Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Chen, was the 16th emperor of the Tang Dynasty and served for a total of 13 years. Perhaps there are not many friends who know about Li Chen, and his path to ascending the throne is quite unique. Generally, the throne is passed on to a son, and if there is no son, a grandson or nephew will be chosen. However, it is rare for Li Chen to succeed as the Crown Prince. Why did Emperor Wu of Tang choose Li Chen as his successor? The reason behind this cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences. So this time we will briefly introduce the character of Li Chen to everyone. Interested friends, let’s learn more together.
（1） He, who had no chance of ascending to the throne, is a peculiar successor
The 17th emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong Li Chen, was named Li Yi before ascending to the throne. He was born in June of the fifth year of Yuanhe (810 AD), and his birth mother, Zheng Shi, was originally a concubine of Li Qi, the military governor of Zhenhai. After Li Qi rebelled and was killed, all of his property and family members were confiscated by the court. Zheng was arranged to serve as a maid in the palace of Guo, the noble consort of Li Chun, the twelfth emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Zheng’s figure was graceful and her appearance was beautiful. Tang Xianzong Li Chun, who often came to visit the Noble Consort Guo, took notice of her and had no intention of inserting willows into the world. Li Chen thus came to this world. According to the order, Li Chen is the thirteenth son of Li Chun. He is about the same age as the sons of his older brothers, and according to the common people’s saying, he has been married for a lifetime.
Emperor Xianzong of Tang, Li Chun, passed away, and his third son Li Heng succeeded to the throne, becoming the thirteenth emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Muzong of Tang. Emperor Muzong of Tang passed away after four years of reign, and his eldest son Li Zhan succeeded him as the 14th emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Jingzong of Tang. Afterwards, Emperor Muzong’s second and fifth sons succeeded to the throne on wheels, becoming the 15th and 16th emperors of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Wenzong and Emperor Wuzong, respectively. Starting from the death of Li Chun, over a period of 26 years, he walked through four dynasties in the style of a horse lantern.
Guo, the noble consort of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, came from a prominent family background and was also the biological mother of Emperor Muzong of Tang. Zheng, who was naturally incomparable to her, was a wise and virtuous woman. She lived cautiously with her son Li Chen, who only had the title of Prince Guang, for fear of causing trouble and never had any ulterior motives.
In the sixth year of Huichang (846 AD), Emperor Wuzong of Tang, who was determined to live a long life, passed away after taking elixirs. His five sons were young and had not yet been crowned as crown princes, which provided an opportunity for eunuchs. The eunuchs who were once suppressed by him took the opportunity to manipulate the establishment of a new emperor. Eunuch Ma Yuanzhi and others forged a posthumous edict, appointing 37 year old Prince Guang Li Chen as the imperial uncle and allowing Li Chen to inherit the throne. Although Prime Minister Li Deyu and others were surprised, they believed it was difficult to violate the last imperial edict and had to comply.
（2） Foolish Emperor Tai Shu, come and operate
Being able to inherit the throne as the Grand Uncle did not mean that Li Chen and the eunuchs were close friends, nor did the eunuchs take Li Chen’s talents and knowledge seriously. Instead, they believed that Li Chen was a fool who came to power as a puppet emperor, and that the eunuch group was able to wield real power. There are many stories in between, please listen to the author’s narration.
Due to his mother’s humble status and being only a commoner, Li Chen has long lived alone in an unnoticed corner, appearing depressed and dull from a young age. Occasionally, when he was with other princes, he often didn’t say a word all day long. Many people in the palace mocked Li Chen for being stupid. During the reign of Emperor Muzong, Li Chen once visited the palace to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. Unexpectedly, he had just collided with a masked man who came to assassinate her. The palace guards who arrived engaged in a fight with the masked assassin, and the latter escaped. Although there were no casualties, it really scared him so much that he trembled, causing his disability to become even more severe. In the future, regardless of the size of the occasion, Li Chen became a target of ridicule and teasing.
Emperor Wuzong of Tang, Li Yan, was praised in historical records as a wise and resourceful person. It is said that after long-term observation, he discovered that Li Chen’s dementia was disguised. Therefore, he regarded Li Chen as a “time bomb” buried beside him and began to plan to eliminate him. Unexpectedly, eunuchs such as Qiu Gongwu had noticed in advance and secretly sent him out of the palace to hide. Not long after, Emperor Wu of Tang, Li Yan, suddenly fell seriously ill due to excessive consumption of elixirs and could no longer care about it, allowing Li Chen to escape unscathed.
