"I believe Third Brother is the most suitable candidate."
After pretending to ponder for a moment, Li Jiancheng gave his answer. There was no way he would let Li Shimin go. Before the Ci Hang Jing Zhai's "Emperor Selection" plan was exposed, Li Jiancheng wouldn't have been so opposed to Li Shimin. After all, as Li Yuan's eldest son and the natural heir to the Li Clan, Li Jiancheng, the future crown prince, couldn't possibly go to such a dangerous place as Luoyang.
With Li Shimin out of the question, the only option left was Li Yuanji. For Li Jiancheng, it was crucial to keep Li Shimin firmly under control.
"Yuanji?" Li Yuan fell into deep thought. Like Li Jiancheng, Li Yuan had no intention of letting Li Shimin leave Chang'an unless absolutely necessary, especially not to Luoyang.
After all, Jing Nian Chan Yuan was located in Luoyang, along with hundreds of other temples, such as the White Horse Temple and the Guanyin Temple. Luoyang was the city with the most temples in this era, and the Buddhist sects' influence was immense. If Li Shimin went to Luoyang and allied with the Buddhist sects to seize control of the city, refusing to return, it would be a disaster for the Li Clan.
Even though Li Yuan didn't believe Li Shimin would do such a thing, and the Buddhist sects might not take such a risk to support him, it was better to be safe than sorry. Given this possibility, Li Yuan naturally wouldn't take the risk. Unlike Li Jiancheng, Li Yuan's primary concern was protecting Li Shimin and preventing fratricide.
"Shimin, what do you think?" After some consideration, Li Yuan didn't immediately agree or disagree but instead turned to Li Shimin for his opinion.
As Li Yuan spoke, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji both turned their attention to Li Shimin, curious to hear his response. Ideally, he would suggest going to Luoyang himself, which would only deepen Li Yuan's suspicions.
In the current situation, if Li Shimin dared to suggest going to Luoyang, Li Yuan would undoubtedly further strip him of his authority. Without ambition, why would he want to go to Luoyang?
If it weren't for Li Yuan's soft heart, someone in Li Shimin's position would have had their authority completely revoked, and their Tiance Mansion disbanded or absorbed into Li Yuan's own forces. This would effectively eliminate Li Shimin from the succession.
Although the Tiance Mansion was fiercely loyal to Li Shimin, if Li Yuan made a move, things would be straightforward. After all, Li Yuan was the head of the Li Clan.
"Yuanji is too impulsive. Why not send Xiuning instead?" Li Shimin's true thoughts were unknown, but he didn't agree with Li Jiancheng's suggestion. Instead, he proposed sending Li Xiuning.
"Xiuning?" Hearing Li Shimin mention Li Xiuning, Li Yuan, who had already made up his mind, hesitated again. If Li Shimin had suggested anyone else, Li Yuan would have refused without hesitation. But if it was Li Xiuning, that was a different matter.
"Isn't that too dangerous?" Even Li Jiancheng couldn't openly oppose sending Li Xiuning.
"There won't be much danger. All the major factions will be sending representatives. If anyone dares to cause trouble, they'll offend every faction in the land." Li Shimin calmly explained his reasoning. Even in the midst of warlord conflicts, certain rules had to be followed, such as not harming envoys during negotiations.
This time, Ci Hang Jing Zhai and the Buddhist sects had invited all the major factions to Luoyang to select the owner of the Heirloom Seal. Unless they were willing to completely break ties, any actions taken would have to be done covertly.
"Yuanji is indeed too impulsive. But as for Xiuning, I'll need to ask her opinion."
Faced with Li Yuan's decision, Li Yuanji felt deeply resentful but couldn't say anything. He couldn't even show eagerness to go to Luoyang, or else not only Li Yuan but even Li Jiancheng would become suspicious of him. After all, it wasn't just Li Shimin who coveted the throne—Li Yuanji was no different.
---
"Your Highness, the latest news from Luoyang."
As soon as Li Shimin returned to his mansion's study, several core members of the Tiance Mansion, who had been waiting for some time, handed him a copy of the "Great Tang Daily" and briefly explained its contents.
"Truly remarkable." After reading the "Great Tang Daily," Li Shimin couldn't help but marvel. If the results described in the newspaper could be achieved, it would undoubtedly lead to the establishment of a powerful and prosperous state. For a moment, Li Shimin even considered adopting this strategy if he ever ascended the throne.
