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Chapter 364: The Bloody Storm of the Tang Dynasty Throne

While feeling that Li Xian was being outrageous, the First Emperor and others were also mourning Li Chongjun's misfortune and angry at Li Chongjun for not fighting back:

The good situation was originally on Li Chongjun's side, but he ruined it because of Li Chongjun. He deserved to have his head chopped off and used as a sacrifice to Wu Sansi.

The First Emperor looked at Li Nian and said with emotion: "No wonder you said that the throne of the Tang Dynasty became bloody after Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident!"

It was indeed a bloody storm. Even during the reign of the two emperors, Li Chengqian and Li You rebelled. Although Li Zhi was the successor, the throne of the Tang Dynasty after Li Zhi...

In order to smoothly seize power and ascend the throne, Wu Mei deposed her son from the throne, forced her son to commit suicide, and killed many people. Wu Mei did not abdicate willingly, but was forced to do so by others.

Now Li Xian was also allowing Empress Wei, Wu Sansi and others to act recklessly, forcing Crown Prince Li Chongjun to rebel.

It is really a "harmonious family, kind father and filial son, virtuous wife and good daughter". If you are not a family, you will not enter the same door!

Li Nian said: "It is said that after Li Yuan learned that Taizong killed his brothers, he cursed Taizong's descendants to kill each other like his sons."

"Er Feng has set a bad example, and has made people with ulterior motives try to make a living. At most, there will be another Xuanwu Gate Incident. However, I think Wu Mei also has a role to play in this matter."

"If it weren't for the successful precedent of Wu Mei, how could Empress Wei, Princess Anle, Princess Taiping and others want to imitate her? To the point of using such unscrupulous means to become emperor."

This is the result of a combination of factors, which gave some people the impression that the selection criteria for the throne of the Tang Dynasty are very broad, and we may have a chance to ascend to that position.

"Li Xian was so fond of Empress Wei because Wu Mei had left him with a huge psychological trauma. He often worried that Wu Mei was going to kill him, and would be awakened by nightmares soon after falling asleep. At one point he was so frightened that he wanted to commit suicide, but Empress Wei stayed by his side to comfort him."

"The couple went through that period of fear and anxiety together. It can be said that Empress Wei was a ray of light in Li Xian's life during that period, illuminating his life. Li Xian naturally trusted her very much."

Hearing this, Qin Shi Huang and others recalled the difficult times they had gone through and the people who gave them light during those years.

Wang Wan said: "If Empress Wei could not have other intentions and assist Li Xian, she might leave a good name in history."

Li Nian smiled and shook his head, "It's quite difficult. As the saying goes, 'money can move people's hearts', but what can move people's hearts more than money is power! Moreover, after living in fear of Wu Mei for many years, it's easy for her to change her mindset to another extreme if she turns the tables."

"After Li Zhongjun's death, Li Xianjin was given the title of Emperor of Yingtian Shenlong, and Empress Wei was given the title of Empress Shuntian Yisheng. This was actually an imitation of Wu Mei, but Empress Wei could not be compared with Wu Mei at all!"

Comparing Empress Wei with Wu Mei is to belittle Wu Mei. How can Empress Wei's abilities and means compare to those of Wu Mei?

Li Nian smiled and said, "Empress Wei tried to emulate Wu Mei, but her talent and wisdom were far inferior to Wu Mei's. She learned from Wu Mei to monopolize government affairs, but she allowed treacherous villains to take power in the court. She indulged Princess Anle, Shangguan Wan'er and others in selling official positions and titles. If you bribed 30,000 coins, you could become a monk or nun. If you bribed 300,000 coins, you could get an official position appointed by the emperor's personal edict..."

Feng Quji shook his head and said, "How can it be possible that evil people are not in power and the court is in chaos?"

Meng Tian asked another question: "Can I be ordained as a Buddhist monk or nun for 30,000 coins?"

Li Nian mentioned this, of course, in order to flatter Buddhism in front of Qin Shi Huang and others.

He said: "In the Tang Dynasty, monks and nuns were given various preferential treatments, which were not something that ordinary people could do. Moreover, if one caught the eye of a noble, becoming a monk or nun could be considered a way to rise in status. Wu Mei was once a nun in Ganye Temple. It is said that Bian Ji, who had an affair with Princess Gaoyang, the daughter of Emperor Taizong, was a monk. Xue Huaiyi, Wu Mei's lover, also shaved his head and became a monk..."

Princess Gaoyang was the one who was married by Emperor Taizong to Fang Xuanling's son, and her affair partner was actually a Buddhist monk.

Although Li Nian only mentioned these three people, from the perspective of the whole situation, and the fact that so many people were willing to bribe to become monks and nuns, it can be seen how filthy Buddhism was during the Tang Dynasty.

If there were no benefits or advantages, why would anyone bribe to become a monk or a nun?
Not only should we see that there was promiscuity among monks and nuns in the Tang Dynasty Buddhist temples, but we should also see that Buddhism must have received preferential policies at that time.

Even adultery was considered a minor matter, at most it was just a matter between men and women, but the preferential policies for monks and nuns were significant, and were especially valued by the First Emperor.

