Chapter 4 3. Daming Palace covered in blood
The eminent Wu Zetian finally passed away. He was extremely eminent during his lifetime, but quite desolate after his death. People are glad that Datang finally restored the Li surname.However, no one would have expected that after Wu Zetian, the Tang court began to be in turmoil.Two women with great desire for power are ambitiously looking at the world surnamed Li. They are Empress Wei of Zhongzong and her daughter Princess Anle.
In April of the second year of Shangyuan (675) of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, Princess Zhao, the concubine of Wu Zetian's third son Li Xian (who was named the King of England at the time), was deposed by edict for offending Empress Wu and imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.At the same time, Zhao's father, Zhao Gui, was demoted to be the governor of Kuozhou (now Lishui, Zhejiang), and his mother, Princess Changle, was ordered to move out of Luoyang and go to the remote Kuozhou with her husband.
Princess Changle is the youngest daughter of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, who is similar in age to her nephew Gaozong and gets along well.Princess Changle has a noble status and looks down on Wu Zetian, who is not from a famous family. Especially after Wu Zetian controlled the cowardly Emperor Gaozong, she took charge of the political power and recruited trusted courtiers, which made Princess Changle even more resentful.It's just that Princess Changle at this time has not had the opportunity to experience Wu Zetian's power, and she doesn't know how to speak.She often took her daughter Zhao into the palace to visit Emperor Gaozong who was seriously ill and bedridden. Sometimes when she got excited, she would say something dissatisfied with Wu Zetian's power.Wu Zetian's cronies spread all over the government and the public. Naturally, these words reached Wu Zetian's ears without compromise.With Wu Zetian's character, severe revenge must be carried out.
According to the regulations of the Tang clan, after the princess gets married, if her husband is a magistrate, the princess can still live a comfortable life in Luoyang, Tokyo.Princess Changle was already the eldest princess at this time, with an extremely noble status, but she still made trouble out of her mouth and was moved to another place.Mrs. Zhao was imprisoned in a dark prison surrounded by walls, and starved to death.Later, Concubine Zhao's father, Zhao Gui, was killed together with Yue Wangzhen, and Princess Changle was also killed.
The most surprising thing is that Li Xian was indifferent to the tragic death of his wife Zhao.Li Xian is different from his two capable elder brothers Li Hong and Li Xian. He has no talent, learning or martial arts, and is weak and incompetent. He is even inferior to his two elder brothers in appearance.His incompetence was also the main reason why Wu Zetian made him emperor later.After Li Xian and Mrs. Zhao got married, their relationship was always not harmonious, and later it even developed to the point where they were strangers.After Mrs. Zhao was starved to death, Li Xian immediately made another concubine, Mrs. Webster, his concubine.From this point of view, Webster should be grateful to Wu Zetian, if she hadn't killed the Zhao family with vicious means, with Zhao's prominent background, Webster would not have much chance to become the princess and later the queen.
Webster, from Chang'an, his grandfather Wei Biao served as an official of Emperor Taizong's fourteenth son Cao Wang during the Zhenguan period, and his father Wei Xuanzhen joined the army in Puzhou (now Sichuan Province).Although the two generations of grandfather and father had never been a big official, the Wei family is a big family in Guanlong, and Wei's family can be regarded as a well-known family.Webster is not only smart and beautiful, but also very competitive, decisive and assertive, which is exactly what Li Xian lacks in his personality.When Webster first entered the British palace as a female official, she was very favored by Li Xian.After being established as a princess, Li Xian obeyed her advice.This situation is quite similar to that of Gaozong and Wu Zetian.In Gaozong's later years, Li Xian was established as the crown prince, and Webster also became the crown prince.After Gaozong died of illness, Li Xian succeeded to the throne as Tang Zhongzong, respected his mother Empress Wu as empress dowager, and named Wei as empress.
Li Xian was ranked third, so he never thought that he would become emperor one day, not to mention that his two elder brothers were successively made princes, but they were deposed before they ascended the throne.Now, he has really become the supreme emperor, and he is very excited.So did Wechsler.After Zhongzong came to the throne, Wei Xuanzhen, Wei's father, immediately rose from a small official to the governor of Yuzhou, which fully fulfilled the old saying "one person is honored, the whole family is promoted".But Webster was still not satisfied. At her request, Zhongzong planned to promote Wei Xuanzhen to be a servant.Zhongshu Ling Pei Yan disagreed, he felt that Wei Xuanzhen did not make great achievements, but that he was promoted to a high position all at once as the empress's father, which was too fast.He put forward his views to Zhongzong, but Zhongzong didn't listen.Pei Yan tried to persuade Zhongzong again and again, which angered Zhongzong. He said angrily, "I am the Son of Heaven. As long as I am willing, why not give the world to Wei Xuanzhen?" Zhongzong really did this, and if the queen mother blamed it and couldn't afford it, she told the queen mother Wu Zetian what Zhongzong said.As a result, Zhongzong was immediately deposed as emperor by Empress Wu and changed the title to King of Luling.Zhongzong also asked in amazement: "What crime am I guilty of?" Wu Zetian said: "You want to give up the world to Wei Xuanzhen, how can you say you are innocent?" Zhongzong finally understood, and he was speechless.In this way, Zhongzong only served as emperor for more than 40 days.Webster never expected that the queen's throne would be pulled down before it was even hot.
Li Xian and Webster were imprisoned in the palace and lost their freedom in life. Webster's father Wei Xuanzhen and other family members were exiled to Lingnan.Li Xian was in a depressed mood, frowning and sighing all day long.Webster's shrewd and determined character is well reflected in adversity.She often taught and comforted Li Xian, saying: "Saving your life is the most important thing now. You must not show any expression of resentment, otherwise you will be killed. We should be patient and wait for the opportunity. I don't believe that there will be no bright future in the future."
Three months later, Empress Wu Zetian ordered the exile of Luling King Li Xian and his family to Junzhou (now Yunyang, Hubei).Before they reached Junzhou, they received an edict on the way asking them to move to Fangzhou again.Fangzhou is located in the Wudang Mountains, and the county seat has only a few hundred households, which is barren and closed.After Li Xian's family came here, they were not treated well, they lived a miserable life, and they were always worried about catastrophe.
Soon, news came that Xu Jingye, Li Ji's son, had launched a rebellion under the call of "recovering the Tang Dynasty", and Li Xian was even more frightened and disturbed.The governor of Fangzhou was also ordered to strengthen the surveillance of Li Xian. The imperial court sent special envoys to Fangzhou for three days and two days, apparently because they were worried that Li Xian and Xu Jingye would collude in rebellion.Li Xiansheng was afraid that Wu Zetian would execute him for an excuse, so he was worried day and night, and even wanted to commit suicide.Webster was very angry, and reprimanded her husband angrily: "You are so cowardly and useless, how can you achieve great things in the future?" Then, she analyzed the situation: "In my opinion, if Xu Jingye can win, our lives will be in danger; He is defeated, but we still have a way out."
At this time, Webster was pregnant, but she had to take care of the food, clothing and washing of the family alone, and her life was very hard.But she has always believed that the difficult situation will always pass, and there will always be a day when she will be outstanding.This aspect shows that she is naturally optimistic, but it also reveals a distinctive ambition.At this time, Webster was not only Li Xian's virtuous helper, but also Li Xian's backbone, "preparing for hardships and dangers, and showing great love" ("Zi Zhi Tong Jian Volume 208").
Two months later, Xu Jingye was defeated and died, everything settled down again, Li Xian and Wei Shi finally let go of a stone in their hearts.Soon, Webster gave birth to a daughter.The dignified prince was in trouble, and he didn't even have any clothes for the baby, so Li Xian took off his own clothes and wrapped them up for his daughter, and named his daughter "Zuo'er" by the way.Born in adversity and raised by her parents, this little girl was naturally loved and loved by Li Xian and Wei Shi, and she became Princess Anle later.
As expected, Webster's expectations did not come to fruition. Wu Zetian finally decided to pass the throne to his son after weighing, and sent someone to Fangzhou to pick up Li Xian's family back to Beijing.Li Xian was exiled for more than ten years, always fearing for his life, suddenly turned around, and was taken back to Luoyang in a beautiful manner.When he saw Wu Zetian again, he was filled with fear and excitement at the same time, and he knelt down and sobbed, sobbing uncontrollably.
