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

Li Ke rushed to the Eastern Palace as soon as he received the news.

They called out anxiously.

Xiande Hall.

Wang De couldn't help but shrink back. Now, this King of Han was starting to become as outspoken as the King of Wei.

Li Chengqian, the elder brother who was preparing New Year's gifts for his younger siblings, looked up upon hearing this.

"What's wrong? You're a prince now, yet you're still so impetuous..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, signaling Qian Yingying to have someone prepare.

He then looked at his third brother, Li Ke, who was now looking angry, with a smile.

"Brother, you don't know, Father Emperor clearly issued an imperial decree, giving you full authority to handle Buddhist affairs, but in less than half a month, you've already colluded with Buddhism!"

"Just now, several monks disguised as commoners came to the palace gate, saying they wanted to see the Emperor. As a result, the Emperor summoned them to the Ganlu Hall!"

"Brother, do you think Father is going to go back on his word?"

Li Chengqian smiled faintly, but he did not show the anger that Li Ke had imagined, as if he had been betrayed.

On the contrary, the smile on his face became even brighter.

"It's alright, it was bound to happen sooner or later. But these bald monks seem really impatient, arriving in Chang'an before New Year's Eve. They must have suffered quite a bit along the way."

Li Chengqian muttered to himself, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Li Ke looked puzzled.

Li Chengqian didn't say much.

"Third brother, are those poor souls rescued from Jingxin Temple all safe and sound now?"

Even Li Ke, who had long been in the Jinyiwei prison and had become accustomed to cruel torture, couldn't help but feel a chill on his face when these people were mentioned.

"The imperial physicians have already examined them; their lifespans have been severely shortened, and almost half of them have lost their minds and become mentally impaired."

"Of the two or three who could still communicate with difficulty, they were all missing hands or friends, or were deaf or mute..."

Li Ke struggled and gritted his teeth.

“Brother, the Imperial Guards who are watching over them say that many of these people want to die. Perhaps... we should grant their wish.”

Li Chengqian took a deep breath. The slight joy that had just appeared on his face because the Buddhist sect, such a lucrative target, had finally been served, suddenly turned cold.

long silence.

"It can't be calculated like that. They are, after all, subjects of our Great Tang Dynasty. The debt they have suffered should be settled with Buddhism no matter what... Killing them might temporarily alleviate their suffering, but even if they are reincarnated, this resentment will never be resolved."

"Take good care of them. Have the Imperial Guards tell them that I, the Crown Prince, will help them vent their anger before they set off again, so they can travel more easily..."

at the same time.

Ganlu Temple.

Li Shimin looked at the dozen or so figures in front of him with a complicated expression.

"Are you Jueyuan? You look so much older. It's only been four or five years since we last met, right?"

Before entering the Ganlu Hall, the leading monk removed his straw hat, revealing his shiny bald head, and respectfully bowed to Li Shimin.

"Amitabha Buddha, everyone gets old eventually, but Your Majesty looks even more vigorous and energetic than before, with a long and powerful breath. You truly are a man blessed by the nation's destiny."

Li Shimin laughed twice.

On the surface, he appeared to be praising the other person and seemed quite pleased, but in his heart, he secretly grimaced.

If it weren't for the celestial fruit given to me by my Crown Prince, I wouldn't have such a healthy body now.

"You've traveled a long way from Mount Song to Chang'an, is there something you need?"

Li Shimin asked the question knowing the answer already. As soon as he finished speaking, the thirteen Shaolin monks who had once helped him by chance knelt down on the ground.

"Amitabha, Your Majesty, do you truly intend to destroy Buddhism? Could it be that in Your Majesty's eyes, we, the humble monks, have also become the heinous and unforgivable demonic monks of Jingxin Temple?"

"Your Majesty, do you intend to annihilate us as well?"

"When I was still King Qin, you were not a man who indiscriminately killed innocent people. Why are you doing this today?"

The smile on Li Shimin's face slowly disappeared.

It was as if they had already anticipated that the other party would ask such a question.

With a wave of his hand, Sun Yi immediately handed some prepared files and documents to Jueyuan and the others.

"Look around, in all the monasteries of this world, are there more people like you, wholeheartedly devoted to meditation and vegetarianism, or are there more scheming, depraved, and promiscuous individuals...?"

