Li Chengqian, King of Hengshan:
The mother’s eldest grandson, Queen, was the most favored and most valued son of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
When Li Chengqian was 3 years old, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty asked Changsun Jiaqing, the nephew of Queen Changsun, to be his attendant. When Chengqian was 5 years old, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty appointed Lu Deming and Kong Yingda, two eighteenth-year-olds of the Qin Palace. The bachelor taught his son Confucian classics. Not long after Tang Taizong ascended the throne, he established Li Chengqian, who was only 8 years old, as the crown prince. From the 4th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty began to let Li Chengqian handle the general affairs of the court, and take on the important task of supervising the country when he was in mourning or leaving Beijing. Li Chengqian was "very knowledgeable" and "very capable of listening", but he did this at a young age. Quite outstanding.
After Li Chengqian fell ill, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who did not believe in Buddhism or Taoism, issued an order to invite the eminent Indian monk Bopo and the Taoist priest Qin Ying to pray for his beloved son. After Cheng Qian recovered from his illness, Taizong was overjoyed and gave Popo sixty pieces of silk and ten uniforms. He also summoned 3,000 people to become monks, and specially built Xihua Temple and Puguang Temple, and also restored the prisoners in prison. The prisoner reduced his crime and prayed for his blessing.
In order to prevent his son from working too hard, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty specifically allowed Cheng Qian not to study much, but to just comment on ancient affairs with Kong Yingda. However, Li Chengqian did not take the opportunity to indulge himself. Instead, he showed his outstanding ability in governing the country. Once Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty asked him to try to write down a strategy for governing the country. As a result, he quickly filled three pages with very interesting content. It was valuable. After seeing it, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty showed off to his courtiers very proudly and said: "Let's talk about punishment and prison first, which is the key to the state."
In the 8th year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian added Yuanfu, Tang Therefore, Emperor Taizong pardoned all crimes below the death penalty, and granted sons with grades above five as their fathers, who were then given a first-level title. He held a royal banquet for three days, and held a banquet for all ministers, each with different gifts of silk. In the 9th year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian married Su, the eldest daughter of his secretary Su Dan, as the crown prince. For this reason, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty held a banquet for all ministers and gave them different gifts of silk. The all-night banquet was even remonstrated by Chu Suiliang. In the 12th year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian's eldest son Li Xiang was born. Because of the joy of the birth of his grandson, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty decreed that all prisoners in the world should be punished by one degree. If the internal and external officials were of fifth rank or above, the son would be the father and the latter would be awarded one honorary officer. On the fifth day of the world's great banquet, a banquet of five or more people was held in the East Palace.
In the 13th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty established the Prince Academy-Chongwen Pavilion in the East Palace for Li Chengqian. There was no taboo that Chengqian might take this opportunity to cultivate private forces that threatened the emperor's status. In the 15th year of Zhenguan, in order to consolidate the position of the crown prince who succeeded Qian, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered all the legitimate sons of officials of third rank and above to serve in the East Palace to ensure that the important officials in the court would fully support the crown prince. In the 16th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict ordering the crown prince to have no upper limit on the use of treasury items. But at this time, as Li Chengqian got older and suffered from foot disease, he began to become rebellious. Just because he was dissatisfied with his father, he dared to be so willful and bold that he would not go to court for several months in a row. Not only did Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty not only do this There was no accusation or criticism, and Wei Zheng was specifically appointed as the crown prince's master, intending to tell everyone that he would never depose the crown prince.
Even if Li Chengqian later committed such a heinous crime as treason, Tang Taizong was unwilling to kill his son, and no one in the court dared to say that the prince should be executed for treason. In the end, Tongshiren came to Ji Jin and said: "Your Majesty is indeed a loving father. It will be a good thing for the prince to live out his life." This was what Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty wanted. In the end, all the accomplices in the rebellion were sentenced to death. The main culprit, Li Chengqian, saved his life and was only demoted to a commoner. As a result, Lai Ji gained the attention of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and his official positions were continuously promoted. Soon he was appointed as the Examiner Wai Lang, and the next year he was promoted to Zhongshu Sheren, and co-authored the "Book of Jin" with Linghu Defen and others. .
