A victory report weighing barely three qian could be tucked into a courier's clothes and rushed day and night, covering six hundred li a day straight to Chang'an.
A bandit khan weighing over one hundred and fifty jin, like Tuyuhun's Khan Fuyun, could not be delivered that way.
Even if Li Shimin stood on Shuntian Gate every day, craning his neck together with the people of Chang'an, it would make no difference.
Just as the Emperor of Great Tang had ordered before, drums were beaten and victory songs were sung, good news spreading through Chang'an.
For the people of Chang'an, this victory report was, to some extent, something they had already expected.
Just look at Jieli. From extorting wealth at the Wei River to now dancing in the palace to please His Majesty, only four short years had passed.
There were even rumors that because Jieli's dance performances had become so famous, some nobles in Chang'an were now paying high prices for Turkic slaves, thinking their ferocity was just for show, and that they were actually good at singing and dancing. That topic, however, was drifting too far.
Now that another great victory had arrived, beyond eagerly awaiting the spectacle of captives being presented at the imperial city, the people of Chang'an were also hoping for more practical benefits.
Cheaper Hu slaves. Fatter and tastier sheep. And the famous Qinghai salt that was said to be especially fine.
Even many young maidens with spring in their hearts were full of longing.
Galloping on horseback beyond the frontier and striking down the Hu. How could that not be a true man's romance?
As ten days passed and July arrived, Li Shimin leaned on the railing at Shuntian Gate, a trace of regret in his heart.
"Yaoshi still couldn't make it in time for this light screen."
Behind him, Chu Suiliang calmly wrote and drew as usual. As he grew more familiar with His Majesty, he gradually felt that his emperor's mind was, frankly speaking, a little not normal.
For example, when in high spirits, His Majesty would sometimes tell him that the land beneath their feet was actually a ball, yet could not clearly explain why people standing on that ball did not fall off.
He would also speak with grand ambition about a great island far south of Jiaozhou, an island even larger than Great Tang itself, with iron ore everywhere underground, declaring that he would surely incorporate it into Tang territory to provide iron for the descendants of Huaxia for thousands of years.
Chu Suiliang would clap enthusiastically, then ask His Majesty for evidence, whether from returning fishermen or sea charts. As expected, there was none.
In addition, there were claims of weapons that could strike enemies a thousand li away with power like heavenly thunder, craftsmen's creations that used fake iron as wings to soar through the sky, building heavenly palaces with human strength, and using ancient sages to name the stars. All of this came from His Majesty's mouth and was faithfully recorded by Chu Suiliang in the court diary.
The simple conclusion he finally reached was this.
His Majesty had great ambition, but also seemed to be troubled by mental delusions and spoke many fanciful words.
That in itself was not too serious. From what Chu Suiliang had seen, delusions were delusions, but when it came to handling state affairs, His Majesty was still sharp, decisive, and clearly wise.
So Chu Suiliang began to consider whether he should find time to visit Physician Sun.
Treating hidden illnesses of chancellors and bringing nobles back from the brink of death had earned Sun Simiao a great reputation throughout Chang'an. Powerful families and high officials all rushed to seek him out. If Li Shimin had not deliberately protected him with Imperial Guards stationed at the Medical Bureau, Sun Simiao would probably not have had a single moment of rest.
Thus, how to arrange a visit to Physician Sun became Chu Suiliang's first real problem.
Because of this, when he heard His Majesty sigh about the light screen again at Shuntian Gate, Chu Suiliang gathered his courage and reported.
"This minister requests a written order from Your Majesty to visit Physician Sun."
Li Shimin turned back and carefully looked at Chu Suiliang, then asked warmly.
"Does my beloved minister have a hidden illness?"
Chu Suiliang froze on the spot. After stammering for a moment, he forced out a reason.
"This minister has obtained an ancient medical text at home and wishes to present it to Physician Sun."
Li Shimin nodded in understanding.
"If it is not urgent, then hand it to Physician Sun tomorrow at Ganlu Hall."
This was not because he was stingy with a written order. In truth, Li Shimin was more worried about causing misunderstandings.
