[Lightscreen]
[The Giant Panda's lineage had survived in China for millions of years, only to be pushed toward extinction by humans.
And get this: in 2009, a British naturalist named Chris Packham actually argued that the Giant Panda was an evolutionary dead end and questioned whether we should keep spending so much effort trying to save it.
I, Wen Mang, am just an uneducated guy, so I can only say to him: I will curse your Anglo-Saxon ancestors for eighteen generations! Do they not know how the wild panda population was decimated in the first place? The sheer audacity, the absolute gall!]
The heroes gathered did not fully grasp terms like evolution or Anglo-Saxon, but they knew arrogance when they heard it. Arrogant scholars looking down on the weak was a tune every generation had heard before.
Jian Yong shook his head, voice thick with sarcasm. "Truly, their tongues are smoother than flutes, yet their skin is thicker than city walls. Utterly shameless."
"Why did they not just fight back?" Zhang Fei thundered, temper flaring up fast. "Did this same kid not mention something called mobile territory earlier? If you have got the strength, why waste words? Hit back!"
Zhuge Liang, who rarely missed a detail, spoke calmly. "He used the word also when describing that kind of power. That suggests other nations held such strength before his time."
He paused, gaze thoughtful. "Just as under Emperor Wu, our armies chased the Xiongnu to the ends of the earth and carved our glory into the mountains. Yet later histories tell how Jin and Wei let our martial spirit fade, leading to the chaos of the Five Barbarians. The cycles of heaven do not spare anyone."
Pang Tong nodded gravely. "Dynasties rise and fall. A nation in decline is like a wounded stag surrounded by wolves. Those centuries of shame were likely born from just such a cycle."
[Lightscreen]
[Fortunately, we have established sixty-seven nature reserves. Today, the wild panda population tops 1,800, and they are no longer classified as endangered.
Scientifically, the Giant Panda is a treasure trove for studying evolution. First, their genome is ancient. Second, they are one of the rarest oddities around: a member of the order Carnivora that chose a vegetarian lifestyle.
For wildlife conservation, the panda is what we call a flagship species. Protect panda habitat, and you end up saving thousands of other species right along with them.]
"That white bear actually eats grass?"
Zhang Fei's jaw nearly hit the floor. He had been pretty proud of himself for wrestling what he thought was some fierce mountain beast into a crate. To find out the creature was strictly plant-eating made the whole thing feel faintly ridiculous.
Huang Yueying, always one to learn something new, carefully wrote the word Evolution onto her parchment.
Zhuge Liang smiled and added a few notes beside it: Why did the dinosaurs vanish? Why did the white bear endure?
The Lightscreen shifted. The camera view shook a little as Wen Mang walked into a structure that could only be described as a palace of glass and steel. Huge. Spotless. Cool. Built with purpose.
Then it sank in what they were looking at. This entire magnificent building existed solely for panda cubs.
"Unbelievable!" Zhang Fei blurted out. "Compared to this bear's den, the places we live in are practically dog kennels."
Every official in the room turned to stare at him at the exact same moment.
Zhang Fei coughed, looked down at his boots.
Oh crap. I just insulted my Big Brother's home.
On screen, a fluffy panda cub waddled into view. Next to its enclosure hung a plaque with two bold characters:
XUANDE
[Lightscreen]
[Come here, Xuande! Say hi to everyone watching! From now on, you are the official mascot of the channel!]
Liu Bei felt something settle heavy in his chest.
[Server Chat Log]
[@Bamboo_Sword_Saint: OMG Xuande is so cute! My heart cannot take it!
@Brotherhood_Of_The_Grove: Been a Xuande fan for ten years! Eat your bamboo and grow big!
@Irony_Sovereign_99: LOL who would have guessed the name Xuande would be famous again a thousand years later, because of a panda?
@Shadow_Intelligence_Net: When I saw the leaks online I did not believe it. The guy actually found a wild cub?
@Peach_Garden_Collector: Keep going Mang! Find two more. We need a Yunchang and a Yide to complete the set!
@Hermit_Of_The_Hidden_Peak: The Prime Minister: Thank goodness I dodged this bullet. I am safe!]
The whole hall turned as one to look at Liu Bei.
He kept his face perfectly composed, calm as ever. Only the tiniest twitch at the corner of one eye gave him away.
"To have one's name remembered after a thousand years is no small blessing," Liu Bei said smoothly. "Should we not be pleased that future generations speak it with such... fondness?"
