First of all, according to the historical records, Li Ke went to the fief in the 7th year of Zhenguan at the latest, but Lee Tae, who was the same age as Li Ke, not only refused to "live in the kingdom of China", but Emperor Taizong even thought about letting him "live in the Wude Hall", and was finally dissuaded by Wei Zhengli. Li Zhi has been personally raised by Emperor Taizong since the death of his eldest grandson. Even after being named as a prince, Emperor Taizong was still allowed to stay with him at the expense of blatantly violating the etiquette system, which led to Chu Suiliang, Liu Yue and others who went to Zhenguan for 18 years and 2 years respectively and begged the emperor not to leave the prince around and spoil him blindly, and let him go back to the East Palace.
Secondly, when Li Ke went to be the governor of Qizhou in the seventh year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to Li Ke, "Father and son love each other, don't you want to see each other often?" However, the family affairs are special, and it is necessary to make a screen. " It can be seen that the princes were made vassals because of the "special family and state affairs", but also for the sake of the "coveted heart" of the princes. But these grandiose words are actually more suitable for Lee Tae, who is a prince's mother and brother, than Li Ke, who is a concubine. After all, as a prince's mother and brother, Lee Tae is the biggest threat to the storage. However, in the face of "family affairs", Emperor Taizong not only refused to let Lee Tae be a vassal, but even wanted him to move into the Wude Hall. Not to mention Li Zhi, Emperor Taizong has always brought this son with him personally, never mentioning the matter of Francisco. After 16 years of Zhenguan, he even directly let him go to court to participate in politics, but it happened that Li Ke, who was not a threat, was sent to the fief.
Furthermore, if we only pay attention to this letter written by Emperor Taizong to Li Ke in the 12th year of Zhenguan, we will naturally feel that it is full of affection between father and son. However, the title of this letter is "The Book of Commandments to Wu Wangke". The admonisher means warning and warning. When Li You, the king of Qi, repeatedly made mistakes in the fief, Emperor Taizong also wrote a letter "admonishing it". Therefore, this letter is not about the feelings of missing after parting, but that Emperor Taizong wrote to warn Li Ke to stay in his fief honestly and stop running amok.
And just when Mrs. Tang told Li Ke, "If you want to keep your treasures for fun, you will be afraid of being arrogant and extravagant"-he refused to give him more property on the grounds of avoiding Li Ke becoming arrogant and extravagant. As a result, when facing Li Chenggan and Li Tai, Emperor Taizong took the opposite attitude. Emperor Taizong rewarded Li Taishi not only with "ten thousand pieces of Thai things", but also with "more things than the Crown Prince" for Lee Tae every month, and even directly lifted the restrictions on Li Chenggan's use of the treasures.
As for how Emperor Taizong would express his love for his son in his letters, let's take a look at a letter that Emperor Taizong wrote to Li Zhi when he went to Koguryo. It was simply disgusting. However, compared with the stern warning to Li Ke, perhaps this letter from Emperor Taizong to Li Zhi is more like the ordinary love between father and son.
The original text of "Two Postings":
I got the internal book twice, but I didn't see the slave's watch. Yeyeyee was afraid to die forever. When I had little time, I suddenly got the slave's handwriting, reported my wife's illness, and I was worried for a while, and I wanted to recover as if I were dead. Today is over, but when my head is angry, I will report it immediately. Yeah, yeah, if there are few diseases, they will be reported one by one. Today, I got news from Liaodong. I recorded it and sent it. I remember that slaves wanted to die. I don't know how to make it back. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
translation:
I received the documents from ouchi twice, but I still haven't seen your letters. Dad, I'm worried sick. Just now, I suddenly got your handwritten book, saying that my wife was ill, and my worries and fears suddenly disappeared, just like coming back from the dead. From now on, as long as you have a headache, write to me immediately. Dad, if I am sick, I will write to you one by one. I got news from Liaodong (battlefield) today, and I will copy it for you. You miss your young slave so much that you don't know when you can go back. That's all you have to say. Dad, please.
