Chapter 493: Chapter 36: Tribute from All Nations, Scientific Progress

The Great Tang’s court is now vibrant, the abilities of the rulers and ministers are extraordinary.

But this does not mean there won’t be opportunists among them.

For them, history offers too many examples where seizing an opportunity can overturn the heavens, leading to a swift rise to power.

And most importantly—

They all feel that an emperor like Li Shimin, who pursues the ultimate, would not choose a cripple to inherit the throne.

This undoubtedly amplifies their ambitions.

Li Shimin is fully aware of the severity of this matter, and he understands too well the reality of it.

Often, once someone takes that initial step, it develops into something that cannot be undone in the future.

He must put an end to all of this.

But before that, Li Shimin asked Gu Zi a question: "Yunzhi, what do you think of the Crown Prince’s character?"

And Gu Zi’s answer was equally simple.

He did not want to ponder Li Shimin’s intentions, simply responding truthfully based on Li Chengqian’s personality.

— Perfectly virtuous and extremely filial.

This is already a very high evaluation.

Li Shimin understood the Gu Clan’s way of handling matters and said no more. The next day, he announced in the court that Li Chengqian would enter official governance, and not just attend as a listener as was usually the case.

He intended this move to extinguish any thoughts in people’s minds.

Some things need not be spoken too clearly.

And this action of his had its effect; now, though the ministers’ ambitions had just begun to sprout, an emperor with as illustrious a reputation as Li Shimin could easily put a stop to them.

That year, there wasn’t any major event throughout the Great Tang.

Nor was there a need for too many adjustments.

For the Great Tang now, what it truly needed was to thoroughly digest everything currently at hand.

Northern Border, Hetao, Western Regions, and even Lingnan. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Everything required time to be thoroughly digested.

Li Shimin could not choose to deploy troops at such a time.

Yet despite this, the influence of the Great Tang continued to grow with each passing day.

This is an inevitable phenomenon.

Although Li Shimin did not carry out large-scale institutional changes, he never let up on supervising governance and the imperial examinations, and as the national treasury became more robust, he continued to lower taxes.

All this was extremely important for the development of national power in a feudal dynasty.

Moreover, with a stable situation and increasingly prosperous commerce.

How could the influence of the Great Tang fade?

The tribute of all nations!

Yes, the tribute of all nations!

In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, on the occasion of Li Shimin’s birthday, emissaries from all surrounding countries traveled to the Great Tang to congratulate Li Shimin.

Initially, Li Shimin did not want to orchestrate such a grand event.

But from the day he became emperor, his personal affairs could no longer be called personal.

The emperor has no personal affairs!

The ministers advised Li Shimin to hold celebrations, and grand ones at that!

The reason was simple as well.

The Great Tang needed to promote culture.

Yes, as economic development continued to advance, cultural development could not fall behind. The cultural atmosphere of Kyushu had to be invigorated to better influence all directions.

This reason was one Li Shimin could not refuse.

A splendid celebration was held throughout Chang’an.

Delegates from myriad nations stood in sequence, their attires colorful as if painting the land with shades of the rainbow.

The Persian ambassadors, dressed in gold-threaded brocade, presented a massive Luminous Pearl and exotic beasts;

Indian monks offered greetings with clasped hands, the relics in jewel boxes shining brightly;

The envoys from Goryeo and Silla bowed deeply, presenting exquisite mother-of-pearl lacquerware and trained falcons;

The Tubo chieftains offered snow-white yaks and entire tiger skins;

Moreover, an envoy from Folin Country brought glassware embedded with jewels, prompting gasps of astonishment.

Rare treasures, spices, jewels, precious fabrics, a dazzling array, piled as high as mountains, reflecting the unparalleled glory of the Great Tang.

They revered the emperor who stood above the crowd, eager to showcase the very best of their countries.

Yes, it was reverence.

Perhaps when they first arrived in the Great Tang, they held some disdain, but upon witnessing the magnificence of Kyushu and the grand city of Chang’an, only awe remained in their hearts.

