How much do Li Shimin and Li Zhi love Princess Xincheng Why was the Princess of Xincheng buried with the ceremony of empress

Princess Xincheng, the youngest daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and the younger sister of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi. This princess was eventually buried at the Zhaoling Mausoleum with the ceremony of an empress. What exactly happened? Below, the history encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s continue reading.
The wind chimes of history continue to sway, and a prosperous Tang Dynasty comes into view amidst the rhythm. In the timeless annals of history, there are countless ink stains and records of the glory of the prosperous era. Although Emperor Taizong of Tang was not the ruler who opened the court, he was the ruler who opened the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty. During his more than twenty years of rule, the Tang Dynasty had already reached its peak.
After Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, proclaimed himself emperor, he had children and had a happy and harmonious family. Among them, he and Empress Changsun gave birth to a daughter who was beautiful and handsome, and was the youngest among siblings. She was highly favored from a young age, and at that time, Crown Prince Li Zhi doted on her even more. After her death, he buried her with the ceremony of Empress.
01 Enjoy the splendor of golden branches and jade leaves
Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, created the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty. He never expected that his most beloved daughter would ultimately suffer great injustice. As the successor of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, was also extremely heartbroken in the face of his sister’s suffering. But how did this tragic ending come about? This can be traced back to the eighth year of the Zhenguan reign in the Tang Dynasty.
Some people say that reincarnation is like a university gate, where one can enjoy happiness by being reincarnated into a wealthy family. However, this woman was directly reincarnated into the imperial family, which was the most prosperous period in feudal society during the Tang Dynasty. In the eighth year of the Zhenguan reign, Li Shimin and his empress gave birth to a daughter, who was the Princess of Xincheng.
What is meant by ‘golden branches and jade leaves’? The daughter born to Li Shimin and Empress Changsun was the last child of Emperor Taizong of Tang. This little daughter was loved by countless people from birth, but Empress Changsun passed away at the age of three. This little princess, who had lost her maternal love since childhood, became a treasure in everyone’s hands.
At the age of 8, the little princess was conferred the title of Princess of Hengshan County by Li Shimin, with treatment equivalent to that of a prince. This is an unprecedented honor in history. At this time, as a fellow mother, Li Zhi, the elder brother, also deeply cherishes his innocent and lovely younger sister.
Throughout history, children born into the royal family have generally been sacrificial victims of political interest exchange. Some had to marry women from other countries, while others had to marry sons of ministers to win the hearts of their subjects. However, this did not work for Li Shimin, who could not bear to see his daughter become a sacrificial victim of politics. Therefore, he carefully selected the right person for this precious daughter.
How much does Li Shimin love this little daughter? He personally held his daughter’s hand and asked her what kind of husband she wanted to find. However, the inexperienced little girl understood these things. Looking at his shy daughter, Li Shimin decided to carefully search for a son-in-law for her.
02 Marriage setbacks and happiness collapse
At this moment, Wei Zheng, a prominent minister in the court, fell seriously ill. Emperor Taizong was filled with gratitude towards Wei Zheng, who had worked tirelessly throughout his Tang Dynasty under the Li family. During his reign, Wei Zheng was loyal and devoted, but now that he has run out of oil and his lamp is withered, although he was born as the ruler of a country, he is still helpless.
At this moment, Emperor Taizong saw that Wei Zheng’s son was a talented and upright person with an extraordinary appearance. He also thought of the loyalty and diligence of the Wei family, so he decided to hire Wei Zheng as his son-in-law. Poor Wei Zheng had already passed away before hearing the news. Just as Emperor Taizong was holding a wedding for the princess, those who were close to Wei Zheng rebelled, which greatly angered Emperor Taizong.
When the emperor became angry, many people were involved, and Wei Zheng, a loyal martyr, was also implicated. This marriage must not have been successful, so the son-in-law he had finally found for the princess turned into nothing. However, although Emperor Taizong was busy with national affairs, he still cared deeply about the princess’s marriage.
The princess is already 15 years old, and by chance, Li Shimin saw that Changsun Quan was good, so he decided to marry the princess to Changsun Quan again. Changsun Quan and Empress Changsun also have a kinship relationship, as the saying goes, adding relatives to each other is definitely not allowed in modern times, but the Tang Dynasty, especially the imperial family, did not care about these things.
