The Tang Dynasty had a total of 22 emperors, and apart from Emperor Xuanzong forcibly marrying his daughter-in-law, the most legendary one was Emperor Xuanzong Li Chen. Due to his introverted and simple personality, as well as his mother’s low status, Li Chen has always been ridiculed and excluded, and is regarded as a “fool” by the palace people. However, who would have thought that Li Chen could ascend to the throne as the Grand Uncle and bring a relatively prosperous and stable period to the shaky Tang Dynasty. Below, the history encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s take a look together!
The feudal society had a strict hierarchical system and placed great emphasis on family background, and the palace was no exception. Li Chen’s mother, Zheng Shi, not only had a humble status, but also once served as a concubine of the anti official Li Qi in the court. His father, Tang Xianzong, was assassinated during Li Chen’s childhood, leaving Zheng and his son completely helpless in the palace. The Zheng family used to be the maid beside the Guo family, a concubine of Tang Xianzong. It was Tang Muzong, the son of Tang Xianzong, who succeeded to the throne after the death of Tang Xianzong. In the past, the maid became a “sisters”. Today, when she gained power, the Guo family naturally had no strength to suppress the Zheng family. Therefore, Li Chen and his mother were in a very difficult situation in the palace when she was young, and were the object of banter and humiliation by the royal palace people.
Perhaps disguised to hide his strength and bide his time, or as a form of self-protection in difficult situations, Li Chen remained silent and submissive all day long. No matter how many people teased and played tricks on him, Li Chen remained steadfast and accepted it calmly. That’s why no one sees him as a threat. In 821 AD, Li Chen was conferred the title of King Guang.
But there was one person who became suspicious of Li Chen, and that was Li Yan, the Emperor Wuzong of Tang. Emperor Wuzong keenly sensed that Li Chen was a potential threat. In 841 AD, Emperor Wu of Tang ascended to the throne and was wary of his uncle Li Chen. Adhering to the principle of preferring to kill him wrongly and not letting him go, Emperor Wu of Tang attempted to kill him several times. So, various “accident stocks” frequently fell on Li Chen: he accidentally fell off a horse while hiking in the snow, and always fell while walking on flat ground… Despite several accidents, Li Chen survived. Tang Wuzong decided to directly eliminate Li Chen. Wuzong ordered eunuchs to lock him up in the public restroom in Yongxiang and drown him. However, a eunuch next to Wuzong, Qiu Gongwu, felt that he still had value and secretly transported Li Chen out of the palace to hide.
In 846 AD, Emperor Wuzong of Tang passed away due to illness. At this time, the power of eunuchs was at its peak. They decided to elect Li Chen, who had the best control, as the puppet emperor in order to continue to dominate the court and control power, known as Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. No one expected that after Li Chen ascended the throne, he would be completely different from before, with calm and powerful speech and behavior, and orderly decision-making in government affairs. At the beginning of his reign, this emperor, who had endured for a full 36 years, began to curb party strife, suppress the power of officials, and crack down on illegal elites and relatives. In just one year, he eliminated the Li party’s influence during the reign of Emperor Wu Zong, completely ending the long-standing struggle between the Niu and Li factions that had plagued the Li Tang dynasty for many years.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he worked diligently, loved his people like sons, and humbly accepted advice. He was a rare enlightened monarch in the late Tang Dynasty. The Li Tang Dynasty experienced its last great reign, to the point where later generations respectfully referred to him as “Xiao Taizong” and his reign as “Xiao Zhenguan”. If this continues to develop, history may be rewritten. Unfortunately, in 859 AD, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang died of poisoning from excessive use of elixirs. After the death of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the Tang Dynasty rapidly declined, and in just the past 48 years, the Li Tang Dynasty disappeared into the long river of history.
