In the known historical materials, there are two kinds of records about Li Shimin's appearance: "The majestic crown is all over the campus" and "The dragon and phoenix pose is the face of the sun". However, the "Guanqiang Campus" mainly describes some features of Li Shimin, and cannot reflect the overall appearance of Li Shimin. And "the posture of dragon and phoenix, the posture of the sun" is a kind of writing dedicated to the emperor. We can only say that Li Shimin is handsome, but I don't know how to be handsome.
However, one thing recorded in the history books can let future generations know more or less what Li Shimin looks like: in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, there was a beautiful man named Wen Yanbo who immediately became the focus of attention wherever he went. Wen Yanbo's "The Name of a Handsome Boy" even made the then emperor Li Yuan a little jealous and always wanted to find a chance to compare.
Therefore, Li Yuan once hosted a banquet for ministers including Wen Yanbo, and specially invited Li Shimin, the king of Qin at that time, to attend the banquet. Li Shimin, who appeared on the stage, was equal to Wen Yanbo in both appearance and temperament, and attracted many eyes originally on Wen Yanbo to himself. Li Yuan said happily, "What happened to Wen Yanbo?"
From this story, we can see that Li Shimin's appearance is the first-class "handsome boy" in the Tang Dynasty. In addition, Li Shimin has a strong will and has been fighting on the battlefield for many years. Therefore, Li Shimin's appearance is not simply "handsome", but heroic spirit and majesty. However, after Li Shimin ascended the throne, his appearance brought him great pain.
According to historical records, "Emperor Taizong forbeares, and whoever goes to see him loses his behavior". Because of Li Shimin's handsome and dignified appearance, officials didn't behave well after seeing him. Therefore, when many officials go to court, they will only pay homage to Nuo Nuo and let it go, and they are basically speechless. Even Fang Lingxuan, who has followed Li Shimin for many years, sometimes feels nervous and sweaty.
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, was determined to establish a "rule of the world" that would make history. He knew very well that to achieve this goal, ministers must be able to speak freely, so as to reduce policy mistakes and establish a good relationship between monarch and minister. However, because of their appearance, many ministers can't even speak out, let alone speak out.
Therefore, on the one hand, Emperor Taizong praised Wei Zhi and other officials who dared to speak out, and set a clear example in the court, calling on everyone to learn. On the other hand, every time Emperor Taizong received the minister, he deliberately made a pleasant appearance, thus eliminating the minister's nervousness. It can be said that in order to create "the rule of Zhenguan", Emperor Taizong played "drama" for more than 20 years.