As we all know, Tang Taizong Li Shimin had a group of good brothers who fought in the world, and in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), in order to honor these brothers, Li Shimin specially ordered Yan Liben to paint the portraits of 24 heroes and place them in Lingyange, which is the origin of the portraits of the 24 heroes of the Tang Lingyange. Among the 24 meritorious heroes, two of them ranked first among the living heroes at that time, and they were the eldest grandson Wuji and Fang Xuanling.
According to common sense, they followed Li Shimin from birth to death, and their feelings should be very good. But in fact, they have a disagreement, and even have a fierce political fight. The history books do not record that the two have any problems, but from the clues, it is not difficult to see that their contradictions are not small. How things are going, and see the in-depth analysis of this issue.
Ling Yan Pavilion
When Li Shimin rebelled from Taiyuan that year, the eldest son Wuji and Fang Xuanling had already followed him. Later, Li Shimin became the King of Qin, and the two became the leaders of the think tank of the Qin King's Palace, and advised Li Shimin.
At that time, the two had a good relationship, and it could even be said that they were intimate, and there was a detail to prove it. After Li Shimin pacified Luoyang, gong Gao zhen lord, the crown prince Li Jiancheng, in order to consolidate his position, often slandered Li Shimin in front of Li Yuan, the ancestor of Tang Gaozu, and Li Yuan was also suspicious of Li Shimin. The staff of the Qin Dynasty palace were very afraid and worried, and Fang Xuanling took the lead in consulting with the eldest son Wuji and proposed a plan to launch a coup d'état to seize power.
According to the Zizhi Tongjian:
Xingtai Kao Gong Lang Zhongfang Xuanling said that bibu Lang Zhongchangsun Wujie said: "Now that the gap has become a gap, once the calamity is stolen, it will be a worry for the government to go to the land, but it is the worry of the real society; Mo Ruo advised the king to do the things of the Duke of Zhou in order to settle the country." The opportunity of survival, which cannot be unleashed, is today! "I have been pregnant with this for a long time, and I dare not speak out; what I have said now is in line with my heart, and I should be white." "It is the people of the world.
Xuanwumen coup d'état
It is not difficult to see that the eldest son Wuji and Fang Xuanling were once good partners, especially when they encountered major problems, they first discussed and came up with opinions, waiting for Li Shimin to make a decision. If the relationship is not good, the first will not sit together to discuss countermeasures, and the second may also put forward opposing opinions, then Li Shimin's head will be bigger.
It was precisely because of their close cooperation that the Qin Dynasty could unite and Li Shimin could successfully seize power.
So when exactly did the relationship between the two people start to change? One person gave the answer, she was Li Shimin's eldest grandson Empress.
Stills of Empress Eldest Sun and Li Shimin
In the tenth year of Zhenguan (636), Empress Changsun left a will before her death, and the first focus of the will was to intercede for Fang Xuanling. At that time, Fang Xuanling somehow offended Li Shimin and was "condemned to the first".
Why did the empress intercede for Fang Xuanling, who had nothing to do with it? This is not only the eldest grandson empress resolving the contradiction between the monarch and the courtiers, but also her heart. Empress Eldest Sun was accustomed to interceding for others, especially those who "had a vendetta" with herself.
When Empress Changsun's brothers and sisters were expelled from the house by Changsun Anye, after Li Shimin became emperor, Changsun Anye plotted to rebel and was sentenced to capital punishment, and Empress Changsun was worried that the world said that she was intent on revenge, so she strongly discouraged it. In the end, the eldest grandson An Ye saved his life, and the eldest grandson empress also saved Xianming.
Stills of the eldest grandson Anye
The empress dowager of the ages is not vain, but has a broad heart and can endure what ordinary people cannot tolerate.
Then thinking of her intercession for Fang Xuanling, I am afraid that at this time, the relationship between Fang Xuanling and the eldest grandson has already cracked.
Because in empress dowager's will, there was also an important point, that is, li shimin was repeatedly asked not to give the eldest son too much power, so as not to harm the eldest grandson family.
