In 712, When Princess Taiping advised her brother Li Dan not to abdicate, Li Dan said angrily, "During Emperor Zhongzong's reign, Emperor Zhongzong advised him to establish a wise prince to avoid disaster, but he was not happy and made him afraid for several days. Now it's time to meditate, but can't you do it? Princess Taiping listened and did not dare to persuade again.
When Crown Prince Li Longji heard that his father was going to pass the throne to himself, he hurried into the palace to resign, and Li Dan said to him with a heavy heart: "It is all your credit that Sheji can be stable and that I can ascend the throne." Now that the constellation of the throne has appeared, I have passed on the throne to you in the hope of turning misfortune into happiness, so why should you doubt it. ”
Li Longji still resigned, and Li Dan angrily asked, "If you are a filial son, you should accept the Zen position, are you willing to take the throne in front of the coffin until I die?" Li Longji burst into tears and had to agree, and a few days later, Li Dan abdicated as Emperor Taishang.
Li Dan of Tang Ruizong, formerly known as Li Xulun, was the fourth son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Wu Zetian, and the youngest of Li Zhi's sons.
In June 662, Li Dan was born in Chang'an, and soon after his birth, he was given the title of King of Yin, and because he was the youngest among his brothers, he was deeply favored by his father Emperor Gaozong of Tang. When Li Dan was twenty-one years old, he was renamed the Prince of Yu, and his name was changed to Li Dan.
In February 684, less than three months after Emperor Zhongzong of Tang ascended the throne, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang was deposed by his mother Wu Zetian as the King of Luling and made Li Dan emperor. Although Li Dangui was the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he was placed under house arrest by Wu Zetian in the imperial palace, and he was not allowed to inquire about the affairs of the dynasty, and even the empress Dowager Liu and the crown prince Li Chengqi were all appointed by Wu Zetian in his name.
Therefore, Li Jingye, the grandson of the British Duke Li Ji, raised an army against Wu Zetian in Yangzhou, and at the same time, Prime Minister Pei Yan took the opportunity to speak to Wu Zetian, saying: "Your Majesty has reached adulthood, but he has never been able to personally govern, and if the government is returned to His Majesty, the rebels can disintegrate without a crusade." As a result, Wu Zetian beheaded Pei Yan on charges of treason.
Two years later, Wu Zetian said that he would return the government to Li Dan, but Li Dan knew that Wu Zetian was testing himself, so he wrote several times to ask his mother to continue to visit the dynasty, so Wu Zetian accepted Li Dan's request and continued to claim the dynasty in the name of the empress.
In 690, the chancellor Fu Youyi took the people of nine hundred Guanzhong to petition Wu Zetian to be called emperor, and even the ministers and hundreds of officials and monks and Taoists also wrote to ask Wu Zetian to be called emperor, so Li Dan had to write to ask Wu Zetian to be called emperor and ask wu Zetian to be given the surname of Wu. Therefore, Wu Zetian accepted the Zen throne, Li Dan was demoted to imperial heir, and given the surname of Wu, and Empress Liu was demoted to imperial concubine.
In 693, the palace maid Wei Tuan'er lured Li Dan and was rejected, and Wei Tuan'er falsely accused Li Longji's mother Dou Shi and Liu Shi of cursing Wu Zetian, and as a result, the two were secretly executed by Wu Zetian and buried in the palace, but Li Dan did not dare to mention their disappearance. Soon, Wei Tuan'er wanted to kill Li Dan again, but the defendant was executed.
Later, Li Dan was falsely accused of plotting rebellion, and Li Dan's musician An Jinzang said: "If I don't believe my words, I can only use dissecting my heart to prove that the prince did not rebel." So An Jinzang pulled out his saber and cut his abdomen in public, and Wu Zetian hurriedly sent a doctor to rescue him, and no longer suspected Li Dan.
In September 698, Wu Zetian, persuaded by Di Renjie and other ministers, abandoned the idea of making his nephew crown prince and sent someone to take Li Xian back to Luoyang, but Li Dan became ill and asked Wu Zetian to cede the position of crown prince to Li Xian. Li appeared to be made crown prince, and Li Dan was made the Prince of Xiang.
In 705, the chancellor Zhang Kamzhi beheaded the brother of Wu Zetian's male favorite Zhang Yizhi, and Wu Zetian had to abdicate to Li Xian. Li Xian was restored to the throne, and Li Dan was made a lieutenant and chancellor for his meritorious service, but soon after, Li Xian planned to make Li Dan the emperor's brother-in-law, but Li Dan refused.
In 707, the crown prince Li Chongjun was defeated and killed, and Princess Anle and Zong Chuke took the opportunity to frame Li Dan and Princess Taiping for conspiring with the crown prince Li Chongjun. After Li Xian heard this, he had to give up.
In June 710, after Li Xian's death, Li Longji and Princess Taiping joined forces with the Forbidden Army to kill Wei, and afterwards Li Dan hugged Li Longji and cried, saying, "The Temple of the Sheji Sect does not fall to the ground, it is all your credit." Two days later, Princess Taiping forced Li Chongmao to give the throne to Li Dan, and Li Dan ascended the throne again.
After that, Li Dan wanted to make his eldest son Li Chengqi crown prince, but Li Chengqi took the initiative to resign the position of prince, and Li Longji was able to be made crown prince. After Li Dan was reinstated, whenever the chancellor played an affair, he always asked first: "Have you discussed this matter with Princess Taiping and Sanlang?"
In August 712, when a comet appeared in the sky, Princess Taiping took the opportunity to send someone to Li Dan to say: "The appearance of the comet marks that the old cloth will be removed from the new, and the main thing is that the crown prince should ascend the throne." Li Dan said, "Pass the throne to a virtuous person to avoid disaster."
Therefore, Li Dan did not listen to the advice of Princess Taiping, and there was a scene in which the Zen position was given to Li Longji at the beginning of the text.
However, after Li Dan abdicated as Emperor Taishang, he continued to be called Emperor Taishang and held the right to appoint more than three ministers, while Li Longji claimed it. Princess Taiping relied on Li Dan's trust, and five of the seven chancellors of the court came from her, and most of the ministers of culture and military affairs also attached themselves to her.
As a result, a year later, Li Longji mutinied and killed Princess Taiping, so Li Dan issued an edict to let Li Longji pro-government. In June 716, Li Dan died, and throughout Li Dan's life, he was also a legendary emperor...
Reference: Old Book of Tang
