember to mind your diet and avoid what you should," Sun Simiao reminded hurriedly before following them out.
As he quickened his pace, he called out,
"Yan Langzhong? Yan Langzhong. Why not go drink some tea with me?"
"Yan Langzhong, why are you running so fast? Wait for me."
Watching the group leave in a noisy rush, Li Shimin could only shake his head with a wry smile.
Sun the Medicine King was already diligent in his pursuit of medicine. Now that he understood the dangers of epidemics, there was no need to urge him further. If anything, someone might need to keep an eye on him so that he did not personally endanger himself researching plagues.
As for how he could assist Sun Simiao, Li Shimin had already made note of it.
If the famed ancient Roman physician Galen could test medicines on monkeys, then there was no reason Tang could not do the same.
There were plenty of monkeys in Jiannan Circuit. He could simply send people to capture some.
After these matters, Li Shimin turned and glanced at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, who were also cupping their fists toward him.
After working together for many years, Li Shimin needed only to see their expressions and recall the words from the light screen to understand their intentions.
"Xuanling, Kemin, you wish to go find Li Chunfeng? Go quickly."
Compared to Li Chunfeng, of whom he had at least some impression, Li Shimin felt even more regretful over Liu Zhuo's fate.
Compared to the reputation of a genius in later generations, if one mentioned this man in the early Tang, most would probably dismiss him with a single phrase: a mad scholar.
How could he not be mad? During the Kaihuang era, Liu Zhuo, a man of humble background, debated the assembled scholars and silenced them, infuriating the Confucians of the Sui Imperial Academy to the point that they joined forces to exclude and slander him, leading to his dismissal.
Later, over disputes concerning calendrical reform, he openly criticized the Sui Grand Astrologer Zhang Zhouxuan. The result was that just after being recalled, he was dismissed yet again.
Still unwilling to submit, Liu Zhuo singlehandedly compiled the Huangji Calendar and presented it to the Sui court to demonstrate his talent.
The calendar was indeed praised, but in the end, the one adopted was the Daye Calendar, whose chief compiler was precisely Zhang Zhouxuan, the same Grand Astrologer Liu Zhuo had criticized.
After repeated blows, and with chaos already visible across the realm, Liu Zhuo finally lost heart, closed his doors to guests, and devoted himself to teaching. In the end, he became a great master of classical learning.
Now, hearing people a thousand years later discuss the mathematical genius of the great scholar Liu Zhuo, Li Shimin felt conflicted. After a brief silence, he called out to Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, who were about to step out of the hall, and reminded them once more,
"You must admonish Li Chunfeng and let him understand the value of mathematics."
The unspoken meaning was for Li Chunfeng not to lose himself in yin-yang and Daoist mysticism. Fang and Du naturally understood. They nodded and took their leave.
Watching the two ministers depart, a thought suddenly sprang into Li Shimin's mind.
Since mathematics was so important, rather than placing it in the Imperial Academy alongside other disciplines, why not elevate it and establish it separately, to emphasize its importance?
Then, a thousand years later, posterity could say that although Emperor Wu of Han founded the Imperial Academy and set the tone for a thousand years of learning, Tang Taizong also founded a Hall of Mathematics and laid the foundation for science.
Just the thought was enough to stir him. Another policy decision was swiftly settled in Li Shimin's mind.
After that, the ministers dispersed one after another, leaving in small groups. Most were likely exchanging thoughts on what they had just seen.
What appeared on the light screen this time had been deeply shocking to them all, especially the news concerning ancient Rome. It would have been strange not to discuss it privately to vent their feelings. Li Shimin understood this well.
The only somewhat troublesome one was Hou Junji. Seeing this former close retainer once again weeping and vowing to risk his life to open the seas, Li Shimin frowned slightly, showing a hint of distaste.
"What use is death?"
"If danger arises, preserving your life comes first."
The Duke of Lu of Tang immediately became teary-eyed, feeling that His Majesty truly still cared for old ties.
Then he heard Li Shimin say calmly,
"Bring what you have seen back to Chang'an first. You can die bravely after that. It will not be too late."
In the end, the Duke of Lu left in a daze, to the point that even Li Shimin, watching him go, felt a little pity.
