"How did travel permits and passes suddenly become a crime?"
Li Shimin felt that this descendant was being a little too nitpicky.
If people drifted and land went barren, tax revenue would suffer. If revenue fell short, national strength would decline.
And besides, if commoners were allowed to migrate freely, how would criminals who crossed prefectures and commanderies be captured?
How much additional manpower and resources would that require? And the bloated bureaucracy that would follow only needed a moment's thought to see endless future trouble.
Before anyone else could defend him, Li Shimin continued muttering to himself,
"Yet it can make culture flourish, wealth grow, and even earn the name of the dawn of the modern age…"
He tugged at his beard in frustration. The Emperor of Great Tang found himself genuinely torn.
Fang and Du exchanged knowing smiles. They understood the emperor's thoughts perfectly.
He wanted to claim that kind of praise for himself too.
And there was also more than a little unwillingness to accept Song getting the credit. After all, it was now fairly clear that the flourishing of Great Tang rested on the accumulated merits of Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and Sui. Likewise, Song's prosperity in culture, commerce, and technology also included Tang's foundation. Yet in the end…
So Du Ruhui advised,
"It is precisely because Your Majesty cares for the people that the descendant appears so overly critical."
Thinking it over, that did make sense. Li Shimin slowly nodded. He also recalled how the descendant evaluated Liu Bei's heir, praising on the surface while actually mocking rulers like Song's Huizong and Qinzong who brought disaster upon the state.
Not to mention the harsh words about his own great-grandson Li Longji, wishing he had died earlier.
Thinking of it that way, his mood eased quite a bit.
"As for the travel document system, perhaps it could be relaxed as circumstances allow…" Du Ruhui added, though even he was unsure.
On this point, the others mostly remained noncommittal.
"If our Tang can grow strong under this system, then there is no shortcoming. Why must we imitate a tiny state that lost battle after battle?"
Wei Zheng spoke up in opposition.
Fang Xuanling sat nearby looking half-asleep, but inwardly he understood the situation very well.
Wei Zheng was a Confucian scholar. Assisting a sage ruler to create a flourishing age was the lifelong ideal of such men. With Great Tang clearly on track to achieve prosperity step by step, he naturally did not wish to introduce unnecessary disturbances.
And if the model to imitate were some unmatched future dynasty, that would be one thing. But to imitate Song… even Fang Xuanling himself felt uncertain.
As for terms like tenancy system, manorial system, divided judicial authority, they would require private discussion before their true meanings could be grasped.
In the palace at Bianliang, the three Zhaos finally looked a little better.
There was no helping it. Whether it was Zhao Kuangyin who had been sitting here from the beginning, or Zhao Pu who arrived later, although they still did not fully understand the thousand-year panorama, they could all clearly feel later generations' opinions of Northern Song, of their Great Song.
The shame of losing the state still lingered in their minds. Suddenly hearing praise now felt strangely uncomfortable.
Zhao Pu seized the moment and cupped his hands.
"Later generations call our Great Song the dawn of the modern age, perhaps because Song institutions most resemble their own era."
"If we can remove abuses, cure deep-rooted problems, promote benefit for the people, unify the realm and move closer to later ages, surpassing Han and Tang may not be impossible."
These words made Zhao Guangyi roll his eyes slightly in irritation. But he also knew Zhao Pu had never truly played the role of a blunt remonstrator. Saying this at the right moment was only natural.
Still, for some reason, Zhao Guangyi increasingly found himself wishing he were the one being flattered by such words.
A rare trace of a smile appeared on Zhao Kuangyin's face. He felt even more that recalling Zhao Pu had been the right decision. Compared to those censors who sprayed him with saliva during court sessions, what Zhao Pu said now was like a spring breeze on the face.
But that smile quickly faded. He straightened his expression and said,
"Removing abuses and curing deep-rooted problems is easy to say, but how difficult to do. Yet for the sake of all under Heaven, breaking through ten thousand difficulties is what I, as emperor, must do."
This exchange now carried the flavor of a formal court dialogue. Whether willing or not, Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi hurriedly rose and called out,
"The Official Sage is enlightened."
Zhao Kuangyin modestly raised his hand, intending to go through the usual courtesy.
But in the small hall, an untimely cry of astonishment shattered this scene of harmonious ruler and ministers.
"Dragon!"
"It really is a dragon!"
Zhao Kuangyin had intended to scold them, but he was also curious about what could shock the young eunuch so much. He looked up at once and then exclaimed as well,
"It truly is a real dragon!"
"Can later generations truly command ghosts and spirits?"
Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi, still cupping their hands, looked up in a most undignified way. For a moment, they were also struck speechless.
A river separated the people from a massive light screen.
On one side of the river, commoners stood in pairs or with children in tow, pointing and gesturing at the opposite bank, which was lit as bright as day.
On the other side, a ribbon of lights stretched for miles. A giant light screen displayed fantastical scenes stretching north and south for miles. Skyscrapers rose nearby. And beside them, a dragon of lights coiled and spiraled upward.
The dragon of lights coiled for a moment, then exploded into blooming flowers, then transformed again into countless other scenes. The spectacle was endlessly magical and magnificent. Beside it appeared a line of text:
[Chengdu New Year's Eve, drone performance.]
Liu Bei and the others sprang to their feet at once. He immediately gave orders,
"Mengqi, Xianhe, close all doors and windows with me."
The purpose was obvious. Once the room darkened, the scenes on the light screen became even clearer.
Those as excited as Liu Bei and Kongming moved closer to watch.
Those too embarrassed to push forward, like Ma Chao, grabbed Jian Yong and kept asking questions.
The light-screen dragon continued to move. After a while it vanished and transformed into other patterns, leaving Liu Bei dazzled. He could not help but say,
"A dragon can be large or small, can hide or reveal its form, can soar through the cosmos. Is this a true dragon?"
Kongming laughed at once.
"This is engineering imagery. Where is any true dragon?"
Liu Bei blushed. Of course he had seen the small explanatory text. And during the descendant's tour of Chengdu, he had roughly learned what drones were for.
But even so, he was still deeply shaken.
Kongming and Pang Tong whispered to each other, roughly deducing the principle behind the ever-changing dragon of lights. If one could control a single drone, then one could control hundreds or thousands. Add lights to each small device, and they could be arranged into such scenes.
"But compared to Nuo rituals, this is far better to watch," Pang Tong laughed loudly.
Naturally so, Kongming muttered to himself. Nuo rituals still carried wishes to ward off calamity and seek blessings, and the torches used at night could not compare to the endlessly changing lights of later ages.
Glancing at the Chengdu citizens on the screen, laughing freely and without restraint, Kongming nodded in quiet satisfaction.
As the dragon's transformations gradually faded, the noisy cheers and laughter also subsided. When the light screen brightened again, everyone in Ganlu Hall suddenly stood up.
On the screen, sons and daughters of High Tang laughed joyfully. Tang warriors beat drums. The scene pushed forward. A city gate suddenly opened wide, and a scene of celebration burst into view.
Jade lanterns like trees. Crowds packed shoulder to shoulder. Lion dances and dragon dances filled the streets. Everyone in splendid dress. Celebration without leaving any regret for the year.