Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

During this period, the entire city of Chang'an was under martial law.

The frequency of the Marquis of Wu's patrols on the streets has more than doubled, and even the Left Marquis General Qin Qiong personally led people to impose martial law on the entire Chang'an.

More than four thousand monks had already been beheaded at the execution ground in Chang'an, yet there were still long queues behind them, waiting to ascend to paradise.

Therefore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had to prepare several more "Paradise Guillotine".

This has led many residents of Chang'an City who live near the execution ground to choose to relocate in recent days.

Li Ke did not make things difficult for them.

The monk's venting of anger was one thing, but they had no interest in tormenting the people of Chang'an. The Imperial Guards stepped in and bought their houses for twice the price.

They also found them accommodations in the city.

This is the end.

Besides the imperial prison, Chang'an became another terrifying place in the eyes of the Tang Dynasty officials and common people for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Execution ground in Chang'an West Market...

That night.

On the streets of Chang'an, where a curfew had already been imposed.

A figure, occasionally adjusting the hat on its head, furtively searched along the surrounding walls and houses in one direction.

He looked tense, and every now and then he would suddenly stop and listen intently to the sounds around him.

Finally, after hiding and dodging the night patrols of the military officers with his small stature, he finally arrived at a mansion.

"Knock knock knock..."

The sound of knocking on the door sounded eerie in the dead of night.

After knocking on the door, the man hurriedly hid behind a stone lion, glancing around in a panic every now and then.

Seeing that there was no movement for a while, the man went forward again.

"Knock knock..."

After knocking twice, the gate in front of them creaked open a crack.

"You, who are you?"

The new doorman asked wearily and impatiently, when a figure rushing over from behind let out a suppressed gasp.

"Third Young Master!?"

A single call brought tears to the eyes of the figure standing at the door.

"Butler Liu, waah, I... please save me, let me in, I..."

Upon hearing this, the joy that had just appeared on Butler Liu's face instantly turned pale. If it were in the past, when his master found out that his young master had returned, who knows how much the latter would celebrate.

However, nowadays...

"Young Master, please leave quickly! Don't linger in Chang'an, get out of the city immediately..."

Butler Liu looked panicked. When he saw the sliver of baldness peeking out from under his young master's hat, he hurriedly tried to close the door.

Upon seeing this, the latter immediately became anxious.

Suddenly, a burst of power erupted, and he burst through the gate, rushing into the mansion.

Without giving Steward Liu a chance to stop them, they hurriedly rushed into the mansion.

"No, I can't leave! The Imperial Guards almost found me today! Father! Father, save me! Father!"

The shout instantly alerted the entire mansion.

When Imperial Censor Jiang, with his dark circles and bloodshot eyes, saw his third son in such a disheveled state, his pupils instantly contracted.

"What are you doing back here?!"

His voice was filled with grief and sobs, yet it could not conceal the most obvious fear.

"Since you've become a monk, and you even removed yourself from the Jiang family genealogy, what are you doing back here! You, you should leave now!"

"Old Liu, get him out of here right now..."

However, before he could say anything more...

At the door, Butler Liu's shrill, terrified scream rang out instantly.

"Jin, the Embroidered Uniform Guard!?"

A loud shout startled the entire Jiang family, who had just woken up, causing them to go limp. The young monk, who was kneeling on the ground, kept begging his father to save his life.

At this moment, his body stiffened and he turned his head.

He was immediately struck by the sight of several figures dressed in flying fish robes that left a deep impression on him, stepping in from outside.

The appearance of the leader instantly terrified him.

"you you......"

A member of the Imperial Guard, who was once a collateral descendant of the Li family of Zhao County, one of the five prominent families and seven noble clans, looked at the other person's ghost-like expression and sneered.

"The Lotus-Protecting Monk of Fuyuan Temple, or rather... Young Master Jiang Ming, if anyone tells you in your next life that the Embroidered Uniform Guard lost someone, never believe them..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming's face grew even paler.

"You...you spotted me right away! You deliberately sent me here!"

The Imperial Guard sneered, his gaze fixed on Imperial Censor Jiang, whose body seemed to have been slumped to the ground as if his bones had been removed in an instant.

"Your Excellency, please come in. Our commander wishes to speak with you..."

......

Late at night, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace still did not stop their pursuit of the remaining monks.

And not only in Chang'an City, but also in surrounding counties such as Wannian County, Lantian County, Xinfeng County, Hu County, Shiping County, Aowu County, Wugong County, and so on.

The monks of various temples have become like rats crossing the street, and they have all been escorted away by the local county government.

Those who escaped and managed to get away with it have all been added to the wanted list.

At this very moment, Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince of Tang, who was the instigator of the entire anti-Buddhist movement, arrived slowly in a carriage at the residence of Xiao Yu, the Duke of Song, in Chang'an.

"Your subject Xiao Yu (Xiao Rui) pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince..."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, Duke Song."

Xiao Yu stroked his beard and chuckled, "It is an honor for my Xiao family that His Highness the Crown Prince has come to my residence. It is an honor to our humble abode. If I had known His Highness was coming, I would have personally gone out to greet him..."

The two sides exchanged pleasantries for a while.

Just as Xiao Yu was pondering the possible purpose of Li Chengqian's visit.

Li Chengqian's gaze swept over the furnishings in the reception room of the Xiao family mansion.

Suddenly, pointing to a spot where a porcelain ornament was placed, he let out a soft exclamation.

"Huh? Shouldn't that spot be occupied by a Guanyin statue? Why has it been replaced with a vase? It looks rather out of place..."

Standing behind Xiao Yu, Xiao Rui couldn't help but panic for a moment.

