Chapter 44 Yizong ascends the throne

Dazhong ten years (AD 856) spring.Tang Xuanzong Li Chen was forty-seven years old.Although this is already the tenth year of his emperor's career, Xuanzong Li Chen's enthusiasm for governing the country and Yuyu seems to have not diminished at all. Facing this emperor who never tires and slackens, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty are of course both admirable and gratified. How about maintaining the peace and tranquility of the empire? But the problem is, it's not realistic. People will always grow old and die. No matter how strong Li Chen is, it is impossible to surpass the laws of nature on this point.What's more, none of the six emperors before him—Shun, Xian, Mu, Jing, Wen, and Wu—lived past the age of fifty.This grim fact makes people dare not have too much optimism about Li Chen's longevity.Therefore, the empire must establish a prince as soon as possible in order to be prepared.

It is regrettable that Xuanzong Li Chen has always been unwilling to establish a reserve.He seemed to get annoyed when he mentioned it.The prime minister and the officials were naturally worried about this. One day in the first lunar month, Emperor Xuanzong summoned Prime Minister Pei Xiu and asked him to speak freely about the court's urgent tasks in the new year.Without losing the opportunity, Pei Xiu proposed to the emperor again: "The top priority today is to establish a prince early." When Xuanzong heard this, he straightened his face immediately. After a while, Pei Xiu heard the emperor say coldly: "If the crown prince is established, wouldn't I become an idler?"

As for the reason why the emperor insisted on not establishing a reserve, all the officials naturally talked about it.It is generally believed that this is caused by the emperor's excessive attachment and nostalgia for power. Such an analysis is of course justified.But Prime Minister Pei Xiu and others knew very well that this was actually only part of the reason.The main reason is that the emperor deliberately wanted to argue with the ministers. The emperor didn't really want to establish a reserve, but had serious differences with the ministers on the selection of the prince. Xuanzong Li Chen has eleven princes in total, and the eldest son Yun Wang Li Wennian is twenty-four years old, so he is the best candidate for the crown prince.But the problem is that Xuanzong didn't like the eldest son at all, so he ordered him to move out of the palace early and live in the prince's mansion in the sixteenth house.Among the ten princes who remained in the palace, Xuanzong's favorite was the third prince Kui Wang Li Zi, who had always wanted to make him the crown prince.But the ministers thought this was not in accordance with the etiquette system, and the eldest son Li Wen should be established.The two sides insisted on their own opinions and refused to give in to each other, so the matter was put on hold.

The days soon came to the thirteenth year of Dazhong (859 AD), and the crown prince of the empire was still yet to be established. If before that, the worries of the ministers were just a hidden worry, then this year, the worries of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty have turned into real panic. Because in the past few years, this talented emperor has embarked on the old path of Li Tang's emperors, and began to pursue longevity infatuatedly, taking pills, and his health deteriorated rapidly as a result.From the turn of spring and summer of this year, the poison in the emperor's body broke out, and malignant sores developed on his back.At the beginning of August, the sores festered in a large area, and the emperor was bedridden and could no longer go to court.Neither the prime minister nor the officials had a chance to see the emperor.

The emperor is critically ill, the crown prince has not yet been established, and news from inside and outside the palace is cut off.The Empire is once again in a dangerous moment. Xuanzong Li Chen knew that he was not predicting, and immediately summoned the left and right privy envoys Wang Guichang, Ma Gongru, and Xuanhui South Court envoy (director of the South Court) Wang Jufang, and entrusted King Kui Li Zi to them and ordered them to support Li Zi as the crown prince. Succession to the throne. The emperor entrusted the orphans, and he abandoned the elders and established the younger ones.This kind of thing is really no small matter, and it must be backed by the imperial army.The three Gu Ming eunuchs immediately found Wang Maoxuan, Lieutenant of the Right Army who had always been friends with them, and obtained his support.Then they negotiated urgently and issued an edict in the name of the emperor to release Wang Zongshi, a lieutenant of the Zuojun who did not belong to their party, as the supervisor of Huainan, so as to ensure the smooth progress of the operation of seizing the heir.

Wang Zongshi had no doubts and was ready to set off immediately.However, Qi Yuanshi, his deputy and deputy envoy of the Zuo Army, said to him meaningfully: "The emperor has been ill for more than a month, and you just greeted you through the door, and you were suddenly released today. Who did this matter? Don't you want to see the emperor before leaving, Lord Lieutenant?" As if waking up from a dream, Wang Zongshi realized that he had been set aside by someone, and immediately rushed to the emperor's bedroom with Qi Yuanshi angrily. When they arrived, Xuanzong had died, and the attendants and court ladies were weeping around the body.Wang Zongshi and Qi Yuanshi immediately took action, summoned Wang Guichang and other three people to reprimand them face to face, accusing them of falsely preaching the imperial decree.Wang Guichang and the others knew that they couldn't beat the number one figure in the Forbidden Army, so they had to lie at his feet and beg for mercy.Wang Zongshi then ordered Qi Yuanjian, envoy of Xuanhui North Court, to go to the Sixteen Houses to meet Yun Wang Li Wen.

On August 9th, Wang Zongshi issued an edict in the name of the Son of Heaven, Li Wen, the king of Yun, was made the crown prince to supervise the state affairs, and at the same time changed his name to Li Wei.On the same day, the privy envoys Wang Guichang, Ma Gongru, and Xuanhui Nanyuan envoy Wang Jufang were arrested and killed immediately. Another Emperor Li Tang, who was ignorantly pushed to the throne in the life-and-death struggle between the two factions of eunuchs. On August 13th, the thirteenth year of Dazhong, the 27-year-old Li Wei ascended the throne as Tang Yizong. When Emperor Xuanzong and Li Chen finished his legendary life, the "Government of the Great and Middle Kingdom" also came to an end.

At the moment when the coffin was finalized, history gave Li Chen a very high evaluation: "Xuanzong clearly observed and judged, used selflessly, followed advice like a stream, cherished official rewards, respected and frugal, and loved the people. Therefore, the administration of Dazhong lasted until the end of the Tang Dynasty. , people think about it, and call it the 'Little Taizong'!" (Volume 249) Thanks to the hard work of this "little Taizong", we were able to glimpse the brilliance, magnificence and grace inherited from the prosperous Tang Dynasty in the chaotic historical puzzle of the middle and late Tang Dynasty.

However, when this page of history is turned over, the darkness mercilessly engulfs our eyes. In the dark years of the future, amidst the wars and smoke of the end of the world, the majesty and spirit of the glorious Tang Dynasty in the past have disappeared, leaving only the last few young and bewildered faces, floating and sinking in the crumbling palace of Daming Palace and drifting...