Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, created the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty. However, he was politically mediocre in his later years. He re-appointed Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong and other treacherous people to govern. The re-appointment of An Lushan led to the Anshi Rebellion, which turned the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline. The Anshi Rebellion was finally put down by the leadership of Li Heng, the third son of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, namely Suzong of the Tang Dynasty, and Li Yu, the grandson of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Just when the Tang army regained Chang'an, Tang Suzong sent an envoy to Shu to invite the Supreme Emperor Xuanzong to return to Beijing. However, Xuanzong did not return to Beijing immediately. The reason was quite dramatic. What happened was this: When the news of the recapture of Chang'an reached Fengxiang, Suzong sent someone to recall Minister Li Mi from Chang'an to Fengxiang and told him that he had sent an envoy to welcome the Supreme Emperor and that he was willing to return to the East Palace to become the crown prince.
Li Mi asked if this watch could be recovered. Suzong said that he had set out for many days and might not be able to make it in time. Li Mi said, if this is the case, the Supreme Emperor will never return. Suzong asked why? Li Mi replied: "It's natural." This meant that the emperor would definitely have doubts. How could he dare to return to Chang'an? Suzong asked how to save it? Li Mi told him to draft a new form and only wrote: Chang'an was recovered, and the ministers expressed their congratulations and hoped that the Emperor would return to the capital so that he could fulfill his filial piety. So Suzong ordered Li Mi to draft it again, and then sent envoys to Shu to welcome the emperor.
Sure enough, not long after, the previous envoy came back and said that the Supreme Emperor asked him to leave Jiannan Road for his own protection and did not want to return to the capital. After the latter messenger returned, he reported that the Emperor had received the imperial edict and was hesitant to eat and had no intention of returning it. After receiving the emissary and congratulatory expressions from the ministers, his worries turned to joy, and Xia Hao confirmed the date of his return to the capital. The occurrence of this phenomenon is the result of years of mutual suspicion between Xuanzong and his son, and it did not happen overnight.
On October 23rd of the second year of Zhide (757), the Supreme Emperor left Chengdu and returned to Beijing. He arrived in Xianyang on December 3rd and entered Chang'an City the next day.
Although Suzong showed a positive attitude in welcoming the Supreme Emperor back to Beijing, it did not mean that he was not wary of him. When the Supreme Emperor and his entourage arrived at Fengxiang, there were still more than 600 imperial guards accompanying them, but they were all disarmed and protected by 3,000 elite cavalry sent by Suzong. At this point, Xuanzong became a lonely man without any soldiers, and was in a position where he was at the mercy of others. Regarding this matter, Volume 220 of "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" records: "The Emperor ordered to send Jia soldiers to the county treasury." However, "Gao Lishi's Gaiden" records: "He was taken by the traitor Li Fu to accompany the Jia soldiers." He said helplessly: "When we come to the royal city, why use this thing?" This idea may have come from Li Fuguo, but since it is called "Edict", it can be seen that it was approved by Suzong. "Zizhi Tongjian" is just to avoid taboos for Suzong. That's all.
When the Supreme Emperor arrived in Xianyang, Suzong personally went to Xianyang to greet him. He took off the yellow robe worn by the emperor and put on a purple robe. He held the Emperor's feet and cried bitterly. He put it on for Suzong, but Suzong declined, and the Supreme Emperor said: "The heavens and the hearts of the people belong to you, so that the couplet can take care of the remaining teeth, which is your filial piety!" (Volume 220 of "Zi Zhi Tong Jian") The implication is that you have recovered it. After arriving in Chang'an, I was able to live in peace in Chang'an. Suzong then put on the yellow robe. Of course, all this was not true, but just a pretense.
From Xianyang to Chang'an. Suzong personally led the horse for the Supreme Emperor. After the Supreme Emperor mounted the horse, he led the horse for a few steps. The Supreme Emperor stopped him, and then he took the horse as a guide. For ten years, I have not felt the dignity of my status. Today, I have become the father of the emperor, and I truly feel the dignity!" Everyone on the left and right shouted long live. After the Supreme Emperor entered Chang'an, amid the warm welcome of the crowd, he first came to the Hanyuan Hall of the Daming Palace to comfort him. The officials then went to the Changle Hall to apologize to their ancestors, and then returned to the Xingqing Palace after a long absence and settled down here.
