The Tang Dynasty was the most powerful and prosperous dynasty in ancient China, ruling for nearly 300 years, and was one of the most powerful countries in the world at that time, with a long-standing reputation and contacts with Asian and European countries. After the Tang Dynasty, overseas people called Chinese "Tang people".
The Tang Dynasty also produced many historical figures, such as Empress Wu Zetian, Changsun Wuji, Tang Taizong Li Shimin, etc., and many famous princesses also appeared. For example, the famous Princess Wencheng and Princess Jincheng, who went to Tubo and kissed her, also had a special power and ambition, Princess Taiping, who almost ascended to the throne and became the second wu zetian.
However, to say that the richest princess in the entire Tang Dynasty is another Princess Li Shu'er, also known as the first beauty of the Tang Dynasty, but her ending is relatively more tragic.
Princess Anle was born to Emperor Zhongzong of Tang and Empress Wei, but only 55 days after Emperor Zhongzong of Tang succeeded to the throne, he was deposed by Wu Zetian, and he was made the King of Luling and driven out of the capital. On the way to Luling, Empress Wei gave birth, because in the wilderness, there was no good place to work as a delivery room, and Empress Wei wrapped her in clothes after giving birth to her daughter, so her father named her Li Shu'er.
In Wu Zetian's later years, the power of the Wu family declined, and she had to abdicate in a hurry, so Emperor Zhongzong of Tang restored li xian as emperor and made his daughter Li Shu'er the Princess of Anle, Li Xian believed that their mother and daughter had been busy running around and suffering a lot when they were young, so after becoming emperor, they were quite conniving with their mothers and daughters. As a result, Princess Anle's mother and daughter are quite extravagant in terms of material life.
According to the historical book "Old Book of Tang", Princess Anle once ordered the Shangfang Bureau, which provided special clothing for the nobles of the imperial palace, to make two skirts for herself, and the materials of the two skirts were made of feathers of 100 species of birds, far and near, high and low, with different directions to see different colors, in the sun and at night is also a different style, Princess Anle gave one of them to her mother Empress Wei.
According to the history books of the Tang Dynasty, these two skirts are worth more than one million, which can be described as the pioneers of rich women in ancient China.
Not only that, there is a Kunming Lake left by the Han Dynasty in Chang'an City, which was first practiced by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and has become a scenic area during the Tang Dynasty, and when she was a child, Princess Anle often played around Kunming Lake, so that Princess Anle still missed Kunming Lake after she got married.
After that, Princess Anle asked Tang Zhongzong to give him the reward of Kunming Lake, but Kunming Lake was a public facility after all, and Tang Zhongzong did not agree to her unreasonable request. In desperation, Princess Anle let her men encroach on the people's fields and built a lake according to the pattern of Kunming Lake, named Dingkun Lake.
When she occupied the land of the people, she had allowed her subordinates to kill and injure many innocent people, and the government arrested several of the people who beat people. However, later, Princess Anle wrote to Emperor Zhongzong of Tang to intercede, and finally released all the people arrested by the government, which made Princess Anle even more lawless.
What's more, Princess Anle used her power to sell officials at an open price, and for 300,000 yuan, she could buy official positions below the prime minister, and Princess Anle also gained huge benefits from then on. The court was also controlled by Princess Anle's mother, Empress Wei, and for a time, the state affairs of the Tang Dynasty were controlled by Princess Anle's mother and daughter.
However, soon after, Li Longji, the king of Linzi, launched the Tang Long Rebellion, led an army into the Daming Palace, and took the throne. He also ordered the Yulin army to execute Empress Wei, who had committed wrongdoing, and Princess Anle heard of the change, fled in a hurry, and was hacked to death by the chasing Yulin army. Subsequently, their family property was also filled into the national treasury, and Princess Anle eventually paid the price for her arrogance and willfulness.
It is recorded in the Taiping Guangji: "In the year of Tang Jinglong, Princess Anle built the Anle Temple in Daoguangfang, Luozhou, with millions of dollars. The nursery rhyme says: 'Poor Anle Temple, the head of the tree is hanging.' After rebelling against Wei, he killed Anle, beheaded and hung on a pole, and changed to a rebellious man. "The so-called omen is not credible, but the end of Princess Anle is indeed the result of her own misdeeds.
And Princess Anle's arbitrariness, arrogance, and her deeds have become the negative teaching materials for later generations, and when Tang Yulin records Tang Xuanzong, he once said: "No contempt for husbands, no interference in current affairs." And he sent down the Imperial Commandment, which ended: "If you violate my precepts, there shall be peace and happiness." Ru Qimianzhi! ’”
References: Taiping Guangji, Tang Yulin, Old Book of Tang, etc