According to what the Prince of Zhennan had heard before, and according to what some merchants from the Nanzhao Kingdom said, the Tang Dynasty royal family has always been respectful but not sensitive to religion. How could there be an heir who is so devoted to Buddhism?
On this point, the Prince of Zhennan and the Tang Dynasty royal family have the same idea. Religion can exist, but it must be used by me and can provide me with some help when I rule. Then this religion can exist, but if it wants to climb over my head, then this religion will be doomed.
Although Li Xiang's performance that day was very good, the Prince of Zhennan was a little skeptical, so he sent someone to Chang'an City to find out whether His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really liked Buddhism.
As he expected, the intelligence in Chang'an City showed that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had nothing to do with Buddhism. He had basically never visited any temple since he came to power. There was no Buddhist hall inside the East Palace except for some small Buddha statues enshrined by the female members of the family.
Of course, the Buddhist temple set up by the evil monk before Li Chengqian is not counted, as it has been cleared out. He also investigated some of the interactions around Li Xiang and did not see how good the relationship between the Tang Dynasty's enlightened monks and Li Xiang was. At most, he would follow Li Shimin to kowtow, but it was basically a formality and not from the heart.
"Is the information accurate?"
It's not that the Prince of Zhennan is suspicious, nor is it that he doesn't trust his men. These men are his loyal soldiers. They won't even frown even if they sacrifice their lives, let alone trying to find out some information. However, this matter has too many implications, and the Prince of Zhennan must be careful.
"In reply to Your Highness, there is absolutely no falsehood. Although our forces in Chang'an City are not strong, the matter you asked us to investigate is not particularly confidential. We cannot discover the Crown Prince's secret whereabouts, but there is certainly no problem with his public actions. If he truly loves Buddhism, then embracing Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty is not considered rebellious. Why haven't he done anything public?"
What the man in black said made the Prince of Zhennan nod his head. If they did something to make Li Shimin unhappy, then with their power in Chang'an City, they would definitely not be able to find out any information. But if it was Li Xiang's public itinerary, there should be no problem. Apart from the military camps and farms, there were some adults that Li Xiang visited, and none of these people had anything to do with Buddhism.
Li Shimin once promoted Buddhism for a while, but any discerning person could see that this was not what Li Shimin really wanted. It was just because there was a lot of killing in the early Tang Dynasty, and many ordinary people still had murderous intentions. So Li Shimin promoted Buddhism to make these people calm down and not create more social security cases. Now that the Tang Dynasty has been peaceful for a long time, do you think Li Shimin still mentions Buddhism?
"So what do you think His Royal Highness is thinking? He's clearly not interested in Buddhism, yet he seems to be chatting quite well with that old monk from Jinghong. Is this all an act? If so, given his current status, who is he performing for? What's his purpose?"
Prince Zhennan himself couldn't figure out this matter, so he decided to ask his subordinates to consult him. This subordinate was not only very skilled, but also had a very mysterious mind. He had also stayed in Chang'an City for some time, so he should be able to give some useful advice.
"I've heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince loves his women very much, whether they're brought back from the front lines or married to him by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He always shows it in public. Now that Princess Yongning is here, she's also interested in Buddhism. What do you think?"
The man in black suddenly thought of a rumor on the streets of Chang'an City. After Li Xiang married his wife, Cheng Yaojin's family also became wealthy. Originally, Cheng Yaojin's family was considered a top wealthy family, but it would definitely not be ranked at the top. Now that he has become Li Xiang's father-in-law, he can definitely be ranked among the top five. Even if Changsun Wuji meets Cheng Yaojin, he has to give face to him because he gave birth to two good daughters.
After hearing what his subordinate said, Prince Zhennan was obviously a little bit unconvinced. In his opinion, they were all powerful people, and women were just a condiment. How could he possibly fall in love with a woman?
When he thought of this, the queen's voice and appearance appeared in his mind, and he denied his previous thoughts. Maybe there really is such a person. He is the King of Nanzhao Zhennan, but he is obsessed with a woman, making all the women in the palace unable to get his favor. Could it be that Li Xiang is also such a person? But is he loving too much?
"Have the people in Chang'an continue to gather information, as well as those in Chengdu. Anything related to Your Highness must be reported back, no matter the cost. And it must be done quickly. Don't be afraid to spend money or sacrifice manpower. This is crucial for our palace right now."
Prince Zhennan couldn't figure out this matter for the time being, so he simply stopped thinking about it. He asked his men to hurry up and find out everything related to Li Xiang, so that he could also analyze Li Xiang carefully. Although he had made preparations in this regard before, judging from the current situation, his analysis was still too superficial.
"Your subordinates obey your orders. On the way back from Chang'an, we also heard another piece of news. In the territories of the four great chieftains in Yizhou to our north, it seems that the Tang Dynasty has begun recruiting soldiers. The number of recruits is not large. Could it be targeting us?"
This policy had already been formulated before Li Xiang arrived in Nanzhao, and it has just begun to be implemented now. The people of King Zhennan were returning from the capital and happened to pass through the territories of the four great chieftains, so they also learned the news.
"Don't be so sensitive. With just our Nanzhao population, do you think we can stop the mighty Tang? They only need to raise their little finger, and we're probably powerless. Besides, you've seen the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. How could they be impressed by what we have here? Even if they were, there's no need to recruit soldiers from the Four Chieftains. I think it's just that the Four Chieftains have just surrendered, and for the sake of local security, their young and strong men should be transferred away."
Prince Zhennan said nonchalantly that this was also the idea of most of the Nanzhao leaders. Does the Tang Dynasty need this barren place?
