Li Shimin excitedly pulled Xuanzang before the Buddha and bowed four times, acknowledging this imperial younger brother on the spot.
Everyone knew that this journey to the Western Heaven would mean crossing a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, enduring layer upon layer of hardship, and along the road there would be countless tigers, leopards, fiends, and demons who ate people without spitting out the bones...
Under these circumstances, just look at the more than twelve hundred monks present today—besides Master Xuanzang, was there a second person with the courage to go to the Western Heaven and retrieve the scriptures for him?
He absolutely could not be allowed to run!
To be honest, Li Shimin did not care at all whether those so-called Tripitaka Scriptures could deliver ghosts and subdue demons. He cared about only one thing: that they could deliver people and guide them toward goodness.
If they could deliver people, that would mean far less strife under heaven, and his rule would become far more stable. What he wanted was for his Li Tang rivers and mountains to endure forever, for all under heaven to remain forever in the hands of his Li family's descendants.
"Everyone, listen well. From this day forth, Master Xuanzang is Our imperial younger brother."
After Li Shimin finished bowing, he even held Xuanzang's hand aloft and loudly announced the matter to everyone around them.
As the ancient saying went: a gentleman would die for one who understood him. Since he, the emperor, had acknowledged a monk as his younger brother, this monk was probably overjoyed beyond measure and would devote himself to serving him with unswerving loyalty, right?
Li Shimin glanced at Xuanzang, only to see that Xuanzang's face did not show much happiness, his expression unchanged from beginning to end.
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