In the third year of Yonghui of the Tang Dynasty (652), Tang Gaozong Li Zhi received a powerful news: Princess Gaoyang was insulted.
Princess Gaoyang is the beloved daughter of Tang Taizong, the sister of Tang Gaozong, and she was married to Fang Xuanling, the second son of the famous prime minister, as his wife as early as the Zhenguan period. What happened to the princess being insulted this time?
According to Princess Gaoyang's maid, it was not someone else who insulted the princess, but Fang Yizhi, the eldest brother of Fang Yiai. At the same time, the person who entered the palace to report also revealed to Tang Gaozong that since Fang Yizhi became the head of the Fang family, he has been messing with some conspirators from time to time, and often makes some remarks that he looks down on Tang Gaozong in private, which is really disrespectful.
Fang Zhizhi was inexplicably accused of indecent assault by his brother and daughter-in-law, and soon realized the seriousness of the problem. In order to gain Tang Gaozong's trust, he immediately entered the palace to report Princess Gaoyang for peeping at the heavens, intending to rebel. Not only that, but he also brought Tang Gaozong an even more shocking inside information - Fang Yiai had conspired with Xue Wanche:"If there is a change in the country, it should be based on King Jing (Li) Yuanjing.
Xue Wanche was a famous general in the early Tang Dynasty and was known for his bravery. He is the concubine of the eldest princess of Danyang, that is, the uncle of Tang Gaozong. If this is true, the nature is much worse than the princess's indecent assault and the outright words of the widow. Without further ado, Tang Gaozong immediately ordered the eldest grandson Wuji to follow up with full authority.
Datang brave general Xue Wanche. Source: Film and television stills.
As a result, a case of sexual harassment within the family with a gossip nature evolved into a heinous case of Princess Gaoyang and Fang Yuai's husband and wife. Since then, under the manipulation of some people, intentionally or unintentionally, it has also escalated into a political purge against the early Tang dynasty.
Regarding Princess Gaoyang's accusation of being insulted by Fang Yu, Tang Gaozong obviously did not believe it.
After all, as early as the Zhenguan period, Princess Gaoyang and Xuanzang's apprentices and monks debated the opportunity, and there was a lot of uproar. Later, it was Tang Taizong who gave him the opportunity to argue in time, and this royal affair finally did not cause a worse impact. It can be seen that Princess Gaoyang's romance has long been famous.
Princess Gaoyang and the debate machine. Source: Film and television stills.
However, as the beloved daughter of Tang Taizong, Princess Gaoyang is unlucky. She was born destined to be the same as her sisters, to become her father's marriage tool to connect revolutionary friendships and tie the family together. As soon as Princess Gaoyang became an adult, Tang Taizong couldn't wait to marry her to Prime Minister Fang Xuanling's second son, Fang Xuanling.
Fang Xuanling is resourceful and resourceful, and Du Ruhui is called "Fang Xuan's decision". But in addition to the surname Fang, Fang Yiai has almost no inheritance of his father's resourcefulness in his whole body. History, he".There is no education, and there is force”。That is to say, the IQ is not high, and there is no advantage except for greater strength. Such a person is naturally difficult to enter the eyes of Princess Gaoyang.
In this way, when Princess Gaoyang first married the Fang family, there was a scene where everything did not go well. In order to make up for some dignity and fun for herself, she not only boldly fell in love with the monks, but also often "set scores" for Fang Xuanling and his wife at home. Unfortunately, Fang Xuanling's wife, Fan Yang Lu, was a famous "Hedong Lion" during the Zhenguan period, and she was not easy to mess with. It is rumored that Tang Taizong rewarded Fang Xuanling for his hard work and gave him several beauties. As a result, Fang Xuanling trembled with fright, claiming that if he brought them home, his wife would definitely eat him alive. Tang Taizong didn't believe it, so he summoned Mrs. Lu into the palace, and at the same time rewarded her with a cup of "poisonous wine", asking her to choose one of the two roads of death and Xu Fu's concubine, and Mrs. Lu took the "poisonous wine" and drank it all.
Princess Gaoyang is not Mrs. Lu's opponent in terms of house fighting, and she is not allowed to fall in love with a monk by the world, so she can only put her goal on Fang Yiai, and try her best to persuade him to fight for family property and become the boss.
As a result, Fang Yizhi, the eldest brother of Fang Yizhi, became a thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh that Princess Gaoyang had to get rid of.
Tang Taizong once sealed Fang Xuanling as the Duke of Liang Guo, and the treatment was equivalent to that of the county king. According to the regulations, after Fang Xuanling's death, the title should be inherited by the eldest son Fang. However, such a convention is not recognized by Princess Gaoyang. As soon as Fang Xuanling died, she set up a battlefield in the Fang family, took out the prestige of the royal princess, and instigated Fang Xuanling to win the title that originally belonged to the eldest brother Fang Xuanling. Fang Yu had no choice but to take the initiative to write to inform Princess Tang Taizong of the causes and consequences of messing around in the Fang family.
