The establishment of the Tang Dynasty was one of the important events in the Sui and Tang dynasties, however, after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he faced a thorny problem - what to do with his siblings. This article will explore the dilemma Li Shimin faced and how Wu Zetian solved it. In 618, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty, and Li Shimin was made King of Qin, second only to Prince Li Jiancheng. However, Li Jiancheng feared that he would lose his position as crown prince, and colluded with his younger brother Li Yuanji to concubine and exclude Li Shimin.
Under their rumors, Li Yuan also alienated Li Shimin. To avoid his own danger, Li Shimin staged a mutiny in 626, killing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, and was supported by Li Yuan. A few months later, Li Yuan abdicated and Li Shimin succeeded to become Emperor Taizong of Tang, beginning his "reign of Zhenguan". However, while Li Shimin consolidated his rule, he faced the problem of resettlement of his siblings.
Before he abdicated, Li Yuan had a total of 22 sons and 19 daughters, plus the brothers and sisters born after the abdication, a total of 30 children needed to be arranged by Li Shimin. If the remaining siblings are improperly divided or placed, it may cause criticism and be detrimental to Li Shimin's prestige and rule. Li Shimin's original plan was to give his brothers the title of prince and disperse them to various places to secure his rule. However, the ministers strongly opposed it, citing the example of the division of the Western Han Dynasty that led to the war in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Therefore, Li Shimin had to abandon this plan. However, he received advice from Prime Minister Xiao Yu that a split seal was feasible and eventually implemented the plan. He made his brothers princes, sent them everywhere, and gave them land and army support. In this way, Li Shimin not only demonstrated his kindness, but also ensured his rule. However, the split seal also brings some problems. The younger brother Li Yuanying behaved perversely after the fiefdom and did not listen to Li Shimin's punishment.
In addition, the disadvantages of sub-sealing have gradually emerged. A few years later, Li Shimin's younger brother Li Yuanchang even colluded with Li Shimin's son Li Chengqian to rebel, causing chaos, and Li Shimin had to kill the rebels to calm the situation. These events left Li Shimin with few suitable sons to inherit the throne, and eventually he could only make the mild-mannered Li Zhi crown prince. After Li Zhi succeeded to the throne, he faced similar problems to Li Shimin. His uncles did not look favorably on him and made things difficult in every way.
Although Li Zhi followed the wishes of the previous emperor, his weak character caused the struggle between the powerful and powerful in the dynasty to escalate. Soon after, a series of rebellion incidents broke out, and Li Zhi credulously trusted the minister's denunciation, which led to the bloody purge of the Li family's clan. During these events, Wu Zetian obeyed the government, and Li Zhi became weak and incompetent, eventually suffering from rheumatic vertigo. After Wu Zetian came to power, she took tough measures to solve the problems of the Li family. She purged the Li family, who were conspiring against them, and imposed restrictions on the princes who had been crowned.
According to statistics, Wu Zetian killed more than 30 people from the Tang Dynasty. Although this act may seem brutal today, throughout history, many have resorted to violence in order to consolidate their rule. Although Wu Zetian's approach was cruel, it completely solved the problem. All in all, Li Shimin and Li Zhi faced many difficulties in dealing with their siblings. Li Shimin chose the plan of dividing the prince, but this also brought a series of problems.
In the end, Wu Zetian took tough measures to completely solve the problem of the Li family. However, there are different opinions about her approach. What do you think of Wu Zetian's means of dealing with the clan issues of the Li and Tang royal families? Do you think her approach is effective?