I transmigrated to the second year of Zhenguan and became a failed scholar who had starved to death in Chang’an.
The moment I opened my eyes, I was about to be thrown out of an inn when I happened upon Li Shimin traveling incognito.
While the entire court was pleading for forgiveness and praying to Heaven, I fried a plate of locusts right in front of the emperor.
“Confessing your sins won’t help. Eat these and you’ll be full!”
Later, as Li Shimin lay on his deathbed, he asked me one last question:
“If you could live it all over again, would you still change the Great Tang?”
I looked at the thousands of acres of fertile farmland beyond Chang’an and the countless sails on the sea,
then smiled.
“I would. But this time, I wouldn’t be the Imperial Preceptor. I’d just plant the seeds.”