Tang Dynasty famous minister Fang Xuanling. Source: Internet.
When Tang Taizong learned about it, Long Yan was furious, called Princess Gaoyang and reprimanded her fiercely, and forbade her to interfere in the inheritance of the Fang family's title.
But after Tang Taizong died, Princess Gaoyang began to toss again. She found Tang Gaozong, who had ascended the throne, and asked to kick Fang Zhi out of Fang's house. Although Tang Gaozong was not as decisive as Tang Taizong, he was also known for his kindness. In order to take care of the face of Princess Gaoyang and the Fang family, Tang Gaozong ordered Fang Zhizhi and Fang Yiai to be sent to Xizhou, Shanxi (now Xi County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province) and Fangzhou, Hubei (now Fang County, ** City, Hubei Province) to make assassination history.
Princess Gaoyang still didn't give up, and after stopping for a while, she directly accused Fang Zhizhi of insulting herself. This is the beginning of Princess Gaoyang and Fang Yizhi biting each other.
Tang Gaozong handed over the case to the eldest grandson Wuji to deal with, which was somewhat overkill, but the eldest grandson Wuji was the emperor's uncle, and it was logical for his family to handle household affairs. Princess Gaoyang's personality, the eldest grandson Wuji is obviously very clear. This family dispute case is not difficult to hear.
However, from a point of view, since Tang Gaozong entrusted this kind of trivial matter to a minister to follow up, it is obvious that what he wants to see is not the ordinary trial result.
How should the eldest grandson Wuji be judged?
Break the mold
What is Regular? In a case like this, Princess Gaoyang keeps saying that she was insulted, so let the princess provide factual evidence and witnesses to the incident. Similarly, Fang Yu directly sued the princess for rebellion, as long as he showed relevant evidence, he could clear his suspicion and go home to continue to be his Liang Guogong. But these methods, the eldest grandson Wuji is useless.
According to the "New Tang Dynasty Book", after receiving Tang Gaozong's order, the eldest grandson Wuji immediately "interrogated" both parties. The so-called "bowing questioning" means arresting and harshly interrogating, and if necessary, using some means to beat it. According to the history books, this torture did not distinguish between the plaintiff and the defendant. In other words, all the people involved in the case may have been sentenced before seeing the eldest grandson Wuji.
A generation of national uncles, the eldest grandson, Wuji. Source: Film and television stills.
After some "questioning", the progress of the case became much clearer in an instant. The eldest grandson Wuji soon discovered that the so-called indecent assault of Princess Gaoyang was actually Princess Gaoyang's deliberate false accusation against Fang Xuanling, and the purpose was still to get the title and property left by Fang Xuanling. As for the rebellion between Princess Gaoyang and Fang Yiai, there is no evidence at the moment.
However, the fact that there is no evidence of rebellion between the princess and her husband now does not mean that there will be no in the future.
During the trial of the case, news came from Junzhou (present-day Danjiangkou City, Hubei Province) that Tang Gaozong's elder brother, Li Tai, the king of Pu, was seriously ill. Li Tai was a highly dangerous person during the Zhenguan period. In that year, after the crown prince Li Chengqian was deposed for rebellion, Li Tai once "showed loyalty" to Tang Taizong, saying that if he became the prince, he would kill all his children with his own hands in the future, and pass the throne to his younger brother Li Zhi, so as to ensure the peace of the Tang Dynasty for thousands of years. And Li Chengqian, who was in prison, also confessed afterwards that he was forced to rebel, and in addition to the instigation of his subordinates, the biggest inducement was Li Tai's aggressiveness. Li Tai was dissatisfied with his brother Li Chengqian's ascension to the position of crown prince just because he was older than him, so he always had the ambition to replace him. For this reason, Li Tai was deliberately suppressed by Tang Taizong. After dealing with Li Chengqian's rebellion, Li Tai was also demoted by Tang Taizong to the king of Donglai County and moved to Junzhou for resettlement. Perhaps thinking of the only remaining family affection, Tang Taizong did not connect with others while suppressing Li Tai. In this way, more than 20 imperial relatives and relatives, including Chai Lingwu and Fang Yiai, who were once Li Tai's confidants, were given a chance to breathe.
But all this was very different after Tang Gaozong ascended the throne.
Although Li Tai failed to seize the heir, no one dared to guarantee that former promoters such as Fang Yiai and Chai Lingwu would not hatch new conspiracies.
At this time, the news that Li Tai was seriously ill came, more like a reminder to the eldest grandson Wuji that the potential threat surrounding Tang Gaozong had not yet dissipated. In this way, the eldest grandson Wuji, who was originally ordered to mediate family conflicts, unconsciously became the "hell judge" of another major case.
Is it easy for the eldest grandson Wuji to make a family dispute case into a case of intent to rebel?
Not easy
Saying that Princess Gaoyang and his wife rebelled is just the words of Fang Yizhi's family. When seriously investigated, it can only be regarded as a "motive" at best. Whether it is a succession or a rebellion, there is no plan, no goal, no time for action, everything is empty talk.
