Chapter 215 Chapter Two Hundred and Fourteen

Emperor Ai of Tang Dynasty Li Ji was born on September 3, the first year of Emperor Zhaozong Jingfu (892 A.D.). His mother He Shi was a concubine Shu and was soon established as a queen.In February of the fourth year of Qianning (897 A.D.), when Li Wei was not yet 5 years old, he was named King Hui and changed his name to Li Zuo. In February of the third year of Tianfu (903 A.D.), Emperor Zhaozong announced the system, and made Hui Wangzuo the marshal of all the soldiers and horses.With Liang Wang, the inspector Taishi, and Zhongshuling Zhu Quanzhong as the deputy marshal, he commanded the national army.Since then, the baby marshal has formed an indissoluble bond with Zhu Quanzhong.

In the first month of the first year of Tianyou (AD 904), Zhu Quanzhong forced Zhaozong to move to Luoyang. In August, Zhu Quanzhong sent his cronies Jiang Xuanhui and others to Luoyang to kill Tang Zhaozong, his concubine Li Jianrong, and his wife Pei Zhenyi.Empress He pleaded hard and was spared. On the morning of the second day after Tang Zhaozong was killed, Jiang Xuanhui falsely preached an imperial decree, Li Hui Wang Li Zuo was the crown prince, and his original name was restored to Li Wei.At noon, the Empress Dowager Order was announced, and the crown prince could take the throne in front of Zhaozong's coffin.On that day, Li Wei, who was only 13 years old, ascended the throne as Emperor Ai of Tang Dynasty.

Then, Jiang Xuanhui announced to the clan of all officials: Li Jianrong of Zhaoyi and Mrs. Pei Zhenyi of Hedong killed Emperor Zhaozong in partnership, and committed suicide by throwing themselves into a well in fear of crime.Pass the crime of regicide on to the dead. Emperor Ai was young, and all the power of the court was completely in the hands of Zhu Quanzhong.In order to ascend to the throne as soon as possible, Zhu Quanzhong started the activities of massacring the clan and court ministers. In February of the second year of Tianyou (AD 905), Zhu Quanzhong ordered the privy envoy Jiang Xuanhui to summon Zhaozong's son De Wang Li Yu and other nine princes to Jiuquchi to hold a Hongmen banquet.The nine princes didn't know what the trick was, so they drank heavily, and all of them got drunk. The executioners assigned by Jiang Xuanhui in advance swarmed up and hanged the nine princes with ropes.

Then, Zhu Quanzhong took advantage of Prime Minister Liu Can, Pei Shu and other courtiers to suppress vendetta and followed the advice of counselor Li Zhen to kill scholars. More than 30 people, each committed suicide.Zhu Quanzhong ordered all their bodies to be thrown into the Yellow River. The clan has been eliminated, and the courtiers have been wiped out, and the entire imperial court is under the control of Zhu Quanzhong.Next, Zhu Quanzhong decided to seek the throne by abdicating Emperor Gong of Sui Dynasty and Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan of Tang Dynasty. However, the prime ministers Liu Can, Jiang Xuanhui, Zhang Tingfan, etc. did not seem to understand Zhu Quanzhong's urgency. They were still negotiating with Emperor Ai and the Empress Dowager to proceed step by step through granting a great country (country title), adding nine tins, performing special rituals, and then receiving Zen. According to the procedures, it is also planned to have Emperor Ai lead his ministers to the southern suburbs to hold a ceremony to sacrifice to heaven in November of the third year of Tianyou.Zhu Quanzhong, who was eager to ascend the throne, was furious when he heard the news, thinking that Jiang Xuanhui and others were conspiring with Emperor Ai and the Empress Dowager to delay the time of the Zen throne and plotted against the law.Therefore, on the one hand, he put pressure on Emperor Ai, and on the other hand, he eliminated Liu Can, Jiang Xuanhui and other ministers in power.

In the first month of the fourth year of Tianyou, Emperor Ai sent the censor Xue Yiju to Daliang to express condolences to Zhu Quanzhong.Xue Yiju returned to Luoyang, and immediately played Emperor Ai: "Marshal (Zhu Wen) agrees to accept Zen, Your Majesty should get rid of the burden on your body as soon as possible, and perform the ceremony of the Zen seat as soon as possible." Therefore, Emperor Ai issued an edict to hold the Zen ceremony in February. At the beginning of March, Emperor Ai ordered his ministers to lead all the civil and military officials, including the prime ministers Zhang Wenwei and Yang She, to go to Daliang, where the Zen emperor was located in Zhu Quanzhong.

Zhu Quanzhong accepted Zen and proclaimed himself emperor. He was the Taizu of Liang, and his country was named Liang.The Tang Dynasty, which lasted for 290 years, came to an end. After Zhu Quanzhong became emperor, he made Emperor Ai the king of Jiyin and moved to Caozhou (now Cao County, Shandong).In the second year, that is, the second year of Kaiping (AD 908), on February 21st, Zhu Quanzhong sent his cronies to kill Li Wei, who was 17 years old at the time. He was posthumously called "Emperor Ai" and buried in Wenling.In the Mingzong period of the later Tang Dynasty, he pursued his posthumous posthumous title "Emperor Zhaoxuan Guanglie Xiao".