At present, Divine Physician Sun had death-row prisoners supplied by the Court of Judicial Review on the inside and Imperial Guards on the outside. Every few days he had to help people "broaden their minds." If Chu Suiliang directly ran into this, it would be somewhat troublesome to explain.
In that case, it was better to wait until tomorrow when they watched the light screen, meet properly in full official attire, and avoid many complications.
Chu Suiliang immediately regretted it.
He might as well have admitted he had a hidden illness.
Tomorrow, if he saw Divine Physician Sun, where was he supposed to find an ancient medical text?
The next day, Chu Suiliang still rose early and was the first to arrive at the palace.
But this time, something was slightly unexpected.
The one who greeted him was not a sleepy emperor, but Li Shimin already fully dressed and eating breakfast.
Counting the days, today was only the third day of the seventh month. It was neither a regular court session nor a secondary court session.
Could it be that the sun was really rising from the west today?
Chu Suiliang craned his neck to look outside. Unfortunately, it was still pitch black, and he could not yet tell where the sun would rise.
Li Shimin leisurely wiped his mouth after finishing his meal and waved his hand casually.
"Go to Ganlu Hall."
Chu Suiliang's spirits immediately lifted.
As a court diarist, even when His Majesty went to the latrine, he had to follow. Calling him a close attendant would not be an exaggeration.
Yet even so, he had never seen the inside of Ganlu Hall. It was truly unusual.
His father, Chu Liang, had told him that Ganlu Hall was lined with bookshelves, with silver inkstones for grinding ink and silver boxes for holding paper. When the Son of Heaven studied there, scholars would enter the hall to stand by and answer questions for the ruler.
But in the two months since Chu Suiliang took office as court diarist, the doors of Ganlu Hall had not been opened even once. His Majesty mostly went to Taiji Hall, Liangyi Hall, and Yanjia Hall, either handling state affairs, reading and listening to lectures, or practicing calligraphy. Ganlu Hall was as if it did not exist.
And now, was he finally going to see this mysterious Ganlu Hall?
Following His Majesty's steps into the hall, Chu Suiliang dutifully retreated to a corner and began carefully observing the furnishings of Ganlu Hall, which he had never seen before.
With just a quick glance, Chu Suiliang confirmed a single thought.
His Majesty had an illness on the surface level. If not treated, it would surely deepen.
To put it plainly.
His Majesty's condition was really not light.
All those things His Majesty had spoken of before could now be found reflected in these paintings.
That great island. The claim that the land beneath their feet was a sphere. And more.
For someone to spend this much effort, Chu Suiliang could not tell whether His Majesty had ordered painters to create images based on his delusions, or whether he first had painters make absurd paintings and then spoke delusional words to match.
Either way, it seemed that Physician Sun would have to give his full effort.
He pinched the medical text hidden in his sleeve, his expression firm.
This ancient text was something he had forged overnight.
What was written inside was not medical theory at all, but a detailed record of His Majesty's recent absurd statements, ending with heartfelt words urging Physician Sun to take the matter seriously and provide treatment.
This was the most secure method Chu Suiliang could think of.
The only thing that did not quite make sense was that blood-and-tears poem "Ballad of the Qin Woman." Chu Suiliang planned to probe indirectly tonight to see whether his father had secretly written it at His Majesty's request.
However, after waiting in Ganlu Hall until the si hour with these thoughts, Chu Suiliang began to waver in his judgment more than ever before.
The dukes and chancellors were all present, and they all seemed quite accustomed to the furnishings of Ganlu Hall.
Moreover, whether it was an illusion or not, Chu Suiliang felt that the chancellors' gazes toward him had become much friendlier, especially Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling, whose smiles even carried a hint of kindly affection.
By the time the Empress arrived, Chu Suiliang finally felt that his own judgment might, possibly, truly be wrong.
Li Shimin, however, was still completely unaware. When Sun Simiao arrived, he laughed loudly and called out.
"Dengshan, did you not say yesterday that you had an ancient medical text at home for King of Medicine Sun to take a look at?"
Sun Simiao's eyes lit up, his gaze full of anticipation as he looked at Chu Suiliang.
The court diarist's face flushed slightly. Facing His Majesty's question, he chose to go against the flow.
"May Your Majesty first resolve this minister's confusion. What, exactly, is the light screen?"