Among the Chinese dynasties, the Tang Dynasty was a prosperous era and a dynasty that could not be bypassed. Emperor Mingxianzong's evaluation of the Tang Dynasty is as follows:
"Three generations later, the merits of governance were flourished in Tang, and during the three hundred years of Tang, Mo Ruozhenguan was prosperous."
The rule of Zhenguan refers to the prosperity that occurred in the early years of the Tang Dynasty during the reign of Tang Taizong Li Shimin.
Emperor Taizong of Tang (28 January 598 – 10 July 649 CE), originally from Chengji, Longxi, was the second son of Li Yuan and Empress Dou of Tang Gaozu, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and an outstanding politician, strategist, military strategist, and poet.
Li Shimin had courage and strategy, and made great military achievements for the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. However, although Li Shimin has made outstanding contributions, the prince is his brother Li Jiancheng, who makes him the second eldest!
In order to become emperor, Li Shimin had to use other violent means. And the crown prince Li Jiancheng also regarded the second brother Li Shimin as the most powerful opponent, and had the practice of eliminating it quickly.
Later, in the contest between their brothers, in the dispute between the crown princes, Li Shimin launched the Xuanwumen Rebellion, removing the crown prince Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi, forcing Li Yuan to abdicate the throne and make himself emperor.
As emperor, Li Shimin may better understand the pain in his father Li Yuan's heart after he launched the Xuanwumen Rebellion, killing his brother and brother, as well as 10 nephews.
Li Shimin had 14 sons, and when he was made crown prince, he was also decent, and according to the patriarchal law, he was the eldest son, Li Chengqian. Li Chengqian had a leg disease and was a little lame when walking. After a long time on the throne of the prince, he began to have problems with his body. Or rather, because he was a prince, his faults were magnified. In real life, Li Shimin's favorite sons are the third li ke and the fourth li tai.
Crown Prince Li Chengqian: Empress Dowager Changsun; Li Kuan, King of Chu: Zao Xue; Li Ke, King of Wu: Concubine Yang, Mother of Emperor Sui' daughter Yang Concubine; Li Tai of Wei: Empress Dowager Changsun; Li You, King of Qi: Mother Yin Concubine; Li Yan of Shu: Mother Sui Emperor Yang Concubine; Jiang Wang Li Yun: Mother Yang Wang; Yue Wang Li Zhen: Mother Yan DeFei; Tang Gaozong Li Zhi: Mother Empress Dowager Sun; Ji Wang Li Shen: Mother Wei Guifei; Jiang Hu: Mother Yan Defei; Acting King Li Jian: Mother Unknown; Zhao Wang Li Fu: Mother Yang Guifei; Cao Wang Li Ming: Mother Nest Thorn Princess.
In the era when the mother decided whether to inherit the throne, the eldest son Li Chengqian, the fourth son Li Tai the Prince of Wei, and the ninth son Li Zhi, who was a brother and sister, were all born to the eldest grandson Empress. In this way, this brother is destined to be higher than the identity of other brothers.
Li Chengqian, on the other hand, took full advantage of it, being the eldest son and the eldest son, so he was made crown prince at a very young age. But because he was a prince, he also became an obstacle in the eyes of others. Especially the younger brothers who want to compete for the throne.
We all know that Li Shimin finally passed the throne to the ninth son, Li Zhi. This son who seems to be a little cowardly and has a kind personality. The reason why Li Shimin passed the throne to Li Zhi was because the crown prince Li Chengqian and the third son Li Tai were both defeated in the process of competing for the throne, and Li Shimin wanted to keep these two sons, and he felt that only the ninth son, Li Zhi, could do this.
Li Chengqian was born in 619 and died in 645 at the age of 26. Li Shimin's performance after becoming crown prince was very disappointing to Li Shimin, who was disobedient to the yang, disrespected the division commander, adopted a male favorite, tried to assassinate his younger brother Li Tai, and attempted to seize the throne, following the example of his father Li Shimin.
Li Chengqian and Li Tai were at odds with each other, and the root was still on Li Shimin. Li Shimin made Li Chengqian crown prince, but showed a special liking for Li Tai, and even if he didn't see Li Tai for a day, he felt unable to live. In this way, Li Tai has an idea, and also lets the people around Li Tai have an idea. This eventually led to the fact that Li Chengqian and Li Tai's crown prince were in dispute.
Li Shimin's third son, Li Ke, was born in 619 and died in 653. Li Ke's biological mother was Princess Yang, the daughter of the Sui Emperor, Li Ke was intelligent, bold in doing things, very similar to Li Shimin in personality and ability, and was deeply favored by Li Shimin.
In 643, in the case of rebellion between the crown princes Li Chengqian and Li Tai, Li Chengqian was deposed and Li Tai was imprisoned. As the elder brother of Empress Eldest Sun, Eldest Sun Wuji strongly recommended Empress Eldest Empress Changsun's youngest son, Li Zhi, Li Shimin's ninth son, to become crown prince.
But later, Li Shimin felt that Li Zhiren, the King of Jin, was weak, so he said to his eldest son Wujie:
"You persuaded me to make Li Zhi the crown prince, but the slave was cowardly and weak, and I was afraid that I would not be able to defend the country. Wu Wang Li Keying Wu Guo Dare is very similar to me, I want to make him the crown prince, how? The eldest grandson Wuji said: "The prince is kind and generous, and is a monarch who can be kept; the position of the prince is so important, how can it be changed at will?" I hope Your Majesty is thoughtful. Emperor Taizong dispelled his thoughts.
From then on, the eldest son Wuji felt that Li Ke might be a stumbling block for his nephew Li Zhi to ascend to the throne, so he thought of ways to put Li Ke to death.
At the beginning of the fourth year of Yonghui (653), because Princess Gaoyang sued Fang Zhizhi for being unreasonable to herself, it triggered the largest political injustice case in the early Tang Dynasty.
The eldest son Wuji therefore falsely accused Li Ke of rebellion, causing him to be unjustly accused to death. Li Ke's epitaph records: "On the second day of The first month of February in the fourth year of Yonghui, Li Ke was hanged within the prohibition of Chang'an Palace, at the age of about thirty-four. ”
Li Ke was wrongfully killed, and he knew that he had been framed by the eldest grandson Wujie. Unwillingly, he cursed the eldest son wujie before his death, and cursed the eldest grandson wujie, "The eldest grandson unscrupulously snuck authority, framed the good, the ancestor has a spirit, and will let his clan perish." This means that the eldest grandson framed the virtuous and virtuous, hoping that the ancestors would appear and make the eldest grandson exterminate the clan.
Later, Li Zhi was indeed as his father Li Shimin expected, very weak, and the imperial power was in the hands of Wu Zetian. Later, the eldest son Wuji did not support Li Zhili wu Zetian as empress, and Wu Zetian resented the eldest son Wujie.
In 659, the eldest grandson was falsely exiled and hanged himself. At the same time, the eldest grandson's family property was confiscated, and his sons and relatives were exiled to Lingnan. And Li Ke's crime of treason was finally cleared, and he knew it under the spring, and it was time to look at it.
(Text/History Talk Jun, Yi Jiang Yue)