The emperor Liang Wu-ti, (464 A.D.-548 A.D.), was the most influential monarch regarding Buddhism in the entirety of Chinese history. With his conversion from Taoism to Buddhism, he actively used his imperial power to convert his subjects' beliefs. Nevertheless, the emperor encountered a major obstacle along the way of the dissemination of Buddhism, which was the misinterpretation of Confucianism by the Shi Dai-fu class, who were the governmental officials identified as Confucianists. The lack of power to control the Shi Dai-fu resulted in the continuation of corruption among the officials and severe discrimination among social classes.
The conflict and disharmony in the two Shi Dai-fu classes, Noble clans and Han-men, jeopardized the Liang Dynasty. They had long since forgotten that the important ideology of Confucian political ethics was loyalty to the monarch.
After more than four decades of peace and prosperity. Liang's empire was attacked by the Northern Dynasty's rebel general, Hou Jin. With the onset of this rebellion, most Shi Dai-fu maintained a wait and see attitude. The consequence was the Liang Dynasty ended and the Emperor Liang Wu-ti died a miserable death.
