Tang Dynasty: Starting with Dimo, he was targeted by Li Shimin.

Chapter 26 The Three-Day Agreement

the next day.

Li Shimin's statement in court yesterday, "The drought will be alleviated within three days," was like a pebble thrown into a pot of boiling oil.

Overnight, the entire city of Chang'an was in an uproar.

The officials in the court were divided into three factions—

The first faction consisted of those who believed in Li Shimin. Led by Changsun Wuji, they included generals such as Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong. They might not have known exactly what Li Shimin was planning, but they trusted him as a person.

The second group, led by pragmatic civil officials such as Dai Zhou and Xiao Yu, disbelieved but were willing to wait and see. They reasoned that three days was fine, and waiting wouldn't hurt; what if it really rained?

The third faction—

They were the representatives of the five surnames and seven noble families in the imperial court.

They didn't care whether it would rain or not in three days.

There is only one thing they care about:

To put pressure on Li Shimin.

The longer the drought lasts, the more valuable the grain stockpiled by wealthy families becomes.

The more anxious and stressed Li Shimin was, the greater their bargaining power became.

and so--

To them, His Majesty's statement that the drought would be alleviated within three days was not a promise.

Rather, it's a handle or leverage.

If it doesn't rain in three days—

The public opinion that "the emperor's virtue is lacking" will then be completely confirmed.

Li Shimin's political prestige will be severely damaged.

And then they can take the opportunity to force him to back down.

Borrow grain from powerful families.

They traded the interests of the imperial court for the food of powerful families.

That's politics.

The next day's court meeting.

The atmosphere was even more oppressive than yesterday.

Li Shimin had just sat on the dragon throne and hadn't even spoken yet—

"His Majesty!!"

A voice rang out from the ranks of civil officials.

Not from a prominent family.

It was Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng was the most upright and outspoken official of the Tang Dynasty.

He stepped forward, his face ashen, clutching a scroll of memorials in his hand, and stood stiffly in the center of the hall—

"I am guilty!!"

Li Shimin's brow twitched.

Every time Wei Zheng said "I am guilty," it was never followed by an admission of guilt.

Instead, it was a direct remonstrance that was even harsher than a street rant.

really--

"As an advisor, I failed to promptly dissuade Your Majesty!"

"Yesterday, His Majesty, in court and before all the officials, openly declared that the drought could be alleviated within three days—"

"Your Majesty!! How absurd this is!!"

"The drought has raged for over two months, riverbeds have dried up, farmland is cracked, and people are starving!"

"How could such a natural disaster be resolved in just three days?!"

"If Your Majesty has been misled by some charlatans—"

He raised his voice even louder as he said this.

"How is that any different from those foolish rulers who blindly believe in alchemists and vainly seek immortality?!"

The last sentence echoed in the main hall.

The entire room fell silent.

Cheng Yaojin stood in the ranks of the generals, his fists clenched tightly.

He couldn't stand it when others criticized Li Shimin.

Especially the phrase "a foolish and incompetent ruler".

But he also knew that Wei Zheng was scolding people for the good of the Tang Dynasty, not for the sake of aristocratic families.

This old man had absolutely no connection with any aristocratic family; he simply thought Li Shimin was acting recklessly.

So Cheng Yaojin held back.

But I couldn't help it—

"Damn it," he muttered in a low voice to Yuchi Gong beside him, "that old man's cursing is like that butterfly—fast, ruthless, and impossible to dodge."

"Shut up." Yuchi Gong kicked him.

And Li Shimin—

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, his hands resting on the armrests.

The knuckles were slightly white—that meant they were exerting force.

He had been scolded by Wei Zheng more than once or twice.

But every time he hears the word "incompetent," his blood pressure still spikes.

Especially this time—

He knew perfectly well what would happen in three days.

He had seen Dimo ​​glow.

He had seen Shui Lanlan pour water into her teacup.

He had seen a swallowtail otter create a three-foot-deep crater by the force of a single tidal surge.

He had seen Hua Die cut his Xuan Tie sword into pieces.

He had seen pygmy fish blowing bubbles in the fish tank.

He was more confident than anyone else present.

But he couldn't say.

The fewer people who know about the Magical Artifacts Shop, the better—at least until elves appear on a large scale.

So he had no choice but to endure it.

"Wei Zheng." Li Shimin's voice was flat.

"Your subject is here!"

"Are you done talking?"

"Your Majesty... has a few more words to say!"

"No need."

Li Shimin raised his hand, signaling him to step back.