After being recalled from Fangzhou, Li Xian was re-appointed as Crown Prince, and Wei Shi was also established as Crown Princess, and her heart began to be full of longing again.After going through too much suffering, Webster has become very scheming and has begun to know how to secretly form forces in the court.At that time, several people in the court were the most powerful: one was Wu Zetian's favorite Princess Taiping, the second was Wu Zetian's two male favorites Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong, the third was Wu Zetian's two nephews Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi, and there was another person, It is the close female official Lantai Lingshi Guan Wan'er who Wu Zetian trusts and relies on.
Wei Shi watched with cold eyes, and after seeing the situation clearly, he advised Li Xian to try his best to please Princess Taiping in order to enhance his own strength and capital.Princess Taiping was originally Li Xian's biological sister, so this was not too difficult for Li Xian.
While trying her best to please Princess Taiping, Webster also took the initiative to marry the Wu brothers. She married her eldest daughter, Princess Yongtai, to Wu Chengsi's son, Wei Wang Wu Yanji, and her youngest daughter, Princess Anle, to Wu Sansi's son, Wu Chongxun.In this way, they become a family with the Wu brothers.
But soon another incident happened that made Li Xian and Webster sad.The son of Li Xian and Webster's son Shao Wang Li Chongrun is handsome, filial and friendly, and has the same temperament as his brother-in-law Wu Yanji, so he is a confidant.The two young people often discussed government affairs together, and looked down upon Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong brothers who served Wu Zetian with masculinity and took advantage of the opportunity to seek power and accept bribes. When they got angry, they said that they would kill these two one day.As a result, these words were known by the Zhang brothers.In fact, either side of Li Chongrun and Wu Yanji represents a force that should not be underestimated. If the Zhang Brotherhood is a man, it should take the initiative to form an alliance with it, so as to save the capital for Wu Zetian's life in the future after his death.But these two heads had no political sense, and in a panic, they filed a complaint with Wu Zetian, accusing Li Chongrun and Wu Yanji of plotting rebellion.Wu Zetian didn't care about injustice, and ordered Li Chongrun, Wu Yanji, and Princess Yongtai to be rode to death.Lee Hsien-Webster saw a pair of sons and daughters being beaten to death with his own eyes, but he dared not plead for mercy. One can imagine the pain and fear in his heart.Wu Chengsi died of depression and illness shortly after the tragic death of his son.
Webster, who is also obsessed with power, although he hates Wu Zetian to the bone, deeply admires her mother-in-law's methods and talents.She often thinks: "Why can't I do what Ah Wu can do?" She believes in her ingenuity. Of course, she hopes to be like her mother-in-law and become the queen who rules the world one day.
After another 5 years, the bitter daughter-in-law for many years became a mother-in-law, and Webster finally ascended to the position of queen.Webster first imitated Wu Zetian's appearance. When Emperor Zhongzong came to court, she sat in the tent behind the emperor's seat and listened to the government behind the curtain.Zhongzong had always respected and loved her, so of course he obeyed.The minister Huan Yanfan wrote a letter to oppose it, and said: "When your Majesty Fushimi comes to the court to listen to the government, the queen will hang a curtain, sit on the hall, and listen to the political affairs. The foolish ministers have been selected and listed. In the past, the emperor has conspired with women. As for political affairs, all of them destroy the country and destroy the family, and lean towards the dynasty. It is against the sky to dry the yang with yin; Zhisuo'. "Yi" said, "If you don't have a chance, give it in the middle." It is said that women are not allowed to interfere in politics. I hope that your majesty will read the words of the ancients and take the common people as the consideration. The palace, Yu Xiu Yin religion, then the rituals of Kun, the fate of the tripod is new." ("New Words of the Tang Dynasty Volume 2") means that since ancient times, all emperors who let women participate in political affairs have ruined their country and family.Zhongzong was grateful for Webster's kindness in adversity, and obeyed his words, but of course he refused to listen to Yan Yanfan's advice.Yan Yanfan was killed by Wu Sansi.
