Since ancient times, there has been no family affection in the royal family, and when the family affection meets the supreme imperial power, the family affection is so pale and powerless. In the 289 years of the Tang Empire, the tragedies of fratricide and roommates were staged one after another, and Li Longji, who came to power by relying on the coup, had a record of killing three sons in a row (this we will specifically talk about in future articles), but In his later years, Li Longji died under the meticulous care of his son Li Heng, which can be described as the most gentle murder. What's going on here? This also begins with the Anshi Rebellion.
In 755, An Lushan and Shi Siming, who were born as sheep thieves, really could not resist the thief's heart and launched the An Shi Rebellion in an attempt to steal the throne of the old owner Li Longji. Li Longji, emperor Xuanzong of Tang, fled to Bashu with GaoLishi, Yang Guifei, and the crown prince Li Heng, and when passing through Guanzhong, an incident was staged in which the people persuaded them to return to the crown prince. The people of Guanzhong believed that if the crown prince followed Li Longji to flee to Shudi, it would affect the hearts of the army, and the reconquest of Chang'an would be far away. The people of Guanzhong collectively knelt down and begged the prince to return, and reorganized their troops and horses to retake Chang'an. There are also historical records that the incident in which the people persuaded the prince to return was a play directed and performed by the crown prince Li Heng himself, and the purpose was to part ways with Tang Xuanzong.
Therefore, the crown princes Li Heng, Du Hongwei and others went north to Lingwu, and after arriving in Lingwu, with the support and support of the courtiers and the Shuo Fang army, the crown prince Li Heng ascended the throne as emperor on July 12, 756, regarded as Tang Suzong, changed his era name to Zhide, and honored Li Longji, who was far away in Sichuan, as emperor Taishang, and announced to the world.
On the same day, Li Heng wrote a letter to his father Li Longji, in which he explained that he was helpless to ascend the throne, and after quelling the thieves' rebellion and recovering Luoyang and Chang'an, he would definitely take the emperor back to Chang'an and return the emperor to the emperor. After reading the letter, Li Longji pondered for a moment, then said with a strong smile: "Wu'er shun tian should respond to people, why should I worry about it?" ”
Two years later, the famous general Guo Ziyi successfully recaptured Chang'an, and Emperor Suzong of Tang fulfilled his promise to take Li Longji, the Emperor Taishang, back to Chang'an. Tang Suzong Li Heng changed into a purple robe and went out of the city as a prince to greet Li Longji, and after seeing Li Longji, Li Heng took a small step forward to bow his head, while Li Longji personally draped the yellow robe prepared in advance to his son Li Heng, saying: "The Mandate of Heaven and the people belong to you, and it is your filial piety that can let me spend my old age in peace." Tang Suzong Li Heng personally led a horse for Li Longji, and Li Longji said: "I have been the Son of Heaven for fifty years, not for you, and now I am the Father of Heaven, your ear." The performance of the father and son seems to be fatherly kindness and filial piety, in fact, they are all political shows, and The legitimacy of Li Heng's ascension to the throne is insufficient, but at this time, Li Longji is more than 70 years old and has no energy to fight, only by repeatedly recognizing the legitimacy of Li Heng's ascension to the throne, Li Longji will have a peaceful and peaceful old age.
After Li Longji returned to Chang'an, he lived in the Xingqing Palace, where the grass and trees were so familiar to Li Longji, and during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods, Li Longji and his concubine Yang Yuhuan lived here for a long time. At this time, although the beauties of Jiangshan were no longer there, Li Longji was still quite happy in the company of the old minister Chen Xuanli, the old servant Gao Lishi, his sister Princess Yuzhen, and the palace maid Ru Xianyuan, who was the woman who accompanied Li Longji in his later years after Yang Yuhuan. Xingqing Palace is close to Chang'an Street City, and whenever Li Longji ascends the platform of Xingqing Palace, the people of Chang'an City see Li Longji and shout long live. This made Li Longji very happy, and he often entertained the people downstairs. Officials from other places who went to Beijing to handle affairs, passing by the Xingqing Palace, would first come to see Li Longji, the Emperor of Taishang.
Unfortunately, this kind of retirement life did not last long, tang Suzong Li Heng knew, felt that his father's prestige in the people was too high, and there were so many foreign officials to visit him, in case his father was uniting with foreign officials or was seduced by foreign officials, and then a coup d'état drove himself out of power. Li Fuguo, The eunuch of Emperor Suzong of Tang's favorite eunuch Li Heng, saw Emperor Suzong's thoughts and constantly said that Emperor Suzong of Tang would drive Emperor Taishang out of Xingqing Palace and move to Taiji Palace. Since the return of Emperor Li Longji to Chang'an, Li Fuguo was afraid that Li Longji's re-ascension to power would threaten his position, so he made things difficult for Li Longji everywhere and constantly suppressed Li Longji's close subjects. Eventually, with the acquiescence of Emperor Suzong of Tang, Li Fuguo forced Emperor Li Longji to move to taiji palace, exiled Chen Xuanli and Gao Lishi, and expelled Princess Yuzhen and palace maids such as Xianyuan from the palace.
Since then, Li Longji lost his personal freedom and was like a prisoner, perhaps out of compensation for his father, Tang Suzong Li Heng sent more than 100 young and beautiful palace girls to his father, and also sent Princess Wan'an and Princess Xianyi to take care of Li Longji's life, but Li Longji did not like these two daughters who talked a lot. Tang Suzong sent all kinds of mountain treasures and seafood from all over the country to his father Li Longji, and all kinds of mountains and treasures were piled up in the Taiji Palace, and li Longji, who was depressed, could not eat a bite, so he had to announce in the name of cultivation that he would not eat meat and fish, but only eat vegetarian food. At this time, Li Longji only wanted to die quickly.
Suzong Li Heng imprisoned his father, and tried to package himself as a filial piety, sending a hundred beautiful women, his father was 76 years old, he was no longer blessed, and sent a large amount of mountain treasures and seafood, but his father also had no appetite. The late Ming scholar Wang Fuzhi once said: "Emperor Suzong's move contains evil intentions." Li Longji's meal was getting smaller and smaller, and his health was getting worse and worse, and two years later, Li Longji died in depression under the meticulous care of his son Li Heng.
Shortly after Li Longji's death, Emperor Suzong Li Heng hugged his young daughter and teased him, and a close attendant next to him said: "When the Emperor Taishang was alive, he missed His Majesty like His Majesty loved his little daughter", Li Heng was immediately sad, tears fell like rain, and regretted that he should not have been imprisoned in his father in the first place. With a body full of guilt, Suzong Li Heng fell ill and eventually died. The death of Li Longji and Li Heng was less than 20 days apart.
From the lives of Li Longji and Li Heng's father and son, it is not difficult for us to see that family affection has always been the most brilliant color in human nature. Whether it is Li Longji, who killed three sons in one day, or Li Heng, who is always guarding against his father's comeback, in the last days of his life, he longs for the care and comfort of his relatives.