Chapter 24: The Golden Box Spanning a Thousand Years

Modern apartment.

Lin Xuan settled Xiao Sizi into the master bedroom to sleep.

The little girl, having tossed and turned all day, fell into a deep sleep the moment her head touched the pillow.

Lin Xuan tucked the blanket corners around her and left a dim bedside wall lamp on.

He closed the master bedroom door. Reading novels every day to kill boredom, ttkts. tw is super practical.

Lin Xuan walked to the living room and lay down on the sofa.

He pulled a thin blanket over his stomach.

The exhaustion from working non-stop surged in like a tide.

He closed his eyes, and soon a steady breathing sound rang out.

Midnight, the Hour of Zi.

Great Tang timeline, Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin still had not retired for the night.

He sat before the imperial desk in Lizheng Hall, reading by candlelight the preliminary draft of the wooden-track railway submitted by the Minister of Works during the day.

Suddenly, a very suppressed gasp of shock came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty! The Sky Screen—the Sky Screen is changing!"

The old eunuch Wang De stumbled into the great hall, even dropping his whisk outside the threshold.

Li Shimin sprang up abruptly and strode out of the hall.

Above the firmament.

The Sky Screen, which had originally displayed the scene of Lin Xuan sleeping in his living room, began to glow with a blinding golden rim at its edges.

The golden rim flowed, converging toward the center.

A beam of light shot straight down from the exact center of the Sky Screen.

The instant the light beam touched the ground, it rippled out like water waves.

It formed a glowing gateway about a zhang high and two meters wide.

Inside the gateway, light and shadow twisted, obscuring the view of what lay beyond.

The imperial guards of the entire Taiji Palace drew their swords and went on alert.

Li Shimin pushed past the guards blocking his path and strode to a spot five paces from the light gate, where he stopped.

Just then.

On the Sky Screen, a line of large characters emitting a soft golden light appeared.

At the same time, a grand and emotionless voice rang in Li Shimin's mind.

"The Space-Time Channel opens one-way; the Great Tang may transmit inanimate objects to the modern space.

"To repay the debt of saving a life and to forge a karmic bond of goodness."

Hearing this, Li Shimin's head buzzed.

His eyes were filled with disbelief as he repeatedly confirmed he had not misheard.

One-way transmission, repaying a life-saving debt.

This meant that he, Li Shimin, could finally send things to that youth from the future!

As a father, watching his daughter eat others' food, wear others' clothes, and use precious medicines bought with others' money.

He, the mighty Son of Heaven of the Great Tang, felt utterly stifled in his heart, yet had no recourse.

Now, there was actually a channel.

Li Shimin turned around, his face flushed red, his eyes blazing with extreme excitement.

"Wang De!"

"This old servant is here!"

"Open the Imperial Treasury! Open the National Treasury!" Li Shimin roared like thunder, grabbing Wang De's collar, "Open the gates for me immediately!"

One stick of incense later.

The Great Tang Imperial Inner Treasury was brightly lit.

Li Shimin strode back and forth among mountains of rare treasures.

He had no interest in those ordinary silks and porcelains.

The future lacks nothing; he must choose the most top-tier items, things the future cannot produce.

Or rather, things of the greatest value to the future.

"Bring a box, the largest Golden Nanmu Box."

Four eunuchs grunted and heaved a giant Golden Nanmu Box, one person long and half a person high, placing it on the empty ground.

Li Shimin walked to the area storing gold and silver.

Rows of gold ingots stamped with the Great Tang official steel seal.

This Great Tang gold, each ingot weighing ten taels, was of extremely high purity.

"Load it! First, lay a base for me!" Li Shimin waved his hand.

The eunuchs lifted the gold ingots, placing the heavy gold bars one by one into the bottom of the box, covering it with a full three layers.

Li Shimin walked toward the Jade Artifact warehouse.

He inspected the multi-treasure shelf, then took down a qilin carved from mutton-fat white jade and picked up an old pit jadeite paperweight of the finest water quality.

"Load all of these in, wrap them in Shu Brocade to prevent bumps."

Finally, Li Shimin arrived at the secret archive area for calligraphy and paintings.

This area stored the authentic masterpieces collected by the Great Tang Imperial Family from famous artists across the land.

He stopped before the desk, his gaze sweeping over the scrolls one by one.