After finalizing the matter, Emperor Taizong of Tang began to discuss the marriage between his daughter and Changsun Quan. After all, she was his most beloved daughter, and Emperor Taizong was particularly concerned about her marriage. The wedding was being planned intensively, but this prosperous king passed away.
Immediately after, his brother Li Zhi became the emperor, and his father passed away. According to tradition, as children, it is customary to observe filial piety for three years. During these three years, no happy events can be held. Therefore, the marriage between the princess and Changsun Quan was put on hold again for three years. Many changes occurred during these three years, but their marriage was still completed.
Watching his sister and Changsun Quan become husband and wife, living a sweet and happy life together, Li Zhi was extremely happy. However, his position as empress had always been vacant, so Wu Zetian appeared on the political stage at this time. Wu Zetian did anything to ascend to the throne as empress, while the Changsun family was somewhat dissatisfied. In the end, the Changsun family was falsely accused and exiled, and Changsun Quan, as the son-in-law, did not avoid it.
Although Li Zhi felt sorry for his sister, he, as an emperor, was helpless in the face of political means. From then on, the newlyweds separated once again, and this separation was eternal separation between heaven and man. Li Zhi watched his sister melancholy all day long, knowing that although her sister did not show any signs, he already hated him in his heart. Therefore, in order to make up for her, he decided to find another son-in-law for her.
03 Fragrant and Fallen Jade, Broken String Pipa
So the young princess of Xincheng got married again, and this bumpy marriage made her suffer a lot. Although she had countless grievances in her heart, there was not a single complaint in her mouth. The more this happened, the more guilty Li Zhi felt. So, once again, Li Zhi married his sister to Wei Zhengju, a descendant of a prestigious family.
This Wei Zhengju is a person of extreme power. His marriage to the Princess of Xincheng was purely for him to use his son-in-law’s fame to gain an official position. He had no love for the princess, and the princess showed no interest in him. Even if he married someone else, what the princess could never forget in her heart was her long grandson Quan, whom she had a brief marriage with.
After marrying the princess, Wei Zhengju was indeed greatly supported by Li Zhi, and his official position was gradually promoted. However, for a long time, Wei Zhengju realized that Li Zhi did not continue to support him, which made him very anxious. So he came to the princess’s side on a drunken night, intending to have his princess wife talk to the emperor and speak well of him.
But he never expected the princess to reject him directly, which made him very angry. As the saying goes, after drinking alcohol, Wei Zhengju’s animalistic nature was rampant. Suddenly, he covered the princess with a blanket. Although it was an unintentional mistake, it eventually led to a mistake, and the poor princess was suffocated to death by the blanket.
In order to cover up his crimes, Wei Zhengju unexpectedly claimed to the public that the princess died of depression due to the unbearable loss of her ex husband. He also spread rumors that he was extremely good to the princess, but she never had anything else in her heart. When Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, found out, he was heartbroken and felt even more guilty towards his younger sister. However, falsehood could not be true. Li Zhi, who uncovered the truth, ultimately destroyed Wei Zhengju and implicated the family.
Watching his young sister pass away like this, Li Zhi thought of his father’s confession before his death. He was heartbroken, but death cannot bring him back to life. After a painful experience, Li Zhi buried his sister, Princess Xincheng, with the etiquette of an empress. This once became a great miracle in the Tang Dynasty.
04 Summary
A thousand years later, archaeologists only found out about the princess’s tomb when they were excavating it. The tomb was designed to accommodate the highest standard empress burial treatment of the Tang Dynasty. However, it is puzzling that all the maidservants on the murals in the tomb had their faces covered with dye, which caused quite a sensation at the time, and some even felt extremely disgraceful.
This may be what Tang Gaozong meant, because after his sister passed away, Li Zhi vented all his guilt and anger on the attendants around the princess, believing that they had not taken good care of her. At that time, almost all of the princess’s maids were buried with her, so there were no living people allowed in the murals
The magnificent palace, born with noble royal bloodline, enjoys welfare benefits that ordinary people cannot achieve in their lifetime, but also endures pain that ordinary people cannot let go of for several lifetimes. This is the sadness and helplessness of the royal family.