Although Li Chengqian was deposed, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty considered the future safety of his son when establishing a new prince. "Everyone is fine", he decisively appointed the young but gentle Li Zhi as the prince. The purpose was to be able to protect his three beloved sons Cheng Qian, Li Tai and Li Zhi at the same time.
In December of the 18th year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian died of illness. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty abolished the court for him and buried him with state rites. In the 27th year of the founding of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shizhi, the direct grandson of Li Chengqian, served as the left prime minister of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Li Shizhi was deposed because of his grandfather's rebellion, and his father Li Xiang was deposed by Empress Wu. There were no funeral arrangements, so Shangshu requested that he be buried in Zhaoling. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty then issued an edict to posthumously grant Li Chengqian the title of King of Hengshan and Governor of Jingzhou, with the posthumous title of Min, and was buried with him in Zhaoling. He also posthumously presented Li Shizhi's father, Li Xiang, as the Governor of Yuezhou and Duke of Xi, his uncle Li Jue, and his late brother Li Ding. Others also "also have praises and gifts", "commendations and collections of books and articles, which illuminate the city, and are used as a guide and sigh when walking on the road."
Decades later, Li Chengqian finally returned to his parents. Since then, he has been buried in Zhaoling, always by his parents' side, and will never be separated again.
Li Ke, King of Yulin:
The biological mother, Concubine Yang, was the worst-treated among the 14 sons of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
Not only did Li Ke have no favors in his life, but he also made minor mistakes such as trampling on crops and gambling. He was stripped of his title of governor twice in a row and his real title***. Of the 600 households, only 200 households are sealed. Li Ke was scolded by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty for this, and was even compared to King Yan Liu Dan (the son of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who was disgusted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty because he could not keep his peace). The mistakes Li Ke made and the punishment he received are all recorded in history books and Li Ke's own epitaph, and they corroborate each other.
In May of the second year of Zhenguan, Li Ke and Li Tai were granted the title of Governor at the same time. Li Ke was granted the title of Governor of Yizhou, with only 8 states under his title, while Li Tai was appointed the Governor of Yangzhou and the Governor of Yuezhou, with as many as 22 territories. state. Moreover, Li Ke was only awarded the title of Governor, while Li Tai was the Grand Governor ("Tang Huiyao" records that the Grand Governor's Mansion in Yizhou changed the word "big" on February 20th of the second year of Zhenguan until Long Shuo, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty) It was only upgraded from the Dudu's Palace to the Grand Dudu's Palace in 2 years), so although Li Ke and Li Tai were granted the title at the same time, Li Ke not only had a smaller Dudu's Palace than Li Tai's Grand Dudu's Palace, but his fiefdom was even smaller than that of Li Tai. Two thirds.
When Li Ke went to his fiefdom in the 7th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to him: "The love between father and son, don't you want to see each other often? But the family and the country are special, so we must go out to serve as a vassal." It can be seen that the reason why the kings were granted vassal status was because of "different family and national affairs" and to eliminate the "covetousness" of the princes. However, these high-sounding words are actually more suitable for Li Tai, who is the prince's brother-in-law, rather than a concubine. Li Ke, after all, as the crown prince's brother and mother, Li Tai poses the greatest threat to the throne. However, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had selfish motives in the face of "different family and national affairs". Not only did he not allow Li Taizhi to become a vassal, he even wanted him to move into the Wude Palace. Not to mention Li Zhi, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had always taken care of his son personally. He was raised by his side and never mentioned anything about his vassal. In the 16th year of Zhenguan, he even let him go to court to participate in politics, but he sent Li Ke, who was not a threat, to the fiefdom.
Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once wrote a letter to Li Ke, which included the sentence "You are at your knees, why are you so sad? If I want to leave you treasures, I may be arrogant and extravagant." However, in the Tang Dynasty Tai said to Li Ke, "I want to leave you treasures, but I'm afraid it will lead to arrogance and extravagance" - when she refused to give him more property to prevent Li Ke from becoming arrogant and extravagant, she turned around to face Li Chengqian and Li Tai. Opposite attitude. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty rewarded Li Tai, he not only "gifted him thousands of things", but also gave Li Tai "more things than the crown prince" every month. He even directly lifted the restrictions on Li Chengqian's use of treasury items.