Li Shimin had an artist paint, and he inscribed it himself, naming it "The Tribute of All Nations," sealing it with the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, and bestowed it to the Gu Clan.

Such a reward would make anyone envious.

The current golden age is here.

Who could not speculate on how future generations would evaluate the Zhenguan era, and Li Shimin?

This painting was destined to be a masterpiece for the generations!

Not just because of the great artist who painted it; having Li Shimin’s own inscription was already enough.

But unfortunately, they were ultimately not the Gu Clan.

Li Shimin was not stingy with rewards, nor would he give them such things; while he might seal a painting, the seal was not to be given.

Gu Yi did not pay excessive attention to these.

Initially, when he entered the game, he was curious about all of this, but now his heart was very calm.

For the Gu Clan.

This was still not the end!

What truly caught his attention was that the artisans of the Gu Clan had invented a water level warning clock!

This was entirely beyond Gu Yi’s expectations.

Ever since he manipulated Gu Ye during the Yan Han period, the Gu Clan never ceased cultivating craftsmen.

Over the years, indeed, many things were created.

While they provided some help in various aspects, they were not enough to warrant Gu Yi’s attention.

This time was different!

The advantages of mathematical development were fully realized after so many years, as this water level warning clock involved calculations with buoyancy, paired with gears.

Though in modern eyes, this device could not be deemed advanced, as it didn’t perform real-time calculations but rather pre-set valve-triggered mechanisms.

It was still sufficient to be considered a groundbreaking creation!

Because this represented that today’s Kyushu had already started to leverage mathematics.

Gu Yi remembered very clearly.

In the original history, this required an extremely lengthy process.

Although the "Floating-Hammer Problem" in the "Nine Chapters of Mathematical Art" indicated that as early as the Eastern Han period, the ancestors in our country had already discovered the laws of floating bodies, they were still far from utilizing buoyancy.

This was already nearly five hundred years ahead of the West!

What did this signify?

As long as Kyushu does not experience great chaos and its cultural development doesn’t come to long interruptions as in original history,

The development across Kyushu will greatly exceed that of the West!

This is self-evident for the entire Kyushu!

When he saw all of this, even Gu Yi could not help but feel his heart stirring.

This proved that his initial thoughts were not wrong!

This move was not only beneficial to the entire Kyushu but was also immensely significant for the Gu Clan, tantamount to a milestone for all of Kyushu.

He needed to ensure that the Gu Clan continually controlled the most core technologies, in addition to the clan’s prestige across Kyushu.

This will be the key condition for the Gu Clan’s eternal legacy and glorious prosperity!

Countless ideas flitted through Gu Yi’s mind, yet he did not act hastily.

Such matters cannot be rushed.

All developments require time.

If Gu Yi were to manipulate things directly, causing a massive upheaval across Kyushu, regardless of whether Li Shimin agreed or not, the people deeply rooted in feudal thought would destroy the Gu Clan.

The enjoyable, thrilling plots of online novels can never be applied to real situations.

The current trend of development was already very good.

Indeed, Li Shimin was a very wise emperor, and he also showed considerable interest in the water level warning clock invented by the Gu Clan.

After conducting some research.

He immediately decided to use it nationwide.

Major disasters will not cease, and Li Shimin was very aware of this; he would not become complacent due to two or three years without disasters in the empire.

And as the celebration fully concluded, he also began cultural education.

This was not about the imperial examinations.

He started to lead the ministers in venerating ancestors, including not just Gu Chen but also numerous admirable figures in history, promoting their virtues to the world.

Bo Yi, Shu Qi—who did not eat Zhou grains.

Jiezitui—humble and uninterested in fame and fortune, cutting his own flesh to save his lord.

Qu Yuan—who gave his life for his country, commemorated during the Dragon Boat Festival, and so on, and so forth.

Indeed, these were not major events worth noting, nor could Li Shimin hold massive rituals.

But in this era, things were this way.

The actions of an emperor, though unnoticeable, can influence many things.

And precisely because of this—

The literary ethos across the Great Tang flourished even more, and the culture belonging to Kyushu was spreading in all directions at an astounding pace.

....

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