Do you really understand Xue Shao’s story? Today, the history encyclopedia editor brings you a brand new interpretation~
Many people know about Xue Shao from his wife, Princess Taiping. So, what kind of person is Xue Shao?
Apart from his status as the consort of Princess Taiping, Xue Shao comes from a noble background. His mother was the daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Empress Changsun, and the youngest son of Princess Chengyang, the same mother sister of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. She was cousins with Princess Taiping. When Princess Taiping was sixteen years old, she married Xue Shao. The wedding was very grand, and their married life was also very sweet. This was Princess Taiping’s first marriage and her desired son-in-law. Therefore, in this marriage, Princess Taiping lived a very peaceful life with Xue Shao. The two had two sons and two daughters: the eldest son Xue Chongxun, the second son Xue Chongjian, the eldest daughter Xue Shi, and the second daughter Xue Shi, the magistrate of Wanquan County.
Unfortunately, this beautiful marriage did not last long. In 688 AD, Li Chong, a member of the Tang royal family, raised an army to attack Wu Zetian. Xue Di, the elder brother of Xue Shao, participated and was executed by Wu Zetian. Although Xue Shao was unaware of this matter, he was still implicated. Under the pleading of Princess Taiping, Xue Shao was punished with a hundred lashes and eventually starved to death in prison.
Actually, Xue Shao was the innocent person from beginning to end. His marriage to Princess Taiping was not favored by Wu Zetian from the beginning. He knew nothing about his brother Xue Di’s involvement in the campaign against Wu Zetian, but in the end, he was brutally implicated. It seemed that none of this was what he had hoped for. If Wu Zetian likes this son-in-law, it is not impossible to bypass him, but unfortunately, the ultimate goal of Wu Zetian’s coalition this time is to get rid of this son-in-law.
