Why was Li Xian’s life so tragic despite his prestigious status

Why was Li Xian’s life so tragic despite his prestigious status? Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant content.
Li Xian’s status is indeed noble, he is the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. His father was Emperor Li Zhi, and his mother was the famous Empress Wu Zetian. But not only did he not become emperor, but he also passed away early. The main reason for this is that his mother Wu Zetian had a strong desire for power, and he was swept up in the vortex of political struggles throughout his short life, ultimately becoming a sacrifice for his own mother’s struggle for power.
Li Xian was the second son of Empress Wu Zetian. He had an older brother, Li Hong, and two younger brothers, Li Xian and Li Dan. Princess Taiping was also his younger sister. This family is either emperor or empress, and it is rare in history that all four of their brothers have been crown princes.
In fact, his brother Li Hong is already tragic enough. Originally, Li Hong was also a person of benevolence and filial piety, with excellent talents. But it is said that he was killed by Empress Wu Zetian, although this is controversial, and there are also claims that Li Hong died of illness.
Li Xian has a handsome appearance, dignified behavior, and quick thinking, which is deeply loved by his father Emperor Li Zhi. After Li Hong, he was elected as the Crown Prince. It can be said that Li Xian is much stronger than his two younger brothers.
The ability demonstrated by Li Xian during his regency greatly pleased the courtiers, who believed that another wise ruler would emerge in the Tang Dynasty. But Li Xian had a very bad relationship with his mother Wu Zetian.
Li Xian’s talent posed a threat to Wu Zetian. At that time, the situation was that the “Two Saints were in power”, and Li Zhi often fell ill, with power in Wu Zetian’s hands. She doesn’t want to delegate power, so the conflict with the future emperor, the Crown Prince, is gradually intensifying.
However, Wu Zetian had many followers who did not want Li Xian to ascend to the throne, so they falsely accused Li Xian everywhere. The sorcerer Ming Chongyan said that he was not as good as his own brother and that Li Xian was a person with the talent of Emperor Taizong, which made Li Xian very unhappy.
Later, they falsely accused Li Xian of not being the son of Empress Wu Zetian, but rather the daughter of Empress Han, her sister. This statement dealt a great blow to Li Xian, not only causing him to doubt his own identity, but also losing his qualification as crown prince.
Not long after, the sorcerer Ming Chongyan was killed, but the culprit could not be caught. Wu Zetian suspected that it was the Crown Prince. Because he had a bad relationship with the Crown Prince, Wu Zetian sent someone to expose the Crown Prince’s conspiracy and found hundreds of armors in the Eastern Palace stable as evidence of rebellion.
Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, wanted to forgive the Crown Prince, but Empress Wu Zetian unexpectedly demanded the extermination of her relatives with great righteousness and was spared the death penalty. However, she was demoted to a commoner and lost her position as Crown Prince.
After Li Xian ascended to the throne as emperor, he was deposed not long after. Wu Zetian once again proclaimed Li Dan as emperor. She did this to prepare for her coronation as emperor. And in order to prevent any abnormality, she even ordered General Qiu Shenji of the Left Jin Wuwei to go to Bazhou to search Li Xian’s residence to guard against the hidden danger of rebellion. Who would have thought that Qiu Shenji would force Li Xian to commit suicide.
Objectively speaking, Li Xian was one of the outstanding princes of the Tang Dynasty, but he was also very sad because he met Wu Zetian, a mother with a strong desire for power, which destined him to be involved in political struggles and unable to escape the tragic fate.