The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Wang Shichong occupied Luoyang. After the Tang army captured Luoyang, they were ordered to transport the Luoyang library by boat along the Yellow River to Chang'an.

The fleet ran aground and sank near Sanmenxia, ​​losing eight or nine out of ten of its books, with very few surviving.

Including those lost or burned during the war, by the Wude era, the imperial library was almost a complete ruin.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he tried to rebuild the royal library. Yan Shigu, as the Secretary of the Imperial Library, played the most important role of purchasing and collecting books and selecting sons of officials of the fifth rank and above to copy them, so as to gradually accumulate the library.

During this period, the imperial library was in the early stages of reconstruction, with a small number of books, mixed editions, and many errors and omissions, making it far inferior to those of other libraries.

Therefore, Li Shimin was quite pleased with this.

"Excellent, well done. If the Wang family wants to participate, let them participate." Li Shimin was in a good mood. "Anyway, there are six examiners. They will take three, and we will take three. In the final palace examination, I will be the chief examiner!"

"However... since the Wang family has such great courage and has already taken the lead, shouldn't we try to win over the Li family of Zhao County?"

Li Shimin looked hopeful; who would complain about having too few books in their collection?

Chen Huai'an pondered, "We can give it a try, but whether it succeeds or not is not really important."

"The most urgent task is to spread the news that the Wang family provided the books. We should say: The Wang family of Taiyuan is a man of great virtue, supporting education and culture, turning private interests into public good, and making a contribution to the cultural heritage!"

"At the same time, when they provide the books, have the Ministry of Rites hold a grand ceremony in Chang'an, and have the Wang clan patriarch personally escort the first batch of books into the Imperial Academy."

"By making this a world-renowned event, we will block their path of reneging or secretly colluding."

Chen Huai'an said meaningfully, "Once you're on the stage, there's no going back!"

"Hahahaha!" Li Shimin laughed, raising his hand to point at Chen Huai'an, "You, you're still as ruthless as ever!"

"So, are you going to submit a memorial, just to make a show of it, and then have me issue an edict to invite the esteemed scholar Wang Moumou to serve as an academician of the Hongwen Academy and lead the proofreading and compilation of the new classics?"

"It's not impossible," Chen Huai'an agreed. "In that case, if we unify the interpretation of the classics, we will have the endorsement of the Cui family of Boling, the Wang family of Taiyuan, and a host of other prestigious families such as the Yan family, the Xiao family, and the Du family."

"From then on, the official interpretation of the classics was able to gain a firm foothold."

"I don't think it's just that," Li Shimin said noncommittally. "You're still forcing people to take sides."

"The Lu family, the Cui family of Qinghe, and the Zheng family reacted the most strongly, but the Li family of Zhao County inevitably had their own thoughts after seeing that the Wang family had reached a cooperation agreement with you."

"You want to force them to take sides?"

"How could that be?" Chen Huai'an shook his head. "Since I swaggered out and wandered around for so long today, I guess some people have already guessed quite a bit. The Li family of Zhao County will be coming to find me soon."

"They don't need to be forced."

"I already reserved places for them. If they're not stupid, why would they want to be the ones who follow the rules when they're the ones who make them?"

Li Shimin turned his head and said, "Aren't you afraid...they'll think, 'If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'?"

"But there's another saying: 'Better to die for a friend than for myself!'" Chen Huai'an said earnestly. "Furthermore, after so many years of inheritance, arrogance is ingrained in the very bones of these five clans and seven noble families!"

"Especially the two families of Cui, Lu, and Zheng."

"They don't believe their family will ever be wiped out; at most, they'll decline for a while while we're alive!"

Li Shimin wholeheartedly agreed with this.

The arrogance of the five surnames and seven noble families was truly ingrained in their very bones.

Those who don't live in this era can never imagine the extent of their power, their influence, and even their arrogance.

"So when do you plan to bring out movable type printing?" Li Shimin asked.

Chen Huai'an blinked: "It's not that I want to bring out movable type printing, but rather that Your Majesty intends to bring out movable type printing."

"I have already presented the items to Your Majesty; my word is not enough."

Li Shimin chuckled, "Alright, alright, enough with the formalities. So, when do you think would be the best time for me to bring out movable type printing?"

"I believe that when the Li family of Zhao County aligns themselves with Your Majesty, and the benefits of the new imperial examination system, the unification of Confucian classics, and the new papermaking and printing technologies are divided up among the three families, then it will be time to introduce movable type printing." Chen Huai'an breathed a sigh of relief.

"At that time, a new situation will be formed, which will be enough to maintain stability for a long time, and Your Majesty will have ample time to resolve internal and external troubles."

Li Shimin thought for a moment and then instructed, "Don't underestimate them. You must always be careful, especially you. You need to pay more attention to your safety in the future."

"Given your status, you can certainly gather a group of people. You'd better protect your own family."

"I will not interfere in these matters. You should be aware of this yourself, after all, you are no longer alone."

"Do you understand?"

Chen Huai'an listened to these words, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Li Shimin could have openly used the pretext of protecting his family to conduct surveillance, but he did not do so. Instead, he chose the approach least in line with the principles of an emperor.

This is very un-emperor-like, but very Li Shimin-like!

Erfeng... she's still a good friend!

Chen Huai'an chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. There are countless heroes in the world, and I will never underestimate anyone."

"Like the Wang family, they almost accurately guessed my plans, and not only showed their sincerity, but also gave us what we need most right now."

"This is merely the Wang family, which appears to be the weakest among the five prominent families and seven powerful clans. How dare I underestimate others?"

"That's good." Li Shimin knew that the other party was aware of the situation and felt relieved.

He then stood up, walked to the entrance of Xiande Hall, gazed at the sky outside, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Huai'an, may I ask you a question?"

Chen Huai'an followed, falling slightly behind Li Shimin by half a step: "What does Your Majesty wish to ask?"

"Since the Zhenguan era, the Tang Dynasty has been plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities. Sometimes, I can't help but begin to doubt myself. Tell me... how long will this situation continue?"

Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back, his tone dejected.

"How could I possibly fathom the thoughts of Heaven?" Chen Huai'an followed his gaze upwards. "However, no matter how long it lasts, life goes on."

"Besides, natural disasters have occurred in every dynasty."

"Emperor Yao had nine years of floods, and Emperor Tang had seven years of drought, but so what? They still made it through in the end, didn't they?"

"We were just saying that heroes are as numerous as carp crossing a river, but we are the leaders among them!"

"Regardless of the outcome, we must remember that human determination can overcome nature!"

"..."