After Li Shimin's Xuanwu Gate, he left his sisters in addition to his ten nephews. Why is this arranged, and what is the plan?
Is there still love in front of the imperial power?
At dawn on July 2, 626 AD, an atmosphere of sadness pervaded the city of Chang'an, and the lives of a dozen young men disappeared forever in the shadow of swords and swords. Some of them are only in their teens, and some are only ** years old, and they will say goodbye to the world forever before they grow up. They had only one crime: their father coveted the throne and tried to overthrow the current regime.
In the face of imperial power, the debt of the father to the son seems to be an eternal and cruel rule. The question arises: What is the sin of these children who have just entered adolescence and are not yet familiar with the world? Did they deserve it, or was it meant to be?
The blood stains of Xuanwumen have not dried up, Li Shimin ascended the throne and became emperor, and on his hands, there is not only the blood of his brothers, but also the tender blood of his nephews who have not yet completely coagulated. A young life, just like this, sleeps forever in the forbidden place, too late to enlighten, has been forever.
However, what people don't understand is that in this bloody storm, Li Shimin's kindness spared all the daughters of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, not only did not hurt them, but treated them well. Isn't this the calculation of the imperial power, but a rare human warmth? When this question arises, all the secrets seem to point to a deeper mystery.
Now, let's take a closer look at the inner context of this royal tragedy.
i.The Xuanwumen incident that overthrew Li Jiancheng.
In 626 AD, the Tang Dynasty was in turmoil. Previously, Li Yuan appointed his eldest son, Li Jiancheng, as the crown prince, intending to pass the throne to him. However, his son, Li Shimin, was talented and skilled in riding. In the war with Wang Shichong of the Eastern Liang Dynasty, Li Shimin led his army to a complete victory. Li Shimin was not convinced, and when he saw that Li Jiancheng did not take care of political affairs, he decided to usurp the throne.
At the instigation of Li Shimin's cronies, the Xuanwumen Rebellion broke out. In the early morning, Li Shimin led his cronies to attack Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Li Jiancheng was killed in battle, and Li Yuanji was killed.
Li Jiancheng's untimely death seems to have predicted such an outcome for a long time. He was suspicious, indecisive, and lacked common sense, which gave Li Shimin an excuse to usurp the throne. During the turmoil of the dynasty, he tried to stabilize his power, but he was complacent and negligent, which ultimately led to failure.
Although Li Jiancheng failed to realize his ambitions, he was influential in the battle for the throne in the early Tang Dynasty. However, he lost the political struggle for the throne and was unable to change his fate.
Li Jiancheng fell to the ground, with military merits, but he couldn't return to heaven. Before he died, did he want to understand whether his so-called throne was the true direction of his heart or a ridiculous dream?
Secondly, Taka's house arrest in the Long family is already a tragedy.
In fact, the cause of the Xuanwumen incident far exceeded Li Shimin's ambitions. If you want to trace the source, you have to start with Wanwen being under house arrest in Longfu.
In 624 AD, Li Shimin's great victory in the Eastern Expedition was so successful that Li Yuan placed him under house arrest in the Dragon Tower in the eastern capital of Luoyang in order to prevent him from rebelling. Li Shimin was depressed and unhappy, and everyone betrayed and left.
During this period, Longlou became a place of fine clothes, fine food, wine, wealth, and unruliness. Li Shimin was trapped in the Dragon Tower for more than a year, hated Li Jiancheng's behavior, and vowed to take revenge.
Within a year, Li Shimin witnessed all kinds of mediocrity and corruption in the Dragon Mansion, which undoubtedly strengthened his determination to seek power. He realized that he had to fight his way out of this enclosed space.
After Li Yuan recalled him back to the capital, Li Shimin obeyed Li Jiancheng on the surface, but secretly increased his troops and prepared **. Finally, in July 626, when the time was ripe, Li Shi** organized a coup d'état with his own men.
Shixianglou sealed the Dragon Mansion and let Li Shimin seize power with one vote. Without this captivity, Li Jiancheng might not have been overthrown, and the Xuanwumen incident would not have happened as scheduled. In this way, Shixiang's captivity allowed Li Shimin to succeed, but it also planted the seeds of Li Jiancheng's death.
After Li Shimin III ascended the throne, his elder brother died and his younger brother was born.
Li Shimin vowed to keep the emperor in power. The Xuanwumen incident finally gave him his wish.
After Li Jiancheng was killed, Li Shimin quickly took power. He was first made the crown prince, and then worshiped as the prime minister, and then ascended the throne as emperor, officially becoming the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
At this moment, Li Shimin is proud, but also cold and skeptical. He stood in front of a dragon chair made of his brother's blood. Because his younger brother made this handicraft in front of him, Li Shimin inevitably felt deeply guilty.
But what made him even more excited and happy was that his desire for the throne had finally come true. If he wants to stabilize the kingdom, he must eliminate all hidden dangers. So it's not hard to understand what happened next.
iv.Remnants of the tragedy, ten nephews were executed.
After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he was ruthless and ordered all ten sons of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji to be executed.
Although the children of these imperial relatives are still young and do not aspire to the throne, in Li Shimin's eyes, their existence is still a huge threat. Therefore, Li Shimin decided to kill them.
These ten little nephews can be said to be Li Shimin's fortitude, perseverance and toughness. But people don't know that he also has a benevolent side, and he did not harm his daughters Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Isn't this Li Shimin's sudden kindness?
v.The nephews are alive, Li Shimin's deep meaning.
In the Xuanwumen incident, Li Jiancheng had five daughters and Li Yuanji had five daughters, and these ten nephews and nieces were all protected and treated favorably by Li Shimin.
The reason why Li Shimin has a different attitude towards them is because of his prejudice against women. In his opinion, women would not pose a threat to the throne, and they were still young, and there would be no obvious benefit in killing them.
By releasing these people, Li Shimin can create an image of a benevolent monarch and win the hearts of the people. Moreover, these people may become his political bargaining chips in the future, and it is naturally wise for Li Shimin to protect himself.
Li Shimin also personally chose the right in-law for his nephew, and for a time, all the famous families in the early Tang Dynasty fell for it. It can be said that Li Shimin has achieved his goal of buying people's hearts.
It is also possible that Li Shimin's kindness to his nephews was only an appropriate act. If they were older, Li Shimin might not be so kind to them. Therefore, there seems to be no real human warmth in this tragedy.
vi.Explanation of the Mystery of the Storm and the Transformation of the Basalt.
Today, decades later, when we remember the Xuanwumen incident, it has become part of tragic history. However, what is more worthy of our reflection is the confusion of human nature.
Li Shimin did not hesitate to commit suicide in order to ascend the throne, but he pitied his nephew. This seems to represent the conflict between good and evil in the hearts of every ordinary person.
However, goodness and reason tend to yield to power. When the lust for power takes over, it's easy for us to become **. This was the case with Li Shimin's demonstration, and the bloody case at Xuanwumen was also a warning.
Today, when we look at this palace conspiracy, it should not be dismissed as a historical anecdote; It tells us that power without moral restraint can eventually turn into terrible violence.
What kind of tragedy happens when the light of humanity is brutally trampled on? This is a question that everyone in power should ponder.
History will give the fairest verdict in the end. Looking back on the past, we should look less at Li Shimin's behavior and more at the balance of good and evil in our hearts.