Standing atop the small tower of Okamoto Palace in Asuka, the nominal ruler of Wa watched with his own eyes a transformation that unfolded within a single day.
The towering warships smashed straight through Kii's defenses, tearing apart the once-tranquil scenery of the Inland Sea.
Scarlet-clad enemy troops stormed ashore and swept southward, lashing the land with brutal force and delivering one piece of grim news after another.
As for who they were, the banners they flew made it clear from the very beginning that there had never been any intention of concealment.
From the land where the sun sets, calling themselves the Xia people, gathered together to found a state, now known as Tang.
The courtiers of Wa gathered at Okamoto Palace could hardly claim ignorance of the Tang dynasty.
After all, just last year, persuaded by a group of monks, they had sent envoys across the sea to pay a formal visit.
And before any return envoy could come back, four enormous warships had already sailed straight up to their doorstep.
Opinions among the palace officials were all over the place.
Some blamed the monks. Some blamed the envoys. Some proposed sending representatives to demand an explanation. Others leapt out angrily, declaring that Tang had gone too far and that war must be declared at once.
King Shūmei stood on the tower, gazing at the Tang ships anchored in the southern bay, and responded to the clamor below with nothing more than a contemptuous sneer.
These people were called ministers, but in truth they were nothing more than a fig leaf planted by the Soga clan inside Okamoto Palace to preserve the appearance of imperial dignity.
Take this very palace, for instance. Soga no Emishi could walk in and out with weapons at his side as he pleased, yet if Shūmei, the palace's so-called master, wished to leave, he had to report it to the Soga clan first.
Powerless in name and reality, Shūmei felt more than a little surprise at Tang's openly hostile arrival. Alongside that surprise were six parts undisguised satisfaction at seeing the Soga clan finally suffer, and one part of a desire he could neither explain nor articulate.
As reports continued to stream into the palace, that faint desire quietly grew.
Thus, when Inukai no Mitarai arrived under the escort of two hundred Tang soldiers, he was met by a King Shūmei who had already been waiting for some time.
The ministers of Okamoto Palace stared in shock at Inukai no Mitarai's self-assured expression. When they looked at the more than two hundred Tang warriors, tall of stature, fully armed, and brimming with murderous intent, none of them dared utter a word.
Even though Shūmei had prepared himself mentally, the sight of those warriors still made his heart waver.
Was this how the Soga clan, who had used the king's name to seize power and run rampant, would be crushed without mercy beneath iron hooves?
Inukai no Mitarai stepped forward two paces, closing the distance to Shūmei. He offered a perfunctory half-bow and said,
"Great King, the Son of Heaven of Great Tang has dispatched a Duke of the Lai to eliminate the traitors in Wa. The rebel forces have already been crushed at Naniwa. The Duke invites Your Majesty to come and inspect the troops."
Shūmei was momentarily dazed. He dimly recalled the scene of Inukai kneeling before him in tears before departing as an envoy to Tang. Compared to that memory, the man before him now felt utterly unfamiliar.
Inukai paid no mind to this. Seeing the Wa king standing there blankly, he showed a trace of displeasure.
"Great King, today the Tang Duke rode forth with a thousand men and annihilated tens of thousands of Soga forces without losing a single soldier. If we delay, the Duke may not be pleased."
These blunt words immediately stirred discontent among the Wa ministers. Someone shrank back slightly, hiding his body, yet shouted loudly,
"Inukai, have you forgotten the King's grace, to be so disrespectful!"
The ministers instinctively turned as one to gauge the Tang soldiers' reaction. Only after seeing that the Tang troops made no move did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Inukai no Mitarai turned back, the mockery on his face practically overflowing.
"I crossed the sea for tens of thousands of li to reach Chang'an and personally accused the Soga clan of their crimes before the Son of Heaven of Great Tang. His Majesty is a ruler of manifest virtue, and he ordered the Duke to accompany me back to Wa to purge the traitors. How is that forgetting grace?"
He swept his gaze over the assembled ministers.