Finally, it is a matter that many people talk about that Emperor Taizong wants to make Li Ke, the king of Wu, a prince. Some even claim that if Emperor Taizong doesn't like Li Ke, why should he be made a prince? Then we might as well take a look at why Emperor Taizong suddenly thought of changing Li Ke into a prince.
In the 17th year of Zhenguan, it took more than half a year for Emperor Taizong to establish Li Zhi. He felt that the youngest son was only 15 years old, and he had been kept by his side without any experience. As the future heir of the empire, he was not strong enough, and he was worried that he could not control the state affairs well. After all, he was "a country dependent on a long monarch". So Emperor Taizong thought of changing the storage, and Li Ke was the only suitable candidate at that time, because look at other princes besides Li Ke:
the second son Li Kuan, the fourth son Lee Tae who died young
, the fifth son Li You who was demoted when he seized his office
, and the sixth son Li Cheng who was murdered in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan
. Under such circumstances, besides Li Ke, who is nearly 9 years older than Li Zhi, does Emperor Taizong have any other choice?
In the final analysis, Emperor Taizong wanted to establish Li Ke because other older princes except Li Ke were either demoted or killed because they seized the office, or they were really helpless. Although Li Ke had been demoted and cut off many times for stepping on crops and gambling, Emperor Taizong had no choice but Li Ke.
obviously, however, the idea that Emperor Taizong wanted to establish Li Ke was not well thought out, but a whim on impulse. Because if Emperor Taizong really thought about changing Li Ke, or if he was determined to change his storage, then Changsun Wuji would never have a chance to "fight in secret", let alone make a final decision just by his family's words. After all, this world belongs to Li, not his grandson. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, although Changsun Wuji was an excellent Stuart, as far as the government system of the Tang Dynasty was concerned, Stuart's position was just a hollow post. In the absence of real power at all, how can Changsun Wuji hold on to state affairs? Wei Zhi is dead at this time, but these ministers of Fang Xuanling Excavate are still alive, and Emperor Taizong is in the prime of life with the relieving power. How can you let Changsun Wuji, who has neither real power nor relieving power, manipulate the state affairs?
Besides, the abolition of the crown prince is a national event, and it is not a joke. If Emperor Taizong is determined to change the crown prince, he will definitely take this matter to the higher court for discussion. At worst, he will also ask several confidant ministers to discuss it together, just like when he wanted to establish Li Zhi, "discussing it with Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and Li Ji", instead of just discussing it with Changsun Wuji, who is the most unlikely to agree, or even giving it up immediately after being refuted by Changsun Wuji.
From the narrative of the official history about the change of Li Ke, it is obvious that Emperor Taizong just had such an idea on a whim, and then revealed to Changsun Wuji that Changsun Wuji opposed it. When Emperor Taizong understood it, he completely dismissed the idea. Not to mention that Changsun Wuji opposed Li Ke because he was not his nephew. In fact, it was not Changsun Wuji who really cared that Li Ke was not his son, but Emperor Taizong himself. After all, once Li Ke, an illegitimate son, was changed, it would be difficult to guarantee the future of Li Chenggan, Lee Tae and Li Zhi, which was obviously more worrying for Emperor Taizong than Changsun Wuji, because the original purpose of Emperor Taizong's establishment of Li Zhi was to save these three beloved sons:
"Tai Li, Cheng Gan and Jin Wang are all gone; Wang Li of Jin, Tai * * * can take care of it. " (Biographies of the Scholars of Taizong in the Old Tang Dynasty)
When Emperor Taizong changed to a prince, he always wavered between Lee Tae and Li Zhi, and decided to set up Li Zhi because Li Zhi was kind-hearted, even if he became emperor, it would not be bad for his two brothers. During this period, Emperor Taizong never thought that Li Ke, an unmarried but elderly woman, could be considered, and how Li Ke's position in Tang Taizong's heart was evident. Because if Li Ke still had some weight in the heart of Emperor Taizong, Emperor Taizong would definitely think of him first when he changed the crown prince, instead of waiting for half a year after everything settled, only to find that there was such an illegitimate son to consider, and it was only a short-lived idea.
