Why did Li Shimin’s most beloved daughter have a tragic ending? Below, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will bring you a detailed interpretation. Let’s continue reading~
Princess Gaoyang is very famous in history, mainly because her father was Li Shimin, and she also married the son of the then prime minister Fang Xuanling. However, her fate was not good, as she was executed by Li Zhi with a cup of poisoned wine. So what kind of mistake did she make? Where did the emperor want her to die?
Li Shimin was very fond of Princess Gaoyang, which developed her domineering personality. Born into an imperial family, although she was a daughter, she could get whatever she wanted, and if she couldn’t get it, she would snatch or destroy it. This fearless nature planted the seeds of trouble for her later troubles.
When Princess Gaoyang reached the age of marriage, Li Shimin arranged a marriage for her, appointing her to marry Fang Xuanling’s son Fang Yi’ai. Fang Xuanling was a prime minister of the Tang Dynasty and a high-ranking official in the court. In the eyes of Li Shimin, this marriage was a perfect match. Fang Yiai was born out of wedlock, but with the light of Princess Gaoyang, the wedding ceremony was held with very high standards.
However, after getting married, Princess Gaoyang was not happy. Firstly, this marriage was not what she had hoped for and had a strong political connotation. Secondly, Fang Yiai did not inherit her father’s talent and was just a warrior without any expertise. After marriage, her life was very miserable. Therefore, she spent all day going to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha, mainly to relax her mind, but unexpectedly met her beloved.
He is the monk of the temple, who is not only full of nylon, but also has a graceful appearance. The relationship between Princess Gaoyang and this monk is gradually heating up, but there is no impenetrable wall. The thief who exposed her extramarital affair was a thief. One day, when the thief went to the temple to steal something, he took the pillow that Princess Gaoyang had given to the Debate Monk, but was caught by the government. As soon as they found out that the pillow was from the palace, they uncovered all of Princess Gaoyang’s misdeeds.
Li Shimin, as a matchmaker and his beloved daughter, was very angry and killed the monk. Princess Gaoyang held a grudge against him, and Li Shimin never shed a tear when he passed away.
After the death of Li Shimin, the cowardly Li Zhi inherited the throne. Princess Gaoyang looked down upon this emperor from the bottom of her heart and did not have the proper etiquette when she saw him. Li Zhi did not blame her and tried to please him in every way possible. The more this happened, the more Princess Gaoyang looked down upon this emperor. After the death of Fang Xuanling, the position of prime minister should have been passed on to the eldest son Fang Yizhi. However, Princess Gaoyang’s husband was born out of wedlock and was not eligible to inherit. Gaoyang insisted on fighting for it and filed a lawsuit against Fang Yizhi, claiming that Fang Yizhi had sexually assaulted her. Upon investigation, it was found that it was a farce concocted by Princess Gaoyang herself, and Li Zhi ignored it. Princess Gaoyang also held a grudge.
So, she conspired with her husband Fang Yi’ai and court ministers who were dissatisfied with the emperor, intending to rebel. As a result, the matter was exposed and all the officials involved were executed. Princess Gaoyang had royal blood, but she had touched the bottom line of the royal family. Li Zhi gave her a cup of poisoned wine, which was considered to have left her entire body.