Historians say that Li Ke had both literary and military talents, but being good at riding and shooting was just the most basic quality for a Guanlong military noble. In the Tang Dynasty, even talented people from the harem could accompany the emperor on riding and shooting. , Although Li Ke is good at riding and shooting, he has no military merit or outstanding deeds to prove it. There is also no record of Li Ke's literary talent. Other princes have records of specific calligraphy works and how many works they are good at. However, Li Ke's "literary talent" does not even have the most common calligraphy specialty among the members of the Li Tang royal family. The Han king Li Yuanchang, who was also executed for treason, was famous in various history books for his calligraphy, painting, and hunting.
"Cefu Yuangui": "Yuanchang, the king of Han Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty, was the son of Emperor Gao. He was alert by nature, courageous, skilled in riding, riding and shooting. He was involved in literature and history, and was also able to write official scripts."
《 "Book of Famous Paintings of the Tang Dynasty": "Yuan Chang, the king of the Han Dynasty, was good at painting horses, and his strokes were so wonderful that no one has seen them since. He painted eagles, falcons, pheasants and rabbits when he saw them in the world, and he was so good at painting."
"Dharma" "Shu Yaolu": "The king of Han was very proud of his calligraphy in his childhood. He has inherited Xi and Xian for a long time and abided by the law."
"Records of Famous Paintings of the Past Dynasties": "The posture of heaven and man, the comprehensive skills of art, and the Charm. Natural and transcendent, Jie Guan deeply admires, and the relics are rare above the second grade."
A versatile and handsome prince who specializes in classics, is good at music, and is an expert in hunting. It stands out vividly in the minds of future generations. In contrast, Li Ke's talent is not reflected at all in history books or epitaphs.
Although Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once had the idea of ????making Li Ke the crown prince, this matter was not raised until more than seven months after Li Zhi was made the crown prince. , and Tang Taizong only told Changsun Wuji, who was least likely to agree. After being refuted, not only did he never mention the matter again, he even took no protective measures against Li Ke, who was unsuccessful in the nomination.
Some people try to attribute the reason why Li Ke cannot become emperor to the fact that he has the blood of the previous dynasty, but this statement is completely nonsense. After all, Li Ke’s blood from the two dynasties is not unprecedented. There is no such thing as a successor to the throne. There are many heirs to the throne from the two dynasties in history. For example, the biological mother of Prince Shi Shi of the later Zhao Shihu was Princess Anding of the former Zhao; for example, the biological mother of Emperor Min Yuwenjue of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was Princess Fengyi of the Northern Wei Dynasty; even the prince Yang Zhao of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was from the same lineage of the two dynasties - Yang Zhao's Her biological mother, Queen Xiao, was the daughter of Xiao Kui, Emperor Xiaoming of the Western Liang Dynasty.
Besides, if the blood of the previous dynasty is really a problem and a taboo, then why did Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty want to make Li Ke the prince when he knew that he had the blood of the Sui Dynasty? Why didn't Changsun Wuji use this reason to oppose Emperor Taizong's appointment of Li Ke? Therefore, Li Ke was not destined to be the reserve, and it had nothing to do with the fact that his biological mother, Concubine Yang, was the daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. It was because neither Li Ke nor Concubine Yang was favored by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
In the first year of Yonghui, Li Ke, as the eldest son of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, was granted the title of Sangong by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty together with the eldest son of Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, King Jing Li Yuanjing. In the fourth year of Yonghui, he and Li Yuanjing were killed for rebellion.
When Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty vigorously pursued the title of Li Tang clan, he posthumously awarded Li Ke the title of Sikong. As for whether Li Ke restored the title of prince of the first rank, the "Old Book of Tang" does not record it, and the "New Book of Tang" does the same. There is no record, and because Li Yuanjing and others who conspired together have clear records of being "reinstated", but Li Ke is not mentioned at all, so when Ouyang Xiu mentioned Li Ke in "New Book of Tang", he only called him " "Yulin Wang Ke" instead of "Wu Wang Ke".
Pu Wang Li Tai:
The mother's eldest grandson, Queen, was the most favored son of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Various favored deeds abound in history books.
