In the spring of the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649), Tang Taizong Li Shimin's condition suddenly worsened, although there were the best doctors in the world in the palace, but they were helpless against Li Shimin's condition, and could only watch the emperor who brought infinite glory to the Tang Empire step by step towards death.
Yes, the imperial doctors have nothing to do about Li Shimin's condition, although Li Shimin has fought all his life, and has fallen into many diseases, as well as ancestral wind diseases, but these are not enough for him to die at the age of fifty, after all, Li Yuan also has wind diseases, but under overeating, he lived to the age of seventy, and the biggest reason for Li Shimin's violent death may be that he ate the immortal medicine of the Tianzhu monks.
The rule of Zhenguan
Once upon a time, Li Shimin sneered at the Qin Emperor Han Wu for immortal medicine, but in his later years, he was also obsessed with pills, praying for longevity, under various heavy metals, he couldn't afford to be ill, and died in Hanfeng Hall on May 26 of that year, and was succeeded by the posthumous prince Li Zhi.
So when did Li Shimin's health begin to deteriorate? Time came to the winter of the 19th year of Zhenguan (645), this year, Li Shimin sent troops to conquer Goguryeo, although Li Shimin fought on the battlefield when he was young, but after all, he was in his forties, and the environment in Liaodong was too harsh, and on the way to the class, he unfortunately suffered from carbuncles.
Carbuncle is a purulent infectious disease, put in modern times, need antibiotic treatment, but there are no antibiotics in ancient times, once you get carbuncle, it is easy to die, but under the careful treatment of the imperial doctor, Li Shimin's condition soon improved after returning to Chang'an, but after all, it is an infectious disease, Li Shimin finally failed to completely heal.
Conquest of the Quartet
During the period of physical recovery, Li Shimin began to focus on cultivating Li Zhi's ability to deal with government affairs, and handed over all the major affairs of the military state to Li Zhi, seeing that his body was almost recovered, it happened that Xue Yantuo was defeated by the Tang army and the Hui army, seeing that the Tang army was so strong, the Hui and other tribes sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to show their submission.
In order to make the frontier peaceful, Tang Taizong went to Lingzhou in August of the twentieth year of Zhenguan (645) under the escort of the ministers, but after returning from Lingzhou, Li Shimin unfortunately suffered from a severe cold, this time the situation seemed to be more serious than the last carbuncle, but fortunately, under the careful treatment of the imperial doctor, Li Shimin was able to recover again.
It's just that the frontier problem has been solved, and Li Shimin's heart is in trouble, Goguryeo is still eyeing Liaodong, and he can't help but solve it, while he still has physical strength, Li Shimin plans to conquer Goguryeo again, but in the preparation stage, Li Shimin is replaced by wind disease.
Wind disease is actually high blood pressure, this disease can not be cured until now, can only be controlled by long-term medication, and need to rest at ease, just like that, in just two years, Li Shimin suffered from three serious illnesses, plus the abolition of the prince in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), the blow to him was very heavy, directly causing his body to be far inferior to before.
Li Shimin was a more diligent emperor in ancient times, but due to physical reasons, he could only change the original daily court to once every three days, and each time he went to court for too long, it can be said that Li Shimin's health during this period was already very weak, and he could not fight in the east and west, and what he needed was to recuperate.
At this time, Li Zhi was made the crown prince for just over two years, and his foundation was unstable
For Li Shimin, he is only in his forties, and there are still many things he wants to do, Li Zhicai has been established as the prince for a few years, and his foundation is unstable, he has always been relieved, his old father Li Yuan can still live to be seventy years old, and he has no reason to live to be fifty years old, seeing that he can't regulate his body with medicine, he began to become obsessed with the art of immortality, which is the superstitious elixir of the emperors.
In the past, Li Shimin scoffed at Emperor Qin's Han Wu's obsession with pills, and even satirized Emperor Qin and Han Wu with "Immortals are vain and have empty names".
As early as the eleventh year of Zhenguan (637), he revealed in the edict that "life must have an end, and nothing is inevitable" This natural view of life and death.
