Actually, Shangguan Linlang used to hold monks in high esteem back when she was only the Commander of the Three Armies. She spent years leading military campaigns, and there were at least fifty thousand if not a hundred thousand people who died by her hand. Therefore, to provide salvation for the souls of her fallen soldiers, she often invited accomplished monks to perform rituals and bring peace to the dead. Shangguan Linlang had quite a bit of interaction with those "bald donkeys," and at that time, she truly respected those who were considered Heavenly Masters.
As for why the Empress is behaving so uncharacteristically now, harboring such hatred for those "stinky monks," that goes back to Han Ziye's scheming against her. To understand this matter, we must discuss the cursed ties between the Shangguan Family and the Han Imperial Family of Yulong Country. Here's how it went.
