Li Shimin was stunned on the spot.
Li Xiuning.
Wasn't that Sanniang!
He quickly realized this Sanniang was not his Sanniang,
but a Sanniang from another world.
Thinking of the elder brother he had killed with his own hands, Li Shimin's face showed embarrassment and turned a little ugly.
However, he was the emperor.
Even with a goddess standing before him, he maintained a composure that ordinary people could scarcely possess.
"I don't know what matter brings you down to the mortal realm?"
That was Li Shimin's first sentence—
and also his second question.
"Buddhism doesn't seek true enlightenment; it merely confuses people's hearts and harms the world. Especially that bald one on Lingshan—the God does not look kindly upon him. I'm here to tell you this: the westward pilgrimage for scriptures is nothing but their conspiracy."
Why had Li Xiuning come?
To implement the plan of eradication.
Starting here, she would wipe out all of Tang Sanzang's efforts.
Demolish all the temples.
Disband all the monks.
Li Shimin was taken aback. In a low voice, he said, "Is it truly so grave? I respect Buddhism; I've thought it could lead people toward goodness. I never imagined…"
"It's fine for monks to exhort goodness—but have you considered this: the people live in hardship and must feed these monks.
"What does it mean to 'accumulate blessings for the next life'? If humans are to be good, why look to an illusory next life?
"Even immortals reincarnated through the cycle enter the womb in ignorance. Do you think mortals remember the sufferings of their previous lives when they reincarnate? Deceiving children may fool the ignorant—
"but if this life is bitter, should one not strive in this life?"
Li Shimin nodded again and again.
He was no fool.
Li Er was a wise ruler.
Every sentence struck at the heart of the matter.
Hundreds of people in a monastery: building halls, erecting statues, and never tilling the land—
occupying vast tracts,
yet stretching out their hands for incense money and alms.
If they have sound bodies and hands, why not do their own work?
No wonder the God despised those bald men; it truly hindered the people's development.
Li Xiuning continued, "A man shaves his head to become a monk and a woman becomes a nun; a good family is thus scattered. If this goes on, will people still remain people?"
In Chang'an's Huasheng Temple alone,
there were as many as a thousand.
Hundreds more in other temples.
All of that was productive strength—
but they married not, bore no children,
and chose the monastic life.
Guiding people to goodness is not a salvation monks alone can provide.
Buddhism has its merits, but it should not deceive so brazenly.
After a long pause, Li Shimin sighed. "But I… I'm helpless. Those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest in dreams and signs… The people believe them and do not believe in me, their emperor."
"That problem is simple. This is a method passed down by God; even an emperor can cultivate it."
Li Xiuning tossed out the one thing Li Er could not refuse.
Cultivation—becoming an immortal.
And a method bestowed by the Eternal God.
In an instant, he was captivated.
"Truly?"
"Hmph. My God is older than Pangu—not comparable to those so-called immortal Buddhas. You'll know once you try. I'll rest here in the garden. You may go…"
Li Xiuning waved him off.
Li Er looked down at the jade slip in his hand,
his heart burning.
If he cultivated this, would he become more fearsome than an immortal?
He still doubted her words—
but he could not deny the shock the Eternal God had given him.
What was an immortal Buddha?
Something said to surpass even the Great God Pangu.
That afternoon, the news was sealed off; no one knew a goddess now lived in the rear garden.
Not even the Li Xiuning of this world knew.
Night fell.
Changning Palace.
Li Shimin opened the jade slip and began to meditate. The content was simple—
just meditation.
"Can the God's law be so simple?"
Li Er had his doubts, but meditation alone could do no harm.
Half a stick of incense later,
he fell into the state; under the refinement of divine power, his aging body recovered the mien of youth.
Three hours later,
Li Shimin opened his eyes.
The power coursing through him made him want to cry out with sheer comfort.
A freshness he had never known flooded his limbs and bones.
"So this is the God's method. One session, and I've broken through to the realm of a land immortal. It truly is a marvel…"
Why should an emperor be denied longevity?
Plainly, the immortals feared the emperor mastering humanity and overturning immortal-Buddha authority.
A boldness surged in Li Shimin's chest.
He had once been a martial master as well, but had been stuck at the innate barrier, unable to advance.
For the moment one steps into the innate,
lifespan extends by decades—and those immortals would not allow it.
Now, though, things had changed.
With the goddess's aid, Li Shimin had been reborn.
He thought of the God's manifested dharma-body—
enthusiasm filled his heart, and the power within him immediately calmed.
After only a short while,
he went to the imperial garden.
