There was an emperor in the Tang Dynasty who was once considered a fool when he ascended the throne. However, when he became emperor, he became a completely different person and became a wise ruler. He was also known as the “Little Taizong” by later generations. He is the person that the editor of the History Encyclopedia will talk about today – Tang Xuanzong Li Chen.
Li Chen was the 16th emperor of the Tang Dynasty. At this time, the Tang Dynasty had already reached its late stage and no longer had the appearance of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Within the court, eunuchs held absolute power and there were constant political struggles. Faced with this situation, Li Chen decided to hide his strength and bide his time, seeking opportunities.
Li Chen was the thirteenth son of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, and his mother was only a palace maid, so logically speaking, he had no chance of becoming emperor. Due to his identity, although Li Chenggui is a prince, he often receives contempt from other princes. Despite this, Li Chen decided to endure in order to avoid being harmed by his opponents. Therefore, he always pretended to be a coward to outsiders, and even remained silent in the face of others’ teasing. Seeing this situation, even his father felt that this son was a bit foolish.
Even though Li Chen had become a small character in the eyes of outsiders, his nephew Li Yan became suspicious. This Li Yan was naturally the later Emperor Wu of Tang, and he often tested Li Chen after Li Yan ascended to the throne. Later, a eunuch beside Li Yan suggested that Li Yan eliminate Li Chen to prevent future troubles. Li Yan agreed, but the eunuch did not kill Li Chen and instead secretly transported him out of the palace and hid him.
After Li Yan’s death, this eunuch united with a group of forces and elected Li Chen as the emperor, hoping to use this foolish puppet emperor to manipulate the government. The coronation was very smooth, but after ascending to the throne, Li Chen changed his original appearance and had a very superior selection of talents to restrain the power of the imperial family and eunuchs in the court. At the same time, he also reduced taxes, which made him more popular among the people. Tang Xuanzong also took the words of his ancestor Tang Taizong as his motto, reflected on his mistakes, and not only regained many lost territories in diplomacy, but also opened up the Silk Road. In the chaotic late Tang Dynasty, it is no wonder that later generations referred to him as “Xiao Taizong” for such achievements.
