The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

Yan Shigu laughed heartily:

"If the Duke wants to drink, what's so difficult about that? Since the county magistrate can brew this Immortal's Intoxication himself, he must have plenty at home. The Duke only needs him to bring one jar of wine each day, and he will be allowed to ride out of the camp. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin immediately gave a thumbs up, sincerely admiring him! This so-called great Confucian scholar, who usually appears aloof and upright, is actually more wicked than I, Cheng Yaojin, am.

He kept agreeing, and thanks to his reminder, he simply turned around and sat down, exchanging toasts and drinking with Yan Shigu.

The surrounding ministers were all astonished at this sight. When did this troublemaker catch the eye of this great scholar?!

On stage, the wine flowed freely, and undercurrents surged; below, cheers echoed from the people of Chang'an. The city was ablaze with lights, and countless points of light illuminated the entire city, transforming it into a dazzling, sleepless city, a scene of prosperity and peace.

After the rhinoceros choked, Empress Zhangsun held her even tighter, and the palace maids tore all the dried fruits and candied fruits on the plate into small pieces.

Sizi smacked her lips, then suddenly opened her round eyes, pointed her little finger at the sky, and called out in a childish voice:

"Mother, look! What a big bird! What a big insect!"

The child's innocent voice broke Empress Zhangsun's reverie. She looked up, followed the child's small hand, and covered her mouth, letting out a soft gasp.

Above the night sky of Chang'an, a golden dragon tens of meters long soared upwards. The dragon's body sometimes tumbled up and down, sometimes coiled left and right, and even every scale shone with golden light. It opened and closed freely in the night sky, its head held high and its whiskers fluttering, lifelike, as if a god had descended.

On the other side, a giant, five-colored phoenix was soaring alongside a giant dragon, its wings spread wide in the light, as if enveloped in a golden glow, exuding an auspicious and propitious aura.

Li Shimin suddenly stood up, looked up at the sky, and the ministers were also stunned by the spectacle before them. They all left their seats and rushed to the railing. A dragon and a phoenix, accompanied by golden light, circled and danced in mid-air. The people in the city, seeing this strange sight, also lit Kongming lanterns in their hands.

Countless tiny Kongming lanterns rose into the sky, their dense golden light twinkling, with dragons and phoenixes dancing among them, making one feel as if they were in the heavens.

The entire city of Chang'an suddenly fell silent, all the dances and performances ceased, and the people silently raised their heads.

Faced with such an unprecedented spectacle, some prayed silently, some trembled with excitement, and many more simply opened their mouths, unable to utter a single word.

Wang Youde's voice trembled:

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Prince Wannian actually made them fly..."

Changsun Dan's construction of dragon and phoenix lanterns at home naturally did not escape Li Shimin's notice. However, the fact that such enormous creatures could fly into the sky and even hover and roam was completely beyond his imagination.

Empress Zhangsun murmured:

"You said these are lamps made by Dan'er? They're so big... how are they so delicate... they can even fly into the air..."

Li Tai held his wine glass, his usual smile masking a frost-free, chubby face.

Cheng Yaojin was not as rough as he appeared; he glanced sideways at Li Jing:

"I never imagined that our Great Tang Dynasty would have such a capable person. If we had obtained this person during the Battle of Hulao Pass, we could have used the Dragon and Phoenix Soaring to the Sky technique to scare those two bastards, Du Jiande and Wang Shichong, to death."

Li Jing frowned:

"This is a Kongming lantern array. What's ingenious is that it makes the most of the wind. Zhijie, look, even such a huge dragon and phoenix lantern array only hovers and flies in a small area. It must be because the joints are connected with snap fasteners. The dragon scales and wings are like small open bags. When pushed by the wind, the dragon and phoenix twist and fly. This ingenuity is truly amazing."

Cheng Yaojin seemed to understand, but in his eyes, the pharmacist was also a mysterious and unpredictable celestial being.

Yan Shigu sat behind the two men and heard everything Li Jing said clearly. He secretly praised Li Jing, saying that his reputation as a war god was well-deserved. With just one glance, he saw the key to the matter. With him in the Tang Dynasty, it was no wonder that the foreign tribes were all obediently lying low and dared not make any moves.

