The Empress traveled through time and space, and she fought for supremacy in the troubled times

Everything was almost over here. Professor Chen picked up the teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, and looked at the people below with a faint smile.

"Classmates, do you have any questions?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a classmate quickly raised his hand.

"Hello, Professor Chen. I'd like to ask how Emperor Gaozu An managed to avoid being discovered by other forces during the four years between his descent from the mountain and his rise to power in the Five Kingdoms."

Professor Chen put down his teacup and replied with a smile, "When the Tianqi Kingdom first perished, it was divided into many factions, large and small. During the first year after the Tianqi Kingdom's demise, they all kept their eyes on Wang Yi.

Later, when they saw that they could not touch Wang Yi for a while, they began to develop their own forces. During this period, Yun Zhi led a large army to destroy the largest force nearby, Anding Hou, and prevented him from passing the message out.

Later, Yun Zhi used various methods, such as sowing discord, shifting blame, and framing others to cause internal strife among several factions. As a result, in the past when transportation was underdeveloped, they naturally did not notice Yun Zhi's influence.

At this time, another student stood up and asked, "Professor Chen, how did Emperor An Gaozu balance the interests of all parties and stabilize his regime during the unification process?"

Professor Chen thought for a moment and said, "Emperor An took a series of measures during this process. She granted fiefs to meritorious officials and was generous with various rewards, but she also imposed restrictions to prevent excessive concentration of power.

In terms of economy, he implemented the equal-field system, built cement roads, reduced taxes, abolished corvee labor, promoted the common development of agriculture and commerce, and reduced the burden on the people.

Politically, a relatively complete bureaucratic system has been established, and talent selection is not restricted by any particular criteria.”

The students asked questions one after another, and Professor Chen patiently answered them one by one.

It’s just that the questions asked were relatively normal at the beginning, but they became more and more distorted later on.

Just like.

"Professor Chen, did Tang Sinong and Tang Qiuwan travel back in time from the present? According to official history, Tang Qiuwan was gifted by heaven. The incomplete cement and soap recipes were both created by Tang Sinong. And her epitaph reads, 'I came from the future, witnessed the prosperity of the world, yet I chose to remain in the ancient world and dedicate my life to this land.' What do you think?"

Professor Chen smiled and replied, "While there is currently no conclusive evidence to support whether Tang Sinong traveled through time, it is undeniable that she made significant contributions to the development of the An Emperor Gaozu era. Perhaps her epitaph was simply a way of expressing her love and dedication to this era."

Another student asked, "Professor Chen, does Prime Minister Liu Anruo like An Gaozu? They've known each other and been together for decades, and neither of them has ever married anyone else. Is there some hidden story behind this?"

Professor Chen smiled and shook his head. "An Gaozu wasn't someone who indulged in love. To her, the country and the people were her top priority. What they had wasn't so much love as a deep, intimate friendship. They understood and supported each other, working together for the prosperity of Anguo."

"Thank you, Professor Chen, for your answer."

The classmate sat down feeling a little lost. After knowing each other and accompanying each other for so many years, was it really just a simple friendship?

As soon as she sat down, a classmate raised her hand excitedly.

"Student, what do you want to ask?"

After being called, the girl stood up excitedly, "Professor Chen, does Emperor An Taizong Yun Ning like Yun Zhi?"

Hearing these questions, Professor Chen shook his head with amusement. Nowadays, students always associate the question with whether they like the student or not.

"Regarding An Taizong Yun Ning's feelings towards An Gaozu, it's difficult to simply define them as like or dislike. Yun Ning's feelings towards Yun Zhi are more of a kind of admiration and respect. She sees Yun Zhi as a light to follow. Someone who helped you in your youth will always be more unforgettable. She regards her as a role model and guide in life. Therefore, Yun Ning has devoted her life to continuing An Gaozu's philosophy of governance and working hard to make Anguo more prosperous."

The female classmate asked with some confusion, "When An Gaozu was alive, An Taizong always liked to compete with Liu Anruo. He just wanted Yun Zhi's eyes to linger on her for a while. After Yun Zhi passed away, he was very kind to the descendants of the Lin and Yun families and took good care of them. Logically, she didn't need this. Isn't this love? Loving her means loving everyone around her."

