Chapter 162 Xuanzang is coming back
In the first month of the 19th year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian was taking a walk in the back garden. He was exhausted these days.
Although Li Er was not in Chang'an, there was no need to hold a grand court meeting on the first day of the first month.
But the envoys who came to Chang'an for the court meeting all ran to the East Palace! To wish him a happy new year! He
had been busy dealing with the envoys these days. He just sent them back yesterday. Today, he finally had some time to rest.
Li Chengqian took a walk in the back garden of the East Palace.
"My dear!" Wang Quan trotted over and saluted.
Li Chengqian looked at Wang Quan running over from a distance and knew that something bad must be wrong. He was just in a good mood, but it was messed up like this!
"Why are you so flustered? How can you be so unbecoming!" Li Chengqian was a little unhappy, so his tone was naturally heavier.
Wang Quan heard a hint of anger in Li Chengqian's tone, and wondered how he had offended his master.
Then he realized that he had come for an important matter and wanted to report it to the prince.
"Your Highness! I just received a document from the Xi'an Protectorate, saying that there was something to report." Wang Quan said.
Li Chengqian was stunned!
The Anxi Protectorate was founded in September of the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, managing the military and political affairs of the Western Regions. Its seat was in Jiaohe City, Xizhou, and its main purpose was to target the Western Turks.
The Anxi Protectorate governed four important military towns: Khotan, Suiye, Shule, and Guizi, known in history as the Four Towns of Anxi.
The first Protector General of Anxi Protectorate was Qiao Shiwang, and the current Protector General is Guo Xiaoke.
Of course, there is no Anxi Four Towns now, because the three towns of Khotan, Guizi, and Shule are still three vassal states of Western Turks. In
the 20th year of Zhenguan, the Khan of Western Turks asked for marriage to the Tang Dynasty, and Li Er asked the Khan of Western Turks to cede five countries including the three towns to the Tang Dynasty as a betrothal gift.
In the 22nd year of Zhenguan, the Tang army entered Guizi, moved the Anxi Protectorate to the capital of Guizi, and established the Anxi Four Towns in the four cities.
Could it be that the Western Turks invaded the territory of our Anxi Protectorate, and Guo Xiaoke was far less powerful than the Western Turks, and was no match for them at all, so he sent people to Chang'an to ask for support.
"But the Western Turks are invading the border of the Tang Dynasty? Guo Xiaoke's troops are insufficient, so he sent people to ask for help, isn't that right?" Li Chengqian looked back at Wang Quan and said.
The Western Turks are too good at picking the time. Li Er is still attacking Goguryeo, and they have already reached the doorstep of the Tang Dynasty.
"Ah!" Wang Quan was stunned! What nonsense is the prince talking about?
There is no problem with the Western Turks. It's actually the matter.
"My lord, it's not Guo Xiaoke's letter for help, and the Western Turks have not invaded the border of the Tang Dynasty." Wang Quan said.
"Ah! It's not the Western Turks' business?" Li Chengqian was surprised.
"It's not!" Wang Quan said.
After getting Wang Quan's affirmation, Li Chengqian's old face turned red. It turned out that I thought too much.
"What did Guo Xiaoke say?" Li Chengqian asked. He was very curious about what Guo Xiaoke reported at this time.
"Guo Xiaoke said that the Tang monk Xuanzang has returned from his journey to the west and is on his way back to Chang'an." Wang Quan said.
"Master Xuanzang? But he is the master Xuanzang who left the Tang Dynasty in the East
in the second year of Zhenguan and went to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures." Li Chengqian asked. "That's right! Xuanzang submitted a petition in the first year of Zhenguan to ask for
permission to go west to seek the Dharma, but Your Majesty did not approve Master Xuanzang's request at that time." "Although Your Majesty did not approve it, Master Xuanzang was still determined to go west to seek the Dharma, and set out on the journey to the west in the second year of Zhenguan."
