On the evening of June 16, 20xx, at an auction of ancient books and paintings in Kyoto, a piece of calligraphy by Emperor Heng Gaozong, Gu Lian, was sold for a staggering 1.56 billion.
That night, this news spread like wildfire across the internet, instantly sparking new threads on the Xiaolu Corner forum.
One thread titled “Emperor Heng Gaozong: You Commoners Are Just Coveting My Beauty” quickly rose to prominence.
Thread Starter: First of all, I’m not an anti-Emperor! I only used this title because our Emperor has been trending for his looks multiple times recently, and I’m riding the wave. But that’s not the main point. Today, our Emperor’s calligraphy sold for over a billion! At 1.56 billion, I, a commoner with no experience, used all my brain cells to grasp how much money that is, but I couldn’t!
1st Reply: Front row, came at the mention of the Emperor’s name.
2nd Reply: Thread Starter +1, I’m also stunned that our Emperor’s calligraphy fetched 1.56 billion. Though there are still six months left this year, I’m certain this piece will be the highest-priced auction of books and paintings globally for the year.
3rd Reply: As expected, any thread about our Emperor must use “beauty” as a keyword. I’m amazed. Can we not be so superficial? Isn’t it because a painting by Chu Wei from the Great Heng Dynasty featuring the Emperor was restored recently? The whole internet was focused on his face. With such a handsome man, aren’t you pained to only see his looks? I’ll take the Emperor, don’t ride the wave unless you have more of his portraits for me to see.
4th Reply: The audacity of the above poster amazes me. Dog head.jpg
20th Reply: The Emperor says: Scram, scram, scram! You commoners think you can covet our Emperor? Ask for my permission first!
21st Reply: Because of your words, the Emperor held me in his arms and comforted me for an hour. Shy.jpg
35th Reply: This thread rose fast, but no wonder. Since Great Master Chu’s painting was restored and put online, many beauty fans who knew little about our Emperor fell into his trap. They only care about looks and ignore his literary and martial achievements and timeless accomplishments. Moreover, they seek the Emperor’s portraits, historical anecdotes, fanfiction, and fan art everywhere, causing chaos in our Emperor’s community.
36th Reply: Impossible, right? There can’t still be people who know little about our Emperor, can there? Under nine years of compulsory education, who can escape the Emperor’s history lessons? Amazing!
40th Reply: Exactly, exactly. The Emperor’s historical significance spans several pages in textbooks. He’s a renowned military strategist, thinker, politician, and writer. Who hasn’t heard of our Emperor, or struggled to memorize his inscriptions and achievements?
41st Reply: Don’t mention it. History and language books aside, who can tell me why, as an art student, I also have to study him?
60th Reply: To the student in post 41, let this graduated senior explain. The Emperor influenced the aesthetics of the entire Great Heng era. The personal adoration for the Emperor was overwhelming. If the Emperor liked football, everyone played football. If he praised a painting style, everyone learned it. In Chinese art history, you can’t avoid him. The Great Heng Dynasty inevitably includes the Emperor, especially works like “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains,” “Southern Tour on June 27,” and “Twenty-One Views of Jingping Bridge,” all deeply connected to him.
61st Reply: Senior, hello. I’m the student from post 41. We’re studying Chinese art history, but I didn’t expect so much to memorize. Exhausting, but thinking of the Emperor’s looks, I’ll keep memorizing.
Thread Starter: Ahem, let’s refocus. Although our Emperor’s portraits are stunning, like they’re photoshopped, let’s talk about the main topic. Recently, there have been too many posts about the Emperor’s looks without new content. The restored portrait is in the National Museum, with long lines to see it. Back to the point: tonight, the Emperor’s calligraphy sold for 1.56 billion. That portrait might be even more valuable.
105th Reply: OP is right, but that portrait won’t be sold. It’s a national symbol. In the museum, we can still see it. If sold, we’d lose that chance. The Emperor is too famous, his reach widespread. Everyone knows “Three Hundred Poems of Heng.” The Great Heng poets nearly deified the Emperor, their words attracting later poets to express admiration, even across time. The Great Heng’s prosperity started with the Emperor, whose son Heng Zhongzong Gu Ran continued the development steadily.
106th Reply: This father-son duo is indeed remarkable. The father expanded territories, while Gu Ran, a steady ruler, furthered the Great Heng’s reach, annexing the Northwest and Xixia, once holding the largest territory in history. They even invaded part of present-day Russia. Overseas, their tales spread across seas. The first maritime dominator was our Great Heng. Yet, some novelists depict the Emperor as a mere pretty face, achieving power through scheming. Smiling.
