"Nine days to open the palace, all the nations dressed in crowns and crowns", this verse is very graphic, the dynasty that can appear in this scene, there is only one in people's hearts: the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty was a famous dynasty in China, and the capital city of Chang'an at that time was prosperous and prosperous, gathering emissaries and merchants from all over the world all year round. In the early tang dynasty, several generations of emperors were very wise and jointly cast to the tang dynasty. Among them, Li Zhi of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, the third generation of emperors of the Tang Dynasty, had a much smaller reputation than his father Taizong and his wife Wu Zetian.
Li Zhi, the youngest sister-in-law in the family, always gives the impression. In fact, this is far from the real Li Zhi in history, and people have a deep misunderstanding of him. Judging from various historical sources, he was also a very powerful king.
Accidentally obtained the position of prince
At first, the throne could not be inherited by Li Zhi, although he was born to the eldest grandson empress, but there were two older brothers on the top. The eldest brother, Li Chengqian, was the heir that Li Shimin had set at the beginning.
Li Shimin's feelings for empress dowagers have always been deep, and he is also very fond of their children. As the eldest son of Concubine, Li Chengqian was valued by Li Shimin from an early age and carefully cultivated. It's just that he has suffered from a leg disease since he was a child and is inconvenient to move, but Li Shimin will not give up on him because of this child's disability, but carefully teach him and let him learn the art of governing the country.
Originally, the brothers and brothers were also very peaceful, but another concubine, Li Tai, believed that his brother was disabled and unworthy to be emperor. He was very loved by his parents and qualified to compete for the throne, so he often provoked his brother. In this regard, Li Chengqian, who has been disabled since childhood, is jealous and afraid, he knows that his father is not a righteous successor, plus he suffers from disability and is very inferior, and his heart gradually twists.
Originally, as long as Li Chengqian continued to study and wait, the throne would pass to him. But he went down Li Shimin's old path: forcing the palace to rebel. Of course, Li Chengqian's strength was no better than that of Li Shimin, who had been in the battlefield for a long time, and this palace change was quickly suppressed. Li Shimin was heartbroken and disappointed, and reduced the prince to a commoner.
The position of prince was thus vacant. Originally, Li Shimin also intended to pass the position to his second son Li Tai. But Li Tai, a man of pride and complacency, believed that the throne was none other than himself. Even after a drunken pull on his brother Li Zhi to indicate that he abdicated, he would pass the throne to Li Zhi.
This sentence reached Li Shimin's ears and made him furious. Although Li Shimin was disappointed in the eldest son, in the end he was the first eldest son, and his heart was full of pity, and the fratricide and father-son cannibalism were a situation that Li Shimin did not want to see, and the father-son situation to today was also the result of Li Tai's obstruction in it. As a result, Li Tai was also out. In this way, it was Li Zhi's turn to take the throne.
Ascend to the throne to gather power
After Li Zhi succeeded to the throne, Wu Meiniang was also included in the harem. In the harem, Wu Meiniang was deeply pleased by Li Zhi. She treated Li Zhi with considerateness and was unusually intelligent, and could perceive the emperor's thoughts. Empress Wang came from a large family and was on the same side as the old courtiers in the court. Apparently, Empress Wang was on the opposite side of the monarchy.
At that time, Li Zhi had just ascended the throne, and he soon found that he had no power in his hands, and most of the affairs in the court were decided by his uncle Andsun Wuji, which was very unhappy in the heart of the young emperor.
Li Zhi did not like Empress Wang, and he did not want her family behind her to control the imperial court and change the Li clan. Therefore, he set about preparing for the abolition of the empress dowager, and made Wu Meiniang the empress dowager. Empress Wang was not at fault, and of course it was impossible to depose him, and the ministers above the imperial court were talking about it and expressing their opposition.
The eldest son Wuji also objected to this matter and did not give the emperor face. These old courtiers were all from the family clan, and together with the empress, they became a mountain to suppress the imperial power, which Li Zhi could not bear.
The struggle at the court was brutal, and like Empress Chen in the Han Dynasty, Empress Wang was found to have committed witch curses in the palace, and Li Zhi deposed her and replaced her with Wu Meiniang as her queen. Above the court, Li Zhi also pressed forward step by step, taking power back from his uncle, and the eldest son Wuji finally died because he was framed for plotting rebellion and committing suicide.
At this time, Li Zhi could finally take back his power and cultivate his own power. At that time, the imperial court was basically controlled by the family, the emperor could not use people, and the natural power would not be very large. In order to concentrate power in the hands of the emperor, Li Zhi carried forward the imperial examination system, elected many people of insight through the imperial examination, and made these scholars use them for their own use by granting official positions.
Externally, Li Zhi recruited troops to attack Goguryeo and the Western Turks. Throughout the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty during the Reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang had the largest territory, and its territory even expanded to Central Asia, and with the advance of the army, the culture of the Tang Dynasty was also brought into the conquered areas, and a large number of spices and horses were also introduced to China. At that time, Chang'an could be said to be the most prosperous city in the world. Thesis on martial arts, Li Zhi actually did not lose to his father.
In foreign history books, Westerners call Li Zhi the "Yellow Peril", which means the disaster brought by the Yellow Race. It can be seen that the West at that time was afraid of the Tang Dynasty, which was not something that an emperor who only promised and had no opinion could do.
In the later period of Li Zhi's reign, his health was not very good, and his head wind often attacked, so he often lived behind the scenes, at this time Wu Zetian had to stand up and help him deal with political affairs. Of course, the major affairs of the state are all decided by Li Zhi, and Wu Zetian is the executor. It can be said that in the later period, Li Zhi and his wife jointly governed the country.
Of course, we can also feel that the relationship between Wu Zetian and Li Zhi is quite good, and they have many children together. After Wu Zetian's death, he also asked to be buried with Li Zhi. Perhaps at the beginning, Li Zhi chose Wu Meiniang, who had no foundation, in order to oppose the family and old courtiers behind Empress Wang, and the two people were husband and wife, confidants, and comrades-in-arms, and they completed each other.
brief summary
Li Zhi's talent and contribution are so remarkable, why do people always ignore him and think that he is a weak and incompetent king? The reasons may be the following three points: First, Li Zhi is in the position of inheriting the past and the future of the Tang Dynasty, and his achievements have been ignored. Second, during Li Zhi's reign, there was a rare imperial consort, and he often lived behind the scenes due to illness, so people would ignore his contribution. Third, ancient China was a typical patriarchal society, and women calling themselves emperors was a rebellion and suppression of a patriarchal society, which had a lot to do with Li Zhi's incompetence for people at that time. Today's film and television dramas also like to create the image of Wu Zetian's strength and Li Zhi's weakness. This is also the most important reason why Li Zhi is underestimated.
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