Li Shimin took a deep breath and picked up the teacup beside him.

"I am indeed not an emperor who is willing to kill innocent people, however... the Tang Dynasty has too many things to deal with right and wrong. Buddhism is not worthy of the Tang Dynasty's time and energy to distinguish between good and evil."

"Jueyuan, you are skilled in martial arts. You saved me from Wang Shichong's army that day, which is a great favor to me. As long as you return to secular life, I will grant you wealth and honor... Do not interfere in Buddhist affairs."

Jueyuan and the others opened the documents in their hands with puzzled expressions.

Upon seeing the above, one finds a dense and detailed list of place names from the Tang Dynasty, followed by the names of the temples and the crimes committed therein.

The sight was so shocking that even Jueyuan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

"How...how could this be...."

Li Shimin shook his head.

“You spend your days meditating and chanting Buddhist scriptures in the Songshan Mountains. Even when you come down the mountain, you only help the elderly and children in the surrounding villages and towns. This world is so vast that it can accommodate not only people like you who meditate, but also those despicable people.”

"Now that I hold the divine weapon in my hands, I naturally see more than you do."

Li Shimin sighed and put down his teacup.

Seeing that everyone was still unwilling to believe what was written on the document in their hands, he suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"How many Buddhist monks have accompanied you this time?"

Jueyuan looked sad.

It seems they haven't yet moved on from the contents of the document.

He instinctively murmured in response, "There are indeed about two hundred, all of them abbots and eminent monks of the temple, and all of them are truly enlightened practitioners of Zen..."

Li Shimin shook his head, seemingly somewhat regretful.

"Your Majesty, is it really true that Buddhism has absolutely no way out?"

Jueyuan knelt down and took two steps forward, his expression moved, his eyes filled with tears.

"This humble monk has grown up in Shaolin since childhood and knows nothing of the outside world's affairs. I have never dared to do evil in my life and have devoted myself to martial arts and meditation. Your Majesty, what has Buddhism done to deserve this?"

"His Majesty!"

Seeing Jueyuan's pleading expression, Li Shimin sighed.

Shake his head.

"The Buddhist sect has become too powerful to control. I will not hide it from you. I had already considered dealing with the Buddhist sect before. If it weren't for the obstacles caused by the aristocratic families of Hedong and the Eastern Turks, we could have done so now by taking advantage of the fact that the Buddhist sect does not engage in production, does not pay taxes, and even occupies such land."

"I will not hesitate to use the butcher's knife!"

Everyone's expressions changed.

Li Shimin waved his hand.

"In the final analysis, this matter is due to the lack of discipline and punishment within your Buddhist community, which has led to the current situation where heinous criminals wear monk robes, worship Buddha, and yet commit such heinous acts that will be condemned by Asuras."

"Now it has fallen into the hands of my Crown Prince, who has already decided to completely annihilate your Buddhist lineage and traditions. Moreover, he commands tens of thousands of elite troops and has the support of both Han and Turkic peoples in Bingzhou and Zhenbei provinces..."

Li Shimin shook his head, as if he were truly helpless.

"Listen to my word, and return to secular life."

Jueyuan: "..."

A deathly silence and a profound sense of despair were etched on the faces of all the monks present.

Those who had saved Li Shimin back then thought that Li Shimin would at least give the Buddhist sect a way out out of consideration for their past kindness. Unexpectedly, they were the ones who actually got a way out.

Buddhism, however, remains trapped in a deadly crisis.

I can't get out!

suddenly.

"Your Majesty, could you please grant this humble monk one last audience with the Crown Prince?"

East Palace.

When Sun Yi led these monks through the dark palace, they arrived at the East Palace in a somber atmosphere.

The guard's words made Jueyuan and the others, who were already very uneasy, feel even more uneasy.

His expression instantly changed to one of horror.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has decreed that Monk Jueyuan and the others should go directly to Jingxin Temple outside the city. Those who accompanied them have already gone there..."

In the dead of night, the mountain path leading to Jingxin Temple was brightly lit.

The soldiers of the Crown Prince's Six Guards stood ready for battle.

Meanwhile, over two hundred eminent monks dressed in monastic robes, who had come from the Tang Dynasty, Henan Province, or Hebei Province, were being escorted by the Imperial Guards like sardines.

