1. Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Dynasty Li Xian
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (26 November 656 – 3 July 710) was the fourth emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the seventh son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and the third son of Wu Zetian. He reigned twice, from 683 to 684 and from 705 to 710. After Li Xian (the second brother) the Crown Prince of Zhanghuai was deposed, after the death and abolition of his two imperial brothers Li Hong and Li Xian, Li Xian was made crown prince.
In the first year of Hongdao (683), the emperor took the throne, and the empress dowager Wu Zetian was in charge of the dynasty. Li Xian reused Wei Hou's relatives and tried to form his own clique. Li Xian promoted Wei Hou's father Wei Xuanzhen to the post of Assassin of Yu prefecture and wanted to promote him to shizhong (侍中), but Pei Yan immediately said no. Li Xian said angrily, "I give Wei Xuanzhen the world, and I have nothing to do, but do I still have to be stingy with a waiter?" Pei Yan heard this and reported to Wu Zetian, who was greatly annoyed by Emperor Zhongzong's actions. In February, Li Xian, who had been on the throne for only 55 days, was deposed by Wu Zetian as the King of Luling. Afterwards, Tang Zhongzong's younger brother Li Dan became a puppet emperor, that is, Tang Ruizong. In the first year of Guangzhai (684), Li Xian, who was deposed as the King of Luling, moved to Junzhou and Fangzhou. In the first year of the Holy Calendar (698), Luoyang was recalled and restored as crown prince.
The first time was abolished, Li Xian and his pregnant wife Wei Shi sat in a desolate carriage, accompanied by a cold wind to set off for the fiefdom, on the way daughter Princess Anle was born, so that Li Xian, who was physically and mentally devastated, had a little more comfort, and in the following years Li Xian and Wei Xian shared weal and woe for many years, and the love was very deep. Lee Hsien made a wish to Merriam-Webster that if he saw the light of day again one day, he would never fail her. Li Xian was placed under house arrest in Junzhou (present-day Danjiangkou City, Hubei Province) and Fangzhou (present-day Fangxian County, Hubei Province) for fourteen years, accompanied only by his concubine Wei Shi and his daughter Princess Anle, and the family of three depended on each other for their lives and tasted the hardships of life.
In the first year of the Shenlong Dynasty (705), Zhang Kamzhi and other ministers launched the "Shenlong Coup" to welcome Li Xian's reinstatement at the Tongtian Palace, and immediately after succeeding to the throne, Wei Shi was made empress, and despite the dissuasion of the ministers, he posthumously crowned Wei Hou's father as king, and let Wei Hou participate in the pre-imperial government, but did not trust Zhang Kamzhi and other heroes. Married Empress Wei's daughter Princess Anle to Wu Chongxun, the son of Wu Sansi. She was given the title of Zhaorong(昭容). Teach her to be in charge of orders, responsible for drafting the emperor's edicts, and mastering the power of life and death. Wei Hou had an ambiguous relationship with Wu Sansi, and Wei Hou trusted her children's relatives Wu Sansi very much, and thus formed a powerful political force to influence the government. Li Xian couldn't do anything about it either. Emperor Zhongzong of Tang reigned twice, reigning for a total of five and a half years, and Jinglong died in June 710 in the fourth year of Jinglong(710) at the age of 55.
Li Xian's becoming emperor after the death of his father Li Zhi was in line with the heavens and the people's aspirations, and it was an inevitable result. Wu Zetian even though he already had the heart to be called emperor at that time. It needs to be developed in a roundabout way, gradually tested, that is, you can spy on the hearts of the hundred officials, the will of the people, and you can also sweep away the obstacles that prevent you from ascending the throne, and there is only one way.
After Li Xian's first time as emperor, he was young and vigorous, full of vigor, did not understand Taoguang and cultivated obscurity, pondered to cater to his mother's wishes, secretly developed and cultivated his own strength and concubines, and made wild remarks, which provoked empress dowager Wu Zetian to be furious, and he committed an act of abolishing the establishment, and instead welcomed his younger brother Li Dan as emperor.
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, who loved his brothers, his wife, and his children, but he forgot his political life and had no family affection, and before he had his mother Wu Zetian as a stepping stone to the throne and a tool to test hundreds of officials, and then his wife Wei Shi and Princess Anle played the government as a child's play, played with him between applause, and finally fell into the result of being poisoned and killed by his wife and daughter. In the end, he left with nothing, leaving behind the name of a "puppet" who was "weak all his life" and manipulated by his beloved all his life.