In the third year of Wude, Li Tai was named King of Yidu as soon as he was born, and the following year he was granted the title of King Wei and Shangzhu Kingdom. In the 2nd year of Zhenguan, Li Tai was granted the title of King of Yue, and was granted the titles of Grand Governor of Yangzhou and Governor of Yuezhou, with 22 states enfeoffed. In addition to the title of governor, Li Tai was also the general of Yongzhou Mu and Zuo Wuhou (this was Li Tai's unique special favor during the Zhenguan period. Apart from Li Tai, only Li Zhi had such treatment - except for Li Zhi's title of governor In addition to his title, he is also the General Youwuhou).
In the 7th year of Zhenguan, Li Ke, who was the same age as Li Tai, went to the fiefdom as usual. However, Emperor Taizong not only refused to let Li Tai go to the fiefdom for a long time, but even issued an edict to let Li Tai move into Wude Hall. Wei Zheng remonstrated and stopped. However, the various extraordinary actions that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty made because of his love for his son did not stop because of the strong advice of the ministers.
Once Li Tai complained to his father that the ministers of the third rank and above in the court did not respect him enough. As a result, when Emperor Taizong heard that his beloved son had been wronged, he was so furious that he immediately killed him without saying a word. The ministers summoned him into the palace and questioned him sternly. Fang Xuanling and others were so frightened that they did not dare to speak. Only Wei Zheng held his neck and argued hard. In the end, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty admitted that he had forgotten his official duties because of his personal love for Li Tai. However, afterwards, his love for the green bird was still the same, and the ministers were helpless.
According to historical records, Li Tai had a "big waist and abdomen." However, when Emperor Taizong saw his son's chubby appearance, he was not worried that being too fat would affect his figure, but that his son was so round. It must be very hard to go to the court to worship, so he was specially allowed to ride in a small sedan to the court out of distress. And because Li Tai loved literature, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty specially ordered a literature museum to be established in the palace of the Prince of Wei, allowing him to recruit bachelors. As for the famous Furong Garden and the mansion occupying one square of Huixunfang in Luoyang, the eastern capital, they were all given to his precious son by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The Weiwang Pond and Weiwang Causeway built by Li Tai in the capital of Luoyang were also given to them because of this. Famous throughout the world.
In the 14th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty personally visited Li Tai's residence in Yankangfang, Chang'an, and therefore pardoned the criminals in Yongzhou and Chang'an who were guilty of less than capital crimes, and exempted the people of Yankangfang from one year's rent. , and also rewarded many things to the officials of the Wei Palace and the old people who lived in the same house. Speaking of Li Tai's mansion, Cen Wenwen was admonished by Cen Wenwen for the renovation of the mansion long before he officially moved in.
Tang Taizong still praised and rewarded Cen Wenwen for his superior work, but he did not see any displeasure or restraint on Li Tai's behavior.
In the 15th year of Zhenguan, the "Kuo Di Zhi" edited by Li Tai was completed. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was very happy. As if he had obtained a treasure, he not only collected this work in the royal library, but also published it one after another. Rewarding Li Tai - first "ten thousand pieces of property", and then a large amount of property every month, the amount even exceeded the specifications of the prince, prompting Chu Suiliang to write a letter to advise him. As a result, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty happily agreed with his point of view, but instead of reducing Li Tai's expenditure, he canceled the prince's expenditure limit, which was equivalent to maintaining Li Tai's excessive expenditure in disguise.
Not only did Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty dote on Li Tai in every possible way, but he often took him around to travel with him. Even if he couldn't see him for just one day, he would send his own dog named "General" The white falcon went to deliver the message, and the swan geese made several trips back and forth in one day. Even Li Tai's eldest son was "especially loved by Taizong" because of his father, and was particularly favored by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. When he was four years old, he was taken into the palace to be raised and given the name "Xin".
Prince Li Chengqian was deposed in the 17th year of Zhenguan. Li Tai took the opportunity to act coquettishly to his father, claiming that he would kill his son in a hundred years and pass the throne to his younger brother Li Zhi. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty saw the chubby green bird falling into his arms, his heart softened immediately. When he heard such a guarantee, he immediately promised to make him the prince. However, such lies were exposed mercilessly by Chu Suiliang. Emperor Taizong calmed down and understood that it was impossible to kill his son to pass on his younger brother, so in order to ensure that his three beloved sons could survive at the same time, he decisively Li Zhi was made the prince.
