[Adorable little princess and heavenly maiden, Little Xizi + miniature nations + two-way travel + a mighty and prosperous Tang]
Two-and-a-half-year-old Princess Jinyang, Little Xizi, speaks in a babyish, lispy voice, wobbles when she walks, and calls herself “Xizi.” She is the cherished darling of Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.
One day, while chasing butterflies, she clambered onto a miraculous treasure box of illusions presented by the Kingdom of Linyi and accidentally fell into more than a hundred miniature nations, each no bigger than a thumb.
A severe drought ruined the harvest in the Cloudmist Tea Kingdom. She landed on her bottom, and a drop of her drool fell. In an instant, the withered tea plants covering the mountains burst back to life.
The kiln fires in the Celadon Kingdom went out of control and were about to explode. She blew gently toward the kiln, and the flames immediately steadied, producing peerless secret-color porcelain.
The spirit herbs in the Spirit Herb Kingdom were withering. One golden tear from her eye fell, and the entire medicinal field suddenly blossomed with magical flowers.
Even more astonishingly, anything taken out of the box and into the human world automatically grows to its normal size.
From then on, the Tang dynasty quietly underwent a tremendous transformation.
The empress's stubborn respiratory illness, which had resisted treatment for years, was gradually cured by the nourishing spirit herbs Little Xizi brought back.
When the court ran short on salt and grain, the refined salt and quality seeds she casually brought back helped solve the people's most urgent problems.
The border forces had shoddy weapons, but the Kingdom of Forged Iron's thousand-fold steelmaking techniques from the box gave the Tang army sharp armor and powerful weapons, keeping the surrounding tribes at bay.
The people lived in peace, the treasury overflowed, and the prosperous Zhenguan era arrived ahead of schedule.
The court officials all said Heaven had blessed the Tang, unaware of the secret behind it.
Only Little Xizi knew. Clutching a honeyed treat, she tilted her head and said in her babyish voice:
“Why are you all kneeling? Xizi just wanted to bring Aye and A-Niang something yummy~”