In order to ease the relationship between father and son, The Supreme Emperor gave Suzong the honorific title of "Emperor Xiaogan, the Great Sage of Guangtian Civil and Military Affairs", but Suzong refused to accept the title of "Great Sage". After more than ten days, on Wuyin, the first month of the first year of Qianyuan (758), the Supreme Emperor went to the Xuanzheng Hall. , gave Suzong the title again, and Suzong accepted the title previously determined. Soon, Suzong also gave his father a title, calling him "The Supreme Holy Emperor."
The Supreme Emperor also declined, and then accepted it happily. Hu Sansheng criticized the behavior of the father and son: "The rebellion has not been suppressed. The nine temples have not been restored, and the emblems between father and son have been superimposed. What are you doing!" (Hu Sansheng's note in Volume 220 of "Zi Zhi Tong Jian") In fact, in addition to showing the harmonious relationship between father and son, they also had another intention, which was to make Su Zong's accession to the throne more legitimate. After these activities, Suzong no longer had to worry about anyone questioning the legitimacy of his accession to the throne, and he could act as emperor in a dignified manner.
When the Supreme Emperor returned to Chang'an and lived in Xingqing Palace again, he could not help but think of the past. A musician named He Huaizhi said to the Emperor: In the early years, Xuanzong ordered him to play the pipa, and suddenly a gust of wind blew the concubine's scarf off his turban. Above. Because the concubine's scarf had the aroma of "auspicious dragon fragrance", He Huaizhi still felt that the fragrance was overpowering when he returned, so he took off his scarf and hid it in his brocade bag, which is still there today. So he took this scarf and presented it to the Supreme Emperor.
When the Supreme Emperor saw this thing, he smelled a fragrance and couldn't help but shed tears and said: "This is the incense of auspicious dragon!" From then on, he thought of Concubine Yang Guifei. The fragrance still existed, but the person had died, and he couldn't help crying. Buy lapel.
One night, the Supreme Emperor climbed up to the Qinzheng Building and leaned on the railing to watch. His thoughts were lingering. He thought of the old people in Xingqing Palace, especially those Liyuan disciples. There must still be some of them there. So he ordered Gao Lishi to search the next day, and sure enough he found an old man from the Liyuan. So the Supreme Emperor, Gao Lishi and Yang Guifei's former waiter Hongtao and others went to the Qinzheng Building on a moonlit night and ordered the old people of Liyuan to sing a song "Liangzhou Ci", with the Supreme Emperor playing the flute to accompany it. At the end of the song, everyone was in tears.
In the early days of returning to Chang'an, in addition to living in Xingqing Palace, the Supreme Emperor also went to Huaqing Palace to escape the cold in winter as before. It's just that in the past, we went by horse, but now we go by chariot. When the local elders learned that the Emperor had arrived, they all came out to greet him and asked him why he stopped riding a horse. He replied: "I am old, how can I still ride a horse!" After hearing this, the elders all cried and felt sad. At this time, Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was seventy-four years old, and after going through turmoil, he looked much older.
While at Huaqing Palace, the Emperor also summoned the actress Xie Aman. This person was from Xinfeng (now Xinfeng Town, Lintong, Shaanxi Province) and was famous for his skill in dancing "Lingbo Song". In the past, she had a close relationship with Concubine Yang, so she often visited the palace. After Xuanzong returned to Shu, she also returned to her hometown in Xinfeng. This time the Supreme Emperor came to Huaqing Palace again, and Xie Aman also came to perform a dance, which made the elderly Xuanzong sigh with emotion. After the dance, Xie Aman took out the "golden millet armband" given by Concubine Yang. When the Supreme Emperor saw it, he couldn't help but burst into tears, and everyone on the left and right sobbing.
In order to express his grief, the Emperor ordered the famous musician Zhang Yehu to play the song "Yulin Ling" composed by Xuanzong in memory of Concubine Yang. Before the song was played, the Supreme Emperor was already weeping, and everyone around him was sad and lamenting. Cui Daorong of the Tang Dynasty later wrote a poem describing Xuanzong's miss for Concubine Yang on his way to Shu.
The Emperor's stay at Huaqing Palace was the last time in his life. After he returned to Xingqing Palace in Chang'an in November of the same year, he never had the chance to come here again.