Zhang Fei hesitated, hand half-raised. "Well, Big Brother... if the future folks love this white bear so much... maybe I should head back up the mountains? I could probably track down Xuande's mother and bring her in too."
Liu Bei's face went perfectly, motionless still.
---
Meanwhile, in Chang'an's Ganlu Hall centuries later, the mood was far grimmer.
July heat outside burned like fire, but inside the palace the air felt colder than frost.
Fang Xuanling carefully wrote down the final words from the Lightscreen:
[Next video in three months]
He and Du Ruhui exchanged a look. Who was going to talk His Majesty down?
Zhangsun Wuji stepped forward, calm as always. "Your Majesty, why so troubled? Last month Prince Zhi was born, and now this screen speaks of a Great Tang stretching 10,000 li. These are signs of great fortune."
At the mention of the Empress and their three sons, Li Shimin's expression softened. Just a little.
"What good is a 10,000-li empire if my descendants are cowards?"
His voice scraped like stone. "They abandoned Chang'an for Jiannan. They let the An-Shi Rebellion tear the realm apart. And then this woman from the Wu clan dares seize the throne?"
He paced slowly, his shadow long and sharp. "And those islanders. Those Wa people who threw away the title Emperor Guangwu granted them. Now they call themselves Japan? The Land of the Rising Sun? They dare invade our Nine Provinces alongside foreign powers?"
He let out a short, sharp laugh. "Just from that name alone, I could have them executed for defying Heaven itself!"
"Your Majesty," Fang Xuanling urged, setting down his brush. "Great crises are not solved in a day. We must plan carefully and act deliberately. Right now, our focus remains the Yuwen faction and rooting out those who remain disloyal."
Li Shimin's anger cooled, replaced by the sharp, ruthless focus of a conqueror. He began listing names as if writing a roll of judgment.
"Niu Fangyu, Xue Shiliang, Tang Fengyi, Gao Yuanli. Strip their titles. Seize their lands. Exile them to the malarial borders of Lingnan."
Du Ruhui wrote fast. "There is also Lu Zushang. He still refuses to take up his post in Jiaozhou."
Li Shimin's gaze turned icy. "What is the penalty?"
"Defying an imperial decree and ignoring court etiquette carries death by strangulation. Failing to report to post carries ten lashes per day, up to a year of penal labor. The law requires the heavier sentence."
"Then he is to be strangled," Li Shimin said. "Send his brother-in-law Zhou Fan to speak with him one last time. If he still refuses, carry out the sentence."
With those matters settled, he turned to what came next.
"Promote Li Jing to Minister of War and Acting Chancellor. Du Ruhui will oversee the Ministry of Justice. And Wei Zheng, that loud, outspoken critic, name him Director of the Palace Library. Let him attend court sessions and speak his mind to my face."
He paused, eyes burning with purpose. "Order Zhang Gongjin, Governor of Daizhou, to conduct a full, secret investigation into every movement of the Turks. Every horse. Every tent. Every dispute among their tribes."
The Lightscreen had given him only a few names. He meant to make the most of every single one.
"Construction on the Martial Temple starts immediately. And the general who wipes away our shame at the Weishui River will be the very first one honored there."
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui bowed together, brushes flying. Zhangsun Wuji finally asked the question weighing on them all.
"Why did the Lightscreen split into two parts today? That section about the white bear felt... out of place."
Li Shimin shook his head. "In the past, the main vision would end, and these images and texts would follow shortly after. It is almost as if this descendant is speaking directly to us."
"Are there records of these texts?" Wuji asked quickly.
"I have them," Li Shimin said, and pulled out a large sheet of paper.
The three ministers leaned in, expecting maps or strategies. What they saw was a lopsided sketch of a crossbow and several lines of messy, barely legible handwriting.
Li Shimin coughed into his sleeve, looking faintly embarrassed. "At first I thought I was just watching celestial performances. I did not realize I was supposed to be taking notes for the future of the empire."
Zhangsun Wuji dropped to his knees at once. "Your Majesty, if the Lightscreen appears again, I beg you to send for me at once. We will be your eyes and your hands."
"I will," Li Shimin said, his voice rising with a fierce new resolve. "We will unlock these celestial secrets. We will secure the Western Regions and wipe away our shame. We will bring the Korean peninsula to heel. And then... we will knock on the doors of those Wa islanders with the full strength of the Tang navy!"
He slammed his fist against the table. "I will crush every kingdom that dares threaten our future. This 10,000-li Tang... I will build it with my own hands!"
"Your servant Wuji is ready to give his life for this!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed low.