2. Father: Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Li Xian's father, Emperor Gaozong, favored Wu Zetian all his life, and even for the sake of Wu Zetian's empress, he did not hesitate to pay for the life of the eldest son of Li Zhi's uncle, who wholeheartedly supported his ascension to the throne as emperor. With The connivance and support of Li Zhi, Wu Zetian gradually moved to the center of political power and was called the "Second Saint" with Li Zhi. During the Reign of Li Zhi Dynasty, the initial political center and decision-making were the team left by his father Li Shimin, as well as the strong support of his uncle ChangSun Wuji, who inherited the prosperity of the "Rule of Zhenguan", the wind and rain were smooth, and the country was safe. Later, with the connivance and acquiescence of Li Zhi, Empress Wu Zetian took power, and all things were decided by her hand, and there were already signs of empress Dowager Wu's arbitrary behavior, after all, there was no two masters of the country, and at this time Li Zhi was more like an empress and retreated behind the scenes.
Li Zhi's character was benevolent filial piety and love for the people, creating the "Yonghui Prosperous Era", Wenzhi Wugong, destroying Goguryeo, conquering the Turks, and laying the map of the Tang Dynasty in one fell swoop; but his favor and indulgence to Wu Zetian also added a foreshadowing to the difficulties of Li's descendants, Li Zhi's character and Wu Zetian are obviously diametrically opposed, he is sincere and steady, and Wu Hou is resolute and arbitrary, and love complements each other, perhaps a deliberate arrangement of history.
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
3. Mother: Empress Wu Zetian of a generation
After Li Zhi's death, Wu Zetian successively supported the third son Li Xian as Emperor Zhongzong of Tang and the fourth son Li Dan as Emperor Ruizong of Tang, and because of the continuous expansion of Emperor Wu Zetian's heart and the arbitrariness of Li Xian's first political career, he deposed Li Xian's throne; Wu Zetian also used his wisdom and means to clear his political obstacles step by step, walking towards the coveted throne, innovating and eliminating shortcomings, making bold moves, using talents in an eclectic manner, and being politically clear, and began a lifelong controversial empress career.
Wu Zetian
After Emperor Wu ascended the throne, he showed no mercy to the ministers who opposed him and the People of the Li clan, and most of them talked about the affairs of Empress Wu; due to Wu Zetian's use of cool officials, many unjust, false and wrong cases occurred during the Wu Zhou period, resulting in the inability of the people's will to reach the imperial court. Even in the middle of Emperor Wu's reign, who would inherit the throne had always bothered her, under the continuous operation of Wu Chengsi and other Wu clansmen. She hesitated on whether to stand up for a son or a nephew. Regarding this matter, Wu Zetian once asked the chancellor Di Renjie, and Di Renjie said: "Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty braved the wind and rain, personally risked swords, guns and arrows, and calmed the world; Emperor Gaozong entrusted his second son to His Majesty, and His Majesty now wants to give way to other clans, which is against the will of Heaven." And who is the nephew and the mother and son? His Majesty lizi, after a thousand years of age, deserves to enjoy the Taimiao Temple, the incense is continuous, and the future generations respect it; the nephew, then the ancient and modern have never heard of the nephew sacrificing the aunt for the Son of Heaven and the aunt worthy of the Taimiao Temple. Wu Zetian suddenly realized. On the same day, Wu Zetian said to Di Renjie: "What is the sign that I dreamed of seeing the wings of the parrot broken?" Di Renjie borrowed the title to play: "Warrior, your majesty's surname." Two wings, two sons also. His Majesty can use his second son to fly high. At this point, Wu Zetian's idea was decided.
For Li Xian and Li Dan, from the family point of view, Wu Zetian was a son; from a political point of view, they were actually courtiers, when Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi was alive, Wu Zetian was already called "Two Saints" with Li Zhi, and at that time she already had the heart of emperor, which led to this result because of Li Zhi's spoiling and connivance, as well as Wu Zetian's resolute and decisive character. Li Zhi gave Wu Zetian favors, rights and dreams. He also pushed his sons down the abyss and the emperor's throne.
4. Son: Li Chongmao, Emperor Shao of Tang
After Li Xian's death, under the operation of the courtiers and Empress Wei, Li Xian's fourth son Li Chongmao became emperor, at that time Li Chongmao was only a 15-year-old child, and his mother Empress Wei was in power; after Li Chongmao succeeded to the throne, Empress Wei revealed her original form and began to usurp the throne in a hurry, but she did not have Wu Zetian's political wisdom, nor did she understand the gradual progress, let alone Wu Zetian's thunderous means; under the obvious usurpation of the throne, Li Longji, the nephew of Li Xian, and Princess Taiping launched a coup d'état and killed Wei's henchmen in one fell swoop. Dang Ping Yunei returned to the Li family. The Tang Shao Emperor Li Chongmao was also ousted from the emperor's throne by his aunt Princess Taiping and served as the Assassin of Fangzhou, but died in office at the age of twenty.