But when he thought of the Li family's second son in history who would later order Hou Junji's execution, the pain felt then would have been far greater than now.
With that comparison, he quickly felt at ease, then shifted his gaze to the last person remaining: the top scholar, Ma Zhou.
At this moment, Ma Zhou was still somewhat dazed. In such a short time, he had experienced placing first in the examinations, parading through Chang'an with acclaim, being summoned by the emperor, witnessing a miraculous light screen, and learning of events spanning a thousand years. Now, even looking at the Tang emperor before him felt unreal.
Could this all be nothing more than a drunken dream within Lord Leize's residence? Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain what he had seen today.
Li Shimin, meanwhile, wore a warm smile, utterly at ease with such situations.
He personally grasped the arm of this top scholar, who was said to become a famed Zhenguan minister in the future, and waved his hand boldly.
"Binwang, do you wish to know the prosperity of Zhenguan? Do you wish to know your own posthumous name? Do you wish to know the rise and fall of the ages?"
Three questions in succession completely robbed Ma Zhou of the ability to think.
Then Li Shimin unhesitatingly used a new phrase he had just learned.
"The Zhenguan of today is an unprecedented great transformation in five thousand years of our civilization. It urgently requires talented men to devote themselves, grasp the great momentum, and display their abilities."
"Binwang, will you become a talent of Zhenguan?"
…
Kongming merely smiled at later generations' evaluation of his painting. What moved him more deeply was Liu Zhuo's fate.
"In Sui there was Liu Zhuo. In Han there was Liu Hong. Both were casualties of chaotic times."
Kongming's sigh aroused curiosity from the others. Liu Bei thought for a moment and asked uncertainly,
"Does the Strategist speak of Liu Yuanzhuo of Changshan?"
Kongming nodded in confirmation and turned his head.
"Xianhe."
Liu Bei then saw Jian Yong, his expression equally complicated, step forward with a small box. When it was opened, what met the eye was a neatly arranged box of bamboo slips, with a thin booklet placed on top.
"Qianxiang Calendar?" Liu Bei read the title on the booklet in confusion.
Kongming did not keep him in suspense and immediately explained.
"After entering Chang'an, Zhong Shili presented his collected books for us to copy. I brought Xianhe to assist. When we had copied over half of Zhong Shili's bamboo slips, we discovered this."
"The Four-Part Calendar has its flaws, which all knowledgeable men know. During Emperor Ling's reign, Liu Yuanzhuo was recommended by the great Cai Yong and sought to create a new calendar."
"After years of focused work, Liu Yuanzhuo finally produced this calendar. Compared to the Four-Part Calendar, it was improved by more than a single degree. His mathematical skill far surpasses ours. We can only admire him from afar."
Liu Bei was immediately curious.
"If he could do this, why have I never heard of him?"
Kongming sighed once more.
"In the sixth year of Zhongping, Emperor Ling summoned Liu Yuanzhuo to the capital, intending to adopt the Qianxiang Calendar."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei understood everything.
The sixth year of Zhongping was an exceptionally special year for the Han. It was also the first year of Guangxi, the first year of Zhaoning, and the first year of Yonghan.
In that single year, events unfolded without pause.
Emperor Ling died. The Young Emperor ascended the throne. He Jin was killed. The eunuchs were executed. Dong Zhuo seized power. The lords rose in arms. The age of chaos began.
Compared to all this, the summoned Liu Yuanzhuo naturally drew no attention. The matter of calendar reform could only fade away unresolved.
Now, understanding the importance of mathematics, Liu Bei sighed repeatedly. Kongming had spoken the truth.
No matter how extraordinary one's mathematical talent, if born into an age of chaos, what could be done?
Still, Liu Bei rallied his spirits and said,
"As far as I know, Liu Yuanzhuo later served as Administrator of Shanyang. If we…"
Kongming shook his head regretfully, stopping Liu Bei before he could continue.
"When Zichu and I were in Chengdu, we surveyed many mathematical works. The most commendable was Liu Yuanzhuo's commentary on The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. This worthy man could be called my teacher."
"After entering Chang'an, we learned from Zhong Shili that Liu Yuanzhuo passed away two years ago."
Thus, Liu Bei could only sigh as well.
"An age of chaos. An age of chaos."