My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Qin Ying chuckled and patted his chest loudly: "With me, Qin, here, how could the Crown Prince possibly be in trouble?"

"Where is the Crown Prince?" Su Gui asked.

Qin Ying was about to tell Su Gui that the Crown Prince was on the hillside.

Just then, a horse came down the road, with a soldier sitting upright on its back.

The soldier dismounted and ran up to Su Gui: "General Chang has ordered you to immediately arrest all the monks of Da Ci'en Temple."

Su Gui said to Qin Ying, "I have official business to attend to right now and don't have time to talk to you. Please step aside for now, and we'll chat after I've caught all these bald monks!"

Su Gui raised the large gun in her hand into the air: "Brothers, listen up! Charge in and capture all the monks of the Great Ci'en Temple! Anyone who dares to resist, kill them without mercy!"

"promise!"

The soldiers under his command agreed.

As the saying goes, military orders are as solid as mountains. Su Gui has matured a lot after many trials and tribulations, and her prestige in the Imperial Guard is very high. She is no longer what she used to be.

His imperial guards, as energetic as dragons and tigers, drew their swords and nocked their bows, ready to charge into the Great Ci'en Temple.

At this moment, hundreds of monks suddenly rushed out of the Great Ci'en Temple, carrying long wooden sticks. The leading monks were Dao Zhao and Murong Shun's son, Murong Nuohebo, also known as Murong Zhonglie.

Murong Zhonglie gripped his long wooden stick tightly and roared, "This is a forbidden Buddhist area! Let's see who dares to trespass!"

Su Gui is like a newborn calf that is not afraid of tigers; the word "fear" does not exist in his dictionary.

Su Gui recognized Murong Zhonglie and shouted, "Murong Zhonglie, get out of the way! We're on official business!"

"That's none of my business, but we can't stand by and do anything that harms our temple."

The air suddenly became tense, with both sides poised to clash at any moment.

"Brothers, get ready!" Su Gui raised his spear high; if he were to suddenly drop it, it would be the order to advance.

"Su Gui, wait!"

Su Gui heard someone call his name from behind and turned around to look. He saw two people walking down the hillside. The one in front was none other than Li Chenggan, and the one behind Li Chenggan was Cheng Tieniu.

Su Gui was also surprised that Li Chenggan would suddenly appear here.

Su Gui quickly dismounted and came forward to greet him: "Your Highness, I'm so glad you're alright."

Li Chenggan waved his hand: "My position as crown prince has been abolished, so you don't need to call me 'Your Highness' anymore."

"How can that be? That's not true. You will always be the Crown Prince of our Great Tang Dynasty, and you will still inherit the throne in the future."

Upon seeing Li Chengqian, Daozhao and Murong Zhonglie quickly came forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Li Chenggan treated him with courtesy.

Li Chengan, with his hands behind his back, asked Su Gui, "Why are you surrounding the Great Ci'en Temple?"

Su Gui then recounted the whole story.

After hearing this, Li Chengan thought to himself, how could Chang He issue such an order? There are more than 10,000 monks inside and outside Chang'an City. Does he mean to arrest all of them?

We need to find out who did it before we can take targeted action.

"Is Master Xuanzang here? I would like to see him."

Murong Zhonglie said, "Master is chanting scriptures in the Buddhist hall."

Li Chengan turned to Su Gui and said, "I will go in now and meet Master Xuanzang."

You must not act on your own before I come out.

"promise!"

Su Gui agreed.

Li Chengan and Qin Ying entered the Great Ci'en Temple. After entering the Buddha Hall, Li Chengan said to Qin Ying, "You two stay outside and guard the entrance. I'll go in alone."

Qin Ying was a little worried: "Your Highness, won't something happen if you go in alone?"

No, it won't.

Li Chengan pushed open the door and entered the Buddhist hall. Looking up, he saw that the hall was very tall, spacious, and bright.

Xuanzang was sitting on a futon in the center, with his palms together, his eyes slightly closed, and he was chanting incantations.

Seeing that he was chanting scriptures, Li Chengan did not disturb him, but stood aside with his hands at his sides, listening carefully.

The Master Xuanzang was reciting the Heart Sutra.

Li Chengan also closed his eyes slightly and listened quietly.

It's strange,

As he listened, he felt much more at ease, his breathing became calmer, and his mind became less agitated. It was as if he had seen through many things in the world in an instant.

Li Chengan felt that every meeting with Master Xuanzang was a form of spiritual cultivation; the master's realm was simply too high, far beyond his own reach.

Just imagine, at this very moment, the Great Ci'en Temple is completely surrounded by government troops, yet Master Xuanzang is still able to sit here quietly reciting scriptures, remaining calm and composed. Isn't that remarkable?

