People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1772: The Divine Beauty of Huineng in Buddhism and Sima Chengzhen in Taoism (2/2)

In the Qianyang Palace, Li Xuan sat on the imperial couch, casually flipping through the memorial in his hand, and raised his head with a calm expression: "So the Buddhists and Taoists agreed to divide the White Horse Temple into three parts?"

"Yes!" Kong Huiyuan cupped his hands and said seriously, "Your Majesty, the Buddhist sect will take back the White Horse Temple, which is the third of the three, the Taoist Qingyang Palace will take back the third, and the other three palaces, the Shangqing Palace, the Taiqing Palace and the Louguan Dao will take back one third."

"So they treated my words as fart." Li Xuan raised his head indifferently.

Kong Huiyuan was so frightened that he fell to his knees with a thump, and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, the Buddhist and Taoist sects have absolutely no intention of looking down on Your Majesty. All matters concerning the White Horse Temple will ultimately be decided by Your Majesty, and no one else dares to take the initiative."

"Qingyang Palace!" Li Xuan closed the memorial, shook his head, and said, "It's really a hopeless case."

Kong Huiyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was really worried that Li Xuan would bear a grudge against Buddhism and Taoism. If that happened, there would be a lot of deaths in the world.

"Forget it. Since they can't keep the things, let them go back to Shu." Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "Pass the decree down. Shangqing Palace, Taiqing Palace and Louguan Dao each have half of the White Horse Temple. I will use the remaining half to build a White Horse Academy, comparable to the Imperial College."

"Your Majesty is wise." When Kong Huiyuan heard the words "Baima Academy", he couldn't help but his eyes turned red, and then he kowtowed deeply to Li Xuan.

"As for Buddhism, let them go to Longmen and build a Longmen Temple there." Li Xuan waved his hand unceremoniously and drove the remnants of the White Horse Temple out of Luoyang.

"Yes!" Kong Huiyuan immediately bowed.

"Go away." Li Xuan waved his hand, and Kong Huiyuan immediately stood up, bowed and left.

……

Yu Ze walked out from behind the curtain and bowed to Li Xuan: "Your Majesty, do you really want to let Qingyang Palace return to Shuzhong? Wouldn't that be too ruthless?"

"I gave them Qingyang Palace so that they could guard that piece of land. They should have resisted Buddhism forcefully instead of compromising before I gave the order." Li Xuan sneered and said, "If this happened in front of the army, it would be like I was going to start a war and kill people, but they were negotiating to cede land on their own...

I wish I could kill all of them.”

Yu Ze's expression changed slightly and he bowed slightly.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from Chengtian Gate.

Immediately, a eunuch appeared at the palace gate, and solemnly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Temple requests an audience."

"Pass it on!" Li Xuan raised his hand slightly.

The eunuch immediately turned around and left, and soon, Prince Zheng Li Jing appeared at the door.

"Your Majesty, I am Li Jing, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and I am honored to see you." Li Jing bowed solemnly to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan waved his hand and said, "Brother Wang, please stand up. Is there anything wrong?"

"Yes!" Li Jing bowed his hands, and then said seriously: "Your Majesty, the great Buddhist masters Shenxiu and Huineng wish to see Your Majesty."

Li Xuan suddenly turned around and looked at Yu Ze, saying, "That scholar Kong, he was fooled by others and he still doesn't know anything?"

Yu Ze was silent.

Shenxiu and Huineng had already realized that it was impossible for them to get the land of White Horse Temple, so they did not expect Kong Huiyuan to reach any agreement.

But even so, they are still trying their best.

On the contrary, those people in Qingyang Palace probably thought that Li Xuan would never agree, so they pretended to be nice to the Buddhist sect.

However, they put all the pressure on Li Xuan.

This made Li Xuan extremely uncomfortable.

If loyalty is not absolute, it is equal to absolute disloyalty.

So, what He gives, He can also take back.

Maybe it's a little unreasonable, but he is the emperor after all.

Li Xuan raised his head, looked at Li Jing, and said, "Brother Wang, I will not see them. The two great Buddhist masters should not stay in Luoyang any longer. They should not care about the affairs of the White Horse Temple anymore. Please ask them to go to Chang'an. My mother is a Buddhist, so let them preach to her. I have several children to be born this year, so please ask them to pray for the princes."

"Yes!" Li Jing bowed and said, "I would like to thank you on behalf of the two monks. What an honor!"

Li Xuan nodded slightly. It was indeed an honor for both of them that the Sixth Patriarch and the Fifth Patriarch of Buddhism prayed for Li Xuan's son.

Because this means that Li Xuan accepts Buddhism, and Buddhism can even use this opportunity to contact the princes and princesses born by Li Xuan in the future.

This is no ordinary matter.

"Also, the two masters should stay at the Da Ci'en Temple while they are in Chang'an. Please ask Master Kuiji to send someone to entertain them well." After Li Xuan finished speaking, Li Jing's face was already full of surprise.

As long as Xuanzang, the living Buddha of the time, was around, the people of Chang'an stayed in Chang'an and only believed in the Consciousness-Only School of Buddhism.

