Above the cliff - the crown prince years of Emperor Suzong of Tang and Li Heng
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Emperor Suzong of Tang Li Heng was one of the Tang Dynasty emperors who had a rough experience, and when he was not yet born, his father Li Longji almost beat him with abortion pills for fear of political enemies; He hurriedly ascended the throne during the Anshi Rebellion, and in just 7 years of reign, he struggled to suppress the rebellion, but he could not see the rebellion quelled. However, several major crises in Li Heng's life did not occur in these extraordinary times, but occurred when Li Heng became crown prince. Li Heng, the crown prince of the Tianbao period, has experienced many conspiracies against him, and every time there are dangers, it is like being on a cliff.
The "lucky" new prince
Li Heng (Li Heng has changed his name several times, and Li Heng is used uniformly in this article for ease of writing) was the third son of Li Longji of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, born in the second year of Jingyun (711). Li Heng's early experience was modest: at the age of two, he was given the title of King of Shaanxi; served as a military protector of Anxi Dadu, but he was only a remote leader and did not really go to the post; After Emperor Xuanzong consecrated Mount Tai, he moved to the "Ten Kings' Mansion" and learned various cultural knowledge under the strict supervision of the emperor. When he was a teenager, Li Heng, except for his appearance similar to his ancestor Taizong Li Shimin, was not superior among the many descendants of Emperor Xuanzong.
Figure 2-1 Danfeng Gate model
However, the turbulent political struggles of the Tang Empire took a turn in Li Heng's originally peaceful life. After the death of Crown Prince Li Ying's mother Concubine Zhao Lifei, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang favored Concubine Wu Hui, and Li Yao, the son of Concubine Wu Hui, was also loved by Emperor Xuanzong and was very popular. Li Ying and several princes complained about the favor of Concubine Wu Hui's mother and son, and Concubine Wu Hui also wanted to overthrow Li Ying and help Li Yao to the throne, and the contradiction between the prince and the emperor's favored concubine continued to intensify, eventually causing a Xiao Wall disaster. In the twenty-fifth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (737), Concubine Wu Hui and his horse Yang Xun framed the crown prince Li Ying, the Prince of E, Li Yao, and the Guang King Li Ju in tandem and plotting against each other. Enraged, Emperor Xuanzong deposed Li Ying and the other three as servants after receiving the support of Zhongshu Ling Li Linfu, and immediately died.
After Li Ying's death, the establishment of a new crown prince became a difficult problem in front of Li Longji. After more than a year of repeated weighing, in the twenty-sixth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (738), Li Longji installed Li Heng as crown prince. So why did Li Longji abandon the limelight Li Yao and choose the unknown Li Heng as the new prince?
The main reason why Li Heng was able to win was that he had no Olympic aid in the palace or in the dynasty. Li Heng's mother Yang Shi and Empress Wang, who raised him, died in the seventeenth and twelfth years of the Kaiyuan respectively, and their influence in the harem had long ceased to exist, so Li Heng had no help in the harem. On the contrary, Li Yao's mother, Concubine Wu Hui, favored the harem concubines and almost became an empress. Although Concubine Wu Huifei died of illness shortly after Li Ying's deposition, her influence is still difficult to ignore, especially her close relationship with Zhongshu Ling Li Linfu. When Li Ying had just been convicted, Emperor Xuanzong summoned Li Linfu to ask about the new crown prince, and Li Linfu recommended Li Yao, the son of Concubine Wuhui. Although Li Longji favored Concubine Wuhui's mother and son, he remained sober on the issue of consolidating the autocratic imperial power. Compared to Li Yao, who was in the limelight and had powerful allies in the harem and court, Li Heng, who had few wings in politics, was easier to control and less threatening to imperial power. Therefore, an important reason why Li Heng became the crown prince was precisely because of his relatively weak position.
