Buffoon Religious Reform

Li Zhi was somewhat surprised that Baken had so quickly grasped the crucial point. He nodded affirmatively to Baken and continued, “Not only that, but once the furnace is suspended, coke and ore can be burned together.”

At this, he suddenly paused, his gaze searching the ground until he found a fragment of stone. Using it, he began to draw on the earth, soon sketching the outline of a container much like a boiler.

Yan Lide, upon seeing the drawing, cried out in astonishment, “Isn’t that a boiler?”

Li Zhi nodded at first, then shook his head. He proceeded to offer a detailed explanation. With the furnace swinging, the materials inside would mix more thoroughly, and the sealed furnace, no longer requiring constant stirring, could reach higher temperatures. Thus, the raw materials would dissolve more completely, not only saving a great deal of material but also ensuring the quality of the molten iron.

After Li Zhi’s explanation, everyone present felt as though a veil had been lifted from their minds. Baken, who was well-versed in ironmaking, was so excited he began pacing back and forth, exclaiming, “What a marvelous method! How ingenious this is!”

Pei Feishu and Yan Lide, already familiar with Li Zhi’s extraordinary abilities, were now in absolute awe of him. In their eyes, Li Zhi was nothing short of a prodigy, capable of anything.

The group then proceeded to Baken’s quarters to discuss in detail the steps required to build the blast furnace. Li Zhi did not have many suggestions regarding the construction itself, but he personally drew up a set of blueprints for a pulley system, thereby solving the problem of hoisting heavy objects.

Since the construction of the blast furnace was a complex and laborious task, they would often gather to discuss plans throughout the process. Li Zhi’s involvement once again provoked criticism from some quarters. There were those who believed that Li Zhi was neglecting his proper duties, and rumors even began to spread that he had ulterior motives for meddling in the ironworks.

These rumors were circulated by the censors Quan Wanji and Li Renfa. In truth, neither had any real connection with Li Zhi.

But it so happened that Quan Wanji had just been promoted from Prefect of Chaozhou to the position of censor for his forthrightness. Emboldened by his promotion, he was eager to continue his reputation for candid remonstrance, and took to disparaging and impeaching many ministers at court. Li Renfa, for his part, was much the same—a kindred spirit, quick to voice his displeasure at anyone who irked him.

When Li Shimin heard these rumors, he was furious. He summoned Fang Xuanling, Wang Gui, Li Jing, Wei Zheng, and Changsun Wuji to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and, with a face darkened by anger, asked how the matter should be handled.

The ministers exchanged uneasy glances; none of them had anticipated such brazen behavior. Li Shimin had already declared that anyone daring to slander Li Zhi after he had proved his abilities would be dealt with severely. For someone to stir up trouble now was a blatant affront to the emperor himself.

Seeing their silence, Li Shimin indignantly addressed Wang Gui: “Both of them are your subordinates. What do you propose should be done about this?”

Wang Gui’s face fell. He thought to himself, “They may be my subordinates, but it was you who promoted them! Besides, you’ve even brought your own brother-in-law to bolster your authority—what am I supposed to say?” Resigned, he replied, “Your Majesty might consider demoting each of them by one rank and requiring them to offer an apology to the Prince of Jin.”

Li Shimin snorted coldly. “Demoted by one rank? I have already said that anyone who maligns the Prince of Jin will be punished severely. Are you suggesting I go back on my word?”

Wang Gui replied, “I would not dare, Your Majesty. It’s just that there is no precedent for such a case, and I truly do not know how best to proceed.”

Li Shimin was left speechless. Since the founding of the Tang, there had never been censors so wantonly given to rumor-mongering.

At that moment, the Right Chancellor Wei Zheng spoke up: “Your Majesty, Quan Wanji and Li Renfa are petty men who delight in slander and consider denunciation a virtue. They are severely undermining harmony at court. I propose that both be demoted by three ranks and transferred to provincial posts.”

Wei Zheng, renowned for his uprightness, had long found the two men intolerable, and now seized the opportunity to strike at them with all his might.

Li Shimin was pleased with Wei Zheng’s suggestion and cast him an approving glance. He then asked the assembled ministers, “What do the rest of you think?”

Changsun Wuji said, “Your Majesty, these two, as censors, failed to speak openly about the Prince of Jin, and instead spread rumors in private. In my view, they should be dismissed from office outright.”

Changsun Wuji was even harsher than Wei Zheng. Li Zhi was his own nephew; previously, when Li Zhi’s abilities were doubted, he had held his tongue. But now, with someone attempting to slander Li Zhi as scheming, he could not bear it. If such petty tricksters were not driven from court entirely, he would never be able to swallow his anger.

Upon hearing Changsun Wuji’s stance, the others quickly joined in, “We concur.”

With Li Zhi’s own uncle taking such a firm stand, there was no reason for the others to plead for two unrelated troublemakers. Clearly, the emperor and his brother-in-law were putting on a display; all that was required was to watch, not to court trouble for themselves on behalf of two petty men.

Seeing that all were of one mind, Li Shimin announced on the spot, “Since you all agree they should be dismissed, let the Chancellery issue the decree.” After saying this, his mood lifted considerably. How could he allow those who had maligned his beloved son to go unpunished?

Thus, without Li Zhi knowing anything of it, two censors lost their positions on his account. After this, peace finally returned to the court, and the wheel of history rolled slowly on into the first month of the fifth year of the Zhenguan reign.

After much discussion and preparation, Li Shimin decided to reform the empire’s religious system. He first decreed that Buddhist monks, Daoist priests, and nuns could no longer use ordination as a pretext to neglect their filial duties. When meeting their parents, they were to bow in respect like ordinary people, and when their elders came to the temple to offer incense, they were to respectfully avoid them.

Next, he ordered the Ministry of Rites to take over the approval of ordination from the religious authorities. This would effectively prevent commoners from using monastic life as a means to evade corvée labor and taxation.

He also adopted some of Li Zhi’s suggestions and decided to levy commercial taxes on temples, thus compensating for the loss of land tax caused by too many people taking religious vows.

Naturally, these policies aroused some dissatisfaction within religious circles. But Li Shimin silenced them all with a single remark: “Monks and nuns, in the name of spiritual cultivation, produce nothing, are exempt from labor, possess ample fields, and receive offerings from pilgrims. If this is the path to cultivation, I myself would very much like to try it!”