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On the third day of September in the second year of Tang Ruizong's Jingyun (711 AD), the sky was high and the clouds were light, and the golden wind was cool, in the other hall of the East Palace of Li Longji, the crown prince of the majestic imperial capital Chang'an, with a helpless and frightening cry, a young life with a noble blood but almost strangled in the mother's womb broke through many obstacles and came to the world.
He was Li Heng, the eighth emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Suzong.
At the beginning, when Li Heng was in the womb of her mother Yang, her father Li Longji was still the crown prince of the Eastern Palace, and it was at a time when Princess Taiping was flying and domineering, specializing in imperial politics, and stirring up political turmoil.
1. Tang Suzong, who was almost aborted
On July 20, the year before Li Heng was born, Li Longji, the king of Ping, was officially canonized as the crown prince, when Li Longji was only 26 years old.
At first, Princess Taiping, who was authoritarian and domineering in the DPRK, thought that Li Longji was young and her junior, and she was not a threat for a while, so she did not arouse her high vigilance and attention.
However, since Li Longji was made crown prince, she was horrified to find that Li Longji was not only heroic and resourceful, but also gathered around him a group of heroes and junyan with political foresight and multifaceted talents, so whenever Emperor Ruizong decided on a major event of the military state, he always asked the prime minister: "Do you want to discuss with San Lang?" ”
A junior born in late life actually sat on an equal footing with herself and participated in politics and politics, which not only caused her jealousy and trepidation, but also could not be accepted and tolerated by her.
Therefore, Princess Taiping was determined to replace Li Longji's crown prince status with a mediocre, cowardly, and easily controllable person, so she instigated people to spread rumors everywhere, in the name of "the crown prince is not long, and it is not appropriate to be established", so that the crown prince Li Longji and the Song king Li Chengji turned against each other, and plotted to shake the prince's status, resulting in a storm in the city and an uproar from the court to the public.
In October of that year (710 AD), in order to calm this political turmoil, Emperor Ruizong specially issued a letter to admonish the emperor's relatives and ministers.
However, Princess Taiping did not stop there, but even more intensified to depose the crown prince Li Longji, so she first sent a special person to closely monitor the whereabouts of the crown prince in secret, and even a trivial matter was secretly reported to Ruizong.
Then, he installed cronies beside the prince as his eyes and ears. Therefore, the crown prince Li Longji was at a loss for a while, and he was in a panic.
It was at this time that the crown princess Yang became pregnant with King Zhong, later Emperor Suzong's Li Heng.
After Prince Li Longji heard the news, not only did he not feel happy and excited because he was importing people and becoming a father again, but he was worried and worried.
So Li Longji looked very nervous and said to his cronie Zhang:
"What is it that the user (referring to the Princess of Taiping) does not want me to have many sons, and fears that this woman will be harmed?"
Immediately, the secret order Zhang said that he secretly went outside the palace to get abortion pills. Li Longji personally cooked medicine in the secret room, preparing for Yang's abortion after taking it.
When cooking the medicine, Li Longji "fell asleep and dreamed of a dream." ”
After waking up a little, the dream was scattered, and the dream was repeated three times. Li Longji was very surprised, so he told Zhang in great detail about the dream.
After hearing this, Zhang said and solemnly replied, "The Mandate of Heaven is also not suitable for other concerns." ”
As a result, the loyal king, who was almost strangled in his mother's womb, was "retained".
In fact, Emperor Xuanzong could not bear to strangle this young life, and God did not give up, so he had dreams; And Zhang said that seeing Emperor Xuanzong like this, he also knew that he was ruthless to mutilate his own flesh and bones, so he pushed the boat along the water and released his dream with the so-called mandate of heaven. The so-called dreams and destiny are just the refraction of people's psychology.