"I have noted everything you have said. If the drought has not eased in three days—"

"I personally wrote the edict of self-reproach."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

An edict of self-reproach!

The emperor himself said he would write an edict of self-reproach!

This means—

If nothing happens after three days, Li Shimin will have to admit his "guilt" in front of the whole world.

This bet is too big.

It was so big that even Wei Zheng was stunned.

"Your Majesty...is it true?"

"My words are law."

Li Shimin's tone was as firm as iron.

"But if the drought really does ease in three days—"

His gaze swept over the representatives of several aristocratic families in the civil official ranks—

"The one who spread the rumor that 'the emperor's virtue is lacking'—"

"I will settle this score with them personally."

The expressions on those people's faces changed instantly.

(＃`Д´)

After the court session ended, Fang Xuanling was kept behind by Li Shimin.

"Xuanling, do you think I've taken too big a gamble?"

Fang Xuanling remained silent for a while.

"Your Majesty, I have personally witnessed the abilities of those elves."

"A single blue water sprite can conjure a bowl of water out of thin air."

"Yesterday, I passed through the West Market and noticed that the ground within a radius of several hundred paces of the Magical Artifacts Shop was noticeably damp."

"and--"

He paused.

"My spirit told me something this morning."

"What is it?"

"It observed the reactions of everyone at today's court assembly," Fang Xuanling said.

"It tells me that even those most vehemently opposed officials from powerful families weren't shocked when His Majesty uttered the words 'edict of self-reproach.'"

"What is it?"

"I'm happy."

Li Shimin's gaze darkened.

happy.

When they heard that the emperor was going to risk his reputation by writing an edict of self-reproach—

Not worry, not shock,

Instead, they were happy.

Because they felt that Li Shimin was digging his own grave.

Because they were certain that it wouldn't rain in three days.

"These people..." Li Shimin's voice was very soft.

"Your Majesty, I understand." Fang Xuanling bowed slightly. "So, three days later—"

"Three days from now, I will make sure they're no longer laughing."

at the same time.

Chang'an City, Zhuque Avenue.

Noon.

The sun was still scorching, and there were few pedestrians on the street.

An old man selling water was resting by the roadside, carrying his load on a shoulder pole.

Since the drought began, water prices have tripled, and he can't earn much money even if he carries water to sell every day.

He sat by the roadside and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Then--

He saw something strange.

From the end of Suzaku Avenue,

A round, blue, transparent object is moving slowly.

It looks like a large, walking water droplet.

It has a small round shell on its head.

Two short little fins bounced on the ground.

It jumps once, and a small patch of ground gets wet.

It bounces, and another small patch gets wet.

It's like drawing a broken line of water on the road.

The old man rubbed his eyes.

Then I rubbed it again.

After confirming that I did not have heatstroke—

"What...what is this thing??"

He stood up, his eyes wide.

People around gradually noticed the little blue creature—

"Look!! What's that?!"

"It looks like... a water-based insect??"

"No! The ground was wet where it jumped!!"

"It's making water!!"

"It's making water!!!"

More and more people gathered around.

And that water bubble shell—

Yes, it's the same bubble-shelled creature that was gnawing on a cocoa pod outside the Magic Treasures Shop yesterday—

I don't know when I jumped out of the alley and onto Zhuque Street.

It stared blankly at the group of humans that had suddenly surrounded it.

He tilted his head.

"Bubble?"

Why are there so many people here?

Where is my cocoa?

A child squatted down nearby and curiously reached out to touch the bubble shell.

My fingertips touched its body surface.

It's cool.

slippery.

It is water.

Real, clear water.

The child looked up at his mother and said—

"Mother! This water bug is cold!! Colder than well water!!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

The blister shell, completely unaware of what was happening, simply tilted its head.

He opened his mouth—

"Pfft~"

It blew a bubble.

The bubbles floated into the air, sparkling in the sunlight.

Then it broke with a "pop"—

Small water droplets fell and landed on the faces of several onlookers.

It's cool.

It's wet.

For two months,

For the first time, the people of Chang'an experienced the sensation of water falling on their faces on the streets.

Someone laughed.

Some people were stunned.

Someone squatted on the ground, watching the wet waterline where the water bubble had jumped, and silently shed tears.

On the outskirts of the crowd—

A eunuch dressed in plain clothes was staring at all of this in disbelief.

He was Li Shimin's spy stationed near the West Market.

He quickly turned around and ran back to Taiji Palace.

He wanted to see everything he had seen today—

He reported to His Majesty without missing a single word.

……