Secondly, the appointment of Li Heng was more conducive to calming the discussions of the courtiers and stabilizing the political situation. Li Ying's abolition caused a lot of waves, there was a lot of discussion between the government and the public, and Emperor Xuanzong was also quite depressed, so he didn't think about it. Obviously, the choice of the new crown prince must not only conform to the will of the emperor, but also be generally recognized by the courtiers. In terms of age, Li Heng was the third son of Emperor Xuanzong, older than Li Yao, and the appointment of Li Heng as crown prince was in line with the tradition of the Tang Dynasty to promote the elder (although Li Heng the Prince of Qing was older than Li Heng, he had no heirs, and it was very likely that his face was injured and had facial defects, so he was not among the candidates for the crown prince). Gao Lux saw this very clearly, so he dared to clearly suggest that Emperor Xuanzong appoint Li Heng. In addition, Li Yao's mother, Concubine Wu Hui, was the niece of Wu Zetian, who had brutally persecuted the Li and Tang royal families. It left a deep psychological shadow on the courtiers, and Concubine Wuhui had a great desire for power, quite a legacy of the Empress Wu, and was questioned by the courtiers. As early as the fourteenth year of the first century, Emperor Xuanzong wanted to make Concubine Wuhui empress, but he was strongly opposed by the ministers. If Li Yao is appointed crown prince, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the ministers again. Therefore, in comparison, Li Heng, who is older and has no birth problems, is more likely to be supported and recognized by public opinion in the government and the public.
The unknown Li Heng became the successor of the Great Tang, which could not but be said to be a special luck for him. However, Li Heng will soon find that the prince's throne, which carries the dreams of countless people all their lives, is far less comfortable to sit up than imagined.
Figure 2-2 You Chuntu, wife of Zhang Xuan Yuguo (Northern Song Dynasty, Liaoning Provincial Museum)
Tempo Nightmare
Li Heng has a gentle personality and is low-key, coupled with the experience of the three brothers, Li Heng is even more cautious and humble in his words and actions. Before the crown prince inauguration ceremony, Li Heng offered to lower the etiquette specifications and dress standards, which was unanimously praised by Emperor Xuanzong and the courtiers. However, the tree wants to be quiet and the wind does not stop, and from the fifth year of Tianbao (746), the powerful and hot Right Xiang (formerly Zhongshuling) Li Linfu has repeatedly made waves, and the spearhead is directed at Li Heng.
Figure 2-3 Left Yintai Gate site
During the Lantern Festival in the fifth year of Tianbao, Li Heng met with Wei Jian, the brother of the crown prince, when he was traveling, and then Wei Jian met with Longyou Jiedu of Hexi, who was dissatisfied with Li Linfu's arbitrary dictatorship, so that Huangfu Wei secretly met in the Taoist temple. When Li Linfu learned of this, he ordered Yang Shenwei, the imperial historian to write a letter to impeach Wei Jian's private general, and then personally sent Emperor Xuanzong to claim that Emperor Fu Weiming and Wei Jian were plotting to install the crown prince as emperor, in an attempt to implicate Li Heng in the case. After personally analyzing the case, Emperor Xuanzong believed that although Wei Jian and Huangfu Weiming had committed a taboo in their private meeting, Li Heng was not involved in the case, so he only demoted Wei Jian and Huangfu Weiming and did not hold Li Heng accountable. Although Emperor Xuanzong did not listen to Li Linfu's rumors, Li Heng still took drastic measures to clear his relationship with Wei Jian - Li Heng took the initiative to divorce his beloved crown princess Wei Shi, and expressed in front of Emperor Xuanzong that he would not abolish the law with pro-Xuanzong. What is quite interesting is Emperor Xuanzong's attitude towards this matter, on the one hand, he comforted Li Heng with good words, but on the other hand, he did not prevent his son from divorcing his daughter-in-law.
