Who is Xue Chongjian? Next, the editor of History Encyclopedia will take you to explore the most authentic historical figures and the historical stories that happened to them.
Princess Taiping was once the most powerful princess in Chinese history. She had three emperors and was only a little short of becoming a female emperor like her mother Wu Zetian.
Finally, Princess Taiping, who was in her early fifties, was executed by her nephew Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, at home. Her followers were wiped out in one fell swoop, and all of her children had no good ending.
Speaking of which, some people may be about to say that Li Longji did not kill all the children of Princess Taiping. He even left Princess Taiping’s second son Xue Chongjian alive! How can it be said that there is no good ending!
Indeed, in historical records, it is recorded as follows: “When the princess was defeated, all her children were implicated, but she was honored with simplicity and fortunate enough to be spared. She was reinstated as an official, given the surname Li, and regarded as a relative
The term ‘Chongjian’ in this passage refers to Xue Chongjian, the second son of Princess Taiping and her first husband Xue Shao, who is also the only survivor of Princess Taiping’s lineage.
After Princess Taiping lost power, Li Longji executed her sons and followers one after another. The reason why Xue Chongjian was spared from death was because he had always supported Li Longji and belonged to his followers.
Xue Chongjian and Li Longji are cousins, and they have had a deep affection since childhood. Before Li Longji threatened Princess Taiping, Princess Taiping also loved him very much.
Xue Chongjian was once the favorite and most valued son of Princess Taiping. When she executed Empress Wei, she sent Xue Chongjian to cooperate with Li Longji to deal with her.
Later, Li Longji gradually became the political enemy of Princess Taiping, and the two often engaged in direct confrontation.
Xue Chongjian had different political views from his mother, and he often advised her not to oppose Li Longji. Every time, he would anger his mother and be whipped.
There are not many records in official history about Xue Chongjian, and he disappeared after the defeat of Princess Taiping. According to records, he seems to have received the honor of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, but this is not the case.
In Xue Chongjian’s epitaph “Preface to the Tomb Inscription of Xue Fujun, Farewell to Yuanzhou in the Tang Dynasty”, we can see how the real Xue Chongjian spent the rest of his life.
Shortly after Princess Taiping’s death, Xue Chongjian was sent out of Chang’an. He was appointed as the assistant driver of Puzhou (now Yongji, Shanxi), but was later demoted to Xizhou (now Longshan, Hunan) due to his official duties. More than ten years later, his wife, the county magistrate of Fangcheng, passed away due to illness.
Shortly after his wife’s death, Xue Chongjian resumed driving for Yuanzhou. After more than a decade of bumpy career, Xue Chongjian experienced the bitterness of being neglected, and coupled with the blow of his wife’s death, his mood became even more depressed. He passed away a few months later.
Although the official history records that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did not kill Xue Chongjian and restored his official title, giving him the surname Li and treating him as a member of the Li family, in reality, he was extremely indifferent and showed extremely little kindness towards Xue Chongjian.
In Xue Chongjian’s epitaph, it was not mentioned that he was given the surname Li. He was not valued by the court and after wandering for more than ten years, he died in a foreign land, feeling extremely desolate.
Moreover, after Xue Chongjian’s death, he did not follow the etiquette of the Li surname county king and was included in the Li Tang clan’s accompanying tomb, which further confirms that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did not treat Xue Chongjian as well as recorded in historical records.
