Chapter 4738: Making waves again
"Spare me..."
Gao Yang groaned in a sweet voice, pressed the mischievous hand of Lang Jun, his whole body was sore and weak, and begged: "I am in trouble, go find your Majesty the Queen, or Her Royal Highness Princess Silla, or even sisters serving the same husband. Okay, hehe!”
Thinking of that indescribable scene, Gao Yang felt shy and excited at the same time.
A man must know when to be obedient and when to refuse. For example, if Fang Jun gets up and leaves obediently, Gao Yang will definitely not say a word to him for a month...
He leaned close to Gao Yang's jade-like ear and whispered with a smile: "Actually, Your Highness might as well have a taste of sisters serving one husband together... Wow!"
Before he finished speaking, his vital parts were pinched tightly by a bare hand under the water, and he couldn't help but scream miserably.
Gao Yang gritted his silver teeth, used force with his hands, and said in a cold voice: "Humph, you're a dirty thing. I've been thinking about this for a day or two, right? Bah, dirty, dirty, shameless! Just give up on this idea. , I will never take it as your wish!”
Fang Jun quickly broke free from the clutches and climbed up to the edge of the pool. While putting on his clothes, he kept shouting: "Nothing is absolute in this world. I would like to advise Your Highness not to speak too highly. Maybe one day Your Highness will cry and beg for help." The great minister was slept with..."
As he spoke, he ran out, because Gao Yang had already grabbed a fruit plate by the pool and threw the fruits on the plate over.
……
After rejecting Yuan Tiangang's invitation, Fang Jun knew that things would not end like this. As expected, in the evening, Li Chengqian sent his chamberlain to Lishan to inform Fang Jun that the emperor would visit Xuandu Temple in Chongyefang on July 15th. Please ask Fang Jun to accompany you.
Obviously, the Li and Tang royal families, who respected "Lao Tzu" as their ancestor, chose to side with the "ancestor" in this dispute between Buddhism and Taoism and fully supported the revival of Taoism.
There is nothing wrong with such a choice. It does not depend on the emperor's belief, but only on the "balance" principle of the emperor's art. Since Buddhism has greatly increased its power under the background of Xuanzang's Buddhist scriptures and suppressed Taoism miserably, then it is natural to support the weak to resist. The strong one must achieve the purpose of balance, otherwise the rapid development of Buddhism will suppress Taoism, which is not conducive to the governance of the country.
When Fang Jun returned to Chang'an City the next day, news poured in.
The emperor issued an edict to build the "Haotian Temple" in Baoningfang in pursuit of Emperor Taizong's blessings. The owner of the temple was Yin Wenchao, the "Lou Guan Dao".
The crown prince was ill, and the queen issued an edict to pray for the crown prince, and set aside a quarter of the land in the south corner of Shanningfang to build "Dongming Temple".
Princess Jinyang became a monk and practiced Buddhism to pray for Emperor Taizong and Queen Wende. She renovated and expanded the Zide Temple in Xingdefang. This female crown temple was built in the sixth year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign in the Sui Dynasty and occupied several miles of land in the south of Xingdefang. The surrounding mountains and waters are beautiful and the scenery is beautiful, but it is in disrepair and slightly dilapidated.
A series of actions by the royal family caused an uproar between the government and the public. Although the internal funds were sufficient and even the excessive expenditure did not lead to the impeachment of officials, these actions clearly supported Taoism and still made many people aware of the fierceness of the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism.
Later, the Taoists responded by holding a grand Dharma meeting at the Zhongnan Mountain Pavilion on July 15th to praise the prosperous Tang Dynasty and pray for the people of the world. It is said that this Dharma meeting will bring together all Taoist sects in the world. Many famous and Masters with profound cultivation skills gathered in Chang'an from all over the world to participate in the grand event.
The Ghost Festival on July 15th has been a Taoist festival since ancient times and was the Christmas Day for the local officials.
"After the chaos of the husband's stick is divided, there is the energy of the three elements of heaven, earth, and water, which generates human relations and nourishes all things." All life is inseparable from the control of the three organs of heaven, earth, and water.
The Taoist "Three Officials Classic" says: "The official of heaven bestows blessings, the official of earth pardons sins, and the official of water relieves misfortune." "Sanyuan" is another name for "Three Officials". Shangyuan Festival is also called "Shangyuan Tianguan Festival" (i.e. Lantern Festival), which is the birthday of Emperor Tianguan; Zhongyuan Festival is also called "Zhongyuan Diguan Festival", which is It is the birthday of Emperor Shuiguan; Xiayuan Festival, also known as "Xiayuan Shuiguan Festival", is the birthday of Emperor Shuiguan.
The local officials came to the world on the Ghost Festival and judged people's good and evil according to their previous actions. All sins were recorded by the three officials.
The official of heaven bestows blessings, the official of earth pardons sins, and the official of water relieves misfortune. According to the "Book of Practice": "On the first day of the seventh lunar month, the Earth Official comes down and orders the good Taoist priests in the world to recite sutras day and night, so that the hungry prisoners can also be liberated." The Earth Official forgives sins and balances yin and yang; if you want to achieve yang things, you must do secluded things. Branch; Super death, Dudu Gu, Yin super Yang Tai.
This is the most important Taoist festival.
However, not long after, Daci'en Temple released the news that Buddhism will hold a grand "Obon Festival" on July 15th to save the dead and save the world... Obviously, even if Buddhism is growing stronger, it will still face the comprehensive counterattack of Taoism. I felt nervous and didn't dare to neglect anything.
The atmosphere of the battle became intense in an instant.
……
In Wude Hall, all the ministers arrived.
