Li Shimin carefully planned the Xuanwumen Rebellion in order to put his eldest brother Li Jiancheng and younger brother Li Yuanji to death, and then seize the imperial throne of his father Li Yuan. It can be seen that Li Shimin's ultimate goal is to clear obstacles and seize power and seize the throne, not to kill people. Killing people is the most direct, effective, and only way to achieve the goal, and he cannot kill indiscriminately, otherwise it will have an extremely negative impact on the stability of the political situation of the Tang Dynasty and his own image.
Li Shimin was the second son of Li Yuan, the Emperor Gaozu of Tang, and he was a brother of the same mother, along with Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and Li Xuanba of the Early Emperor. Her mother was Li Yuan's wife Dou Shi. Dou died during the Sui Dynasty, and Li Yuan posthumously honored her as Empress Taimu. Therefore, several of Li Shimin's brothers had the status of concubines and became the legitimate heirs to the throne. In fact, Li Yuan had more than twenty sons, but in fact, only Li Shimin, Li Jiancheng, and Li Yuanji participated in the struggle for the position of Heavenly Son. The reason was also very simple, Li Xuanba died earlier than his mother Dou Shi, did not catch up, and the rest of the princes were nothing more than young and unqualified.
According to the "patriarchal system" inherited from the Zhou Dynasty, the crown prince Mo Li jiancheng is no one, and others are obsessed with their thoughts. In fact, Li Yuan also made Li Jiancheng crown prince after he became emperor. This result is reasonable. However, the reality of the Tang Dynasty was that "first get on the bus and then make up the ticket", there is no reality of the world, but they regard themselves as the masters of the world. In this way, although it is quick to ascend first and not to live behind people, there is also an unfavorable side, which will eventually lead to the change of Xuanwu Gate.
Li Yuan raised an army in Taiyuan in 617 AD, and the following year he established the Tang Dynasty as emperor, but the so-called Tang Dynasty at that time was only in a corner of Guanzhong, and the whole world had been divided by large and small forces. Therefore, although Emperor Li Yuan became the emperor, no one recognized it, and he was in danger of being driven down by others at any time. Therefore, Li Yuan's top priority was not to hold the emperor's false name and make a fuss, but to pacify all the forces and unify the world. This burden naturally fell on Li Shimin, because Li Jiancheng, as the crown prince, wanted to avoid the fight of the sword and light sword shadow, and Li Yuanji Wentao's martial arts were all sparse and could not bear the big responsibility. So from 618 AD, Li Shimin spent 6 years to sweep away the division and unify the world.
For Li Yuan or Li Jiancheng, these six years have been quite comfortable, but Yu Li Shimin is a knife head licking blood and nine deaths. Therefore, the result of this is that Li Shimin himself is not willing, and his followers think that it is unfair, and it is only appropriate that the emperor will be appointed by Li Shimin in the future. For Li Yuan, it is very contradictory, the able to live in it is not indispensable, but also do not want to abandon the etiquette system, you must know that the Tang Dynasty has just walked upright, this head opened up endless troubles. Therefore, Li Yuan's attitude was ambiguous, constantly improving Li Shimin's status, and finally being able to sit on an equal footing with the crown prince Li Jiancheng, but not transferring the position of prince to Li Shimin.
In fact, Li Yuan's operation has hundreds of harms and no benefits, which only increases Li Jiancheng's anxiety and Li Shimin's fantasies. In this urgent situation where the mountain rain was about to come, Li Jiancheng would not sit still, and in Sima Guang's words, he did not have the wisdom of Taibo, so he would inevitably fight with Li Shimin. So it was a matter of time before the brothers turned against each other and the net of dead fish broke.
However, just when Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng were fighting, Li Yuanji also participated. He ostensibly cheered for his eldest brother like a shadow, but in fact he had ulterior motives like a ghost, and he also thought about addicting the emperor. Therefore, later, when xuanwumen changed, Li Shimin could only simply boil Li Yuanji in one pot. Of course, this operation seems sharp, but behind it is scared, we can imagine the fierce scene of 800 dead soldiers against 2000 elite soldiers.
After killing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, the general Wei Chigong held Li Yuan hostage, won the Holy Will, and ordered the People of the Eastern Palace to stop fighting, and the incident was temporarily over. Next, Li Shimin urgently needed to deal with two issues: one was a close associate of The Crown Prince Li Jiancheng; the other was the children of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji.
Li Shimin advocated pursuing and suppressing Li Jiancheng's Yu Party and sweeping it all away. Wei Chigong suggested that appeasement be supreme, and argue according to reason. Eventually, Li Shimin adopted. For Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's children, it was a difficult choice. From Li Yuan's point of view, they were innocent and would not die, even if they were exiled. But Li Shimin wants to do it once and for all, because giving them a way to survive is equivalent to digging traps and planting bombs for themselves, and the number is immeasurable, and it is impossible to prevent. In the end, Li Shimin rationally overcame sensibility and dealt with it decisively, and 10 nephews were killed in Huangquan.
Li Shimin's nephews were Li Chengdao the Prince of Anlu, Li Chengde the Prince of Hedong, Li Chengxun the King of Wu'an, Li Chengming the King of Runan, Li Chengyi the King of Julu, Li Chengye the King of Liang County, Li Chengluan the King of Yuyang, Li Chengzhi the Prince of Pu'an, Li Chengyu the King of Jiangxia, and Li Chengdu the Prince of Yiyang. The first five are the sons of Li Jiancheng, and the last five are the sons of Li Yuanji. According to age calculations, the elderly are not weak crowns, and the young are still swaddling.
In summary, Li Shimin's fierce and fierce side was revealed. But he did not have to pay for "exhaustion and exhaustion", at best he was tortured by some conscience and humanity. And these will disappear with the passage of time. This is a correct way for Li Shimin, as a shrewd politician, to make an insight into human nature, and it is beyond reproach from his point of view.
For Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji's daughter, misfortune and luck are intertwined. Unfortunately, they became the descendants of "sinners", subjected to strain and suppression, but fortunately they saved their lives. In ancient China, men and women were unequal, and patriarchy suppressed women. The first "equality between men and women" was proposed by Sun Yat-sen. Women are a weak category, but it is precisely because of weakness that it is easy to be "ignored" of their possible "strength". This is the fundamental reason why Li Shimin let them go. If Li Shimin could not even tolerate a woman without the strength of a chicken, then he was not qualified to be an emperor above all sentient beings.
Therefore, Li Shimin not only spared several nieces, but also gave them corresponding identities. For example, Li Jiancheng's second daughter, Li Wanshun, became the lord of Wenxi County. Li Yuanji's five daughters became the lord of Xinye County, the lord of Hejing County, the lord of Shouchun County, the lord of Wen'an County, and the lord of Guiren County.
In fact, treating sinners' female relatives well, Li Shimin is not a precedent, and it was very common during the Han Dynasty. Just a few examples. The Yan king Zang Di plotted against liu bang, and his son Zang Yan fled to the Xiongnu. Emperor Wu of Han's mother, Wang Wei, was the daughter of Zang Er, the granddaughter of Zang Di. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xijun and Liu Xieyou, who were sent to Wusun and his relatives, were all descendants of the criminal courtiers. Liu Xijun's father was Liu Jian, the Prince of Jiangdu, who committed suicide by plotting against him. Liu Xieyou's grandfather was Liu Peng, the king of Chu, the core figure of the "Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms".