Li Xian willingly gave the throne to Li Longji

For those who are very interested in Li Xian’s rise to power, the History Encyclopedia editor brings a detailed article for your reference. What is Li Xian thinking? Why would Li Xian willingly relinquish the throne?
Give the throne to your younger brother? I’m afraid you made a mistake. Or rather, you have been deceived. In fact, the crown prince position at that time, and later the throne, could only belong to Li Longji, not Li Xian at all.
To say that Li Xian “abdicated” the throne, the premise is that the throne should have belonged to Li Xian originally. The only basis for the throne to belong to Li Xian is the “eldest son inheritance system”. However, in feudal dynasties in China, succession to the throne was not always carried out according to this system. The open Tang Dynasty did not adhere to established rules.
Li Yuan established his eldest son Li Jiancheng as his heir, resulting in the “Xuanwu Gate Incident” and Li Shimin becoming the second emperor;
Li Shimin appointed his eldest son Li Chengqian as his heir, but as a result, Li Chengqian behaved improperly and rebelled, leading to his dismissal by Li Shimin. Li Zhi, the ninth and third eldest son, was appointed as his successor;
Li Zhi’s first empress, Wang Shi, did not have any children. He once appointed Li Hong, the eldest son of the second empress, Wu Shi, as the crown prince. After Li Hong’s death, he appointed Li Xian, the second eldest son of Wu Shi, as the crown prince. As a result, there was a tragedy of “planting melons under the yellow platform, ripe seeds leaving. One pick made the melons good, and then another pick made them thin. Three picks were still acceptable, but when they were completely removed, they carried the vines back.” The mother and son were at odds. The position of crown prince fell into the hands of Li Xian, who was both stubborn and weak.
Li Xian finally succeeded to the throne smoothly, but unfortunately did not become emperor for a few days. His younger brother Li Dan took over the throne, and his mother proclaimed himself emperor. After decades of anxiety, Li Xian returned to become emperor, but his son Li Chongrun, born to Empress Wei, died early and he had no legitimate eldest son. So we had to let another son, Li Chongmao, succeed to the throne, but he was overthrown a few days later.
Who overthrew the rule of Li Chongmao in name and Wei Hou in reality? In name, it was Li Dan, but in reality, it was Princess Taiping, Li Longji, and others who organized the coup. From this time on, Li Dan, Princess Taiping, and Li Longji became the most important real power figures in the political arena of the Tang Dynasty. And Li Dan’s eldest son, also known as Li Chengqi, Li Xian, has never had any involvement in the power center.
In times of turbulence, strength is the only criterion.
From its establishment to Li Dan’s accession to the throne, the Tang Dynasty never had a precedent of a legitimate eldest son succeeding to the throne, and Li Xian would not use any “legitimate eldest son” to deceive others.
Only political opponents of Li Longji would use the term ‘legitimate eldest son’ to speak out and hope to suppress Li Longji. If he (she) succeeds, Li Xian will become a chess piece, a puppet, and a tool used to deal with his younger brother.
Li Dan’s crown prince can only be Li Longji, who has outstanding abilities, strong strength, both popularity and great achievements, and will never be the “eldest son” Li Xian.
Saying that Li Xian refused the position of crown prince or posthumously honored Li Xian (should be called Li Chengqi) as the “Emperor” is just a political tactic to show Li Longji’s “brotherly respect”.