The four concubines in the harem of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty include the following concubines who were canonized during his lifetime and given posthumously: Concubine Wei, Concubine Yang, Concubine Yin, Concubine Yan De, Concubine Zheng Xian, Concubine Yang, and Concubine Xu Hui. However, the history books have nothing more to say about these concubines except for the fact that they gave birth to children. However, in addition to history books, we can also use the excavated tombs in Zhaoling and the unearthed epitaphs to help us understand the four concubines of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
Due to the system of the Sui Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty, the title of the four ladies of the first rank was prefaced by Noble Shu, Dexian, etc. Let’s look at Wei Guifei first. According to the records of unearthed epitaphs, Wei’s name was Gui, with the courtesy name Ze. During the Wude period, she was known as a good family. She was selected into the Palace of the Prince of Qin and was registered as a noble concubine on April 1, the first year of Zhenguan. However, although the epitaph states that Wei Gui was selected into the Qin Palace as a good family member, in fact Wei Gui was not the first to marry. Her first husband was Li Min, the son of Li Zixiong, the general of the Sui Dynasty and the Minister of Household Affairs.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Zixiong and Yang Xuangan rebelled. After the defeat, both his father and son were killed. However, because Wei was a family member of a criminal, he was sent to the palace as a maid according to law. After Li Yuan ascended the throne in Chang'an, Li Shimin was granted the title of King of Qin, and it was natural for Wei to be assigned to serve in the Prince of Qin's Mansion as a maid. What's more, although Li Yuan granted a general amnesty to the world after he ascended the throne, the amnesty was for criminals, which is completely different from the release of the people in the Yeting Palace. It was impossible for Wei Shi to be released from the palace and return home during the Wude period, so the epitaph said that Wei Shi was a good family member. Being selected is obviously a whitewash. As for the widely circulated statement in some online articles that Qin King Li Shimin fell in love with Webster at first sight on the roadside, which has no historical basis, it is simply nonsense.
There are even some unreliable Internet articles that believe that after the death of Empress Changsun, Emperor Taizong’s harem was single-handedly controlled by Concubine Wei. However, the fact is that even as a concubine, she does not have the right to control the harem without the emperor's permission. For example, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty had a concubine named Wan Guifei. There is a clear record in the "Old Book of Tang Dynasty: Biography of Li Zhiyun": "My mother called me Concubine Wan Guifei. She was of a submissive nature and received special courtesy from Emperor Gaozu. All matters in the palace were consulted and all the princesses and concubines were consulted." "Recommended." It shows that Concubine Wan Gui has the qualification to "consult" on all matters in the harem and is "specially honored by Emperor Gaozu." Without the permission of Emperor Gaozu of Tang Dynasty, Wan Guifei would not have the right to take charge of the harem even as a concubine. Let’s look at Concubine Guo of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty again. “The ministers asked Concubine Guo to be their queen three times. "Although Guo only had one concubine, she was the wife Tang Xianzong married before he ascended the throne. Because Tang Xianzong was afraid that his romantic pursuits would be restricted, he refused to make her a queen. If as a noble concubine, she could take charge of the harem as a matter of course, then why would Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty need to take such extra steps.
What's more, being able to take charge of the harem is a great honor for the concubine. Even if multiple concubines manage the harem at the same time, the history books will still record it. Empress Chen's concubine Zhang Guifei took charge of the harem. The fact that Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Mrs. Xuanhua and Mrs. Rong Hua, were in charge of the harem at the same time is clearly recorded in history books. Liu Jun's biography also devoted a lot of time to record it. The mother, Pan Shufei (in the Liu and Song Dynasties, Shufei was only the ninth concubine of the second rank, not the third wife of the first rank) was in charge of the harem.
