How did early chinese rulers use religion to justify and strengthen their power?

The Chinese rulers did use religion to justify and strengthen their powers over the people they ruled. They used to justify their actions by hiding behind the curtain of religion. Sometimes their wrong doings were also put up in such a manner that the common people for the fear of god were unable to raise their voice. The Chinese rulers presented themselves as the representatives of the all mighty. Sometimes they were audacious enough to represent themselves as god, so that their powers were never challenged.