Li Shimin held Guanyinbi's hand, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Indeed, it was this boy who made it at home. I thought he was just being a child and playing around out of curiosity. I never expected him to make such a commotion."

Empress Zhangsun looked worried and turned to ask:

"What is the meaning behind all this, Dan'er?"

Actually, she was just worried that Erlang was suspicious of Dan'er, and wanted to ask him what he was thinking.

Li Shimin smiled faintly: "This boy loves you to the bone, maybe he just wants to make Guanyinbi happy."

Realizing her emotions were off, she smiled and gently squeezed Guanyinbi's palm.

"Look at the phoenix he built, it's so colorful, it's much more beautiful than the dragon."

Empress Zhangsun smiled and gently leaned on Li Shimin's shoulder, but in her heart she thought, "I have to talk to this child later. Sometimes it's better for him to be a little silly."

Li Chengqian put down his wine cup, looked up, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which then dimmed. Even among ordinary people, there were hidden talents, and he felt more and more that he was nothing.

As the dragon and phoenix danced amidst thousands of lights, another giant banner, hundreds of meters long, was slowly lifted up by two strings of densely packed Kongming lanterns. It contained a poem, each character exceeding three or four meters in length. The large black characters, illuminated by the golden lights, could be clearly seen from the south to the north of the city.

Wang Youde read it out word by word, his voice hoarse and strained:

The dragon reigns supreme over mountains and rivers, ruling over all corners of the land; the phoenix's splendor shines in praise of imperial decrees. The nation prospers and the people live in peace, a golden age is celebrated; the world is at peace, and the Tang Dynasty has risen to prominence.

Changsun Dan raised his head, and his tightly clenched fist slowly opened. He had already fulfilled their request. Wang Susu should return Zhou Youniang to Uncle Fu now!

My tense nerves finally relaxed completely—the two girls, Chun and Dong, did a good job and did not disappoint me at all.

Seeing that Changsun Dan was sometimes tense and sometimes relaxed, and silently reciting the poems on the huge scroll—although they all praised the emperor and empress, Li Shimin felt that there was something else fishy about them.

He glanced at his princes, seemingly casually, and pondered for a moment.

After reading the poem, the people in the city all thought that the dragon and phoenix lanterns were set off from the palace. Such a prosperous age and such a miracle could not help but excite people. Even the Hu people knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times. Their songs of praise resounded throughout Chang'an.

The courtiers also knelt on the ground, offering endless words of praise.

Li Shimin smiled, calmly experiencing this moment.

To prevent the dragon and phoenix lanterns from staying in the air for too long, Changsun Dan weighed the kerosene precisely. After all, the longer they stayed in the air, the greater the uncontrollable risks. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, only a few small Kongming lanterns remained in the sky.

As the dragon and phoenix disappeared into the night sky, leaving only a sky full of stars, the people of the city once again roared with deafening shouts. Some of the Hu people knelt for a long time, shouting that the divine dragon had descended to earth and that heaven was blessing the superior nation.

Changsun Dan had long ago entrusted Da Niu and the others with the task of recycling, and the matter was now safely concluded.

The courtiers were still not satisfied and began to speculate about who had set off the dragon and phoenix lanterns. Li Shimin, seeing this, became even more certain that it was not Changsun Dan's own wish to set off the dragon and phoenix lanterns.

Li Shimin tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and Wang Youde bowed his head over, then hurriedly left.

Empress Zhangsun asked softly:

"Erlang, is something wrong?"

Li Shimin laughed and said, "Not many people know that this young man made this dragon and phoenix lantern, and he himself has no intention of admitting it. I suspect that someone coerced him, and I just want to find out who this person is."

He paused for a moment, then continued:

"Perhaps someone wants to win over Dan, so they deliberately gave him a big problem to test his abilities. It's not convenient to ask too much today. In a little while, you can tell him to come to the palace before noon tomorrow. Also, invite Chengqian. There are still many details to discuss regarding the Youzhou matter. Since Dan has already put forward a specific plan, let Chengqian use his brain for the rest."