Not only will it be recorded in the history books, but even on an epitaph, something that requires a few words of praise even if something happens, it will definitely be written down in a big way, and even Even if Concubine Wei did not have such great authority to manage the harem, but only had some participation rights, it would be impossible not to mention it on her epitaph. For example, Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite concubine Sun Guifei only assisted Queen Ma in managing the harem. This matter was not only recorded in "Records of Ming Taizu", but also recorded in the unofficial history "Sheng Chaotong Shi Yi Ji". When Song Lian wrote Sun Guifei's epitaph, Not to mention this great honor: "The Sun family of the Imperial Concubine of Cheng Mu... assisted the queen to manage the palace, Su Yong, and had no complaints from above and below." The epitaph of Concubine Wei has been unearthed, and there are many words about her in the epitaph. Although he made grandiose and praising words, he never mentioned the so-called management of the harem. This shows that Concubine Wei's taking charge of the harem is something that modern people take for granted.
Not only was Concubine Wei unfavored, but the treatment received by her family and children was also very shabby.
According to the Tang Dynasty system, as the fourth imperial concubine of the first rank, Wei Guifei's mother could have been granted the title of county monarch of the fourth rank, but her mother never received the title of county monarch either during her lifetime or after her death. It wasn't until Concubine Wei expressed extreme grief over her mother's death that she "wailed and poured out poison, destroying everything". Only then did Emperor Taizong symbolically reward Concubine Wei's father, Wei Yuancheng, with the title of Governor of Xuzhou. Concubine Wei's mother still died. Can be granted the title of County Lord. During his lifetime, Wei Yuancheng was already the Kaifu Yitong Sansi, the governor of Chenzhou and other two states, and the Duke of Yun in the Sui Dynasty. The posthumous title of Governor of Xuzhou by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was far inferior to Wei Yuancheng's status during his lifetime. This shows that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty The posthumous seal is nothing more than a perfunctory move.
Not only that, Princess Linchuan who was born to Concubine Wei was treated worse than Prince Ji Li Shen among the princes and princesses who were also born as concubines to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Princess Linchuan was not canonized as a princess until she was 18 years old. The background of the consort Zhou Daowu was the worst among all the concubines of concubine princesses. After getting married, Princess Linchuan left the capital with her husband and went to the border to take office. The only known princess who left Chang'an while Emperor Taizong was alive. Although Wei Guifei's only son, King Ji Li Shen, was very talented and had excellent ability in handling government affairs in Xiangzhou, and was even praised by the local people, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty did not pay special attention or reward to Li Shen for this reason until Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. After he ascended the throne, he was praised.
As for Concubine Wei and her ex-husband Li Min's daughter, Li, she was not admitted to the palace along with her mother, but she is about 20 years old, and her mother, Concubine Wei, still cannot arrange her daughter's marriage on her own. It was not until the Turks came to surrender in the fourth year of Zhenguan that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, in order to appease the many Turkic nobles who came to surrender, made Li, who was still a palace maid, the head of Dingxiang County, replacing Li Tang's clan daughter and marrying her in the eyes of the nobles. It can be said that the Hu man wife is the worst in marriage.
Although some people think that Li's appointment as the head of Dingxiang County is a sign that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty recognized her as his stepdaughter. However, if Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty really regarded Dingxiang as his stepdaughter, then Dingxiang should be with her. Like Princess Wencheng and Princess Honghua, she was granted the title of princess instead of county lord. The epitaph will not clearly record that Dingxiang is just the Li family of Bohai, "the grandson of Shuxiong, the Minister of Household Affairs in the Sui Dynasty, and the daughter of King Youmin of Qi." Instead, it should be like Princess Wencheng and Princess Honghua. Princess Honghua was only said to be "a native of Longxi Chengji" and "the daughter of the civil and military emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty".
