With the sound of a bell, it was a quarter past five. The court assembly had officially begun.
The officials entered the Taiji Palace one by one and found their seats. Meton did not attend court often, so he did not have a fixed seat. Naturally, he chose his usual seat.
"His Majesty has arrived!" With Pande's sharp voice, Li Shimin appeared in front of the dragon throne.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The officials bowed and shouted in unison.
"You may rise." Li Shimin raised his right hand. Only then did the officials rise.
"If there is anything, please submit a memorial. If there is nothing, the court assembly is dismissed." Pande saw that the formalities were completed and could not help but shout as usual.
However, just as Pande finished speaking, an old figure stepped out from the crowd and shouted, "Minister Fu Yi requests Your Majesty to exterminate Buddhism!"
"Exterminate Buddhism!"
Immediately, all the officials looked at Fu Yi with their mouths agape. No one expected Fu Yi to be unwilling to wait for a moment and go straight to the point. His proposal was even more radical. He went from abolishing Buddhism to exterminating Buddhism.
"Exterminate Buddhism!" Even Li Shimin was shocked. He naturally knew that Buddhism had some tricks up its sleeves. He only wanted to teach it a lesson. He had never thought of exterminating Buddhism.
"Fu Yi, how dare you be so presumptuous? Aren't you afraid of offending the gods?" Yu Zhining shouted angrily.
Fu Yi ignored everyone's gazes and said proudly, "Buddhism is the method of barbarians! However, it only spread to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. If there is a god, then so be it. Do you think a barbarian god can control our Central Plains? "
Many officials who did not believe in Buddhism could not help but laugh. Buddhism had only spread to the Central Plains a few hundred years ago. It could be said that its foundation was not stable yet. Besides, how many people in the imperial court truly believed in gods?
Yan Shigu nodded and said, "According to historical records, in the tenth year of Yongping of the Eastern Han dynasty, Emperor Ming of Han sent an envoy to the Western Regions to seek for Buddha statues and scriptures. He also invited monks like Kasyapa Moteng and Zhu Falan to Luoyang. They built the first temple in Luoyang, the White Horse Temple, and completed the earliest translation of the Buddhist scripture, the Forty-two-chapter Sutra. Thus, Buddhism spread to the Central Plains."
Yu Zhining could not help but take a deep breath and said, "Although Buddhism is a foreign religion, it leads people to do good and advises the world. It is very beneficial to the Tang dynasty. If it is destroyed rashly, not only will it anger the gods, but it will also damage the fate of the Tang dynasty. You, Fu Yi, will be a sinner of the Tang dynasty."
Li Shimin's eyes narrowed when he heard this. Although he vigorously advocated the elimination of superstitions, and the School of Mo had deciphered many legends of immortals, the fear of ghosts and gods was not something that could be eliminated in a short period of time. This was especially true for emperors, who believed that they were under the command of the heavens, and were even more afraid of ghosts and gods.
Hearing this, Fu Yi sneered and said, "There was no Buddhism before the Eastern Han dynasty. However, when the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were on the throne, the world was peaceful and the people were happy and happy. However, there was no Buddhism in China. Yin Tang was 100 years old, King Wen of Zhou was 97 years old, and King Wu of Zhou was 93 years old. At this time, Buddhism had not entered China. It can be seen that it was not caused by Buddhism. "
Fu Yi quoted the classics and cited the examples of the wise emperors before Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains. Suddenly, he changed the topic and said,
"However, Buddhism began to appear in the Central Plains during the reign of Emperor Ming of Han. However, Emperor Ming was only on the throne for 18 years. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, more and more people worshipped Buddhism in the imperial court, but the years were getting shorter and shorter. Only Emperor Wu of Liang, who was on the throne for 48 years, worshipped Buddhism many times before his death. In the end, he was starved to death in Taicheng, and his country was destroyed. It can be seen that the fate of the imperial court was not related to the worship of Buddhism."