"And you lot, who spend your days at the King's side, offered no wise counsel to eliminate the traitors and dared not risk your lives to act. Each of you claims loyalty to the King, yet every one of you has been an accomplice to tyranny!"
Having neatly closed the loop in his own reasoning, Inukai reached his conclusion.
"I crossed the sea without regard for my life to bring righteous forces to purge the traitors. I am guiltless before Wa and guiltless before the King. I am the true loyal minister. None of you compare!"
With that, ignoring his former colleagues' stunned expressions, Inukai turned away. He did not even bother with a bow as he urged,
"What is there for the King to hesitate over?"
Shūmei nodded.
"Then please, Lord Inukai, lead the way."
Watching Inukai no Mitarai's transformation, Shūmei struggled briefly within his heart, then let it go entirely.
Since that Duke had come under the banner of purging traitors, it meant that Shūmei still had some value in Tang's eyes.
And in any case, the Duke and his warriors from the superior state would eventually return home. No matter how one looked at it, the days ahead could not possibly be worse than living under the Soga clan's manipulation.
Once the thought of giving up resistance took hold, the world suddenly felt much wider.
Shūmei chose to temporarily forget all of Inukai's rudeness, even becoming noticeably more attentive.
"There is one person within Okamoto Palace whom I must personally bring to meet the Tang Duke."
Inukai no Mitarai's attitude immediately softened, and he smiled.
"Your Majesty is the sovereign of the realm. Of course you may bring your close attendants to meet the Duke of Great Tang."
With the Wa king offering no resistance, the group's return south went smoothly.
Mounted atop a tall Tang warhorse, Shūmei felt his emotions surge. Yet after seeing the massive Tang ships up close and the traces left behind on the battlefields along the way, that surge gradually turned into unease.
Contrary to his expectations, the general who had smashed through the Soga clan's private armies ought to have been a fearsome figure, like a demon or a god. Instead, seeing him in person, Shūmei found the Duke leading the army carried an air of quiet refinement.
His purple robe bore subtle woven patterns, and even by material alone it radiated extraordinary value. The collar, cuffs, and hem were adorned with exquisite horizontal trims.
A jade belt encircled his waist, from which hung finely carved jade pendants and silk pouches. Shūmei found his eyes dazzled, and for a moment he even felt ashamed of himself.
An unavoidable melancholy rose in his heart. Compared to Tang, did Wa truly have not a single strength worth mentioning?
Li Shiji, for his part, regarded Shūmei with clear interest.
Before leaving Chang'an, Du Ruhui had specifically compiled for him notes from the Ganlu Hall records concerning matters related to Wa.
In later generations, people spoke most often of the female ruler Empress Kōgyoku who would rise decades hence. Shūmei's name, by contrast, was scarcely recorded.
Taking the Ganlu Hall notes as a foundation, and combining them with Pei Shiqing's views and Inukai no Mitarai's explanations, Liu Rengui and Li Shiji made a simple deduction.
Either Shūmei's name had been lost to history, which seemed unlikely, or the more classic case of a weak ruler dominated by powerful ministers. Anyone who had read enough dynastic histories knew how common that was. This possibility was far more likely.
"Since the King of Wa has arrived, please take a seat," Li Shiji said.
Though standing on Wa soil, he carried himself entirely like the host.
A few brief exchanges were enough to confirm that Shūmei indeed lacked any sort of resolute temperament.
On reflection, it made sense. If the Soga clan were propping someone up, they would naturally choose someone pliable, not a stiff spine who might oppose them.
In that case, was this not all to Li Shiji's benefit? At that moment, he almost felt inclined to thank the Soga clan.
Faced with Li Shiji's relaxed, unhurried manner, King Shūmei chose to present the person he had insisted on bringing.
This was a child who looked no more than eight or nine years old. Meeting Li Shiji's questioning gaze, Shūmei asked Inukai to translate.
"This child is named Pungjang. He is a prince of Baekje."
Looking at the boy's bewildered face, Li Shiji stroked his beard, feeling a pleasant sense of surprise.
