The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

The atmosphere in the palace of Los Angeles gradually reached its climax.

Upon hearing that there was a way to rule foreign lands, Wu Zetian straightened up solemnly, her phoenix crown trembling slightly.

The emperor and his minister were having lunch, and in the midst of their questioning and answering, they had long forgotten the delicious food on the table.

Lu Jun smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please don't be impatient. To answer this question, I must first ascertain for you the true extent of the Tang Dynasty's territory and the limits of its influence..."

"Please grant me paper and pen, so that I may draw a map for the Empress Dowager."

"You can tell at a glance."

Wu Zetian was taken aback, her brows furrowing in confusion: "Why do we need to draw maps? There are plenty of maps in the palace!"

He added, "I recently read your article, which involves many regions, so I took out a map to compare it with. My thinking has indeed become much clearer, but... you wouldn't think that my map is less accurate than yours, would you?"

Lu Jun's lips curled up slightly: "The Empress Dowager's map is naturally more accurate, but the scope is too small."

"Is my map still too small?"

Wu Zetian was speechless for a moment, then burst into laughter at Lu Jun's confident demeanor.

"Chu Yu, do you know that after the late emperor's dynasty conquered Helu, Tokharistan submitted to the Tang Dynasty, and all the lands east of Persia were brought under the control of the Tang?"

"Afterwards, the Tang Dynasty conquered Baekje and Goguryeo, and established the Protectorate General of Andong. The vastness of its territory was unprecedented in history!"

"The map in my palace was drawn by the Ministry of War during the height of the Zongzhang era in the second year."

"It is 20 feet long and 15 feet high. It cannot even be supported by a screen. It needs to be suspended from the beam to be fully viewed."

"You're saying this picture is too small?"

As she said this, she raised her chin, her eyebrows radiating a spirited air, her pride evident in her words.

In the fifth year of the Xianqing era, Emperor Gaozong fell ill with a stroke and was unable to govern. She assisted him in governing and oversaw all military affairs. Thirty years have passed since then, and the territory that Emperor Gaozong conquered owes much to her contributions.

She witnessed the Tang Dynasty's golden age firsthand, and she would absolutely disagree with the claim that the map was small.

After saying this, he instructed the eunuch, "Go and fetch my map, the one from last night, so that Chu Yu can see it!"

The eunuch's eyes flickered, and he stammered, "Which painting is the Empress Dowager referring to...?"

It turned out that the palace had maps of the whole country and regional maps. Wu Zetian had taken out many copies in the past few days. The eunuchs were illiterate and had limited knowledge, so they could not tell which one it was.

"Tsk, do you expect me to find it myself?"

Wu Zetian snorted, clearly displeased: "Fine, go and call Wan'er. She knows."

After punishing Shangguan Wan'er, Wu Zetian did not summon her. However, feeling that the people around her were not to her liking, she had no choice but to call her over.

Before long, Shangguan Wan'er gracefully entered the main hall, having changed back into women's clothing at some point.

She wore a light purple, narrow-sleeved ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), the hem of which trailed on the ground like floating clouds. The neckline was slightly open, revealing a section of her fair neck. A light yellow gauze shawl was draped over her shoulders, and a pea-green sash was tied around her waist with swaying tassels, making her figure appear graceful and slender.

After entering the hall, he quickly crossed the hall, kept his head down and looked straight ahead, and stood directly next to the Empress Dowager.

Lu Jun could vaguely see that there was a touch of vermilion between her eyebrows, and the five petals were evenly spread out, which was very exquisite.

Wu Zetian noticed it too, and stared at her for a moment: "You're quite good at hiding it, even more charming than before."

He ordered, "Go to the Immortal Abode Palace and fetch the map I looked at last night."

Wan'er asked softly, "Is it the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory from the second year of the Zongzhang era? The one hanging on the beam."

Her voice, which was originally light and cheerful with a touch of girlish naiveté, became much more respectful and humble at this moment, her tone soft and low.

The Empress Dowager nodded: "You know my heart best. Go and fetch it. Chu Yu and I will eat while we wait."

"Yes."

Wan'er said no more, slightly bent her knees, bowed and nodded, and then quickly went down the steps.

Although dressed as a woman, she was still very capable and moved nimbly, leaving the palace in no time.

Lu Jun knew she was a concubine in the palace, so she didn't dare to look at her too much. She lowered her head and continued to eat her rice diligently, finishing three bowls.

The Immortal Abode Palace was not far away, and Wan'er quickly retrieved it, instructing the eunuch to hang it on the side of the main hall.

This map is indeed very large. Based on the architectural style, it is estimated that only imperial palaces and temples bestowed by the emperor could have beams hanging down, almost like a movie screen in later times.

Its territory covers everything—

From the northeast to the Mohe and Goguryeo,

From Silla, Japan, and Kyushu Island in the east,

Southeast to Ryukyu,

Southward to Jiaozhou, Zhenla, and Pyu Kingdom,

From the southwest to Tibet, Nepal, and North India,

Westward to Tocharian and the Nine Sogdian Clans,

From the northwest to the ten tribes of the Turks,

Northward to the Ten Clans of Tiele and Xiaohai.

The ten circuits of the Tang Dynasty, the five major protectorates of Andong, Annan, Anxi, Anbei, and Shanyu, as well as major foreign states and vassal states, are all listed and clearly marked.

Important mountains, rivers, military towns, and strongholds are also clearly depicted for reference.

Such a grand scale and such exquisite lines must have been meticulously proofread and painstakingly crafted by the Ministry of War.

Just standing in front of a map and glancing at it is enough to make one marvel at the vastness of the Tang Dynasty's territory and feel a surge of pride.

"Chu Yu, is there anything in the world larger than this map?" Wu Zetian raised her arm and pointed, her aura magnificent.

Along with Shangguan Wan'er, the eunuchs and maids looked up, their faces full of pride, their eyes brimming with starlight.

Lu Jun got up and took a look at it for a few moments, then replied, "Your Majesty, this map is indeed very detailed."

"Your subject roughly estimates that the area depicted in the map covers approximately [a certain percentage] of the entire landmass..."

"One-tenth."

hiss--

There were faint gasps from the eunuchs and maids.

She immediately covered her mouth.

This newly crowned champion is really daring to boast!

Besides the Tang Dynasty, there were other countries, such as the Abbasid Caliphate and the Qin Dynasty, which I had heard of, but they only accounted for about 10%...

Doesn't this mean that the Tang Dynasty was not actually a great power at all, but was just arrogant and ignorant?

How could that be! The Tang Dynasty was subjugated by all sides. In those days, all nations came to pay tribute, and all the countries called Emperor Taizong the Heavenly Khan!

Wu Zetian's arched eyebrows almost reached her phoenix crown, and her chin touched her collarbone: "What? Only one-tenth of the land under heaven? Chu Yu, you just said one-tenth?"

She preferred to believe she had misheard rather than believe that Lu Jun was serious.

Shangguan Wan'er's body trembled violently, her beautiful face filled with surprise, and she couldn't help but turn to look...

"Your Majesty, I have consulted with merchants from the Western Regions, Arabs, and even more distant foreign lands."

"Some of them came to the Tang Dynasty by camel or horse, while others sailed across the seas to reach the Tang Dynasty, leaving their footprints all over the world."

"Having gathered all that I have heard, I now know how vast the world is, and I also know that my Great Tang is located only on one end of a certain landmass within it."

"My drawing skills are poor, but my memory is good. If Your Majesty permits, I will immediately draw a panoramic map."

Lu Jun asked for paper and pen again.

"Very well, bring me paper and pen! The biggest paper I can find! I want to see just how big the whole world really is!" Wu Zetian raised her sleeves high.

He then stood up, put his hands behind his back, glanced at the map sideways, and raised his chin with a resolute air.

"The paper doesn't need to be too big, about two feet will do. I won't draw in too much detail."