Just ten months later, the storm resumed. Because of family conflicts, Liu Wei, an officer of Zuo Xiaowei, framed his father-in-law Du Youlin for "vainly claiming to be a rumor, constructing the East Palace, and accusing public opinion." Du Youlin's identity is sensitive, his daughter is Li Heng's Liangdi (a rank of crown prince's concubine), and Du Youlin himself is a Zanshan doctor affiliated with the Donggong system. Li Linfu once again smelled the opportunity and tried to use Du Youlin's case to bring Li Heng down. Although Emperor Xuanzong believed that Li Heng was not involved in the case and did not punish Li Heng, he allowed Li Linfu to use his position to facilitate the execution of Li Heng's father-in-law, Du Youlin, in Dali Temple, and also acquiesced to Li Linfu's use of this case as an excuse to give death to Huangfu Weiming and Wei Jian, who had previously been demoted to officials. The unlucky Li Heng can only divorce Du Liangdi and prove his innocence by breaking up his family again.
In order to overthrow the crown prince, Li Linfu not only repeatedly targeted Li Heng's people, but also targeted the generals of the frontier. In the sixth year of Tianbao (747), the famous Tang general Hexi Longyou Jiedu made Wang Zhongsi falsely accuse the general Dong Yanguang for opposing Emperor Xuanzong's strategy to capture Shibao City, and was immediately imprisoned and interrogated by Emperor Xuanzong. Wang Zhongsi grew up in the palace when he was a child, and he had a good personal relationship with Li Heng, and Li Linfu bit this relationship and instructed Wang Zhongsi's subordinates to falsely accuse Emperor Xuanzong of secretly befriending Wang Zhongsi to the crown prince as a side general, and plotting misdeeds. Although Emperor Xuanzong believed that Li Heng had lived in the deep palace for a long time and had no chance to associate with Wang Zhongsi in private, he still dealt harshly with Wang Zhongsi, and if it were not for Geshuhan risking death to intercede in front of Emperor Xuanzong, Wang Zhongsi would have almost been executed. Subsequently, Wang Zhongsi was released and demoted, and died mysteriously the following year.
Figure 2-4 Tang Dynasty warrior figurines (now in Barakaat Gallery, UK)
In just two years, Li Linfu set off three major cases against Li Heng in a row, although under the intervention of Emperor Xuanzong, Li Heng did not lose the position of crown prince, but paid a great price - forced to divorce two wives and concubines, of which Wei and Li Heng already had four children, which can be described as affectionate; Li Heng's father-in-law, wife and brother were all killed by Li Linfu, and his childhood friend Wang Zhongsi also died in vain. What made Li Heng even more chilling was that in these brazen disasters, many courtiers were afraid of Li Linfu's arrogance, and almost no one spoke for him, but many officials cooperated with Li Linfu to frame themselves for the tiger.
Under these pressures, Li Heng's spirit was greatly traumatized, and his hatred for Li Linfu was unforgettable. Years later, Li Heng, who had ascended the throne as emperor, discussed with his close minister Li Yu to dig the grave of Li Linfu, who had died for many years, and crush his bones and ashes. Some later historians also believe that the culprit who caused several turmoil against Li Heng during the Tianbao period was undoubtedly Li Linfu, and its purpose was nothing more than a private struggle for power.
However, this view treats the political struggles of the Xuanzong era in a simple way, while ignoring Li Longji, the behind-the-scenes promoter of Li Heng's repeated deaths, Tang Xuanzong Li Longji.
The cage woven by the monarch
In the political life of the early Tang Dynasty, the prince had relatively large political energy - the prince had officials at all levels directly under him, controlled the left and right guards of the armed forces attached to the Eastern Palace, and could even supervise the forbidden army. Although the power of the prince has grown and decreased in various periods, on the whole, the princeling clique is a decisive political force in the upper ruling class.
Many princes of the early Tang Dynasty were involved in bloody power struggles. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), shortly after Li You, the king of Qi, launched a mutiny, the crown prince Li Chengqian forced the palace to rebel and tried unsuccessfully to overthrow Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin; In the first year of Shenlong (705), the crown prince Li Xian, together with Prime Minister Zhang Kamzhi and others, staged a coup d'état to force Empress Wu Zetian to abdicate, which was for the "Shenlong coup".
Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji, who had personally experienced many court political struggles, was naturally familiar with these pasts, and one of the lessons he learned from the Tang court coup was that the crown prince and his Eastern Palace system had too much power and was the primary threat to imperial power. The deposition of Li Ying involved many princes, and it is likely that Li Longji realized that the crown prince would directly shake his ruling foundation if he joined forces with other political forces, so measures must be taken to limit the power of the crown prince and put the crown prince in a "cage" carefully built by Emperor Xuanzong.
Since the beginning of the New Year, Li Longji has suppressed the prince from various dimensions in a multi-pronged manner.
In the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (725), Emperor Xuanzong ordered the crown prince to no longer live in the East Palace, but to live in the "Courtyard of Fortune by Public Opinion". On the surface, Emperor Xuanzong only adjusted the residence of the crown prince, but in fact this move had profound political intentions. In the Tang Dynasty, the emperor and the crown prince were called the "two palaces" together, so the East Palace was both the seat of the prince's subordinate bureaucracy and a symbol of the core of power. Li Longji's move of the crown prince to the other courtyard not only spatially cut off the prince's ties with the prince's subordinate bureaucrats, but also politically weakened the prince's power. If combined with Emperor Xuanzong's action of arranging the prince to live in the newly built Ten Kings' Mansion in the same year, then an important purpose of Li Longji's move is self-evident, arranging the prince by his side instead of allowing him to continue to hide in his "independent kingdom" East Palace, which is more convenient for the emperor to monitor the prince's every move.
The reason why the prince was able to call for wind and rain in the political arena of the Tang Dynasty was because the East Palace had a complete bureaucratic system with real power. As a result, Emperor Xuanzong systematically weakened the real power of the officials of the Eastern Palace and cut off the close relationship between the subordinate bureaucrats and the crown prince.
Figure 2-5 Tang San faience equestrian figurine, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Before the beginning of the New Century, important posts such as Crown Prince Zhan Shi and Left and Right Shuzi, who were often concurrently held by the prime minister, became idle posts for the elderly and sick officials during the New Year. For example, during the Tianbao period, the famous scholar Sun Yi was unable to perform heavy work because of his poor health, and was appointed as the prince's left son, and then transferred to the crown prince Zhan Shi. At that time, both Sun Yi and the ministers of the government and the opposition believed that these two official positions were just idle positions for the elderly.
Even though the real power of the officials of the Eastern Palace was greatly weakened, Emperor Xuanzong was still not at ease, and Li Longji demanded that the exchanges between the officials of the Eastern Palace and the crown prince should not cross the line. This change is not well documented in historical sources, but there are still clues. In the case of Du Youlin in the fifth year of Tianbao, Du Youlin's crimes included three counts: falsely claiming to be a slander, constructing the East Palace, and accusing public opinion.
It is worth noting the crime of "intersecting the East Palace", and Du Youlin's position is Zanshan Dafu, which belongs to the subordinate official of the East Palace. According to common sense, since he is a subordinate of the prince, it is normal to befriend the prince, and Du Youlin is accused of "intersecting the East Palace", indicating that the system has made provisions requiring subordinates not to cross certain boundaries when serving the prince. This strict restriction was undoubtedly a means by which Emperor Xuanzong weakened the power of the crown prince.
Another important move by Emperor Xuanzong to weaken the crown prince's power was to completely cut off the subordination between the prime minister and the crown prince. From the Wude to Jingyun periods, it was very common for prime ministers to hold concurrent positions in the East Palace, which could be regarded as a regular institutional arrangement of the Tang court. The prime minister is both subordinate to the emperor and directly to the crown prince. The subordinate relationship between the crown prince and the prime minister not only consolidated the status of the crown prince's court, but also created conditions for the two to connect with each other and threaten the imperial power. Of course, Emperor Xuanzong did not want this potential threat of internal and external echoes to continue to exist, so he focused on cutting off the connection between foreign courtiers and the crown prince, and starting with Li Linfu, the prime minister no longer held the official position of the Eastern Palace.
