Chapter 197 Chapter 196: Zhongzong Li Xian

In the first year of Xianqing (AD 656), Wu Zetian, who had just been canonized as a queen, gave birth to Gaozong's third son. status.However, after Li Zhe was born, he was far from his two elder brothers Li Hong and Li Xian in all aspects. In August of the first year of Yonglong (AD 680), Li Xian was deposed as a commoner after his elder brother Li Hong was killed.In order, Li Zhe (Xian), who was the king of England at the time, was established as the crown prince.At this time, Tang Gaozong's health was getting worse and worse.In July of the following year, Emperor Gaozong appointed Pei Yan as a servant to take on the responsibility of prime minister and assist Prince Zhe to supervise the country in order to prevent accidents.

In the second year of Yongchun (683 A.D.), Emperor Gaozong passed away, and the crown prince was ordered to be the emperor in front of the coffin, and military and state affairs were subject to the will of the Queen of Heaven.In this way, Wu Zetian, who had already grasped the real power, gained the power to manipulate the government in name.Li Zhe changed Yuan Hongdao, made his concubine Webster the queen, and respected his mother Empress Wu Zetian as the empress dowager, who was called the system in the court.Taking Pei Yan as the order of Zhongshu, he was assisted by the imperial edict.This year, Li Zhe was 28 years old, and he was at a vigorous age.

However, in February of the following year, Tang Zhongzong Li Xian, who had succeeded to the throne for less than two months, was deposed, and his fourth brother Yong Wang Li Dan took the throne. It turned out that Zhongzong planned to promote his father-in-law Wei Xuanzhen to be a servant, and to grant the son of his wet nurse a fifth-rank official.At this time, Wei Xuanzhen had just joined the army in Puzhou and was promoted to governor of Yuzhou. Such a promotion was obviously too fast, so Prime Minister Pei Yan firmly opposed it, and a dispute arose.The ignorant, young and energetic emperor said angrily: "I can give the world to Wei Xuanzhen, let alone a servant!" Pei Yan reported this to Wu Zetian.Wu Zetian immediately summoned all the officials to the Qianyuan Hall. Pei Yan, Zhongshu's servant Liu Yizhi, Yulin generals Cheng Wuting and Zhang Qianxu led troops into the palace, announced the Queen Mother's order, and abolished Zhongzong as the king of Luling, secluded in another house.Li Xian didn't understand at this time, and asked: "What is my crime?" Zetian scolded him: "You want to give up the world to Wei Xuanzhen, is this a small crime?"

At the beginning, Wu Zetian chose Li Xian to inherit the throne because he saw his stupidity and believed that he would not be able to become the emperor if he became emperor, and the abolition and establishment were all in his own hands.On the other hand, Gaozong's will made Li Xian proclaim the emperor, but it was not yet ripe for Wu Zetian to proclaim the emperor. She did not dare to act rashly, so she used Li Xian as a buffer. After Zhongzong Li Xian was abolished, he was granted the title of King of Luling, moved to Junzhou (Shiyan City, Hubei Province), and soon moved to Fangzhou (Fangxian County, Hubei Province).

After this blow, Li Xian seemed to wake up in a haze. Thinking of his eldest brother being killed and Zhong brother being deposed, he understood that his biological mother's pursuit of power was far more than the affection of flesh and blood. It is unconscious, and the end is unimaginable. Once he came to his senses and understood the cruelty of his mother, Li Xian would be in constant panic.Fortunately, with the encouragement and support of a strong wife, Zhongzong was not afraid of premature death.Whenever Li Xian was overwhelmed with fear and unable to extricate himself, his wife Webster scolded him for being incompetent and timid, and at the same time encouraged him to relax and wait for his day.In this way, Li Xian spent 18 years of confinement in Fangzhou under the fear and encouragement of Empress Wei.

After Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor, in March of the first year of the Holy Calendar (AD 698), Li Xian, king of Luling, was secretly taken back to Luoyang, the eastern capital.In September, out of political strategy, Li Xianzhong was established as the prince. After Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor, the dispute between the Li and Wu surnames for the throne was very fierce.The Wu family's nephews headed by Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi were eager to try, and even joined hands with cruel officials to persecute Li's clan.Hundreds of people including Wang Qingzhi from Luoyang petitioned to make Wu heir the crown prince and depose the emperor's heir Li Dan. Prime Minister Li Zhaode killed him with a stick under the guise of the holy order.The competition between the two sides has become incandescent to the point of bloodshed.

The prime ministers Di Renjie, Wang Fangqing, Wang Jishan and others earnestly persuaded Wu Zetian to set up a crown prince with the surname Li to enjoy the incense for thousands of years, and advocated calling back the king of Luling.Prime Minister Ji Xu advised Wu Zetian's favorite men, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Zongchang, to intervene in the establishment of the crown prince, and persuaded the Emperor Wu to restore Luling, the prime minister, so as to comfort the hope of the world.During this period, the position reserve issue also directly affected the ethnic and class relations at that time, and even once became an excuse for the Khitan and Turkic rebellion.

In this case, Emperor Wu had to solve the problem of reserve position as soon as possible, and decided to make Li the crown prince. It was an important and wise decision of Wu Zetian in his later years to restore the king of Luling as the prince.Although Li Xian was not expected to be emperor, his restoration represented Wu Zetian's final choice between the Li and Wu surnames.This decision in line with the wishes of the common people put an end to the 8-year struggle between the Li and Wu surnames. Together with the end of the cruel official politics, it eliminated the factors of instability and created a new political situation during the last period of the Queen's reign.

At the beginning of the first year of Shenlong (AD 705), Wu Zetian's condition deteriorated, and only the Zhang brothers, the male favorites, were around.Under such circumstances, it is not impossible to usurp the throne by false edicts.Therefore, the prime ministers were very worried, so they decided to force the queen to abdicate, support the prince as the emperor, and revive the Tang Dynasty. Headed by the prime ministers Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuanriwei, a coup d'etat group was quickly formed to actively win over the generals who held military power and control Miyagi.Huan Yanfan and Jing Hui secretly contacted Prince Li Xian, Li Xian half-pushed, and everything was ready.

On the twenty-second day of the first lunar month, Zhang Jianzhi, Cui Xuanriwei, Yan Yanfan, Zuowuwei General Xue Sixing and others led more than 500 soldiers from the Youyu Forest to the Xuanwu Gate, where Li Duozuo, Li Zhan and the Crown Prince's palace Wang Neizhilang and Jiaojiao went to meet the prince and revolted together.But when the matter came to an end, the prince was afraid of relapse and dared not leave the palace.Wang Tongjiao had no choice but to carry Li Xianqiang onto his horse and set off for the harem.The coup troops quickly captured the Xuanwu Gate, went straight to Yingxian Palace, and killed Er Zhang. The crowd surrounded Li Xian and walked gently into the emperor's bedroom, standing away from the dragon bed.Zhang Jianzhi carefully explained to the queen: "Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong conspired against each other, and the ministers and others were punished by the order of the prince. May your majesty pass on the crown prince and obey the will of heaven." Wu Zetian was forced to abdicate.