Li Shimin pressed his fists together, knelt respectfully, and said, "Li Shimin greets the goddess. I wonder—are you at rest?"
"Come in. From the look of you, you've already practiced the Divine Law. How did it go?"
"Marvelous—truly marvelous!"
Li Shimin's excitement was obvious; his gaze toward Li Xiuning brimmed with awe.
She smiled faintly,
pointed in the air, and a scroll of images unfurled before him.
Within were scenes of monastic families across the Tang.
When a man dons the robe, he bears no responsibility, and his family suffers.
Countless people wept through long nights.
Then the scene turned to the people near Guanjiangkou.
They lived and worked in contentment,
prosperous and unified in the face of hardship.
They practiced the Divine Law.
Everyone was a master; wild beasts were reduced to livestock and raised in pens.
"Have you seen it? This is true peace. How does it compare to the Buddha's false compassion?"
"Compassion is not achieved by wagging one's tongue. I was wrong… I listened to their slander."
"Then let those Buddhas taste the power of an emperor. I'll shield you here; even if Guanyin comes, she'll kneel."
Li Xiuning's voice carried murder.
As emperor, Li Er laughed from his belly.
He no longer wished to be stifled by the aura of those immortals and Buddhas. With someone backing him—it felt good…
The next day,
in court,
Li Shimin suddenly said, "By incomplete statistics, there are a hundred thousand monks in our realm who produce nothing and ask for wealth day after day. What do you all think?"
One sentence—
and the hall shook.
Not long ago, a Bodhisattva had descended to the world,
resolving confusions.
His Majesty had proclaimed the flourishing of Buddhism, and so in short order, the Dharma had spread swiftly.
Why this sudden reversal?
In the crowd, Yuan Tiangang began to sneer to himself—finally, the time had come.
The other side moved quickly indeed.
Changsun Wuji stepped out. "Your Majesty speaks truly—monks should be regulated. According to this minister's overnight inquiry, many came from comfortable homes, but after hearing they could live full bellies without labor as monks, they entered temples. It has long been a disaster."
"But Your Majesty—what of the Bodhisattva…"
"Human affairs should be resolved by humans. Wei Aiqing, is that not so?"
The black-faced Wei Zheng met Li Shimin's cool gaze and fell silent at once.
Don't think he couldn't impeach the emperor—
but he read the room.
In truth, these ministers had no fondness for Buddhism; but since His Majesty favored the Bodhisattva's appearance,
they had chosen to go along.
Now that His Majesty had resolved—
what was there to fear?
Cheng Yaojin said outright, "Your Majesty speaks to my heart. Human affairs belong to the human world—why heed those immortals?"
"Old Cheng…"
Qin Shubao gave him a warning glance, but the other pretended not to hear.
That day, an imperial edict went out across Chang'an.
All monastic benefits were revoked.
Monks would pay taxes—and heavier than merchant levies.
Some eminent monks refused to accept it.
They even went to the imperial envoy to question the matter.
977 The result was delivered:
"Your monastery occupies such a vast area, houses so many monks, and still you ask others for incense money. If you don't pay taxes, who should?
"Would you have those who can't fill their bellies pay?
"Either return home and farm, or pay tax according to the land you occupy!"
Those ruthless words
became the last straw that broke Huasheng Temple.
Countless monks sought to leave, only to find they could not even pass the city gates.
"Oh Heaven… Whose slander has Emperor Tang believed? Why is he so cruel to us Buddhists!"
"Yes! We eat plain and recite the Buddha's name day and night, guiding people to goodness… It shouldn't be like this."
…
The monks took to the streets,
trying to rally the compassionate to their side.
Then an old man with red, swollen eyes stepped from the crowd and slapped a young monk to the ground.
"Bah… you brat! If you hadn't preached of the 'next life,' my child wouldn't have become a monk. You're comfortable—have you ever thought how I am to live?"
The old man was past fifty.
He had raised his son through the first half of his life.
He had hoped, with great difficulty, to see the boy marry—yet his daughter-in-law died, and in despair his son entered the monastery.
Now the old man begged for scraps to survive.
Such scenes unfolded again and again.
Li Shimin stood on the city tower, looking down on it all, and sneered. "This is only the beginning. The next step is Phase Two. All monks must perform corvée; I will dig six trenches every year for six months."
Six months?
That was no mere labor assignment.
It was a death warrant; trenches were not easily dug.
Poor food and heavy labor every day.
The ministers at his side listened,
and did not dare breathe a word.
The emperor before them was no longer the one they had known. Who would dare speak and court death?
First, heavy taxes.
Next, corvée.
Who knew what would follow?
Li Shimin
was ruthless.