The story between Yang Yuhuan and Li Longji can be called the love foam drama of the Tang Dynasty. In fact, Yang Yuhuan was the daughter-in-law of Li Longji before. In 735 AD, she married Prince Shou Li Mao. In 740 AD, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, cleverly took and occupied his daughter-in-law Yang Yuhuan. However, Yang Yuhuan and Li Mao have been married for 5 years. During these 5 years, did Li Mao and Yang Yuhuan leave behind a son and a daughter? Did Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, harm his grandson?
Shouwang Li Mao was the 18th son of Li Longji, and his mother was Empress Wu Huifei, also known as Empress Zhenshun, the niece of Empress Wu Zetian. According to the “New Book of Tang”, Li Mao was able to speak fluently at the age of seven, and he had a deep affection for his brother Yongwang since childhood. In the thirteenth year of Kaiyuan, Li Mao was conferred the title of Shouwang and entered the Chang’an Palace. In the fifteenth year of Kaiyuan, Prince Shou Li Mao was promoted to the position of Jiannan Jiedushi.
In the 23rd year of the Kaiyuan reign, Prince Shou Li Mao conferred the title of Yitong San Si in Kaifeng Prefecture and appointed Yang Yuhuan as the queen consort. At that time, Prince Shou Li Mao was a refreshing figure in the court. It is said that Prince Shou Li Mao was both skilled in literature and martial arts, and had served as an official in the local area multiple times, achieving remarkable political achievements. Empress Zhenshun and Prime Minister Li Linfu repeatedly advised Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to appoint Prince Shou Li Mao as the new crown prince, but Li Longji has yet to make a decision.
In the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era, Empress Wu Huifei passed away due to illness. At this time, although Prince Shou Li Mao received strong recommendations from many ministers, he did not have the backing of Empress Zhenshun, and Li Mao’s power in the court was also reduced. Unexpectedly, in the 28th year of the Kaiyuan reign, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ordered Princess Li Mao, Yang Yuhuan, to become a female Taoist priest. After Yang Yuhuan became a female Taoist, her marriage to Prince Shou Li Mao was automatically dissolved. In the fourth year of Tianbao, Li Mao married Wei Shi, the daughter of Wei Zhaoxun, as the new Princess Shou, and Yang Yuhuan was also appointed as the Noble Consort by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Yang Yuhuan transformed from Princess Shou to Li Mao’s stepmother. Everyone knows what happened afterwards, Tang Xuanzong fled in panic with Yang Yuhuan.
When passing through Mawei Slope, Chen Xuanli executed Yang Guozhong and forced Emperor Xuanzong to execute Yang Yuhuan. Crown Prince Li Heng declared himself emperor in Lingwu. Shouwang Li Mao, whose wife was taken away by his father, followed Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to Sichuan to escape the war. It was not until the tenth year of Emperor Dali’s reign that Li Mao passed away due to illness. The author reviewed the old and new “Book of Tang” and other relevant historical materials, and found that Prince Shou Li Mao had two sons, both born during the Tianbao era.
From a temporal perspective, there should be no connection between Li Mao’s son and Yang Yuhuan, who has already become the Noble Consort. So, during the 5-year marriage between Shouwang Li Mao and Yang Yuhuan, didn’t the young couple have a son and a daughter? According to some unofficial records, Li Mao and Yang Yuhuan should have given birth to a daughter, but there is no historical record of this.
Many friends believe that Yang Yuhuan and Li Mao must have had children who were erased from history by Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji in various ways. According to the author’s understanding, assuming that Yang Yuhuan and Prince Shou Li Mao have actually had a child, Li Longji should take action. It’s not that Li Longji would harm a young child. Li Longji is considered a great figure in China, and he could use other methods or pretexts to take this child away from King Shou Li Mao.
For example, this child can be given to other members of the royal family as an adopted son, or sent to remote areas as a member of the royal family. In short, if Yang Yuhuan had given birth to a child with Prince Shou Li Mao, according to the character of Tang Xuanzong Li Longji, Li Mao and his biological flesh and blood should never meet again, and it is unlikely that there will be any record of this child in historical books.
But on the other hand, Yang Yuhuan and Tang Xuanzong have been together day and night for decades, and they have never had children, so it cannot be ruled out that Yang Yuhuan may not have the ability to bear children. In ancient times, royal power was greater than heaven. Li Mao, the Prince of Longevity, was deprived of his beloved by his biological father, and he must have been furious. On the contrary, Yang Yuhuan and Li Longji left countless beautiful stories for future generations from another perspective. If we talk about Emperor Li Longji, in the first half of his life, he was exceptionally brave and led his subordinates to quell the internal turmoil in the palace. In the second half of his life, he only cared about pleasure and even occupied his daughter-in-law.
Li Mao, who was able to bend and stretch, lived until the reign of Emperor Tang, which is also a wise choice. Yang Yuhuan, one of the Four Great Beauties, passed away on Mount Mawei, which is also a part of the brilliant chapter of the Chinese nation.