What's more, after the head of Dingxiang County married Ashina Zhong, Ashina Zhong was sent out of the Great Wall by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Life outside the Great Wall was far more difficult than in the Central Plains, not to mention that a Central Plains person in Dingxiang couldn't bear it. Even Ashina Zhong himself had enjoyed life in the Central Plains and no longer wanted to endure the cold and hardship outside the Great Wall, so when he saw the envoy, he burst into tears and begged him to return to Chang'an - if Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty doted on Concubine Wei, what would he do? Why let her daughter suffer this crime?
Of course, some people may be confused: Why is Wei Gui, as a noble concubine, so unfavored? If Emperor Taizong didn't like Wei Gui, why did he still make her a noble concubine? In fact, this is related to some misconceptions that people have had for a long time.
First of all, many people take it for granted that a noble concubine is equal to a beloved concubine, and concubines who are named high-level by the emperor are all beloved concubines. In fact, this is not the case. The harem has been a system since ancient times. Even if there is no favorite concubine, the emperor will not leave the position of the fourth concubine empty. In history, there are many concubines who were in high positions but were not favored. If we look at the concubines of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, except for Concubine Yang of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Concubine Dugu of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty, the concubines of other emperors were not favored. I can't find any favored deeds.
Secondly, the queen is the natural master of the harem and is in charge of the affairs of the harem. Unless the queen is extremely unfavored and the emperor has concubines that he loves very much, the emperor will not interfere with the affairs of the harem. Therefore, throughout the harem of the Tang Dynasty, the queens had great power. For example, the queen of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Xiao Shufei was obviously so favored. She was born well, had senior qualifications and gave birth to princes and princesses, but she was just a concubine, and there was another one who was not favored and had no children. The woman pressured her to become a concubine; the romantic Tang Xianzong was afraid that marrying his wife to become a queen would hinder his pursuit of beauty, so he was determined not to make his first wife Guo the queen - one of the rights of the Tang Dynasty empresses in the harem. This is evident from this.
So the canonization of concubines in the harem of the Tang Dynasty largely depended on the queen. If the emperor had no special instructions or requirements, the queen would arrange the grades of the harem women according to her own ideas. As a noble concubine, she is a woman who is not favored. It is not difficult to understand why.
Furthermore, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty made it clear his attitude towards these women in the harem, that is, women with criminal backgrounds such as Wei Gui and Yin were not even qualified to give birth to children.
"Wei Zhenggong's Remonstrance Record":
Taizong said to his courtiers: "In the Han Dynasty, the children of Luoyang who were beautiful and beautiful were often selected in August and returned to the harem. This cannot be the law. However, Today, there are many servants in the palace who want to give birth to kings. Accordingly, it is appropriate to choose the palace and follow the etiquette. "The duke said: "There are many people who are confused and confused, which will lead to chaos. Zhou You deceived Bao Si, Jin Xian deceived Li Ji, indulged in the desire of favor, deposed the concubine, and King You died as a result, and the Western Zhou Dynasty was mourned. "Be careful."
Tang Taizong was originally from a noble family, and he had a natural disdain and discrimination towards these women with criminal backgrounds - although this did not mean that he regarded these women as class enemies. .
In addition, Wei Gueyin and others were the maids assigned to serve in the palace when Emperor Taizong of Qin was King of Qin. As a prince, Li Shimin did not have much freedom to choose the origins of these concubines in the backyard. room. However, due to the prejudice of the aristocracy, Tang Taizong obviously did not think that these women's bloodlines were very good, and they should not give birth to children for themselves. Otherwise, their excellent genes would be diluted and their offspring would not be good enough.
It’s just that children are the product of desire. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty did not practice any magical skills and could only let designated women give birth to children. In history, the concubines who gave birth to children for the emperor but were still unfavored were also compared. All. Therefore, although concubines like Wei Gui and Yin gave birth to children for Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong still could not help but despise them from the bottom of his heart for being of poor background, let alone what kind of feelings he could have for them?
