The harems of ancient emperors were often accompanied by beautiful beauties. In feudal society, the number of wives and concubines was often regarded as a symbol of wealth, and the many concubines around the emperor not only represented his supremacy, but also symbolized his unshakable power. As the saying goes, "three women in one play", the competition for favor among the women in the harem is often fierce and abnormal, they are not only jealous, but may even affect the succession to the throne. For example, during the Wude period of the Tang Dynasty, the two favorite concubines of Tang Gaozu conspired to frame Li Shimin and almost succeeded. However, with the victory of the Xuanwumen Rebellion, their plot finally came to naught. So, after Li Shimin ascended the throne, how did he treat these two women who had plotted to kill him?
Today we will explore this twisted story. In feudal society, emperors enjoyed a luxurious life, and Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Li Tang Dynasty, was no exception. Although the country was not yet settled, the war was left to his sons and generals, and he enjoyed his old age to the fullest. Li Yuan has two concubines, Zhang Jieyu and Concubine Yin De, who are deeply favored by him. These two young and beautiful concubines not only had outstanding appearances, but also served Li Yuan meticulously, which made the elderly emperor feel extremely satisfied. However, this kind of interest is mutual, Li Yuan gets satisfaction from them, and is naturally willing to use his power to meet their demands, and Zhang Jieyu and Yin Defei's purpose is obviously the same.
After Zhang Jieyu was favored, she proposed to Li Yuan that she hoped to reward her father with dozens of hectares of fertile land and pointed out the specific location. For ordinary people, such a request is almost impossible to achieve, but for Li Yuan, it is nothing more than a gesture. However, although this request seemed trivial to Li Yuan, it was ultimately not fulfilled because the land had been given by Li Shimin to Li Shentong, the king of Huai'an. Li Shentong has already occupied the land, and if he forcibly takes it back, it will appear impersonal, tantamount to a banditry. Seeing that her wish was disappointed, Zhang Jieyu began to hold a grudge against Li Shimin, telling Li Yuan that the officials listened to the prince's words better than the emperor's orders.
However, under Li Yuan's rule, Li Shimin was treated fairly, because Li Shimin was Li Yuan's son and the future Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Although Zhang Jieyu held a grudge for not being able to meet her demands, Li Shimin did not retaliate against her for this. He treated this woman who had tried to harm him with a tolerant attitude, showing the prince's mind and wisdom. This tortuous story not only reveals the cruelty of the ancient harem struggle, but also highlights Li Shimin's noble character and outstanding political wisdom. The last thing Li Yuan could tolerate was that his authority was challenged by others, even if this person was his own son. Soon he called Li Shimin and reprimanded him severely.
In the face of his father's reprimand, Li Shimin wanted to defend himself, explaining that the king of Huai'an deserved to be rewarded for his hard work. But what Li Yuan cared about was not the land, but Li Shimin's own decision without asking him for instructions. Such an approach is clearly not taking oneself into account. Seeing that his explanation had no effect, Li Shimin had no choice but to keep silent and let Li Yuan count it. After sending Li Shimin away, Li Yuan sighed and said: "This kid has been fighting abroad all the year round, and his authoritarian character has been cultivated, coupled with the support of the people around him, he is no longer the son in my previous impression."
Li Yuan was already aware of Li Shimin's uninhibitedness, he felt his son's independence, and his control over him was gradually weakening. Perhaps this change in mentality made Zhang Jieyu's revelation have a greater impact on Li Shimin. Li Yuan thinks that Zhang Jieyu's move is a trick of the villain. Zhang Jieyu framed Li Shimin, and then Concubine Yin Defei also joined the camp. Generally speaking, it is easy for conflicts to arise between harem concubines. But Zhang Jieyu and Concubine Yin Defei not only did not compete for favor, but joined forces to deal with Li Shimin, making his situation even more difficult. After conquering Luoyang, Li Shimin seized all the treasures of Wang Shichong in the city.
He was overjoyed to see these rich trophies, and after finishing the battlefield affairs, he brought the treasures back to Chang'an. Li Shimin did not delay and handed over these treasures to the state treasury. Concubine Yin De happened to pass by, and women always have a soft spot for jewelry, so she asked Li Shimin to give a few pieces. In her opinion, as Li Yuan's concubine, it is not too much to ask for these by herself. However, Li Shimin was accustomed to his military career, enforced the law impartially, acted according to the rules, and sternly rejected Concubine Yin's request. Concubine Yin Defei held a grudge against Li Shimin because of this. Li Yuan once said to Concubine Yin Defei at a certain opportunity: "......" After Concubine Yin Defei heard Li Yuan say those words, her feelings were uncontrollable, and tears poured out like a spring.
