In the early Tang Dynasty, there were no "thread-bound books" with pages that could be flipped one by one as often depicted in modern films and TV shows. This is because printing technology was either just emerging or hadn't yet appeared at that time. Even after its invention, throughout the Tang Dynasty, it was primarily used to print calendars, tax receipts, Buddhist scriptures, and other "non-scholarly books." All formal paper books in the Tang Dynasty were handwritten manuscripts, mostly in scroll form. Writing, compiling, copying, distributing, purchasing, and collecting books were extremely expensive, which limited the spread of knowledge and culture. The so-called "aristocratic society" was closely tied to this phenomenon. Later, as the imperial examination system matured and the pool of selected talents expanded, it was directly linked to the popularization of printing technology and the reduced cost of knowledge dissemination. For related images of artifacts, please visit the author's Weibo.
Explanation of the "Inner Sanctuary":
Starting from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, successive emperors established Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries within the palace or royal retreats to meet the spiritual needs of the imperial family, including the emperor, empress, concubines, relatives, and even palace maids and eunuchs. These religious sites within the palace could all be referred to as the "Inner Sanctuary." They housed resident monks, nuns, and Taoist priests (some of whom were women from the palace who had taken vows) and often invited renowned monks and Taoist masters from outside to perform rituals and give lectures. There were also temporary sanctuaries set up for specific individuals or events.
Specifically, in the Tang Dynasty, because the imperial family claimed descent from Laozi (Li Er), the Taoist monasteries within the "Inner Sanctuary" were particularly prominent and famous. Many notable royal women once served as Taoist priestesses in the Inner Sanctuary, ostensibly to "pray for blessings" for their elders and "enter the Taoist path." For example, Princess Taiping briefly became a Taoist priestess to avoid a marriage proposal from Tibet; Emperor Xuanzong's sisters, Princesses Jinxian and Yuzhen, formally entered the Taoist path (though this didn't prevent them from marrying and having children); and after Emperor Xuanzong took a liking to Consort Yang, he first had her become a Taoist priestess in the Inner Sanctuary as a formality...
Thus, in the story, Chai Yingluo, as a noblewoman of the imperial family, enters the Taoist path to oversee the Inner Sanctuary, while Wei Shufen uses the excuse of praying for her mother's blessings to stay temporarily in the Inner Sanctuary for a period of fasting and purification—both actions are superficially justifiable. Of course, by the later Tang Dynasty, Taoist priestesses became increasingly notorious for their scandalous behavior, and their reputation never recovered throughout feudal society... If this had occurred after the mid-Tang period, Chancellor Wei would absolutely never have agreed to let his daughter stay temporarily in a Taoist monastery.
This book includes extensive historical artifact images in its annotations. Since the publishing platform does not support image uploads, please visit the author's Weibo to view them. Search for the ID "Tang Dynasty Tour Guide Forest Deer" on Sina Weibo. Welcome to engage and discuss.
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