Not sure yet: For readers of Li Longji in the Tang Dynasty, the following History Encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s continue reading. What kind of person was Li Longji? What wrong decisions did Li Longji make when he became emperor?
In the Tang Dynasty of our country, besides the people living a relatively peaceful and healthy life, there were also many conflicts over power in the imperial palace. For example, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, made a lot of efforts to become emperor. Moreover, his life was also quite bumpy, and he made many mistakes after becoming an emperor. In the eyes of future generations, he was not a qualified emperor.
1、 Li Longji’s lifelong achievements and mistakes
In fact, when he was born, the Tang Dynasty was completely controlled by Empress Wu Zetian, and during this period, there were many changes in the imperial palace. Li Longji had great aspirations when he was young, and he was also quite independent in personality. At that time, Empress Wu Zetian valued the samurai clan more, so many powers were controlled by her own clan. However, at this time, Li Longji’s abilities could be seen in some of the things he did.
And the reason why he abdicated was actually due to the well-known An Lushan Rebellion, and this cholera outbreak was closely related to his love for Yang Guifei, who neglected politics every day and valued some treacherous ministers. Also, due to the prolonged duration of this rebellion, the people suffered great harm, and the once prosperous Kaiyuan era suddenly began to decline. In fact, during his early reign, he was also a good emperor. In addition to valuing the selection of some local officials, he personally assessed county magistrates and dismissed those who lacked ability.
It can be said that he did a good job in personnel management, and there were many loyal ministers around him who dared to give advice, which enabled the Tang Dynasty to develop particularly well. It was only later that he heavily relied on some treacherous officials in governing the court, which led to the country’s decline from prosperity to decline. Of course, he also reigned for a relatively long time among the emperors of the Tang Dynasty. When he passed away, he was already 78 years old, which can be considered a relatively long lifespan.
2、 Why did you kill your three sons in one day
In fact, as an emperor, he once executed all three sons in one day, which made many people think he was very cold-blooded. Perhaps it’s related to his son, who had a total of 30 sons and over 20 daughters in his lifetime. Among so many places, his children were also quite numerous, and as an emperor, the crown prince became an important decision, so Li Longji also attached great importance to this matter.
In history, many emperors would choose to have their eldest son, but during the reign of Li Longji, his eldest son scratched his face while hunting, which made Li Longji feel that if a person with bad looks became emperor, it would have an impact on the country’s fortune. Therefore, his eldest son Li Cong could not become crown prince. At this time, the second son Li Ying successfully became the crown prince because his mother was more favored by Li Longji.
At the same time, there are Li Yao, who is the fifth oldest, and Li Yu, who is the eighth oldest. These three are half brothers, and their mothers were once favored by the emperor. But after Empress Wu Huifei appeared, the emperor placed all his favor on him alone. His three sons, Li Ju, Li Yao, and Li Ying, may have felt sympathetic towards each other and often became very close to each other, which is why they were killed at the same time, and the main reason for these is Empress Wu Hui.
Empress Wu Huifei’s father passed away when she was very young. She was the daughter of Empress Wu Zetian’s nephew, so she was sent to the palace after her father’s death. Because she was particularly beautiful, Li Longji liked her very much after ascending to the throne. In addition, like Wu Zetian, she was very good at speaking and made Li Longji very happy every time. Therefore, her status and power gradually increased. She also gave birth to four sons and three daughters. Among ancient emperors and kings, the more children there were, the higher their status was. Therefore, Li Longji still loved him very much in the end.
Due to having four sons, Empress Wu Huifei also hoped that her son could become the crown prince. When Li Ying became the crown prince, he began the path of framing. It’s just that Li Ying, Li Wan, and Li Yao have a very close relationship and are often together, that’s why Empress Wu Hui framed all three of them at the same time. At that time, he told Li Longji that these three people wanted to avenge their mother and harm her because they saw her being loved so much. After learning about it, Li Longji became particularly angry.
At first, I wanted to depose the Crown Prince, but I was persuaded by some ministers to change my mind. However, one minister retired due to his advanced age, and instead, a treacherous minister named Li Linfu rose to power. Later, Empress Wu Huifei planned to inform Li Longji’s three sons that there were thieves in the palace and they needed these three people to protect the emperor. So, these three people rushed to the palace with weapons. At this moment, Empress Wu Huifei told Li Longji again that these three people were going to rebel. It was great to see that Li Longji was very angry after the three people received weapons to attack. He demoted the three people to commoners and soon killed them.
Many people feel that Li Longji was particularly impulsive in this matter. He pitied his three sons, who had no intention of rebellion, but lost their lives in vain.
