In ancient times, especially during the Qing Dynasty, there were many conflicts between concubines, which can be seen in many TV dramas and have undergone some adaptations. The situation of competing for favor was the most serious during the Qing Dynasty, and we probably understand it relatively clearly. Of course, since there were concubines competing for favor in the harem, there were also princes competing for the throne, and there were many more, such as the Xuanwu Gate Incident that everyone knows. In this struggle, Li Shimin also killed his two brothers with his own hands, so we can feel Li Shimin’s strength. However, in the past, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng was also against Li Shimin. There are some concerns. Interested readers and history encyclopedia editors, let’s take a look together!
During the reign of Li Yuan, the position of crown prince was also passed on to Li Jiancheng, but it was somewhat unfair to Li Shimin because he had made great contributions during Li Yuan’s rebellion. However, Li Jiancheng also felt that Li Shimin’s existence was a thorn in his side. After all, the most threatening person to Li Jiancheng was Li Shimin. Therefore, it was recorded in historical books that Li Shimin had been spitting a lot of blood after drinking a bottle of poisoned wine. So what happened?
Previously, Li Jiancheng had invited Li Shimin to his mansion to drink and have fun. Even though Li Shimin thought it was a grand banquet, he still had to go, so he came to the Crown Prince’s mansion. Therefore, halfway through, Li Shimin also drank the glass of wine given by the Crown Prince and continued to vomit blood, but did not die. Why is this? Firstly, it is possible that Li Jiancheng added some poison to the glass of wine, but the effect was slow to develop. After Li Shimin left his mansion, it began to recur. This way, Li Jiancheng could reduce some suspicion, but it may be too unrealistic. Another possibility is that Li Jiancheng did not poison at all, perhaps it was just Li Shimin directing and acting on his own.
But after Li Shimin succeeded to the throne, he revealed the mystery from Wei Zheng. It turned out that although Li Shimin had drunk that cup of wine, Li Jiancheng did not poison it. Although Li Jiancheng had always wanted to get rid of Li Shimin, he was also unwilling to kill him for the sake of being a brother. Therefore, perhaps there was no poison in that cup of wine, because if Li Jiancheng had really poisoned Li Shimin, he would have no way out, let alone the Xuanwu Gate Incident that followed. So it can also be seen that Li Jiancheng is quite kind, but whether it is true or false still needs to be carefully considered.
Although Li Jiancheng was eventually killed by Li Shimin, who became the emperor, Li Shimin also managed the Tang Dynasty very well afterwards and was considered a good emperor. Because Li Shimin often listened to the opinions of some monarchs and ministers, humbly accepted advice, the lives of the people were always smooth sailing, and the country was prosperous and the people were safe. In addition, Li Shimin also pioneered the governance of Zhenguan, which was a great achievement.