Walking on the mountain road.

Not only was I filled with anxiety and fear throughout the journey, but my body was also exhausted to the extreme.

However, the Embroidered Uniform Guards showed them the utmost disrespect, not even a hint of kindness, to these supposedly enlightened masters in the eyes of outsiders.

Some of the slower ones would kick them.

"So many fields belonging to the common people are in the hands of you bald monks, and you're still not full? You all better hurry up and get to work!"

They received military pay far exceeding that of other guards from His Highness the Crown Prince, and enjoyed meals with meat every day.

Among these men of the Eastern Palace's Six Guards, His Highness the Crown Prince is not only strong in fists, but also absolutely right in what he does!

Those whom His Highness the Crown Prince despises are absolute sinners!

"Snapped!"

One of the monks was a couple of steps too slow, and a member of the Imperial Guard who had long disliked these guys immediately stepped forward and kicked him.

The kick nearly knocked the latter unconscious on the spot.

When Li Chengqian, who was sitting in front of the Buddha hall of Jingxin Temple, leisurely drinking tea, saw these eminent Buddhist monks who had been brought to the temple...

These people have lost all semblance of dignity.

They were all panting heavily and looked utterly disheveled.

"This humble monk greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be well..."

When everyone saw Li Chengqian, especially his magnificent imperial robe adorned with dragons, phoenixes, and unicorns, they all hurriedly bowed in respect.

Li Chengqian waved his hand.

"You all came to Chang'an to persuade my father, the Emperor, to spare your Buddhist sect, right?"

"Hehe, why go to such lengths? Father is indeed a benevolent ruler, but unfortunately, he has a tyrannical and domineering crown prince like me. I personally orchestrated the suppression of Buddhism. Instead of coming to me, you all go to Father. Isn't this giving the old man a headache?"

Li Chengqian had a half-smile, while Wang De behind him lowered his head and brows.

Upon hearing this, the group of eminent Buddhist monks couldn't help but exchange glances.

"Your Highness, could you please show mercy and spare the innocent members of our Buddhist community? Those who commit crimes and oppress the people deserve to be killed, but we have always been vegetarians and Buddhists, with no intention of harming the people, and we dare not have the audacity to rebel against you."

Li Chengqian smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"You are all eminent monks, and judging by your age, you must be well-versed in Buddhism. Tomorrow night is New Year's Eve, and on this important holiday, I do not wish to commit unnecessary killings... I will give you a chance to save yourselves!"

"Guards! Invite these eminent monks into the Buddha Hall!"

Li Chengqian suddenly gave the order, and the Imperial Guards immediately pushed these people into the Buddhist hall of Jingxin Temple.

A Buddha statue that originally had a golden body is now just a clay sculpture.

Behind it lies a secret chamber, a hellish place that caused the monks to gasp in horror as they witnessed the innocent people whose branches had been picked and plucked.

Li Chengqian, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, stared at the monks whose gazes were even somewhat evasive.

"Don't you Buddhists always talk about saving all sentient beings? These people are the pitiful ones who have been tortured by the evil monks of Jingxin Temple. They are now determined to die, but I don't want them to leave with resentment and pain."

"Please perform a ritual to help them pass on to the afterlife..."

Before everyone could relax and rejoice, Li Chengqian's lips curled into a cold smile.

“You should surround them and chant sutras to help them pass on peacefully. When they have all let go of their worldly concerns and passed away peacefully, Buddhism can live on.”

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he stepped out of the Buddhist hall.

However, after taking only two steps, he suddenly seemed to remember something.

A pause in his steps.

"By the way! Don't you Buddhists have a saying, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?'"

"Perfect timing, Choi Hyo-guk!"

Cui Xiaoguo, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, immediately stepped forward: "Your subordinate is here!"

"These poor people are treated by the imperial physician once a day."

"Furthermore, this world and my Great Tang owe them too much. Whatever they want to eat, I will arrange it for them. If there's nothing I can do, they can come to the palace to find me, and I will handle it. In these final days, I want them to at least feel some human warmth."

Cui Xiaoguo solemnly agreed.

Li Chengqian's gaze shifted again.

"Since these eminent monks have already entered hell, providing them with some water is sufficient; food... is unnecessary!"