Although he had to denounce Li Tai, Tang Taizong still said in the edict: "Li Tai, King of Wei, is my extremely beloved son, and I really love this son. This son was born when he was young. He is very smart and loves literature. My love for him is so unusual..." Less than four years after Li Tai was demoted, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty re-proclaimed him as King Pu. Not only that, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also took Li Tai's watch and said to the ministers around him: "Tai's beautiful words are not a talented man. You also know how much I miss him in my heart. But I can only reluctantly part with him. This is also preservation." The three brothers' method of achieving both ends"
In the third year of Yonghui, Li Tai passed away. Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty was very sad about this, and especially mourned Li Tai with the most solemn funeral specifications. Not only did he posthumously give him the title of Taiwei and Yongzhou Mu, with the posthumous title of Gong, he also resigned from the court for him, and ordered "Ban Jianba Ren, Yu Yu" Bao advocated that he should give three thousand pieces of stolen goods, three thousand stones of rice and millet, and give the secret weapon of Dongyuan, and the funeral official would give it to him, and he would be generous." He also specially invited Zen Master Fazang to pray for his brother's death.
Li Tai himself was talented, and history records that he was "unparalleledly intelligent", because he was not only very proficient in literature, his collection of books was as many as the royal library, and he also wrote excellent running script and cursive script. He is also quite good at appreciating calligraphy and painting. According to the records of Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty in "Records of Famous Paintings of the Past Dynasties", Li Tai had two seals for calligraphy and painting appreciation, which were divided into "turtle" and "yi" seals. King Mu of Zhou's "Eight Horses" was also created because of Li Tai. handed down.
The "Kuo Di Zhi" edited by Li Tai preserved many precious materials in the geography books of the Six Dynasties and had a profound influence on later generations. The new geography book genre he created was also the style of the General Chronicles of the Tang and Song Dynasties. A first of its kind. After Li Tai's death, he left behind twenty volumes of collected works, but unfortunately, these collected works have been lost to this day.
Li Min, King of Shu:
The biological mother, Concubine Yang, was the only one of the 14 sons of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty who was scolded as worse than a beast.
In the 10th year of Zhenguan, Li Min was granted the title of King of Shu and served as the governor of Yizhou. Perhaps it was because Li Min did not perform well before becoming a vassal, and because he also performed poorly after becoming a vassal, it was not until the 13th year of Zhenguan that Li Min got the 800 real seals that the prince deserved, which was much better than the others. The prince of the domain was three years late.
However, Li Min did not learn from this lesson and restrained himself. He often beat the county magistrate on the fiefdom without any reason. He also trampled on the crop fields because of excessive hunting, which caused complaints from the local people. His subordinate Yang Daozheng once tried to stop him, but was pulled off his horse by Li Min and beaten.
After hearing about Li Min's various misdeeds, Emperor Taizong once said with disgust: "Even animals can be made to obey people's orders as long as they are well tamed; even iron and stone can be made into useful materials as long as they are well refined. Only people like Li Min are inferior to beasts and iron and stone!" Even then, he cut off half of Li Min's fiefdom and officials in the Prince of Shu's palace, as well as 400 households, and demoted him to the governor of Guozhou. Gai Wenda, the king of Shu who had just taken office a few months ago, was also dismissed from his post.
Less than a year after Tang Gaozong Li Zhi came to the throne, Li Min was impeached by the imperial censor Li Qianyu for his wanton behavior. Therefore, Tang Gaozong said with emotion to his uncle Li Yuanjing and others: "Shu The king hunted excessively and disturbed the livelihood of the people. His county magistrates and soldiers were often punished without charge. How can we govern the people? ... I am really ashamed that Li Min has been impeached by the Justice Department." So Li Zhi summoned Yang Zhengdao, who had tried his best to admonish Li Min, and appointed him as the captain of Kuang Daofu. , and rewarded him a lot, and at the same time demoted Li Min to the position of governor of Huangzhou.
In the fourth year of Yonghui, Li Min was deposed as a commoner because he was involved in Li Ke's rebellion. Later, he was renamed the King of Fuling, but he never held any official position again - this was very important to Li Min's position. For the people of Bazhou, it is definitely a welcome sight. After all, no matter how Li Min was demoted before, he would always serve as a governor. Now that Li Min has lost the title of governor, the people of Bazhou no longer have to worry about their crops being trampled for no reason. Officials, big and small, no longer have to worry about being beaten without reason.
