The minister asked the emperor to give his son a third rank official, but he was executed

After the restoration of the Tang Dynasty through the Shenlong Revolution, Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian showed great indulgence towards his wife, Empress Wei, who had shared hardships with him. This resulted in the control of all national power by the Empress Wei family. In order to consolidate her power, Empress Wei formed a close alliance with Wu Sansi and other members of the Wu family, and vigorously eliminated dissidents. Crown Prince Li Zhongjun died in this political purge, and in order to firmly grasp power, Empress Wei even poisoned her husband, Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian. The lawless actions of Empress Wei naturally met with resentment from other Li clans and anti Wei ministers. In the end, the third son of Prince Li Dan, Prince Li Longji of Linzi, and Princess Taiping jointly launched a palace coup in Chang’an City. They eliminated Empress Wei, Wu Sansi, and others, and proclaimed Prince Li as the emperor, also known as Emperor Ruizong of Tang. This coup was known as the Tang Long coup. The history encyclopedia editor brings relevant content to everyone. Interested friends, come and take a look.
In this coup, a tall and beautiful woman played a role and was later highly valued by Li Longji. The name of this tall and beautiful person is Wang Maozhong. When he was young, because his father committed a crime, the whole family became slaves of the government. But fortunately, Wang Maozhong’s master’s name was Li Longji. Because Wang Maozhong was brave, skilled in battle, and skilled in horseback shooting, he was highly valued by Li Longji.
On the eve of the Tang Long coup, Wang Maozhong served as a guard attendant. If Li Longji wants to join the Wei Hou group, he must cultivate his own power, and his key targets are the emperor’s elite troops and the ten thousand cavalry guarding the palace gates. And Wang Maozhong befriended these generals, and soon these forces were all under the command of Li Longji, so the Tang Long coup was successful.
After becoming emperor, Li Dan established Li Longji as the crown prince and also gave Princess Taiping extremely high power. The conflict between two power hungry individuals is becoming increasingly profound. In the end, Princess Taiping attempted to launch a coup to eliminate Li Longji. At this critical moment, it was Wang Maozhong who stepped forward and led 300 people to control the Yulin Army, quickly eliminating Princess Taiping’s remaining factions such as Xiao Zhizhong and Cen Xi. Princess Taiping was unable to return to heaven and was ultimately executed by Li Longji.
Wang Maozhong made great contributions in eliminating the two forces of Empress Wei and Princess Taiping, and Li Longji highly appreciated him. He was awarded the title of Grand General of Left Dragon Martial Guard, promoted to Duke of Huo, and later added the title of Kaifu Yitong San Si.
And Wang Maozhong has been getting promoted all along, so he feels a bit floaty. Even directly demanded the position of Minister of War from Li Longji. Li Longji did not agree, and Wang Maozhong did not say anything, but the rift between the monarch and the courtiers grew larger and larger.
But Wang Maozhong still went his own way. He looked down upon eunuchs the most in his life, especially Gao Lishi, who was highly favored by Li Longji. In his later years, Wang Maozhong’s wife and concubines gave birth to a chubby boy for him. After learning of this, Li Longji was grateful for his achievements and granted his youngest son a fifth rank official position. At the same time, he also rewarded him with some gold, silver, and jewelry, and asked Gao Lishi to send them to Wang Maozhong.
When Wang Maozhong saw that Gao Lishi had come with the emperor’s will, he said, “Can’t my son be appointed as a third rank official?” This means that his son, a sound person, can’t be compared to Gao Lishi, a eunuch? But Gao Lishi was unhappy and immediately reported to Li Longji, saying that Wang Maozhong disliked the appointment of officials who were too small. And Wang Maozhong has many followers, it’s hard to guarantee that he won’t rebel in the future. This completely angered Li Longji. Thinking about the domineering appearance of Wang Maozhong during the day, he wanted to get rid of Wang Maozhong.
As soon as he said he would do it, Li Longji first removed Wang Maozhong’s followers Ge Fushun, Tang Diwen, Li Shoude, Wang Jingyao, and others and exiled them to other places. Later, he also demoted Wang Maozhong to the position of assistant driver in Jingzhou, and was eventually executed in Yongzhou. Wang Maozhong devoted his entire life to the cause of Li Longji, without any intention of rebellion. He just didn’t know how to fulfill his duties as a courtier, and in the end, he died inexplicably. I don’t know if he figured out why he was executed when he died. What is everyone’s opinion on such a minister? Welcome everyone to leave a message for discussion.