When it comes to the Tang Dynasty, everyone should know that the emperors of this dynasty had some great achievements. As an emperor who was very afraid of his wife, Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian accompanied Empress Wei for a long time. So what kind of person is this Li Xian? What happened to his death in the end? Did Empress Wei poison herself? Let’s take a look with the editor below!
1. What kind of person was Tang Zhongzong Li Xian in history
After becoming emperor again, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, completely lost his previous rude and unreasonable behavior. He became mature and steady, timid and afraid of things, and experienced a lot of hardships from emperor to Prince Luling and then to emperor. Li Xian erected a monument to his mother Wu Zetian and conferred upon her the title of Empress Dowager Zetian, who was buried in the Qianling Mausoleum; In order to repay Empress Wei for her unwavering support, encouragement, companionship, and fulfillment of all her requests, she wished she could pluck all the stars from the sky and give them to her. She also paid no attention to the relationship between her and Wu Sansi. Due to the Divine Dragon Coup, the ruler, the weak minister, and the strong minister, in order to win over Wu Sansi, even appointed his lover Shangguan Wan’er as a sign of respect for his wife. In this situation, Empress Wei’s arrogant and domineering nepotism led to the idea of imitating Empress Wu Zetian. Their daughter, Princess Anle, was also favored by the heavens, giving whatever she wanted to become the Crown Prince and demanding the abolition of Crown Prince Li Chongjun. The Crown Prince felt threatened and planned a political coup in advance, which ended in failure.
After the Shenlong Coup, Li Dan was appointed as the Prime Minister of Anguo, and Princess Taiping was appointed as the Princess of Zhenguo. Li Xian gave them a high political status, and their small groups with their own political participation and deliberation led to the decline of imperial power. Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian recruited the Wu Sansi clan to contain the power of the meritorious faction, and even dedicated Empress Wei to the cause. Only then did the imperial power become strong. However, the emperor’s character was weak, and Empress Wei was strong. She wanted to learn from Empress Wu Zetian and began to cultivate her own power in the court, suppressing opposing courtiers and dreaming of the Spring and Autumn Festival with Lord Anle. At this moment, the sudden death of Li Xian disrupted the political balance, giving ambitious Prince Xiang’s third son Li Longji and Princess Taiping a reason to plan a coup and, under the guise of Zhongzong being poisoned, stormed into the palace to eliminate Empress Wei, stabilizing the political situation for Princess Anle.
2. Was Emperor Tang Zhongzong really poisoned to death by Empress Wei
Empress Wei and her daughter Princess Anle both wanted to become empresses like Empress Wu Zetian. Princess Anle, who wanted to be crowned Crown Prince without Li Xian’s consent, may have been dissatisfied. Empress Wei’s request was met by the emperor, and even if she was impatient to become emperor, she did not fully control the situation at that time. There was no need to take political risks to kill the emperor, after all, he was still her husband! No matter how bold and reckless a wife and daughter are, they would never conspire to kill Li Xian, which makes no sense in terms of emotions or reason. And the Li Tang royal family all had hereditary cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which were sudden and imperceptible, and every emperor reflected this in Li Xian, which can be explained. Therefore, Zhongzong was definitely not poisoned but suddenly fell ill.
Tang Zhongzong was a person who, along with his younger brother, Prince Xiang Li Dan, were both unlucky. It was unbearable for anyone to suddenly fall from being an emperor to being almost equal to the common people. This is the truth that goes from simplicity to luxury, and from luxury to simplicity is difficult to explain. Encouraged by Empress Wei, a tenacious woman, Li Xian had the courage to continue living. However, her personality suddenly reversed and she became weak, lacking a firm decision. She tried to please Empress Wei and fulfill her daughter’s demands, becoming a kind father. She worked diligently and did her best to fulfill the duties of an emperor in national affairs, ensuring that the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian was definitely not poisoned. Her wife and daughter’s behavior cannot be explained, and the idea of poisoning may have been imposed by Li Longji and Princess Taiping.
