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Li Tai was the second son of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Empress Changsun, and the fourth eldest. Li Tai was very intelligent since childhood, and he was also very favored by Li Shimin, so he would have some intentions for the position of prince. However, Li Tai's dream of the crown prince's position was still premature, and in the end, he was punished by Li Shimin. Many people may feel that this is Li Tai's own death, and his political desire is too big to have such a result.
In fact, Tang Taizong Li Shimin had to bear a lot of responsibility for Li Tai's ending. Because it is Li Shimin Andi Tai who will do the thing of vying for power and seizing the throne.
So, why?
We all know that Li Shimin's throne was snatched from his brother's hands, and he initiated the Xuanwumen Revolution, in order to become emperor Li Shimin personally killed his brother Li Jiancheng. However, Li Shimin did not allow his son to do whatever it took to take the throne, because he was indeed forced to be helpless at that time. When Li Jiancheng was the crown prince, he regarded Li Shimin as a thorn in his eye, and he always discussed with Li Yuanji how to kill him. Li Shimin had no choice but to resist, but Li Shimin's practice of shooting his brother with his own hands was still inhumane.
Perhaps, Li Shimin did not want such a thing to happen again, after the deposing of the prince, when he saw Li Tai hinting to himself one after another that he wanted to be the prince, Li Shimin was very disappointed. Moreover, he expressed to Li Tai that he would not make Li Tai the crown prince, because if li Tai was made crown prince, it meant that his throne could be obtained through competition. In fact, Li Shimin hoped that the position of prince could be passed on according to the rule of passing on the concubines and not passing on the long term, so that unnecessary disputes could also be eliminated.
But in fact, the position of prince or imperial throne of the Li Tang Dynasty was won through various invisible means hidden in the darkness, and if you do not fight for it, then the only thing waiting for you is death. In the end, the peaceful succession that Li Shimin hoped for was not passed on, and the transmission of power in the Li Tang Dynasty has always relied on scheming. Second, Li Shimin's method of educating Li Tai is very problematic.
Li Tai has been smart and talented since he was a child, such a child can definitely be loved by his parents, and Li Shimin naturally likes this son, so he is very fond of him and indulgent.
So, to what extent is it indulged, we can understand one or two from the following things.
Li Shimin's favor for Li Tai exceeded that of all his sons, and even the crown prince was inferior to Li Tai. Moreover, Li Shimin's reward for Li Tai exceeded that of many people, and when he was less than ten years old, Li Tai was crowned king by Li Shimin, and it was the second time that he was crowned king, which was rare in history. According to the rules of the Li Tang Dynasty and feudal society, the rank of the king of the county could only reach one product at most, while Li Tai reached the positive one product, and Li Tai's status was determined from the beginning.
Not only that, but Li Tai also had the position of governor of the local capital, which made his fief more than all the kings at that time. In the eighth year of Zhenguan, Li Tai became the governor of the capital Chang'an. Moreover, Li Shimin also allowed Li Tai to live in the Wude Hall, which was against the rules no matter which dynasty or generation it was placed in. Wei Zheng once said that "the present Wude Hall is close to the Houhou Yan" and "in the west of the East Palace", and the importance of its geographical location can be seen. What's more, Li Yuanji lived in the Wude Hall and Li Jiancheng communicated with each other, and at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he listened to the government in the Wude Hall, which shows how important and sensitive the Wude Hall is.
Such favors naturally will naturally make Li Tai have the illusion that his status is higher than that of the prince, at least the prince must live in the Eastern Palace. Moreover, the Wude Hall was very close to the Eastern Palace, and Li Tai felt that Li Shimin regarded him as more important than the crown prince. In the later period, Li Shimin also punished the prince more and more frequently, and at the same time, he also gave Li Tai a great reward, not only that, Tang Taizong also gave the famous "residence of thirty acres, zhou hui seventeen miles" Furong Garden to the baby son. At this point, Li Tai felt even more that Li Shimin would give him the throne in the future.
Another point to mention is that Li Shimin is not as harsh on Li Tai as he is on other princes, and Li Tai's mistakes can be easily forgiven. When Li Tai lost his temper in front of the minister, Li Shimin would feel that the minister had done something wrong, disrespect the prince, and reprimanded Fang Xuanling and other important ministers. You must know that Li Shimin is a generation of ming monarchs, good at listening to the opinions of ministers, and will not easily disagree with courtiers. It can be seen that Li Shimin did spoil Li Tai to his home, and even the historian had to sigh: "His favor is different."
Later, although Li Shimin also realized his mistake, he did not substantively punish Li Tai.
Finally, Li Shimin actually does not know Li Tai, and his understanding and judgment of Li Tai has always been wrong. Li Tai is indeed talented, loves literature, calligraphy, and has achieved great results in his hobbies. Li Shimin even allowed him to set up a literary museum in his home, recruit bachelors, and let him preside over the compilation of the "Chronicle of The Lands". Although we can all see that Li Tai has the temperament to be a great contemporary literati, this does not mean that he can be a good king of a country.
However, Li Shimin's favor made Li Tai mistakenly think that he could rule the country, and later in order to get the throne. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, the crown prince Li Chengqian was deposed, and Li Tai even said: "After he ascends the throne, he will kill his own son, and after a hundred years, he will pass on the words of his brother Li Zhi." And such an unreasonable statement actually won Li Shimin's trust. However, such a lie was ruthlessly exposed by Chu Suiliang, so in order to ensure that his three beloved sons could survive at the same time, he decisively established Li Zhi as the crown prince.
It can be said that it is precisely because of Li Shimin's favor that Li Tai will eventually have a tragic ending, blindly appeased, blindly laissez-faire, did not satisfy Li Tai, but only cultivated his ambition.