On the 25th, Tang Zhongzong was restored.Wu Zetian moved to Shangyang Palace in the southwest of the Imperial Palace to recuperate.Zhongzong gave the mother emperor the honorary title "Zetian Dasheng Emperor".On February 4th, the title of Datang was officially restored, and the 15-year Wu Zhou Empire (690-705 AD) came to an end.The color of the flag was restored from the bright red of the Wu Zhou Dynasty to the yellow of the Tang Dynasty, and the old system before the first year of Yongchun (AD 682) was restored in the suburban temples, shrines, mausoleums, official ranks, etc.The characters of Zetian were abolished, Chang'an was designated as the capital, and the capital of the gods was restored to the old name of Luoyang as the accompanying capital.So far, the restoration of the Tang Dynasty has been completed. Although Tang Zhongzong was an ignorant and cowardly monarch, thanks to the assistance of a group of virtuous officials headed by Zhang Jianzhi, the new court quickly got on track.However, the aftermath of Wu Zetian's reign made the future of the revival of the Tang Dynasty change.In the era of masculinization of political power, Wu Zetian suddenly rose to the top of political power as a woman. Wu Zetian is second! Generally speaking, the emperor is weak and ignorant, and it is easy to cause the empress to interfere in politics, and the relatives are powerful, which is exactly the case for the activity of Empress Wei in the Zhongzong Dynasty.Empress Wei was originally a competitive woman, but because of Wu Zetian's existence, her ambition was restrained.During the long-term confinement, she became the spiritual pillar of the family, and she developed a strong and vicious character through endurance.She hates her mother-in-law Wu Zetian, but she admires and awes Wu Zetian's great energy.She thought to herself, Wu Zetian could be the queen as a woman, why couldn't she herself?Now, that day has finally arrived.She asked Zhongzong to handle state affairs with her, just like the reappearance of Empress Wu listening to politics behind a curtain.Because of his personality and common experience, Zhongzong always believed in what Empress Wei said. This situation surprised and frightened the members of the coup d'etat group who supported Li Tang, but they were helpless.Zhongzong's cowardice opened the door for Empress Wei's dictatorship.She tried every means to expand the power of the Webster family in an attempt to create a situation in the world of the Webster family.First of all, he pursued his late father Wei Xuanzhen as the king of Shangluo, and then changed it to the king of Bang, and built a temple called "Bao De Mausoleum". The courtiers dared not speak out against this arrogance.Later, Empress Wei borrowed Zhongzong's hand to make her cousin Wei Wen the Minister of Rites of the Duke of Lu, Wei Wen's younger brother Wei Xu was the Duke of Cao Zuo Yulin, and married Princess Cheng'an to Wei Xu's son Wei Jie.The power of the relatives Wei's family began to swell. However, Empress Wei was not satisfied with it.While gaining the desire for power, she also longs for the satisfaction of women's physical and mental desires.Zhongzong was unable to satisfy Empress Wei's request, so she sought out an affair and quickly hooked up with Wu Sansi.Since then, Empress Wei has become like a fish in water, and her degree of interference in politics has become more rampant. Although Empress Wei imitated Wu Zetian and also had the ambition to become a queen, she lacked Wu Zetian's political talent, the capacity and mysterious mind that a ruler should have. Because of his relationship with Empress Wei, Wu Sansi became the "true son of heaven" who manipulated Zhongzong.The resurgence of the Wu clan headed by Wu Sansi made the members of the coup d'état group feel terrified and deeply regretful. At the time of the coup, the Wu clan headed by Wu Sansi did not suffer the slightest damage. Zhang Jianzhi and others knew very well that Zhongzong's order at this time was actually controlled by Wu Sansi behind the scenes.In desperation, they secretly interviewed Zhongzong and asked for the execution of Wu Sansi and other martial arts.However, every time he met, Zhongzong responded with a silent attitude. In Zhongzong's view, Wu Sansi was the closest and most trusted confidant of him and Empress Wei.Not only did Zhongzong not order Zhuwu to be killed, but he revealed the secret memorial of Zhang Jianzhi and others to Wu Sansi.Wu Sansi and Empress Wei dealt