（3） Ascend to the throne and showcase one’s talents
After Li Chen ascended to the throne, he changed his name to Dazhong and became Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. The eunuchs were all dumbfounded because to them, the newly crowned emperor Li Chen had become a different person. He has a dignified expression, a calm gaze, steady and powerful speech and behavior, and makes orderly decisions on official business
Li Chen, as an imperial uncle, has been observing political struggles for more than 20 years and has already developed exceptional wisdom and power strategy. He believed that only those who graduated from the imperial examination system had real talents and practical knowledge. He often conducted undercover visits, listened to the opinions of the people on the imperial examination system, investigated corrupt practices in the examination, and reformed and improved the imperial examination system. He also has a good system for selecting and appointing officials, attaches great importance to their practical abilities, and has formulated a complete set of assessment standards.
Officials such as observation envoys and governors shall be subject to probation first, and then formally appointed or dismissed based on their performance during the probation period. It is stipulated that officials from all central departments must have grassroots work experience, believing that only such officials can understand the suffering of the people and govern for the people. He is only talented and able to lead by example. His uncle Zheng Guangyuan was originally a garrison officer in the river, but he was demoted because he thought he was too mediocre. His mother, Empress Dowager Zheng, has repeatedly expressed her feelings to him, but he is not moved.
Li Chen is naturally frugal. Except for attending court and other important occasions, he always wears old clothes and has a very simple daily diet. His eldest daughter, Princess Wanshou, got married and could be decorated with silver foil as usual, but he changed it to copper decoration. He demanded that women refrain from extravagant and flamboyant behavior in their daily lives.
Under the rule of Li Chen, not only was domestic affairs relatively stable, but also significant achievements were made in diplomacy. In the fifth year of the Dazhong era (851 AD), under the leadership of Zhang Yichao, the military and civilians of Shazhou (now Dunhuang, Gansu) drove away the Tibetan garrison commander and recaptured Shazhou. Zhang Yichao surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, bringing back the Helong region that had been previously occupied by Tubo. Li Chen did not use force, maintained border stability, and recovered lost territories, which is indeed a glorious achievement.
Due to Li Chen’s diligence in court affairs, impartial law enforcement, frugality, and love for the people, ministers also followed suit, and the atmosphere of the court gradually improved, leading to a moderately prosperous society known as the “Little Taizong”.
At the end of the article, there is no perfect person, and there are also some negative comments about him from later generations.
He honored his birth mother Zheng as the Empress Dowager and was very indifferent to Guo, who had suppressed him and his mother for many years. The following year, the elderly Guo couldn’t bear to commit suicide by jumping off a building and attempted to do so. He was rescued by palace maids, but died on the same night. Li Chen ordered Guo to be buried in the outer garden of Emperor Xianzong’s Jingling Mausoleum. He does not recognize himself as the successor to Emperor Wuzong of Tang, but instead identifies himself as the direct successor to his father Emperor Xianzong of Tang. He completely rejected the policies of Emperor Muzong, Emperor Jingzong, Emperor Wenzong, and Emperor Wuzong of Tang. Prime ministers Li Deyu and Li Rangyi were successively dismissed, and Bai Minzhong, the cousin of Bai Juyi, was appointed as the prime minister. Li Chen’s actions intensified the factional struggles during the late Tang Dynasty.
He did not have a good solution to the problem of eunuch autocracy, but due to his ability to handle interpersonal relationships, he only managed to restrain the power of eunuchs, and no major incidents of eunuchs causing harm to the country occurred during his reign.
In his later years, Li Chen’s health was not very good and he became particularly superstitious about the elixir of immortality. Like previous emperors, he took the so-called elixir of immortality. In August of the 13th year of the Dazhong reign (859 AD), he passed away due to excessive poisoning caused by taking elixirs, at the age of 50. After his death, his eldest son Li Ji (Cui)
The succession was for Emperor Yizong of Tang, and the Tang Dynasty officially entered the end of the world.
【 Author Introduction 】 Zhao Xinfang, pen name Zhao Shi, member of the Writers Association of Nan’an District, Chongqing, and vice president of Huang Jue Literature Society.
