Yongtai princess Li Xianhui
Mysterious death: Princess Yongtai's life story
Yongtai Princess Li Xianhui, as the seventh daughter of Tang Zhongzong Li Xian, is the granddaughter of Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and Empress Wu Zetian. Her life was destined to be extraordinary, however, the cause of her death has become a puzzling mystery in history.
Yongtai princess Li Xianhui
Historical records and speculation about the cause of death
According to the records of "New Tang Dynasty Book: The Chronicle of Empress Zetianshun Shengwu" and "Zizhi Tongjian: Empress Zetianshun Shengwu", on the third day of September in the first year of Dazu, Wu Zetian ordered the killing of Princess Yongtai, King Shao Li Chongrun, and Princess Yongtai's husband Wu Yanji. This order was conveyed by Zhang Yizhi's brother, who was quite measured in Wu Zetian's handling of political affairs. However, the epitaph of Princess Yongtai unearthed in 1982 called into question this claim, leading to more speculation about the cause of Princess Yongtai's death.
The tomb of Princess Yongtai
Contradictions and disagreements with epitaphs
An unusual version is described in the Epitaph of Princess Yongtai. The epitaph points out that Princess Yongtai did not die on the day of the "September Renshen" when Wu Zetian ordered the killing of Shao King Li Chongrun and Wu Yanji, but died of dystocia on the "fourth day of the ninth month". This statement contradicts the official history, making the cause of Princess Yongtai's death even more confusing.
The burial chamber of Princess Yongtai
The mystery of dystocia: the direction of Princess Yongtai's life
Regarding the cause of Princess Yongtai's death, the epitaph states that she "died on September 4 in the first year of Dazu, and there are seven out of ten in the spring and autumn". This is far from the date recorded in the official history when Wu Zetian ordered the killing of King Shao and Wu Yanji. The record in the epitaph provokes deep thinking about the cause of Princess Yeongtai's death. According to the results of the recovery of pelvic fragments, Princess Yongtai's pelvis is smaller than that of women of the same age, which further supports the possibility that she died in childbirth.
The Shadow of Death: Intrigue and Personal Destiny
Princess Yongtai was identified as one of the participants in the discussion of Wu Zetian's male favorite Zhang Yizhi's brother, but compared to the other two participants, she was not executed. This led to speculation that whether she was pregnant or not became the reason for Wu Zetian's mercy. The laws of the Tang Dynasty did provide for the execution of suspended sentences for pregnant women who committed crimes, so that she was not given death does not mean that Wu Zetian showed mercy to her men, but may have been because she was pregnant.
Doubts and mysteries: The mystery of Princess Yongtai's life and death
However, Princess Yongtai suffered a miscarriage soon after receiving a suspended sentence, raising more doubts about whether Wu Zetian had taken other measures to hasten her death. The epitaph is too close to the date when Wu Zetian killed King Shao and Wu Yanji, is it possible that Wu Zetian first sentenced her to a suspended sentence and then hastened her miscarriage by other means?
The End of History: Where Is the Truth?
As for the cause of Princess Yongtai's death, historians have not been able to reach a consensus so far. The appearance of the epitaph made the original historical record even more confusing, and the truth about her life and death is still buried deep in history. It is expected that further research by archaeologists can uncover this historical mystery and restore the true fate of Princess Yongtai.