2. The "noble" in the life of Tang Suzong
Because Zhang said that he had such an adventure with the birth of King Zhong, he always attached great importance to and favored the later Emperor Suzong Li Heng, until Zhang said that before his death, he repeatedly told his sons Zhang Yan (jì) and Zhang Jun to serve and protect Li Heng with all their hearts, and later when Li Heng was crown prince, he was repeatedly persecuted by Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, thanks to the repeated rescue and protection of Zhang Yan's brothers.
And Li Heng is also unusual for Zhang Yan's brothers, not only has the same brotherhood, but also marries his sister Princess Ning to Zhang Yan.
After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, the Zhang Yan brothers lost their temper and "rebelled", and after the recovery of the two capitals, they punished the renegade officials who defected to the enemy, and the Zhang Yan brothers should be sentenced to death for their crimes, and Emperor Suzong Li Xiang tried his best to rescue, in order to save the Zhang Yan brothers, Suzong bowed to the ground and said to Emperor Xuanzong with tears in his eyes:
"Chen Fei Zhang said that father and son have no today, Chen can't live Zhang Jun and Zhang Yan brothers, if the deceased knows, Chen He sees Zhang said Yu Jiuquan!"
Rescuing Zhang Yan from the tip of the knife shows that the relationship between Suzong and Zhang said that the father and son of the two generations is deep and true.
After the birth of Emperor Suzong Li Heng, his first name was promoted.
His father, Crown Prince Li Longji, was courageous, resourceful, and versatile, and had profound knowledge of music, opera and dance, and at the age of 27, he oversaw the country as the crown prince. ”
His mother Yang was a native of Hongnong Huayin. Born in a family of official eunuchs, great-grandfather Yang Shida, in the Sui Dynasty, official to Nayan, during the Tianfu period (690~691 AD), with the mother family of Emperor Zetian, posthumously named King Zheng, presented as a lieutenant. His father Yang Zhiqing, a general of Zuo Qianniu, presented the imperial lieutenant and Zheng Guogong.
This relatively good family environment not only enabled Yang to receive a good education and edification, so that he could be knowledgeable and knowledgeable in musical rhythms, but also gentle and humble, and able to understand the general body.
Undoubtedly, all of the above had a greater impact on the growth and development of Emperor Suzong Li Xiang.
3. Repeated growth experience
Soon after Li Heng was born, because Emperor Xuanzong married the husband and wife Empress Yuan, he had not given birth after marriage, so he adopted Li Heng, so that he left the arms of his biological mother Yang. Fortunately, "the princess caressed and bowed, and was born of kindness." ”
Li Heng, who was still in infancy, did not lose his mother's love.
When Li Heng was 2 years old, he babbled and was crowned King of Shaan. At the age of 5, Bai'anxi Daduhu was the ambassador of the Zhubo tribe in the four towns of Hexi.
Since childhood, he has been diligent and studious, loves to read, and is "smart and memorable, a dictionary beautiful, heard by the eyes and ears, and never forgotten." ”
In this way, he was deeply loved and valued by Emperor Xuanzong, and Li Heng hired leading figures in the contemporary literary circle, such as He Zhizhang, Pan Su, Lü Xiang, Huangfubin, Xing Shou and others, as imperial teachers to teach and enlighten at any time. It shows that Emperor Xuanzong placed high hopes on Li Heng and had good intentions.
In July of the twelfth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (724 AD), Empress Wang, her adoptive mother who had been dependent on him for many years and shared honor and disgrace, was deposed by Emperor Xuanzong and demoted to the cold palace because of the false accusations of Concubine Wu Hui, who was favored with the harem; His brother Wang Shouyi was also demoted by the crown prince Shaobao and sent to Tan Prefecture (潭州, in modern Changsha, Hunan), and was posthumously killed on the way.
Prime Minister Zhang Jiazhen was demoted to Taizhou (reigning in present-day Linhai, Zhejiang) because of his friendship with Wang Shouyi. In October of that year, his adoptive mother, Empress Wang, died of depression and anger in the cold palace.
