On the fourth day of June in the ninth year of Wu De, Li Shimin, the King of Qin, launched the strongest blow to the throne at the Xuanwu Gate of the Taiji Palace in Chang'an City, and he succeeded. Soon, Li Yuan made Li Shimin crown prince and issued an edict: "From now on, the military and state affairs have been carried out by the prince, and then the prince has been executed." Soon, Li Yuan zen took the throne.
On the day of the Ninth Jiazi in the beginning of August, Li Shimin took the throne as emperor in the Xiande Hall of the Eastern Palace, which was for Emperor Taizong of Tang. There is a question here, Li Shimin has firmly controlled everything in the imperial court through the change of Xuanwu Gate, why not wait for Li Yuan to succeed to the throne after his death? Obviously, Li Yuan was forced by Li Shimin to give up the throne, is it necessary for Li Shimin to risk not retiring from his father?
Li Shimin is not stupid, Li Yuan is not stupid, and both are dragons among men. After the change of Xuanwu Gate, Li Yuan still had some remnants of his forces, and he was the first to promote Pei Huan, who had controlled Shangshu Province for nine years. Under such circumstances, Li Shimin must quickly ascend to the throne, otherwise the night will be long and dreamy.
Although Li Yuan abdicated, Li Shimin was still uneasy and let his father live in the Taiji Palace and himself in the East Palace. The two places are separated by only a wall, and Li Shimin can be described as Li Yuan's "personal bodyguard". In the third year of Zhenguan, Pei Huan was implicated by the monk Faya, was dismissed from the official and stripped of his throne, and released to his original hometown.
Pei Huan fell, Li Yuan moved from Taiji Palace to Da'an Palace, and Li Shimin finally moved to Taiji Hall to handle political affairs. That is to say, from the change of Xuanwumen to the beginning of the third year of Zhenguan, it was Li Yuan and Li Shimin who jointly handled the government. According to the Old Book of Tang and the Biography of Pei,
"In the first year of Zhenguan, Jia Shi sealed and merged with the first fifteen hundred households. In the second year, in the southern suburbs of the Taizong Ancestral Hall, Feng Shun and the eldest grandson Wu Ji were promoted to the golden throne together, and Shun Resigned, Tai Zong said: "With the public has the honor of the fate, wu jie also declares the power of the yuan, and carries the same participation, who is not public?" So we multiplied and returned. ”
As the saying goes, there is no turning back when you open your bow. Li Yuan, Li Shimin's father and son both knew the roots, the prince was also killed, and the younger brother was also killed, and they all achieved this step, and Li Shimin had no way back. The author believes that Li Shimin's mind is like this: Father Emperor he needs decency, I will give him decency; if he is not decent, I will also help him decent.
Li Yuan lived until zhenguan died nine years ago, and it is uncertain what will happen in these eight years. Instead of this, it is better to strike first, not to mention that Li Yuan also sensibly gave up the throne. Taking a step back, are the civilian military generals who put their heads on their belts and followEd Li Shimin to launch the Xuanwumen Revolution, willing to wait?
Everyone is waiting to eat meat and drink soup, Li Shimin can wait, and these people can't wait any longer. The change of Xuanwu Gate set a bad precedent for the Tang Dynasty, and the crown prince Li Chengqian also concocted the same method, but the means could not play his father.
References: Old Book of Tang, The Change of Xuanwu Gate