As for Li Ke's being far away from the capital and having no friendship with the ministers of the DPRK, naturally no one will be willing to recommend him as a prince. In fact, it doesn't matter what the minister's wishes are, but the key still lies in the attitude of Emperor Taizong himself. Look at Li Zhi, and you will know that the Prince Li Zhi was supported by Emperor Taizong. In order to book Li Zhi, Emperor Taizong even drew his sword to commit suicide in front of the minister; After the official establishment of Li Zhi as the Prince, Emperor Taizong devoted himself to building a powerful and reliable East Palace team to assist the Prince.
"I'm so ugly. I add Stuart and Zhao Guogong, Prince Changsun Wuji, and Sikong and Liang Guogong, Prince Fang Xuanling, a teacher; Tejin, Song Guogong, Xiao Yu Prince Taibao, Ministry of War Shangshu, and British Gong Li Ji are the princes, and they are still the same as the three products in the Chinese book. " (The Chronicle of Emperor Taizong in the Old Tang Dynasty)
"Li Daliang, the general of the left guard, led the right guard, with Yu Zhining, the former Zhan Shi, and Ma Zhou, the assistant minister of the official department, and Gao Jifu, the assistant minister of the Chinese book, as the right bastard, and Zhang Xing, the assistant minister of the criminal department, as the young Zhan Shi, and Chu Suiliang as the guest." (History as a Mirror)
At the same time, Emperor Taizong knew that Li Zhi had been living in the deep palace for a long time and lacked experience, so he began to strengthen the cultivation of his ability to handle government affairs, and often took him with him to teach by example.
"Every time Emperor Taizong looked at the DPRK, he always made it on the side, judged the ordinary government, or made it participate in the discussion. Emperor Taizong counted as good." (
In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, Taizong said to his courtiers,' There was an ancient son of prenatal education, but I was overwhelmed. But since the establishment of the prince recently, there must be instructions when it comes to things. " "("Zhenguan dignitaries ")
Therefore, if Emperor Taizong really intends to change Li Ke into a prince, he can completely copy the move of changing Li Zhishi, instead of just mentioning it verbally. After being rejected, he has never seen any loss and regret, and he has never seen any guilt about Li Ke, the son who failed to change Li Ke. Even two days after he failed to make Li Ke, Emperor Taizong held it because of the birth of Li Zhi's eldest son Jong Li. Not only did he happily "dance with wine" and "die all day" at the banquet, but he also rebelled against the system that the emperor and grandson could only seal the county king and made an exception by conferring Jong Li as the prince-completely forgetting Li Ke's affairs. On the other hand, after Liu Bang's failure to establish Ruyi Zhao, he lamented that the future security of Qi Ji's mother and son could not be guaranteed, and even "was unhappy and lamentable", which not only specifically asked Zhou Chang to be a desirable prime minister, but also immediately ordered Chen Ping and others to kill Fan Kuai when he heard that Fan Kuai was going to kill Qi Ji's mother and son after one hundred years.
Li Ke, who also failed in nomination, not only failed to get any protection measures from Emperor Taizong, but was severely warned by Emperor Taizong: "If you don't obey the law, Liu Dan, the prince of the Western Han Dynasty, will be your fate. Even if you are my son, I can't save you!" Although some people think that Emperor Taizong is "protecting" Li Ke, asking him to be cautious, but Li Ke, as a prince, his life is not in his own hands but in the hands of the emperor. It is useless to just warn Li Ke to be cautious. Only by letting the future emperor Li Zhi know to be kind to Li Ke can we achieve the purpose of protecting Li Ke.
It is precisely because he understood this truth that Liu Bang, the Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, specially left a letter to Prince Liu Ying before his death, asking him to take good care of Ruyi Zhao, who had failed in his attempt in the future. When Emperor Taizong made Li Zhi a prince, he also repeatedly stressed that the reason for making Li Zhi was to keep his three sons, Li Chenggan, Lee Tae and Li Zhi. And since Emperor Taizong could think of planning for the future safety of Li Chenggan, Lee Tae and Li Zhi, why didn't he make the same arrangement for the future safety of Li Ke? If Li Ke wanted to occupy a place in the heart of Emperor Taizong, how could he be treated like this?
It's even more nonsense to say that Li Ke can't become an emperor because he has the lineage of the former dynasty. Li Ke's lineage of the two dynasties is not unprecedented. As early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were many heirs to the throne with the same lineage, such as Taizi Stone of Shi Hu, the late Zhao Dynasty, whose biological mother was Princess Anding of the former Zhao Dynasty. For example, the biological mother of Yuwen Jue, the Mindi of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, was Princess Feng Yi of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Even Yang Zhao, the prince of Emperor Yangdi's Yang Guang, is also the mother of Yang Zhao, Xiao Huanghou, the daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Xiliang.
Besides, if the lineage of the former dynasty was really a problem and taboo, why did Emperor Taizong want to make Li Ke a prince when he knew that he had the lineage of the Sui Dynasty? Why didn't Changsun Wuji use such a good reason to oppose Emperor Taizong's Li Ke? Just like after Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty wanted to establish Wu Huifei as his successor, the minister first dissuaded Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty on the grounds that the Wu family had been enemies with the royal family in Li Tang, but Li Ke didn't mention the so-called bloodline at all. Therefore, Li Ke has nothing to do with the storage position, and it has nothing to do with his biological mother Yang Fei being the daughter of Emperor Yangdi, but because Li Ke and Yang Fei are not allowed to spoil Emperor Taizong.
Some people think that Li Ke is a wise king of the Tang Dynasty because Emperor Taizong wants to change Li Ke. Even as Mao said, Li Ke must be a British thing, and Li Zhi must be a rotten thing. Emperor Taizong was ignorant when he chose Li Zhi as his successor (in fact, you can know what his vision is by looking at Mao's chosen successor). However, looking through Li Ke's life, we really can't see his achievements in literary and military affairs. In Old Tang Book, there is an introduction to Li Chenggan's ability to govern the country, that is, "Emperor Taizong lives in darkness, but he knows everything when he is in politics". For Lee Tae, he can at least know that he is "less good at literature", and he has indeed compiled a bracketed chronicle. Among other concubines, some of them are praised by local people for their excellent handling of local government affairs.
However, Li Ke is only known for his literary and military talents, which is a rather general word of praise. As for what specific deeds can show his talents, there is no word in the history books. Even Li Ke's "good riding and shooting" is just the most basic accomplishment as a military aristocrat in Guanlong. In the Tang Dynasty, even the harem talents can accompany the emperor to ride and shoot, Li Ke's "good riding and shooting" has no military merit or outstanding deeds to prove.
Li Ke's so-called literary talent is even more so. Even the most common calligraphy expertise among members of Li Tang's royal family is not recorded, while Li Yuanchang, the Hanwang who was also condemned for rebellion, is famous for his calligraphy, painting and shooting.
yuan gui, the Book House: "Yuan Chang, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, was alert, courageous, riding and shooting, quite involved in literature and history, and was also able to run official books."
Records of Famous Paintings in the Tang Dynasty: "Yuan Chang of Hanwang was good at drawing horses, and his brushwork was wonderful, and no one has seen him since. Painting eagle storks and pheasant rabbits is seen in the world, and the good hand sighs. "
"The Book of Dharma": "Hanwang was happy with his book when he was a child. Inherit, offer, and obey the law. "
"Notes on Famous Paintings of Past Dynasties": "The posture of heaven and man, which is full of comprehensive skills, is quite charming. Natural transcendence, deep worship of the pavilion, rare relics. Above the top grade. "
A handsome prince who specializes in classics, is good at music, paints exquisitely, shoots and hunts like a god, and stands tall and straight in the eyes of future generations. In contrast, Li Ke's talent is not reflected in history books or epitaphs.
Therefore, it is a bit arbitrary to judge Li Ke's virtue just because of a sentence by Emperor Taizong. After all, Emperor Taizong just felt that Li Zhi was benevolent.