"During the reign of Empress Wei, not only was the imperial court in chaos, but the harem was also in turmoil. Someone was waiting outside the palace to secretly meet with the palace maids for sex and pleasure."

This Empress Wei really cannot be compared with Wu Mei. She was not good at handling state affairs and was not very good at managing the harem.

"According to historical records, in the fourth year of Jinglong, Empress Wei and her daughter Princess Anle conspired to poison Li Xian and made Li Xian's fourth son, Li Chongmao, the emperor. Empress Wei took power and proclaimed the reign title Tanglong."

The statement that the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang was full of blood and gore has once again refreshed the lower limit of our cognition.

Wives killed their husbands, daughters killed their fathers, the people of Li Tang were simply crazy for the throne.

Wang Wan frowned and asked, "Empress Wei and Princess Anle murdered Li Xian. Did she think she had complete control of the situation and could make everyone obey her?"

Li Nian smiled and said, "From what happened later, it's clear that they didn't. If they really had control of the situation, how could they have allowed Xuanzong to successfully launch the 'Tanglong Coup'?"

Xuanzong would definitely be the next emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but the First Emperor and others had already become indifferent to the possibility of another coup in Li Tang.

People like Li Tang would be surprised if a coup did not happen in this situation.

Wang Wan asked again: "Since she was not in full control of the situation, why did she poison Li Xian? Didn't she know that Li Xian was her greatest amulet? How could Empress Wei be so stupid!"

Although Li Xian was stupid and cowardly, he was the legitimate emperor of the Tang Dynasty. His rule was legal and legitimate. When he was alive, anyone who wanted to touch Empress Wei would be cautious.

Of course, as long as Li Xian was alive, Empress Wei would remain the empress and there would be no possibility for her to advance any further.

After Li Xian's death, Empress Wei had more room for improvement, but she might not be able to seize this opportunity for improvement.

Give her a chance, she may not be able to succeed!
On the contrary, Li Xian's death will make her lose her amulet. Those who were wary of her before because of Li Xian may not be wary of her again now.

Moreover, after Wu Mei proclaimed herself emperor, the royal family and ministers of the Tang Dynasty certainly did not want another female emperor to appear, and would certainly increase their resistance.

What if another empress appears and persecutes and kills them like Wu Mei did? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
If Empress Wei really wanted to kill Li Xian, she would have to grow up under Li Xian's protection and be able to clear all obstacles on the road to becoming emperor. Even Wu Mei spent many years preparing before becoming emperor. How much preparation could Empress Wei have in just a few years?

How stupid must Empress Wei and her daughter Princess Anle be to conspire to poison Li Xian at a time like this?

Li Nian smiled and said, "It is not completely certain that Empress Wei and Princess Anle poisoned Li Xian. It is very likely to be fabricated."

What is recorded in history books is not necessarily true, and there may be contradictions between the accounts in different history books, just like the claim that Princess Gaoyang had an affair with Monk Bian Ji is also questionable.

Li Nian continued, "Li Xian's death is likely similar to that of his grandmother Empress Zhangsun, his father Li Zhi, and his brother Li Hong. He suffered from some kind of family genetic disease and died suddenly!"

"Li Xian was 55 years old when he died. He was posthumously named the Great and Holy Emperor of Great Zhao Xiao and was buried in Dingling. This emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who reigned twice, was in office for a total of five and a half years, and his life was controlled by several women."

During the Wu Mei period, Li Xian had no control over his own destiny, but when he became emperor for the second time, Li Xian had the opportunity to control his own destiny.

"No matter what the cause of Li Xian's death was, his death put Empress Wei, Shangguan Wan'er and Princess Anle in a very dangerous situation. Unfortunately, these people still cannot see the situation clearly and think that the outcome is in their hands."

"According to historical records, after Li Xian's death, Empress Wei kept the death a secret and made a series of arrangements, summoning all the prime ministers to the palace, recruiting 50,000 soldiers from various government offices to station in the capital, and using her confidants to manage the key positions of the Tang Dynasty. All of these seemed to be fine."

"But has she ever thought about whether the ministers and the royal family of the Tang Dynasty still want a female emperor? The more she does, the more wary the ministers and royal family will be!"

Who knows what kind of trouble Empress Wei will cause after she becomes emperor?
The Li Tang royal family had managed to survive Wu Mei's butchery with great difficulty. If Empress Wei strikes again, who can be sure they can survive?
"Moreover, Empress Wei and her subordinates were too anxious. According to historical records, Zong Chuke, together with the Minister of Rites Wu Yanxiu, the Minister of Agriculture Zhao Luwen, the Imperial Academy Master Ye Jingneng and other Weis, persuaded Empress Wei to follow Empress Wu's example. The northern and southern guards and important ministries were all led by the sons of the Wei family, who gathered a large number of followers and made connections both inside and outside the country."

"Zong Chuke also secretly wrote to Empress Wei, saying that according to the prophecy, the Wei family should also replace the Tang Dynasty like the Wu family, and he also suggested murdering Li Chongmao."

