Li Shimin’s eyes were filled with excitement as he listened. Grasping Li Chunfeng’s hand, he beamed with a face full of smiles.
"Minister Li, your words are reasonable! It is just that I do not know where this Sky Screen originates, or whether its sudden appearance is a blessing or a curse."
Hearing Li Shimin’s words, Li Chunfeng remained unhurried and began counting on his fingers. After a short while, he had made his calculations, his face bearing an expression of understanding.
"Your Majesty, I have just calculated that this Sky Screen comes from future generations! As for its appearance, it is an absolute blessing for our Great Tang. Perhaps it contains some divine secrets!"
Li Shimin furrowed his brows, appearing incredulous.
"This Sky Screen comes from future generations? Are those generations truly so advanced? Li Chunfeng, tell me, what kind of world is this future world?"
Li Chunfeng fanned his horsetail whisk and stroked his greying beard.
"Your Majesty, the answer to what the future world is like lies hidden within the Sky Screen itself!"
...
The video on the Sky Screen continued.
"However, the newly unified dynasty was reduced to ashes under the incompetence of the Second Emperor of Qin, and the Great Qin Empire collapsed in a roar!"
Great Qin Plane.
Qin Shi Huang, who had previously been in high spirits, became extremely agitated upon seeing the text appear on the screen. He muttered to himself:
"The Great Qin to fall in the second generation? The Great Qin relied on the strength of six generations of ancestors to push east into the world! And it falls in the second generation?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Qin Shi Huang’s voice trembled. He could not fathom that the foundation he had worked so hard to build had been squandered by his son.
The gathered court officials knelt down in a hurry, shouting loudly:
"Your Majesty, calm your anger! Your Majesty, calm your anger!"
The hollow, powerless voices echoed in the air, sounding feeble and weak.
Qin Shi Huang’s eyes were bloodshot. He descended from the dais and grabbed Li Si by the collar.
"Prime Minister Li, you tell me! Did I not do well enough? Since ascending the throne, I have never been lazy for a single day. I work diligently until late every night, yet... yet why would the Great Qin fall in the second generation?"
Li Si, having no way of knowing these things and having never seen Qin Shi Huang so enraged, could only respond cautiously:
"Your Majesty, perhaps Prince Fusu was led astray by treacherous people! Besides, since the Sky Screen has revealed this, can you not prevent it from happening?"
Upon hearing Li Si’s words, Qin Shi Huang finally regained a measure of his reason.
"Hm, Minister Li speaks wisely! As long as I know of these matters in advance, why should I fear that they will happen again?"
"Zhao Gao! Issue the order—use fast horses to whip the messengers so that Fusu returns to see me at once!"
Zhao Gao stole a glance at Li Si. They had gone to such great lengths to send Fusu away to build the Great Wall; if the Emperor were to recall him, all their efforts would be for naught!
"Your Majesty, Prince Fusu is currently overseeing the construction of the Great Wall. If you summon him back rashly, I fear—"
Qin Shi Huang’s eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, fixed on Zhao Gao. He raised his tone:
"Hm? Zhao Gao, do you dare tell me how to do my job?"
Scared by this roar, Zhao Gao collapsed to the floor and crawled out of the hall. Qin Shi Huang watched the Sky Screen, his gaze deep, lost in his own thoughts.
Great Han Plane.
Emperor Wu of Han watched the Great Qin on the screen, his eyes filled with pity.
"The Great Qin Empire is truly a pity, falling in the second generation. If Qin Shi Huang could have lived for a thousand years, I fear it would not have been my Great Han’s turn to rule!"
Dong Zhongshu looked at the Great Qin Empire and could not help but sigh.
"Your Majesty, the replacement of dynasties is inevitable! The next to be discussed should be my Great Han. Our Great Han is strong and prosperous; I wonder what the Sky Screen will say about us!"
Emperor Wu of Han nodded, standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the distant Sky Screen. He, too, was looking forward to seeing how the screen would evaluate the Great Han!
Great Ming Plane.
Zhu Yuanzhang stood on the city wall with his hands behind his back, watching the enormous Sky Screen intently.
"Li Shanchang, you say that Qin Shi Huang unified the weights and measures, the currency, and built the Great Wall, yet it fell in the second generation. Why, exactly, did this happen?"
Li Shanchang bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang, looked at the distant screen, and thought for a moment before saying:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe the reasons for the fall of the Great Qin lie primarily in these three aspects:
First, although the Great Qin Empire was powerful, it continued the harsh laws of Wei Yang, which caused the empire to disintegrate rapidly.
Second, the Great Qin Empire had no successor. Qin Shi Huang did not designate one in time, which allowed Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin, to exploit the situation when the state began to collapse.
Third, Qin Shi Huang consumed a vast amount of national strength for further expansion, leading to a hollow and depleted state..."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement.
"Hm, Prime Minister Li’s words are sensible!"
The video on the Sky Screen continued.
"Liu Bang led an uprising after slaying the white snake in Mount Mangdang, and Zhang Liang joined him! Xiao He chased after Han Xin under the moonlight, resulting in Han Xin’s incomparable talent! The Overlord of Western Chu, Xiang Yu, lost to Liu Bang, the man he despised the most!... On the ruins of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang founded the 405-year-old Han Dynasty."
Great Qin Plane.
Qin Shi Huang was shocked once again as he watched the video.
"The Great Han—could this be the empire that follows the Great Qin? Liu Bang? How is it that I have never heard of this person? Could this Liu Bang be the one who toppled the Great Qin’s rule? Where is the Black Ice Terrace?"
At this moment, a man dressed entirely in black and masked jumped out from the shadows and bowed to Qin Shi Huang.
"Your Majesty, I am here!"
A murderous aura flashed in Qin Shi Huang’s eyes. Since he now knew who would overturn the Great Qin, how could he let such a person live?
His eyes gleamed with icy light. "I want you to find a man named Liu Bang at any cost and kill him! Remember, you must leave no one in his entire family alive, not a single soul!"
The death squad member of the Black Ice Terrace looked surprised, raised his head to glance at the First Emperor, then lowered it and said slowly:
"Yes! I obey, Your Majesty!"
He then vanished from sight.
Li Si immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, since we have this Sky Screen, I believe the Great Qin Empire will surely last for ten thousand generations! Your wisdom will surely be passed down for eternity!"
Qin Shi Huang held his head high, his gaze firm, his eyes filled with belief in immortality!
"Order Xu Fu to set sail for Yingzhou Island immediately and search for the elixir of immortality for me!"
Zhao Gao received the order and left.
Great Han Plane.
Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was in the Jiaofang Palace. He held a wine cup, watching the text and images on the Sky Screen with indifference.
"It is all just floating clouds! I conquered the world at 54, and after seven years, I finally became the Emperor! I do not fear life or death; it is all the work of fate!"
Liu Bang looked at his three-year-old grandson, Liu Xiang, by his side. He recalled the days of his campaigns and felt as if, in the dark, a great hand had been pushing him forward.
Three-year-old Liu Xiang tugged on Liu Bang’s hand, his eyes filled with childish innocence.
"Grandfather, it says here that you are a great hero who turned the tide. When I grow up, I want to be a great hero too!"