"Now he should have obtained the Dharma and returned to save all living beings." Wang Quan said.
Li Chengqian did not know whether he could really save all living beings. Li Chengqian only knew that Xuanzang obtained the Tripitaka Mahayana Sutra during his journey to the West.
He brought back hundreds of Sanskrit scriptures from India, and later Xuanzang devoted his life to translating Buddhist scriptures.
Li Chengqian's knowledge of Xuanzang came more from Journey to the West, one of the four great classical novels of later generations.
Of course, Xuanzang's journey to the West in reality was not as described in the novel.
"Sir! How should this Xuanzang be arranged?" Wang Quan asked.
"According to the original ban, anyone who leaves the territory of the Tang Dynasty without permission will be severely punished."
"However, this is already Zhen Guanchu's matter! Now that the ban has been lifted, there is naturally no need to punish Xuanzang."
"When he returns to Chang'an, let him stay in Daxingshan Temple." Li Chengqian
said. "Yes!" Wang Quan said.
"By the way! When can Xuanzang arrive in Chang'an?" Li Chengqian asked.
"According to the distance from Anxi Protectorate to Chang'an, it will take Master Xuanzang five days to reach Chang'an." Wang Quan said.
"In that case, let Fang Xuanling and others go to the outside of Chang'an City to welcome Xuanzang back to Chang'an in five days."
"As soon as Xuanzang returns to Chang'an, bring him to see me immediately." Li Chengqian said.
"Yes!" Wang Quan accepted the order and withdrew.
Li Chengqian was so anxious to see Xuanzang, not for anything else, but to see with his own eyes what this monk Xuanzang looked like.
More importantly, he wanted to see what kind of charm Xuanzang's apprentice Bian Ji had that could make Princess Gaoyang have an affair with him and transplant a large grassland on Fang Yiai's head.
Princess Gaoyang even dared to turn against Li Er for this monk's lover, and made the Fang family restless. Although
Princess Gaoyang and Bian Ji's affair was kept secret, there is no wall that is impenetrable in this world.
The affair between Bian Ji and Princess Gaoyang eventually became known to everyone, and it was a hot topic, causing a turmoil in Chang'an.
Li Er was furious and cut Bian Ji's waist. Who asked this monk Bian Ji to stay in the temple and chant Buddha's name, be a monk, and help Xuanzang translate Buddhist scriptures? Instead,
he hooked up with Princess Gaoyang.
Princess Gaoyang was the same. Why did she have to find a monk when she could have a concubine? Wasn't this sincere to make Li Er unhappy?
Couldn't I cut off your good Bian Ji?
If you had found an ordinary person as your concubine, Li Er might not have been so angry.
In the early Tang Dynasty, Li Tang had never supported the development of Buddhism, and even excluded it. The ban during the Zhenguan period was a manifestation of the exclusion of Buddhism.
The reason why Li Tang did this was that the Tang Dynasty had just experienced the destruction of war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and the national economy was almost on the verge of collapse. In order to develop the economy and ease social contradictions,
Li Tang had no reason not to support the sect founded by his "ancestor".
If Li Tang supported the religion spread from outside, wouldn't it be like slapping himself in the face?
In the first year of Qianfeng of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi posthumously conferred Laozi Li Er the title of Emperor Taishang Xuanyuan.
As for his title of Taishang Laojun, it was in the sixth year of Xiangfu in the Northern Song Dynasty that Emperor Zhenzong of Song gave him the title of Emperor Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Shangde.
Later, Taoism called Laozi Taishang Laojun.
Princess Gaoyang, as a descendant of Taishang Laojun, you could have cheated on your husband, but
you chose to have a monk as your lover. Isn't this tantamount to insulting the Li Tang royal family! You said that it is better to have a Taoist priest than a monk.
After all, it is better to have the money not flow to "outsiders" and to have it benefit "one's own people" than to have it benefit outsiders.