Li Shimin had fourteen sons in his first marriage, among which the eldest son Li Chengqian, the king of Changshan, the fourth son, Li Tai, the king of Wei, and the ninth son, the king of Jin, Li Zhi, were all born to the eldest grandson (Yinzhang grandson) Queen. Queen Changsun was the main palace official. She was a very virtuous person and had high prestige among the courtiers. Li Shimin also respected her very much. The next emperor will of course be chosen from among her sons. Cheng Qian is the legitimate son and the eldest son. Regardless of whether he "establishes a son as a legitimate son" or "establishes a legitimate son as a eldest son", he is naturally the prince. It's a pity that this prince had a poor image (he had a foot disease) and his performance was not good (he was fooling around). Later, he simply rebelled under the instigation of Han Wang Li Yuanchang and Prime Minister Hou Junji. After the failure, he was deposed as a commoner and never became a commoner again. The dream of being an emperor is gone.
Li Shimin is more optimistic about the fourth son of the emperor, King Wei Li Tai. Li Tai was one year younger than Cheng Qian. He was handsome, smart, studious, dignified and talented. In Taizong's opinion, he would definitely become a wise and upright king.
However, the important ministers in the court were very opposed, especially Changsun Wuji (brother of the late Empress Changsun) and Chu Suiliang (the admonishing doctor) who were the most fiercely opposed. They advocated the establishment of Li Zhi, the ninth son of the emperor. Li Zhi was twenty-two years old. Although he was a good young man, he was famous for his glutinous rice dumplings, which were of no use at all. But what Changsun Wuji and others liked was precisely his gentleness, weakness and lack of merit. If Li Tai takes over, the emperor and his courtiers may get rid of them. What if it was Li Zhi? It's much more controllable. Changsun Wuji can continue to maintain the authority of his relatives, and Chu Suiliang and Li Shi can also continue to maintain their status as elders. The monarchs and ministers will rule in harmony, and the world will be peaceful.
This abacus was not bad, but Wu Zetian was not taken into account. Of course they never expected that a snake-like woman, Wu Zetian, would appear next to Li Zhi. Of course, they never imagined that although Li Zhi was easy to control, he was not controlled by them, but by his wife. As a result, they helped Li Zhi onto the stage, but Li Zhi pushed them down under the instruction of his wife.
Li Tai also made repeated mistakes. The first is to be arrogant and arrogant. What about around you? It is said that they are some sycophants again. This not only made the veterans in the court look down upon him, but also made them uneasy. More importantly, he was too eager to succeed.
Li Tai also made a smart mistake. He ran to Li Zhi and said: You usually have the best relationship with Li Yuanchang. Now that he has been beheaded, aren't you afraid? Li Tai's intention was to warn Li Zhi: Don't fight with me, there will be no good fruit to eat. Unexpectedly, Li Shimin was reminded: If Li Tai is established, Cheng Qian and Li Zhi will be in danger. Only by establishing Li Zhi can we ensure that all three sons are safe.
Li Tai was sent to Jun County (now Jun County, Hubei Province) at that time. Li Zhi was established as the prince, and later succeeded to the throne. This was Gaozong. History has proven that Li Shimin and others made irreparable mistakes due to their own reasons on both sides. The Tang Dynasty almost lost its kingdom, while Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang lost their lives.
The cowardly and incompetent Li Zhi picked up a wallet, it was really a big pie falling from the sky