The next morning, Fang Er shut himself in the study.
The flags Li Shimin wanted were needed tomorrow, and there was only one day to make them.
He had considered copying modern-day red flags, but the moment the idea sprang to mind, he felt a chill run down his spine. Although the system hadn't prompted him, a premonition told him that if he actually copied it, he might die on the spot!
In the few years he had been in the Tang Dynasty, he had seen many kinds of flags. Within the army alone, there were flags for generals commanding armies, banners, tent flags, signal flags, command flags, and so on. Not to mention the complex structure of the imperial court.
While there weren't truly national flags in the modern sense at this time, a flag representing China had always existed: the Three Stars Banner, which had been passed down since the Zhou Dynasty. The Three Stars Banner was the Sun, Moon, and Stars banner; the sun, moon, and stars are called the three stars. When drawn on a banner, it symbolized the clarity of the heavens. The Three Stars symbolized Heaven, the High God, and the Heavenly Dao, and had been the most revered symbol of Chinese culture since Emperor Shun.
Emperor Xuan of Han inscribed on the stele at Hubei: "Wherever the sun and moon shine, that is Han territory; wherever rivers flow, that is Han subject!" The sun and moon in this sentence refer to the sun and moon, and also to the Sun, Moon, and Stars Banner. The design of the Three Stars Banner depicted a large star surrounded by rays of light, with a crescent moon in the center of the large star, and a red sun in the crescent's opening.
Considering Li Shimin's request, Fang Er directly merged the Three Stars Banner with modern-day red flags. Spreading out paper, he sketched out a draft with just a few strokes using a pencil. The shapes of the sun and moon were overlapped, just like the Three Stars Banner. The difference was that Fang Er added five stars surrounding the sun and moon. "When the five stars appear in the east, it benefits China," this saying had been passed down since the Han Dynasty.
After finishing the drawing, he took it out of the study and handed it to Hua Niang in the backyard, asking her to organize people to dye it. It was to be used tomorrow, so embroidery would definitely not be in time, but dyeing was fast and could be completed in a day.
Just as he finished arranging things, the buzzing sound of a propeller could be heard from the sky. Zhang Tian was back. Fang Er quickly sent someone to find Li Shimin and then went with Chai Yue to the workshop shed to greet them. By the time they arrived, the helicopter had already landed.
The cabin door opened, and Empress Changsun, holding Changle's hand, walked out first, followed by two strong women. One of them was holding Li Zhi, who was just days shy of turning one year old. Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Wei Zheng followed behind.
"Your subject, Fang Anzhi, respectfully greets the Empress!"
"My concubine respectfully greets the Empress."
Seeing the young couple bowing respectfully to her, Empress Changsun smiled and walked over, taking Chai Yue's other hand. "Alright, you may dispense with the formalities. There's no need for so much etiquette within our own family." After speaking, she glanced around and, not seeing her husband, asked curiously, "Is His Majesty not at the residence?"
"Replying to my aunt, my husband has already sent someone to find him."
As soon as Chai Yue finished speaking, Li Shimin came over with a smile. "Is Guanyinbi's journey going well?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Aside from the loud noise of this contraption, everything else has been fine," Empress Changsun said softly, smoothing her temple hair which had been ruffled by the wind.
"Father~" Seeing Li Shimin, Changle happily ran over and took his large hand.
"Your subjects pay their respects to His Majesty!" Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Wei Zheng bowed to Li Shimin simultaneously.
"That's enough. This is not the place to talk. Let's go to the main hall to discuss matters." Li Shimin waved his hand, then, holding Changle's small hand, walked ahead with a smile. The others followed behind. Upon reaching the main hall, Empress Changsun called Changle and Chai Yue to join her in the backyard. Meanwhile, the gentlemen entered the main hall and took their seats according to their seniority.
As soon as they sat down, Li Shimin began inquiring about court affairs. "How has the court been recently?"
The three began to report, taking turns. "The national debt silver has all been delivered to the Ministry of Revenue, along with the silver confiscated from the Kong family of Shandong Dao. A total of nearly forty million strings of silver has been deposited into the treasury. All departments, having received sufficient funding, are working diligently towards the tasks set during the grand court assembly. Countless scholars and artisans are gathering in places connected by cement roads like Yangzhou and Bianzhou, and are being transported to Chang'an free of charge by the transport team to prepare for the upcoming imperial examinations and skill tests. The elderly and infirm soldiers who were disbanded from the various garrison armies have all received their severance pay. The military salaries for the various protectorates have also been calculated and will be sent to their respective locations soon. The Ministry of Works has begun implementing the planned recruitment of laborers, with super-large-scale infrastructure projects blooming everywhere across the country, centered in Chang'an. Roads are being built, rivers are being dredged, and schools are being established! The scriptures and ancient texts confiscated from the Kong family are also being meticulously copied and repaired. The Fang Family Village printing workshop is operating at full capacity to print these books. The original editions and the first printings will be sent to the Imperial Library for collection, and the rest will be directly placed in bookstores for students to purchase or rent at their leisure. When the Kong family was destroyed, countless scholars clamored for the court to provide an explanation to the world. However, with the continuous release of several editions of newspapers, filled with photographs and incisive commentary, these scholars were instantly silenced. A thousand-year-old noble family, to monopolize knowledge, acted with such monstrousness! A seventy-year-old elder not kneeling to the emperor but to a sow – what was the reason for this! Confucian bandits colluded, openly plundering disaster relief national debt, what was their intention! Officials forced the emperor to abdicate! The emperor was enraged, and millions of rebels filled the valley with their corpses! Come back, souls, let us mourn the fallen heroes! For the people's livelihood! I bow a hundred times, imploring the descendants of the various schools of thought to emerge!"
The Datang Daily, which was originally published once every three days, was changed to once a day due to this matter. The Imperial Guard, along with ten thousand central protectorate troops, went out and distributed the newspapers nationwide for six consecutive days. This allowed everyone in the world to know the cause and effect, and no one dared to openly plead for the Kong family anymore. Furthermore, the court generously released a massive number of books and established schools, providing free tuition and meals for children from poor families, which led most Confucian scholars to decisively switch from opposition to support.
After finishing these reports, Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and smiled. "Your Majesty, you wouldn't believe it, but outside the imperial city, at Zhuque Gate, Anfu Gate, and Yanxi Gate, countless citizens and scholars spontaneously go to kowtow and express their gratitude every day. The lines, along the three main roads, stretch all the way outside Chang'an city! Pharmacist, fearing that trouble might arise, sent people to persuade them, but the people refused to leave, insisting that they must kowtow three times outside the palace gates. Moreover, they all claimed they wanted to erect a temple in your honor and worship you day and night." After speaking, Old Fang shook his head with a hint of regret. "In all the dynasties, such a thing has never been heard of. It is truly a pity that Your Majesty is not in the palace at this time. I have never seen such enthusiastic citizens!"