"Mo Jiazi has come out!"
When Meton came out of Wongji Temple, almost all the informants immediately perked up and stared at everyone's every move. They did not even miss a single expression. When the carriage left, the informants looked at each other in dismay. They could not believe what they had just seen.
"They were talking cheerfully and wittily. There was no sign of falling out at all!"
"Could it be that the negotiation was successful?"
… … …
The informants guessed in their hearts and sent the information they had gathered back to their masters.
"Could it be that the Buddhists really accepted Mo Jiazi's proposal to save Buddha?"
Everyone who received the news could not help but be in an uproar. After all, although Mo Jiazi's proposal to save Buddha was reasonable, how could the Buddhists be willing to personally wear the Golden Hoop Curse?
"Continue to investigate. We must know the contents of the discussion in Wongji Temple." Many people continued to order their informants.
In an instant, a group of informants once again rushed to Wongji Temple. Mo Jiazi's side only had three people, so it was not easy to break through. But the Buddhists had many monks. How could the Buddhists be willing to bind their hands and feet? There must be many monks who were dissatisfied. It was the best place to gather information.
In the Mo Estate.
"Young Master has come out of Wongji Temple!" Mo Er rushed into the Mo Estate and shouted loudly.
"Really, that's great!" Uncle Fu patted his chest hard and was relieved.
"Then did Meton suffer?" Princess Changle heard the news and rushed over and asked anxiously.
Mo Er touched his head and thought for a while before saying, "I don't think so. It was Master Hui Yuan who personally sent Young Master to the entrance of the temple. It seems that they did not fall out."
"Then what about Meton?" Princess Changle heaved a sigh of relief and asked.
Mo Er replied, "Young Master boarded the carriage and went to the palace to report. He was worried that Princess would be worried, so he sent me back to report."
Princess Changle nodded and turned to Mo Jiazi's brothers who had gathered. She waved her hand and said, "Disperse! Go do what you need to do. "
"Yes! Madam! " The group of Mo Jiazi's brothers immediately dispersed in an uproar. There was no sign of them being filled with righteous indignation and rushing into Wongji Temple to save their young master.
In the palace.
As Li Shimin read the intelligence reports on the Far West, the Abbasid Caliphate, and India gathered from the Hu merchants of the Western Market, he couldn't help but shiver and rejoice.
In China, the reason why imperial power was still supreme was not only because of Daoism's emphasis on peace and tranquility, but also because of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Although Daoism was a traditional religion in China and had a deep-rooted position, it was still one of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
On the other hand, the foreign Buddhists had a shallow foundation. Although they developed rapidly, they were all eliminated by the two Martial Brothers. Today, Meton's mission was to completely wipe out the hidden dangers of theocracy before they sprouted. He had no choice but to be cautious.
"Your Majesty, Merton has already left Wangji Temple and is on his way to the palace." Pande walked into the hall and reported with a bow.
Li Shimin suddenly left; he blurted out, "Have you reached an agreement?"
This was the question he was most concerned about. If the negotiation was not successful, he would probably be cursed as an ungrateful person, and the Buddhists would be attacked.
"Minister, I did not disappoint you." Following this, Meton walked into the hall.
"The Buddhists really agreed?" Li Shimin said in disbelief. He had never imagined that things would go so smoothly.
Merton said, "The Buddhists understand righteousness and are aware of Your Majesty's intentions. After the Minister conveyed Your Majesty's intentions to the Buddhists, they felt deeply remorseful and decided to close the temple to reflect. Tomorrow morning, they will submit a plan to save themselves and request Your Majesty's approval."
Li Shimin couldn't help but give Meton a deep look. If it was really as easy as Meton said, it wouldn't have taken so long to return.
"Don't be so cheeky. We want to know everything that happened," Meton reprimanded.
Only then did Meton resentfully report everything to Li Shimin. When he mentioned the credentials system, Li Shimin couldn't help but exclaim, "Five hundred thousand credentials!"
Li Shimin couldn't help but be shocked by this number. According to Meton's calculations, five hundred thousand credentials was much less than the two million monks and nuns during the time of the Martial Brothers' destruction of Buddhism, but it was still a huge number.
Meton shook his head. "Five hundred thousand monks and nuns isn't important. What's important is the credentials system."
"Credentials!" Li Shimin frowned and looked at Meton in confusion.