107th Reply: ???
108th Reply: ????
120th Reply: ??? Report this nonsense!
125th Reply: Rest assured, it’s reported. The site’s editors were responsible and promptly locked the story and issued a red card warning to the author.
130th Reply: Well done! Outrageous. How can someone write such things without fearing the state’s intervention?
143rd Reply: Timidly raising my hand… If you’re talking about that novel on XX site, the author has indeed been approached by the state.
145th Reply: Hey 143, don’t run! Continue, we want the juicy details!
146th Reply: So anxious, hurry up! Once I have money, I’ll definitely buy a 143 who can speak clearly!
158th Reply: Ah, I’m here… whispering a couple of words. Actually, not only was the author approached, but the website’s big boss was also invited for a chat. This author is clearly an anti-Emperor fanatic. The novel is full of malice, aiming to kill off the Emperor within three chapters. Anyone who has studied history knows the Emperor’s importance and his contributions to the world. Such intense defamation is suspicious. Upon investigation, it turned out the author is one of those foreign lunatics who specialize in bashing the Emperor.
160th Reply: … Really, you never know who is behind the screen, whether it’s a person or a ghost.
200th Reply: The Emperor’s fame attracts trouble. Many foreign countries believe their current inferiority to our China started with the Emperor. They think his fleets took away their gold, silver, and copper, and they wrote many news articles about how China plundered their resources. It’s ridiculous—if I’m willing to sell and you’re willing to buy, how is that coercion? Let’s drop this topic, it just makes me angry. By the way, there are rumors about filming “The History of Emperor Heng Gaozong” this year.
210th Reply: No way!
220th Reply: I heard that rumor ten years ago. They said they would film it, but nothing came of it. With the Emperor’s portrait resurfacing this year, who would dare to take on the role? The Emperor’s health was poor, but his control over the empire despite his frailty is compelling and challenging to portray. Older actors aren’t suitable, as the Emperor was in his prime in his twenties. Younger actors lack the skills to portray both his frailty and ambition. There’s no young actor with the Emperor’s looks and acting skills.
222nd Reply: My brief moment of excitement was dashed by the previous post. But you’re right; if they can’t act well, look the part, or have good character, it’s better not to make the film.
225th Reply: The Emperor is a highly challenging role. There’s even been historical debate about which figures might be time travelers, and our Emperor is often mentioned. Scholars argue convincingly that he was ahead of his time, founding educational systems, initiating punctuation, and establishing the first women’s academy. All these innovations seem like the work of a time traveler.
226th Reply: Ah, I derailed the topic, sorry. A few years ago, there was another script about traveling to the Great Heng, but it got shelved because of a romantic subplot with the Emperor. It’s still unproduced. As for “The History of Emperor Heng Gaozong,” it seems unlikely.
250th Reply: Recent time-travel works often involve the Great Heng. It’s almost overdone, but the literary depiction of Great Heng is captivating. It transformed from corruption to a world-renowned superpower. Reading about Great Heng’s history always excites me. The era is widely known and a source of national pride. But in these stories, the female protagonists often win the Emperor’s favor or become his cherished unrequited love, making him vow to remain single, which seems necessary for their satisfaction.
260th Reply: I understand. The Emperor is an ideal protagonist—ascended the throne young, suppressed by ministers, but once crowned, he swiftly regained control. His frail health never hindered him. He reformed the government, fought corruption, suppressed rebellions, built infrastructure, and expanded territories. The challenges he faced were immense, and historical records only show a fraction of it. The repeated famines alone were daunting. It’s incredible how the nation, despite such hardships, evolved into a golden era.
270th Reply: Oh my, I suddenly feel like crying.
280th Reply: That’s why I love the Great Heng. It feels so real, not distant. The era’s wheat and stone slabs seem to carry the essence of real lives. If I could, I’d love to visit the Great Heng, see the peaceful times described by poets, watch kids argue over sweet potatoes, and witness the Emperor, who was said to stabilize the world single-handedly.
300th Reply: Like mentioned in “Three Hundred Poems of Heng,” memorizing them as a kid was torture, but now they’re quite enjoyable. The poets of Great Heng have an indomitable spirit. They saw autumn not as desolate but as a time when sweet potatoes and corn were ready to be harvested. They were so excited they wanted to pick the corn themselves… Nostalgic sigh. Why do they seem so silly in hindsight?