"But these are all okay, but there is one thing left that will cost them their lives. Zong Chuke is extremely afraid of Prince Li Dan and Princess Taiping, and he secretly plans with Wei Wen and Princess Anle how to get rid of Li Dan and Princess Taiping."

Hearing the name "Li Dan" appear again, Meng Tian asked with great interest: "Is this Li Dan Emperor Xuanzong? Is he the emperor again?"

Li Nian said: "Xuanzong is the third son of Li Dan, named 'Li Longji', also known as Tang Xuanzong and Tang Minghuang. He is the founder of the peak of the Tang Dynasty. Of course, it was also because of him that the Tang Dynasty fell into decline. The immortal poet Li Bai lived in his dynasty!"

It seems that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was definitely an extraordinary emperor, possibly having the same style as his great-grandfather Emperor Taizong.

But the First Emperor and others obviously did not understand what Li Nian meant by "the Tang Dynasty also declined because of him". They thought that Li Longji brought the Tang Dynasty to the peak of its prosperity, and it was normal for the Tang Dynasty to go downhill afterwards, just like Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Xun.

During the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, the Western Han Dynasty reached its peak, but it was also after this period that the Western Han Dynasty began to decline.

Li Nian continued, "Princess Taiping is the daughter of Li Zhi and Wu Mei. She is very much loved by her father, mother, and brothers. Naturally, she also has the same great ambitions as Wu Mei!"

Qin Shi Huang and others were not surprised. What would have surprised them was that Princess Taiping did not want to be an empress.

The First Emperor was still thinking in his heart: Li Nian was right. Wu Mei had indeed set a very bad example, making all the women of the Li Tang Dynasty want to become empresses.

"As the saying goes, aunts and sisters-in-law don't like each other, and they are aunts and sisters-in-law who share the same ambition of becoming the empress. Of course, they don't like each other even more. If they get the chance, they will definitely kill each other."

"The plans of Zong Chuke, Princess Anle and others were leaked to Li Longji and Princess Taiping..."

Wang Ben shook his head and said, "If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers. If a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life. If a few things are not discreet, harm will be done. Therefore, a gentleman is cautious and does not reveal anything. If such a confidential matter can be known by the enemy, how can we achieve great things?"

Li Nian smiled and said, "After receiving the news, Li Longji discussed with his aunt Princess Taiping, and the two formed an alliance and decisively decided to strike first. On the Gengzi day of June in the first year of Tanglong, Li Longji launched the Tanglong coup. Before Empress Wei, Shangguan Wan'er, Princess Anle and others could react, the coup had already begun."

"The way some people died in different historical books is not consistent. For example, some historical books record that Princess Anle was beheaded by soldiers while she was drawing her eyebrows in the mirror, while other historical books say that she was killed after she finished drawing her eyebrows and resisted the soldiers for a while."

"Shangguan Wan'er was also like this. Some historical records record that she was killed in the chaos of the army, while others record that she surrendered to Li Longji, but Li Longji did not accept her and beheaded her under his flag."

"But there is no doubt that Empress Wei, Princess Anle, Shangguan Wan'er and others all died in the Tanglong coup."

Meng Tian laughed and said, "Li Longji ignored Shangguan Wan'er's surrender and begging for mercy. It's obvious that he doesn't care about women. No wonder he was able to make the Tang Dynasty reach its peak of prosperity."

After Meng Tian finished speaking, he noticed the strange expression on Li Nian's face, and wondered if he was wrong. Was Li Longji actually a lustful man, or did he have another reason for killing Shangguan Wan'er?
Others also noticed Li Nian's expression and had the same thought as Meng Tian.

Whether Xuanzong was lustful or not, Prince Shou Li Ying should have a say...

Li Nian did not explain to them and continued, "After the Tanglong coup was successfully launched, Li Dan was restored and ascended the throne! I was wrong before. Li Dan and his brother Li Xian were both emperors for the second time."

"The experiences of these two brothers are quite similar, and later generations jokingly call them the 'Six Emperors'."

Meng Tian asked curiously, "What are the Six Emperor Pills?"

Li Nian smiled and said, "His father is the emperor, his mother is the emperor, he himself is the emperor, his brother or his younger brother is the emperor, his son is the emperor, and his nephew is the emperor."

If you think about it carefully, the situation of Li Xian and Li Dan is indeed like this. It is outrageous that such a close family produced six emperors.

The term "Six Emperor Pills" is really vivid!

Li Nian said: "After Li Dan's restoration, Princess Taiping was favored by Li Dan because of her participation in the Tanglong coup and her contributions. In addition, she and Li Dan were born of the same mother, so she reached the peak of power among the princesses of the Tang Dynasty. Even Li Longji, who was not yet powerful, was afraid to please his aunt."

"Princess Taiping loves power. Her goal is to become an empress like Wu Mei. Li Longji is also an ambitious man, and his goal is also to become the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. How can the same dynasty accommodate two people who aspire to be emperors?"

"The battle for the throne has always been dangerous, and usually only one person can reach the top. Now there are two of them, and they will often kill each other to determine the final winner!"

(End of this chapter)