Liu Jie was very worried about the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism: "The dispute between Buddhism and Taoism has been around for a long time, but it has never been like this direct war with gongs and drums, and I don't care whether Buddhism is superior or Taoism is contrary. As for winning, Wei Chen only cares about whether the world will be destroyed because of this battle. The political situation is unstable. Infrastructure construction in the empire is now in full swing. It will take hundreds or thousands of years to build a foundation. If various projects are delayed or even aborted due to the so-called disputes between Buddhism and Taoism, this is something the empire cannot do. Bear the loss.”
As the reform of commercial taxation made the imperial finances more abundant, and the gold and silver mined in Japan's Sado Island and other places were constantly transported back to Chang'an, the internal funds were filled. The two treasuries, one internal and one external, were unprecedentedly wealthy. The infrastructure construction that our assistants had imagined has begun with great fanfare.
Road construction, canal digging, city construction, and reclamation...an unprecedented nationwide construction boom began, and the empire vowed to complete hundreds of thousands of years of construction tasks within the lifetime of one generation.
Everyone knows that good infrastructure will lead to increased finances, political stability, high food yields, and commercial prosperity. However, the imperial dynasties in the past and present could not spend much money to invest in such huge construction even when they were prosperous. Opportunities are rare now. No civil servant is willing to miss such an opportunity to leave his name in history.
Tang Jian, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is now getting older and older. Without the princess as his backer, the future of the descendants of the Tang family is unclear. As the head of the family, he is naturally worried. When he heard Liu Jie's words, he also expressed his concern: "Nowadays, governments everywhere are actively applying for funds. Craftsmen and manpower have been invested in infrastructure construction, and millions of dollars have been allocated this year. If these projects are shelved due to external factors, the loss will be unbearable for the country.”
Li Chengqian said helplessly: "How could I not know the hidden dangers? But now the two factions of Buddhism and Taoism have made it clear that horses and chariots are going to fight fiercely. It is impossible to restrain them in the name of the country. Even if they are suppressed with force, it is just a double act. That’s all, this fight is inevitable.”
Buddhism sinks and spreads its followers, while Taoism affects the upper echelons. The influence of these two major sects has already penetrated into every aspect of the empire. It cannot be effective simply by restraining them. Once they get jealous, they may ignore the imperial edicts.
However, sectarian disputes are different from starting a war. You can't just arrest them all and throw them into prison, right?
The princes and ministers in the palace had a headache.
Li Chengqian glanced at Fang Jun who was drinking tea leisurely. He seemed to have no concern for national affairs. He was angry and asked: "The Duke of Yue seems to have a plan in mind. Is there any good advice to teach me?"
Before, there was Li Ji's corpse, but now there is another Fang Jun who is absent-minded. The imperial ministers on the left and right are so indifferent to power and wandering around. For Li Chengqian, who is determined to control the imperial power, he does not know whether he is happy or worried...
Fang Jun put down his tea cup, sat upright, looked at Tang Jian and asked: "The Duke of Ju is in charge of the world's money and food expenditure, taxes and rents, but he doesn't know how much the temples and Taoist temples in the world now pay?"
Tang Jian was stunned and subconsciously said: "The monks are not engaged in production and produce nothing, so naturally they do not need to pay taxes. They only need to pay a small amount of fees since the implementation of the mediocrity."
Temples and Taoist temples did not always have to pay for an inch of silk or a pound of rice as most people imagine. Historically, with the changes in the national situation, taxes were sometimes required. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the tax system has been implemented, and temples and Taoist temples have also been included. However, Due to various reasons, the amount of tax paid is very small, but it is by no means nonexistent.
Emperor Taizong once said, "After the Liu family was pacified, there were officials under the government, and the taxation of the temples in Mount Wutai was released. The four subsequent dynasties also failed to carry forward the original aspirations." Since it was the taxation of the temples in Mount Wutai, it can be seen that the temples have taxation. of.
Of course, this amount is very small, and there are many exemptions. For example, the Shaolin Temple contributed when Emperor Taizong attacked Wang Shichong. Emperor Taizong ordered the Shaolin Temple to be exempted from all taxes. For example, the royal family of Li and Tang Dynasties recognized Laozi as their ancestor and respected Taoism as the state religion, which greatly affected Chang'an and the world. Many famous monuments are also exempt from taxes...
After saying that, Tang Jian was shocked and stared at Fang Jun: "Don't you want to collect taxes from temples and Taoist temples?"
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the palace.
Whether it is Buddha or Tao, it has become a behemoth rooted in the world today. It is said that it is an outsider and a wandering crane, but it is actually very powerful. Even when the world is in chaos and wars are everywhere, few heroes from all over the world are willing to touch it. To touch these two major forces, otherwise once forced into the opponent's camp, it would be tantamount to seeking death.
Even if the world is at peace and Buddhism and Taoism have a large number of believers, the court will not dare to offend them rashly, otherwise it will inevitably cause turmoil in people's hearts and shake the country. No matter what the reason, the gain outweighs the loss.
Liu Jie was sweating even more and stopped: "This is not a good idea!"
Ma Zhou, on the other hand, had bright eyes and was eager to try: "What do you think, Lord Yue, you might as well say it outright. Whether it works or not can only be made after everyone discusses it. Buddhism is not a scourge, so how can you change your face after hearing it?"< br>
Li Ji looked at Fang Jun, thought for a while, and said, "Is Erlang planning to take advantage of the situation and take advantage of the situation? The question now is not whether we can touch the Buddhist and Taoist families, but whether it is really necessary?" Because of this, it is bound to touch the fundamental interests of both Buddhism and Taoism, and will inevitably trigger large-scale resistance. At a time when the situation between all parties is tense due to the measurement of land acres, is it really necessary to cause another storm?