For Li Chongmao, many historical texts and scholars do not recognize his throne, because his reign is too short, and it is Wei Shi who is in power and has no achievements; Li Chongmao's tragedy is largely due to the world's hatred and antipathy towards the dictatorship of foreign relatives, he is a puppet and pawn of Wei Shi's dictatorship, naturally implicated, and later succeeded to the throne as his uncle Li Dan, cousin Li Longji, his reputation may be deliberately erased.
Tang Shaodi Li Chongmao
5. Younger brother: Tang Ruizong Li Dan
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang deposed Li Xian, and Wu Zetian supported his fourth son Li Dan as emperor, and Li Dan, in view of his brother's experience, speculated about Wu Zetian's holy will, Taoguang raised obscurity, and retreated to survive. Soon after Li Dan was imprisoned by Wu Zetian for private meetings with courtiers, and several sons were claustrophobic and isolated from the palace, li Dan abdicated on the throne, his mother Wu Zetian ascended the emperor's throne, becoming a generation of empresses, and li Tangzong's sons were killed innumerable.
The Tang Shao Emperor Li Chongmao abdicated, and Li Dan, like his brother, became emperor for the second time; at that time, Li Longji had great merits, and Li Chengqi was the eldest son of Concubine, and both had the qualifications to be made crown princes. Li Dan hesitated to do so. Li Chengqi voluntarily resigned from the position of prince on the grounds that "national security is the first to be long-term, and the country is in danger first." Most of the coup heroes such as Liu Youqiu also supported Li Longji. Li Dan then made Li Longji crown prince.
Because of her meritorious restoration, her power was controlled by Princess Taiping and Li Longji, and then because Princess Taiping vigorously cultivated her own henchmen and had a coenzyme heart, Princess Taiping and the crown prince Li Longji became political enemies. In the first year of the first year of the first heaven, Li Dan zen ascended the throne, and Princess Taiping and Li Longji fought for power. In July of the second year of Xiantian (713), in order to regain the power of the emperor, Li Longji preemptively launched the Xiantian coup and led the Yulin army to attack and kill Dou Huaizhen, Xiao Zhizhong, Cen Xi and other Taiping Princess henchmen, and then killed Princess Taiping. Tang Ruizong knew that there was nothing he could do but accept the reality, so he issued an edict announcing the guilt of Dou Huaizhen and others, and then formally returned to Li Longji, retired to the Hundred Blessings Hall, and raised his life. At this point, Li Longji finally mastered all the government affairs.
Tang Ruizong Li Dan
Compared with Li Xian, Li Dan, the younger brother of the same puppet emperor, was supported by his father to the throne, more calm and resolute, and understood that anger could only protect himself, he knew that his current strength was far from being able to compete with his mother, only Mingzhe protected himself, accumulated strength, and tried to save dongshan.
6. Nephew: Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty
Tang Ming Emperor Li Longji, tang ruizong li dan third son, the longest reigning emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Dan was imprisoned, he was implicated with other brothers, with his father was imprisoned, restricting the freedom of life, until Li Dan succeeded to the throne, Li Long gene gong as the crown prince, in the early days of succession, to rectify the chaos, appoint Yao Chong, Song Jing and other sages, strive to govern, and create the tang Dynasty's most prosperous world - Kaiyuan shengshi. However, in the later period of his reign, he gradually neglected the imperial government, favored the traitorous ministers Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, and favored Yang Guifei, coupled with policy mistakes and the reuse of An Lushan and other Foreign nations to try to stabilize the frontiers of the Tang Dynasty, which led to the eight-year-long Anshi Rebellion, laying the groundwork for the Tang Dynasty's transformation from prosperity to decline. Li Longji's first half of his life was greater than his excesses, and the second half of his life was greater than his deeds, alternating between strength and decay, and coexistence of access and occlusion, that is, the Lord of all saints, the source of decay, and the combination of angels and demons.
Tang Ming Emperor Li Longji
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, was emperor himself; his mother Wu Zetian was Emperor Wuzhou; his father Li Zhi was Emperor Gaozong of Tang; his son Li Chongmao was Emperor Shao of Tang; his brother Li Dan was Emperor Ruizong of Tang, and his nephew Li Longji was Emperor Ming of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, reigned for 55 days for the first time, and reigned for a total of 5 and a half years (5.5 years) before and after, and died at the age of 55. Li Xian and Li Dan, two difficult brothers and sisters, both ascended the throne twice; coincidentally, their life expectancy was 55 years.