Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One
Chapter 109 - 105: Past Events of the Great Tang

Chapter 109: Chapter 105: Past Events of the Great Tang

Previously, he had thought that the eradication of Buddhism by the three military factions and one sect was too ruthless, but now he saw it was actually leniency!

However, he couldn’t understand why the common people being deceived was tolerable, but the current Emperor Li Gai not only did not stop it, he even collaborated with the Buddhist Community to deceive the people and harvest their faith, which was truly baffling!

"If you can’t figure it out, then don’t think about it! There are many things in this world that can’t be understood!"

Li Ping’an felt deep down that the actions of Zhuge Weiwei he had encountered previously were righteous, and he was a true hero who considered the well-being of the common people in the world. He also understood why in these chaotic times, people like Xiao Qingfeng, Xiao Yuechi, and Yiye Zhiqiu held such deep admiration for him—it was simply because the common people were suffering too much and needed capable people to save them.

But all of this had nothing to do with him; he just wanted to live quietly by himself. As he came to this realization, his stomach growled, hungry from not eating or resting all morning and narrowly avoiding death, Li Ping’an finally found a tavern near Zhengyang Gate.

It was lunchtime, and the weather was hot, causing the tavern to be filled with people from all walks of life, without any seats available. Li Ping’an, disliking the crowd, thought about going elsewhere, but he was too hungry to move and decided to find a spot close to the street, sharing a table with three elegantly dressed men. Everyone ordered drinks and dishes and started eating and drinking on their own.

Li Ping’an’s voracious eating amused the three men at his table:

"Young brother, eat slowly—we won’t steal your food."

"Hehe."

Li Ping’an just smiled and casually sized up the three men at his table, who appeared extremely cunning and must be local wealthy merchants.

"Big Brother Wang, continue your story!"

The other two merchants urged.

Upon hearing this, the merchant surnamed Wang shook his head and slowly extended three fingers, saying proudly:

"In this recent period, thanks to the current Emperor’s blessing, I’ve easily made thirty thousand taels of silver in just five days!"

The other two merchants displayed envious expressions, flattered him saying:

"Big Brother Wang has such boldness!"

"This big brother, what business do you do to earn thirty thousand taels of silver in just five days? I couldn’t even dare to imagine it!"

Driven by curiosity, Li Ping’an chimed in while eating.

The three merchants immediately stared at Li Ping’an, scrutinizing him:

"Are you from out of town?"

Fearing being taken advantage of, Li Ping’an lied:

"I am a resident of Chang’an, how can you say I’m from out of town?"

"Haha!"

The three merchants laughed but said nothing, clearly aware that Li Ping’an was from out of town, but chose not to expose him, instead replying:

"Although I’m neither a royal descendant nor an official, I own ten inns in Chang’an City."

"No way, does running inns make that much money?"

Li Ping’an inquired further.

The merchant surnamed Wang immediately pointed towards Zhengyang Gate and said in astonishment:

"Young man, have you not seen the Imperial Proclamation posted on the walls of Zhengyang Gate?"

"I’ve seen it, what about it?"

Li Ping’an replied innocently.

The merchant surnamed Wang felt it was a pointless inquiry and somewhat displeased, said:

"Since you’ve seen the Imperial Proclamation, how do you not know my way of making money?"

"I really don’t know!"

"Hahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the three wealthy merchants shook their heads, laughing loudly, and pointed at Li Ping’an, mocking him:

"So he’s just a rustic countryman, no wonder he doesn’t know the tricks of the trade here!"

Li Ping’an wasn’t angry, just quietly listening, and seeing that Li Ping’an was still confused, the merchant surnamed Wang patiently explained:

"Although the current Emperor is obsessed with Cultivation, he is also a devout believer in Buddhism. Buddha Bone Temple holds the Buddha’s relics left by the patriarch Xuanzang in the pagoda, and Spirit Monkey Temple in Fengxiang County has the Shariputra left by the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, in the temple. Every ten years, they are displayed, and this year happens to be the tenth year, so the Emperor ordered the Buddha’s relics to be shown at the Zhengyang Gate tower for all the citizens under heaven to see."

