How did the real Tang Gaozong Li Zhi prolong the life of the Li dynasty in history

Do you know how the real Tang Gaozong Li Zhi extended the life of the Li dynasty in history? It’s okay if you don’t know, the history encyclopedia editor will tell you.
If we were to say that the weakest emperor in Chinese history was none other than Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty. In the first half of his life, he was controlled by his uncle, and in the second half, he let his wife take over the power in his hands. During his reign, there seemed to be nothing that he did himself, so many people thought he was the weakest emperor.
But may I ask, which one in ancient times could have become an emperor who was truly simple, weak, and at the mercy of others? Moreover, he was the heir designated by Li Shimin, and naturally not what we think. In fact, Li Zhi was a ruthless and cunning emperor, otherwise he would not have been able to ascend to the throne.
Firstly, there is the exciting battle for the crown prince’s position. Prior to this, he was deposed due to the Crown Prince’s private rebellion. The later struggle for the position of crown prince quietly unfolded between Li Tai and Li Zhi. Li Tai was the first suitable successor favored by Li Shimin, but due to his lack of intelligence, he thought that obtaining the position of crown prince would ensure everything was worry free. As a result, he was tricked by Li Zhi.
At that time, Li Yuanchang was involved in rebellion, and the Crown Prince threatened Li Zhi on the grounds of his good relationship with him, forcing him to withdraw from the battle to seize the throne. Finally, this matter was reported to the emperor by Li Zhi. From then on, the emperor believed that Li Tai was resorting to any means necessary for the sake of the throne, and therefore abolished his position as crown prince. At the same time, he also accepted Changsun Wuji’s suggestion and appointed Li Zhi as the crown prince.
This matter may seem very simple, but in reality it has profound implications. It is already very remarkable that Li Zhi was able to convince Changsun Wuji to firmly support him as emperor. Wuji was a founding hero and held a prominent position in the court. It was not easy to win him over, so it can be seen that Li Zhi was indeed very resourceful. And harming his own brother for the sake of the throne also shows his extreme cruelty.
In the process of Changsun Wuji’s struggle for power, he also cleverly utilized Wu Zetian. Although everyone agreed that Wu Zetian was using Li Zhi, in reality, it was Li Zhi who eliminated the power of the Changsun group through the “palace dispute”. In this war, Queen Wang was the key to the victory or defeat of both factions, while Li Zhi deliberately created a harem conflict by exploiting women’s jealousy.
This kind of struggle is fundamentally beneficial to him. If Wu Zetian wins, it will bring him the abolition of Empress Wang and the eradication of the power of the Changsun Group in the palace. At the same time, it will also deal a heavy blow to the Changsun family in the court; If Wu Zetian loses, then all the blame will be placed on her, at most she will be sent to the cold palace. For the emperor, it is just losing a woman.
So, it was not Wu Zetian who used him to seize the power of the harem, but he used his own woman to regain the imperial power in his hands. However, not many people can see this clearly until today, so this is where Li Zhi’s strength lies. Disguising oneself as a manipulated doll, but in reality being able to use one’s own woman to harm one’s own uncle with such vicious means, is not something that a compassionate and righteous person can do.
After watching him deal with his own family like this, we probably know that this seemingly weak man actually has very vicious methods. In such a struggle, the only undefeated person is him, with a sharp wrist, but no one will give him a reputation, which may be his unique feature.
However, during his reign, he also made certain contributions to the prosperity and strength of the Tang Dynasty, pioneering the “Yonghui Rule” and annihilating Goguryeo, Western Turkic tribes, etc., which led to the peak of the Tang Dynasty’s territory and played a positive role in extending its life to a certain extent.