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

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

"Those bald Buddhist monks, do they really think they can overturn the heavens of my Great Tang Dynasty?!"

Inside the Ganlu Hall.

Li Shimin stared in astonishment at the report brought by Fang Xuanling in his hand.

He roared angrily, yet, for some reason, he felt that something was amiss with the whole situation.

The Buddhist community is indeed quite powerful, and the resources it controls are absolutely comparable to those of a warlord.

But... Buddhism is loosely organized!

These resources are not concentrated in any one Dao of the Tang Dynasty.

If these guys had joined the Five Clans and Seven Kingdoms rebellion in the eastern part of the river back then, they might still have been a threat, but now...

How is this any different from the rebellion that took place in Chang'an, where I had tens of thousands of troops, in the ninth year of the Wude era?

Fang Xuanling cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, I suspect there is something fishy about this. Even if this stone Buddha in the Wei River was indeed made by Buddhists, where else near Chang'an could someone have completed such a stone Buddha overnight and then thrown it into the Wei River?"

"I have seen it myself. That stone Buddha is at least twice the height of me and weighs more than a thousand catties. It is inconvenient to transport it by ordinary horse-drawn carriage. How could the remaining Buddhist sects around Chang'an possibly manage it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately took a deep breath.

A figure instantly came to mind.

"Sun Yi, what has the Crown Prince been doing these past few days?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yi, Li Shimin's personal eunuch, thought for a moment and responded respectfully.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the Crown Prince seems to be discussing something with people from the Chang'an edition of the *Great Tang Daily*, though I don't know the specifics..."

Immediately, Li Shimin became certain of his decision.

This so-called stone Buddha must have been made by our own crown prince.

"Hiss! This unfilial son, is he really not going to give those Buddhist monks even the slightest chance of survival?"

Li Shimin gasped, looking at the rumors circulating in the streets reported by the Hundred Cavalry Division, in addition to the rumors about the Stone Buddha of Wei River.

He had always found the emergence of these rumors too suspicious.

Upon discovering that the shadow behind him was none other than his own crown prince, he was instantly enraged.

"Well! You, Li Chengqian, have no intention of leaving yourself any reputation whatsoever. You even dare to smear yourself with the filth of sleeping with your own uncle's woman... Guards! Prepare the carriage for the Eastern Palace!"

Li Shimin was very angry.

As the heir to this empire.

Li Chengqian could be ruthless and merciless, which is one of the qualities that an emperor must possess.

Li Chengqian's fearlessness in the face of death, personally engaging in battles with the Turks on the grasslands, demonstrates an extraordinary quality that allows an emperor to win over the morale of his army.

Li Chengqian could kill Buddhist monks as easily as slaughtering dogs, because these guys really deserved to be nipped in the bud.

However... he simply could not accept that his own son would so readily throw such absurd mud at him in an attempt to destroy Buddhism.

Moreover, it's so clearly narrative...

"No way! How could you write it like this? It has to be satisfying, do you understand? It's not that I'm satisfied, it's that the people are satisfied! I am a tyrant here, a butcher of demons descending upon this world, a demon that Buddhism must eliminate."

"You're really looking down on Buddhism in what you've written."

Ma Zhou, who had been captured by Li Chengqian, was covered in sweat.

"Your Highness, perhaps we should let it go. This is far too damaging to your reputation. If His Majesty were to find out, I fear I would lose my head..."

Ma Zhou was so heartbroken he felt like crying his eyes out.

He had been appointed by His Majesty as the Grand Academician of the Great Tang Daily, responsible for managing and operating the entire newspaper, when he heard that His Highness the Crown Prince, whom he greatly admired and worshipped, had summoned him.

He even went back to change into a newer set of official robes.

However, who would have thought that what His Highness the Crown Prince asked him to do was completely beyond his idealized view of the prince.

"Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince! You should cherish your reputation. If these false things were to spread, and the uninformed people believed them, it could be detrimental to you!"

Ma Zhou panicked.

Look at that!

Look at all the weird stuff on his desk right now.

For the first time in his life, he felt disgusted and scornful of his own talent and writing.

"Secret Tang Palace Affairs", "Midnight Palace Scenes", "The Crown Prince Says It's Very Lucky"...

And there's also "Buddha's Wrath and Tang's Pity," which he's currently writing and which has particularly displeased His Highness the Crown Prince. It features a story where all members of the royal family are villains.

As if afraid others wouldn't know, this book originated from a Buddhist institution...

"Oh dear! You stubborn fool! I even thought you were a promising talent, but you... you idiot!"

"The will of the people, the will of the people, what is the will of the people!"

"The peak breeds false supporters, twilight witnesses devout believers!"

"Those who are easily swayed by mere rumors have no popular support, so how can they be considered lost?"

"Are you afraid your father will chop you up? Look at your pathetic self!"

"What are you afraid of? My father wants to kill you, so you can come with me to Bingzhou. I, the Crown Prince, am backing you! What are you afraid of?! Write! Keep writing for me!"

"Next time, the prince, after being rejected by the princess, resorts to force, and the high monk Buddha, in a fit of rage, saves the innocent woman! Write it! Write it seriously!"

Li Chengqian held a hand tablet commonly used by instructors at the Imperial Academy.

They kept urging me on.

Ma Zhou looked utterly dejected. After hesitating for a long time, he took a deep breath and reluctantly picked up his pen again. The next moment, a cold voice came from the entrance of the Xiande Hall of the East Palace.

"If you dare to write another word, Ma Zhou, even if that scoundrel Chang He pleads for your life today, I will still execute you!"

"Clap!"

Ma Zhou dropped the brush in his hand instantly. Turning around, he saw Li Shimin walking in angrily, but it was as if he had seen a savior.