According to the Ganlu Hall records, decades later, when Baekje fell, it was this very child who would return under Wa's support to restore the kingdom, causing Tang no small amount of trouble.
If this Baekje prince could be made as wholeheartedly loyal to Tang as Inukai no Mitarai…
Standing nearby, Inukai had no idea what Li Shiji was thinking. After glancing around and finding nothing amiss, he could only offer the Tang Duke an ingratiating smile.
Li Shiji immediately clicked his tongue in disdain. No, no. This one would probably only raise a submissive Wa servant.
If he wanted the Baekje prince to genuinely revere Tang without losing his dignity, it seemed best to send him to Chang'an and let His Majesty deal with the headache.
Though the simple banquet had yet to end, Li Shiji's attention had already drifted elsewhere as he looked at the overly cautious Wa king.
After all, from the moment the five-toothed warships entered these waters, it had been settled that Wa had no ability to refuse.
Now, Li Shiji found himself feeling a touch homesick. Judging by the timing, the year's end must be drawing near.
With Tuyuhun already destroyed, the New Year celebrations in Chang'an would surely proceed without worry.
When the Duke of Great Tang did not speak, neither the Wa king nor his ministers dared make a sound. The stifling atmosphere spread through the seating like needles against the back.
Li Shiji surveyed the surroundings. The scenery here was novel enough, but the Wa people were dull, and after barely a day, it already felt tiresome. It was nothing compared to the fine sights of Chang'an.
Bored, Li Shiji asked bluntly,
"Does Wa have any celebrations for bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new?"
The question seemed to hit a blind spot. After hesitating, King Shūmei asked,
"If the Duke wishes to watch the Eight Maidens' Dance…"
Li Shiji waved it away at once. Inukai had already told him that this was reserved exclusively for the Wa king. Besides, Li Shiji had no interest in dance, and he had no desire to invite needless trouble for no gain.
For a moment, he began to wonder whether his original decision to study naval warfare had been a lapse in judgment.
Was fighting barbarians not far more entertaining than staring at Wa people in awkward silence?
…
"I can actually become a museum director?"
At the Banji Hotel in Xi'an, Wen Mang still found it hard to believe, even after confirming it repeatedly over the phone with Dongfang Ye.
On the call, Dongfang Ye had delivered the brief news. This year, Chengdu had an opening for supporting a privately run museum, and she asked whether Wen Mang wanted to try for it.
His first reaction had been disbelief. With everything being replicas, what museum was there to open?
He was promptly mocked by Dongfang Ye, who asked whether being called illiterate every day had finally turned him into one. Only then did she explain, somewhat reluctantly.
Wen Mang learned that as long as a museum was legal, compliant, and had an approved theme and exhibits, private individuals could establish one. In practice, it amounted to a themed art museum.
The definition of cultural relics was strict, but art was far more loosely defined.
Moreover, everyone knew that China had an overwhelming abundance of cultural artifacts. As a result, the longstanding attitude toward private museums had been to offer every form of support except direct material aid. That Chengdu had produced a support slot at all was unprecedented.
Wen Mang thought it over and told Dongfang Ye that he needed to consult the true owner of those items.
"Didn't you say the big shot who made them always refuses contact?" she asked.
Wen Mang felt the female professor sounded oddly guilty, though recalling her cool, aloof demeanor when they first met, he decided it was probably just his imagination.
"The big shot doesn't want to be contacted. But I can always ask during the video, right? It's no big deal."
"Fine. Let me know once you have news. I'll handle the application materials. That part's my specialty."
Dongfang Ye hung up in a hurry. Wen Mang casually opened the backend of Site 13 and saw that the H5 game was flashing a red notification dot again, which left him feeling resigned.
He checked the game settings and found no option to unsubscribe or unfollow. Shaking his head at the bad luck, he clicked the only lit-up button and spent the deviation points.
Client Upgrade.
As for the Increase Audience button, perhaps because he had already upgraded twice before, the cost had risen to ten points. He did not have nearly enough.
These trivial matters were quickly tossed aside. For Wen Mang, only one question mattered now.
How to politely ask the big shot for their opinion during the video.