How did Princess Taiping retaliate against Xue Shao’s murder

On a certain day in 697 AD, Princess Taiping of the Tang Dynasty looked at the handsome and intimidating Zhang Changzong in front of her and nodded with great satisfaction.
Sighing, he said, ‘Indeed, you are different. Would you be willing to serve Your Majesty?’?
Upon hearing the princess’s words, Zhang Changzong happily agreed.
Not long after, Wu Zetian received a great gift from her daughter Princess Taiping, Zhang Changzong.
After receiving the gift, Empress Wu Zetian said with great joy: Princess Taiping still has the most filial piety.
1： Clever and eloquent, won husband
As the last child of Wu Zetian and her husband Tang Gaozong Li Zhi, the youngest Princess Taiping experienced endless love during her growth.
The youngest daughter and youngest child are often favored traits, making Princess Taiping the happiest person in the palace.
The warm and loving upbringing environment made the young Princess Taiping very different from her later years.
Without political struggles or scheming, it gave her a pure and kind state of mind.
As the princess grew up, the increasingly beautiful Taiping Princess attracted the watchful eyes of countless people.
Among them is the archenemy of the Tang Dynasty, Tubo.
Upon hearing that Princess Taiping held a high status and was stunningly beautiful, the Tubo Zanpu began to contemplate a marriage alliance.
They sent envoys to call for marriage with Princess Taiping, which caused difficulties for Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian.
At that time, although the Tang Dynasty was at its peak, Tubo was not a weak country, so it was definitely inappropriate to refuse outright.
But there are rules for marriage alliances. According to the rules of the Tang Dynasty, even if a princess is sent for marriage alliances, it is not the princess of the imperial family who is the legitimate heir to the alliance. Instead, it is often the daughter of the royal family who is sent for marriage alliances. This move by Tubo undoubtedly violates the rules.
After Wu Zetian heard the news, a hundred people were unwilling. As a mother, who would be willing to send their daughter to that bitter and cold place to suffer and not see her for a lifetime?
However, direct veto is not in line with national interests.
Helpless, Wu Zetian used a curved approach to save her daughter, using the excuse that Princess Taiping had already married as a nun to politely refuse Tubo’s request for marriage.
Even a luxurious Taiping Temple was built specifically for Princess Taiping to marry her off.
The way of doing the whole set of plays finally made Tubo give up seeking marriage to Princess Taiping.
The actions of her parents showed Princess Taiping her father’s sincerity, and they sincerely hoped to be by her side forever.
In order to please her parents, Princess Taiping came up with a plan.
One day, he deliberately put on the clothes of a military general and ran to dance in front of his parents.
The graceful dance steps made Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian laugh happily. They also smiled at their daughter and said, ‘You are a princess, you cannot be a military officer. Why do you have to wear such clothes?’?
After hearing this, Princess Taiping replied seemingly naively, ‘Then wouldn’t it be better to give the attire of this military general to the son-in-law?’?
There is nothing Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian cannot understand about the implied meaning in their daughter’s words.
The daughter wanted to get married, so they put in a lot of effort to find a good match for Princess Taiping.
After careful selection, Xue Shao, the second son of Princess Chengyang, became the husband of Princess Taiping.
In 681 AD, Princess Taiping, who was only 16 years old, married Xue Shao as she wished. In order to make her daughter’s marriage more prestigious, Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu Zetian even went so far as to demolish the walls of the county hall, only hoping that the wedding carriage could pass smoothly.
After marrying off, Wu Zetian deeply felt that Xue Di (brother of Xue Shao)’s sister-in-law status was not enough to demonstrate her daughter’s status. She even had the intention of forcing the Xue family to divorce her, only hoping to match their social status.
Wu Zetian’s love for her daughter is evident from this!
If it weren’t for someone saying that Lady Xue Di came from the Xiao family in Lanling and was considered a prominent family, Wu Zetian would probably have been stronger.
After this incident, Xue Di faced her younger brother and daughter-in-law and could hide and go around whenever she could.
This is the first marriage of Princess Taiping. She has a strong relationship with her husband Xue Shao and has given birth to two sons, one daughter, and three children.
Princess Taiping also felt the happiness of married life during her days of caring for her husband and educating her children.
2： Ruyi Lang was implicated and became a sacrificial lamb.
In 688 AD, Xue Di opposed the rule of Empress Wu Zetian due to his involvement in the rebellion of Li Chong, the governor of Bozhou in the Tang Dynasty. Li Chong’s rebellion made Xue Di a scapegoat, although it had nothing to do with his son-in-law Xue Shao.
But Wu Zetian, who was furious, still killed Xue Di and punished Xue Shao with a hundred sticks, causing Xue Shao to starve to death in prison.
