The change of Xuanwumen was a relatively important historical event that occurred in the Tang Dynasty. In this coup d'état, Li Shimin killed his brother and successfully seized military power. After that, Li Shimin disposed of Li Yuanji and Liu Yuanji's son, but only spared his wife Yang Shi, and even included his wife in the harem, which was indeed immoral to tell the truth.
Li Shimin's practice has also been criticized by posterity, but it is also very strange here. As Li Yuanji's wife, yang's husband has now been killed, and even if Yang does not seek revenge on Li Shimin, he will at least remember and hate him, why is Yang willing to enter the palace and become Li Shimin's person.
I think the reason why Yang Shi is willing to enter the palace is mainly for two reasons.
First, for the sake of the family
Let's first look at the Yang family background. First of all, Yang's grandfather is Yang Xiong, who is Yang Xiong? He was the son of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, the second son of the Northern Zhou general Yang Shao, and during the reign of Emperor Sui, he was appointed as the crown prince, so the Yang clan was from the Sui Dynasty.
Yang Gongren, Yang's uncle, was the prime minister of the early Tang Dynasty, and not only had great prestige in the dynasty, but also commanded the Janissaries of the imperial palace. At that time, the Yang family mainly supported the crown prince Li Jiancheng, so they let the Yang clan marry Li Yuanji to support the crown prince to ascend the throne.
Secondly, the Yang clan came from the Hongnong Yang clan, which belonged to the famous and prestigious clan at that time. At that time, Li Shimin wanted to claim the title of emperor, and he also had to rely on the support of famous and prestigious families, so he looked up to the Yang clan, and at the same time, he also looked at the forces behind her.
Therefore, the reason why the Yang clan agreed to enter the palace was mainly to protect the family. Because even Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, Li Shimin can kill with all his heart, if the Yang clan resists at this time, Li Shimin will definitely take the opportunity to cut the grass and remove the roots, then the Yang clan will be uprooted.
Second, there is no need
When Yang shi first became related to Li Yuanji, it was also out of political marriage considerations. At that time, the Yang family bet the treasure on Li Jiancheng, and wanted to rely on Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji to join forces to support Li Jiancheng to succeed to the throne, so as to continue the prosperity of the Yang family. Unfortunately, they bet on the wrong treasure, and in the end Li Shimin won.
Therefore, Yang and Li Yuanji originally had no feelings, and her role in it was mainly to help the family stabilize its position and help the prince ascend the throne. Therefore, why yang clan would be willing to enter the palace, because she did not have to resist. She has no feelings for Li Yuanji, so it doesn't matter if she marries Li Shimin again, the most important thing is to ensure the interests of the family.
In fact, Li Shimin did not kill the Yang clan, I think he was also telling the Yang clan that it was time to abandon the dark and cast the light. If you choose to defect at this time, the family will not be punished. This also reflects the wisdom of Li Shimin, he knows that the Yang clan is powerful and prestigious, and at this time, instead of killing them all, it is better to consider co-opting.
The Yang family is not a fool, and seeing Li Shimin's move, they naturally understand what he means. Therefore, the Yang clan will not reject Li Shimin at all, but will instead throw in his favor. According to historical records, the two had a son named Li Ming, and in the twenty-first year of Zhenguan, Li Ming was crowned king of Cao. Later, Wu Zetian came to power, and at her behest, Li Ming was forced to commit suicide.
In fact, I think that in the whole incident, the most pitiful one is Yang Shi. Although he does not have a deep relationship with Li Yuanji, he is his husband, and his husband is killed, and he not only has no way to avenge himself, but also marries an enemy. More importantly, it is also necessary to cater to the enemy to safeguard the interests of the family, presumably the Yang family is also very bitter in his heart.
However, in that era, there were actually many people who couldn't help themselves, as a woman, Yang Shi carried too much, but she really did a good job. If you change to someone else, you may not be able to have her tenacity and courage.
(References "Old Book of Tang", "New Book of Tang", "Zizhi Tongjian")