On the one hand, Emperor Xuanzong stripped the prime minister of the prince's subordinate official system, and on the other hand, tied his interests to the emperor by increasing the prime minister's general power, making the prime minister a loyal servant of the emperor while staying away from the prince. Taking Li Linfu as an example, although he has long been regarded as a traitor and a power seeker, both traditional historical sources and current views admit that he has excellent administrative handling ability, can manage complicated government affairs in an orderly manner, and can make Emperor Xuanzong satisfied, so Emperor Xuanzong also intends to improve Li Linfu's position of power and give him more positions. This can be seen from the decrease in the number of prime ministers during Li Linfu's period and the number of various titles that Li Linfu also received reached dozens of positions. In terms of the specific scope of government affairs managed, Li Linfu can be called the prime minister, but it is worth noting that Emperor Xuanzong still retains the highest decision-making power while handing over a large number of general affairs to Li Linfu.
The expansion of the prime minister's power and the decline of the prince's power status, on the one hand, made the political situation during the Tempo period extremely complicated, and the possibility of conflict increased; On the other hand, it also gave Li Linfu the energy to challenge the status of the prince. Li Linfu was a dictatorship and good at spying on the emperor's mind, and he detected that Emperor Xuanzong's wariness and restrictions on the crown prince were becoming more and more obvious, and the candidate for the crown prince that Li Linfu had recommended was not Li Heng but Li Yao, so from the perspective of practical interests, taking down Li Heng could better ensure his own safety. Li Linfu was both capable and motivated, so he repeatedly caused turmoil during the Tianbao years and wanted to bring Li Heng down.
Although Li Linfu is the direct murderer of Li Heng's persecution in front of the stage, Li Longji's suspicion and suppression of the crown prince and the promotion of the prime minister's power are undoubtedly the fundamental reasons for Li Heng's difficult situation - without Emperor Xuanzong's various weakening of the Eastern Palace in the system, Li Linfu may not have the courage to attack the prince; Without Emperor Xuanzong handing over almost all the power of government affairs to Li Linfu, leaving Li Linfu's henchmen all over the government and the public, Li Linfu was unable to challenge Li Heng even if he wanted to.
When Li Linfu repeatedly set off unjust imprisonment to implicate Li Heng, although Tang Xuanzong did not let Li Linfu completely succeed, he only protected Li Heng, while sitting and watching Li Heng's wife be separated and tortured. Emperor Xuanzong did not punish Li Linfu for framing Li Heng in the slightest.
Figure 2-6 Ruins of Linde Hall of Daming Palace
It can be seen that Li Longji's suspicion and precautions against the crown prince during the Tianbao period have penetrated deep into the marrow, and he acquiesced to the repeated attacks of the prince, even if these accusations and framing have no factual basis, Emperor Xuanzong's purpose is nothing more than to use the prime minister to constantly beat the prince, so that he does not dare to have the slightest intention of subordination, so as to ensure the imperial power. And Li Linfu was aware of this subtle psychology of Emperor Xuanzong, so he dared to brazenly fabricate charges to attack Li Heng, and used this as political capital to be promoted to the rank of knight, and his grace continued.
Crown Prince Li Heng trembled and walked on thin ice in the face of his father's suppression and the challenge of Quan Chen, as if walking on a cliff, and the slightest mistake would fall into the abyss. However, neither Emperor Xuanzong nor Li Heng could have imagined that a shocking upheaval in the last years of Tianbao would pull Li Heng out of this exhausting predicament in a dramatic way.
Misfortune depends on - the complicated significance of the Anshi Rebellion for Li Xiang
In the fourteenth year of Tianbao (755), the three towns of Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong caused An Lushan to rebel in the name of fighting against the prime minister Yang Guozhong, and the "Anshi Rebellion" broke out that changed the direction of the Tang Kingdom.
