Chapter 3

"Darlang, are you really going to Chang'an?"

"Of course." Li Shan plopped down on a rock, took the water flask from Zhu Ba, and drank a few sips. He turned to look at the distant mountain, truly feeling that the saying "looking at the mountain can tire a horse" was true; it had taken more than half an hour to walk this far.

The mountain where Dongshan Temple was located had the Jing River on its right side, with boats shuttling back and forth on the river. On the left side, the outline of Chang'an could be seen in the distance. Today, Li Shan went down the mountain and couldn't find his mother in the village, so he decided to take Zhu Ba to visit Chang'an.

By the river, Li Shan refilled the water flask and looked satisfactorily at his reflection in the water.

Having been transported to this era, Li Shan was dissatisfied with his identity... While both were surnamed Li, others were the lost son of Li Shimin, and even the legitimate eldest son, while he...

However, it wasn't without its benefits. Li Shan touched the down on his lips and couldn't help but smile.

When he first arrived, Li Shan was devastated. After so many years of hard work, he was finally about to graduate with a Ph.D. and likely stay at a famous tertiary hospital in Shanghai, but everything was ruined in an instant.

He was still in the process of hanging himself when he was transported... This method of transportation was also speechless.

But when he saw his reflection in the water while washing his face yesterday morning, he blurted out, "It really is fragrant!"

In his previous life, he never had a girlfriend... There was no way; it was a damn superficial world.

What Li Shan was most satisfied with about being transported was his face. It wasn't exaggerated, but he was really handsome, especially with his high nose bridge, which gave his profile a sculptural beauty... He was a Sinicized Xianbei.

But along with it came a surge of hatred from deep within, which Li Shan tried to suppress... He knew this was the emotion left by his predecessor, who was said to look like the young Li Dewu.

Pressing his hand on his heart, Li Shan's lips parted slightly, and he silently said to his reflection in the water, "Wait, I will fulfill your wish. Even in the Tang Dynasty, there are Chen Shimels."

Zhu Ba came over, "Darlang, what's wrong?"

Li Shan straightened up and asked casually, "Why are you demolishing the temple?"

Zhujia Gou was where Li Shan and his mother had settled. Naturally, Li Shan didn't want to see the temple demolished, and he guessed that his mother, Lady Zhu, had some connection with the Zhujia Gou clan.

"The sage has ordered it..." Listening to Zhu Ba's stammering explanation, Li Shan roughly understood the situation.

Although Buddhism was once prosperous during the Sui and Tang dynasties, the current sage, Li Yuan, was not very fond of Buddhism. He had repeatedly considered suppressing Buddhism, which was met with strong opposition from many officials.

Li Yuan eventually made a compromise but required strict control over the various prefectures and counties in Guanzhong, prohibiting lazy people from avoiding conscription by falsely becoming monks and claiming to have left the secular world. Many temples were also to be dismantled.

Li Shan counted on his fingers. Historically, the suppression of Buddhism... the famous Three Wu Suppressions, did not include Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan.

Suppressing Buddhism was possible, after all, Li Yuan claimed to be a descendant of the Li family of Longxi... Unfortunately, he didn't, and instead claimed to be a descendant of Laozi, Li Er, naturally favoring Daoism over Buddhism.

However, Li Shan remembered that the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng, was a Buddhist... He seemed to have a small name, Sha... something.

Li Shan asked repeatedly, and the temples that could remain had to meet certain standards.

What standards?

Passing the examination by the Ten Virtuous Ones.

During the transition between the Sui and Tang dynasties, Buddhism was flourishing, and the court established the Ten Virtuous Ones to manage religious affairs.

The selection of the Ten Virtuous Ones was either by recommendation from the monks or by direct appointment by the emperor.

In short, either they had to be able to interpret the scriptures and have deep knowledge of Buddhism... Heaven help them, the entire Dongshan Temple had over thirty monks, none of whom could read, but they were all good at hunting, farming, and even fighting.

Or they had to be famous... In other words, they had to have value to be retained.

Li Shan stroked his chin and pondered for a while. This seemed a bit difficult.