Li Yuan was very puzzled when he saw this, so he asked Concubine Yin De why she was so sad. Concubine Yin De began to confide: "It is my honor to be able to serve Your Majesty, and I also hope to be by your side forever, but this wish will eventually be shattered. Li Yuan listened to Concubine Yin De's confession, and laughed: "You are my concubine, even if I don't have me by your side in the future, my princes will treat you well, why should you worry?" However, Li Yuan's words did not make Concubine Yin De's mood better, she cried even more sadly, and told Li Yuan: "Your Majesty, you don't know that when the King of Qin handed over the spoils obtained from the attack on Luoyang, I took a fancy to two pieces of jewelry, and I asked him but was reprimanded.
Your Majesty is alive, and the King of Qin treats me like this, so my fate in the future can be imagined. Li Yuan was shocked when he heard this, he didn't expect Li Shimin to treat his concubine like this. However, considering that Li Shimin was also thinking about the country, he could only comfort Concubine Yin De and put the matter on hold. Soon, however, Concubine Yin Defei cried to Li Yuan again, saying that Li Shimin's subordinates did not respect her father, and even openly despised the emperor's relatives, and she was worried that even the emperor would be controlled by him. Concubine Yin's words stung Li Yuan again, and he once again blamed Li Shimin, asking him why he connived at his subordinates, if even the emperor's relatives were not respected, how wanton he was to the people.
In fact, Concubine Yin's father was a scoundrel, and once she became the emperor's concubine, he relied on the royal power to act recklessly. Although the people respected him, the Tiance Mansion did not take it seriously. Du Ruhui, an official under Li Shimin, once rode past in front of Yin's mansion and was dragged off his horse by a slave and beaten on the grounds that he did not get off the horse and did not respect the emperor's relatives. During the fight, Du Ruhui's finger was broken, and he informed Li Shimin of the matter, but Li Shimin wanted to handle the matter properly because Yin Defei's father was deeply favored. What Li Shimin didn't expect was that Concubine Yin Defei took the lead in accusing him of not properly restraining his subordinates in front of Li Yuan.
Despite Li Shimin's efforts to explain, Li Yuan always insisted that Concubine Yin Defei would not sow discord, causing Li Shimin to swallow his anger. Due to the false accusations of Zhang Jieyu and Yin Defei, Li Shimin became Li Yuan's least favorite son. Li Jiancheng had cemented his position as crown prince and it was almost certain that he would be the heir to the Li Tang dynasty. In order to maintain a luxurious life, Zhang Jieyu and Yin Defei began to woo Li Jiancheng to pave the way for their future. Li Jiancheng gladly accepted the help of these concubines, as it increased his chances of inheriting the throne. The three of them each had ghosts and secretly became the same party, and all the news of the palace was revealed to Li Jiancheng, and he also relied on this information to handle affairs more easily.
On the eve of the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Shimin entered the palace to expose Li Jiancheng's conspiracy to kill him, and Zhang Jieyu and Yin Defei, who learned the news, immediately informed Li Jiancheng and asked him to prevent Li Shimin's actions in advance. However, Li Jiancheng believed that his security measures were very thorough and it was impossible for him to be attacked by Li Shimin, so he did not pay much attention to their warnings. As a result, the next day, he and his younger brother Li Yuanji died in Xuanwumen. Li Shimin eliminated his rivals and seized the throne, while Li Yuan became the emperor. Li Shimin, who holds great power, is no longer afraid of being framed, and those who have framed him, including Zhang Jieyu and Yin Defei, have also begun to feel afraid.
However, what they did not expect was that after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he did not massacre them, but let them live in other palaces, away from the core of power. In fact, Li Shimin's treatment of these two concubines who had harmed him was more out of consideration for his own interests. In the process of seizing the throne, he had already attacked his elder brother and younger brother, and any further large-scale massacres would give the impression of revenge and would be detrimental to the stability of the regime. Moreover, Li Yuan is still alive, and if they are killed, it will send a signal that it is unfavorable to the Emperor, which will bring unpredictable consequences to himself.
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