Sky Curtain: The opening scene explains the four major cases of the Ming Dynasty plus the early Ming

Zhu Dijun paused.

"There is also an unofficial history from the Qing Dynasty. It is said that in the fifth year of Chongzhen's reign, the fifth prince died of smallpox. Chongzhen dreamed that Empress Dowager Li appeared as the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva, rebuking the emperor for mistreating his relatives and cursing the prince to death. She demanded that the court reprint the Nine Lotus Sutra to atone for his sins. This matter was recorded in the Qing Palace Anecdotes."

He put down his pen.

"The official historical facts are: Empress Dowager Li was indeed extremely devout in Buddhism, and she built temples and printed Buddhist scriptures on a large scale, as clearly recorded in the History of Ming. The story of the Chongzhen Emperor's son dying and dreaming of the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva is true and is recorded in the Anecdotes. It is a later embellishment and not a plan made by the Empress Dowager during her lifetime."

"But how do you read conspiracy theories?"

The whiteboard was divided into two columns.

"Positive interpretation – ruling tactics. Li came from a humble background and had no powerful family or relatives to support her. In the Ming Dynasty, social status was highly valued, and the civil service often looked down on her. She used Buddhism to deify herself, using the image of a 'Bodhisattva incarnation' to bolster the legitimacy of her imperial power, thereby winning over the hearts of the people and the palace, and reducing criticism from the court about her regency. It was a sophisticated political maneuvering."

"Dark Interpretation—Using the construction of Buddhist temples and the publication of Buddhist scriptures to control public opinion and beliefs. The large-scale construction of temples consumed national treasury funds, and the empress dowager's relative Li Wei embezzled project funds through temple construction, forming a chain of interests of 'Empress Dowager's devotion to Buddhism—Empress Dowager's relatives sharing the spoils'. At the same time, the Buddhist teachings of 'forbearance and obedience' were used to educate the people of Wanli, limiting the emperor's power and facilitating the alliance with Zhang Juzheng to control the government."

Someone in the live chat commented: "Even worshipping Buddha is a political tactic."

"Don't forget that the infamous persecution of Buddhism in Chinese history, and the use of Buddhism's name to amass wealth, have strong historical roots."

"That's right, that's right, Shakyamuni Buddha, the translation is 'the worldly family is blessed by you'."

[“When Wu Zetian ascended the throne, Buddhism contributed a lot. Don’t think of those Buddhist monks as so virtuous. Look at a certain bald monk, isn’t he a typical example?”]

Zhu Dijun ignored him and continued reading.

"The fourth category: frontier and courtly curiosities and unofficial histories."

"The first, and most outrageous, yet also the most credible, is that Empress Dowager Li released Nurhaci, who was killed by a wild boar, and the Manchus have worshipped 'Mother Wanli' for generations." He pulled up a photocopy of a page from "A Grand View of Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty." "It comes from this book. It says that Nurhaci was defeated and captured, and sent to Beijing. His subordinates bribed the eunuchs to plead with the Empress Dowager. Empress Dowager Li, taking pity on his extraordinary appearance, persuaded Wanli to release Nurhaci. After the Later Jin dynasty was established, the Manchus worshipped 'Mother Wanli' in their ancestral halls, a homophone for 'Mother Wanli,' and have been grateful to Empress Dowager Li for saving their lives for generations."

Zhu Dijun closed the book.

"Official history debunks the myth: There is no record of this in the official records of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Official history clearly states that Li Chengliang's wife secretly released the young Nurhaci. Late Qing scholars forcibly attributed this to Empress Dowager Li, piecing together fabrications from unofficial history."

"Conspiracy theory interpretation: Late Qing Dynasty literati deliberately smeared Empress Dowager Li, implying that she was too kind-hearted and let the gravediggers of the Ming Dynasty go, attributing the border troubles outside the Great Wall at the end of the Ming Dynasty to the interference of the empress dowager in politics, and belittling female rulers."

"but"

Zhu Dijun suddenly changed his tone and said:

"I do believe that Empress Dowager Li was the one who truly spared the wild boar skin from growing in its nascent stage."