His adoptive mother, Empress Wang, was wrongfully deposed and even persecuted to death, the first major change Li Heng witnessed since he was born.
Although at only 13 years old, he could not fully understand the intricacies of the accident, but the sinister and cruel nature of the court power struggle left a deep imprint on his mind and forced him to mature early.
Since then, Li Heng has swept away his former innocence and become silent and deep, especially after losing the "umbrella" of his adoptive mother Empress Wang, forcing him to learn to protect himself prematurely in this dangerous survival environment full of disasters and murderous opportunities.
After the unjust death of his adoptive mother Empress Wang, Li Heng returned to his biological mother Yang, which was also the first time since he was born that he could get together with his biological mother and get along day and night.
Looking back at the time when he was adopted by Empress Wang, he was still in his arms, and he didn't want to go through more than ten years, Li Heng had grown into a heroic, dashing and handsome young man.
The reunion of mother and son this time can't help but have mixed feelings, it's hard to say.
In the first month of the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (727 AD), Li Heng was made King Zhong, and his name was changed from 嗣昇 to 浚. In May of the same year, Lingshuo Fang Jiedu Ambassador and Shan Yu Dadu Protector.
In the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (729 AD), his biological mother Yang Shi also died of illness and left him, and in less than 5 years, he lost his adoptive mother and his biological mother, and since then, he has lost his maternal love forever and is even more isolated.
This succession of changes and blows made him mature prematurely, and his speech and behavior became more cautious, lest he incur accidents.
4. The deposition of Prince Li Ying
In the eighteenth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (730 AD), due to the invasion of the northeastern border pass by the Xi, Khitan and other ethnic groups, Emperor Xuanzong took Li Heng as the marshal of Hebei Province (not out of the cabinet), and Li Yi the King of Xin'an as the deputy marshal, commanding the eight commanders of the imperial history master, Li Chaoyin, Jing Zhao Yin Pei Youxian, and other eight commanders to attack Xi and Khitan and other tribes.
At the same time, Emperor Xuanzong asked Li Heng to meet the hundred officials at the Guangshun Gate, and Li Heng's appearance was majestic and dignified, and his manners were elegant and elegant, which greatly impressed the civil and military officials.
Even Zhang, who was the prime minister at the time, came back and said to Hanlin bachelors Sun Yi and Wei Shu with praise:
"Taste the photo picture of Emperor Taizong, the loyal king is heroic and famous, the appearance is very good, elegant holy ancestor, and the blessing of this society."
In the twentieth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (732 AD), Li Yi, the king of Xin'an, led the generals to defeat Xi and Khitan, and Emperor Xuanzong added Situ to Li Xiangyao's merits. In the twenty-third year (735 AD), his name was changed from 浚 to 玙.
Li Heng ranked third among Emperor Xuanzong's 30 sons, including his eldest brother Li Jun the Prince of Qing and his second brother Li Ying, the crown prince.
Of the brothers, his mother Yang was the only one to give birth to him, and the others were half-brothers.
In December of the second year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (714 AD), shortly after Li Heng's third birthday, his second brother Li Siqian (later renamed Ying) became crown prince for his father Emperor Xuanzong.
In April of the 25th year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (737 AD), the crown prince Li Ying, the king of E, Li Yao, and Li Ju the king of Guang were framed by false accusations by Concubine Wu Hui and Li Linfu, and as a result, the crown prince Li Ying, the king of E, Li Yao, and Li Ju the king of Guang were deposed as commoners, and soon after they were given to die in Dongyi of Chang'an City.
The persecution of his second brother Li Ying, the fifth brother Li Yao and the eighth brother Li Ju to death indeed made Li Heng sad and sad for a long time.