Concubine Yang, the biological mother of King Zhao Li Fu, her tomb is unknown. It can only be recorded in "The Epitaph of King Zhao of Sikong Jingzhou, Governor of Sikong in the Tang Dynasty", which states: "The king was born to Concubine Yang." "Also" to infer the title of Concubine Yang. However, throughout the Zhenguan period, Wei Guifei's title remained unchanged from beginning to end, so the Yang family's imperial concubine emblem should be regarded as a posthumous gift. However, Yang Guifei was a first-class concubine during her lifetime, and she should have been named the fourth concubine together with Wei Guifei, Yin Concubine, Yan Xianfei and others as early as the first year of Zhenguan. It is more likely that she was the emblem of Shu Concubine. In this way Only then can she be posthumously given the title of noble concubine after her death. After all, Yang Guifei did not take the initiative to die in burial like Chongrong Xu Hui, nor was her only son unjustly killed like Huangfu Deyi, so she would not be arbitrarily promoted to the fourth concubine, let alone a noble concubine.
In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Concubine Yang’s only son Li Fu was named King of Zhao, and was then adopted by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to Prince Yin Li Jiancheng. Therefore, in terms of etiquette and law, Li Fu was no longer Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The son of Prince Yin, Li Jiancheng.
Yin concubine, it is speculated that her title should have been Shufei or Defei, but she was demoted to concubine because of her son's rebellion.
Concubine Yin’s father, Yin Shishi, was executed by Li Yuan for his loyalty to the Sui Dynasty. Yin Shishi’s son, Yin Hongzhi, and others were spared death due to their young age, and the Yin family was taken into Yeting as maids. Perhaps because Yin Shishi had quite a grudge against Li Yuan, and Yin Shi became Li Shimin’s concubine, many people like to imagine that there was a sadomasochistic love between Li Shimin and Yin Shi, separated by the hatred of the country and the family. However, in terms of historical facts, this statement is obviously groundless. After all, there are many women in the harem who were expelled as criminals. Shangguan Wan'er was expelled from Yeting because of her grandfather Shangguanyi's incident; Fortunately, there are many. Empress Wu of Zhangjing received the blessing of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty after she entered Yeting, and gave birth to Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty.
And if he had a grudge against the daughter of the so-called enemy, the Yin family, Li Yuan would not have canonized the Yin family's son Li You as the king of Yiyang in the eighth year of Wude. He has always had a relationship with Li Shimin. Li Jiancheng and others who were dissatisfied with him would also take this opportunity to criticize him. Therefore, the so-called love between Li Shimin and the Yin family, separated by the hatred of the country and the family, is just a fantasy of future generations.
Not to mention that after the Yin family only had one sentence in the history books: "Yin Fei gave birth to a commoner, You", there was no record of it. Even just judging from the rebellion of his son Li You, the Yin family had some influence in Li Shimin's heart. The portions can also be measured clearly.
It was also a rebellion, but Li You ended up being executed and deposed as a commoner, and his biological mother was also surrendered. Later, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty posthumously awarded Luo Shitou, a commoner in Qizhou who dared to denounce Li You's crimes to his face and tried to kill Li You, as the governor of Bozhou. Gao Junzhuang, who denounced Li You, was named the magistrate of Yushe County and was responsible for arresting Li You. Du Xingmin was suddenly promoted from a soldier to the governor of Bazhou, and everyone who assisted Du Xingmin in capturing Li You also received generous rewards. On the other hand, after Li Chengqian rebelled, Tang Taizong tried every means to save his life. Lai Ji, who spoke for Li Chengqian, gained the respect of Tang Taizong. His official positions were continuously promoted. Soon he was awarded Yuanwailang, and the next year he was promoted to Zhongshu Sheren. , co-authored "Book of Jin" with Linghu Defen and others.
Such a gap can clearly tell whether Yinshi and Li You were favored by Li Shimin. If Yinshi and Li Shimin really had a so-called vigorous love that transcended the hatred of country and family, then Presumably Li You will never end up dead. After all, the Yin family only had one son, Li You, and executing him would be equivalent to destroying the Yin family's support for the rest of his life. If Li Shimin had feelings for him, it would be better to punish Li You heavily than to execute him.
