"The Hundred Schools of Thought!"
In Taiji Palace, Li Shimin could not help but feel a headache coming on. How could he not know about the disputes between the court and the people regarding Buddhism? He originally wanted to let the Hundred Schools of Thought resolve themselves, but he did not expect it to become more and more intense.
Everyone knew about the Hundred Schools of Thought during the Spring and Autumn Period, but in the court, the Hundred Schools of Thought had never stopped. Every school of thought was racking their brains to develop their own doctrines and to advocate their own views.
Now, the Hundred Schools of Thought were not a big deal. Ever since Buddhism spread to the Central Plains, there was the addition of Buddhism. Of course, the most intense battle was between Buddhism and Daoism. A foreign religion had actually developed in the Central Plains in such a short time, which naturally violated many taboos of the Hundred Schools of Thought. All along, there had never been an end to anti-Buddhism, but it had never been as intense as this time.
"The other Hundred Schools of Thought are fine, but why is the School of Thought getting involved!" Li Shimin looked at the report and said hatefully. In his opinion, the other Hundred Schools of Thought had a reason to oppose Buddhism, but not the School of Thought! And this time, the School of Thought was more than just getting involved. They were the fuse.
Pande could not help but smile bitterly. "It is said that this was not done by Merton, but by the strange scholar Teacher Li who advocated exposing the scandals of Buddhism."
"Not strict enough! It is our duty. If we don't know the first time, how can we not know later? "Li Shimin said with a straight face, but his tone was much gentler.
Pande nodded and said, "It must be because Merton is young and frivolous. He is hot-blooded, so he can't stand seeing the Zhao family die unjustly. The demonic monk is lying!"
"Young and frivolous, hot-blooded. In my opinion, he must be showing off his foreign knowledge," Li Shimin said bluntly.
Pande shook his head helplessly. In his opinion, Li Shimin must have guessed correctly.
"Right, have you investigated the yoga matter?" Li Shimin suddenly asked.
Pande said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the secret art of yoga does exist. This is not a secret among the Indian merchants. That Luo is just a man with a secret art, not some art of resurrection."
Only then did Li Shimin heave a sigh of relief. If it wasn't for the Mo Journal exposing Na Luo's scam, he still wanted to summon him into the palace to extend the life of the seriously ill Li Yuan! If he was really deceived by a demonic monk, he would probably lose all face.
With a straight face, he said, "I've ordered time and time again to get rid of the superstitions of the people. I even personally killed the Mud Dragon King, but I didn't expect so many people to be deceived by the demonic monk."
Pande said respectfully, "These people are just ordinary teachers. How can they have the wisdom of Your Majesty?"
Li Shimin's expression softened. He stroked his beard and nodded. "Pass down the order. Have the officials of each county strictly investigate the matter of using ghosts and immortality to deceive the people."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Pande said respectfully. Suddenly, he changed the topic and said, "But now the imperial court is surging because of the matter of Buddhism. In addition to Lord Fu, there are many ministers. Some advocate banning Buddhism, and some advocate promoting Buddhism. Your Majesty, please make a decision soon."
Li Shimin couldn't help but show a difficult expression. He naturally knew the disadvantages of Buddhism described by Fu Yi. However, he had once received great kindness from Buddhism. If he came out to deal with Buddhism, he was afraid that he would be suspected of treachery.
"Every time School of Mo encounters a problem, they will gather the wisdom of the hundred schools to solve the problem. This time, I will not only gather the hundred schools for a meeting, but also the hundred officials for a meeting. Pass down the order. Tomorrow at five o 'clock, I will hold a meeting in Taiji Palace to discuss the matter of Buddhism. "Li Shimin made the final decision.
"Yes!" Pande answered.
The next day, before dawn, the entire Mo Mansion was silent.
"Husband! Husband! Husband! "
Meton was in a daze when he suddenly heard someone call out to him. He opened his eyes in a daze and only then did he discover that Princess Changle had already woken up.
"What's wrong? It's not even dawn yet." Meton was confused.
"Husband, you've forgotten. Yesterday, there was news from the imperial palace that you have to attend court at five o 'clock in the morning." Princess Changle said excitedly. This was the first time Meton had attended court after their marriage. In her eyes, this was a sign that her husband was making progress.
"Attend court!" Only then did Meton wake up. He could not help but sigh as he looked through the glass at the sky that had just brightened.
"That's far too early. Who knows which dynasty started attending court at five o 'clock in the morning. That's inhumane," Meton said resentfully.
Princess Changle helped Meton put on his new fifth rank court robes. This was also the first time he had worn court robes since his marriage.
Meton had a crew cut, so he did not need to take care of his hair. This saved him a lot of time. Looking at his unfamiliar self in the mirror, he sighed inside. He was probably going to wear this set of clothes for a long time.
"Which woman in the world doesn't hope for their husband to be conferred the title of marquis? Many people are eager to attend court, yet you're still complaining?" Princess Changle said coquettishly.
