"This Kaiyuan era can stand alongside our Han dynasty's Rule of Wen and Jing," Liu Bei commented.
Strictly speaking, Ban Gu's Book of Han never used the phrase "Rule of Wen and Jing."
But to the Han figures present, the Tang dynasty's Kaiyuan prosperity did not fall far short of Han Wen and Jing at all.
After all, Ban Gu had recorded that during the Rule of Wen and Jing, coins in the capital were so abundant that the strings binding them rotted away before they could be counted, and the grain in the imperial granaries overflowed until it spoiled and became inedible.
Compared to that, the Kaiyuan era's "rice so plentiful it gleamed with oil, millet so white it spilled from storage" was hardly inferior.
As for the so-called two greatest golden ages in history, everyone firmly believed that Han Wen and Jing must claim one of those seats.
Jian Yong, always the quickest of mind, laughed loudly.
"If Emperor Xuanzong can call Kaiyuan a golden age, then the twenty-odd years from Jianyuan to Yuanshou under our Han Emperor Wu, with his unmatched military achievements, should also count as an age of good governance."
"By that reckoning, from Emperor Wen to the sixth year of Yuanshou, our Han enjoyed nearly a century of prosperity. A true model of a flourishing age."
The crowd nodded in agreement, except for Zhang Fei, who wore an expression of absolute certainty as he voiced a different opinion.
"If we're talking about the ultimate model of prosperity, then in the future it will be my elder brother."
Liu Bei looked at his third brother, his expression softening.
He patted the sturdy man on the shoulder, memories of years spent wandering homeless and dependent on others flashing before his eyes.
Flesh growing back on the thigh without wavering in resolve, leading the people across rivers without changing direction. Perhaps it was precisely this persistence, laughable to outsiders, that had moved Zhuge Liang, the Sleeping Dragon, and later earned the favor of descendants yet unborn, who through Heaven's mandate and the power of later science allowed them to witness the rise and fall of a thousand years.
Raising his head to gaze at the grand scene on the light screen, where envoys from myriad nations bowed beneath the imperial crown, Liu Bei spoke solemnly.
"I do not seek titles of nobility, but bear the trust of the common people."
"I do not crave eternal fame, only wish for the revival of the blazing Han."
"Let the treacherous be destroyed and the worthy employed. Let there be complete methods to save the world and bring peace to the people, and firm principles to strengthen the state and secure the realm."
"This is what we desire. We dare not withhold our full effort."
Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Jian Yong, and the others all clasped their hands in acknowledgment. Even Zhang Fei and Ma Chao answered with solemn respect.
Lu Su was swept up with the others and rose to his feet. Seeing everyone around him standing in perfect harmony with Liu Bei as ruler and ministers, while he alone did not quite know where he belonged, he felt deeply awkward. In the end, he could only follow suit and clasp his hands.
"Only today do I truly understand Lord Xuande's grand ambition."
Liu Bei chuckled, the smile dispelling much of the solemn air in the hall. With a hint of meaning, he said,
"When Zijing comes to understand the boundlessness of the universe, he will surely share our path."
Watching Liu Bei's bearing, Lu Su felt his heart waver. Fortunately, Lord Xuande showed the restraint of a true gentleman and did not press him further. Lu Su returned the gesture with grace.
"I shall await that day."
To be honest, after witnessing the scenes on the light screen and hearing Pang Shiyuan briefly recount the rise and fall of dynasties over several centuries, Lu Su found himself recalling the letters Zhuge Liang had written him over the past few years, and many new suspicions quietly surfaced.
He remembered Zhuge Liang once writing with great seriousness that there was no Chang'e fairy on the moon, nor a Jade Rabbit in a lunar palace. Several letters had also lavishly praised the idea that "a gentleman excels at borrowing the power of things."
Lu Su had once thought this meant nothing more than stronger armor and sharper weapons. After all, the arms forged in Gong'an already enjoyed a solid reputation in Jiangdong.