In the second year of Qianfeng's reign, Li Min passed away. In the early years of Xianheng, he was allowed to be buried with Zhaoling. The royal family of Li and Tang Dynasty could be regarded as showing their utmost kindness to the king of Shu, who was only known as a prince and grandson.
Li Zhen, King of Yue:
The biological mother, Concubine Yan De, was one of the more talented princes of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Zhen was good at riding and shooting, and was quite knowledgeable in literature and history. He was also quite talented. People at that time called Yue Wang Li Zhen and Ji Wang Li Shen both "Ji Yue". But Li Zhen easily listened to slander, and upright officials were often criticized for this. Li Zhen also allowed his servants to plunder the people under his rule, so people admired his talents but despised his behavior.
After the death of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu came to the court. In order to appease the Li Tang clan, Empress Wu made Li Zhen the crown prince and Taifu (the second level among the three divisions of the East Palace). However, Li Zhen conspired with King Li Yuanjia of Han and others. Anti-military. It happened that Empress Wu was about to go to Mingtang to hold a grand feast, so Li Yuanjia wrote to Li Zhen: "On the occasion of the grand feast, Empress Wu will definitely let people inform us of treason, and then take the opportunity to execute us. We, the descendants of the Li family, will be doomed." Li Yuanjia's His son Li Zhuan also forged a document from Tang Ruizong to Li Zhen's son Li Chong. The document stated in the tone of the emperor: "I have been imprisoned. Please come to my rescue." So Li Chong also forged a document. A letter from the emperor stated that Empress Wu wanted to overthrow the Li Tang state and usurp the throne, so he sent troops to Luoyang, the sacred capital, but none of the other princes responded. Only Li Zhen sent troops to go together because they were father and son.
Not long after Li Zhen raised the army, she heard the news of her son Li Chong's defeat. She was frightened and wanted to withdraw her troops to plead guilty. At this time, Fu Yanqing, the magistrate of Shangcai County, recruited more than 2,000 warriors, and Li Zhen returned to the army. He mustered up the courage to fight against the enemy. However, the officials temporarily appointed by Li Zhen were all coerced by Li Zhen and had no fighting spirit at all. Only Pei Shoude, the prime minister of Ruyang County, was of the same mind as Li Zhen. In fact, it was precisely because Pei Shoude was brave and good at fighting that Li Zhen betrothed his daughter, the head of Liangxiang County, to him as his wife long before the uprising. She regarded him as a confidant and entrusted him with important responsibilities.
After Empress Wu sent out 100,000 counter-rebellion troops, Li Zhen and others began to be defeated. Li Zhen was so frightened that she closed her doors and finally drank poison and died. Pei Shoude and the head of Liangxiang County They also hanged themselves to death. After the counter-rebellion army broke through the city gate, they cut off the heads of Li Zhen, his son, and Pei Shoude, and sent them to Luoyang, where their heads were displayed to the public.
Li Zhen’s sons were either killed together with their father and brother for their rebellion, or they died of illness after being exiled to Lingnan. None of them survived. In the 4th year of Kaiyuan of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhen's official title was restored, and Li Zhen's great-grandson Li Wen was granted the title of Duke of Shen. In addition, Li Lin, the Duke of Kui (the grandson of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty and the son of King Xu Li Sujie) was selected to inherit the title of King of Siyue. . However, Li Lin died of illness not long after inheriting the throne, and the Yue Kingdom was eliminated.
Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty:
The empress, the eldest grandson of his mother, was the most doting son of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and the only son who was raised personally by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
As soon as Li Zhi was born, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered that anyone born on this day should receive food, and then held a banquet for ministers above the fifth rank. It is even said that during the "Three Dynasties" three days after Li Zhi was born, Queen Changsun gave the jade dragon son that her husband had obtained from the Jinyang Palace and the swaddling clothes studded with pearls to her youngest son. From then on, this jade dragon son, which was "extremely wide, gentle and delicate, and unique in the world" became the mascot of the Tang Dynasty and was passed down from generation to generation by emperors.
