Preface
Li Shimin, an emperor known as "Tang Taizong", his words and deeds affect the fate of the entire Tang Dynasty. However, his decision to change Li Ke as the crown prince led to an unexpected tragedy.
The eldest grandson, Wuji, as Li Shimin's right-hand man, strongly opposed this decision. However, contrary to his wishes, Li Ke came to an unfortunate end in this struggle for power.
Li Shimin's mistake in thinking actually brought about this tragedy, and whether the eldest grandson Wuji had his own unknown sufferings? All these will be revealed in the records of this period of history.
I. The Prince's Dispute
In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643 AD), the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, was faced with a thorny problem: his eldest son Li Chengqian was deposed for rebellion, and his second son Li Tai was also excluded because of his succession. Seeing that there was no one to inherit Jiangshan Sheji, Li Shimin had to set his sights on his third son Li Zhi.
Li Zhi is gentle by nature, humble and polite, and is deeply loved by Li Shimin. However, Li Shimin was also worried that Li Zhi was too benevolent and difficult to protect the country. So, he secretly expressed his concerns to the minister Sun Wuji: "The public advises me to establish pheasant power, pheasant slave cowardice, I am afraid that I will not be able to guard the society, but what! Wu Wang Keying fruit is like me, I want to establish it, what is it?"
The eldest grandson Wuji was taken aback when he heard this. He understood that if Li Shimin really changed his concubine Li Ke to the crown prince, it would be an unprecedented change. According to tradition, the eldest son is the legitimate heir, and the concubine has no right to take the heir. What's more, although Li Ke is heroic, he inevitably has some arrogant personality.
As Li Shimin's cronies, the eldest grandson Wuji naturally does not want to see this happen. So, he objected without hesitation: "The prince is benevolent, and he really abides by the good lord; How can it be easy to count the number of subordinates? May Your Majesty think about it carefully. "
Eldest Sun Wuji's words revealed a firm determination. He clearly knew that if Li Shimin really changed Li Ke as the crown prince, it would not only arouse strong opposition from the government and the opposition, but also lead to a split within the royal family.
After all, although Li Zhi is benevolent, he is also Li Shimin's most trusted prince, and his position is deeply rooted in the government and the opposition. Once it is deposed, it will inevitably lead to a bloody struggle for power.
As Li Shimin's confidant minister, the eldest grandson Wuji naturally did not want to see this situation happen. He knew very well that only by maintaining Li Zhi's status as the crown prince could the stability of the Tang Dynasty's regime be guaranteed. Therefore, he stood up without hesitation against Li Shimin's reform plan.
Li Shimin listened to the persuasion of the eldest grandson Wuji and finally gave up. In this way, Li Zhi was successfully made the crown prince, and Li Ke's dream of becoming a prince was shattered. This decision not only strengthened Lee's position, but also avoided a power struggle that could lead to a split in the royal family.
Second, Yonghui party struggle
Time flies, and ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. Li Shimin died, and Li Zhi succeeded him as Tang Gaozong. During his reign, Gojong has always behaved mildly and elegantly, and has won the support of the people. However, between the government and the opposition, there is an undercurrent surging, and party strife continues.
In the third year of Yonghui (652 AD), a housework caused a bloody storm. Gaozong's half-sister Princess Gaoyang had a family property dispute with her husband Fang Yiai, and the two sides came and went, and finally broke up. Princess Gaoyang was annoyed, and even framed Fang Yi's beloved brother Fang Yizhi for being "rude" to her.
Gaozong attached great importance to this matter and ordered the eldest grandson Wuji to investigate the case thoroughly. The eldest grandson Wuji is a human spirit, and soon discovered a shocking conspiracy: it turned out that Princess Gaoyang, Fang Yiai, Fang Zhizhi and others had long conspired to depose Gaozong and set up Li Yuanjing, the king of Jing, as the emperor!
This discovery shocked Gojong. As an emperor, he naturally could not tolerate anyone's rebellion. But at the same time, he couldn't bear to order the execution of his own sister and brother. This ambivalent mood puts him in a dilemma.
In the end, at the strong request of the eldest grandson Wuji and other ministers, Gaozong still ordered Li Yuanjing, Princess Gaoyang and others to be executed. But in carrying out this order, he could not help but shed tears of sadness.
As soon as the news was verified by the eldest grandson Wuji, he quickly expanded the scope of the investigation, intending to wipe out all the anti-thieves in one go. Soon, Li Ke, the king of Wu, Li Su, the king of Shu, Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia, and others were also implicated.
This series of purges dealt a heavy blow to the Tang dynasty's clan. Many princes and nobles were executed or exiled one after another, and the foundation of the Tang Dynasty's rule was seriously shaken. Before he died, Li Ke's eyes widened with anger and scolded the eldest grandson Wuji for "stealing authority and harming goodness".
His words were like a heavy hammer, hitting the heart of the eldest grandson Wuji fiercely. This once majestic minister couldn't help but feel guilty and guilty at this moment. Was he trying to maintain the stability of the imperial court, or was he doing whatever it took for his own desire for power? The question has always plagued his heart.
3. False accusations and suicide
The Yonghui party struggle brought heavy trauma to the Tang Dynasty, and the vitality of the clan was greatly damaged. However, greater changes are yet to come. In the fourth year of Xianqing (659 AD), a small man named Xu Jingzong began his conspiracy. He first persuaded Wu Zetian to frame the eldest grandson Wuji for "showing signs of rebellion", and then instigated Gaozong to demote the eldest grandson Wuji.
The key reason why Xu Jingzong was able to manipulate Wu Zetian and Gaozong so easily was that he had some key information. It is said that he found that the eldest grandson Wuji had obstructed Gaozong from "abolishing the king and establishing martial arts", which undoubtedly violated Wu Zetian's bottom line. So, he used this to provoke the relationship between the two, trying to get rid of the eldest grandson Wuji, a big trouble.
Gaozong had always trusted his eldest grandson, Wuji, so he was skeptical of this accusation. Although he stripped the eldest grandson of Wuji's official position, he did not punish him, but exiled him to Qianzhou for further investigation.
This decision also made the eldest grandson Wuji feel very aggrieved. As Li Shimin's confidant, he spent his life fighting for the stability of the Tang Dynasty, but eventually became the target of false accusations. At this time, his heart must be full of anger and despair.
However, Gaozong never expected that this decision would bring disaster to the eldest grandson Wuji. In Qianzhou, the eldest grandson Wuji was tortured and humiliated, and finally had to hang himself under the persecution of Yuan Gongyu, a scholar of the Zhongshu House.
When Gaozong heard the news, he was shocked and wept bitterly. He originally wanted to protect the eldest grandson Wuji's family, but unexpectedly harmed the old minister. In order to punish Yuan Gongyu and others, Gaozong ordered them to be sentenced to death.
This chain of events undoubtedly cast a shadow over Gojong's rule. As a moderate monarch, he didn't want to see such a thing happen. However, in the whirlpool of power struggles, he also could not fully control the situation and eventually had to make some decisions against his will.
epilogue
The eldest grandson Wuji had a brilliant life, but he was also bewitched by power. In order to maintain his position in the government and the opposition, he did not hesitate to frame Li Ke and others, but in the end he could not escape the fate of being framed. All this shows the horror of power: it can make people lose their minds and do all kinds of things out of line.
We must be wary of the temptation of power and keep a clear head at all times. Only in this way can we avoid repeating the mistakes of the eldest grandson Wuji and avoid the temptation of power. Let us collectively cherish the power in our hands and use it for the benefit of the people, not for the harm of others.