At the time of this incident, the young child conceived by Princess Taiping and Xue Shao was only one month old.
The infant in swaddling clothes lost its father, and multiple requests were met with the mother’s stern refusal.
Let Princess Taiping change from a gentle person to a cold and indifferent one.
After the great tribulation, Princess Taiping believed that only with rights can there be a possibility of protecting her family.
Wu Zetian looked at her daughter like this and couldn’t bear it. She also gave her daughter 1200 households of food as compensation, and then arranged for her cousin Wu Youji to become the new husband of Princess Taiping.
In order to protect his daughter from injustice, he even killed his first wife.
Why is all this happening? The answer is that Wu Zetian was actually protecting her daughter.
Because Wu Zetian’s accession to the throne meant a bloody purge of the Tang royal family, many Tang royal families were greatly affected by this disaster, except for Princess Taiping who survived the crisis peacefully by marrying Wu Zetian’s mother’s family.
3： Having lost her beloved, Princess Taiping devoted herself to seizing power.
After losing her beloved husband and becoming a member of Wu Zetian’s family, Princess Taiping went to great lengths to gain power and ascend to the throne.
The opening scene of the article is a crucial measure taken by Princess Taiping to gain power and please her mother.
He tried his best to gain power by leveraging the influence of handsome guy Zhang Changzong.
In the process of obtaining power, Princess Taiping was very clear about her position. Although she was a member of the Wu Zetian family, she was ultimately a member of the Li family of the Tang Dynasty royal family.
What is the basis of her identity, status, and power? The answer is that the royal family belongs to the Li family.
If the Wu family really becomes the masters of the Tang Dynasty, everything about themselves will disappear with the wind, even if they have the identity of Wu’s wife, they will only be vassals.
Based on this clear understanding, in 705 AD, he collaborated closely with Prime Minister Zhang Jianzhi to launch a shocking “Divine Dragon Coup”, killing Zhang Changzong’s brothers and forcing Wu Zetian to abdicate to his brother Li Xian, restoring the rule of the Li Tang Dynasty and avoiding his awkward position in the power struggle between the Wu and Li families.
With a cold-blooded blow, he repaid his mother’s hatred for killing her father back then.
After successfully seeking revenge and ascending to the throne, Li Xian also gained power as she wished.
As for the root cause, it is also very simple. The Li Tang royal family suffered serious damage to their power due to the suppression of Wu Zetian. As Li Xian’s younger sister, Princess Taiping played a significant role in the restoration process of Li Xian.
Her younger sister and restoration achievements, coupled with her ability to make good decisions, have earned Princess Taiping great trust from Li Xian.
This trust brought Princess Taiping from behind the scenes to the forefront, becoming a prominent figure in the political arena of the Tang Dynasty.
4： At critical moments, take resolute action
In the year 710 AD, Li Xian, who had recently inherited the position, suddenly passed away and was appointed as the ruler of the court by Empress Wei.
All of this makes Princess Taiping, who has experienced becoming an emperor after becoming a mother, particularly worried. What should she do?
The resolute Princess Taiping immediately joined forces with Shangguan Wan’er to balance the power balance between the Li royal family and Empress Wei through the appointment and removal of personnel through various edicts of official wishes.
Wei Hou, who dared not lose his power, also began to counterattack in the face of the attack from Princess Taiping. He demonstrated his ambition by sidelining the authority of the royal representative Li Dan.
If Wei Hou really outshines Li Dan, the Li Tang royal family may lose control of the Tang Dynasty.
At a critical moment, Princess Taiping did not hesitate and sent her son Xue Chongjian to cooperate with Li Dan’s son Li Longji (Emperor Xuanzong of Tang) to quickly eliminate the Wei Hou group through another Tang Long coup.
After eliminating her biggest enemy, she supported Li Dan to inherit the throne and became Tang Ruizong.
Having played a crucial role in two consecutive imperial struggles, Princess Taiping became a prominent figure and was granted the fiefdom of ten thousand households. Not to mention, she also established a large number of followers in the court, wielded great power and wealth, and thus reached the pinnacle of her life.
5： Conclusion
Although Princess Taiping suffered a disastrous defeat to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, in the subsequent political struggles, all of this cannot conceal her former glory.
From a pure and flawless beauty. Becoming the world’s number one princess holding power, even harboring ambitions to spy on the world. His purpose in doing all of this, apart from selfishness, is to preserve Li Tang’s lofty status in the world.
For this reason, he went against the will of his mother and betrayed the trust of his husband’s family (Wu Youji).
What makes a weak woman eventually become a strong woman?
The answer is that after his beloved husband Xue Shao was killed, he lost his loved one at that moment and also understood a truth.
Only by being strong enough can one protect everything they cherish.