"Conferred the title of marquis? Your husband doesn't think so. That's the thought of some women who haven't entered court yet. Once they do, they probably won't even have enough time to regret it. Your husband only attends court once in a while. If I attend court every day, you'll regret it!" Meton snorted coldly.
"Husband is valued by father. How can I regret it?"
Meton put on his official hat. As he walked out of the room, he recited in a clear voice, "A young woman in the boudoir knows no worries. Suddenly seeing the willow leaves, I regret teaching my husband to seek the title of marquis. "
Princess Changle could not help but be stunned. She did not think that Meton would recite a poem during morning court. She could not help but cover her mouth and laugh, "Then I'll wait for you to make me regret it."
Meton walked out of the villa and sat in the carriage that had already been prepared. He yawned and said, "Let's go to the imperial palace!"
"Yes!" Tie An replied clearly.
With a soft cry, the carriage quickly drove out of the Mo Estate, heading straight for the imperial palace.
At the same time, in the various markets of Chang 'an City, various officials were rushing to the imperial palace, either in carriages or on horseback.
When Meton arrived at the imperial palace, he found that many officials were already waiting there. None of them were sleepy. Instead, they were all hale and hearty. Meton could not help but sigh at how energetic these people were.
From a modern perspective, holding court at six in the morning might be a little cruel. However, in this era, other than that little bit of fun, there was almost no nightlife. Everyone generally went to bed early. Perhaps a quarter past six in the morning was not that unreasonable.
When the officials saw Meton arrive, they could not help but have thoughts. In the past, as long as Mo Jiazi was present, it would be very exciting. And this time, the officials all knew that they were going to discuss the matter of Buddhism. The Mo family was the fuse that caused this dispute.
However, the officials did not linger on Meton for long. Soon, they were attracted by another person. It was the former Grand Scribe, Fu Yi.
"I'm late. Please forgive me." Fu Yi trembled as he walked among the officials. However, no one dared to underestimate him. He was the one who advocated for the abolition of the Buddha, and he had repeatedly expressed his opinion. If the abolition of the Buddha was successful today, he would have accomplished an unprecedented feat all by himself.
However, at this moment, Fu Yi could be said to be in the eye of the storm. The officials naturally avoided him like a snake.
Fu Yi did not care. Suddenly, he saw Meton behind the officials and his eyes lit up. He walked forward and said, "So it's Merton. I have to thank the Mo family for publishing without fear of pressure. I have redressed the injustice of the Zhao couple, brought the evil monk to justice, and exposed the fraud of the evil monk Naruo."
It was precisely because the Mo Magazine did not fear the pressure of Buddhism and published the scandal of Buddhism that Fu Yi's reputation had increased and he had received great support.
Meton sternly said, "Fair and just reporting is the duty of the Mo Magazine. The Mo family is just doing what they should do!"
"What they should do? Well said!" Fu Yi shouted. "It's a pity that some people can't even do what they should do and help the evildoers. They have received the teachings of the saints in vain. Even at this age, they can't compare to a weak youth."
Yu Zhining's face immediately turned red. This time, not only did the Confucian journal not report the Great Mercy Temple's illegal actions, but they even defended the Great Mercy Temple. If it wasn't for Kong Desheng's article, the reputation of the Confucian journal would have been ruined.
"Lord Fu is too kind. How can I compare to Lord Fu's integrity?" Meton modestly said.
Fu Yi laughed and said, "The Old Man only has two hobbies in his life. One is anti-Buddhism, and the other is good wine."
"It just so happens that the Mo family's Quenching Thousand Sorrows is a rare good wine. I'll send some for Lord Fu to taste." Merton said.
Fu Yi was overjoyed. "That's great. The Old Man's wish is not to die of old age, but to die drunk. After he dies, I'll write 'Fu Yi' on the Old Man's tombstone. To die of drunkenness, alas! "
Merton said, "If that's the case, wouldn't Lord Fu be the first to create the epitaph? Later generations will record that the elegy was started by Tian Heng, and the epitaph was created by Fu Yi. Wouldn't that be a good story? "
Before the Tang Dynasty, people did not write epitaphs after they died. The epitaphs that were popular in later generations were probably started by Fu Yi.
"The elegy was started by Tian Heng, and the epitaph was created by Fu Yi." Fu Yi's eyes lit up. He could not help but be overjoyed. He did not expect that an unintentional action of his would have such a profound meaning.
The other courtiers were stunned as they looked at the two of them. In just a few words, they had gone from anti-Buddhism to writing on the tombstone. Not many people could handle this kind of conversation.
However, many courtiers were vaguely regretting that the epitaph would be recorded in history as Meton said, but they did not expect that the drunkard Fu Yi would get it so easily. At this moment, they wanted to imitate him. Firstly, they did not know if they would die before Fu Yi. Secondly, with Meton's famous saying that the elegy was started by Tian Heng, and the epitaph was created by Fu Yi, no one would be able to take it away.
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