After Wu Zetian's death, the situation took a turn for the worse, and Wu Sansi lost power.But he was very scheming, and he managed to catch up with Queen Wei.Empress Wei tried her best to suggest to Zhongzong to reuse Wu Sansi for her own benefit.Therefore, Emperor Zhongzong issued an edict to worship Wu Sansi as Sikong, and to become a veritable prime minister with the third rank of Zhongshu's sect.This was a major blow to Zhang Jianzhi and other Dingding heroes who supported Zhongzong.Zhang Jianzhi and others secretly asked Zhongzong to see Zhongzong, and advised Zhongzong not to raise tigers as a threat, and should always think of the hard-won restoration of the Li family.These words not only did not move Zhongzong, but instead aroused Zhongzong's anger, thinking that Zhang Jianzhi was threatening because of his meritorious support.Zhang Jianzhi has since fallen out of favor.In fact, it was impossible for Zhongzong to obey Zhang Jianzhi's advice and go against Empress Wei's intention.During the long-term confinement life, he and Webster shared weal and woe, and had a deep relationship with each other, and even made a promise of "fortunately see the sun again, and do what you want".Now that he sits on the emperor's dragon chair again and has the authority of the emperor, how can he not repay his wife?
In October of the second year of Shenlong (706), there were rumors in Luoyang that "the current queen and Wu Sansi have committed adultery". Zhongzong felt ashamed because of the endless rumors, so he decided to move back to Chang'an, Xijing.In the autumn of this year, Zhongzong appointed Li Chongjun, the third son, as the crown prince.Webster dissuaded Zhongzong because Li Chongjun was not his own, but Zhongzong did not listen to Webster's opinion on this matter.
Wu Sansi's daughter-in-law, Zhongzong and Empress Wei's favorite daughter, Princess Anle, Li Guer, is arrogant, and she has the same character as her mother - competitive and ambitious.She even wanted to be the "Emperor Dowager" in a whimsical way, so that she could inherit the throne and become the empress in the future.She often said: "Even Ah Wu, who was born as a concubine, can be an emperor, and I am a princess, why can't I be an empress dowager?" However, he still insisted on making Li Chongjun the prince.Zhongzong is a good husband and father, but he has his last standard. No matter how much he dotes on his wife and daughter, he dare not go too far on the road of violating etiquette and ancestral system.
However, the situation changed unexpectedly because of Princess Anle.Princess Anle looked down on Li Chongjun, the concubine's elder brother. She and her husband Wu Chongxun often insulted the prince and called him a "slave" behind their backs.When Li Chongjun heard that Princess Anle and Wu Chongxun called him a boy or a "slave" behind his back, he was furious and determined to kill Wu Sansi and force Zhongzong to abdicate, just like his ancestor Li Shimin launched the Xuanwumen Change.After careful analysis, he felt that Li Duozuo, the king of Liaoyang County (that is, the one who beheaded Wu Zetian's favorite Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi) was the only one in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty who was honest and trustworthy, so he went to seek help from Li Duozuo.Li Duozuo is a royal family, and he was also very indignant at Wu Sansi's arbitrariness of power. At this time, seeing the prince crying and pouring out his heart to him, he was very moved and decided to help the prince in the uprising.Li Duozuo also contacted generals Li Sichong, Li Chengkuang, Duhuzhi and others to assist the prince.
In the middle of the night in July of the third year of Shenlong (707), Prince Li Chongjun, Li Duozuo, Li Sichong and others falsely claimed that they were receiving an emergency order from the emperor, and led more than 300 people from Yulin Palace to attack Wu Sansi's mansion.Wu Sansi was drinking and having fun with his concubine at this time, and his son Wu Chongxun was also sitting with him. Princess Anle went to the palace and has not come back yet.The Yulin army swarmed in, killed one by one, and led Wu Sansi and his son to Prince Li Chongjun's horse.Prince Li Chongjun cursed a few times, drew out his sword and stabbed the two of them to death, and ordered to kill Wu Sansi's whole family.Immediately, he ordered General Zuo Jinwu, Cheng Wang Li Qianli, and his son Tianshui King Li Xi to divide their troops to guard the gates of various palaces. Together with Li Duozuo, he entered Suzhang Gate and went straight to the sleeping halls of Zhongzong and Empress Wei.