Back then, when the seven-nation coalition attacked Chang'an, Emperor Jing of Han was in a panic.

Emperor Jing of Han, unable to think of any other way, actually killed his mentor Chao Cuo, hoping to force the allied forces of the seven kingdoms to withdraw.

Then look at Master Xuanzang sitting there calmly and steadily, as immovable as a mountain. No matter how much noise there was outside the temple, he just kept chanting the sutra. This kind of composure is something that ordinary people cannot do.

About half an hour later, Master Xuanzang finally opened his eyes, which were bright and piercing: "Amitabha, well done, well done!"

"Your Highness, we meet again."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Yes, Master, I didn't expect to meet you again so soon."

Xuanzang stood up, picked up the teapot from the stove, and poured Li Chenggan a cup of tea: "Your Highness, please have some tea."

Li Chengan accepted the teacup with both hands: "Thank you, Master."

Xuanzang and Li Chenggan sat facing each other, with a table between them.

"Your Highness, congratulations on successfully escaping from the tunnel." Xuanzang's face was kind and his voice was calm.

Li Chengan looked at Xuanzang with a surprised expression: "Master, you already knew?"

Xuanzang nodded: "Every effect in the world has a cause, and there is no effect without a cause. So, you should calm your heart and not blame your father."

"Master, I have been deposed, and my father wants to kill me." Li Chengan said, picking up his teacup and drinking it all in one gulp.

Master Xuanzang poured another cup for Li Chenggan: "Think about what happened between Emperor Wu of Han and Liu Ju back then, and you will feel at peace."

At that time, due to the instigation of the villain Jiang Chong, the relationship between Emperor Wu of Han and Liu Ju became increasingly distant.

Later, the father and son became suspicious of each other, and it became very difficult for Liu Ju to even see Emperor Wu of Han.

Liu Ju's approach was to gather his household servants and the imperial army for a fierce battle. As a result, tens of thousands of people were killed or wounded on both sides, and the entire city of Chang'an was stained with blood. Liu Ju was defeated and committed suicide.

After the incident passed, Emperor Wu of Han gradually realized his mistake. He understood that the crown prince was innocent, that he was forced into this situation, and that he did not truly intend to rebel.

However, it was too late; Liu Ju was already dead.

Emperor Wu of Han built the Terrace of Longing for His Son. But what was the point?

Do you think Liu Ju's approach was correct?

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan seemed to understand something and asked, "Master, what should I do now?"

Xuanzang laughed and said, "You are exceptionally intelligent, your mind is as clear as a mirror, do you need this humble monk to teach you?"

Li Chengqian gazed out the window and asked, "What do you say, if I go back now and let Father Emperor decide my fate?"

Xuanzang shook his head: "Your Highness, your father is in a fit of anger right now. If you go back, wouldn't you be courting death?"

If you really die, what good will it do if one day your father repents like Emperor Wu of Han?

Do you want your father to build a "Platform for Remembering One's Son" like Emperor Wu of Han?

Li Chengan's expression darkened: "Since I cannot stay, I have no choice but to leave. Will I ever be able to return to Luoyang?"

"Before this, your father intended to hand over Luoyang to you, and at the same time, to entrust you with the review of memorials from officials of the fifth rank and below."

However, things changed too quickly; overnight, your father changed his mind.

Moreover, you shouldn't have allowed Fang Yi'ai to be stationed in Luoyang. You clearly know that Fang Yi'ai is not one of your people, but one of Li Tai's. By handing over Luoyang to him, aren't you losing your basis for action?" Master Xuanzang picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Would Fang Yi'ai dare to monopolize Luoyang?"

"Your Highness, he certainly wouldn't have dared to do this before."

However, the situation is different now. Your father has issued an edict to execute you. This news will spread like wildfire to Luoyang in no time.

Besides, Fang Xuanling was Fang Yi'ai's father.

Fang Xuanling was exceptionally intelligent; he would naturally tell Fang Yi'ai what to do.

When Li Chengan heard Master Xuanzang mention Fang Xuanling, his expression became solemn: "Master, there is something I don't understand. I have always had great respect for Fang Xuanling, after all, he was a founding hero of the dynasty."

He was the mastermind behind the Xuanwu Gate Incident; in other words, without him, there would be no Emperor as we know him today.

Therefore, I was very grateful to him, but for some reason, he always seemed to be against me.

Back then, my father appointed him as the tutor of the Crown Prince and asked him to teach me to read in the Crown Prince's Palace, but he politely declined.

I really can't figure out what I did to offend him.

Why do you think that is?