In the fifth year of Zhenguan, Li Zhi was named the King of Jin. In the seventh year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty granted the title of Taiyuan Prefecture, the land of Longxing in the Tang Dynasty, to his youngest son. And Li Zhi also lived up to his father's love. He was very smart since he was a child and was very filial to his parents. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once examined his understanding of the "Book of Filial Piety".
In June of the 10th year of Zhenguan, Empress Changsun died in the Lizheng Hall. Li Zhi, who was only seven years old, lost his mother since then. Fortunately, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty doubled his paternal love. To make up for this beloved youngest son, he did not let Li Zhi leave the palace or live alone somewhere in the palace because of his wife's death. Instead, he left Li Zhi's brother and sister in his dormitory to take care of him together, so "Tang Hui Yao" published He left such a record: "The King of Jin and Princess Jinyang were young and orphaned, and they were raised by their superiors." Chu Suiliang also said personally: "However, your Majesty personally raised the King of Jin. As for the establishment, the Supreme Saint was deeply compassionate." "Looking at the entire Tang Dynasty, Li Zhi is the only prince raised by the emperor himself. What kind of deep love and honor!
But Tang Taizong's preference for this younger son did not stop there. When Li Zhi was already the governor of the state, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty named him General Youwuhou. In the 16th year of Zhenguan, Li Zhi went directly to the court to participate in political affairs without even going to his own fiefdom. In this regard, the four words "extremely deeply favored" are specifically used in history books to describe Tang Taizong's doting love for Li Zhi.
Prince Li Chengqian was deposed in the 17th year of Zhenguan. In order to protect his three beloved sons Chengqian, Li Tai and Li Zhi at the same time, Emperor Taizong decisively made Li Zhi the prince. After Li Zhi was established as the crown prince, Emperor Taizong's love for Li Zhi remained the same as before, and it can even be said that it was even more favored than before. Li Zhi's eldest son Li Zhong was born. Although he was only a commoner, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was still very happy. Not only did he "drink and dance" at the banquet and "finish the day", but he also violated the system that the emperor's grandson could only be granted the title of county king, and made an exception. Li Zhong was canonized as prince.
Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had always placed his precious son on the side of his palace. Although Li Zhi had a Jin prince's house outside the palace, even though Li Zhi was established. As the crown prince, Emperor Taizong did not allow him to leave the palace or live in the East Palace as required. It wasn't until Liu Ji wrote a letter in the 18th year of Zhenguan that Emperor Taizong ordered Liu Ji, Cen Wenwen and Ma Zhou to take turns going to the East Palace every day to discuss with the crown prince. The result did not last long, and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty allowed his son to return to his side. In the 20th year of Zhenguan, Chu Suiliang could not help but submit a letter. Only then did Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty agree to let Li Zhi live in the East Palace half of the time every month and stay in the East Palace for the other half of the time. Be by your side.
In the 19th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty personally conquered Korea, and Li Zhi, as the prince, stayed behind. Li Zhi, who had been with his father day and night since he was a child, was very reluctant to leave and cried for days. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to him: "You have been by my side since childhood, like a baby. I am going on an expedition this time, and you can take the opportunity to practice. Why?" Are you crying?" Li Zhi replied: "My mother passed away when I was 7 years old. Dad, you have always been with me and we have never been separated. I can't help but feel sad when I think of us being separated." Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty burst into tears when he heard this. So Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty pioneered the system of flying reports to inform each other of each other's situation in a timely manner. Li Zhi also asked his father to reply immediately after receiving his letter.
And just before Tang Taizong personally conquered Korea, Li Zhi was sent all the way to Dingzhou. Until he could no longer give it away, facing his reluctant son, Tang Taizong pointed to his clothes and said, "I will never change out of these clothes until we, father and son, meet again." So. Tang Taizong's clothes were dirty and torn. Even the ministers couldn't stand it anymore and tried to persuade him to change it, but he refused to agree. Later, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty heard that Li Zhi was on his way to greet him, so he couldn't wait to lead three thousand guards and rushed into Linyu Pass. He happened to meet Li Zhi on the way. Until then, Li Zhi presented him with new clothes. Only then did he change out of the worn robe he was wearing.
After Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty came back from his expedition to Liao, he planned to visit Lingzhou. He originally planned to take Li Zhi with him, but Zhang Xingcheng went to Shu and said: "I heard that the Crown Prince is going to Lingzhou with his Majesty. However, I think that instead of His Majesty having the Crown Prince accompany him on the tour out of personal love, it would be better to let the Crown Prince stay and supervise the country at this time, receive officials to discuss the affairs of the country, make decisions, and become familiar with the affairs of the court. Show the prince's virtue." Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty thought that what he said was reasonable, so he was granted the title of Doctor Yinqing Guanglu of the third rank.
In the 23rd year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty passed away, and Li Zhi ascended the throne as Emperor Gaozong. After Li Zhi came to the throne, he initiated the rule of Yonghui, which is known as the legacy of Zhenguan. During his 34 years in power, the living standards of the people continued to improve and the population continued to grow. The territory of the Tang Dynasty was also expanded to its largest extent, not only the use of troops in the northwest and Haidong was very important. There were results, and the Turkic rebellion was basically put down. Even if the battle against Tibet failed, the situation against Tibet was basically stabilized in the late period.
As for the so-called issue of Li Zhi being controlled by Empress Wu in his later years, it is actually completely opposite to the imagined scene of Tang Gaozong obeying Empress Wu's words. What can be seen everywhere in the history books is that Empress Wu was bent on pleasing Tang Gaozong and was careful to figure out the situation. It reflects the thoughts of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty.
Knowing that Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty wanted to carry forward the silkworm kissing ceremony of his mother's eldest grandson, the Empress Wu's silkworm kissing ceremony was the most frequent in the Tang Dynasty. Knowing that her husband advocated frugality, Empress Wu took the initiative to change the thirteen pleats on the queen's skirt into seven. Knowing that her husband disliked his relatives being in power, Empress Wu wrote an "Internal Instruction" when she was Zhaoyi. After she became the queen, she even produced an "Instructions for Foreign Relatives" and "set an example". When Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty was alive , the Wu family disappeared from the court. It was not until Tang Gaozong died that Empress Wu had the opportunity to place all the Wu family members in important positions in the court.
Even looking through the history books, not only can’t I see which prime ministers or generals were appointed by Empress Wu, but what I can see are those people who supported Empress Wu to ascend to the lower position. Except for Xu Jingzong, no one is left behind. Those who ended up well were those who were repeatedly regarded as thorns in Empress Wu's flesh and were favored by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty.
For example, Empress Wu hated Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu so much that she had to kill them one by one. There is no need to mention the humiliation of her children and their families after their death. The queen's brother Wang Fangyi had no choice. Was Empress Wu magnanimous? The history books clearly record how she "wanted to get rid of Wang Fangyi because of his crime, but failed to do so." However, when Wang Fangyi rose to prominence in Emperor Gaozong's reign, what else could Empress Wu do except watch helplessly?
Another example is that Changsun Wuji often obstructed Empress Wu's establishment of a queen, and Empress Wu also secretly resented this. Although Changsun Wuji finally lost power, less than four years later, Changsun Wuji's direct grandson Changsun Yan returned to Beijing and became a fifth-rank official. What's even more ironic is that less than a month after Empress Wu was called "Queen of Heaven", Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict to recover Changsun Wuji's official title, buried him with Zhaoling, and ordered his great-grandson Changsun Yi to attack Duke Zhao Guogong. . And where is Empress Wu who "controls the government" at this time?
For another example, when Li Yifu, Yuan Gongyu, Cui Yixuan and others who had made great contributions in supporting Empress Wu to ascend to the throne were exiled or demoted by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, what did the "powerful" Empress Wu do? Why could we only wait until the death of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty before we remembered that these people "had the merits of Yizan in Yonghui" and then started to hunt for titles?
If Empress Wu really had such a great influence on Tang Gaozong, if she really had the power of life and death, then it would be no problem to deal with people like Wang Fangyi and Changsun Yan, but Li Yifu, Yuan Gongyu and others It is even easier to promote well. However, looking at the history books, Empress Wu was nowhere to be seen when Tang Gaozong spoke. Only when Tang Gaozong was gone did Empress Wu dare to come forward to deal with these people who once hated her to the bone, and to grant titles to those who had been kind to her. Therefore, Empress Wu could only wait until 7 years after Tang Gaozong's death, using her status as empress dowager, and worked hard step by step, and then she took the position of empress.