Rebecca and Wei Zi.

In The Journey to the West, Emperor Taizong and Li Shimin held a high position. The Tang Dynasty he ruled was located in Nanzhan Buzhou, one of the four continents, with a vast territory and talented people. The book says that it is "the number one in the world on the map of China people and foreigners". And I also strongly praised Tang Taizong: "Good looks are better than the current dynasty; Today is full of violence and vitality. What a peaceful and wise king of the Tang Dynasty, Your Majesty Li who came back from the dead! "

Among the dead, Emperor Taizong was the Emperor of God. When Guanyin wrote to him, she must say "Li Datang Jun". Wei Zhi, the Prime Minister, is a Cao Guan, made in heaven and earth. He can dream of the King of Jinghe, and the next letter can go straight to hell. Qin and Weichi Gong, under his command, have the courage to be improper, and all ghosts will not infringe upon them, and they have become the door gods that have been told through the ages.

In the underworld, Emperor Taizong went to the underworld, and Cui Panguan changed the book of life and death for him, changing the thirteen years of Yangshou to thirty-three years. The key point is that when he came to the underworld, the ten generations of Yanjun went out to meet him, and they bowed down to meet Emperor Taizong, and Qin, who was led by him, gave him "hand in hand" and "Liv". In terms of etiquette, the ten generations of Yanjun met the Jade Emperor.

Did the Tang emperor have such a position in the Three Realms?

Obviously not. Let's take a look at the father of Li Shimin, the founding emperor of The Journey to the West in the middle Tang Dynasty, and Li Yuan of Tang Gaozu.

In the tenth episode of the original work, Li Shimin's soul enters the city and walks along the street after entering the "Gate of the underworld". I saw the late master Li Yuan in the street, which was built by my late brother, so my brother Yuanji came forward and said, "Shimin is coming, Shimin is coming!" " After that, Yuanji came to save his life. Taizong couldn't dodge and was caught by him. Fortunately, Cui Panguan called a ghost messenger with green face and fangs and drank Cheng Jian and Yuanji, so Taizong was able to get away.

In fact, everyone is familiar with the background of this passage, which obviously implies the karma created by the change of Xuanwu Gate. In the ninth year of Wude in Tang Gaozu, Li Shimin staged a coup in Xuanwu Gate, killing his eldest brother, Crown Prince Li, and his fourth brother, King Li Yuanji of Qi, forcing Li Yuan to become the new Crown Prince and inherit the throne. Since then, Li Shimin has always had a shadow in his heart. After all, it is not a glorious thing for him to eat people and alienate his father.

Because of the completion, Yuanji was accused of treason, and their souls came to the underworld, that is, the so-called "unjust death is all in vain, there is no charge, and there is no super life." While Li Yuan stood on the same front with these two sons before his death, he was forced to abdicate and died of depression. After his soul came to the underworld, he saw Cheng Jian and Yuanji, and he was inseparable from them.

So, when Li Shimin came to the underworld, he saw "there was an old master Li Yuan by the street, which was built by his brother, so his brother Yuanji". However, when Cheng Jian and Yuan Ji tried to kill him, Li Shimin felt guilty. He didn't dare to retaliate, didn't dare to fight back, and finally "escaped". At this point, Tang Gaozu was silent and looked on coldly, which showed how much he resented Li Shimin.

Arguably, as the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan's status and position should be above that of Li Shimin, and he will be respected enough in the underworld. According to Yan Jun's attitude towards Li Shimin in the 10th generation, Li Yuan will be a special citizen in the underworld. However, all we see is a "passer-by" living on the street, being ordered by ghosts, just an ordinary ghost in the underworld.

There is a simple reason. In hell, the souls of dead emperors and kings are not so valuable. In the original work, Yan Rangcha's birthday took a sharp turn in the secretarial office and reviewed the master books of Tianlu, the king of all countries in the world. Imagine that all countries in the world have monarchs. If ten generations of Yanjun were treated like Li Shimin, wouldn't they be so busy? Obviously, Li Shimin is a special case, while other kings or emperors, including Li Yuan, are ordinary ghosts in the underworld.

As to why Li Shimin was treated in a special way, this is of course related to Buddhist scriptures. In the context, Emperor Taizong's visit to the underworld is a game carefully designed by Guanyin Bodhisattva, with the aim of making Datang, the largest country in the world, believe in Buddhism. In this context, Li Shimin, the current emperor of the Tang Dynasty, naturally became a "hot potato". The tenth generation of Yan Jun, originally a bodhisattva, was of course very polite to Li Shimin.

Tang Gaozu is just one of the kings in the world. Although he was the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, it was a pity that he was born at an inopportune time and was no longer the object of Western Buddhism. Plus, he had been enemies with Li Shimin, and he was extremely friendly with Yuan. Naturally, he was unpopular in the underworld, so he had to live on the streets and wait for reincarnation.