And the Yin family lost her only son overnight. She was either demoted to a concubine and then died of loneliness and depression; or she and her son were deposed as commoners and sentenced to death. It is still unknown whether she was buried with concubine rites. But even if Concubine Yin can survive, her life will be worse than death.
Concubine Yan De, according to her epitaph, was elected to the Qin Palace in the fourth year of Wude. In the first year of Zhenguan, she was granted the title of Concubine De. Considering that Li You rebelled in the 17th year of Zhenguan, his biological mother Yin was imprisoned, and the position of the fourth concubine was vacant, the Yan family should be promoted to the throne because of this. Similarly, this Yan family did not enter the palace out of some epic love. The sentence "In the fourth year of Wude, he was hired into the Queen of Qin's court" makes it very clear. It was just Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who selected his son for his son. concubine.
The grandfather of the Yan family was Yan Rong, a famous cruel official in the Sui Dynasty. He was greedy, violent and indulgent, and was sentenced to death by Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. Precisely because her grandfather Yan Rong was a "torture man", Yan was strictly taught by her mother Yang since she was a child to learn to be gentle, courteous and modest, in order to develop the role model that a noble should have.
The Yan family became Li Shimin's concubine in the fourth year of Wude's reign, but she did not give birth to her first son Li Zhen until seven years later. After giving birth to her second son Li Xiao, she never had any more children. Li Xiao died young, and Li Zhen can be said to be one of Tang Taizong's more talented princes. However, Tang Taizong did not have any preference for this son because of this. He neither refused to make him a vassal due to his age nor because of Li Zhen was given special attention because of her outstanding talent.
It is also worth mentioning that Concubine Yan’s mother and Wu Zetian’s mother were cousins, so after Wu Zetian became the empress of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, in order to please Wu Zetian, the old and frail Yan family took action when she suffered from eye disease. Despite severe inconvenience, he still insisted on going to the funeral for Empress Wu's mother, Mrs. Rongguo, despite being ill. Unfortunately, she died on the way, and Empress Wu had to give a good reward for this. Li Zhen's treatment during Wu Zetian's time was also very average. She was just conferred with a group of imperial uncles and brothers. Moreover, as the eighth son of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhen was only conferred the title of Crown Prince and Tutor, which was worse than that of the tenth son Li Shen. The level of Taishi should be lower.
Even when Wu Zetian started to deal with the Li Tang clan five years after the death of Tang Gaozong, the first one to attack was this cousin's son. After Li Zhen failed to rebel against Wu Zetian, she committed suicide, but Wu Zetian did not let Yan Fei's descendants go. Not only did she cruelly order the heads of Li Zhen and his son to be chopped off, but they also sent their heads to Luoyang to be displayed to the public. Li Zhen's other three sons were either "sitting together with their father and brother to plot an ambush", or they were "traveling to Lingnan in search of pawns", and none of them survived.
After Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ascended the throne, he only named Li Zhen’s great-grandson Li Wen the Duke of Shen. Li Wen’s children and grandchildren were even demoted to the title of Duke of the County. It was Li Duke of Kui who inherited the title of King of Siyue. Lin (son of King Xu Li Sujie) is an unrelated distant relative.
It turned out that Li Lin was also a failure. She died of illness just after being adopted as the King of Yue, and the Yue Kingdom simply eliminated the country. I wonder what the spirit of Yan Taifei in heaven would think of her cousin who had spent half her life carefully flattering her.
Although Concubine Zheng Xian was ranked among the fourth concubines, because she had no children, she was only included in the list of Zhaoling burials in "Tang Huiyao": "The famous family buried in Zhaoling... Concubine Zheng ." Because her tomb is unknown, we cannot learn more about this wise concubine. However, the Yan family had always been in the position of a virtuous concubine from the first year of Zhenguan to the 17th year of Zhenguan, so this Zheng family should have been promoted to the throne after the Yan family was promoted to the virtuous concubine in the 18th year.