No matter who became emperor, whether they were good or bad, once they sat on the throne, they had to consider how to govern the empire. As Zhu Yuyan had once told Xu Ziling, even if someone from the Demon Sect became emperor, they wouldn't let the empire fall into chaos. That would benefit no one. Only Shi Feixuan would claim that if the Demon Sect took power, the world would descend into chaos—and the Twin Dragons had foolishly believed her.
"The Six Gates? Separating law enforcement from the military is a good idea." Li Shimin couldn't implement the separation of military and political power as Daniel Davis had, but even so, establishing a police force would reduce the need to deploy the military for law enforcement. After all, it wasn't uncommon for the military to be mobilized under the pretext of catching bandits.
In fact, the later Tang Dynasty had a similar institution, such as the "Buliang Ren." Whether it was constables, Buliang Ren, or police, they were essentially the same, just with different names.
"Your Highness, Dugu Ce and the others have left." As for the Six Gates, neither Li Shimin nor the Tiance Mansion members said much, as it was still far removed from their current concerns.
"All of them? So the Dugu Clan has firmly decided to side with him. How strange." After learning that the Dugu Clan had pledged allegiance to Daniel Davis, Li Shimin immediately ordered surveillance of the Dugu Clan.
Not only was Li Shimin puzzled, but even Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui found it strange. For noble families, lineage was paramount. Logically, even if the Dugu Clan in Luoyang had sided with Daniel Davis, they shouldn't have recalled their members from Chang'an. The principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket was one of the secrets to the longevity of noble families.
Just look at the Three Kingdoms period—it was common for members of the same family to serve different factions. The one who emerged victorious would become the family head.
This era was no different. Aside from the Song Clan, the other three great clans had close ties. Even though Yuwen Huaji had rebelled, there were still many members of the Yuwen Clan in Chang'an, some holding high positions. The same was true for the Dugu Clan.
"The situation is very unusual. Hong Fu, once you reach Luoyang, go directly to Jing Nian Chan Yuan's Liaokong and ask him to contact Abbess Fan. Tell her that time is of the essence. Any further delay, and things may spiral out of control."
Li Shimin was now under close surveillance by Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng. Neither he nor his Tiance Mansion members could leave Chang'an for extended periods without difficulty. Although he could receive intelligence from the Buddhist sects, discussing matters with them was challenging.
Fortunately, the Luoyang selection provided an opportunity. Li Xiuning's trip to Luoyang would require a sufficient number of skilled escorts. While other Tiance Mansion experts couldn't be sent with her, Hong Fu was an exception. Not only was she a woman, but her martial skills were also exceptional.
Among Li Shimin's Tiance Mansion, Hong Fu was the strongest in terms of martial prowess.
"Understood."
---
"With the previous incident causing such a stir, Li Shimin probably won't have a chance to come to Luoyang. I was hoping to meet him." In the Luoyang palace, Daniel Davis stared at the holographic display showing the number of temples in the city and suddenly thought of Li Shimin.
Without investigation, one wouldn't realize how staggering the numbers were. Luoyang had a total of 876 temples, not including the smaller ones outside the city. If those were included, the number would easily exceed a thousand.
Luoyang's Buddhist culture was deeply ingrained. For example, the famous Longmen Grottoes were located here.
"Speaking of Jing Nian Chan Yuan's bronze hall, if it were brought to the modern world, it could easily be declared a World Cultural Heritage site." Since arriving in Luoyang, Jing Nian Chan Yuan had become Daniel Davis's primary focus, especially its bronze hall. Inside the hall were tens of thousands of intricately crafted bronze Buddha statues, each a masterpiece. In the modern world, such a treasure could fetch billions at auction.
"There are simply too many temples. Should I reduce their number to single digits, or no more than five?"
With nearly a thousand temples, even if not all were as large as Jing Nian Chan Yuan or the White Horse Temple, they still represented at least 100,000 monks who contributed nothing to production. This was based on an estimate of 100 monks per temple, but most temples far exceeded this number.
For example, Jing Nian Chan Yuan alone had 800 martial monks. If these monks were equipped with armor and weapons, they could form an army that might even surpass Li Shimin's Xuanjia Army.
And these were just the martial monks—those who spent their time training and reciting scriptures. A temple naturally required many more monks for tasks like cleaning, cooking, and other logistical work.
The Buddhist hierarchy was as rigid as the feudal bureaucracy. Just look at how Xu Zhu was bullied as a child.