Indeed, Shenxiu and Huineng's arrival in Chang'an could have a great impact on the people of Chang'an. However, when Li Xuan placed them in the Da Ci'en Temple, this powerful influence had been confined in a cage.

"I obey your order." Li Jing reacted and bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan waved his hand slightly, and Li Jing immediately left.

Li Xuan suddenly smiled, looked at Yu Ze and said, "It seems that this summer, we can only spend our free time on the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism."

Yu Ze bowed slightly. The dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, the dispute between Taoists, and the dispute between Buddhists.

Emperor Li Xuan, in the blink of an eye, manipulated Buddhism and Taoism.

Don't say there won't be any struggle. Legal order, moral order, actual interests, all of this will definitely not end so easily.

"Uncle Yu, go to the White Horse Temple and pass on my order." Li Xuan looked forward and said calmly, "Tell the people of Qingyang Palace what I mean. It's useless for them to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor."

"Yes!" Yu Ze bowed and left quickly.

He knew that Qingyang Palace had completely lost Li Xuan's trust this time.

Li Xuan raised his head and looked forward, saying softly: "Sima Chengzhen, Sima Ziwei, it seems that the only people who can fight against Buddhism are those from Maoshan... Ji Zhen!"

"I'm here!" He Zhizhang walked out from behind the curtain and bowed solemnly to Li Xuan.

"You should go to Mount Songshan and ask Master Ziwei to come to the palace in three days. I want to listen to him talk about the Tao Te Ching. Many years have passed, and I have a new understanding of the Tao Te Ching. It's a good opportunity for me to have a good discussion with Master Ziwei." Li Xuan waved his hand slightly.

"Yes!" He Zhizhang immediately bowed, then turned around and left quickly.

He Zhizhang knew very little about the past of Li Xuan and Sima Chengzhen, and he knew even more that if nothing unexpected happened, Huineng and Shenxiu would arrive in Chang'an in three days.

As soon as they arrived in Chang'an, the empress dowager, who was worshiping Buddha in the palace, would immediately receive the two into the palace.

Afterwards, the Empress Dowager worshipped Buddhism and the Emperor worshipped Taoism, and their mutual influences were offset again.

However, after this, the attention of the people of the world will shift to the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, and fewer and fewer people will pay attention to the affairs of Emperor Taizong, Emperor Gaozong, and Emperor Zhongzong.

The emperor's methods are becoming more and more invisible.

……

Rain and fog were hanging lightly. In Zhenguan Palace, Li Xuan was having lunch calmly.

Three bowls of soup, nine dishes, and three flatbreads.

It’s not much, but this is the result of Li Xuan’s deliberate instructions to be frugal.

A frugal country has its own way of governing, and an extravagant country has its own way of governing.

In the early years, Li Xuan believed that governing the country luxuriously would allow a large amount of wealth from the imperial palace to flow into the hands of the people.

This is the method of governing the country with luxury that Guanzi used.

But over the years, he gradually realized that the so-called luxurious governance of the country was nothing more than a game in which the wealth flowing out of the palace fell into the hands of a few people.

Used to deceive those who have some ideas but lack knowledge.

However, Li Xuan did not expose this game.

The so-called royal respectability is not without reason.

If he is too frugal, some people will inevitably suspect that the country's financial resources are insufficient. Once rumors arise, there will be big trouble.

As for those greedy people, we will send people to keep an eye on them, find evidence of their crimes, and then punish them severely by confiscating their properties.

The money will naturally come back.

In addition, there are rules regarding the level of food in the court.

The breakfast provided by the public kitchen was one liter of wine and three dishes for officials of the sixth and ninth ranks; one and a half liters of wine, three parts of mutton, and five dishes for officials of the fourth and fifth ranks; and two liters of wine, six parts of mutton, and seven dishes for officials of the third rank. When it came to Li Xuan, the standard was even higher.

However, Li Xuan doesn't drink much at noon, eats little mutton, and takes a nap after eating.

Shangguan Wan'er waved her hand and had someone clear the table, then turned to look at Li Xuan and said, "Your Majesty, Yang Sifu, the Right Relics Officer of the Secretariat, has reported that the Zhenguan Palace is unlucky, please change its name."

Li Xuan stopped and looked at Shangguan Wan'er in surprise: "The Zhenguan Palace has been renamed?"

"Yes." Shangguan Wan'er bowed slightly and said, "Since the end of Emperor Gaozong's reign, many unlucky things have happened in Zhenguan Hall, so I request to change the name to follow the will of heaven, but..."

Li Xuan looked up subconsciously.

Shangguan Wan'er paused for a moment and then said, "However, the one who wrote the letter is Yang Sifu, the Right Picker of the Secretariat, who is from the Hongnong Yang family. I am not sure whether he wants to show his allegiance to Your Majesty, or whether he has other intentions."

"Don't have any other thoughts." Li Xuan chewed on these two words gently. Shangguan Wan'er nodded and said, "If Your Majesty removes the traces of Emperor Taizong too quickly, people's hearts will inevitably change."