Concubine Yang was the biological mother of King Wu Li Ke and King Li Min of Shu. The "Old Book of Tang" only has one sentence: "Ke's mother is the daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty." It can be seen that although Concubine Yang is the daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty in name, it can be seen that Concubine Yang is the daughter of Emperor Sui Yang in name. He seems to be of noble birth, but he doesn't even know who his biological mother is, what his rank is, and what his title is. Concubine Yang did not have the title of princess, indicating that she had not been formally canonized - Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty went to Luoyang after he ascended the throne. Even if he was appointed a prince, he would only issue an edict to send an envoy back to Chang'an, not to mention that he would specifically remember to canonize a person who stayed in Luoyang. The princess of Chang'an. It can also be seen from this that Concubine Yang's biological mother has a lower status and is not favored. She is just an ordinary harem.
The historians were extremely sympathetic to Li Ke in the history books. Although they could not list Li Ke's talents and talents at all, they still had all kinds of praise for Li Ke, so they specifically mentioned him in his biography. The phrase "Ke's mother is the daughter of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty" is to commend Li Ke's biological mother for her unique identity. But even so, there is still only the title of Sui Yang Emperor Daughter, without a more specific title. It can be seen that Concubine Yang's status is not high in either the Sui Palace or the Tang Palace.
At the same time, according to the statistics of Mr. Cen Zhongmian, in the fourteen years of his reign, Yang Guang spent only 186 days in Chang'an. Most of the time was either on the way to patrol or preparing for patrol, so Thinking about it, if Princess Yang was favored, she should be like her eldest sister, Princess Nanyang, and stay with Emperor Sui Yang away from Chang'an. But the fact is exactly the opposite. Judging from the situation that Li Ke was born in the second year of Wude, Princess Yang should have entered the palace in the first year of Wude. In other words, as soon as Li Yuan ascended the throne in Chang'an, Princess Yang became a member of the backyard of Prince Qin's palace. Obviously, although Princess Yang was also the daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui, she did not receive the attention and favor of her father at all, so Only then would he be forgotten in Chang'an and be easily taken over by the newly established Li Tang Dynasty.
What's more, the mothers of Li Yuan and Yang Guang are both Dugu, and they are sisters. Queen Dugu once took good care of Li Yuan; the Tang Dynasty founded by Li Yuan was at least nominally abdicated from Emperor Gong of the Sui Dynasty. , as a result, Li Yuan left his cousin's forgotten daughter in Chang'an to his son as a concubine. If Li Yuanruo still values ????this princess of the former dynasty who is somewhat related to him by blood, no matter what, he will marry her as his wife instead of a concubine - whether she is married to a prince or a minister. And even if she is a concubine, she should be given to Prince Li Jiancheng, not to King Qin Li Shimin. After all, Li Jiancheng was still the crown prince nine years ago. If nothing unexpected happened, Princess Yang, as Li Jiancheng's concubine, would be able to become a fifth-grade concubine or above after the prince ascended the throne, and become a concubine to the prince. As a concubine, at most she is just a fifth-grade concubine.
What's more, judging from the fact that Yang Guang died in March of the second year of Yining (618), Li Yuan became emperor in May of the same year, and Li Ke was born in the second year, Yang The princess was obviously pregnant during the period of heavy mourning - let alone the 27 months of mourning for her biological father, she did not even keep the full year of full mourning. This shows that this so-called "Emperor Sui Yang's daughter" "What kind of existence is he in the eyes of the Li Tang Dynasty, let alone what kind of courtesy he can get. If Princess Yang's status was still noble, how could she be dismissed so casually, without even a chance to honor her father's filial piety.