Xiao Yu, on the other hand, glanced at it but remained indifferent.

A soft laugh.

“In the past, I was quite interested in Buddhism and Buddhist scriptures. However, the things that have been found in Jingxin Temple and other temples recently have made it impossible for me to look at these things in the same light.”

"Seeing this inevitably reminds me of the common people of the Tang Dynasty who were oppressed by Buddhism, and it makes my heart uneasy... So I replaced it with this vase. I didn't think so before, but now that Your Highness has mentioned it, it does seem a bit out of place with this display."

Xiao Yu smiled, and Li Chengqian smiled and nodded in agreement.

Of the three people present, only Xiao Rui, who was standing there, had cold sweat pouring down his back.

"I wonder what business Your Highness has with me? If you have any needs, please speak freely. I am old and frail, and there are fewer and fewer things I can do for my Great Tang Dynasty."

Xiao Yu shook his head, seemingly lamenting his old age, yet also praising the excellence of the young people today.

Li Chengqian smiled.

A scroll was handed to the other party.

"I do indeed have something that requires the help of someone as knowledgeable in Buddhist scriptures and allusions as the Duke of Song... I would like you, Duke, to write an article for me in the style of Buddhism..."

"As for the content, let's say that he harmed Buddhism, disregarded all living beings, and blasphemed the gods, so he should go to the deepest hell and suffer countless tortures... Hmm, the main theme is 'acting on behalf of Heaven'!"

Li Chengqian still had a smile on his face.

however.

At this moment, the faces of Duke Xiao Yu of Song and his son Xiao Rui in front of him were visibly filled with shock and horror.

"Your Highness, while Buddhism may indeed have its share of filth and corruption,... surely it doesn't warrant such a serious offense?"

"Do you really intend to exterminate them all?"

Xiao Yu gasped, feeling the scroll he had instinctively taken in his hand burning hot.

He's a Buddhist; otherwise, he wouldn't be researching this kind of thing.

It wasn't just him; his sister, the former Empress Xiao, who was still living in his household, was also a Buddhist.

Li Chengqian looked at the other person calmly.

"Does the Duke find this somewhat difficult?"

"If it's difficult, I can find someone else to write it. It will just take a little effort. If it really comes down to it, I can write it myself. Hmm?"

Li Chengqian spoke with a half-smile, as if he had suddenly discovered something amusing.

Suddenly, I slapped my hand.

"Although I have written some articles, this is the first time I have written a manifesto denouncing myself..."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian looked as if he was about to take the scroll back from Xiao Yu's hands.

Startled, Xiao Yu quickly pulled his hand back behind him.

"No, no, Your Highness misunderstands. It's just an article. I can write it myself. What's so difficult about that?"

Xiao Yu still had a faint smile on his face at this moment.

His eyes, however, no longer held the composure they had when Li Chengqian first arrived.

Seeing that Li Chengqian finally withdrew his hand with satisfaction, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Your Highness, are you truly planning to slaughter all the temples in the world? If so, this old minister has something to say, and I wonder if Your Highness would be willing to listen?"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow, waiting for the other party to continue.

Xiao Yu took a deep breath.

"Your Highness, while Buddhism may have its share of depravity, so too is Taoism. There are countless swindling schemes among the common people, such as alchemy and the pursuit of immortality, which have swindled countless ordinary people and even merchants, leaving them bankrupt."

"Throughout history, countless emperors have been deceived by these self-proclaimed hermits, who tricked them into consuming so-called elixirs, only to meet their demise in the end..."

Li Chengqian looked at the other person with some surprise.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yu dared to assert that it was false. If you were to say something like that in the common people's world, no one would think much of it.

But if one holds a high position.

It could very well lead to impeachment from those around us. Not to mention, the current Imperial Observatory is managed by people from the Taoist sect.

In addition, many of the imperial physicians also came from Taoist backgrounds.

"Your Highness, if you were to slaughter all the Buddhist sects in the world, it would indeed remove some of the ills from our Great Tang Dynasty, but... the Taoist sects might also become too powerful. Surely Your Highness wouldn't want to slaughter the Taoist sects as well?"

Xiao Rui was already holding his breath in tension.

A mournful cry echoed in my heart.

"Father, Father! The Crown Prince said that day that anyone who pleads for mercy will die. Today you are betting the lives of the entire Xiao family!"

Li Chengqian smiled slightly and gave Xiao Yu, who had a sincere expression, a deep look.

Without comment, he slowly got up.

"I'll leave the matter of the writing to the Duke of Song. It's late, so I won't disturb you any longer..."

They respectfully escorted Li Chengqian out of the mansion, watching helplessly as his carriage departed.

Xiao Yu sighed deeply.

"A crown prince who doesn't care about his reputation at all—who knows whether his ascension to the throne will be a blessing or a curse for our Great Tang Dynasty..."

Several days later, on Bian Bridge over the Wei River.

Early in the morning, a driver carrying honeycomb briquettes was passing by and about to deliver them to a carriage in Chang'an City when he suddenly paused.

A stone Buddha statue had appeared out of nowhere, as if springing up like bamboo shoots after a rain.

It stands tall on the riverbank.

The Buddha statue has an angry look in its eyes and holds a vajra, as if it is about to unleash a thunderbolt.

"Huh? There are words here?"

The driver, looking curious, slowly got off the bus. Thinking about how he had spent the past few months at the briquette factory learning a couple hundred characters from the instructors, he couldn't help but have the idea of ​​trying it out himself.

"Hmm...Buddha, Kingdom, Dynasty...Tang Dynasty, Universal Paradise?"