As the closest to perfection emperor in Chinese history, Tang Taizong Li Shimin gathered a large number of outstanding talents to help him achieve great things. Among them, the representatives were the "Twenty-four Heroes of LingYange" and the "Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Dynasty". Interestingly, although Li Shimin of the Qin Dynasty was known as the "Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Dynasty", there were actually nineteen people. What's going on?
According to historical records, the specific list of the "Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Dynasty" was: Du Ruyi, Fang Xuanling, Yu Zhining, Su Shichang, Yao Silian, Xue Shuo, Chu Liang, Lu Deming, Kong Yingda, Li Xuandao, Li Shousu, Yu Shinan, Cai Yungong, Yan Xiangshi, Xu Jingzong, Xue Yuanjing, Gai Wenda, Su Xun, and Liu Xiaosun, a total of nineteen people. The "Bachelor of Qin Province" appeared during the Wude period.
In the fourth year of Wude (621), Li Shimin, the King of Qin, destroyed Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande in one fell swoop at the Battle of Luoyang Tiger Prison, and Li Xiaogong and Li Jing also pacified the south, and the Tang Dynasty was basically unified. With the end of the unification war, the characteristics of the relatively large proportion of military generals in the Qin Dynasty palace were somewhat out of place. Therefore, Li Shimin set up a "literature museum" in the Palace of the Qin Dynasty to recruit excellent readers.
At that time, the readers who entered the Qin Wangfu Literature Museum were called "Yuelongmen", and the "Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Wangfu" were the leaders of the Qinwangfu Literature Museum. However, Xue Zhao, one of the "Eighteen Scholars", died of illness in the seventh year of Wude (624) at the age of thirty-three. Li Shimin was very saddened by Xue Shuo's early death, and after ascending the throne, he also said to Zhongshu Ling Fang Xuanling: "If Xue Shu is here, he should be punished with Zhongshu Ling." ”
However, no matter how sad Li Shimin was, he could not resurrect Xue Zhao, and someone needed someone to fill the vacancy of the Bachelor of Literature in the Qin Dynasty Palace Literature Museum left by Xue Shuo. So Li Shimin let Liu Xiaosun enter the Museum of Literature as a bachelor, filling the gap in Xue Shuo. Because of this, there were nineteen people in the "Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Dynasty Palace", but many people consciously or unconsciously ignored Liu Xiaosun when mentioning the "Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Dynasty Palace".