That was why, when renewing the alliance with Guan Yu, Lu Su had sought iron-smelting techniques from Jing Province.
But now it seemed his thinking had been far too conservative.
Could it be that Zhuge Liang and the others had already used the light screen to peer into the mysteries of the sun, moon, and stars?
At that moment, Lu Su felt a faint stir of envy.
Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong exchanged a glance, everything conveyed within their smiles.
[Lightscreen]
[Some claim that Wu Zetian, acting out of personal ambition, sealed off all future possibilities for women to ascend the throne.
In truth, rather than cutting off the path, Wu Zetian demonstrated the immense difficulties of female rulership and offered a warning to those who came after.
Three hundred years after Wu Zetian's death, Empress Dowager Liu E, ruling from behind the curtain, donned imperial robes and accepted the title of Sage Empress Dowager, as proposed by the court and Emperor Renzong of Song.
Several years later, Court Gentleman Fang Zhonggong submitted a memorial urging Liu E to "follow the precedent of Empress Wu." In the end, Liu E declined, bringing the matter to a close that left both ruler and ministers satisfied.
Although later histories often group Empress Lü, Wu Zetian, and Liu E together, in reality these three women differed greatly in their governing styles and the challenges they faced. In particular, Wu Zetian and Liu E, closer in time, were nearly complete opposites.
In fact, even setting aside gender, Wu Zetian was among the most high-profile emperors in all of antiquity.
She renamed the Three Departments and Six Ministries. She frequently changed era names and issued mass amnesties. She drove her own children to death and ordered the execution of her grandchildren. She openly employed cruel officials to eliminate opponents. She seized the wealth of an entire state for her own use.
Her reign was defined by ruthlessness. The entire empire was like a toy in her palm, handled at will.
Liu E was entirely different. Born into poverty, she never ceased studying. History's final verdict on her was that she "possessed the talent of Lü and Wu, but not their cruelty."
She lived simply, never indulged in luxury, treated others kindly without resorting to sinister methods, and almost never destroyed political rivals by physical elimination. In this, she stood in stark contrast to Wu Zetian.
Moreover, most of her policies during her regency were practical measures that genuinely benefited the state and the people.
If Emperor Zhenzong of Song forcing a grand Fengshan ceremony despite his poor military record can be counted as ending the tradition of imperial Fengshan rituals, then his other major achievement was his unwavering decision to marry Liu E as empress.
While Zhenzong lived, he imitated Wu Zetian by fabricating auspicious omens to justify Fengshan, staging divine revelations and indulging in superstition.
In the decade following the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Liao state received enormous annual tribute while watching the Song court lavishly build temples and conduct rituals praying for heavenly texts to descend, like spectators watching fools deceive themselves.
Ten years later, Zhenzong finally died. When Liu E assumed regency, her first act was to order all so-called "heavenly texts" across the realm confiscated and buried with Zhenzong, finally ending the farce.
Beyond this, restraining factional strife, constructing waterworks, establishing remonstrance offices, and promoting prefectural schools were all concrete achievements during Liu E's rule.
The one policy that remains debatable was the issuance of jiaozi.
In the second year of her regency, burdened by the mess Zhenzong left behind, bloated armies, bloated bureaucracy, and the need to pay annual tribute to Liao, Liu E approved the establishment of the Yizhou Jiaozi Office to issue paper currency.
From a historical perspective, this advanced the development of paper money.
But in practical terms, officials of the era barely understood metallic currency systems, let alone a credit-based currency like jiaozi.
Once brought under official control, jiaozi were rapidly overissued and abused. In the end, after extracting the people's wealth, the notes became worthless paper, worsening the Northern Song's economic problems.
Overall, with Empress Lü and Wu Zetian as cautionary precedents, Liu E's restraint earned her a favorable posthumous reputation. This was her greatest difference from Wu Zetian.
As for comparing her with the Qing dynasty's Empress Dowager Cixi, who issued a declaration of war against all nations, that is best left aside.
After all, a functionally illiterate woman and three accomplished female statesmen would have little to discuss together.]