Professor Chen chuckled softly and replied, "Student, your idea is interesting, but we can't simply interpret it with this modern emotional perspective. The dispute between Yun Ning and Liu Anruo may be more about respecting An Gaozu's decision and demonstrating their own ambitions, rather than simply vying for attention.

As for her care for the descendants of the Lin and Yun families, although there were emotional factors, it may also be due to political considerations, in order to stabilize the court and continue the political influence of Emperor Gaozu of An.

Of course, the emotions and motivations of historical figures are often complex and diverse, and we can think and explore them from different perspectives, but they must also be based on sufficient historical facts.”

After saying this, Professor Chen raised his hand and looked at the time. There were only a few minutes left before the lecture ended.

He put his hand down. "That's all for today's questions. I brought a photo with me today that I think you might find very interesting."

As he spoke, his hand moving the mouse kept moving. "Some of you who follow archaeology should know that we discovered Liu Xiang's tomb some time ago. Can you guess what we found inside?"

Professor Chen simply kept the question in suspense.

The students in the audience immediately started whispering to each other and began to speculate.

"Is this a personal letter from Prime Minister Liu?"

"Could it be a token of communication between Prime Minister Liu and Emperor Gaozu An?"

"Could it be some precious jewellery?"

"It could also be some of Liu Xiang's poems. It's not that Liu Xiang is very talented in poetry and song."

Listening to the various speculations below, Professor Chen smiled and shook his head, no longer keeping the secret, "None of them are correct. We found a painting in Prime Minister Liu's tomb, a painting of An Gaozu and Liu Xiang framed together."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the classroom. The students all widened their eyes and couldn't wait to see the painting that Professor Chen was talking about.

"Students should know that Emperor Gaozu of An disliked painting and photographing, as she considered it a waste of time. Therefore, very few portraits of her exist. The painting we discovered here is relatively well preserved. It was created in April 1420, shortly after Yun Zhi established the An Kingdom."

After he finished speaking, Professor Chen jumped directly to that page of PPT, and the ancient painting was clearly shown on the screen.

In the painting, Yunzhi is wearing a purple spring dress and sitting in a pavilion in the imperial garden, playing with a teacup in her hand, with peonies in full bloom behind her.

She was only seventeen years old at that time, and her delicate face still had a hint of girlishness. The purple clothes did not make her look old at all. Instead, her face and demeanor made her look more noble.

Liu Anruo was wearing official uniform and standing beside Yun Zhi. He leaned slightly sideways and looked at Yun Zhi, as if he was saying something.

As soon as this picture came out, the audience immediately became excited, and some students even stood up to look at the screen closest to them.

"This is An Gaozu! No wonder the unofficial history books say she's a deity who saves the suffering. She's so beautiful, she totally outshines every female star in the entertainment industry today."

"Wow, An Gaozu killed me. I can't imagine how cool she would look like when she wields the Phoenix Sword and kills everyone."

"Woo woo woo, even the hair of a good-looking person is pretty. Ah, I also want to be the teacup in Yun Zhi's hand."

"These bony hands, these eyes with a hint of smile, these distant mountains, I'm gone!" a classmate shouted excitedly.

The students' exclamations came one after another.

Just when the students were watching with great interest, Professor Chen turned off the computer, unplugged the USB drive, and finished it in one go.

"Okay, that's all for today's lecture. I hope that through this exchange, everyone will have a deeper understanding and thinking about An Gaozu. After returning, everyone can look up relevant information and further explore this period of history. Class dismissed!" After Professor Chen finished speaking, he left the podium with a smile.

"Huh? It was over a long time ago and I haven't even taken any pictures yet!"

“Hahaha, I did take a picture.”

"Classmate, can we add each other as friends and send me the photos you take? Let's date!"

"And me, and me."

After getting the photos they wanted, the students packed up their things contentedly and left the classroom one after another.

Yuan Yuan, Zhou Chiyuan and the other two also traveled together.

"Today was really wonderful. I feel that the image of Emperor Gaozu An has become more vivid in my mind." Yuan Yuan said with emotion.

Zhou Chiyuan nodded in agreement, "Yes, I really want to travel back and see that era with my own eyes."

As the four people were talking, their figures gradually walked away, but the discussion about An Gaozu continued on campus. Even as the photos were spread, a group of people on the Internet joined in.

The discussion about An Gaozu Yunzhi continues to gain popularity and lasts forever.