In this story, the four monks of the Tang Dynasty, Luli big beetle and Yang Lixian fought with each other by begging for rain, showing virtue in Yuntai, guessing riddles through objects, cutting off their heads and bodies, slitting open their bellies, and boiling in an oil pan. Finally, three evil spirits who abused monks and harmed the country were successfully eliminated, and one side was clean and peaceful.
What's the significance of Wu Cheng'en's arrangement of mocking Taoist priests in The Journey to the West (Tiger force big fairy, Luli big beetle and Yang Lixian all incarnate as human Taoist priests)? Or, why did the author arrange such an ending for the monks who were highly trusted by the ruling class at that time, and why did he make a fool of himself?
(Yang Li's fairy hair is fluttering)
In my opinion, this is closely related to the era in which the author lived.
Mr Wu Cheng'en mainly lived in Zhengde, Jiajing, Qin Long and Wanli in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. During this period, the supreme ruler, Emperor Zhu Houzong of Ming Jiajing, and his son, Emperor Zhu Zaihou of Ming Qin Long, believed in Taoists. Even Zhu Houzong, Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, gave himself the name "Long live the Emperor".
Emperor Jiajing trusted two Taoist priests most, one was Shao and the other was Tao. The main task of these two Taoist priests is to pray for the world, but in fact they are refining Dan medicine for the emperor, and the most refined Dan medicine is the room Chinese medicine for the emperor's entertainment.
With these so-called "treasures in the room", the emperor indulged himself desperately.
According to relevant historical records, during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, there were many ladies-in-waiting selected from the people, with thousands of them at every turn. Most of these ladies-in-waiting are thirteen or fourteen, and they are still young. One is for Taoist alchemy, and the other is for the emperor to "collect yin and replenish yang."
Emperor Jiajing took the "treasure in the room" refined by Taoist priests, ordered countless maids to get up early in the morning to collect dew in the imperial garden for them to drink, and then carried out inhuman crazy "harvesting" on young maids, and many maids were tortured to death.
Those ladies-in-waiting who couldn't stand the torture or didn't want to die took risks and began to resist. They rallied around Yang and others and almost strangled Emperor Jiajing while he was sleeping. The attempted assassination was precisely a failed rebellion, because this year was the year of Renyin in the lunar calendar, that is, the twenty-first year of Jiajing (1542), which was called Renyin Palace Change in history.
The failure of the reform of Renyin Palace did not wake Emperor Jiajing, and then he gave up his previous addiction, but it remained the same. Shao, a Taoist priest, was appointed minister of rites and given official clothes. Shao Qinan, his grandson, was an official of Taichang Shao Qing, and Chen Shandao, his disciple, also appointed Wei Qing to teach this noble man who worships truth and keeps the Tao. Tao entered the Book of Changes and Guali, and got a special guarantee. With a proper salary, he named his wife as his wife, and his salary was rich. Later, I added a little blessing, but I still left a little protection. In addition, he was awarded the special position of Dr. Guanglu and received a bachelor's salary. In the twenty-seventh year (1548), the count was given a salary, and he was named "Gong Chengbo" with an annual salary of 2000 stone. His son Tao Shitong is Tai Changcheng, Tao is Shang Baocheng, and his son-in-law wujun is Sun Taoliang's Taichang doctor.