5. How did Tang Xuanzong not make Li Yao a prince?
After Princess Wu Huifei racked her brains and hollowed out her mind to get rid of Empress Wang and Prince Li Ying, she thought that her long-cherished wish of being a veritable empress who had been dreaming of and dreaming for many years was about to come true, and her son Li Yao the Prince of Shou was also very likely to fill the vacancy of the crown prince.
Therefore, the euphoria is overflowing. It was really "the organ calculated that Qing Qing's life was wrong", and in December of the twenty-fifth year of the first century (737 AD), Concubine Wu Hui suddenly died of a violent illness and died with endless regret at the age of 39.
After the death of Concubine Wu Hui, Emperor Xuanzong lost his soul and was depressed for a long time, and since then, no matter who he favored, he never thought about the aftermath again, which shows how deeply he loves Concubine Wu Hui and misses him deeply.
The death of Concubine Wu Hui meant that Li Yao, the king of Shou, "had a son and a mother", and all the advantages on which he depended for favor were lost, and it also showed that he had lost one of his most powerful backers in the competition for the supreme right to rule.
In this way, when Emperor Xuanzong selected his successor, he could no longer decide the top priority related to whether the Tang Dynasty could be stable for a long time and for thousands of generations based on his personal feelings. On the contrary, it forced him to consider this important and troublesome matter more objectively and more from the merits of the princes' own actual situation. In this way, Li Yao, the king of Shou, not only did not have any advantages over the imperial brothers, but also exposed many fatal weaknesses and flaws.
First, Shouwang Li Yao is still young, he is only about 20 years old, he is a young man who has not been deeply involved in the world, especially lacks rich life experience and valuable experience in political struggle; And Emperor Xuanzong was close to Huajia at this time, maybe when he would die. Therefore, from the fundamental plan of the long-term peace and stability of the Great Tang Dynasty, Li Yao, the king of Shou, is obviously not suitable to be the prince.
Second, Li Yao, the king of Shou, was the eighteenth son of Emperor Xuanzong, and he also had many older brothers. If he is appointed as the prince, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the brothers and bury the scourge of fratricidal brothers in the future, thus affecting the long-term stability of the rule of the Tang Dynasty. In this regard, Emperor Xuanzong, who is not the eldest son, felt deeply, and naturally did not want to leave unnecessary troubles and troubles for his descendants.
Third, Li Yao, the King of Shou, was fostered in the Ning Royal Mansion from birth, raised by Princess Ning, and did not return to the palace until the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (725 AD), and his relationship with the Ning Prince's Mansion was certainly extraordinary.
Although Emperor Xuanzong had great respect and affection for his eldest brother Li Xian the King of Ning, if he followed the system of primogeniture, the emperor's throne was none other than Li Xian the King of Ning, so Emperor Xuanzong had some scruples and wariness about Li Xian the King of Ning. Therefore, Emperor Xuanzong was psychologically reluctant to make Li Yao, the Prince of Shou, crown prince.
Fourth, Emperor Xuanzong also did not want Li Linfu to strengthen his own status and power by supporting Li Yao the Prince of Shou as the crown prince, and he did not want the weak Shou King Li Yao to be supported by a powerful minister like Li Linfu.
Fifth, Li Yao, the king of Shou, "was later than the kings" and had no achievements except for the governor of Yizhou and the ambassador of Jiannan Jiedu in the fifteenth year of the first century (727 AD), and his brothers were superior to him in this regard, so it was difficult to convince the public to make him crown prince.
To sum up, it is not difficult to see that from the Shou King Li Yao's own conditions, he is not suitable to be the heir to the throne.
6. Why did you make Li Xuan the prince?
Since this was the case, Emperor Xuanzong could only choose among other princes, and after careful weighing and screening, finally considered the loyal king Li Xuan (later renamed Li Heng) to be the best candidate for the heir to the throne.
Because the loyal king Li Xuan's own conditions are superior in many aspects compared with other princes.
