Although we were born in the new era when the feudal system has long since perished, we have not seen the sons of the royal family fighting for the throne. Few costume dramas set in court are willing to abandon this classic conflict. However, in history, there is a strange emperor who has survived the position of prince for nearly 26 years, but after succeeding to the throne, he quickly took the initiative to take the throne. Not only did it "go back to the pre-liberation period", but it also left a shocking unsolved case.
First, the old prince and the new life
In the spring of the fourteenth year (779) of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Dezong decided to make the eldest son born to Empress Zhaode crown prince. Li Shu is the lucky one who is destined to be. Emperor Dezong had a total of 11 sons, including two adopted sons from the clan. However, the sons either died early or did nothing, and in the end, only Li Xuan could justifiably become the crown prince. Therefore, as early as before he was crowned, Li Xu was established as the prince of the Tang Dynasty, only one step away from reaching the peak of his life.
However, what Li Xuan did not expect was that it would take nearly 26 years for him to take this step to reach. Established as heir, Li Was involved in politics early. In his infancy, the future Tang Dynasty Tianzi was forced to see through the treachery of the courtiers and the chaos of the government. Therefore, he gradually had the idea of reforming the government and government, and gathered the main forces of future reform in the East Palace, such as Wang Shuwen and Wei Zhiyi. Later, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Liu Yuxi, who were famous in history, also entered the Eastern Palace through the introduction of Wang Shuwen and others.
As far as Li Tang was concerned, it should be regarded as a good thing that the crown prince had ambitions and deeds. However, as Emperor Dezong grew older, he actually went farther and farther on the road of "pro-villain and far-reaching virtuous subjects", until he regarded his own son, who was personally established as the crown prince, as a thorn in his eye. In the third year of Zhenyuan (787), Tang Suzong's daughter, Tang Dezong's aunt, and Li Xie's mother-in-law, Princess Gao Guochang, were imprisoned for adultery, and Li Xuan was also implicated as a son-in-law. At that time, Emperor Dezong was suspicious of Li Yi, and suddenly there was a case of Princess Gao Guo, and Li Xuan was almost replaced by his younger brother Li Yi. (Li Yi was the adopted son of Emperor Dezong, and his biological father was Li Mi (李邈), the Prince of Zhaojing.) ）
The Old Book of Tang and the Biography of Wei Qumu also contains that Emperor Dezong also wanted to plant his own eyeliner in the Eastern Palace. But because what Dezong trusted were all infamous people, such as Pei Yanling and Li Shi. Therefore, even if Emperor Dezong had already sent people under Li Xuan's eyes, Li Xuan would have a hard time accepting them, and these people would not be able to send back to Emperor Dezong what could threaten the crown prince. But this unwarranted "fighting method" continued for nearly 26 years, until Emperor Dezong died and Li Xuan successfully succeeded to the throne as Emperor Shunzong of Tang.
Second, the short career of the emperor and the deep contradiction between the government and the opposition
Although it was Tang Shunzong, Li Shu's road to becoming emperor was not smooth. Immediately after succeeding to the throne, Emperor Shunzong began long-planned reforms with the intention of reversing the chaos of eunuch interference in the government. Wang Shuwen was promoted to Hanlin scholar and Zhongshu Sheren, and appointed as the deputy envoy of Duzhi Yantie to manage finances, and Wei Zhiyi was also reused as chancellor, Liu Zongyuan, and Liu Yuxi. However, with the advancement of reform, Shunzong first had a disagreement with his confidant Wang Shuwen.
The reforms carried out by Wang Shuwen were indiscriminate suppression of eunuchs. However, on the one hand, Shunzong was dissatisfied with the eunuchs with monopoly power, but on the other hand, he trusted the eunuchs around him, such as Li Zhongyan. Therefore, as Wang Shuwen suppressed the eunuchs and thus strengthened his own power, Shunzong's discord with him continued to intensify until it evolved into Wang Shuwen's monopoly and confronted Shunzong's imperial power.
Later, the relationship between Wang Shuwen and Shunzong was completely broken because of Li Chu. By the time Emperor Shunzong ascended the throne, his prestigious eldest son, Li Chun, had reached the age of twenty-seven, and it was almost a matter of course that he would be made the reserve. However, Wang Shuwen was afraid that the emergence of a crown prince would divide his own power, so he vigorously obstructed Emperor Shunzong's establishment of the crown prince, and even sent someone to supervise Li Chun. This allowed Shunzong not only to speed up the establishment of the crown prince, but also to exclude Wang Shuwen from the Eastern Palace.
Wang Shuwen's strength is actually Shunzong's trust in the final analysis. As Shunzong alienated him, his power naturally dissipated, and the reformist faction with Wang Shuwen as the core gradually disintegrated. However, the opposition that had fought with the reformists then seized this opportunity, and Shunzong, who had lost the strong or even the only supporter of the reformers, could not compete with this, and the shocking Zen position appeared.
3. The end of life and the death of Emperor Xianzong
In March of the first year of Yongzhen (805), the eunuch Ju Wenzhen and others single-handedly handled the matter of making Li Chun crown prince. In July, Ju Wenzhen and others, in the name of the disgraced Shunzong, issued an edict that Li Chun, the crown prince, would preside over state affairs, basically nullifying Shunzong's power. Therefore, only a month later, that is, a total of 186 days after succeeding to the throne, Shunzong reluctantly chose the Throne of Zen to Li Chun and proclaimed himself Emperor Taishang.
In the first month of the first year (806) of Tang Xianzong's reign, Tang Shunzong died at the age of forty-six. Because the day before his death, Emperor Xianzong announced that Shunzong was seriously ill, so there was a theory that Shunzong had suffered a murder of Jun. However, on the matter of Li Chu, Shunzong was on Li Chun's side. And Li Chun is also a good son who is filial piety and loyalty. Therefore, if Li Chun and the eunuchs hurt Shunzong, who had abdicated, then Li Chun's pass was unconvincing. Moreover, the one who had a direct conflict with the eunuch was Wang Shuwen. Wang Shuwen was the one who was expelled and killed by Emperor Shunzong, Emperor Xianzong, and the eunuchs. The great contradiction had been eliminated, and Xianzong had no reason to continue to act on his father.
Therefore, although Shunzong's succession lasted a little longer, and although the Zen position occurred suddenly, his ending may really be predestined, without too many human factors. Otherwise, Han Yu might not have personally composed the Shunzong Shilu for him, making him the only emperor in the Tang Dynasty who left a complete record.