Xuanzang fiddled with a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand and slowly said, "To say that Fang Xuanling's wisdom is unmatched, even if Zhang Liang, Fan Zeng, Chen Ping, Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia and Sima Yi were resurrected, they probably still couldn't compare to him."

However, there's one hurdle he hasn't overcome yet.

"Oh, what's that?"

That is what we in Buddhism call greed.

To use an imperfect analogy, Fang Xuanling was like Wen Zhong and Huo Guang in their time.

Without Wen Zhong's help, how could King Goujian of Yue have avenged his family, defeated the State of Wu, and become a hegemon?

Because Wen Zhong's achievements were so great that they threatened Goujian's position, Goujian was very wary of him. Fan Li once wrote to him, asking him to flee with him.

However, Wen Zhong couldn't let go of that power and status. He said that these were things he had worked hard to obtain, so how could he give them up so easily?

As a result, Goujian gave him a precious sword and made him commit suicide.

Fan Li, however, became a wealthy man and traveled with Chisongzi.

Huo Guang's contributions to the Han Dynasty were also immense.

On his deathbed, Emperor Wu of Han summoned Huo Guang, Jin Midi, Sang Hongyang, and Shangguan Jie to his side and entrusted them with his final affairs.

This is what is known as Emperor Wu of Han entrusting his son to others on his deathbed.

Moreover, it was clearly stated that Huo Guang was the main figure.

Of course, Huo Guang did not disappoint Emperor Wu of Han.

Huo Guang indeed assisted Liu Fuling wholeheartedly, resulting in a smooth transition of power and a very favorable situation for the Han court.

However, after Emperor Xuan of Han ascended the throne, Huo Guang's entire family was brutally exterminated. What was the root cause of this?

Huo Guang's wife, Huo Xian, poisoned Emperor Xuan of Han's first wife, Xu Pingjun, in order to marry her daughter to the emperor.

However, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

When Emperor Xuan of Han learned the truth, he was filled with grief and indignation and began to target the Huo family.

Emperor Xuan of Han was also a very capable emperor with extremely clever methods.

He first demoted or exiled members of the Huo clan.

Then, take action.

If Wen Zhong and Huo Guang hadn't been so greedy back then, would there have been the later disasters?

At the same time, they were all very intelligent, but they did not understand the principle that emperors can only share hardship, not wealth.

Xiao He was greedy and was imprisoned by Liu Bang.

Han Xin was also greedy, and in the end, he was beheaded.

They made enormous contributions to the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty.

This shows that greed is human nature and is very difficult to change.

Even someone as intelligent as Fang Xuanling couldn't see through this.

He had already reached the highest position in the court, becoming the Grand Secretary, but he was still not satisfied.

He also hopes that his descendants will occupy this position.

It's not that there's any personal grudge between him and you.

Because he understood that if you became emperor one day, he wouldn't be able to get the position of chief minister.

Because, putting everything else aside, you also have an uncle, Changsun Wuji, who is also very capable, and in terms of merit, Changsun Wuji is no less capable than him.

Therefore, Fang Xuanling turned his attention to Li Tai and devoted all his efforts to supporting Li Tai in seizing the position of crown prince.

On the surface, he did not directly help Li Tai.

However, if he allows his son Fang Yi'ai, his students Cen Wenzi and Chai Lingwu to support Li Tai, what difference is there between that and him supporting Li Tai himself?

By helping Li Tai, he was actually helping himself.

But did Fang Xuanling ever consider whether his sons, Fang Yizhi and Fang Yi'ai, were capable of shouldering such a great responsibility? Were they even cut out for it? This is a classic case of the onlooker seeing more of the game than the player.

Li Chengan was deeply moved upon hearing this.

He felt that Master Xuanzang's words had hit the nail on the head.

Yes, there are many intelligent people in the world who cannot escape the word "greed," and in the end, they ruin themselves and even their entire clan.

Who among the people he just mentioned—Wen Zhong, Han Xin, and Huo Guang—wasn't intelligent?

Can someone who isn't intelligent become a high-ranking official or general?

However, in the end, their fates were all tragic.

If we could be as open-minded and magnanimous as Fan Li and Zhang Liang, how could we have suffered those later misfortunes?

Li Chengan pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Master, do you think Fang Xuanling's support for Li Tai will allow him to successfully seize the position of Crown Prince?"

Xuanzang shook his head: "Your Highness, you need not worry."

Although your father has temporarily deposed you, in my humble opinion, he will restore your status as crown prince sooner or later, so you can rest assured about that.

"No, no, no, I've had enough of being the crown prince. It's too tiring."

I finally managed to get rid of this burden. I'm absolutely not going to be the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty anymore. Let whoever wants to be it do it.