Throughout history, the strong national strength, openness, and splendid civilization of the Tang Dynasty were all attributed to the indispensable role of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin. Today, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed interpretation for everyone~
During Li Shimin’s lifetime, there was not much interaction between him and Wu Zetian, almost negligible. In Li Shimin’s heart, Wu Zetian was just one of his concubines. Shortly after entering the palace, she was left behind by him.
During the twelve years after Wu Zetian entered the palace, she was only a talented person until she met Li Zhi, which changed her life’s fate.
Let’s take a look at before and after Wu Zetian entered the palace:
Wu Zetian was originally the daughter of a warrior named Wu, and could be considered a member of a prestigious family. At the age of fourteen, she was already in full bloom. Upon learning that Wu Zetian had a beautiful daughter, Li Shimin summoned her to the palace. After being crowned a talented person, Wu Zetian lived silently in the palace, but she never gave up her pursuit of power in her heart.
There are not many records in historical books about Wu Zetian during the reign of Emperor Taizong, and the unknown Wu Zetian also had a crisis during this period. At that time, Venus appeared multiple times during the day, and the conclusion drawn from the divination of the Grand Historian was that the female lead was prosperous. There are also folk legends:
After the Tang Dynasty, the female lead Wu Wang will replace her
Li Shimin was half believing and half doubting about this, so he brought in Li Chunfeng, a feng shui master and astronomical expert, to explain to Li Shimin:
I have been observing celestial phenomena for a long time, and this person is in the harem. He is a relative of Your Majesty. From now on, within thirty years, this person will become the ruler of the world and kill all members of the Li royal family
Li Shimin was shocked and prepared to kill all those who had connections. Li Chunfeng advised:
This is fate and cannot be changed. Since we cannot determine who it is, it may harm the innocent. Perhaps we should have good intentions and reduce some troubles at that time
If it were another monarch, there would definitely be a great deal of imprisonment, and it would be better to kill a thousand wrongly than to let one go. But Li Shimin did not do so. After being advised to eat enough, Li Shimin reduced the situation and no longer pursued the matter.
This is the difference in the quality of emperors. Although they are all human, the gap between people may differ between heaven and earth. It was precisely because of Li Shimin’s tolerance that Wu Zetian escaped a disaster. After all, the “female lead Wu Wang” had already been mentioned at that time. If Li Shimin really pursued her, Wu Zetian would definitely not escape death.
Secondly, what intersects with Li Shimin is the Lion Cong incident:
Li Shimin has a good horse named Lion Cong. Although its condition is good, this horse has a violent temperament. Once, Li Shimin and his concubines came to see this horse and asked if anyone had a way to control it. Wu Zetian seized the opportunity in time and said:
I can make it, but I need three things: an iron whip, two iron spears, and three daggers. If the iron whip doesn’t agree, I’ll use the iron spear to strike it, and if I don’t agree, I’ll use the dagger to cut its throat
Wu Zetian planned to use violence to subdue this horse, and Li Shimin was both amused and amused when he heard about it. However, Wu Zetian’s fate did not change at all because of this.
Looking at the process of understanding Li Zhi and Wu Zetian again:
Wu Zetian was a woman with great ambition, and she not only had ambition, but also had enough patience. She has been in the palace for ten years and has never been valued, but she has never given up. Every time she shuttles through the harem, she searches for opportunities to change her fate until she meets Li Zhi.
In his later years, Li Shimin was bedridden due to illness and needed someone to take care of him. The filial Li Zhi would not let him down. In order to take care of his father, Li Zhi even stayed up all night, carrying water and feeding medicine without stopping. Li Zhi even personally sucked abscesses for Li Shimin. In order to facilitate the care of his father, Li Zhi temporarily arranged a residence nearby, and at this time, Wu Zetian was also taking care of Li Shimin.
On this day, Li Zhi went to the palace to take care of Li Shimin and coincidentally met Wu Zetian, who was busy. The two of them were mixed together, one with dry wood and the other with a raging fire. On the one hand, we cannot rule out the possibility that Wu Zetian deliberately seduced Li Zhi, as the opportunity is right in front of her. As long as she can seize the crown prince, her future success is within reach.
On the other hand, Li Zhi took care of his father for a long time and also felt bored. It was said that there was no filial son in front of the long hospital bed. Li Shimin once advised his son to go out and play, but Li Zhi dared not do so out of filial piety and could only wait by the bed.
After meeting Wu Zetian, Li Zhi’s world opened two doors, and the time spent taking care of patients did not seem so boring. Li Zhi even wanted to stay by Li Shimin’s side all the time, so that he could see Wu Zetian often.
Historical records:
As the Crown Prince, I served Emperor Taizong and was pleased to see the talented Wu Shi. When Emperor Taizong passed away, Wu Shi followed the crowd and became a nun at the Gan Ye Temple
Wu Zetian was already outstanding in appearance, and at the age of over twenty, she was in her prime. Coincidentally, she met a big boy like Li Zhi, who was willing to fight and endure. The exact time is unknown, but it was this brief gathering that made Wu Zetian and Li Zhi remember each other. For Wu Zetian, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, while for Li Zhi, it was roughly what is known as love.
After Li Shimin’s death, this experience came to an end. Li Zhi ascended to the throne as emperor, and as a concubine of the late emperor, Wu Zetian could only go to the Gan Ye Temple to become a nun. However, not long after, due to this relationship, Li Zhi summoned Wu Zetian to the harem again.
Finally, it can be inferred that Li Shimin was probably unaware of the relationship between Li Zhi and Wu Zetian
The disease that Li Shimin suffered from in his later years was called wind disease, which is a genetic disease that has been tormenting the children of the Li Tang royal family. It is roughly equivalent to a current stroke and is an incurable disease.
Talented people have a lower rank among concubines, but they are still concubines of the late emperor. In other words, the love between Li Zhi and Wu Zetian is an incestuous love that goes against the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, ethics and morality. So the date between Li Zhi and Wu Zetian must have been a secret, unknown to others. If this person were to leak out, it would have a great impact on the reputation of Crown Prince Li Zhi.
If Li Shimin knew about this matter, he would never let Li Zhi go. Even if Li Shimin was tolerant and magnanimous, he would not allow such a thing to happen. The ending was that Li Shimin passed away normally, and Li Zhi succeeded to the throne smoothly without any deviation, indicating that Li Shimin was completely unaware of this matter.
Secondly, during Li Shimin’s serious illness, it may cause mental confusion and disorientation. Since he has suffered from a stroke, he may not be able to speak or move half of his body. That is to say, without being able to accurately express one’s commands, it is impossible to make decisions regarding Li Zhi and Wu Zetian. Perhaps Li Shimin has noticed something, but he may not be able to speak or move. Li Zhi’s throne was almost obtained out of thin air, and in terms of ability, he cannot compare to his two brothers Li Tai and Li Chengqian. But due to the internal strife between Li Tai and Li Chengqian, Li Shimin had to hand over the position of crown prince to Li Zhi.
Of course, there is also the support of important ministers such as Changsun Wuji, so in order to maintain the throne, he cannot make mistakes at such a critical moment of taking care of his father. Li Zhi will strictly keep his relationship with Wu Zetian confidential, and Wu Zetian will not disclose it to the public for the sake of her future. Therefore, we conclude that Li Shimin is not aware of it.
From Li Zhi’s personality behind him, it can be seen that he is also an extremely cautious person. It is precisely because he judged that Li Shimin could not do anything to him that he would collude with Wu Zetian.
Of course, history cannot repeat itself, and we cannot travel back and explore the truth, but Li Shimin has completely put on this green hat!