It is normal for Concubine Yang to be treated like this. Since ancient times, the status of a successful king or a defeated bandit, and the king of a subjugated country has been placed there, let alone the princess of a subjugated country.
Think about the miserable situation of the Six Kingdoms after Qin destroyed them, "the concubines, concubines, princes, emperors and grandsons left the palace downstairs and came to Qin in their chariots"; The princess was awarded to Yang Su as a concubine, Mrs. Xuanhua and Mrs. Hongzheng were admitted to Yeting as usual, and several others were awarded to ministers and princes as concubines; consider that Song Huizong's daughter Roufu Diji was also a princess , but what kind of life did they live in the Jin Dynasty? It can be seen that these subjugated princesses are nothing more than trophies in the eyes of the new dynasty.
Look at her title in the harem. The titles of the four ladies during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty were in order of Noble Shu, Virtuous and Virtuous, and the title of Concubine Wei was very clear. There was also Concubine Yang who gave birth to the thirteenth prince Li Fu. The title of the concubine was posthumous. It can be seen that she was also a first-class concubine during her lifetime. It is very likely that she was given the title of Concubine Shu. Concubine Yan De was promoted from Concubine Xian to Concubine De. The reason was that Concubine Yin's son Li You was executed for rebellion, and Concubine Yin was demoted to concubine. There was also Concubine Zheng Xian, who was promoted to the throne after Concubine Yan Xian was promoted to Concubine De. Therefore, it is very likely that Concubine Yang did not have the title of concubine during her lifetime, but she was posthumously named "concubine" after her death, which raised her rank.
Concubine Yang gave birth to King Li Ke of Wu in the second year of Wude, and the king of Shu Li Min was born eight years after Wude. In the Wude period, the princes and grandsons were all canonized at the age of one as a rule, and in the eighth year of Wude, they were all canonized. Among Li Shimin's sons, only the fifth son Li You was granted the title, so the sixth son Li Min was not born until eight years after Wude at the earliest. Concubine Yang had no daughters, because among the 21 princesses of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, only the biological mother with a higher status was recorded in history books or epitaphs. The biological mothers of the remaining 15 princesses were not recorded due to their humble background.
As for Concubine Yang’s two sons, Wu Wang Li Ke and Shu Wang Li Min, although many people have mistakenly thought that Li Ke was Tang Taizong’s favorite son due to the promotion of TV series, but in terms of historical facts, When asked who received the worst treatment among all the sons of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Ke ranked second. No one could be worse than him.
Not only did Li Ke have no favored deeds in his life, but he also made small mistakes such as trampling on crops and gambling. He was stripped of his title of governor many times in succession and his actual title of ***. 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, but 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 granted the title of Governor, while Li Tai was the Grand Governor (according to "Tang Huiyao" records, just three months before Li Ke was granted the title, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty transferred the Grand Governor's Mansion in Yizhou to the "Great" (name, downgraded to Dudufu), so although Li Ke and Li Tai were granted the title at the same time, Li Ke not only had a smaller Dudufu than Li Tai's Grand Dudufu, but also had nearly two-thirds less fiefdom than Li Tai.
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, who was also a direct descendant. He personally took this son by his side and raised him, and never mentioned anything about the vassal. In the 16th year of Zhenguan, he was even allowed to directly participate in politics in the court, 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 him since. When he paints eagles, falcons, pheasants and rabbits in the world, he is so good that he sighs."
"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 various history books or epitaphs.
Although Tang Taizong once had the idea of ????making Li Ke the crown prince, this matter was not raised until more than 7 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. However, 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 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.
As for Concubine Yang’s second son Li Min, although he was vassalized in the tenth year of Zhenguan, it was not until the thirteenth year of Zhenguan that Li Min got the 800 households that the prince should have, which was a whole later than other princes. 3 years. And because Li Min repeatedly behaved in the fiefdom, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty 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 usable objects as long as they are well refined. Only people like Li Min are worse than beasts and rocks!" Dang even cut off half of Li Min's fiefdom and officials in the Shu palace, and demoted him to the governor of Guozhou, just a few months after taking office. Gai Wenda, the king of Shu, was also dismissed from office.