305th Reply: Hahaha, I laughed out loud!
306th Reply: Hand raised. I’ll never forget my Chinese teacher’s expression when discussing Chang Yuyan’s classical prose and then his poem “Ode to the Kang.”
310th Reply: Finally, Chang Yuyan! He was Xue Jiuyao’s friend, and his poem praising Xue Jiuyao elevated Xue to the second male lead of Great Heng. In time-travel romance novels, the male lead is either the Emperor or Xue Jiuyao.
320th Reply: I can’t accept it! Xue Jiuyao belongs to the Emperor!
335th Reply: Xue Jiuyao? You mean Great Heng’s famous Lord Xue Yuan? The one who spent his early years on the battlefield, later thrived in the court, and often shared the bed with the Emperor?
337th Reply: That’s the one! My female intuition tells me there’s something between him and the Emperor!
338th Reply: But officially, Xue Yuan was just the Emperor’s favored minister, highly trusted. This trust is unusual, given the Emperor’s notorious suspicion. He never fully trusted anyone or any institution, whether it was the inspectorate, the secret police, or the imperial censors. Yet, he trusted Xue Yuan, which indeed stands out.
350th Reply: To be honest, Xue Yuan’s special treatment by the Emperor is evident. Let’s not talk hypotheticals, just two facts. First, Xue Yuan was proficient in martial arts and archery, healthy and robust, and from Chang Yuyan’s poems, we know he was tall and handsome. Despite this, he never married. Second, and this always makes me emotional, Xue Yuan suddenly died on the day the Emperor passed away, despite being in good health. He died right beside the Emperor. He had the fortune for a long life but chose to follow the Emperor in death. The Emperor’s tomb has yet to be found, and perhaps they lie there together…
355th Reply: Is that really the case?
360th Reply: Yes… We don’t know the exact nature of Xue Yuan and the Emperor’s relationship, but it was undoubtedly profound. You don’t marry, so I’ll accompany you for life. When you die, nothing in this world holds meaning for me. Whenever I think about their deaths, I feel so sad. I wonder what Xue Yuan was thinking as the Emperor’s breathing weakened. Was he heartbroken? Did he break down? How did he watch the Emperor die before his eyes and then face his own death? I can’t talk about this anymore; it’s too heavy.
420th Reply: I didn’t expect to climb this thread only to be fed a bittersweet love story…
Thread Owner: !!!
Thread Owner: Everyone, stop talking and check the trending news! Something was unearthed in the northwest grasslands!
After notifying everyone, the thread owner returned to the trending news, which was live-streaming the restoration process by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. A decayed piece of wood had been unearthed, believed to be from the Great Heng period. The administration was using advanced techniques to reveal the wood’s full appearance.
History enthusiasts had been glued to the live stream for hours. Bit by bit, the wood’s 3D reconstruction appeared. The thread owner took a break, ate some instant noodles, and stir-fried some spicy shredded sweet potatoes before returning to the stream, fully energized.
As night deepened, many viewers fell asleep. When the thread owner woke up, the glaring sunlight reflected off the computer screen.
Wide awake, the thread owner saw the entire live stream room flooded with comments. Turning off the comments, the screen showed a half-reconstructed long piece of wood with flamboyant characters appearing.
Experts were discussing in low voices, “It’s Xue Jiuyao’s handwriting…”
The visible characters read, “Gu Yuanbai.”
The other half of the decayed wood was still being restored, with a faint character emerging next to “Gu,” gradually forming a clear “Xue.”
The thread owner’s heart raced. Turning the comments back on, they saw viewers screaming and excited.
“Xue Jiuyao! It must be Xue Jiuyao! It must be the characters for Jiuyao!”
“Xue Jiuyao Xue Jiuyao! Hurry up!”
The character “Jiu” appeared on the wood.
The thread owner felt their breath quicken, typing excitedly, “Only the character for ‘yao’ left!”
Stroke by stroke, the final character unsurprisingly appeared before everyone.
The other line read, “Xue Jiuyao.”
The two names “Gu Yuanbai” and “Xue Jiuyao” stood side by side, as if they had accompanied each other across time.
Author’s Note: The ending has a bug—wood can’t be preserved for so many years, so let’s just go with it.
Next, we enter the modern era! I’m so excited! The regent in the parallel world will have a few more chapters in the modern setting. PS: The original regent didn’t experience romance; Xue Yuan only loves Yuanbai.