The two walked for another half an hour, and the magnificent and splendid Chang'an finally came into clear view before Li Shan.

A thousand miles of rivers and mountains, a city with nine layers of gates. Without seeing the grandeur of the imperial city, how could one know the dignity of the emperor?

This was the last glorious era of Chang'an as the core of the world, and it was also the largest Chang'an in history.

Emperor Wen of Sui built the new capital, naming it Daxing. Later, the Tang Dynasty combined the new and old cities, dividing them into Chang'an County and Daxing County, making it the most magnificent capital of this era.

Li Shan stood at the city gate and looked back, "I didn't see the Baqiao Bridge on the way?"

"The Baqiao Bridge is still a distance away," Zhu Ba explained, "We came from the side."

Li Shan didn't really want to see the famous Baqiao Bridge and its willows but was thinking about the even more famous Huaqing Pool, known for its warm, smooth water.

The guards at the gate were not strict, and they smoothly entered Chang'an. Li Shan's first impression was of the city's neatness. Although he knew there were 108 wards in the outer city, he didn't expect it to be so orderly. The roads were basically lined with high walls, straight, and each ward was relatively independent.

It didn't really feel like a city but more like a modern industrial park, neatly arranged. The benefits were obvious, making it easy for military management. Even if the city was breached, the high walls of each ward could serve as a defense. The downside was that it was somewhat rigid, with the tall locust trees on both sides of the roads neatly aligned.

Li Shan thought to himself as he walked, "If the enemy really attacked, and Chang'an was breached, what good would these wards do? An Lushan and Huang Chao both took the city in one battle... I guess it's because Emperor Wen of Sui came to power through a coup, so this is clearly a defense against internal threats rather than external ones."

Wandering the streets, Li Shan felt a deep, unspoken emotion.

This is Chang'an, this is Chang'an!

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji, Li Jing, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, and Yu Chigong, so many famous generals and ministers were stirring in this Chang'an.

In such a grand era, what could he do?

But one thing was certain, he was not willing to live a mediocre life.

Another thing was certain, his father, who had married into the He Dong Pei family, definitely did not want to see him achieve fame.

The road ahead was bright, but the obstacles were also visible... the He Dong Pei family.

Although the Pei family had not yet reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty, even in its early years, it was a formidable presence.

Now Li Shan knew who his father had married into, the famous Pei Shimu... His first impression was, "He's actually the Evil King!"

In high school, Li Shan had been particularly interested in the Evil King when reading "Tang Dynasty Twin Dragons." He even looked up information about him.

Pei Shimu was already famous during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui, known for his eloquence and listed among the "Seven Nobles of the Selection Office." After the Tang Dynasty, he was still heavily favored, even though he was old, he was enfeoffed as the Duke of Anyi County and appointed as the Left Attendant of the Crown Prince.

Li Shan pondered, does this mean the Pei family is now supporting Li Jiancheng?

However, these matters were too far from him, and without reliable information, it was difficult to make an accurate analysis... Historical records were not entirely trustworthy, especially those from the Wude era.

The Old and New Tang Histories portrayed Li Shimin as a pitiful little rabbit, reluctantly extending his claws... What a joke, Li Shimin was clearly a tiger!

"Darlang, where do you really want to go?" Zhu Ba was a bit nervous, remembering the rumors in the village. He was afraid Li Shan would directly go to the Pei family to recognize his father... and maybe even his mother!

In fact, Li Shan had no clear goal when he first came to Chang'an. In his previous life, he had lived in the countryside until junior high school, only moving to the county for high school, where he was exposed to a large amount of information that made his head spin... Coming to Chang'an, he just wanted to gather some information about the era to decide his next steps.

But after entering Chang'an, Li Shan quickly had a clear goal. Where was the place with the most information in ancient times?

"Have you heard of the 108 wards? The most famous should be Pingkang Ward, right?"

Li Shan was a bit excited. Although he didn't have much money, ... it was said that poets didn't have to pay to visit brothels!

In this era, who had more poetry in their belly than him?

Zhu Ba looked at Li Shan, who was lost in thought, with wide eyes. "You want me, a monk, to take you to a brothel?"

Please, be a decent person!