Meton nodded solemnly and said, "Credentials are the most important step for the royal power to control the divine power. Any believer who wants to be a monk must obtain a credentials. In fact, there are more monks and fewer nuns in Buddhism. If the imperial court divides the five hundred thousand credentials into two, each of the monks and nuns can take half, it can further control the number of Buddhists. If the imperial court still thinks that there are too many monks and nuns, it can increase the difficulty of obtaining credentials. In this way, the disaster of the Martial Brothers' destruction will not happen, and the hidden danger of Buddhism will be eliminated. All the initiative will be in the hands of the imperial court."
Li Shimin couldn't help but look at Meton with appreciation and said loudly, "The Tang dynasty accepts all rivers. As long as Buddhism doesn't affect the national economy and the people's livelihood, I naturally won't interfere with Buddhism."
"Your Majesty is wise." Meton quickly flattered.
This time, Li Shimin accepted it with a clear conscience. He had indeed done this. Not only that, but the rapid development of Buddhism and Mohism was also inseparable from Li Shimin's care.
"Give up the tax-exempt temple land!"
"Mend the pen after the sheep is lost!"
…
"Wonderful, really wonderful!" Li Shimin listened to Meton's narration and couldn't help but praise. In this confrontation, the wisdom of Mohism and Buddhism was incisively and vividly displayed.
Mohism used the story of "mend the pen after the sheep is lost" to persuade Buddhism. Buddhism was so touched that they directly gave up the tax-exempt privilege of Buddhism, directly making up for the most criticized shortcoming of Buddhism. The clash of wisdom between Mohism and Buddhism produced brilliant sparks of wisdom.
However, it wasn't over yet. Master Shinsyu and Meton's opposite ideas of Bodhi Rest made Li Shimin applaud. Buddha Ananda's Love on the Stone Bridge made people cry. Mo Jiazi's Clear Rules and Precepts explained the profound meaning of Buddhism's cultivation.
"The prosperity of Buddhism is indeed not an undeserved reputation!" Li Shimin said with emotion.
Meton nodded solemnly. In terms of scriptures, the quality and quantity of Buddhism could be said to be the best religion in the world. Coupled with the profoundness of Zen, it happened to fit the philosophy of Huaxia culture, so it could spread quickly in the Central Plains.
"Buddhism wants to get the scriptures of India. I can help with this," Li Shimin said solemnly. Since Buddhism took the initiative to give in, he naturally couldn't be stingy. In addition, the incident of Xuanzang's journey to the west had deeply touched him. It was better to let him know than to block it. Since Buddhism was willing, the imperial court could shift the focus of Buddhism to the scriptures.
As Meton said, these scriptures were passed to the Tang dynasty and translated into Chinese. It was a good opportunity to make Buddhism Chinese, so that Buddhism would take the initiative to adapt to Huaxia culture.
Meton nodded solemnly and said, "In fact, even without the Minister, Buddhism has already begun to be Chinese."
"Really?" Li Shimin was surprised.
Meton nodded solemnly and said, "Shaolin Zen is a new school of Buddhism, but it advocates self-reliance and meditation, which is very suitable for Huaxia culture. Your Majesty and Shaolin have a relationship. If you take the opportunity to establish Shaolin Zen's position, you can return the favor and expand the influence of Zen in Buddhism. It's killing two birds with one stone."
"Zen!" Li Shimin nodded thoughtfully and suddenly turned to ask, "In your opinion, what is the most appropriate reward?"
Meton thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty has already rewarded Shaolin with thousands of acres of fertile land, so naturally, there is no need to reward other things. Moreover, Your Majesty once wrote the inscription of the first village in the world, which made the Mo Family regard it as a supreme honor. Why do Your Majesty deliberately test the Minister?"
"The first village in the world!" Li Shimin thought of his proud work and couldn't help but feel proud. He saved a lot of rewards with just five words.
Thinking of this, Li Shimin suddenly knew how he should write the inscription.
However, the first temple in the world had already been decided. It was the White Horse Temple in Luoyang. Otherwise, Li Shimin wouldn't have to think so hard.
At the moment, Li Shimin thought for a moment and picked up the pen and paper. He waved his hand and three words appeared on the paper.
"Shaolin Temple!"
There was no need for too many titles. As long as it was written by Li Shimin, it was enough to make Shaolin the first Buddhist temple in the world.
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