How did Wu Zetian solve the problem of Li Yuan giving birth to 30 children after his abdication

The Seven Treasures once said, “With swords drawn and crossbows drawn, the situation is severe and fierce, and compatriots turn against each other for imperial power.” In the early period of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Xuanwu Gate Incident broke out, and the throne changed hands. Emperor Taizong of Tang created the prosperous era of Zhenguan. Although the rule of Emperor Taizong was extremely prosperous, the threat of Emperor Gaozu was everywhere.
Throughout the development history of ancient Chinese society, it can be found that although the emperor held the supreme power of the country, the life of the royal family was extremely chaotic. After all, everyone was eager for power, and it was very common for brothers and sisters in the royal family to fight for imperial power.
During the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan’s abdication was not voluntary, but was coerced by Li Shimin. For this reason, Li Yuan naturally harbored resentment towards Li Shimin. According to historical records, after Li Yuan abdicated, he gave birth to thirty children, causing great turmoil in the royal family. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the thirty children born to Li Yuan after his abdication caused him great headaches, but the accession of Empress Wu Zetian successfully solved this problem. Why did Li Yuan give birth to thirty children after his abdication? How did Empress Wu Zetian solve this problem?
In the early period of Tang Dynasty rule, the outbreak of the Xuanwu Gate Incident caused great turmoil in the court’s rule. By understanding the development history of the Tang Dynasty, it can be found that when Li Yuan conquered the world, Li Shimin’s contributions far exceeded those of Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, and Li Yuan’s successful unification of the Central Plains region was inseparable from Li Shimin’s contributions. However, influenced by the concept of inheritance from the eldest son, Li Yuan insisted on appointing Li Jiancheng as the crown prince. For Li Shimin, who had made outstanding contributions, Li Yuan’s choice naturally disappointed him greatly.
After being crowned as the crown prince, although Li Jiancheng had a high status, he still harbored resentment towards Li Shimin. In order to completely eliminate the obstacles to ascending to power, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng joined forces with other princes to exclude Li Shimin everywhere, causing his status to repeatedly decline. Under extreme oppression, Li Shimin could no longer bear it and decided to launch the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
After the Xuanwu Gate Incident broke out, Li Shimin killed Li Jiancheng and then forced Li Yuan to abdicate. Although Li Shimin’s way of ascending to power has been criticized by the world, the Zhenguan governance he pioneered has pushed the level of social development in our country to a new peak and brought a more stable living environment for the people.
As the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan, who was forced to abdicate, naturally felt unwilling, but due to the power of Li Shimin, he had to accept the fact of abdication. After abdicating, Li Yuan no longer needed to care about political affairs and indulged in pleasure became his main way of passing the time. During the process of enjoying himself with his wives and concubines, Li Yuan’s wives and concubines gave birth to thirty children one after another, causing great chaos within the Tang Dynasty royal family.
For Li Shimin, the appearance of these thirty younger siblings posed a great threat to him. Although his younger sister could be used as a tool to win over powerful officials when she grew up, the existence of his younger brother posed a great threat to imperial power. After all, Li Yuan’s sons are of royal bloodline, so they naturally hold a certain amount of power in their hands.
But in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin had already killed Crown Prince Li Jiancheng. In order to stabilize the people’s hearts, Li Shimin had to treat these younger brothers well in order to maintain the title of Renjun. Under the indulgence of Li Shimin, these younger brothers are extremely arrogant and will become the biggest threat to the people no matter where they are. In this way, Li Shimin had a headache, but there was no suitable way to solve this problem.
Over time, Li Shimin’s younger brothers became the biggest threat to the rule of the Tang Dynasty, and until Li Shimin’s death, a reasonable solution to this matter had not been found. But the rise of Empress Wu Zetian to power successfully helped the Tang Dynasty solve this problem. As a former palace talent, Wu Zetian’s path to power was legendary. Although her rise to power was accompanied by opposition from many ministers, her political abilities were also recognized by some of her courtiers.
When Wu Zetian took over the imperial power, the prince of the Li family was the biggest threat on her path. In the process of suppressing the rebellion of the princes, Wu Zetian killed all the princes who were related to opposing her rule. For those princes who opposed Wu Zetian’s rule, they generally had a certain connection. When Wu Zetian eradicated a prince, she would kill all the princes who had connections with him. As a result, most princes were implicated and almost no one was spared from death.
Under the influence of Wu Zetian’s iron fist politics, most of the children left by Li Yuan died at Wu Zetian’s hands, and all factors that threatened central rule were effectively eradicated. In the process of eradicating Li Yuan’s son, the descendants of Wu Zetian were even implicated, but Wu Zetian did not soften her heart because of this. Instead, she persisted in eliminating dissidents and ensuring the stability of her own rule.
After Wu Zetian ascended to power, she successfully solved Li Shimin’s lifelong headache and helped Tang Dynasty rule achieve stable development. Although Wu Zetian’s solution was rough and cruel, if the huge threat posed by Li Yuan’s son could not be resolved, Tang Dynasty rule would inevitably lead to turmoil and ultimately end in destruction.
Conclusion
From Wu Zetian’s method of resolving this matter, it can be seen that in the development process of ancient society, the emperor had to pay a huge price to maintain his power. Perhaps in the eyes of some people, Wu Zetian’s actions were too cruel, but without her actions, the rule of the central region would have been seriously threatened.
It can be seen that everything has its pros and cons. When judging historical figures, it is necessary to look at the problem from multiple perspectives. If we judge historical figures based solely on a single impression, the results will be relatively one-sided and cannot help future generations understand the real historical development background.