Li Chengqian was the eldest son of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. After Li Shimin became emperor, he was appointed as the crown prince. Li Shimin had high expectations of him, and Li Chengqian himself was very intelligent, benevolent, and filial. However, despite being such a promising heir, he chose to rebel and ultimately ended up being deposed. Why is this? Next, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will bring you the truth about history. Let’s take a look together!
Li Chengqian was born to Li Shimin and the Changsun family. He was intelligent and clever from a young age, and was appointed as the Prince of Zhongshan County, deeply loved by the couple. In 626, Li Shimin killed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji through the “Xuanwu Gate Incident” and ascended to the throne. That same year, Li Chengqian, who was only eight years old, was rightfully enthroned as the Crown Prince.
The historical records describe Li Chengqian as “intelligent in nature”, “extremely sensitive and benevolent”, “graceful and upright in appearance, pure and deep in benevolence and filial piety”. In other words, he is handsome and upright, benevolent and filial, and intelligent and benevolent, which can be said to be a very high evaluation. In order to cultivate him into an eternal ruler, Li Shimin had the top scholars in the country as his teachers, such as the famous minister Zhang Xuansu, the descendant of Confucian master Confucius Kong Yingda, historian Yu Zhining, prime minister Fang Xuanling, and Wei Zheng, all of whom had been teachers to the crown prince.
In addition, the role of family members as role models is also enormous. Father Tang Taizong was recognized as a wise ruler in history, mother Changsun Empress was also a famous virtuous empress, and uncle Changsun Wuji was appointed as the Minister of Personnel in the Ministry of Personnel. As the saying goes, “Things gather by their kind, and people divide by their group.” These people also had a huge influence on Li Chengqian. Moreover, it is widely known that Emperor Taizong of Tang loved his son. Often, when the Crown Prince fell ill, Taizong would pray for his son’s well-being. When the Crown Prince recovered from his illness, Taizong would reward him. Taizong was also afraid that his son would have to work hard in class, so he specifically reminded the teacher not to arrange too many courses. And Li Chengqian is indeed a good comrade. He respects his teachers, unites his brothers, and has always shown himself as a shining image of a three good heir and a talented young man.
Li Ke
However, this heir to the throne, born with a golden key, is also a human being with his own personality and thoughts, and is naturally playful. However, these teachers do not give face at all and often give “shameless and direct criticism”, with intense language, no hesitation in criticism and blame, and are prone to magnifying small mistakes. Over time, even normal people will have to suffer from some illnesses. Where is Li Chengqian? His’ illness’ was his love for male pets. According to the Book of Tang, there was a handsome and skilled singer and dancer named Tai Changle who was in his teens at the time. Li Chengqian was very fond of him, but the fire could not be contained in the paper. When Li Shimin found out about this, he was furious and immediately executed the male pet, along with all those related to him.
Li Chengqian was very sad. He made a statue of the musician and placed it in the mansion for people to worship in the morning and evening. He believed it was a secret from Li Tai, which made him even more resentful towards him. At this time, his fourth son Li Tai had already grown up and was favored by Emperor Taizong of Tang, which led him to gradually develop ideas about the throne. He began to target Li Chengqian everywhere, win over courtiers and make friends, and gradually form a faction of deposing the imperial treasury in the court.
In fact, although Li Chengqian had some minor flaws, Li Shimin never had the idea of easy storage until Li Chengqian began to act on his own. In 643 AD, Li Chengqian, fearing Li Tai, conspired with Hou Junji and others after the failed assassination attempt, intending to rebel and force the palace, but the matter was exposed. Emperor Taizong of Tang was extremely heartbroken and angry. Until now, he still did not want to depose the Crown Prince, because he was his beloved son, the crown prince whom he had spent countless efforts and energy cultivating, and now he was so disappointed.
Finally, after a fierce ideological struggle, Li Shimin ordered the dismissal of Crown Prince Li Chengqian as a commoner and his exile to the southwest region. One year later, Li Chengqian died in Qianzhou at the age of only 26. Li Shimin buried him with the ceremony of a national duke and dismissed him from court. If Li Chengqian, who is rooted in righteousness and full of vitality, knew that he would have ended up like this, I wonder if he would have been so willful and reckless in the beginning, leading to extreme joy and sorrow.
Li Chengqian’s plan to oppose Li Shimin was a heavy blow, because Li Shimin obtained the throne by killing his brother and forcing his father. His biggest fear was that his descendants would do the same thing, and now it seems like history is repeating itself, which is simply a nightmare. In his later years, Li Shimin became confused and began to pursue immortality by taking pills. This was not unrelated to the Li Chengqian incident and was also one of the reasons for his death in his fifties.
