The Xuanwu Gate Incident in the early Tang Dynasty changed the fate of many people and also changed the direction of the Tang Dynasty. Today, the history encyclopedia editor brings relevant content to share with you.
In the early days of the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the Xuanwu Gate Incident broke out, and the Tang Dynasty entered the reign of Zhenguan. Under the leadership of Li Shimin, the economy of the Tang Dynasty developed and its national strength was enhanced. The Xuanwu Gate Incident was a war between Emperor Taizong of Tang and the Crown Prince, but after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, how did Li Shimin treat his nephews?
According to historical records, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji each had 11 children. After settling the accounts of Li Shimin and Li Yuanji, Li Shimin killed all of his nephews. Li Shimin also implemented an iron fisted policy, as these children were all his own nephews. In fact, he did so out of necessity.
Because during the feudal imperial rule, men were always superior and women were inferior. If Li Shimin left behind the sons of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji due to his momentary kindness to women, these children may even bring disaster to himself when they grow up. It may pose a threat to the Tang Dynasty. So in order to prevent this phenomenon, Li Shimin killed all his nephews after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but he kept the lives of his nieces.
Due to the low status of women in feudal history, even in matters of marriage, they were unable to make their own decisions. Girls’ marriages were decided by their parents and elders. Therefore, the ultimate fate of these nieces was assigned by Li Shimin, but Li Shimin did not mistreat these nieces.
According to the system of the Tang Dynasty, the daughter of a prince would be appointed as the county head. Li Shimin appointed all the daughters of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji as county lords, so in Li Shimin’s heart, he always regarded Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji as princes and brothers.
The husbands chosen by Li Shimin for his nieces are all from the same family. Although the daughters who marry him may throw water on him, considering the royal reputation and the evaluation of the historians, Li Shimin still takes great care of his nieces.
After Li Shimin killed Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin occupied his younger siblings, namely Li Yuanji’s wife Yang, but Li Shimin did not give her any status. Yang later gave birth to a son for Li Shimin, and Li Shimin adopted this son under the name of Li Yuanji. Even after Yang’s death, Li Yuanji and Yang were buried together, which was a great shame and humiliation for Li Yuanji. Killing someone was nothing more than that.
Although Li Shimin had a unfriendly attitude towards his younger siblings, he had great respect for his sister-in-law, who was also the wife of Li Jiancheng. In theory, his sister-in-law was not very old and very beautiful, so Li Shimin could have adopted her together. But he didn’t do that. In fact, at the end of the day, there wasn’t much conflict between Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng. The conflict between them stemmed from disputes over interests.
Because Li Shimin had been accompanying Li Yuan in the external wars, and Li Shimin played an indispensable role in the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. As the crown prince, Li Jiancheng had been managing internal affairs and did not defend the country with his soldiers. Therefore, in the hearts of the people and soldiers, Li Shimin’s status would be higher.
Therefore, Li Jiancheng was worried about his position as crown prince and eventually had a conflict with Li Shimin. In fact, Li Shimin fully understood Li Jiancheng’s approach, which is why he was able to take extra care of his sister-in-law, even allowing her to take care of these nieces in the palace courtyard until the children grew up.
But Li Yuanji is different, there is no conflict of interest between Li Yuanji and Li Shimin. Li Yuanji is simply bad, he just can’t see Li Shimin being good. So instigating it made the relationship between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin tense. And Li Shimin also knew that the relationship between him and his brother had become so bad, and Li Yuanji’s contribution was indispensable. Therefore, Li Shimin’s attitude towards his family was completely different.
Li Shimin was among the top few monarchs in feudal history. Firstly, he had military achievements, secondly, he also understood national management, and secondly, he was able to listen to others’ advice and readily accept good advice. Therefore, under his management, the entire Tang Dynasty rose step by step.
Summary: In fact, Li Shimin has always been a very clear minded person. He killed his nephews to prevent future troubles, treated his sister-in-law well to leave a good reputation for himself, but he bullied Yang to warn the treacherous and petty people.