with these ministers together. They worked both ways, and repeatedly slandered Zhang Jianzhi and others in front of Zhongzong.Wu Sansi thought and offered a plan to empty the five heroes, deprive them of their power to govern, and finally kill them.According to Wu Sansi's request, Zhongzong ordered civil and military officials to restore the political form of Emperor Zetian's era, reject those who opposed the Wu family, and recall all officials who had been exiled by Zhang Jianzhi before.In this way, the power of the Tang Dynasty was completely in the hands of Wu Sansi. The reason why Wu Sansi and others won the trust of Zhongzong and Empress Wei and became rampant again was mainly due to the support of Shangguan Wan'er, a talented woman in the harem.Shangguan Wan'er served as Wu Zetian's confidant for a long time. After Zhongzong came to the throne, he admired Wan'er's talent and continued to keep her as a secretary.Coincidentally.In order to gain the complete trust of Zhongzong and Empress Wei, Wu Sansi also thought of Wan'er.They frequently meet in the harem.The trend of promiscuity in the harem arose from this.Soon, Wan'er asked to build a private house outside the palace. After entering the palace to serve the emperor, she would leave early and return late, just like court officials.Once this precedent was set, imitators followed. Zhongzong trusted Wu Sansi no less than he trusted Empress Wei.This is often the case.After Empress Wei and Zhongzong listened to the government side by side, they returned to the harem. Empress Wei and Wu Sansi played chess on the emperor's dragon bed, and Zhongzong watched the battle from the sidelines, playing and laughing with them. Another unique phenomenon of the Zhongzong Dynasty was the unprecedented activity of the princesses.Zhongzong had four men and eight women.The four princes are very disappointing, but the princes and daughters are in a different situation, all treatment is the same as princes and princes.In the first month of the second year of Shenlong (706 A.D.), Zhongzong promoted the princesses from princesses to princesses, and then set up mansions and officials respectively.This situation is unique in history.Among Zhongzong's princesses, Empress Wei's own princesses Changning (fourth daughter) and Anle (seventh daughter) were the most active, and Princess Anle even wanted to set a precedent for "Emperor Dowager". In the second year of Jinglong (708 A.D.), Princess Anle began to use Zhongzong's ink order to accept bribes and sell officials.Princess Changning also imitated Princess Anle.They used a large amount of bribes to build mansions and villas, and indulged in lust.The extravagance of the two princesses stimulated the other princesses and the noble ladies in the harem. With the help of Empress Wei, they also used Mo Chi to sell their officials and obtained huge bribes. Under Zhongzong's rule, Empress Wei and Wu Sansi controlled the government. Empress Wei, Wu Sansi, Princess Anle, Shangguan Wan'er, and Prime Minister Zong Chuke colluded with each other, forming an extremely corrupt politics in Zhongzong's dynasty. Faced with this situation, the once decadent Prince Chongjun suddenly woke up.In July of the second year of Shenlong, before Zhongzong moved the capital to Chang'an, Li Chongjun, king of Wei, was registered as the prince.However, Empress Wei, Wu Sansi, and Princess Anle both despised and resented the new prince. Relying on Empress Wei's power, Prince Anle always wanted to replace the crown prince and become the empress dowager.Zhongjun felt that the development of the situation was extremely unfavorable to him, so he had to adopt a strategy of preemptive strikes.In July of the third year of Shenlong, Chongjun asked Li Duozuo, the general of Youyulin, for help, and led a thousand cavalry to launch a coup. Wu Sansi, Wu Chongxun and some of his comrades were killed.Then they broke into the harem and hunted down Empress Wei and Princess Anle.Empress Wei and Wan'er hid Zhongzong upstairs at the Xuanwu Gate.Wan'er offered advice to Zhongzong and asked Zhongzong to shout to the coup army upstairs, offering a reward for killing the prince and Li Duozuo.The prince and Li Duozuo were beheaded by the rebel army.Zhongzong made the 10-year-old youngest son Shigemo the crown prince. The extravagance of the Zhongzong Dynasty severely damaged the vitality of the Tang Empire, and provided the best opportunity for Turks and Tubo, who had been neglecting the frontier fortresses, to