It's just that the words are very free and thorough, but when I really face it, I forget what I said back then, after all, everyone is afraid of death, and not every emperor can be as free and easy as Liu Bang until death, it is human nature to be afraid of death, Li Shimin is no exception, and in the end he also lived the most hated appearance, and also embarked on the road of no return to ask for immortals and medicines.
From the twentieth year of Zhenguan (646) to the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649), Li Shimin has been taking various Fangshi pills, which naturally cannot solve Li Shimin's illness.
After entering the palace, Na Luo said that he had lived for two hundred years, mastered the art of immortality, and had been ridiculed by Li Shimin in the early years of Zhenguan, but now, under the torture of illness, Li Shimin has lost his basic judgment ability, and he is convinced of his words.
Qin Shi Huang sought an elixir
In order to let Na Luo Er sleep to refine the elixir as soon as possible, Li Shimin arranged it in the Jinbiao Gate, and he also responded to his requests for the rare stones of the elixir, which can be seen that Li Shimin is obsessed with the elixir.
In order to be able to take the elixir at the best time and in the best place, in May of the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649), Li Shimin went to Cuiwei Palace in Zhongnan Mountain, but suddenly suffered from dysentery, which may be related to taking pills, and this time, Li Shimin never survived.
On May 24, Li Shimin's condition deteriorated further, and he summoned the eldest grandson Wuji and others in the Hanfeng Hall to explain the aftermath until he died of illness on May 26, at the age of 51.
A generation of emperors finally died on the pill, but for the cause of Li Shimin's death, the history books are secretive, after all, the prestige of Tian Khan, can not be declared to the outside world that he died after taking the pill, he can only claim that Li Shimin died of illness.
To tell the truth, Li Shimin did take a lot of pills in his later years, and the controversy is whether he ate or not to eat the pills refined by Na Luo Er Po Mei, and the history books clearly record that Li Shimin ordered Na Luo Er Po Mei to refine the pills, but whether the pills were refined and whether Li Shimin took them are recorded differently.
"Shufu Yuan Turtle" records: His words are all pedantic and untrue, and he wants to prolong the years, but the medicine is not enough, but it is returned
According to this record, this Tianzhu monk did not refine the elixir, Li Shimin naturally failed to take it, and later Wang Xuance recommended this monk in the period of Tang Gaozong, Tang Gaozong said: "Since ancient times, there are immortals! Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sought it, but they were tired and the people were tired, and they did nothing." If there are immortal people, they are all in peace now!"
If the Tianzhu monk really poisoned Li Shimin with the pill, Tang Gaozong would not let him go, he would definitely be the killer, and he would not do anything to the recommender Wang Xuance, which seemed to imply that Li Shimin did not die by taking the pill that Luo Er had swoon.
According to the record of the "Old Tang Book", Tang Gaozong, who once sneered at immortality, also ordered Hu monk Lu Jia Ayi to make elixir in his later years.
"In the last years of the Xizhenguan Dynasty, the first emperor ordered the Brahmin monk Nara to sleep according to the old prescription of his own country. The Hu people have a strange technique, soliciting the secret stone of the spirit grass, and it has been made over the years. The first emperor obeyed it, but there was no effect, and when the big time came, the famous doctor didn't know what to do"
According to him, Li Shimin did die after taking the pill of the Tianzhu monk, but Hao Chujunzhenguan did not become an official in his last years, and he could not have a clear message about Li Shimin's death, and it should be mostly hearsay.
There are many emperors who are obsessed with pills, and there are five in the Tang Dynasty alone
It's just that in the "Old Tang Book" about Tang Xianzong's record, it was said that Li Shimin did eat pills and died, Tang Xianzong liked magic in his later years, and asked the minister whether the matter of immortals was credible.
But regardless of whether Li Shimin ate the pill of Hu Seng and died violently, but Li Shimin did take a lot of pills before, and did arrange for Na Luo to sleep to refine the pill, Li Shimin's recuperation of wind disease may be able to prolong his life for a few years, but taking the pill indiscriminately, after all, he still overdrew his vitality, a generation of emperors, after all, is still planted on the pill, and the head of the Li Tang royal family that likes to eat pills may be opened by Li Shimin.