So during the Zhenguan period of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the other princes were governors, but Li Ke and Li Min were the governors; the other princes all had 800 feudal households, except Li Ke and Li Min. 600 households were eliminated and 400 households were eliminated. Think about it, if Concubine Yang was favored, how could she leave only 7 words in the history books, and how could her two sons be treated so poorly among Li Shimin's disciples?
Xu Hui was the penultimate of the second-grade nine concubines during her lifetime.
Compared with other concubines who were only recorded for giving birth to princes during Taizong's reign, Xu Hui was able to leave more deeds in the "Old Book of Tang" with her outstanding literary talent. It can be seen that Xu Hui's talent even Compared with the literati of the same period, he is not inferior. As for Xu Hui, because of her outstanding talents since childhood, she was as famous as the Zuo Fen and Song sisters. She was even known to the emperor, so she was conscripted into the harem.
According to historical records, after Xu Hui entered the palace, he was promoted from a talented person of the fifth rank to Jieyu of the third rank, and finally ranked as the ninth concubine of the second rank because of his "passion of Han and gorgeous poems" The eighth-level qualification in the book shows that Xu Hui, who had extremely high literary attainments, was still highly appreciated by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. His father, Xu Xiaode, was also promoted to an official position because of his daughter's talent. He was promoted from the sixth-rank general, Jiancheng, to the sixth-rank official, wailang.
As far as the deeds recorded in the history books are concerned, Xu Hui's talent in writing and discussing ancient and modern times was highly appreciated by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. "Admonishing Emperor Taizong to Stop the Troops and Strike Off the Forces" is a direct admonishment for the government - this is also Following Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, when Zuo Gui's concubine presented a memorial poem, Han Lanying presented the "Zhongxing Fu" during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Song Dynasty, and Empress Chen's "Several Speeches and Admonitions", there was the first person in the harem since the Tang Dynasty, but if we say Xu Hui had a great influence on Tang Taizong's Zhenguan rule, so that would be an exaggeration. After all, although Xu Hui's essay was greatly appreciated by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and received a generous reward for it, whether it was the conquest of Liao Dynasty or the construction of Yuhua Palace that was discouraged in the essay, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty did not No adjustments or changes were made in policy due to Xu Hui's advice.
After the death of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Xu Hui was regarded as a childless concubine and sent to Chongsheng Palace to become a nun as usual. More than a year later, she left the most humble wish in her life: " It is my only wish to serve His Majesty in the mausoleum before the dogs and horses used for sacrifice." I died of illness in this palace guarding the mausoleum.
Although more than a year had passed since Tang Taizong's death, Xu Hui did not choose to go on a hunger strike immediately after Tang Taizong's death, but gradually waited until he became seriously ill. He didn't take medicine at this time, but Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, still regarded Xu Chongrong's move as a sacrificial burial and greatly appreciated it. Not only did he posthumously postulate Xu Chongrong as a virtuous concubine, one of the four concubines, but he also allowed her to be buried with her in the Zhaoling Stone Chamber.
As a result, the Xu family became prosperous, and his father Xu Xiaode received the biggest promotion in his life. He was suddenly promoted from a fifth-rank Shuibu doctor to a fourth-rank doctor by Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty. The governor of Guozhou, Lianyue 6th level. When he died in office, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty also "prepared the officials to create spiritual examinations, not to mention the gifts, to give them to Fu Cheng, and to return them to the capital." Xu Hui's younger brother Xu Qitan was also appointed as the attendant of Pei King Li Xian. Xu Hui's sister Xu was also summoned to the palace by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty to be concubine Jieyu because she "also had literary talents" and "was imitated by Han Banshi". .