During this period, the relationship between the Supreme Emperor and Suzong maintained a relatively harmonious atmosphere. On August 5, the first year of Qianyuan (758), it was the birthday of the Supreme Emperor. A grand banquet was held at Jinming Gate Tower, and all officials came to congratulate him. When Xuanzong visited the Huaqing Palace in October, Suzong personally sent it to Pushang. When he returned to Chang'an the next month, Suzong went to Bashang to greet him. Suzong also presented a golden stove for smelting quartz to the Supreme Emperor, saying that it was used to smelt medicine to prolong life.
Revealing the rift between father and son
The good times did not last long, and a rift gradually developed between father and son due to different opinions on one matter. This matter was the issue of how to rebury Concubine Yang.
The Emperor missed Yang Guifei so much that he thought of reburying her with grand ceremony and building a grand tomb for her. According to the "New Book of Tang·Biography of Concubine Yang", the Supreme Emperor returned to Beijing from Shu and "passed the place where he lived, envoys offered sacrifices to her and ordered her to be reburied." However, the "Old Book of Tang·Biography of Concubine Yang" records: "The Emperor returned from Shu, ordered the envoys to pay homage, and issued an edict to rebury Concubine Yang." No matter how the two books record it, one thing is the same, that is, the Emperor ordered Concubine Yang to be reburied. command. This matter was opposed by Li Kui, the Minister of Rites.
This person was appointed as the Minister of Rites in the first year of Qianyuan (758). In March of the second year of Qianyuan, he was promoted to the Minister of Zhongshu and Tongping Zhangshi. Since he opposed the reburial of Yang as the Minister of Rites The imperial concubine shows that Xuanzong proposed the reburial in the first year of Qianyuan, not when the Emperor returned to Beijing and passed by the imperial concubine’s tomb. The reason for Li Zhuan's objection is: "The officers and soldiers of Longwu killed the country's loyal and brought chaos to the country. If the old concubine is buried now, it is afraid that the soldiers will be suspicious and fearful, so the funeral is not feasible." ("Old Book of Tang Dynasty: Biography of Concubine Yang") That is to say, if Changing the burial of the imperial concubine is tantamount to denying the rationality of the Longwu soldiers' killing of the Yang brothers and sisters, and it is tantamount to denying Suzong's participation in the Mawei Incident. This is something Suzong cannot accept no matter what. However, it was inconvenient for Suzong to publicly oppose this matter, so Li Kui came forward. From the fact that Li Kui was promoted to prime minister soon after objecting to this matter, we can also see Suzong's attitude on this matter.
Since the emperor could not hold the funeral ceremony publicly, he had to secretly send eunuchs to Maweiyi to rebury the imperial concubine. After digging up the grave, they found that the body wrapped in purple mattress had rotted away, but the sachet still existed. Then he packed the body in a coffin and buried it separately. He took the sachet back and gave it to the Emperor. The Supreme Emperor shed tears when he saw the things and missed people. So he ordered the painter Wang Wenyu to paint a portrait of Concubine Yang and hang it in the other hall, where she would spend time with the Emperor day and night.
Although the reburial incident has passed, it has left a shadow in the hearts of Xuanzong and Suzong and his son, causing cracks in the newly eased relationship.
Forced to move to Taiji Palace
Since the second year of Qianyuan (759), the Supreme Emperor rarely appeared in public. This was directly related to the change in his relationship with Suzong. relation.
The Supreme Emperor lived in Xingqing Palace, and Suzong lived in Daming Palace. The two palaces were connected by Jiacheng. Suzong went to Xingqing Palace through Jiacheng from time to time to ask about the daily life of the Supreme Emperor. At that time, the guards beside the Supreme Emperor were General Longwu Chen Xuanli and Internal Chamberlain Gao Lishi. Suzong also ordered Princess Yuzhen, Ru Xianyuan, chamberlain Wang Chengen, Wei Yue and Liyuan disciples to "always entertain and serve on the left and right".
The location of Xingqing Palace is different from that of Daming Palace. It is located between various buildings. The Emperor often climbed to Changqing Tower to look out. Changqing Tower is close to the main road, and the common people who come and go greet the Supreme Emperor and shout long live. The Supreme Emperor often orders people to place food and wine downstairs for the elderly who pass by.