"Wan'er is right." Li Xuan walked towards the inner hall and said, "In reply, I will say that I am committed to the prosperity of the world. The Zhenguan Hall may be renamed the Kaiyuan Hall in the future, but that will be after I have governed the Tang Dynasty into the Kaiyuan Prosperity. I will not change it now. I will just keep it to warn him."

"Here!" Shangguan Wan'er bowed deeply.

"Also, have someone check on this Right Picker of Relics. What kind of person is he? What's his relationship with the main branch of the Hongnong Yang family? See if there's anything we can do with him." After Li Xuan finished speaking, with a "creak", the inner hall was closed.

Shangguan Wan'er immediately bowed and said, "Yes!"

Looking up, Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

She knew that there were only a few families in the world who were hostile to Li Xuan.

The three families of Cui, Lu and Zheng had been crippled, and the daughter of Zheng entered the palace as a virtuous concubine. The vast majority of the three families of Cui, Lu and Zheng had let go of their hatred for Li Xuan. Even if some people were occasionally dissatisfied, they could do nothing without the support of their family and their official positions.

The rest are nothing more than the Wei family, the Dou family and the Yang family.

Among many aristocratic families, the Wei family was the most oppressed. They were oppressed when Empress Wu was alive, and they were still oppressed when Li Xuan was in power. Their official power was almost gone.

Fortunately, the Dou family is fine and Li Chengqi is still alive.

Moreover, Li Chengqi never became emperor, and Li Dan was only posthumously named emperor. It was a pity for Li Chengqi that he gave up when he was only one step away from becoming emperor.

In addition, with Dou Xuande suppressing the family, Li Xuan still valued the Dou family, so nothing happened to the Dou family.

The last one left was the Yang family.

Not many members of the Yang family died, and not many were exiled, but too many members of the Yang family were dismissed from office because of their support for Empress Wu.

What's more, no matter the Wei family, the Dou family, the Cui, Lu, and Zheng families, or even the Wang family and the Li family, they all don't have much good feelings towards the Yang family. Similarly, among the Yang family, too many people don't like Li Xuan because Li Xuan hardly uses their people.

Now, the only people from the Yang family in the court are some low-level officials of the eighth and ninth ranks, and it is difficult for them to make their voices heard.

Shangguan Wan'er sat beside the low table and quickly wrote the reply in Li Xuan's tone.

At the same time, he wrote a secret letter to the secret guards, asking them to investigate Yang Sifu's detailed background and interpersonal relationships.

Shangguan Wan'er knew very well that if the Yang family didn't use it, it would definitely be a huge hidden danger.

They have too many smart people, too many people who know the government and the Tang Dynasty very well. If they abandon the Tang Dynasty and turn to collusion with foreign countries and the Turks, it will definitely be a huge threat to the Tang Dynasty and Li Xuan.

Therefore, for the people of the Yang family now, it is time to win over one faction and then suppress another.

The most direct method here is for the Yang family to offer their daughter to the palace, just as they have done countless times before.

……

Qianyang Palace, first day of May.

One government issue after another was quickly handled and resolved.

Lu Yuanfang stood at the top of the ministers, his eyes couldn't help but slightly turn towards Li Xuan. He knew that Li Xuan was privately using Yu Ze, He Zhizhang, Chen Ziang, Yang Jiong, Du Shenyan and others to assist in government affairs, but in fact, these people had their own responsibilities.

It's just that some of them did it too well.

There were many details that Lu Yuanfang, the ministers, the chancellors, and many more officials in charge of practical matters were not aware of, but Li Xuan and his subordinates not only noticed them, they even came up with ways to make up for them.

These people reminded Lu Yuanfang of the Northern Gate Scholars of the past. The only difference between them and the Northern Gate Scholars who were clearly delegating power to the Prime Minister back then was that these people now were really looking for ways to find and fill in the gaps.

Lu Yuanfang couldn't help but feel relieved.

Forget it, the whole world belongs to him, as long as there is no chaos in the government, all conflicts can be suppressed...

A burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the direction of Chengtian Gate. Then, Li Dazhi, the general of the Right Thousand Bull Guards guarding Chang'an Road, appeared at the palace gate. He strode into the palace and bowed to Li Xuan, saying, "Your Majesty, the Queen has sent a message that Consort Zheng gave birth to a son the day before yesterday. Please give her a name, Your Majesty."

"A dragon son has been born." Li Xuan could not help but stand up from the imperial couch, looking at Zheng Xuankai, Cui Xuanwei, Cui Shenji, Lu Zangyong and others on the side with a face full of surprise, and then excitedly said: "My sixth son is an auspicious number, so I give him the name Lang, and confer the title of King of Ying, Chang'an and Luoyang, and celebrate for three days."

Zheng Xuankai, Cui Xuanwei, Cui Shenji, Lu Zangyong and others were the first to step forward and bowed solemnly, saying, "Your Majesty, I congratulate you on the birth of your son. Your royal bloodline will continue and your country will be stable. Long live your majesty!"

A hint of pride flashed across Li Xuan's lips. From this moment on, the three families of Cui, Lu and Zheng had been completely used by him.

Then next, it’s the Wei family, the Dou family and the Yang family.

(End of this chapter)