"During these days, wealthy Buddhists from within and outside the Great Tang will come to Chang’an to participate in this grand occasion, to see the Buddha’s relics and seek blessings."

"But think about it, how many wealthy Buddhists are there in the entire Great Tang, and how many inns are there in Chang’an City? Certainly not enough to accommodate them all, hence..."

The merchant surnamed Wang gave a knowing smile, patted Li Ping’an’s shoulder, and said:

"Do you understand now, outsider?"

"I understand!"

Only then did Li Ping’an understand why the inns in Chang’an City were so expensive; normally, a few dozen copper coins would suffice for a night’s stay, but now, these cunning merchants were taking advantage of the display of the Buddha’s relics to jack up the prices, causing inn charges to increase by about a thousand times.

For every cause, there’s an effect, and this also led to Li Ping’an not being able to afford an inn in Chang’an, hence encountering the Dragon King of the Jing River, narrowly escaping death.

Misfortune comes with blessings; thus, meeting the Dragon King of the Jing River also led to Li Ping’an acquiring some treasures.

Li Ping’an couldn’t help but murmur in a low voice:

"Truly, there must be a divine will guiding these happenings."

"By the way, brothers, our Emperor of the Great Tang is cultivating immortal arts, how come he is also a devout Buddhist?"

"Hahaha! We thought you were just a simple countryman, but it turns out you’re an outsider from Peach Blossom Spring, not even knowing why the current Emperor believes in Buddhism?"

This question from Li Ping’an once again caused the three merchants to burst into laughter. However, after laughing, they still patiently explained to Li Ping’an, the clueless outsider:

"This topic has a lot to cover, starting from five hundred years ago..."

"Five hundred years ago?"

"Young man, don’t interrupt, just listen to what we have to say..."

The three merchants then started to explain in detail:

Five hundred years after the founding of the Great Tang, following the era of Zhen Guan, Empress Wu’s reign, the Kai Yuan prosperity, and the Anshi Rebellion, until the time of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, spanning over two hundred years.

That is to say, since Tang Sanzang returned from the West with the True Scripture, Buddhism had spread throughout the Great Tang for over two hundred years, and by the time of Emperor Xianzong, the true teachings had been lost and worldly monks began to deceive the common people with Buddhism, seeking alms extensively, which had become a calamity.

Another two hundred years passed, and the state of Great Tang fell, with various local powers struggling to control the Central Plains, leading to prolonged warlord conflicts, with the common people suffering greatly from the wars.

Fortunately, Heaven was merciful, and out of the chaos emerged a transformative figure named Li Run, a direct descendant of Emperor Taizong of Tang, truly a hero of his time, with qualities reminiscent of Taizong, revered by the people as the reincarnation of Taizong.

Li Run was not only skilled in both literature and martial arts but also unified the lands, restoring the collapsed Great Tang after more than a hundred years, with national strength reaching levels comparable to the early Zhen Guan era.

<img data-ywcc-imgId="10011723" data-ywcc-path="/imgChapter/20580431908756101/27691534702072604/10011723/ae874c598f2e8444591eb82965db8d6114ZHbtsU65GNQsX.jpg">

The Restoration Emperor Li Run reigned for over twenty years, and the practice of devout faith in Buddhism flourished once more, even more excessively than before. Emperor Li Run thus harbored thoughts of eradicating Buddhism, but the old Emperor was in poor health and could pass away at any moment, so he planned to wait for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne before helping him to eradicate Buddhism.

Before he died, Emperor Li Run had two sons: one was his legitimate son, named Li Gongnong, officially recognized as the Crown Prince, and the other was an adopted son taken during the wars, named Ai Gai, later renamed Li Gai, who led the Imperial Guard and commanded the Imperial City Imperial Army.