Zhongzong, Empress Wei, Shangguan Wan'er, Princess Anle and others had just finished the banquet when Liu Jingren, the great general of You Yulin, rushed to report that Prince Li Chongjun had led troops into Suzhang Palace for rebellion.Zhongzong was trembling with fright, Empress Wei scolded: "I said earlier that your son is not a thing, if you don't listen to me, you will die!" Shangguan Wan'er was still calm, and she said: "Xuanwumen is strong and can be guarded, please The emperor and queen immediately ascended to the Xuanwu gate tower, firstly, to temporarily avoid the disaster of murder, secondly, to issue an emergency order to recruit troops and horses to seek rebellion."
Zhongzong and Empress Wei followed Shangguan Wan'er to Xuanwu Gate in a panic and went up to the gate tower.Both Zhongzong and Empress Wei had no idea, and Shangguan Wan'er was scheming, so in the name of Zhongzong, Liu Jingren was ordered to immediately lead a team of more than a hundred flying cavalry who were on duty at Xuanwu Gate to guard the gate closely to resist the rebels.At this time, Li Duozuo had already led the troops to Xuanwu Gate. Seeing that Zhongzong was on the gate tower and guarded by flying cavalry, he did not dare to act rashly.
In this incident, Li Duozuo was upright and did not dare to be rude to Zhongzong easily, which led to his unclear purpose and constant decision-making, which was already doomed to failure.
Zhongzong reprimanded Li Duozuo on the gate tower, saying: "I treat you well, why did you help the prince to rebel?" I have no intention of rebellion with my ministers, but I just ask your Majesty's permission to clear up the turmoil in the palace, and I will immediately withdraw my troops and then apologize to your majesty." Upon hearing that Wu Sansi's father and son had been killed, Empress Wei, Shangguan Wan'er, and Princess Anle burst into tears (Unofficial records say that Empress Wei and Shangguan Wan'er had long-term affairs with Wu Sansi).Li Duozuo shouted again: "Shangguan Jieyu seduced Wu Sansi into the palace. She is a first-class criminal. Your Majesty, please hand her over quickly!" At Zong's feet, he said: "There is no such thing as a concubine. Please be aware of it. The death of a concubine is not a pity. I am afraid that the rebels will first ask for the concubine, then ask for the queen, and finally ask for your majesty." Zhongzong lost his mind for a while.Shangguan Wan'er stepped forward to point out a few words, and then Zhongzong proclaimed loudly to the city: "Listen, rebels, you were originally my confidants, Suwei, why did you follow Li Duozuo to rebel? If you can deal with it immediately, kill Duozuo. Zuo, not only will I ignore the previous crimes, but I will also give you additional rewards to ensure your prosperity and wealth!"
The Yulin army originally thought that the crown prince and Li Duozuo had rebelled under the imperial edict, but now that they heard Zhongzong's personal announcement, they knew that they had become rebels with Li Duozuo.Everyone has their own family members, so they were tempted, so everyone was silent for a while.At that time, Yang Sixuan, the eunuch's palace order, took the initiative to ask for a battle. First, he beheaded Li Duozuo's son-in-law, Habayashi Zhonglang, General Ye Huli, and then the Yulin army rushed to Li Duozuo and hacked him to death.Li Sichong, Li Chengkuang and other generals were also killed in the rebellion.From then on, Yang Sixu became a general as an eunuch, and became famous for his bloodthirsty and good fighting skills.
Prince Li Chongjun led dozens of attendants to break out and fled to Zhongnan Mountain.Zong Chuke, Minister of the Ministry of War, mobilized troops and quickly quelled the rebellion.Prince Li Chongjun was stabbed to death by his soldiers when he was resting in the woods of Zhongnan Mountain, and he cut off his head and presented it to the court.After Zhongzong heard the news, he didn't regret it, instead he dedicated his son's head to the Taimiao, offered sacrifices to the coffins of Wu Sansi and Wu Chongxun, and even hung his son's head in the court hall for public display.For Zhongzong's approach, the ministers were both angry and chilled, but no one dared to say anything more.Li Longji's subsequent rise was largely due to the failure of his cousin Li Chongjun.
