The number of people in the harem of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, exceeded 40000, which is also rare in history. The above questions will be revealed one by one by the editor of the History Encyclopedia in the following text.
When it comes to Emperor Xuanzong’s most beloved concubine, people may think of Yang Guifei, who was known for her beauty and power. But the age difference between Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei was 34 years, and when Emperor Xuanzong met Yang Guifei, he was already an old man. As an emperor, what were Emperor Xuanzong’s previous emotional experiences?
The Empress Wu Huifei we are introducing today is the niece of Empress Wu Zetian and also the most beloved person of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty in his youth. Some historians claim that Yang Guifei was a substitute for Empress Wu Huifei, but this has no historical basis. But Tang Xuanzong’s favor towards Empress Wu Huifei was indeed superior to that of Yang Guifei, and this is true.
Wu Huifei’s father was Wu Youzhi, the Prince of Heng’an, who was also Wu Zetian’s cousin. According to seniority, she was also Wu Zetian’s niece. Due to her father’s early death, Wu Zetian decided to adopt Empress Wu Huifei and raised her in the palace from a young age. Empress Wu Huifei met Emperor Xuanzong of Tang when she was young, and the two were childhood sweethearts. After Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne. Empress Wu Hui became his most favored concubine, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang even deposed his own queen for the sake of Empress Wu Hui.
In addition, the etiquette towards Empress Wu Huifei in the palace is almost the same as that of the empress. Did Emperor Xuanzong not want to appoint Empress Wu Huifei as his queen? Of course he wanted to, but the ministers in the court did not agree because Empress Wu Huifei’s surname was Wu, and she essentially belonged to the Wu family, and everyone did not want another Wu Zetian to appear. Thus, Empress Wu Huifei missed the opportunity to ascend to the throne.
But Emperor Xuanzong of Tang gave Empress Wu Huifei the supreme honor like a queen. When it comes to Empress Wu Huifei, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was terrifyingly single-minded. In his later years, when he doted on Yang Guifei, he would occasionally visit Empress Mei. But when it comes to Empress Wu Huifei, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had no ulterior motives and was very affectionate. During her lifetime, Empress Wu Huifei had four sons and three daughters with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.
At that time, Li Ying had already been crowned as the crown prince, but Empress Wu Hui had great ambitions. She only wanted her son Li Mao to be the crown prince, so she planned a conspiracy. At that time, the Crown Prince’s competitors were also Prince E Li Yao and Prince Guang Li Ju. And Empress Wu Huifei wants one stone and three birds to get rid of these three princes.
Later, Empress Wu Huifei falsely issued an imperial decree, claiming that there were rebels in the palace and announcing that these three princes would lead troops into the palace. In addition, Empress Wu Huifei also boasted to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, saying that the Crown Prince, Prince E, and Prince Guang led troops into the palace, perhaps to force the palace to rebel.
Tang Xuanzong grew up in chaos and chaos from a young age. He may have known that this was the conspiracy of Empress Wu Hui, but he did not expose it. And those three poor princes were arrested as soon as they entered the palace, and soon after, they were demoted to commoners by their own father, and then executed for no reason.
For the sake of Empress Wu Huifei, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang banished his hairless wife, Queen Wang, who shared weal and woe with him, to the cold palace and even killed his three sons. This love is too twisted. After the execution of these three princes, Empress Wu Huifei still failed to fulfill her wish of having her son become the crown prince.
What’s even harder to believe is that since then, Empress Wu Huifei’s mental state has been abnormal. She always felt that ghosts would come to take her life, causing excessive fright. That’s why Empress Wu Huifei’s physical condition worsened and she passed away shortly after. After the death of Empress Wu Huifei, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was deeply saddened and subsequently posthumously conferred the title of Empress upon her.
It was not until Tang Xuanzong met Yang Guifei that he gradually felt relieved about this relationship. I wonder if Tang Xuanzong regarded Yang Guifei as a substitute for Wu Huifei? But in the end, the Ma Weiyi Mutiny broke out, and Yang Guifei became another tragedy in history that is unforgettable.