These actions of his aroused great dissatisfaction with Suzong, who believed that he was suspected of buying people's hearts. Not only that, the Supreme Emperor also summoned General Guo Ying and others to go upstairs to give him a banquet. The officials sent to the capital from Jiannan Road also paid homage to the Supreme Emperor, who ordered Princess Yuzhen and Ru Xianyuan to entertain them as hosts. This situation made Suzong and his cronies intolerable. It should be noted that Guo Ying was the general of Yulin and was in charge of the imperial army. The Supreme Emperor and Guo Ying were too close, which had to arouse Suzong's high vigilance. Sure enough, Guo Ying was transferred from the Forbidden Army the following year. He served as the governor of Shaanzhou, the envoy of Shaanxi Jiedu, and the defense envoy of Tongguan.
In order to prevent such incidents from happening again, Li Fuguo believed that the only way was to move the Supreme Emperor away from Xingqing Palace and isolate him from outsiders, so that he would have no conditions to contact foreign ministers.
In fact, the Supreme Emperor was already seventy-six years old at this time and could not have any political ambitions. As for Chen Xuanli, Gao Lishi and others, they did not have the conditions to form a new political group. Therefore, Li Fuguo's worries were completely Superfluous, but Suzong still had doubts about his father because of various accidents when he was the prince. In this state of mind, it was easy to listen to these arguments.
In fact, Suzong also acquiesced in Li Fuguo's actions. Even the Supreme Emperor saw this clearly. The so-called "My son is confused by Fuguo and cannot be filial to the end" shows that the Supreme Emperor did not treat Li Fuguo. This move was regarded as an edict, and it was thought that it was approved by Suzong, but it was just confused by Li Fuguo.
If moving the horses from Xingqing Palace was only the first step to imprison the Supreme Emperor, the second step was to force him to move to the palace. Sure enough, in July of this year, Li Fuguo pretended to be Suzong's order and welcomed the Supreme Emperor to the Taiji Palace in the west. When they arrived at Ruiwu Gate, Li Fuguo led five hundred imperial troops to block the road with their swords drawn, and said: "The emperor used the Qiu Pass of Xingqing Palace to welcome the emperor to move to the palace." It was originally said that it was a good trip, but it turned into a move. It was obviously done in advance. A planned conspiracy.
The Emperor was so frightened when he saw this scene that he almost fell off his horse. Fortunately, Gao Lishi came forward and shouted: "Li Fuguo must not be rude!" and ordered him to dismount. The two of them led the emperor's imperial horse together and sent him to the Ganlu Hall of Taiji Palace. From then on, the Supreme Emperor lived here.
In fact, Li Fuguo did not have the courage to openly kill the emperor. He just wanted to use military force to force the emperor to move. After the Supreme Emperor moved to Taiji Palace, he could not have contact with outsiders from then on, which was effectively equivalent to being under house arrest. The Supreme Emperor was a man with rich political experience. He knew that this was not the time to complain. Instead, he comforted himself and said: "Xingqing Palace is my king's land. I will give it to the emperor, but the emperor will not accept it. Today's migration is also "My ambition." (Volume 221 of "Zizhi Tongjian") This is also a self-deprecating statement.
Interestingly, on the day he forced the Supreme Emperor to move to Taiji Palace, Li Fuguo led the generals of the imperial army to the Daming Palace to see Suzong and plead guilty in "plain clothes". Instead of blaming him, Suzong comforted him and said: "Nangong (Xingqing Palace) and Xinei (Taiji Palace) are so different! You are afraid that villains will deceive you, and you will guard against the slightest mistakes, so as to stabilize the country!" ( (Zizhi Tongjian) Volume 221) It can be seen that moving the Supreme Emperor to Taiji Palace is also in line with Suzong's wishes, so he said this. Regarding Tang Suzong's attitude, Wang Fuzhi, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, criticized: "My father almost died at the hands of the eunuchs, but I still say that the merit lies in the country. Who can be deceived by the words of morning and dusk!" ("Du Tongjian Lun" Volume 23 "Tang Suzong" 》)
A lonely and miserable night
On the ninth day after the Supreme Emperor moved to Taiji Palace, Tang Suzong issued a decree and exiled Gao Lishi to Wu for being accused of treason. state. Chen Xuanli was forced to become an official and left the Supreme Emperor's side. The other two eunuchs serving the Supreme Emperor, Wang Chengen and Wei Yue, were exiled to Bozhou (now Zunyi, Guizhou) and Qinzhou (now Qingyang Town, southeast of Wansheng District, Chongqing) respectively. All the maids who originally served the Supreme Emperor were replaced, and more than a hundred maids were selected to take their place and be responsible for cleaning the palace courtyard. He also sent the two daughters of the Supreme Emperor, Princess Wan'an and Princess Xianyi, to serve and dine.