Ning Jiaxu, the prime minister of Yonghe County with a humble official position, passed by Chang'an. When he saw the head of the crown prince Li Chongjun who was hung up for public display, he immediately took off his clothes, wrapped the head, and wept bitterly.What he cried was not the prince he had never met, but the bloody and turbulent situation in Tang Dynasty.After Zong Chuke knew about this, he immediately asked Zhongzong to exile Ning Jiaxu to Lingnan.Ning Jiaxu later died of illness in Lingnan.After Ruizong ascended the throne, he commemorated his "loyalty and integrity".
After the death of Prince Li Chongjun, Princess Anle's desire to be the crown princess became stronger and stronger.She relied on favor and arrogance, opened a house and set up officials, "all of them are butchers and dealers, and they sell officials for money", "most of the princes and ministers go out of their doors".He even forged imperial edicts to cover up the text, allowing Zhongzong to "approve".
Among Zhongzong's four sons, the eldest son Chongrun and the third son Chongjun died, the second son Chongfu was convicted and exiled to Junzhou, and the remaining youngest son Chongmao was only 10 years old.Zhongzong really wanted to make Chongmao the crown prince, but was opposed by Empress Wei. She wanted Princess Anle to be the crown prince, and she was not at ease with Li Chongmao, who was not her own son.
At this time, Zong Chuke, a disciple of Wu Sansi, had been promoted to prime minister because of his meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion. He had great ambitions and took the initiative to please Queen Wei and Princess Anle, and acted as a staff member for Princess Anle to become the empress. When he becomes the empress, he will be able to control the power of the imperial court.Instigated by Zong Chuke, Princess Anle and Empress Wei slandered Zhongzong, saying that Prime Minister Li Dan and Princess Taiping had colluded with Li Chongjun to rebel, and wanted to eradicate Prime Minister Li Dan and Princess Taiping in one fell swoop.Zhongzong believed it a little at first, and ordered Yushi Zhongcheng Xiao Zhizhong to review the case.Xiao Zhizhong first cried loudly: "Your Majesty is rich all over the world, you can't tolerate a brother and a sister, and make people hurt you?" Then he talked about how the Xiangwang voluntarily gave up the throne at the beginning, and now it is absolutely impossible to participate in the conspiracy to seize the throne. .Zhongzong was deeply moved, and his doubts were swept away.Xiao Zhizhong was later hunted and killed by Xuanzong because he belonged to Princess Taiping.
Later, some things happened, which made Zhongzong, who had always trusted Empress Wei, begin to have doubts.First, Lang Ji, a native of Dingzhou (now Dingxian County, Hebei Province), risked his life to write a letter, exposing Empress Wei's collusion with Zong Chuke in an attempt to rebel.Zhongzong didn't respond after reading the book, so Empress Wei walked over.After seeing Lang Ji's letter, Empress Wei was furious and ordered Zhongzong to order Lang Ji to be killed.Zhongzong only removed Lang Ji from his official position and ordered Lang Ji to reflect at home.But Empress Wei refused to give up, and sent someone to stick Lang Ji to death.
Then, Yan Qinrong, who joined the army in Xuzhou, made a memorial: saying that the queen is promiscuous and interfering in state affairs; Princess Anle, Wu Yanxiu, Zong Chuke and others colluded with each other and acted as traitors, endangering the country and should be severely punished.Zhongzong was shocked and unwilling to believe it, but he also had doubts in his heart, and his emotions were so complicated that it was hard to describe.Afterwards, Zhongzong secretly summoned Yan Qinrong into the palace and questioned him face to face.Without fear, Yan Qinrong exposed the embarrassment of the empress and others, with well-founded evidence.Zhongzong remained silent for a long time before he said with a gloomy expression: "I will call you in later." Yan Qinrong stepped back and went straight out from the inner hall. A gang of samurai.The prime minister, Zong Chuke, held the imperial edict and said that Yan Qinrong was killed immediately by the emperor's edict.
