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

"Gathering fresh branches..."

When Li Chengqian squeezed out those words through gritted teeth.

Even he couldn't believe that such an extremely cruel thing existed in the Tang Dynasty.

He had always thought that this thing only existed in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties...

What Liu happy was carefully holding in his arms was a child whose face was completely disfigured and whose limbs had been broken.

The child stared with numb eyes.

His mouth was open, seemingly smiling, but his stiff, numb expression of pleading revealed, at first glance, the horrifying severed tongue in his dragon mouth.

"Your Highness! It's all true! There's a secret chamber beneath that Buddha statue! It's all true! These bald monks are a bunch of beasts in human form!"

Upon hearing that there were still more, Li Chengqian stumbled.

Clenching his teeth, he suddenly pushed aside the Imperial Guards beside him and strode towards the direction Liu happy had rushed out from.

As he led his soldiers, amidst the shocked and angry gazes of the Eastern Palace, he arrived before the secret chamber that Liu happy had mentioned.

Behind a colossal, gilded Buddha statue, the figures carried out by the soldiers of the Eastern Palace's Six Guards instantly enraged him so much that his vision went black.

I almost crushed my teeth at that moment.

Male and female, adults and children.

Each of them was beyond human form; under modern medical conditions, they would have been beyond saving.

Some people resemble spiders, with their backs bent and their limbs twisted at bizarre angles.

When he was carried out by the soldiers of the Eastern Palace's Six Guards, it was as if it were an instinct.

There they made a series of pleading gestures, as if begging for money.

There's also a woman who has no eyes and is missing an arm.

A child who lost both legs...

More than thirty!

"Li Ke, Li Ke!!!"

Li Chengqian roared, and Li Ke behind him shuddered and hurriedly squeezed through the crowd.

"Brother, I'm here, I..."

"Arrest them! Arrest them all! Not a single one of them is allowed to die!!!"

"Take them all to Chang'an!!!"

......

Boxes of gold and silver jewelry, along with gold Buddha statues or jade donated by merchants, filled more than a dozen horse-drawn carts, yet they were still not finished loading.

Zhengxin Temple alone has more than twenty gilded Buddha statues of various sizes.

The smallest one is as tall as two people.

however.

At this moment, Li Chengqian had completely lost the sense of pleasure he felt before going out today to "bully others with his power".

Inside the carriage, he gritted his teeth, his face grim, like a demon ready to draw his sword at any moment, repeatedly urging Wang De outside to speed up.

After five or six days of continuous snowfall, the winter snow in Chang'an finally stopped.

On Zhuque Avenue, some people, led by the heads of the surrounding neighborhoods, were sweeping the snow off the ground.

But at this moment.

A series of anxious shouts from afar, accompanied by the sound of galloping warhorses, caused everyone's expression to change.

"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guards are on official business! All of you, make way!!!"

The heavy cavalry of the Crown Prince's six guards also shouted orders and cleared the way.

Such a galloping horse through Chang'an City soon attracted the attention of the patrolling military commander.

However, when they saw these fully armed, menacing-looking heavy cavalry and Imperial Guards from the Eastern Palace, they were shocked.

And behind that procession was the imperial carriage bearing the crown prince's banner.

Captain Wuhou, who had originally intended to stop them, hurriedly stopped his men.

"Step back! Immediately make way for His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Go, go and appease the people!"

As Captain Wu spoke, watching the troops charging straight towards the palace without slowing down, he realized that something serious must have happened...

The Crown Prince returns to the Eastern Palace!

Then, one by one, the Imperial Guards rushed out of the Eastern Palace on horseback.

The residence of Fang Xuanling, the Left Minister of the Tang Dynasty.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

A member of the Imperial Guard, his eyes gleaming with a chilling ruthlessness, pulled out a waist token and handed it to the gatekeeper who opened the door.

"By order of the Crown Prince, Prime Minister Fang is to proceed to the Eastern Palace immediately!"

The Du family mansion.

"His Highness the Crown Prince summons you! Minister Du is requested to enter the palace immediately!"

The Changsun family, the Xiao family, the Zheng family, the Pei family...