Finally, he picked up a scroll containing the authentic manuscript of "The Stele of the Wild Goose Pagoda and the Sacred Teaching," written in Chu Suiliang's own hand.

Chu Suiliang's calligraphy was dignified and ethereal, a supreme art of the Great Tang.

He carefully placed the scroll into the brocade box, laying it atop the Jade Artifacts.

"Bring ink and brush!"

Wang De hurriedly spread out a sheet of fine Chengxin Hall Xuan Paper and presented the Duan Inkstone.

Li Shimin lifted the brush, its tip soaked in thick ink.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his agitated emotions.

The goat-hair brush moved across the Xuan Paper, writing line after line of vigorous and powerful running script.

"I am Li Shimin, Emperor of the Great Tang."

"Sir, you have saved my beloved daughter Sizi; your grace is like a second birth. Great kindness needs no thanks."

"Now that the Heavenly Mechanism has opened, I offer these meager items."

"Consider them as the rearing expenses and medical fees for Sizi at your place."

"If they are insufficient, I will supplement them later."

"I hope Sir will treat my daughter well."

"Li Shimin, weeping blood and bowing his head."

Having finished writing, Li Shimin took the Imperial Seal, dipped it in cinnabar red paste, and stamped the great seal heavily at the end of the letter.

The eight large characters, "Received from Heaven, Long Life and Eternal Prosperity," were red and glaring.

He blew the ink dry, folded the letter neatly, and placed it in the topmost layer of the wooden box.

"Seal the box!"

The bronze lock clamped shut.

Li Shimin walked out of the Imperial Treasury.

Eight of the strongest palace guards lifted the heavy Golden Nanmu Box, weighing hundreds of jin, with thick hemp ropes.

They moved step by step toward the glowing portal in the square.

The instant the massive wooden box touched the light curtain, it slowly sank into the light gate and finally vanished completely.

Li Shimin looked up at the night sky and murmured to himself.

"Sir, I hope you do not disdain this meager gift."

"Sizi's life is in your hands."

The light gate flickered twice and suddenly dispersed.

It turned into points of starlight, merging into the night wind.

The Taiji Palace square returned to silence.

Meanwhile, in a modern apartment spanning a thousand years.

On the wooden floor in the center of the living room, light and shadow twisted.

A heavy giant box emitting a faint scent of nanmu wood fell silently beside the coffee table.

The next day.

Lin Xuan rolled over and sat up from the sofa.

The thin blanket slid down to his waist.

He rubbed his sore back of the neck, pulled on his slippers, and stood up.

A very faint fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

It was like the mellow resinous scent of some extremely old wood after years of settling.

He turned his head, and his gaze froze.

On the empty space between the coffee table and the TV cabinet, a giant wooden box half a person's height had appeared.

Lin Xuan walked over quickly.

The entire box was dark yellow, its surface covered with natural patterns like water waves.

It shimmered with a layer of warm luster in the morning light.

Brass corners reinforced the edges, and the lock was not fastened shut.

He squatted down, gripped the edges of the box lid with both hands, and exerted force upward.

Extremely heavy.

The instant the lid was lifted, a dazzling golden light stung Lin Xuan's eyes.

He steadied his breathing and scanned the interior of the box.

The bottom layer was stacked with neatly arranged blocks of metal.

Lin Xuan grabbed the topmost block.

It was extremely heavy in hand, making his wrist dip slightly downward.

The surface was slightly rough, bearing the sand holes characteristic of ancient smelting.

Several lines of extremely small characters were carved on the bottom.

Lin Xuan took out the Mobile Phone from his pants pocket, opened the magnifying glass function, and aimed it at the characters.

"First Year of Zhenguan — Jiangnan Circuit — Ten Liang —"

Tang Official Gold Ingot.

He put down the gold, and his gaze shifted to a layer of Shu Brocade laid over the gold blocks.

In the depression of the Shu Brocade sat a qilin carved from mutton-fat white jade, along with several pieces of old-mine jadeite with excellent translucency.

Beside the Jade Artifact lay a scroll with a red sandalwood axis.

Lin Xuan drew out the scroll and slowly unrolled it.

The Xuan paper was yellowed, its ink strokes dignified and flowing, governed by strict rules.

At the signature place sat two bright red seals.

Even someone who did not understand calligraphy could see the artistic tension of this piece.