Since the Supreme Emperor moved into Taiji Palace, he has never left the palace and lived like a high-level prisoner in isolation. Not to mention any contact with court officials, it is difficult to see even close relatives. Yan Zhenqing, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, led hundreds of officials to petition the Supreme Emperor to inquire about his daily life, but he was also ostracized and attacked, and was demoted to Pengzhou as a long history officer.
Suzong's inability to treat his father well also aroused some people's dissatisfaction with him, and some even took the opportunity to ridicule him. On May 5, the second year of the Yuan Dynasty (761), which coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival, Suzong met Li Tang, a mountain man. At that time, Suzong was holding his young daughter and said to Li Tang: "I think of this, please don't blame me." Tang replied: "The emperor wants to see your majesty, just as your majesty misses the princess." This sentence made Suzong burst into tears, but because of fear of Queen Zhang, he did not dare to visit the emperor in Taiji Palace.
It can be seen how miserable Xuanzong was at this time. It was not until the winter solstice of this year that Suzong went to Tai Chi Palace to meet his father once. This was the first time Emperor Suzong met his father since he moved to Taiji Palace, and it was also the last time father and son met.
As for the scene when they met, there is no record in the history books, so it is unknown. For the Supreme Emperor, it must have been full of emotions.
According to Chen Hong's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", the Emperor missed Yang Guifei endlessly after moving into Taiji Palace. Later, in the famous poem "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" by the poet Bai Juyi,
it was written :
Linqiong Taoist priest Hongdu Ke can touch the soul with his sincerity. In order to appreciate the king's thoughts, he taught the alchemists to search diligently.
Empty and control the energy, it rushes like lightning, ascending to heaven and earth to seek for all. The blue sky above and the yellow spring below fall, and both places are nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly I heard that there was a fairy mountain on the sea, and the mountain was ethereal. The exquisite pavilion is filled with five clouds, among which there are many fairies.
There is a character in the book who is too real and has a snow-skinned and colorful appearance. Knock on the jade fan in the west chamber of the Golden Palace, and teach Xiaoyu a double success.
Hearing that the emperor of the Han family was envoys, the dream soul in Jiuhua tent was frightened.
These poems are famous poems that have been popular for thousands of years. They are widely circulated and known to everyone at home and abroad. The problem is that some people regard myths and legends as historical facts and conclude that Concubine Yang did not die but fled overseas. They even explicitly said that she fled to Japan. This is really ridiculous. However, if this extension can be treated correctly, it is not a bad idea to regard it as people's good wishes and deep sympathy for Yang Guifei's misfortune; if it is regarded as true history, it would be a big mistake. There is another point that needs to be explained, that is, is it possible for Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty to summon an alchemist to summon the soul of Concubine Yang? Since he moved to Taiji Palace, he has not been allowed to meet outsiders, so summoning an alchemist is also impossible.
The Supreme Emperor Li Longji probably did not expect that he would live under house arrest in his later years, so it is conceivable that he was severely affected. Coupled with the day and night longing for Concubine Yang, he quickly aged and his physical condition worsened. Volume 221 of "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" records: "The emperor has no choice in the day and night, because he does not eat meat, eats grains, and soaks in food, which makes him sick. "
The so-called "bigu" refers to a cultivation method of Taoist priests, that is, not eating grains. However, the Supreme Emperor here and now is in no mood to practice the art of immortality. Instead, it is a hunger strike to vent his dissatisfaction in order to die quickly. At this time, the Supreme Emperor was already seventy-eight years old. How could he withstand this kind of torture? He soon fell ill and finally died in the Shenlong Hall of Taiji Palace in April of the first year of Baoying (762).
Some people suspect that Tang Xuanzong died of Li Fuguo's murder. There is little basis for this statement, and Li Fuguo did not need to take the risk to murder a critically ill emperor. Therefore, there should be no doubt that Tang Xuanzong died of illness. It's just that when he died, I'm afraid he would not have been very peaceful, but would have passed away amidst longing and resentment. This should be a great sadness for an emperor who created the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty.