The playback function was simple and direct.
In terms of selecting content, since Zhu Yuanzhang was filled with curiosity about the light screen's origins and couldn't glean much from the titles alone, he followed his sons' suggestions and chose the earliest available footage.
Compared to today's hour-long broadcast, this playback was exceptionally short and concise.
When the screen finally flickered out and returned to its ordinary, mundane appearance, Zhu Yuanzhang remained there, blinking at the empty air.
"That's it? It's gone?"
Zhu Biao looked left and right, even stepping forward to touch the screen, only to have his hand swatted away by his mother. He watched as Empress Ma produced a silk cloth from nowhere and, with great reverence, draped it over the screen as if covering a sacred relic.
Zhu Biao was speechless. He circled the screen once before confirming with his father, "It seems it's truly over."
This distraction eased the gloom in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart. He gave a wry smile. "If it's gone, it's gone. What matters now is setting our policies based on what we've learned."
"Is that not a bit... hasty?" Zhu Biao asked, instinctively wanting to make his escape. He was met with his father's furrowed brow and a sharp reprimand:
"The matter of the Portuguese is a century away, so we must plan early to supplement our decrees. But establishing medical schools, reforming the currency, changing maritime trade, and managing naval affairs, these affect the present. One wrong move could leave a legacy of woe for ten thousand years. We must plan now!"
The Emperor continued, "If the Marquis Wu could reform a losing streak and restore the Han, then I should follow his example and bring a new era of governance to the Ming!"
Zhu Biao tried to argue reasonably: "But your son is a bit tired. I intended to follow the Marquis's advice: after laboring the mind and body, one should take a nap to recoup one's energy before handling affairs."
The Hongwu Emperor was incensed: "At your age, how can you sleep?!"
"But Father, the Marquis also said I should avoid arguing with others and keep my mind cheerful to ensure my body remains healthy."
"...Fine. In that case, come with me. I'll help you review a hundred memorials. Treat it as a relaxing diversion."
Fortunately Empress Ma intervened, and the gathering in Huagai Hall ended in relative peace.
---
In Xuchang, events unfolded differently.
Unlike the quick finish in the Ming court, Cao Cao, watching the playback of the Battle of Yiling and hearing about Cao Pi's refusal to listen to advice, gradually clenched his fists.
Zhang Fei, watching from the side, felt a bit regretful. "It's a pity this screen only plays back one episode at a time. Otherwise, Old Cao, you could see exactly what the 'Disaster of Wei and Jin' really was."
Cao Cao remained silent, having no heart to trade barbs. Just as Zhang Fei was about to say more, there was a sudden commotion.
A low table was flipped over, and a figure, looking half-crazed, leaped up and lunged toward the fading light screen. The move was clearly anticipated by those sitting above.
Before the figure could fully launch, a much sturdier silhouette intercepted him, slamming him ruthlessly to the ground. With his beautiful beard flowing and a faint scent of blood lingering in his wake, who could it be but Guan Yu?
As for the man pinned beneath him...
"This is not my fate! You are all deceiving me! This must be a nightmare!"
"You cannot harm me! You cannot lie to me! Begone, all of you!"
"I have great talent! My name will be among the sages of history! I only followed the Mandate of Heaven to ensure the ancestral sacrifices continued! It was a merit! A merit!"
Cao Cao looked down in silence at Liu Ye, whose clothes were in disarray. The man's eyes were a chaotic mix of instability and malice. Even without looking up, the voice from the light screen echoed clearly in the room:
"It is worth mentioning... that unlucky fellow Liu Ye... Cao Rui grew distant because of it. Liu Ye could not accept this and eventually died in a fit of madness at the age of fifty-five."
The words matched the scene perfectly. Looking at this strategist who was roughly the same age as Zhuge Liang sitting above, Cao Cao felt a wave of desolation. "Ziyang..."
Liu Ye, struggling on the floor, paused. His howling ceased. Guan Yu, unconcerned with the man's feelings, easily twisted Liu Ye's arms behind his back, hauled him up, and pushed him out the door to be bound.
Cao Cao looked up just in time to hear the words: "The Emperor did not accept."
His concern for his descendants temporarily overrode all else. He focused on the screen, only to see the report of Liu Bei's death. Cao Cao froze.
Thinking on the bright side, Liu Bei had fought him his whole life, but in the end, he had died because of Cao Cao's son. That was a victory of sorts.
But... did it matter?
With a stolen throne, such a ruler, and such a man who refused to listen to upright counsel, whose handling of refugees was mocked by the future as a joke, what did one victory matter? In the end, didn't the Sima family just snatch it all anyway?
The thought that Cao Pi had always been close to the Sima clan made Cao Cao's chest tighten. Was this a disaster he had brought upon himself?
Shortly after the screen described Cao Pi's farcical handling of the refugees, the playback ended.
The light screen faded into nothingness as if it had been a hallucination. Cao Cao, however, had lost the will to be amazed.
Liu Bei greeted him with a relaxed demeanor, then took Zhuge Liang by one hand and Guan Yu by the other, heading out. They were going for a drink, a scene that filled Cao Cao with envy.
The other officials left in small groups, chatting in low, easy tones, treating him as if he were invisible.
Cao Cao looked up at the familiar ceiling of the Xuchang office. Recalling the events that had transpired here, everything felt like a vanished dream of vanished glory.
Seeing Zhang Fei still standing beside him, Cao Cao asked curiously: "Yide, are you not going to drink with Xuande?"
"Of course I am," Zhang Fei said, stretching.
"But Old Cao, your legs are shaky. I dragged you here, so I should see you back first."
Remembering the "scenery" on the way there, Cao Cao turned pale. Xun You and Dong Zhao, who had approached, bowed. "General Zhang, we can take care of this."
Dong Zhao whispered in Cao Cao's ear, "My Lord, I just checked. Liu Ziyang was sent to the physicians in the Left General's army. It is said one of them studied under a famous doctor and might be able to cure his madness..."
Cao Cao nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. He caught a subtle, floating fragrance in the room.
Following the scent, he saw a thin back, a man who had finished packing and was walking toward the exit.
"Wenruo!"
The figure didn't stop, though his body seemed to tilt slightly.
"Wenruo!"
The call grew more urgent. Finally, the figure stopped and turned his head.
It wasn't the coldness Cao Cao had expected. Instead, those eyes were half-warm and half-resolute. They shared a common foundation: a crimson loyalty and total transparency.
He simply stood there, silent, yet his gaze spoke ten thousand words. Under that look, Cao Cao instinctively looked away.
Then, he heard a long, soft sigh, so gentle it seemed like an illusion. The footsteps faded into the distance.
"Wenruo..."