Chapter 631: Quick Blade Through Tangled Hemp

"No, this time it's different, really, you have to believe me."

Chen Yan felt numb all over and hurriedly explained, "I truly never said such a thing."

"I'm not stupid; I know I'd only be detained for a few days as a token, so why force myself to do such a thankless, labor‑intensive thing?"

"Even if I wanted to set you up, at least I should be able to stay out of it, right? If I brazenly trap you like this, can I still feel fine about it?"

"But if it's not you, who else could it be?" Li Shimin scowled, clearly not having absorbed any of it: "Do you think it's Sizi?"

"She's only a few years old—could she come up with something like that?"

"And you even said there was a manor left in Weinan County, full of peach blossoms; no matter how I hear that sentence, it sounds familiar to me."

"In the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, you and Gao Yang first met and were imprisoned; later you wrote a letter to me like this."

"Bullshit about planting a hundred acres of peach blossoms."

"You all still say it's not you?"

Hearing that, Chen Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.

It does sound very much like his handwriting, but the problem is, it really has nothing to do with him.

Damn it, the crotch of my pants is stained with yellow mud—whether it's a chronicle or not, it's a chronicle.

"Believe it or not, I'm telling you the truth, no lies."

Realizing his explanation was unclear, Chen Yan simply stopped trying to explain, sat back down, and grabbed his chopsticks to eat meat.

No wonder—because of this, Li Shimin actually trusted Chen Yan a bit more.

However, even if it weren't Chen Yan, it would still be inseparable from Chen Yan.

So he never intended to let Chen Yan off.

But before that, there are some matters that need to be settled.

Li Shimin also sat down, took the bowl and chopsticks, and while eating asked, "Today Xiao Yu was so angry at Han Zhongliang that he vomited blood and fainted away."

"The flood situation in Luoyang has already been arranged."

"Now, only the anti‑Buddhist matter you mentioned remains… I've issued an edict on this, forbidding anyone from spreading it; violators will be beheaded. Even if someone outside learns of it, they won't dare make a scene, so the current turmoil stays within the Court."

"But you must understand, such news can be hidden for a time, but not forever; once it spreads and the Buddhist Establishment learns of it, they will stir public opinion, and that would be bad for us."

"After all, you yourself said the Buddhist Establishment has too many followers and is adept at manipulating hearts; if you want to do this, you must cut through the tangled mess with a swift blade and not delay any longer."

Chen Yan grinned and said, "His Majesty, didn't you just say you wanted to oppose it? Why are you now telling me to cut through the tangled mess?"

"…Can you negotiate? If not, I'm leaving; later I'll satisfy Cheng Yaojin's demand and give you forty lashes."

"Look, look, you said a couple of sentences and you're already displeased; I'm just trying to liven up the atmosphere."

Chen Yan cleared his throat and spoke seriously: "His Majesty, the 'quick blade through tangled hemp' you speak of is nothing more than telling me to be more ruthless."

"By now, the information that I ordered Han Zhongliang and his men to investigate should have yielded results, and you should have received them."

"If these reports are published through the Great Tang Daily, and we immediately raise the slaughter knives, cutting off heads in a frenzy."

"That would certainly be effective, but have you considered that the bald donkeys are endless, especially during the flourishing Buddhist era of the Tang Dynasty."

"These bald donkeys and temples have been wiped out before in history, yet they still rise from the ashes, don't they?"

"To deal with these people, we must start from the root."

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow: "Zi An, I thought that now that you've taken this position, the entire Tang Dynasty's purse is in your hand, your power is overwhelming, and your heart should have grown cold."

"But I didn't expect you to be so soft‑hearted."

"Is there any conflict between solving it from the root and raising the slaughter knives to kill a batch of bald donkeys?"

Chen Yan was stunned, then laughed dumbly: "His Majesty, stop using provocation; I haven't wholly denied killing a group of people. Whether the monks are guilty or innocent, I would have no psychological burden in killing them."

"But that's not the main issue."

"The main problem is that the temples' privileges are too great."

"What I aim to eradicate is not Buddhism itself, but the deeply sinful people hidden within the Buddhist Establishment, and… its privileges!"

"What is Han Zhongliang investigating? In such a short time, it's nothing more than the situation of a few temples in Chang'an."

"And how many can be killed?"

"His Majesty, you always say I'm no longer the County Magistrate of Weinan County; my gaze shouldn't be limited to the county seat, but should face the whole Tang Dynasty."

"So my plan is to first apprehend all these people, then use the Unsavory Ones, the Government, centered on Chang'an, to gradually investigate outward, or directly issue a bounty so the populace can report themselves."

"When the entire Buddhist Establishment is in panic, wipe out all those damned bald donkeys in one fell swoop!"

"......"

Chen Yan's words left Li Shimin silent for a long while.

He had originally been joking, teasing Chen Yan with this.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yan at most agreed with his idea and killed the batch of investigated people.

What he didn't expect was that Chen Yan never even considered those people; he was even harsher than Li Shimin, intending to kill every guilty bald donkey in the entire Tang Dynasty.

Damn it......

How many must be killed?

Regarding the filthy affairs inside the temples, Li Shimin's knowledge is neither great nor negligible.

How to put it, Xiao Yu once said something quite true: temples aren't without true masters.

But how many true masters are there in the whole Tang Dynasty?

Just like the Daoist sect, aren't Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng the only two who dominate it now?

Entering the temple, that great dye‑pot, even if one initially truly wishes to convert to the Buddhist Establishment, after prolonged contact with those people, it's hard to say whether one can still keep one's original heart.

For example, many monks in the Tang Dynasty eat meat in large bites, drink alcohol copiously, and even take wives and have children outside.

That is already considered quite good.

Li Shimin was silent for a while, then asked, "How do you intend to tamper with their privileges?"

He didn't voice any opinion to Chen Yan about wanting to kill the guilty monks of the whole Tang, but instead asked Chen Yan how he intended to deal with their privileges.

But there was no answer; sometimes that is the best answer.

In Li Shimin's view, the monks in the temples already enjoyed considerable privileges, benefitting from the people's incense offerings.

He doesn't demand that these monks become enlightened masters; at the very least they shouldn't harm the common folk, right?

If they do cause harm, then they deserve death beyond justification.

Chen Yan smiled, "His Majesty, are you truly certain?"

"This step is not easy; once we take it, there will be no way back for us."

Li Shimin said lightly, "Pathetic, as if I would still be wary of the Buddhist Establishment? If it weren't for the early Zhenguan period, when the Tang Dynasty was too difficult, I would have acted against them long ago."

"His Majesty, you know I'm not referring to that."