intrude. In December of the second year of Shenlong, the Turkic Mochu Khan launched a large-scale invasion of Mingsha (now Lingwu, Ningxia), a territory belonging to the Tang Dynasty, breaking through the defense line of the Tang army and entering the Tang territory.At the same time, Tubo launched fierce military operations against Tang in Qinghai and the Western Regions, harassing the western regions of the Tang Dynasty.In the third year of Shenlong, Zhongzong was forced to marry his adopted daughter Princess Jincheng to Tubo Zanpu, and temporarily gained peace on the western border through marriage. In the second year of Jinglong (708 A.D.), wars resumed in the west. Suo Geyin, the chieftain of the Turkic Turkic Shi tribe who had surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and his general Ashina Zhongjie were at odds and attacked each other. Tang Jinglue envoy Zhou Yiti not only did not mediate Instead, he instigated Zhongjie to go to the court to bribe the prime ministers Zong Chuke and Ji Chuna.Zong Chuke accepted the bribe and prepared to send troops to destroy Suoge according to Zhongjie's request.When Suoge learned of this plot, he was furious, so he declared himself a khan, and sent troops to attack Anxi. Tang generals were either captured or killed.Then, Suoge went to the Tang court to ask for the head of Zong Chuke, and punished the traitors to thank the people.Zhongzong had no choice but to come out to mediate the matter, declare Suoge innocent, and give him the title of Khan with 14 surnames.After these twists and turns, the national prestige of the Tang Dynasty that had been painstakingly established in the Western Regions since Emperor Taizong plummeted. The decline of the country's power did not make Zhongzong sober, and he was still indulging in pleasure and luxury with Queen Wei all day long. During the period from Shenlong to Jinglong, Zhongzong became emperor again, and a large-scale construction of Buddhist temples was launched, which caused a huge waste of social wealth, and the treasury of the Tang Dynasty was exhausted.These burdens are imposed on the broad masses of working people. Shortly after Wu Sansi was killed by Chongjun, Empress Wei specially promoted Ma Qinke, a regular attendant on Sanqi, and Yang Jun, Guangluqing, who were actually two male favorites raised by Empress Wei.Ma Qin is good at medicine and Yang Jun is good at cooking, both of which are favored by Empress Wei.At this time, Empress Wei was eager to realize her wish of "Wu Zetian second".But Zhongzong did not get rid of her, and her wish could not be realized.And Princess Anle's desire to become the crown princess is also increasing day by day. Although she has made many requests to her father, she has been rejected.In this way, Empress Wei and Princess Anle germinated a common evil idea at the same time: as long as their husband (father) is not alive, they can each get their wish. In June of the fourth year of Jinglong, Queen Wei, Princess Anle made fake hands, Ma Qinke and Yang Jun, put poison into Zhongzong's favorite pie and killed it. Zhongzong died, and the 16-year-old youngest son, Wen Wang Chongmao, became the emperor. He was the young emperor and his reign name was Tang Long.Empress Wei came to the court as the empress dowager.According to the prior arrangement of Wei Hou and others, Shaodi was just a transition. Prime Minister Zong Chuke invited Wu Yanxiu, Zhao Luwen, Ye Jingneng and Wei Wen and other Wei family members, and began to persuade Queen Mother Wei to follow Wu Zetian's "Yi Shi Revolution" and ascend to the throne of heroine.In order to achieve the purpose of changing the dynasty, the Empress Dowager Wei and others stepped up their activities.At that time, the important positions of the Sixteen Guards of the Nanya Army, the Tenth Army of the Beiya Army, and the Taige Shangshu Province of the Central Forbidden Army were all held by members of the Wei clan.The Prime Minister Li Dan, Princess Taiping, and Li Longji, the son of Wu Zetian, were their great obstacles, so they conspired to eliminate them. At the critical juncture, Li Longji mobilized the "Wanqi" soldiers who had already colluded with each other, raided the harem, and killed Queen Mother Wei, Princess Anle, Wu Yanxiu and others.After this coup, the Webster Group was completely wiped out, and only a few people remained in the Wu Group.In the end, Princess Taiping came forward to clean up the mess and supported Li Dan to ascend the throne again, for Ruizong.