Especially when this gate completely withdrew from the Southern Continent, Li Hong was killed, the new emperor ascended the throne, the border was defeated, and the country was in a precarious situation, many policies formulated by Yu Jiang were abolished by Hu Yanzhi.
The newly enthroned emperor of the Tang Dynasty was Li Zhao, the crown prince of the previous emperor Li Hong. Li Hong had established Taoism as the state religion and launched a movement to suppress Buddhism. Now Taoism was in ruins and the border wars were also unfavorable. It could be said that the Tang Dynasty was undercurrent and in a precarious situation.
Even after the Buddhist sect, which had been destroyed, returned, many rumors arose among the people, saying that the Tang Dynasty had offended God by destroying Buddhism and was now suffering retribution, and that Li Hong's death was retribution.
These rumors grew increasingly outrageous, with claims that the Tang Dynasty was about to end. Who had you destroyed Buddhism in the first place? You offended the Buddha and still want to get away with it? The Tang Emperor and the Tang Dynasty were destined for ruin and destruction!
The newly appointed Prime Minister Hu Yanzhi naturally suppressed such remarks and arrested those who spread the rumors.
But it would be a lie to say that the new emperor Li Zhao was not afraid. Not long after he came to power, the first thing he did was to abolish Taoism as the state religion and demolish the Taoist temples and palaces enshrining Taoist saints in the imperial palace.
After Li Zhao did this, the rumors among the people did indeed show a tendency to subside, and new rumors emerged, saying that only by making Buddhism the state religion of the Tang Dynasty could disasters be resolved and sins be forgiven in order to obtain the Buddha's forgiveness.
But when faced with this new rumor, Li Zhao suddenly realized, "Buddhism, is it? Buddhism wants to become the state religion of the Tang Dynasty?"
So, the next day Li Zhao issued an order to build a "Jade Emperor Temple" in the imperial palace to enshrine the statue of the Jade Emperor, and he would worship it every day.
This immediately confused the people behind the rumors. My goodness, I took the trouble to spread rumors, but ended up forcing the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty to go to heaven.
Li Zhao’s idea was very simple. I don’t respect Taoism, but I don’t respect Buddhism either. I respect the Jade Emperor. Come on, if you have the guts, continue to spread rumors that respecting the Jade Emperor will lead to the destruction of the country?
Just as Li Zhao thought, after he respected the Jade Emperor, all the rumors disappeared completely.
However, many new rumors were spread, but this time these rumors were fabricated against Li Zhao personally and the Tang Dynasty court, with the purpose of discrediting the prestige and image of the Tang Dynasty emperor and the court.
After seeing these rumors, Li Zhao was furious and immediately prepared to mobilize troops to kill all those who spread the rumors.
But this matter was immediately stopped by Prime Minister Hu Yanzhi. Although the Tang Dynasty is now facing internal and external troubles, under the governance of the previous emperor Li Hong, the people are prosperous and the country is rich. It seems to be in a precarious situation, but its foundation is very solid.
However, if Li Zhao carried out a large-scale killing because of rumors, he would be easily exploited by people with ulterior motives. If the killing could not be controlled, it would shake the foundation of the Tang Dynasty.
The reason is very simple. You can't use force to deal with rumors. If you kill people because of them, they will be taken advantage of by people with ulterior motives, and a large number of innocent people will die unjustly. After all, it only takes a mouth to slander someone. The killing at that time will be indiscriminate, and will greatly shake the ruling foundation of the Tang Dynasty and the legitimacy of the imperial power.
Although Li Zhao was angry, his brain was not damaged, so after Hu Yanzhi's persuasion, he gave up the idea.
But the more he thought about it, the angrier he got, especially since rumors were flying all over the country. Li Zhao immediately summoned the Grand Secretaries of the court and began writing a book with them. What book would they write? Naturally, a book to dispel rumors. They would select and refute the rumors that slandered the emperor and the court, one by one, and then compile them into a book and distribute it throughout the country.
Of course, those who have solid evidence to spread rumors will continue to be arrested and punished.
Thus, the emperor and the court of the Tang Dynasty began to engage in verbal battles with some resistance forces among the people. Regardless of whether the rumors were dispelled or not, the people had a good time watching the excitement.
Datang Kingdom, Nanzhou, Yanlai Lake outside Bailu City, Qingxia Temple.
A team of palace soldiers surrounded Qingxia Temple. The new governor of Bailu City had issued an order that no one in Qingxia Temple was allowed to leave without permission.
When the Tang Dynasty respected Taoism and suppressed Buddhism, the Qingxia Temple was packed with people.
But after the Taoist sect was defeated and expelled from the Tang Dynasty, the Qingxia Temple suddenly became deserted and lonely until today when the new governor brought two thousand soldiers to surround the place.
The original abbot of Qingxia Temple, Liu Qingxia, has passed away, and the new abbot of Qingxia Temple is none other than 'Xuan Shang', the former leading figure of Qingxia Temple.
At this moment, the new temple master Xuan Shang was leading a group of Taoist nuns and guards from Qingxia Temple to the square outside the main hall of Qingxia Temple to welcome the new prefect of Bailu City.
"Why do you think the new governor sent troops to surround our Qingxia Temple?" A Taoist nun from Qingxia Temple asked the other Taoist nuns around her in confusion.
The Taoist nuns around them were also confused. One of them shook her head and said, "I don't know either. We at Qingxia Temple have always been law-abiding and have not violated any Tang Dynasty laws."
At this time, another Taoist nun said, "I heard that the new governor's surname is Mei, and she is a woman."
Women holding official positions in the Tang Dynasty had been going on for decades and it was no longer a new thing.
But the prefect is a fourth-rank official, and there have been very few fourth-rank local female officials in the Tang Dynasty in the past few decades.
However, when he heard the conversation of the people behind him, the master of Xuanshang Temple in the front frowned slightly, and a bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart.
(End of this chapter)
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