After the Fengshan period, Li Shimin still maintained a high mood, and even took a vacation on the way. Most of the government affairs were handed over to Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others. As for him, he relaxed and admired the scenery along the way. When he encountered some famous places and historical sites, he would take Li Xiu and others to take a look, and sometimes even leave some inscriptions.

It can be said that this is the first time Li Xiu has seen him relax himself so much since he ascended the throne. However, this is also a good thing. After all, humans are not machines, and it is impossible to be in a high state of tension all the time. It is also necessary to relax occasionally, especially in situations like Li Shimin.

The way back was still very peaceful. On the way, officials from all over the country arranged accommodation, so there was no need to suffer any hardship. Moreover, the area passed by Mount Tai to Chang'an was also the most elite area of ​​the Tang Dynasty. All the way was the scene of wealth and stable life of all officials, which also made Li Shimin more at ease, and was filled with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from the inside out.

On that day, Li Shimin and his group finally arrived in Luoyang, which was the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Although it was not far from Chang'an, it was even defeated by Li Shimin himself. However, since Li Shimin ascended the throne, he has been busy with government affairs all day and has not had much time to go out, so he has only a few times when he came to Luoyang. This time, when he returned from Fengshan, he specifically ordered not to return to Chang'an for the time being, but to stay in Luoyang for a longer time.

Speaking of Luoyang, we must mention a famous scenic spot, that is, the Longmen Grottoes near Luoyang. Although the scale of Longmen Grottoes was still very small during the Tang Dynasty, even as Li Xiu knew, the grottoes excavated in the Tang Dynasty accounted for more than 60% of the Longmen Grottoes, the Northern Wei Dynasty accounted for 30%, and the remaining dynasties accounted for only 10% together, so what Li Xiu can see now is only one-third of the grottoes in later generations.

However, the Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous era when Longmen Grottoes were excavated, especially before Li Shimin restricted Buddhism. Because of the peace in the world, the people were very rich. In addition, Buddhism was prosperous, so there were a large number of newly excavated caves in Longmen. Some of these caves were donated by temples, and some were donated by private funds, but more were built by emperors and nobles. For example, many of the caves were ordered by Emperor Wu of Wei. The functions and functions of these caves were also diverse, such as praying for blessings, driving away diseases, fulfilling vows, etc.

But just a few years ago, Li Shimin followed Li Xiu's advice and restricted both Buddhism and Taoism, confiscated many temples and Taoism land, and prohibited them from lending again, and even restricted the number of monks. As a result, both Buddhism and Taoism also experienced a great decline.

Originally, Li Xiu thought that with the decline of the Buddhist and Taoist sects, the excavation of the Longmen Grottoes would definitely be affected, and some caves would even be suspended due to this. However, what he never expected was that although the strength of the Buddhist and Taoist sects declined, the construction of the Longmen Grottoes was very limited, and the scale was even expanded compared to before.

Later, Li Xiu learned about it and found that although he limited the scale of Buddhism and Taoism, he could not immediately change people's beliefs. Both Buddhism and Taoism have a large number of believers. These people can not go to the temple to burn incense and fulfill their vows, but the influence of religion on them has penetrated into their lives. For example, if someone in his family gets sick or dies, some people will spend money to build several caves in Longmen to pray for their families.

It is also worth mentioning that Li Shimin only restricted the scale of Buddhism and Taoism to prevent them from having too much land or wealth in their hands, which would cause social instability. However, they did not completely ban the two religions. In fact, it was impossible to ban them. Even some royal ministers still believed in Buddhism. The Tang Dynasty was actually very tolerant of religion. As long as they did not affect social stability, the court would not bother with them. For example, the digging of Longmen Grottoes was large in scale, but they were willing to pay for money, and the court had no reason to intervene.

Li Xiu also had an indifferent attitude towards the construction of the cave in Longmen. Although it was a bit of a waste of social resources, it was also a good thing. After all, the art and humanities of the Tang Dynasty could be recorded so that later generations could understand some of the situations in this era from the perspective of the situation.

Li Shimin had long heard of the name of Longmen Grottoes. He had passed by Longmen several times before, but he didn't look closely. After all, he didn't feel like enjoying the scenery at that time. Now he finally relaxed. So on the second day after arriving in Luoyang, he brought Li Xiu, Changsun Wuji and other ministers, and Li Tai also accompanied him to Longmen Grottoes.

There is nothing to see about those caves that are being built or just completed, but those caves that were built during the Northern Wei Dynasty aroused the interest of Li Shimin, because many caves during the Northern Wei Dynasty were built by the emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty. They are not only large in scale, but also the statues in the caves are also very beautiful.

When the group walked and admired the carvings in the Longmen Grottoes. Li Shimin liked calligraphy. When he encountered some Wei stele carvings, he would stop to copy them. When he encountered stone tablets that he was particularly interested in, he would also send someone to copy them so that he could bring them back to the palace to appreciate them at all times.

"Huh? Why is this cave not completed?" But when he walked to one of the caves, Li Shimin suddenly showed a surprised expression, because the cave in front of him obviously belonged to the style of the Northern Wei Dynasty, but there were only a few less important Buddha statues. The space reserved in the main location was only carved, and you can tell at a glance that it was not completed.

"Qi Binyang Cave, this is Binyang Cave, divided into three caves, south, middle and north. Originally, Emperor Xuanwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty built his father, Emperor Wen of Wei, to do good deeds. However, after a change in the Northern Wei palace, and the officials who presided over the construction here died of illness, so only the Binyang Zhong Cave was completed. The other two caves were not completed. The one we are in is Binyang Bei Cave." As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Li Tai immediately stood up and replied.

Li Tai once presided over the "Guodizhi" and was very familiar with the mountains, rivers, geography, and historical sites in the world. He also often came to Luoyang to visit, and even had a special residence in Luoyang. Of course, there was another important reason, which made him know the situation in Longmen Grottoes as well. Even since he came here, he intended to bring Li Shimin here in order to give his father a "surprise".
Chapter completed!