It had to be said that Fu Yi was indeed well-prepared. His words were sharp, and he quoted the classics and compared the change of regime before and after the introduction of Buddhism, refuting the theory that Buddhism affected the fate of the country.
Yu Zhining could not help but snort and argue, "Although Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains late, it was able to spread in the Central Plains so quickly and be respected by the dynasties. This is enough to prove that it is beneficial to the imperial court."
Li Shimin could not help but nod. Although Buddhism had its shortcomings, its greatest function was to persuade people to endure. This was extremely beneficial to the imperial court's rule. This was also why Li Shimin was still tolerant of Buddhism even though the Tang Dynasty worshipped Taoism.
"Perhaps there are some benefits, but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Please list the crimes of Buddhism!" Fu Yi said boldly.
"Approved!" Li Shimin said expressionlessly.
"First, Buddhism does not produce. Monks do not farm or work. They sit and recite scriptures all day long, which is not beneficial to the imperial court," Fu Yi said solemnly.
On this point, almost all the courtiers nodded subconsciously. Among the hundred schools of thought, Confucianism was involved in politics, Legalism solved cases, Medicine cured illnesses and saved people, and Mohism was a skilled craftsman. Even Taoism, which cultivated immortality and sought Dao, had benefited the world greatly because of the External Alchemy's gunpowder, secret hair dyeing techniques, and cement. Only Buddhism was useless and did not contribute to society at all.
"Second, Buddhism occupies land and does not pay taxes on the land under its name. In the long run, the imperial court's land tax will be reduced day by day."
"Third, to enter Buddhism, one must abandon one's family and children and forbid one's desires. There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no descendants is the worst. This is the sin of Buddhism."
"Fourth, Confucius said, 'Respect ghosts and gods and stay away from them. Buddhism used the name of the 18 levels of hell to scare the common people with ghosts and gods."
"Fifth, harboring criminals …"
…
In the imperial court, Fu Yi listed out the sins of the Buddhist Sect one by one. In the end, he stood proudly and said, "If the Buddha really appears and can send down a calamity, then this humble subject will bear it. This humble subject will have no regrets."
In an instant, all the officials fell silent. Fu Yi's words were reasonable. If not for the fact that Buddhism was supernatural, many would have nodded in agreement.
In an instant, the situation was extremely unfavorable for Buddhism.
"I object. As far as I know, Fu Yi is not so determined to oppose Buddhism for public benefit, but for personal grudges," Yu Zhining suddenly said loudly.
"Personal grudges?" The imperial court was in an uproar and looked at Yu Zhining in confusion.
Yu Zhining revealed an expression of confidence and said, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, the reason why Lord Fu attacked the Buddhists was because he lacked money on his way to the capital for the imperial examination. He wanted to borrow money from the Buddhist temple but failed. Thus, he became resentful and attacked the Buddhists repeatedly."
"There was such a thing?" Li Shimin couldn't help but look at Fu Yi suspiciously.
Fu Yi couldn't help but blush and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister did try to borrow money from the temple but failed. However, this was not the Minister's personal reason to impeach Buddhism. Moreover, the charges of the Minister's impeachment were all based on real evidence."
Moton could not help but sigh when he saw this. He had to admit that Fu Yi's attack was indeed lethal. However, after Yu Zhining's interruption, his momentum was immediately broken. It was no longer possible to take down the Buddhist School in one go.
"Also, every time the imperial examination is held, the inns in the capital are full. It is difficult to find a room and the price is high. Many temples let scholars stay for free and even subsidize those who are better. There is a suspicion that they are trying to bribe the scholars. As far as I know, Lord Yu has also stayed in a temple before."
Fu Yi suddenly gritted his teeth and revealed another shocking piece of information.
Li Shimin heard this and his face sank. Li Shimin didn't care about other things, but he was extremely sensitive to officials. If officials received benefits from Buddhism, they would naturally side with Buddhism.
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