At Chu Suiliang's question, everyone in Ganlu Hall burst into laughter, laughing so hard that Chu Suiliang was completely confused.
Li Shimin was just about to say something, but at that very moment, the long, drawn-out voice of an inner palace attendant announcing the time sounded outside.
"It is one quarter into the si hour."
So there was no longer any need for Li Shimin to explain. He simply stopped speaking, smiling broadly as he pointed behind Chu Suiliang.
From early morning until now, every major minister who had entered Ganlu Hall was clearly recorded in Chu Suiliang's mind. So at this moment, he was slightly puzzled. What could possibly be behind him?
[Hey hey hey, dear viewers, I've missed you all so much!]
A completely unfamiliar voice, far too young, full of playful teasing and utterly lacking in solemnity, suddenly echoed through Ganlu Hall, causing Chu Suiliang to be startled on the spot.
Almost by instinct, he jumped forward and nearly fell. Only after Li Shimin caught him with a smile did Chu Suiliang come back to his senses and turn his head to look.
That overly blank wall had now vanished.
What appeared before his eyes was something that, with just one glance, made Chu Suiliang understand what the light screen truly was.
Seeing the others either staring unblinkingly at the light screen or smiling at his awkward state, Chu Suiliang immediately understood quite a bit. Though he still had many questions about its content, he first had to thank His Majesty for supporting him.
"Thanks to Your Majesty's support, this minister did not end up making a disgrace of himself…"
Li Shimin waved his hand, then picked up a thick notebook and smiled as he stuffed it into Chu Suiliang's hands.
"This is where Dengshan will be of great use. Carefully transcribe everything the light screen says. It will be of great use later."
Chu Suiliang was pushed, still in a daze, to the work desk previously used by Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. The two chancellors worked together to press him into the seat, and said in unison.
"We'll be troubling Left Dragon Chu."
Though he still did not understand what was happening, Chu Suiliang instinctively began writing, recording every word that entered his ears.
[Lightscreen]
[Just like we said before, today's topic is especially simple and especially fitting.
At the end of the day, it's just two super simple words.
New Year.
Ever since calendars existed, saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new has been given extra meaning by our ancestors.
In the times of Tang and Yu it was called zai, the Xia called it sui, the Shang called it ji, and only in the Zhou did the name "year" become fixed, continuing to this day.
But from the Shang dynasty's term, you can also see that in the early days, saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new carried more of a meaning of ritual sacrifice and prayer for blessings. It was still quite a distance away from becoming a nationwide folk festival of universal celebration.]
"New Year?"
Liu Bei smiled as he grabbed a handful of dried fruits and placed them on the small stove in front of him.
"That's a simple and clear name."
Curtains had already been hung in the General's Residence to block the cold wind.
It was only late October, but the whistling cold already made everyone clearly understand the difference between north and south.
By comparison, the weather in the Guanzhong region was already like winter in Chengdu.
Seeing it this way only made everyone more envious of the climate of the Tang dynasty.
Speaking of New Year, Kongming recalled the first New Year's Day after they first saw the light screen.
Lord Xuande went alone to Jiangdong. Yide sang exorcism chants to comfort the people of Gong'an. In the blink of an eye, several years had passed. Now that Yide was no longer in front of them, he could not help but miss him.
"I wonder if Yide's affairs in Liangzhou are going smoothly."
Ma Chao had far fewer complicated thoughts, his face full of unconcealed envy.
"When General Yide enters Liangzhou, it's like a tiger returning to the mountains. Who could possibly restrain him?"
"If Han Wenyue doesn't know what's good for him, maybe General Yide can even have a good New Year in Liangzhou."
The meaning was clear. For Ma Chao, blocking Han Sui and beating Yan Xing to vent his hatred would probably be the ideal way to celebrate the New Year.
Everyone burst into laughter. Jian Yong spoke up to comfort him.