With a sob, she knelt down on the ground.

"Your Majesty~~~ Waaaaah!"

Li Chengqian's expression changed, and he hurriedly put away the few things he had written and handed them to Qian Yingying behind his back.

"Father, what brings you here?"

A cold smile played on Li Shimin's lips, and for the first time in his contest with the Crown Prince, the light in his eyes was so intense that the latter could not even lift his head.

"If I hadn't come, what outrageous things would my Crown Prince have planned to do?! Huh?!"

Before Li Chengqian could react, Li Shimin swiftly grabbed the half-written article from the table, which Ma Zhou had just finished writing.

"Heh, heh heh, a demon resides in the palace, and a high monk is saving all living beings? Very well, Li Chengqian, you don't care about your reputation, but I do!"

"If you release these things, what will the people of the world think of me? What will they think of my royal family?!"

Li Chengqian coughed twice.

The hand behind her back waved hurriedly, signaling Qian Yingying to quickly take her belongings and leave.

He, on the other hand, stuck his neck out.

"Father, you are mistaken. Shouldn't the reputation of the royal family be reflected in the food, clothing, and daily necessities of all the people under heaven?"

"To enable all the people to wear new clothes, to feed them enough, even meat, to give their children an education, and to provide them with medical care when they are sick—that should be the reputation of my royal family."

"These things, which are obviously prepared by people with ulterior motives, can only provide the common people with some topics for gossip over tea."

"Father, do you believe it or not? Right here in my Bingzhou region, if these things were released, I wouldn't even need to personally order anyone to deal with them. The people would spontaneously hand over anyone who released them, or even those who spread them, to the authorities..."

Li Shimin remained silent for a moment.

He flipped through the things in his hands with a bit of impatience, and the more he looked, the more intensely the veins on his forehead throbbed.

He took a deep breath, tossed the things aside, glanced at Ma Zhou kneeling on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, and spoke calmly.

"Get out and wait for me outside!"

Ma Zhou immediately fled from Xiande Hall as if he were escaping.

As Sun Yi closed the palace gates, Wang De led the palace maids and female officials out.

"Just how badly are you going to purify Buddhism?"

"First came the stone Buddha of the Wei River, then the rumors circulating among the common people that the Li Tang dynasty was about to be replaced, and then there were these things that slandered and desecrated the royal family."

What else have you prepared?

Li Chengqian smiled slightly: "Why is Father in such a hurry? This is nothing. Buddhism is so sacred. If it lingers in the mortal world, how can it convince people?"

"Your Majesty, I am merely lending these eminent monks a hand... allowing Buddhism to soar to the heavens, to fly ever higher..."

......

The Zheng family mansion in Xingyang.

In a few days, it will be New Year's Eve, and Li Shimin has also set this year's grand court assembly for two days before New Year's Eve.

however.

Whether it's the meritorious officials of Xuanwu Gate like Fang Xuanling who are destined to be granted noble titles, or the other officials in the court and subordinates of the Six Ministries, they all focus their attention on Buddhism.

"Master, these letters all came from our ancestral home in Xingyang. Not only Xingyang, but many families in Henan Province that are on good terms with the Zheng family have also written to you. They are all here..."

Zheng Jiang looked solemn.

The letters were filled with praise for Buddhism that had suddenly appeared in large numbers in Henan Province recently.

"In Runan County, Caizhou, there is a legend that a stone Buddha grew out of the ground at Jiangxin Temple. Those who burn incense and kneel in worship all receive blessings."

"In Donglai County, Laizhou, a holy monk from Pinghai Temple, along with his disciples, performed a ritual to exorcise evil spirits from a local village. Any demons or evil creatures they encountered were slain."

"In Pengcheng County, Xuzhou, a holy monk of Guangsheng Temple heard the true meaning of Buddhism and was enlightened by the Buddha. He passed away overnight and became a Buddha, sitting upright on a lotus flower, his head and neck not drooping, his body not decaying."

"In Zhongli County, Haozhou, the Guanyin Bodhisattva at Baolian Temple is extremely efficacious in granting children. Women and children without offspring can go to the temple, fast for seven days, and rest in the temple's clean room for one night, and their wishes will be fulfilled..."

The more Zheng Jiang looked, the more cold sweat poured down his back.

There must be someone secretly stirring things up; this is an attempt to suppress the prestige of the royal family and elevate the reputation of Buddhism. This...

Zheng Jiang was unclear about the cause of the messages conveyed in these letters, but he was certain it was not the power of a true Buddha.

Born into a prominent family and as the head of the Zheng clan of Xingyang, Zheng Jiang would never believe such things.

In the mansions of various powerful families in Chang'an.

Many other ministers also received similar news.

Looking at these contents now, I feel that a massacre even more bloody than the execution grounds of Chang'an's West Market is about to begin.

"Inhale...exhale..."

In the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian, Li Ke, Li Tai, Li You, and Li Yin each had their own bathtub, and at this moment they were all grimacing.

Li You gasped for breath as he followed the movements his elder brother had taught him, positioning himself in the bathtub.

"Brother, oh... those bald monks are utterly despicable, but why has there been no further reaction after you killed them around Chang'an?"

Li Yin seemed to be somewhat intolerant of the heat. While soaking in the bathtub and looking at the snow scene outside the window, his face was flushed.

"My royal brother is definitely giving them a chance to come and confess their sins and beg for mercy!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ke and Li Tai exchanged a glance.

His eyes were full of smiles.

Confess? Beg for mercy?

Since his elder brother hadn't really weakened these Buddhist sects enough, and hadn't raised most of the funds for the Yellow River water conservancy project, these Buddhist sects wanted to beg for mercy?

That's wishful thinking.

Li Chengqian chuckled twice.

"No rush, let Buddhism take its time..."