"The night of spring is short and the sun rises high. From now on, my husband will not attend the morning court."
The next day, Meton, who was immersed in the land of tenderness, really did fulfill his promise. His task had been completed, so naturally, he did not hesitate to miss the morning court today.
In the Taiji Palace, Mo Jiazi's absence in the morning court was the focus of attention. Among the ministers, Master Huiyuan, who was wearing a solemn monk's robe, was particularly conspicuous.
"Your Majesty, Buddhism has made mistakes again and again, but they are stubborn. It is all thanks to Your Majesty's guidance that Buddhism has repented. We specially write a memorial to save ourselves. Please approve it." Master Huiyuan put his palms together and presented a memorial to the emperor.
Suddenly, the ministers could not help but be in an uproar. Before this, they had naturally heard the content of the debate between Mo Jiazi and Buddhism, but when they saw the memorial to save themselves, they were still shocked.
Buddhism had been in China for 600 years, and the hidden dangers of Buddhism were known to everyone. Even if Buddhism had suffered twice in a row, they were still unwilling to give up their interests. Unexpectedly, they were persuaded by Mo Jiazi's words.
"Pass system, give up tax exemption, and clear rules and precepts!" When Li Shimin saw the contents of the memorial, he could not help but nod. The memorial to save themselves was the same as what Meton reported yesterday.
"Buddhism has sacrificed themselves for the country, which is boundless merit. Secondly, it has perfected their own doctrine. From now on, Buddhism will soar. It is really a double blessing!" Li Shimin nodded and praised. Now that Buddhism had taken the initiative to save themselves, he could avoid the infamy of being ungrateful and solve the internal problems of the Tang dynasty. This was killing two birds with one stone.
Master Huiyuan bowed and said, "This is Buddhism's foolishness. They only cared about the small family and ignored the big family. Today, they repent. First there is the country, then there is the family. If the skin does not exist, the hair will not be attached. The Tang dynasty will exist forever, and so will Buddhism. The Tang dynasty will prosper, and so will Buddhism. "
"Good. It's really a blessing for the world that Buddhists have such awareness. If everyone in the world has the same awareness as you, our Tang dynasty won't have to worry about prosperity," Li Shimin said happily. As an emperor, he naturally wouldn't refuse an increase in the land tax.
"Grandmaster is wise!" The officials echoed. The officials naturally congratulated him one after another.
The matter of Buddhism had been debated in the imperial court for too long. Now that Buddhism had saved itself and ended the matter, it could be considered as an explanation to all parties. For the party that had eliminated Buddhism, Buddhism had been restricted and would no longer endanger the Tang dynasty. Naturally, they would no longer pursue the matter. For the party that supported Buddhism, although Buddhism had been restricted, the hidden danger had been resolved. It could be said that there were also many benefits to be gained. It could be said that everyone was satisfied.
Master Huiyuan turned to Fu Yi and bowed solemnly, "Benefactor Fu, you're too polite. Buddhism was wrong in the first place. Buddhism saved all living beings, but we didn't take the initiative to do so. We just watched Benefactor Fu fall into a dangerous situation. This is the fault of Buddhism."
Fu Yi couldn't help but panic. He hurriedly returned the bow and said, "Grandmaster, you're embarrassing me. I don't care about what happened in the past. I'm also thinking about the matter and not the people of Buddhism. I'm only thinking about the world. Please forgive me for being rude to Buddhism."
Master Huiyuan laughed and said, "If Benefactor Fu hadn't repeatedly spoken about Buddhism's fault, Buddhism would have repented. Your honest words are unpleasant to the ear and beneficial to the action. Would Buddhism be grateful to you, Master Fu?"
Fu Yi couldn't help but feel ashamed when he saw this. He couldn't help but say, "Grandmaster's wisdom is extraordinary. I admire you."
In reality, Fu Yi had been stubbornly clinging onto Buddhism. Was it really just for the country and the court? Perhaps the grudges from the past were not unrelated. Now that Buddhism had resolved the hidden danger, and Master Huiyuan had also apologized to him, his original obsession immediately disappeared.
If Meton was here, he would definitely sigh once again at the power of Master Huiyuan's attack on human relationships. It was simply an invisible move.
When Li Shimin saw this, he laughed and said, "Since your grudges have been resolved, it is a blessing for the court. Back then, I was once in a dangerous situation and was saved by a Shaolin monk. Even now, I still feel grateful for Shaolin's kindness."
Master Huiyuan quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty is too polite. For Shaolin to be able to meet Your Majesty, it is Shaolin's honor. Moreover, whether it's an ordinary person or a true dragon, as long as Shaolin meets someone, we will help without asking for anything in return."
What a joke. Right now, Buddhism was only able to survive because of Shaolin's kindness to Li Shimin. If Li Shimin were to return the favor, it would be terrible.
Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said, "I know that Master Huiyuan is an enlightened monk. Shaolin is also the holy land of Buddhism. Naturally, you don't like worldly things to tarnish Buddhism's reputation. I have thought about it, and this gift is the most suitable."
"A gift!" The people in the court couldn't help but be curious and look forward to it.
Li Shimin waved his hand. Suddenly, Pande held a long scroll and quietly opened it. Suddenly, the words "Shaolin Temple" appeared on the paper.
"Inscription?" The officials couldn't help but be stunned. They couldn't help but think of the inscription Li Shimin gave to the Village Mo Family Village. This move could be said to be the same.
Li Shimin strode forward, picked up a brush, and wrote his name on the bottom right corner. At the same time, he picked up the imperial seal and heavily stamped it.
"Shaolin Temple!"
"Your Majesty's autograph!"
"And the seal of the imperial seal."
The officials couldn't help but talk about it. Previously, Li Shimin inscribed the Village Mo Family Village as the first village in the world, which made the Village Mo Family Village famous. Its value was simply immeasurable. Now, Li Shimin personally inscribed the name of Shaolin Temple and stamped it with the imperial seal. In the future, Shaolin Temple would definitely benefit a lot.
"Shaolin Temple thanks Your Majesty for your kindness. This old monk is ashamed to accept it." Master Hui Yuan said gratefully.
In his life, he had been proficient in using favors to attack. At this moment, he had to accept Li Shimin's favor attack.
And naturally, he knew the weight of these three words. It could be said to be the amulet of Shaolin Temple. Even if there was a third Buddhist disaster, as long as these three words were there, it was enough to protect Shaolin Temple.
So far, the storm of Buddhism had ended peacefully. The confrontation could be said to be everywhere. However, no one could forget that there was a key person in it, and that was Mo Jiazi, who was not present.
"If you have something to report, please report. If not, the court is dismissed!" Pande said loudly when he saw that it was almost time.
"Minister, please report!" Just as the officials were about to dismiss the court, Li Chunfeng, the Grand Scribe, suddenly stood out and said.
"Grand Scribe!" The officials couldn't help but be stunned. He knew that Taoism and Buddhism didn't get along well. Both sides fought fiercely for believers. Now that Li Chunfeng suddenly stood out, they couldn't help but be suspicious.
"Approved!" Li Shimin thought that Taoism was going to wipe them out. He was a little unhappy, but he didn't show it.
Li Chunfeng acted as if he didn't see the strange looks from the officials. He bowed and said, "Buddhism and Taoism are both religions. Today, I can't help but feel ashamed when I see Buddhism's way of saving itself."
Everyone was stunned and looked at Li Chunfeng in confusion. They thought that Li Chunfeng was provoking them, but it seemed that the situation was not right.
"Minister Li, what do you mean?" Li Shimin asked suspiciously.
Li Chunfeng said proudly, "The Minister has decided that Taoism will also give up its tax-exempt privilege. At the same time, it requests to implement the identity card system."
As soon as Li Chunfeng finished speaking, the officials were shocked. No one expected Taoism to follow Buddhism's example and give up its tax-exempt privilege.
What was going on? Could it be that everyone had become selfless overnight?
Li Chunfeng couldn't help but feel proud. The Taoists seemed to have given up on their tax exemption, but it wasn't a loss. First of all, the Taoists didn't have much land under their name, so the taxes they paid were pitiful. Second of all, the Buddhist identity card system had a limit of five hundred thousand. This number was a limit for the Buddhists, but for the peaceful Taoists, it was the limit.
Taoism was only giving up a small benefit in exchange for five hundred thousand identity cards from Buddhism. It could also please the imperial court so that Taoism wouldn't fall behind Buddhism. It wasn't a loss at all.
The officials pondered for a moment and immediately understood Taoism's plan. However, they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines. If that was the case, Mohism, Buddhism, and Taoism had all given up their tax-exempt privilege. Confucianism was in an awkward position.
Among the ministers, Kong Yingda couldn't help but sigh. He knew it would be like this. He couldn't help but raise his head to look at the ministers, only to see them subconsciously avoiding his gaze. He couldn't help but lower his head dejectedly.
Li Shimin waited for a moment and saw that the imperial court was silent. He laughed and said, "Taoism is so loyal to the emperor and the country. How can I let Taoism down?"
When the ministers heard Li Shimin's bright laughter, the ministers who were very familiar with his character understood that he must be extremely unhappy in his heart. Thinking of the instigator of all this, they could not help but gnash their teeth and say:
They gritted their teeth and said, "Mo Jiazi!"
The first to give up their tax-exempt status was Mo Jiazi. Mo Jiazi was also the one who persuaded Buddhism to give up their tax-exempt status. In this way, Mo Jiazi was also the one who lured Taoism to give up their tax-exempt status. In the end, he was also the one who cheated Confucianism.
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