Chapter 164 Meeting Xuanzang

"Master Xuanzang, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has ordered us to take you and your disciples to Daxingshan Temple. You should follow us to Daxingshan Temple." Fang Xuanling said after entering Chang'an.

"Please wait a moment, benefactor. I just came back and want to go to see the Crown Prince first!" Xuanzang said. He was anxious to get the support of the court and allow him to spread Buddhism, and he was unwilling to delay for a moment.

"But, these scriptures, relics, Buddha statues, and your disciples..." Fang Xuanling said.

Fang Xuanling meant that they couldn't be taken with them, as it would be impolite.

"Let them go to Daxingshan Temple first, and trouble you to ask someone to take them to Daxingshan Temple. I will follow you to meet the Crown Prince." Xuanzang said.

"That's fine!" Fang Xuanling said with a smile, and turned around to tell someone behind him, "Take these monks to stay at Daxingshan Temple."

"Yes!" The man bowed, and came to the monks and said, "Masters, please follow me."

"You go to Daxingshan Temple first! I will follow the Minister of Works to the palace to meet the prince!" Xuanzang told his disciples.

"Yes! Master!" The disciples put their hands together and said, and followed Fang Xuanling's hands to Daxingshan Temple.

"Master, let's go! Let's go to the palace now!" Fang Xuanling said, making a gesture of invitation.

"Please, Minister of Works!" Xuanzang put his hands together, and walked side by side with Fang Xuanling to the palace to meet the prince of the state. "My

dear! Master Xuanzang, who has returned from worshipping Buddha and seeking scriptures in the west, asks to see you!" In the Guangtian Hall of the East Palace, an eunuch came to report.

"Why doesn't he stay at Daxingshan Temple, but comes to see me? Let him in." Li Chengqian said.

"Yes!" The eunuch took the order and left.

Xuanzang walked in with the eunuch.

"Monk Xuanzang pays respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" Xuanzang bowed to Li Chengqian who was sitting in the main seat.

"Master, there is no need to be polite! Give me a seat!" Li Chengqian said, and asked someone to bring a chair to Xuanzang.

Xuanzang looked up and down at the chair in front of him, very curious, he had never seen such a strange thing.

The eunuch beside him was afraid that Xuanzang would embarrass himself and lose his manners in front of the Crown Prince, so he explained to Xuanzang the new thing called the chair.

Xuanzang was very grateful to the eunuch, otherwise he would have made a fool of himself in this hall.

But then again, when did a thing like a chair appear in the Tang Dynasty? Why had he never seen it before.

Xuanzang didn't know that the chair had only been in existence for two years, and he was still in the Western Regions seeking Buddhist scriptures.

"Excuse me, Your Highness!" Xuanzang said with his hands clasped together.

"This chair has only been in existence for a few years, so it's normal that the Master doesn't recognize it. There's nothing to be ashamed of." Li Chengqian said.

After Xuanzang finished making it, Li Chengqian continued, "Master, you've had a hard time traveling to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures. Why didn't you report it and ask for permission?"

At the beginning of the Zhenguan period, Li Er issued a ban, prohibiting monks from leaving the Tang Dynasty to travel to the West to seek Buddhist teachings. This was the time when Li Er was most opposed to Buddhism.

Xuanzang was not allowed to submit his petition three times, so he had to secretly go to the Western Regions to seek Buddhist scriptures in the second year of the Zhenguan period.

Xuanzang actually smuggled out of the country, but at that time, there was no passport in various countries, otherwise, Xuanzang, the smuggler, would have been sent back.

"Your Highness, I have submitted petitions to the court three times to ask for permission to go to the West to seek the true scriptures." "However, my words are not important

and I have no connections, so I submitted petitions to go to the West but was not allowed." Xuanzang said.

Li Chengqian just asked casually. Whether it was really as Xuanzang said was not important. It was just an opening remark to chat with Xuanzang.

"Master, how far did you go to the West to seek the scriptures? What countries did you visit?" Li Chengqian asked.

"This time I walked more than 50,000 miles. I visited all the Buddhist temples and countries along the way." Xuanzang replied.

"In that case, I think the master should know the customs, landscapes, and products of these countries."

"I just don't know how these regions are different from our Great Tang?" Li Chengqian asked.

He can also take this opportunity to learn more about the situation of the countries in the Western Regions, especially the situation in India. Maybe it

will be useful when he ascends the throne in the future.

"The customs of the Western Regions are indeed different from our Central Plains. When I first saw them, I was not used to them, but after a long time, I got used to them!" Xuanzang didn't know Li Chengqian's little tricks, and thought that the prince was just curious, so he said this casually.

"This time, the master obtained Mahayana Buddhism from India. I wonder what the customs there are like. Is there any difference between eating and drinking in India and in the Central Plains? I heard that all the girls in India are gifted. Is that true?" Li Chengqian said.

"Whether the girls in India are as your Highness said, I am not sure. I am here to seek the Dharma. I don't pay much attention to foreign girls. I am afraid I can't answer your question."

"As for the food in India, the Indians like to eat with their right hands, which is naturally different from the Central Plains." Xuanzang said.

He went to India in the Western Regions this time to study Buddhist scriptures and laws. He usually stayed in temples, not to travel around, let alone such a pretty woman.

He only had Buddha in his heart, so how could he have any women in his eyes?

This was simply an insult to the Buddha!

"I never thought that the customs of India are so different from those of the Central Plains. Okay! Let's not talk about this anymore!"

"Since you know something about the customs, products, mountains and rivers of the Western Regions, could you please record them?" Li Chengqian asked.

"I went to India to seek scriptures, and I didn't record what I saw and heard along the way. But these are all in my mind, so I can write them down." Xuanzang said.

"That's great. Master, why don't you write down the situations of the countries in the Western Regions that you have passed through and make a book called "The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions".

" "With this "The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions", it will be beneficial for the future exchanges and learning between our Tang Dynasty and the countries in the Western Regions, and will open up the Silk Road to more distant places."

"Master, why don't you write this "The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" first, and put other things aside for the time being." Li Chengqian said.

With this "The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" in hand, let alone cultural exchanges, even sending troops to conquer these countries is not a problem.

After hearing what Li Chengqian said, Xuanzang did not immediately agree to his proposal. Although Xuanzang also wanted to write the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions

, in his mind, translating Buddhist scriptures was his top priority. As for the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, it was just something he could write in his spare time.

Now he was asked to put aside translating Buddhism and write the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions first. This was putting the cart before the horse, and Xuanzang was not happy about it.