Golden Mirror Shining Brightly
During the grand court assembly on the winter solstice, the hundred coiled dragon candles in Hanyuan Hall illuminated the night as if it were daytime.
Wu Zetian and Li Zhi jointly held golden scissors to complete the final sealing ceremony of the "Sun and Moon Code".
The moment the brocade box was opened, the courtiers were astonished to find a bronze mirror with a diamond pattern embedded in the title page of the legal code.
"By looking in a mirror, one can straighten one's clothes." Li Zhi stroked the inscription on the rim of the mirror, his voice clear and resonant like the striking of a jade chime. "By looking in a legal code, one can understand the rise and fall of dynasties."
Wu Zetian took Princess Taiping's small hand and gently touched the mirror. Immediately, the three figures were reflected in the mirror.
The little princess suddenly pointed to Li Zhi's temples in the mirror: "Daddy, you have white stars!"
(OS: This girl has a sharp eye! But compared to the premature aging recorded in history books, these few gray hairs are nothing.)
When Cheng Wuting and his generals presented the news of their victory in the Western Regions, they specially unfolded a sheepskin map.
However, the newly erected boundary markers on the Tibetan border were inscribed with the Thousand Character Classic in both Chinese and Tibetan scripts.
Di Renjie added with a smile, "The third batch of students at the Mengxue Academy graduated yesterday, and the Crown Prince of Goguryeo voluntarily requested to study the 'Tang Code with Commentary'."
"Good!" Li Zhi slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his posture as upright as a pine tree.
Wu Meiniang instinctively reached out to help him, but he pulled her into his arms.
The officials bowed their heads and chuckled softly, only the imperial physician murmured as he recorded: "His Majesty has stood for half an hour without showing any signs of dizziness..."
(OS: Looks like all those nightly rehabilitation exercises I did with him weren't for nothing!)
The celebration lasted until late at night. Next to the dragon throne where Li Zhi fell ill and fainted, there is now a couch designed by Wu Zetian.
He leaned against the couch, reviewing memorials, when he suddenly chuckled, "Meiniang, do you remember when I fell ill here in the first year of the Xianqing era, and you snatched the vermilion brush from me and wrote the memorials on my behalf?"
She pushed the warmed herbal tea towards him: "I also remember that some people secretly got up in the middle of the night to revise memorials, and were punished by Master Sun by being forced to drink three times the dose of Coptis chinensis."
Princess Taiping skipped over, clutching the legal code. The golden mirror reflected the new Kunlun jade hairpin in her hair—a coming-of-age gift specially made by Emperor Gaozong using the first batch of surplus grain transport.
(OS: History books say that Princess Taiping was arrogant and extravagant, but little did they know that her parents had already accumulated enough resources to ensure a prosperous era.)
As the fireworks lit up the sky at midnight, Li Zhi suddenly pointed outside the palace and said, "I wish to rename the Mingtang (Hall of Brightness) as the Altar of the Sun and Moon."
He traced his fingertips across the night sky, saying, "Let posterity know that where the sun and moon shine together, lies the heart of the Tang Dynasty."
As Wu Meiniang gazed at his clear profile in the fireworks, she recalled the Imperial Medical Bureau's diagnosis that morning: "His Majesty's vision impairment has subsided, and he can see even the finest details."
(OS: That's great, he can still see Taiping's coming-of-age ceremony and the prosperous era we created together.)
When the golden mirror containing the "Sun and Moon Code" hung forever in the Xuanzheng Hall, the historian added a humorous note to the daily records: "The Emperor and Empress were reading the code together when Princess Taiping drew on the mirror with her finger, and the three figures reflected in the mirror became an auspicious omen."
Only Wu Zetian knew that what Li Zhi whispered in her ear that night was actually: "My frail body has only lasted this long thanks to the Empress. I will accompany you to see Taiping get married and to see the world at peace."
(OS: From Ganye Temple to Riyuetan, we have finally torn a new chapter out of the history books.)
——
Empress Wu's Project Management Manual
Chapter 1 Requirements Analysis
1. Original requirement: To spend the rest of my life peacefully at Ganye Temple.
2. Change of requirements: Empress → Two Emperors Reigning → Creating a Prosperous Era
3. Reason for requirement change: The original requirement was found to have a risk of being manipulated by psychological manipulation (PUA).
Chapter Two: Stakeholder Management
1. Key Stakeholder Li Zhi:
Advantages: Good judgment (chosen me), receptive to advice
Risks: Wind speed, excessive dedication
Management plan: Daily acupuncture + forced rest + sweet interference
2. Secondary stakeholders:
Princes: Differentiated training is required (see "Prince Training SOP" for details)
Princess Taiping: Prioritize resources (after all, she could predict celestial phenomena).
Civil and military officials: KPI assessment + emotional care
Chapter 3 Risk Management
1. Li Zhi's health risks:
Response: Establishment of a special task force within the Imperial Medical Bureau
Contingency Plan: I will secretly study medicine.
2. Risks of Tibetan interference:
Response: Economic sanctions + cultural export
Innovative solution: Bring the other party's prince to school.
3. Corruption risks in the canal transport system:
Response: Audit system + random checks
Innovative Solution: Let Taiping Manage its Accounting Books (Significant Results)
Chapter Four: Innovative Practices
1. Establish the "International Elementary School"
Achievement: Crown princes from various countries can all recite the Thousand Character Classic.
Unexpected bonus: Taiping learned eight languages (songs from various countries).
2. Implement the "Sun and Moon Shining Together" management system.
Results: Decision-making efficiency improved by 50%
Side effect: Officials need to adapt to double the workload.
Chapter 5 Results Presentation
1. Li Zhifeng's cure rate: 98%
2. Increased efficiency of canal transport: 300%
3. Border conflicts reduced: 70%
4. Princess Taiping's skill points: Full
This manual is strictly prohibited from being distributed outside the scope of this manual, especially:
1. PPT content for Ganye Temple
2. Li Zhi pleaded with his wife to include this part in the KPIs.
3. Details of Taiping solving the case by examining the ledgers
(Note: If discovered by archaeologists a thousand years from now, please destroy this. Taiping, this matter is entrusted to you.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