"Burning them all down would be a waste, but leaving them standing is too much of an eyesore."
Jing Nian Chan Yuan was extravagantly built, covering a vast area with hundreds of buildings, resembling a small city. At its center were seven main halls and a small bronze hall, measuring ten meters in length and width, and five meters in height. While it was called a "small" bronze hall, it was only small in comparison to the other structures in Jing Nian Chan Yuan. In reality, it was anything but small, especially considering it housed over 10,000 bronze Buddha statues.
Aside from the bronze hall, all other buildings were covered in tricolor glazed tiles, their colors as vibrant as new. In front of the bronze hall was a white stone platform, about a hundred meters in length and width, surrounded by white stone railings. The sheer size of this plaza was beyond most people's imagination, but considering that nearly 800 martial monks trained here daily, it made sense.
At the center of the plaza stood a bronze statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva riding a golden lion, flanked by statues of the Medicine Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha. The statues were richly decorated and exuded grandeur. Besides the four stone staircases leading to the plaza, there were 500 arhat statues, each cast in pure bronze and exquisitely detailed.
In addition, there were 888 pure white marble steps leading to the main gate, with white marble railings on either side.
In terms of sheer value, Luoyang's imperial palace paled in comparison to Jing Nian Chan Yuan. While the palace might have been larger, its statues—such as lions and dragons—were made of stone, not bronze or gold.
And this was just the wealth visible in the architecture, not including the hidden treasures or the vast tracts of land owned by Jing Nian Chan Yuan.
"No wonder Xu Ziling and the others were so awestruck by the opulence of Jing Nian Chan Yuan during their first visit but never mentioned it again. The wealth here is beyond their imagination."
Even in modern times, ordinary people have only a vague notion of how wealthy the rich truly are. In this era, it was even harder to comprehend.
"This could easily fill two pages of the newspaper." Exposing the corruption of the Buddhist sects through numbers was the most straightforward approach.
"But for now, this isn't necessary. The next step is to attack the Buddhist sects from another angle."
---
"I never expected the Great Stone Temple to be so wealthy."
In the Sanhua Tower in Chengdu, Sichuan, An Long, the Fat Merchant, handed a document to Duan Lang while licking his lips unconsciously. An Long considered himself a wealthy man in Chengdu, but after seeing the true extent of the wealth of those who called themselves "poor monks," he realized they far surpassed him.
"Isn't that normal? If your Demon Sect had the capability, you wouldn't have been suppressed so thoroughly." Duan Lang nodded in satisfaction as he reviewed the document.
To investigate the local forces in Chengdu, it was necessary to find a local informant. Duan Lang hadn't known whom to approach until he unexpectedly encountered An Long and decided to recruit him.
An Long's identity as a member of the Demon Sect was well-hidden. To the outside world, he was just a wealthy merchant. But this merchant was no ordinary figure—he was the sworn brother of Xie Hui, the leader of the Solemn Fortress.
"Brother Duan, are you planning to take action against the Great Stone Temple?" Since the documents were about the Great Stone Temple, it was clear that Duan Lang, the "Kirin Demon" who targeted Buddhist sects, intended to strike.
Due to his repeated attacks on Buddhist sects and his possession of the Fire Lin Sword, Duan Lang had earned the title of "Kirin Demon." It was ironic that, even in a different world, Duan Lang couldn't escape this moniker.
"There's no rush to deal with the Great Stone Temple. Right now, I need to deal with someone else. I think you'll be very interested." Duan Lang smiled at An Long.
"Oh? Who is it that deserves your attention?"
"Xie Hui, the Martial Judge, your sworn brother."
"Xie Hui? He doesn't seem to have any connection to the Buddhist sects. How did he offend you?"
"They say the Demon Sect is heartless and unrighteous, but it seems you still care about your sworn brother. Shouldn't you fulfill your duty as a sworn brother and die on the same day?" Duan Lang looked at An Long with a teasing smile.
"Brother Duan, you jest. I'm just curious, that's all. Besides, we never made such a vow when we swore brotherhood." An Long quickly waved his hands in denial.
"You'll soon find out why I'm targeting him."
"Xie Hui, how many nights did Fan Qinghui spend with you to convince you to spy on Song Que and help the Buddhist sects establish a foothold in Sichuan, all for the sake of their 'Emperor Selection' plan?"
Outside the Solemn Fortress, Duan Lang held a loudspeaker in his left hand and shouted at the top of his lungs.
(End of Chapter)
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