"Han Wenyue may have a fearsome reputation, but in the end he is nothing more than a bandit stuck guarding Yong and Liang. How could that compare to becoming a vanguard under our lord and gaining fame across the realm?"
These words immediately made Ma Chao beam with joy. The bit of gloom in his heart vanished at once, and he nodded repeatedly.
Then he thought of another fierce general under their lord.
"I also wonder how General Yunchang's battles are going now."
Perhaps it was the festive atmosphere on the light screen and the relaxed tone of the descendants, or perhaps it was the cold wind outside and the exceptional warmth by the stove inside. In any case, even Pang Tong seemed a little lazy.
Hearing Ma Chao's question, Pang Tong leaned into an inelegant but comfortable posture and said.
"The situation in northern Jing is initially settled. With the advantage of the Jingbei plains, Yunchang's iron cavalry has no equal among Cao's forces. He has already forced back two enemy armies."
"In the east of Xiangyang, Gan Ning led eight hundred cavalry in a night raid on the camp. Zilong led elite riders to crush their might. The enemy army is terrified. They have now formed up at the passes and can no longer advance."
Speaking of Yunchang driving back Cao's forces, Pang Tong could not help but sigh.
He had imagined iron cavalry being strong, but he never expected that in the hands of fierce generals, such troops could casually fight ten to one. With favorable terrain, they could even hold off forces thirty times their size.
A single rider was not terrifying, since such heavy armor made turning difficult. If isolated, light cavalry tailing closely could still possibly win.
But when hundreds or thousands of such iron cavalry charged and maneuvered together, they truly possessed the valor of one man against a hundred.
Seeing the unconcealed longing appear once more on Ma Chao's face, Liu Bei coughed lightly and said.
"Just watch seriously. In two months it will be New Year's Day. We might as well learn how later generations celebrate the New Year and use it as a reference."
…
Although the opening on the light screen was full of festive cheer, inside Bianjing City, the atmosphere among the three people sitting around the stone table had dropped to near freezing.
The young eunuchs nearby were so frightened they barely dared to breathe, yet they still had to obey the imperial order to fully record everything projected onto the roof. They were trembling and miserable.
Zhao Guangyi tried to force a gentle smile, but ultimately failed. His face was tense, his eyes locked tightly on Zhao Pu.
Zhao Pu, however, appeared much more relaxed, his face absent-minded as if his thoughts were far away. But Zhao Kuangyin could see clearly that Zhao Pu's right hand, hidden below, was clenched into a fist. Clearly, he was not as calm as he looked.
The two of them being at odds was something Zhao Kuangyin understood all too well.
Previously, Zhao Pu had fallen from power, been dismissed as chancellor, and left the capital. With the chancellorship vacant, Zhao Guangyi had recommended his own confidant as Vice Chancellor, and also recommended another confidant as Deputy Commissioner of the Privy Council.
Such maneuvering was common in chaotic times.
But the appearance of the light screen was exquisitely timed. It had clearly told him that the chaos at the end of Tang would be brought to an end by Song.
In that case, some of his earlier thoughts about succession needed to be reconsidered.
Zhao Pu was thus quickly recalled to the capital and promptly squeezed out Zhao Guangyi's confidants.
This was the root of why the two were so incompatible now.
Under their silent, sword-drawn tension, Zhao Kuangyin appeared increasingly calm and at ease.
He even had the leisure to focus all his attention on the light screen.
Since it was only talking about festivals, then today he probably would not need to swallow any anger. That was what Zhao Kuangyin thought.
Moreover, those words shown at the end of the last light screen session still needed pondering.
What did "paying" mean?
Otherwise, perhaps he could find a chance to ask that Tang Taizong about it?
Earlier, he had tried writing on the stone table to communicate with Tang Taizong across time. But later, since he was often made angry and had brought his younger brother along, he stopped writing.
But thinking about Tang Taizong's ruthlessness at Xuanwu Gate also made Zhao Kuangyin hesitate a little.
Maybe when communicating, he should find a way to send his younger brother away?