After the incident, Zhongzong did not punish Zong Chuke for the false edict, but what Yan Qinrong said had obviously affected his trust in Empress Wei.Zhongzong was always unhappy, not as close to Queen Wei as usual, and often even avoided her intentionally or unintentionally.Zhongzong's behavior not only panicked Empress Wei, but also made Princess Anle uneasy.The mother and daughter were worried that their status would be shaken, and as a result of the discussion, they came up with a vicious plan - kill Zhongzong, let Empress Wei ascend the throne as emperor, and make Princess Anle the "Emperor Dowager".
History always has some striking parallels.At that time, Zhongzong's father Gaozong spent most of his life under the control of Empress Wu Zetian.And Zhongzong was always restrained by his wife Webster's both soft and hard methods.The difference is that Gaozong finally ended up dying, while Zhongzong was not so lucky.
Zhongzong liked to eat pancakes very much.One day, he was sitting in the Dragon Palace reviewing the memorial. Empress Wei personally made a basket of cakes for him and ordered the maid to send it to him.Zhongzong took it and ate it. The more he ate it, the more delicious he was. He ate seven or eight in a row.Unexpectedly, after a while, he suddenly let out a scream, grabbed his chest with both hands, fell on the couch and rolled around.The servants rushed to report to Wei Hou.When Empress Wei came slowly, Zhongzong's eyes were turned white and he was speechless.He stared at Empress Wei, his mind still remembering.At this moment, the pain in the heart far exceeds the pain in the body.
In his life, there were not many good days, and he didn't seem to have anyone to be sorry for, right?He never resented his mother for treating him like that.Later, when he gained power, he did not massacre the Wu surname, and said against all opinions: "It's okay to kill others, but the Wu family is my cousin, so don't kill indiscriminately!" In this bloody court, he is The few people who still think about the kinship.However, there are many people who feel sorry for him, but the one who shouldn't be the most is the woman in front of him.He thought again of the days when he and Empress Wei shared weal and woe, and he really couldn't leave her for a moment at that time.He is so grateful for her true feelings of suffering, so he swore to his wife: "When you see the sun, do what you want, and don't restrain yourself." ("Zi Zhi Tong Jian Volume 208") This is him Commitment from the heart.After he became emperor, he did exactly the same.Although he has done nothing in his life, he has done a very good job in the word "faith".It's a pity that he treated her like this and regarded him as his closest relative, but in the end it was she who killed him.It's so sad.
Zhongzong struggled painfully for a while, then died at the age of 55.The emperor who had been confused all his life became a foolish ghost with a dead body lying on the lamp.
Empress Wei seemed very calm. While she was directing the maids to take care of Zhongzong's body, she was strictly ordering everyone around that no one should leak the news of the emperor's sudden collapse.Then, she falsely transmitted Zhongzong's order, and asked the imperial army controlled by Wei's children to divide troops to guard the gates of Chang'an, and sent another army to Junzhou to prevent the demoted Zhongzong's second son Li Chongfu from entering Chang'an.After all the arrangements were made, she issued the funeral report. In front of Zhongzong's Zi Palace, Li Chongmao, the youngest son of Zhongzong, was made emperor, and Empress Wei was honored as empress dowager.As a result, Empress Wei became another Wu Zetian.
At this time, Wu Zetian's fourth son, Li Dan, and his daughter, Princess Taiping, had become the biggest obstacles to Empress Wei's claim to power as emperor.Empress Wei was about to eradicate Li Dan and Princess Taiping. Li Dan's third son, Li Longji, contacted the Habayashi Army and launched a coup first. Wait for a bunch of sycophants.Li Dan was immediately restored to Tang Ruizong.
After Gaozong Lizhi in the Tang Dynasty, it showed a situation of prosperity of yin and decline of yang.Zhongzong Li Xian's weakness and Empress Webster's self-indulgent power have caused another "female protagonist" to rule the world.Empress Wei wanted to learn from Wu Zetian wholeheartedly, but her talents and ability to deal with political affairs, as well as her strategies and means when necessary, were not in the same breath as Wu Zetian.Therefore, in the end, instead of realizing the "Queen's Dream", she died under the knife.However, compared with the tragedy of her self-destruction, the tragedy of Zhongzong's death at the hands of his wife and daughter is even more tragic and shocking.
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