It included almost all the officials during Li Shimin's court assemblies, including the censors and officials who spoke out against him.

The entire city of Chang'an was alarmed.

The Eastern Palace, Xiande Hall.

Li Chengqian sat in his seat, and for the first time, faced with a table full of official business, he had no intention of dealing with it at all.

My mind is filled with those poor people whose lives were harvested and whose branches were broken.

Those people are beyond saving!

Even though he really wanted to save them, this kind of thing can't be done just by wanting to.

The aura around Li Chengqian was frighteningly low; his gaze seemed to suggest that he might kill anyone he looked at in the next second.

The daughters of various ministers who had already been sent to the Eastern Palace to serve as ladies-in-waiting all showed signs of nervousness.

A female official, assigned by Qian Yingying to organize the budget ledgers, kept glancing nervously at Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was sitting in the main hall.

She suddenly knocked an inkstone in front of her to the ground.

A crisp "snap!" sound.

In the deathly silent Xiande Hall, it sounded as if the executioner's decapitation blade had fallen on the execution platform.

Li Chengqian's face trembled, and his bloodshot eyes slowly turned around.

"Ugh, Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me..."

The girl was so frightened that she burst into tears.

Originally, Li Chengqian was still full of anger, but when he looked at the other party, the image of several pitiful women among the thirty-odd people who had been mutilated by the "harvesting" suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Inhale...exhale..."

He was practically sucking in the cold air through his teeth when he waved his hand, signaling Qian Yingying to leave with her people.

The next second, however, he raised an eyebrow at Wang De beside him.

"Go and see why no one has arrived yet? Does my word no longer carry weight?!"

Wang De nodded hurriedly.

Having witnessed the plight of those same people, he now understood.

The current crown prince is probably about to do something that will shake the world again.

Compared to those who were mutilated and tortured, he, a eunuch, seemed incredibly lucky.

Imperial Palace, Ganlu Hall.

At this moment, Li Shimin didn't care about what kind of carriage he was riding in. The first words his third prince, Li Ke, said to him were so startling that he, with his feet on the table, rolled off his chair.

The two hurried towards the East Palace.

Li Shimin anxiously inquired about what had happened.

Li Ke gritted his teeth.

"Father, my elder brother is probably going to destroy Buddhism!"

"What?! Hiss!!!"

Didn't they say they were going out to raise money?

What, if Buddha doesn't agree to lend you money, you're going to kill him?

Li Shimin's eyes widened. However, as Li Ke investigated Zhengxin Temple along the way, and the Crown Prince went there today, the group stormed in and discovered even more filth and corruption hidden in Zhengxin Temple.

Even Li Shimin couldn't help but pause in his tracks.

His mouth was open.

Just thinking about his own crown prince's temperament—opening his mouth to recreate the world, closing his mouth to exterminate ten generations of your family—made him furious.

"...They're finished. These bald monks are probably all going to ascend to paradise."

East Palace.

Li Shimin was already in the palace, so he was naturally the first to arrive.

however.

Li Chengqian remained silent in the face of the question.

He sat quietly in his seat, only gesturing with his eyes for Qian Yingying to pour tea and water for the other person.

Now, Li Shimin was completely certain.

This time, their crown prince has probably really been provoked.

The number of people who lost their heads must be at least in the tens of thousands...

soon.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji, Cheng Yaojin and others arrived first.

Afterwards, Wei Zheng, Pei Ji, Xiao Yu and others also arrived.

Inside the Xiande Hall, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Chengqian sat in the main seat in the hall, while Emperor Li Shimin sat at a tea table to the side.

He simply shook his head slightly in response to the questioning looks from the crowd.

As Li Chengqian requested the last person on the list to rush into Xiande Hall.

The crown prince, who had been silent all along, finally spoke his first words.

"I want to kill someone!"

"To be precise, I will kill many people, including many good people, but I don't care!"

Li Chengqian's voice wasn't loud, but in the deathly silent Xiande Hall, it reached the ears of everyone present.

Li Shimin shook his head and sighed.

After receiving a signal from his elder brother, Li Ke immediately recounted what had happened to the Embroidered Uniform Guard at Zhengxin Temple that day.

He also recounted the story of the forced mutilation and mutilation of animals.

Li Ke also brought out the account books he brought back from Zhengxin Temple, as well as the wanted posters left by the monks in various local governments.

Fang Xuanling held a land rental account book for Zhengxin Temple in his hands, his forehead and the corners of his eyes twitching incessantly.

As the soldiers from the Eastern Palace carefully carried the thirty-odd pitiful people who had been mutilated and mutilated into the palace.

A collective gasp of astonishment immediately filled the air.

Wei Zheng's old face turned blue with anger.

Pointing at these "monsters" that were no longer human, he seemed to want to hurl some angry curses.

In the end, his legs gave way and he fell backward, head tilted back.

He was helped up by Pei Ji and Xiao Yu, who were quick-witted and agile.

Cheng Yaojin was furious: "Kill! These bald monks, right here around Chang'an, under the very nose of my Great Tang Emperor, actually dare to do such a thing! Kill them! Kill them all!"

“Leave no one behind!!!”

Yuchi Jingde's face was dark and filled with murderous intent.

Zheng Jiang of the Zheng family from Xingyang stepped forward.

"Your Highness, the Zheng family of Xingyang is willing to cooperate with you in suppressing Buddhism!"

"Such inhumane acts, hidden under that Buddha statue, show that Buddhism is beyond redemption! Not to mention the encroachment on farmland and the hiding of farmers!"

"Buddhism is beyond saving!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Duke Xiao Yu of Song snorted coldly.

"Even if there is a cure, in my opinion, there is no need to save them!"

"Your Majesty, I support Your Highness's suppression of Buddhism. Such a poisonous disease, tearing apart the hearts and minds of the people and the court of our Great Tang Dynasty, deserves to be dealt with swiftly and decisively!"

Wei Zheng finally woke up slowly after Pei Ji pinched his philtrum several times.

At this moment, he was also gritting his teeth.

His body was too weak to stand up, but he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty! I request that Buddhism be eradicated!!!"

The crowd was filled with excitement.

Li Chengqian's expression remained as cold as before, and he waved his hand dismissively.

"I am not here today to ask for your help, nor to ask my father or you to do anything. I am simply here to give you an announcement."

"I know there are many truly enlightened monks in Buddhism, and you are all pillars of our dynasty. It is inevitable that some of you will come into contact with Buddhism, but..."

Li Chengqian's voice suddenly rose a little.

"This time, I will kill blindfolded, without regard to right or wrong. Whether they are members of the Buddhist sect or still have connections with it after this day... I would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!"

"Let me make this clear from the start: when my blade tastes blood, you can simply watch quietly. But if anyone insists on standing up at this time and saying a few words of justice..."

"I will send you all to enjoy bliss with those bald monks!"

Huichang Temple, Jinchengfang, Chang'an City.

"boom!"

A loud, heavy impact.

As the temple gates were smashed open, the menacing soldiers of the Eastern Palace and the Imperial Guards gave the monks inside no chance to react.

They charged in recklessly.

"Ah! Who are you people? You..."

"This is a Buddhist temple, what are you doing?!"

"Snapped!"

"Tie them all up! Take them to the execution ground! Search them thoroughly, don't let a single one escape!"

"Yes!!!"

It was curfew time in Chang'an, but even at this hour, the mansions of the court officials and their families were still brightly lit.

Xiao Yu stood on the pavilion and let out a long sigh.

"The Buddhist sect... its fate is truly sealed. It has fallen into the hands of this crown prince. Even if it had some connections with His Majesty in the past, it is now powerless to reverse the situation."

Empress Xiao, from the previous dynasty, looked at her younger brother. Now, Li Shimin had not restricted her freedom in any way.

Even Yang Zhengdao didn't impose any restrictions.

Even after he left Chang'an, Li Shimin, who already knew that the Imperial Seal of the State was with his own crown prince, was no longer worried.

How many people will die this time?

Xiao Yu shook his head.

"At least... we can only have a chance to negotiate once His Highness the Crown Prince has calmed down."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is insane..."