This shows that the eldest son Wuji has begun to abuse power, and Fang Xuanling is an example of his abuse of power, so she intercedes for Fang Xuanling on behalf of her brother, which is also her last effort to save the family.
Stills of Fang Xuanling
In addition to this hidden detail, there is also another place that can also prove the breakdown of the relationship between the two. According to historical records, Fang Xuanling was degraded twice, once as mentioned above, and once in the twentieth year of Zhenguan (646). This time, Fang Xuanling did not know why he was demoted back home, only recorded that "Fang Xuanling tried to return to the first place with a slight reprimand", and this time it was Chu Suiliang, the prime minister who rescued him. Everyone knows that Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang were in the same group, a small group that later opposed Wu Zetian.
However, Chu Suiliang is more upright than the eldest grandson Wujie, and he is a bit helpful and does not help his relatives. According to the past friendship between the eldest son Wuji and Fang Xuanling, Fang Xuanling was degraded twice and did not see him shoot, but instead Chu Suiliang, who was a conciliator, personally went out on the horse, which shows the wonderful relationship between them.
Chu Suiliang stills
If the above content is speculation, then there is a point that can be used as direct evidence of the two people's reverse purpose, which occurred 17 years after the death of empress eldest son.
In the fourth year of Yonghui (653), Fang Xuanling's son Fang Yi'ai was given death by his eldest grandson Wujie because of his participation in rebellion.
In fact, Fang Yi'ai did not have the substantive action of rebellion, but in order to please the eldest son Wujie, he falsely accused many of his politically hostile forces, such as Li Ke the King of Wu and Li Daozong the King of Xiajiang. Fang Yi'ai thought that he could "wear the sin and make meritorious deeds", but he did not expect that after the eldest son Wuji took advantage of him, he still executed him, and his heart was extremely fierce, and he did not care about the face of the deceased.
Stills of the house
Why did their relationship turn out the way it did? There was nothing more than a serious disagreement in political positions, and the key figure was Li Shimin and Li Tai, the second son of Empress Changsun. The deposed prince Li Chengqian had a stubborn personality and suffered from a foot disease, Li Tai had always had the idea of taking a wife, and Fang Xuanling's son Fang Yi'ai was the one who supported Li Tai. The eldest son, Wu Ji, supported Li Zhi as the new crown prince, and the two completely embarked on different political paths. Who else is fang yi ai's small group, the general Xue Wanche, and Chai Shao's son Chai Lingwu, in addition to the fact that they all happen to be the horses of the Tang Dynasty, there is also a common feature, that is, they all died in the Fang Yi Ai conspiracy case. After Li Zhi ascended the throne, the eldest son Wuji also completely eliminated the henchmen who supported Li Tai at that time.
Li Tai stills
Looking back at Fang Xuanling's first depreciation, Li Tai at that time had already been favored by Li Shimin and wanted him to move to the Wude Hall opposite the East Palace, with a status comparable to that of a prince. Fang Yi'ai couldn't get to Li Chengqian in the Eastern Palace, so he courted Li Tai, how could Fang Xuanling, as a father, be unaware of his son's movements?
There is only one possibility that Fang Xuanling is in favor of his approach, which is the root cause of the eldest grandson's unscrupulous vigilance. In the following 17 years, the struggle between the two gradually escalated, but Fang Xuanling took a step earlier and it was his son's turn to bear the consequences. If Fang Xuanling is still alive, I am afraid that his name will still be on the list of conspiracy cases.
Stills of the eldest grandson
【Conclusion】
There are no eternal friends in the world, but there are enemies who part ways halfway. Different political positions are the choice between life and death. Although they are all founding heroes, Tang Taizong will die, and Tang will have a new master, who will stand in different lines and inevitably fight. However, the eldest grandson Wujie was indeed excessive, which was inseparable from his domineering dictatorship. However, the eldest son Wuji also died in power in the end, and was given death by Li Zhi to die in Qianzhou, and the fate of the hero was nothing more than this, which was really regrettable.
[References: Zizhi Tongjian, Old Book of Tang]