In the early days of counterinsurgency, the Tang court was misguided and slow to respond, and it was only after the fall of the eastern capital Luoyang that Emperor Xuanzong's attitude changed. Emperor Xuanzong decreed that he would prepare for the imperial conquest and let the crown prince Li Heng oversee the country. Emperor Xuanzong's plan caused Yang Guozhong to panic.
As early as when Li Linfu was in power, Yang Guozhong was in cahoots with him to frame Li Heng on a trumpet charge. Although Yang Guozhong later broke with Li Linfu, there was no difference between the two in suppressing the crown prince, so Yang Guozhong was also regarded by Li Heng as a political enemy who wanted to be eliminated quickly. If Li Heng became a prison state according to Emperor Xuanzong's arrangement, he would undoubtedly gain the opportunity to seize real power politically. And once the prince's power is strengthened, Yang Guozhong is likely to become the primary target of the attack.
Figure 2-7 Chamberlain (mural painting in the Tang tomb, tomb of Prince Yide in Qianling, Shaanxi Province)
For this terrible prospect, Yang Guozhong was very panicked, and immediately moved out of Emperor Xuanzong's favorite Yang Guifei, and tried to prevent the emperor from personally conscripting and the crown prince overseeing the country.
Judging from some of Li Heng's words and deeds after he ascended the throne, Yang Guozhong's worry is not unfounded. In the final analysis, the contradiction between Yang Guozhong and Li Heng is still a continuation of the political struggle between the prime minister and the crown prince during the Tianbao period, and the political dispute between the two has spread to the harem, and Yang Guifei, who has always been less involved in government affairs, is also involved. It can be said that Yang Guifei's tragic fate in the future has already laid the groundwork when she "asked Emperor Xuanzong for orders".
After Emperor Xuanzong gave up his personal campaign, at the instigation of Yang Guozhong, he forcibly ordered Geshuhan, who was guarding Tongguan, to abandon the fortified city defense and take the initiative to face the booming rebels, resulting in the total destruction of the Battle of Lingbao. Subsequently, Emperor Xuanzong abandoned Chang'an and fled Shu. When the fleeing party marched northwest of today's Xingping City, Shaanxi, the famous Ma Songyi Revolution took place.
If we analyze it from some details, this mutiny was a premeditated, planned and commanded operation, and it was no accident.
The goal of the forbidden army mutiny was very clear, that is, to get rid of Yang Guozhong and his relatives and henchmen, and basically there was no purposeless and indiscriminate killing. Prime Minister Wei Jiansu was briefly besieged and beaten by the forbidden army during the mutiny, but was soon recognized as not Yang Guozhong and his party and saved his life; After Yang Guifei was given death, the forbidden army quickly regained discipline and continued to protect Emperor Xuanzong from Shu, and did not continue to make trouble. These facts prove that even in the tense moment of bloodshed, the forbidden army is still in a state of control,
There was no indiscriminate killing and misdeeds like ordinary mutinies; The forbidden army that launched the mutiny and the mastermind behind it were very purposeful, and once the goal was achieved, it was immediately stopped.
So, what does this organized and premeditated mutiny have to do with Li Heng? What is certain is that whether Li Heng is the mastermind or not, he participated in the planning of the mutiny and is one of the key figures.
According to the records in the Old Book of Tang Wei Jiansu, the Longwu general Chen Xuanli, who jumped to the front during the mutiny, discussed with Li Heng through Li Heng's confidant Li Fuguo to get rid of Yang Guozhong before the incident. The reason why Chen Xuanli sought out Li Heng was on the one hand to be able to get the support of the crown prince, so that the action of killing Yang Guozhong had a certain legitimacy, on the other hand, because part of the forbidden army was in Li Heng's hands at this time, if Li Heng opposed the mutiny, even if Chen Xuanli rashly raised troops, he might be suppressed by Li Heng and lose his success. Therefore, on the eve of the Ma Songyi mutiny, Li Heng had the ability to prevent the mutiny. However, Li Heng did not do this, but agreed to Chen Xuanli's plan. Under the joint control of Li Heng and Chen Xuanli, the forbidden army launched a controlled mutiny aimed at eliminating the Yang siblings.