Lu Jun said it was too late; the maid had brought back special tribute paper made by the palace, specifically for drawing giant paintings. It was eight feet long and six feet wide, and could only be unfolded when placed on a screen.

When Shangguan Wan'er saw the inkstone on the table, she wanted to go over, but she stopped herself as soon as she lifted her leg.

A maidservant went over, ground the ink, dipped the Xuanzhou brush in it, and handed it to Lu Jun.

The outline of a world map is gradually taking shape.

It includes the five continents and four oceans.

As he drew, he could hear snickers around him. The maid who was grinding ink was professionally trained and usually wouldn't laugh, but Lu Lang's line drawing technique was truly...

Shangguan Wan'er glanced at her from a distance, her expression originally blank, but she immediately forced a smile.

He thought to himself, "With such drawing skills, how dare he make such a bold claim and say he'll draw the pictures himself..."

The paper was covered with pieces of paper, in bizarre shapes, like a child's scribbles.

Wu Zetian couldn't help but chuckle: "Chu Yu, your painting skills are truly unique..."

"Your Majesty, please do not concern yourself with these details. I will explain the painting to you first, and we will refine it further at a later time."

Lu Jun's original form had decent calligraphy skills, but he was completely clueless about painting. He was more comfortable using hard pens like bamboo pens for outlining, but for now, he could only make do with what he had...

"I have drawn five landmasses, separated by a vast ocean that is several times larger than the landmasses."

"These lands and seas have not yet been named, and I have no way of knowing them, so they have not been marked."

"As the Empress Dowager sees, this is Luoyang, this is Jiangnan, this is Hexi, this is Anxi..."

As Lu Jun explained, he used a pen to mark the location of the Tang Dynasty and drew the boundary according to the map of the second year of the Zongzhang era.

Combined with the coastline, the location of the Tang Dynasty immediately became clear.

Wu Zetian, Shangguan Wan'er, the eunuchs, and the maids all suddenly realized: "So that's where it is."

By comparing the area of ​​the Tang Dynasty with that of the entire landmass, it can be roughly estimated that if this map truly represents the entire world, the Tang Dynasty would indeed only account for about 10% of it.

Whether it's the whole picture or not... no one knows, but judging from Lu Jun's confident demeanor, it's possible.

Wu Zetian was skeptical, so she carefully examined the area near the Tang Dynasty and compared it with the map in the palace...

It's extremely close!

Based on this, the credibility is at least 30%.

She asked, "Chu Yu, did you draw this map based on your own speculation, or is it based on some evidence?"

Lu Jun replied, "I have seen maps held by the Abbasid Caliphate, the Roman Empire, and overseas merchants. Each of them had a portion of the map, and I pieced it together. It was not based entirely on speculation."

Wu Zetian hesitated and said, "If it is the real map, it is unprecedented in history. Simply presenting the map would be a great achievement, but..."

Lu Jun smiled and said, "I do not seek this merit. The Empress Dowager can send someone to verify it in the future. I am only here to explain the situation."

"Alright, I trust you!"

Wu Zetian had seen far too many artificially created auspicious omens and prophecies, all for the sake of seeking official positions and rewards.

Lu Jun's eyes were clear and bright, and she was confident and didn't care about the credit at all, so she definitely wouldn't deliberately fabricate it.

Since the map lacked corroboration, she couldn't fully trust it, but she had complete faith in Lu Jun.

Pointing to the screen, he said, "Chu Yu, since the world is so vast, tell me, where is the limit of the Tang Dynasty's territory?"

Lu Jun dipped his brush in ink and marked a line with dotted lines, from west to north and from east to south.

As the lines gradually took shape, Wu Zetian's brows first furrowed tightly, and then suddenly relaxed.

The pupils, which had shrunk to pinpoints, suddenly dilated as if trying to suck the map in.

"What? The Tocharians aren't among them?"

"The lands of the Nine Sogdian Clans are not among them?"

"Huh... can the Shiwei and Mohe be controlled too?"

"Can the land of Wuman be governed?"

"Ah, so Tibet can also be brought under the rule of the Celestial Empire!"