Because, first, the loyal king Li Xi is 27 years old, close to the age of "standing", has rich life experience and political struggle experience, and can shoulder the heavy responsibility of managing the country's major policies.
Second, although Li Xuan, the loyal king, was not the eldest son, he ranked second among the thirty princes of Emperor Xuanzong, and only his eldest brother, Li Jun the Prince of Tan, was not to mention that Li Jun, the king of Yan, "hunted in previous years, and was very wounded by leopards." "It is difficult to compete with the loyal king Li Xuan.
Therefore, making Li Xi the crown prince of Zhongzhong can largely avoid the tragedy of and fratricide in the same room, and can ensure the long-term stability of the rule of the Tang Dynasty.
Third, the loyal king Li Xi "benevolent and heroic, obtained naturally; and long, smart and memorable, it is a dictionary beautiful, what the eyes and ears hear, will not be forgotten. ”
Therefore, he was loved by Emperor Xuanzong, and successively sent famous literati such as He Zhizhang, Pan Su, Lü Xiang, Huangfu Bin, and Xing Zhu as the teachers of the loyal king Li Xuan.
Fourth, the loyal king Li Xi was also the most accomplished among the princes, and in the fifteenth year of the first century (727 AD), he led the ambassador of Fang Fang Jiedu and Shan Yudu. In the eighteenth year (730 AD), he was the marshal of the Hebei Province March, the deputy commander of the remote commander Li Yi the Prince of Xin'an, and the imperial master Li Chaoyin, Jing Zhao Yin Pei Youxian and others, and 100,000 generals attacked the Xi, Khitan and other ethnic groups who had committed the border.
In the twentieth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (732 AD), he became famous all over the world for his merits in breaking the taunt and the Khitan merits. Judging from the loyal king Li Xuan's own conditions, he is the most ideal candidate for the crown prince. Therefore, after the violent death of Concubine Wu Hui, Emperor Xuanzong intended to establish Li Xuan the King of Zhong instead of Li Yao the King of Shou.
7. Between Li Linfu and Colix
However, Li Yao, the king of Shou, also had a strong supporter that could not be ignored, that is, Li Linfu, the powerful and authoritarian prime minister.
Li Linfu and Concubine Wu Hui's collusion and plot to abolish the establishment had already been half successful, and at this time, he could not give up the object of his support halfway because of the sudden violent death of his co-conspirators, and he was not allowed to choose another choice in terms of time to find a new master.
Therefore, he had only one way to run to Hei, continue to support King Shou, and spare no effort to make him the legitimate heir to the throne, only in this way would it be possible to meet the future emperor and continue his vested status and privileges after Emperor Xuanzong's death.
Therefore, after the death of the deposed prince Li Ying, he still insisted on "persuading Shangli Shou Wang Yao" despite Emperor Xuanzong's intentions. ”
This made Emperor Xuanzong feel a headache and a dilemma on the issue of establishing the crown prince.
So that "hesitation is not decided", "often flickering and unhappy, and sleeping meals are reduced." ”
It was not until the twenty-sixth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (738 AD) that the eunuch Gao Lishi, who was in charge of internal affairs, had great real power, and was the most favored by Emperor Xuanzong, proposed to Emperor Xuanzong:
"Why should everyone (referring to Emperor Xuanzong) work so vainly for the Sacred Heart, but if you push it and stand up, who dares to fight again!"
After tactfully expressing his intention to support the loyal king Li Xuan, this finally eliminated Emperor Xuanzong's scruples. As a result, Emperor Xuanzong declared Li Xuan, the Prince of Zhongzhong, crown prince.
However, for Li Heng, the loyal king of Tang, who later became Emperor Suzong of Tang, this indescribable surprise and excitement soon disappeared, replaced by 18 years of life suffering and suffering.
Since then, Li Heng has become the main target of Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong in attacking and framing, making him walk on thin ice and face an abyss in the position of the crown prince, trembling and bitterly waiting and suffering for 18 years.
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