After the mutiny, Li Heng did not continue to follow Emperor Xuanzong into Shu, but led his army north with his son Li Li and other cronies, freeing him from Emperor Xuanzong's control. Although Li Heng did not immediately explicitly enter Lingwu, his policy of parting ways with Emperor Xuanzong was clear. If Li Heng had not known about the mutiny or had not been deeply involved in it, it would be hard to imagine that he would have made such a major strategic plan in a relatively short period of time. Leaving Emperor Xuanzong and leading his army north was the most important prerequisite for Li Heng to ascend the throne and become emperor in the future. It can be said that judging from the consequences of the change of Ma Songyi, Li Heng is the one who has benefited the most.
Li Heng, who had been repeatedly forced into a corner by his opponents in political disputes and had little room for manoeuvre, actually had the power to influence the direction of the coup in the change of Ma Songyi, and the root cause of this dramatic change was the improvement of the prince's political status and strength after the Anshi Rebellion.
For Tang Xuanzong and the Great Tang, the Anshi Rebellion was an unprecedented disaster, but from the perspective of Prince Li Heng, this drastic change had a sense of "misfortune depends". After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, Emperor Xuanzong had to change his attitude and give the crown prince certain powers to help him quickly quell the rebellion. The most emblematic of this change is that Emperor Xuanzong once wanted the crown prince to oversee the country and appointed Geshuhan as the "Crown Prince Vanguard Marshal of Soldiers and Horses". Although Li Heng had not really encroached on military power at this time, the fact that he had the right to command the army as a crown prince was recognized by the emperor, and his political influence was greatly enhanced.
After Emperor Xuanzong fled from Chang'an in embarrassment, in order to ensure the safety of the fleeing team, many clans were responsible for leading the army, among which Li Heng's son Li Qi the Prince of Jianning and others controlled part of the forbidden army hall. There were about two thousand people in this part, including the elite Flying Dragon Forbidden Army. Li Heng mastered such an important armed force through his sons, which greatly improved his political strength, and to a certain extent could compete with the Longwu army led by Chen Xuanli. At this time, Li Heng not only had the righteous title of the prince, but also had the elite troops in his hands, and his strength was not the same as when he had only an empty name before. Therefore, before the Ma Songyi mutiny, Chen Xuanli first discussed with the crown prince and obtained the support of the crown prince before daring to kill Yang Guozhong and force Emperor Xuanzong to kill Yang Guifei. And Li Heng also dared to lead his army north after the change of Ma Songyi, broke away from Emperor Xuanzong's control, and gained the opportunity to enter the political stage independently.
In this sense, the Anshi Rebellion, which almost overturned the Great Tang Dynasty, was a golden opportunity for Li Heng, who was in the cage of his father, to jump out of the palm of his father's hand. During the Tianbao years, the crown prince Li Heng, who was squeezed to the precipice by political enemies many times, took this as an opportunity to eliminate Yang Guozhong, who had been his enemy for many years. Without this sudden upheaval, Li Heng would have struggled for many years in the vortex of dangerous political struggle.
postscript
Li Heng ascended the throne as emperor, and he had been worried about his years in the East Palace when he was on a cliff and walking on thin ice, and he had discussed with his close minister Li Yu to dig a grave and dig a grave to vent his anger, and Li Yu pointed out that this move would make the surviving Emperor Li Longji ashamed and displeased, which shows that the two monarchs and ministers are well aware of the behind-the-scenes mastermind of Li Heng's repeated persecution, but it is inconvenient to say it explicitly.
What is embarrassing is that after Li Heng, who was suppressed by his father and emperor, grasped the supreme imperial power, he did not learn the lesson of this father-son suspicion, and also repeatedly suspected and guarded his sons, and performed the human tragedy of unjustly killing his parents and sons like Emperor Xuanzong. Between the relationship between father and son and the supreme imperial power, Li Longji chose the latter, and Li Heng did the same.