"Because of religion, and a past similar to that of a certain wild boar skinner, how do we view this from the perspective of the mite-clearing process?"

"Here, we all know that the Buryat wild boars practice shamanism, but shamanism is closely linked to Buddhism."

Both are excellent examples of "the interplay and symbiosis between higher religions and indigenous primitive beliefs". Buddhism borrowed the "shell" and "mass base" of shamanism to take root in the north, while shamanism has continued to this day through historical changes by borrowing the "theoretical framework" of Buddhism.

Speaking of the "dual faith" of the chieftain of the wild boar skin, Qianlong, Aisin-Gioro Hongli, Chen Hongli is a typical example - he claimed to be the "reincarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva" and insisted on conducting shamanic rituals in the Forbidden City.

Zhu Dijun then wrote "[Shaman]" and "[Aisin Gioro Hongli, Qianlong Fourth Year]" on the whiteboard, then scrolled down a bit and wrote "[Manjushri Bodhisattva]" in the political and diplomatic context of Tibetan Buddhism.

"When dealing with border regions such as Mongolia and Tibet, Qian Xiaosi was an extremely devout and shrewd follower of Tibetan Buddhism (Gelugpa)."

The reincarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva: He not only accepted the title of a high-ranking monk in Tibetan Buddhism, but also directly positioned himself as an incarnation of "Manjushri Bodhisattva." This was not merely a religious identification, but also an extremely shrewd political maneuver. In the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Manjushri Bodhisattva represents wisdom and dominance, and Qian Xiaosi used this to establish his legitimate ruling position as the "Chakravartin King" of the Mongolian and Tibetan regions.

Temple construction and statue making: He built a large number of Tibetan-style temples in Beijing and Chengde (such as Yonghe Temple and Putuo Zongcheng Temple), and cast countless exquisite Tibetan Buddhist statues. These buildings and activities were essentially tools of "soft power" that he used to appease and win over the upper-class nobles of Mongolia and Tibet.

Royal and Ethnic Levels: "Shamanic Ritual" within the Forbidden City

Although he revered Buddhism in the imperial court, Qianlong knew that the Manchus were able to conquer the Central Plains because of their horsemanship and archery skills and their ancestral laws. And Shamanism was the core of the Manchu ancestral laws.

The Shamanic Dances at Kunning Palace: In Kunning Palace within the Forbidden City, Emperor Qianlong strictly preserved the traditional Buryat shamanic rituals. Every day, pigs were slaughtered, meat was cooked, and shamanic dances were performed to worship heaven, ancestors, and deities. Emperor Qianlong himself frequently participated in these rituals, even consuming the bloody sacrificial meat during the ceremonies (to remind himself of his Manchu roots).

In addition to the sacrifices within the palace, Qianlong also established a "Tangzi" outside the Left Gate of Chang'an in Beijing. This was the highest-level shamanic sacrificial site for the Eight Banners imperial family. He repeatedly ordered the renovation of the Tangzi and strictly prohibited Han Chinese and other ethnic groups from entering it, treating it as a "spiritual sanctuary" for the Eight Banners imperial family.

Qian Xiaosi's "Balancing Technique": How can he be so inclusive?

The reason why Qian Xiaosi was able to manipulate these two seemingly contradictory beliefs was because he had a very clear understanding of the "functional division" of religion:

Regarding the Han region: He promoted Confucianism and ruled the country as the "Son of Heaven".

Regarding Mongolia and Tibet: He transformed into "Manjushri Bodhisattva" and used Tibetan Buddhism to maintain stability on the border.

Regarding the Manchus: He upheld shamanistic rituals, using primitive beliefs to unite the Manchu nobles and prevent the Eight Banners descendants from becoming completely Sinicized.

If we deeply associate Empress Dowager Li of the Wanli era with Buddhism and then apply a conspiracy theory lens, she is no longer just a stern mother, but a "political manipulator in a Buddhist robe," or even a Ming Dynasty version of Wu Zetian. She used Buddhism as a cover to turn the Forbidden City into her own "royal temple," staging an extremely clever "rule from behind the curtain."