Chapter 66

581 AD, Sui Dynasty.

Yang Jian sat in the newly completed Taiji Hall, holding a newly revised "Kaihuang Code" in his hand, but his brows were furrowed enough to crush a fly.

He had been on the throne for almost two months, reviewing memorials until midnight every day, and had to get up for court after sleeping for less than two hours.

The framework of the Three Departments and Six Ministries had been set up, but those old Xianbei officials underneath were all paying lip service, saying "Your Majesty is wise" to his face, while secretly who knows how they were cursing him for "usurping the throne as an in-law."

Tired, truly tired.

He put down the bamboo slips, rubbed his throbbing temples, and his gaze drifted involuntarily outside the hall.

Dugu Qieluo should be in the Lizheng Hall handling palace affairs, and by the way... by the way, keeping an eye on his concubines.

Thinking of this, Yang Jian's mouth twitched.

Marrying a capable wife is a blessing, but this wife is too capable, even managing which concubine he spends the night with, which is a bit...

At this time, an attendant stepped forward cautiously.

"Your Majesty, it is late, it is time to rest."

Yang Jian waved his hand, signaling him to withdraw.

Rest? How could he sleep.

The Turks were eyeing him covetously in the north, the Chen State was still standing in the south, and those Guanlong aristocrats in the court, none of them were easy to deal with.

This emperor, it's really not a job for a human.

He sighed, got up, walked to the hall entrance, and looked up at the night sky.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, tomorrow should be another sunny day.

The first year of Kaihuang, everything was waiting to be done, he had to seize the time and get things done.

First revise the laws, then rectify the officialdom, then...

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

Deep in the night sky, without warning, a light lit up.

It was not moonlight, not starlight, but a kind of... a flowing, brilliant light screen that spanned the entire sky.

The galaxy shifted, the brilliance was dazzling, clearer and more shocking than the previous two times.

Yang Jian's pupils shrank.

The sky screen! The sky screen again!

He clenched his fists tightly, his heart beating like a drum.

The previous three times the sky screen appeared, tallying Kublai Khan, Zhao Kuangyin, and Zhu Di, he had watched them all.

Those mutual retorts between emperors, and those magical blessings from the Immortals... he saw them all in his eyes and felt anxious in his heart.

Why? He, Yang Jian, ended three hundred years of chaos, founded the Sui Dynasty, unified the north and south, established the Three Departments and Six Ministries, in what way was he inferior to those emperors? Why hadn't the sky screen tallied him yet?

He stared fixedly at the night sky, at the light screen that was getting brighter and brighter.

The galaxy began to gather, condense, and finally turned into a few ancient and vigorous characters:

【Tallying the Ten Greatest Emperors in History · Seventh Place】

Yang Jian's breath hitched.

It's here! Finally here!

【The handwriting dissipated, and the image appeared:

An ancient temple, blue bricks and gray tiles, morning bells and evening drums.

An infant in swaddling clothes lay in the meditation room, surrounded by purple energy, with strange fragrances permeating the air.

Below the image, a line of small characters appeared:

【Founding Emperor of the Great Sui — Emperor Wen of Sui · Yang Jian】

Yang Jian: "!!!"

He froze in place, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing, opening and closing, unable to make a sound for a long time.

It's me! I'm on the list! Seventh place among the greatest emperors in history!

Although it's only seventh, but... but it's better than not being on the list!

An indescribable heat rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his eye sockets ache and his nose stuffy.

He took a deep breath, trying to stabilize his emotions, but his hands were still shaking violently.

He held onto the door frame, staring fixedly at the sky screen, his ears pricked up high, afraid of missing a single word.

And on the sky screen, the voice of that later Immortal sounded again, with that familiar, teasing tone:

【Hello everyone, welcome back to the "Ten Greatest Emperors in Chinese History" grand historical talk show! I am your host, Gu Shanhe.】

【Today, the seventh place we are tallying can be called the most "contrastingly cute" emperor in Chinese history.

He founded a great dynasty, but it was ruined by his own bear child in two years;

He was so afraid of his wife that he ran away from home, yet he unified the world that had been divided for three hundred years.

Some say he is the "strongest scavenger in history," others call him the "lifetime honorary president of the 'Afraid of Wife' Association."】

【He is the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Sui · Yang Jian!】

Yang Jian: "..."

Contrastingly cute? Scavenger king? Lifetime honorary president of the "Afraid of Wife" Association???

His old face instantly turned bright red, half from excitement, half from shame and anger.

This later Immortal, how can he speak so... so undignified!

I am a dignified founding emperor, how can you tease me at will!

However, before he could flare up, bullet comments were already floating on the sky screen, dense and colorful, moving slowly from right to left:

【Ying Zheng (Qin Shi Huang): @Yang Jian Old Yang! Ending chaos, unifying north and south, I'm familiar with this routine!】

Yang Jian was stunned, Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng?

That tyrant who swept across the six states? Actually... took the initiative to greet him? And called him "Old Yang"? This... this is too intimate.

【Liu Bang (Han Taizu): Yo, Old Yang is on the list?

Not bad, not bad, ending three hundred years of chaos, this achievement is indeed solid.

But I heard you are afraid of your wife?

Hahahaha, this point is a bit like me, but my Empress Lv was not as... um, strong as your Dugu.】

Yang Jian's mouth twitched, Liu Bang? That street rascal, worthy of comparing with me?

Also, what's wrong with being afraid of one's wife? Husband and wife are loving, respecting each other like guests, what's wrong with that!

【Liu Che (Han Wudi): @Yang Jian, unifying north and south, well done.

But I heard you are stingy? Not even opening the granaries to release grain in a disaster year?

That's not very kind, right? As an emperor, you have to be better to the people.】

Yang Jian's face sank.

Stingy? I am frugal! Frugal, understand!

The grain in the national treasury is strategic reserve, can it be moved at will?

Besides, letting the people go to other places to find food in a disaster year is giving them a way to survive, better than sitting and eating until it's empty!

【Li Shimin (Tang Taizong): @Yang Jian, the grain in your warehouse is enough for our Great Tang to use for ten years!

Really, Ma Zhou told me, the Xijing treasury still hasn't been used up yet!

But you are too stingy, not even opening the granaries in a disaster year, otherwise your Great Sui wouldn't have...】

Yang Jian: "???"

Li Shimin? Tang Taizong?

Tang? Where did Tang come from?

Also, am I very familiar with you!

Wait, what did he just say?

Great Sui wouldn't have... wouldn't have what? Could it be...

An ominous premonition suddenly rushed into his heart.

And the sky screen, not giving him time to think, had already started playing his life:

【Come, post the bullet comment on "Narayana" or "Dugu family's punching bag"!】

【Yang Jian, born in 541 AD (the seventh year of Datong of Western Wei). He is the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty. Born in Banruo Temple in Fengyi (which is within the territory of Dali County, Shaanxi today) — that's right, born in a temple.】

Yang Jian nodded slightly.

This is true, he grew up in a temple since he was a child, influenced by Buddhism, his character is tough.

【As for how Yang Jian lived since he was a child? It sounds like the beginning of a fantasy novel.

According to records, when he was born, "purple energy filled the courtyard," and a nun came from Hedong and said to his mother: "This child is not an ordinary person, he cannot be raised in a secular home."

So she took Yang Jian to the temple and raised him herself.

So Yang Jian's childhood was spent amidst morning bells and evening drums and green lamps and ancient Buddhas.】

Yang Jian's face cleared slightly, deep immortal fate, destined by heaven, he likes to hear this.