However, when Fang Zhizhi first reported Princess Gaoyang's rebellion, he mentioned in the testimony listed: ".The chief envoy ordered Chen Xuanyun to serve the palace province and step into the stars. "To the effect that Princess Gaoyang often goes to the eunuch Chen Xuanyun, the leader of the Imperial Court, to look at the stars, the moon, and divinate the celestial phenomena.
In the Tang Dynasty, the Imperial Court Bureau was a full-time eunuch institution that managed the palace maids. Princess Gaoyang asked the eunuch leader to look at the stars and the moon, which is today, at most it shows that she is cheating in marriage and unfaithful to the horse. But in the Tang Dynasty, especially in the court, in addition to the emperor, the only qualified astronomers were Qin Tianjian. If other people dare to divinate the celestial phenomena in the palace, they will definitely be considered conspirators. Because, only people with bad intentions will peep into the heavens.
Princess Gaoyang watched the sky with the eunuch at night, what was the horse doing? Following this line of thought, the eldest grandson Wuji went through the circle of Fang Yiai's contacts, and immediately discovered the "amazing" secret: in addition to Chai Lingwu, who is also the "second generation of officials", the general Xue Wanche, Shizhong Yuwenjie, Jingwang Li Yuanjing and other clan relatives Yuansu were all guests of Fang Yiai's seats.
Xue Wanche is not only the concubine of Princess Danyang, the sister of Tang Taizong, but also one of the best generals in the early Tang Dynasty. When Tang Taizong was alive, he said: ".Today's famous generals are only Li Tao, Jiangxia Wang (Li) Daozong, and (Xue) Wanche. Although the Taoist Sect could not win a big victory, it did not taste a great defeat; To Wan Che, either a big victory or a big defeat. Fang Yiai hooked up with Xue Wanche, and the eldest grandson Wuji thought that there was obviously something unspeakable in this.
The famous general Li Tao in the early Tang Dynasty. Source: Internet.
As for Yuwenjie and Li Yuanjing, the king of Jing, the former was the first important minister of the dynasty to stand up for him after Fang Yiai's accident, and the latter was the father-in-law of Fang Yiai's younger brother Fang Yize, and he was also the prince with the highest rank in the Tang Dynasty at that time.
A colt who often corresponds with generals, prime ministers, and kings, if this is not clear, it will be a big matter.
So, the eldest grandson Wuji arrested Fang Yiai and interrogated him again. This time, Fang Yiai finally "spit out the truth".
According to Fang Yiai's confession, he and Xue Wanche did come and go because he was not used to what he was doing today. At that time, Xue Wanche, who was keen on discussing court politics, had just been reinstated as the assassin of Ningzhou (now Qingyang, Gansu). One day, Xue Wanche entered the court as usual. After the next court, the two of them had a drink in the house. Drinking wine, Xue Wan's unbridled mistake was committed again, and he boasted of his exploits with the strength of wine, and said: ".Although he is suffering from his feet and sitting in Beijing, the generations still dare not move. Considering the prestige of General Xue, Fang Yiai said that his head was hot, and he came up with the idea of overthrowing the rule of Tang Gaozong and appointing Li Yuanjing, the king of Jing, as the emperor.
As for why he chose King Jing Li Yuanjing, Fang Yi said that this is not only because King Jing is the father-in-law of his younger brother Fang Yize, but also because he is the eldest of Tang Gaozu's living sons. Moreover, Li Yuanjing, the king of Jing, once dreamed that he held the sun and the moon in his hands, which must be a symbol of the destiny of heaven.
So far, the "Fang Widow Love Conspiracy Rebellion Case" has finally found some signs.
However, looking back, the core characters of this rebellion case - Fang Yiai and Xue Wanche. Although both of them are inextricably linked to the royal family, when the "Fang Yi Love Rebellion Case" was brewing, they were both assassinated by the outside. To put it bluntly, it is an unarmed magistrate, and wanting to rebel is like a fool's dream.
Let's look at the rebel participants befriended by Fang Yiai-Chai Lingwu, Yuwenjie and Li Yuanjing. Except for Yuwen Festival, which seems to be a little closer to the central power, Chai Lingwu and Li Yuanjing are not at all in the climate.
The "Tang Law" implemented at that time did not stipulate that horses and clan relatives could not go back and forth in private. If this is used as evidence of Fang Yiai's rebellion against his foreign ministers in private and his intention to overthrow the rule of Tang Gaozong, it is obviously difficult to justify.
Even if this group of "mouthful" relatives of the emperor really said something disrespectful, according to the "Tang Law", they would at most be convicted of "saying the opposite". According to the law, "all mouths say the opposite, the heart has no real plan, and those who have no form to find will flow for 2,000 miles." That is to say, even if Fang Yiai is right, and the eldest grandson Wuji "investigates the true state", according to the law, it still cannot be resentenced.
However, the eldest grandson Wuji still bites Princess Gaoyang and Fang Yiai's couple.
The crux of the problem may still lie in Xue Wanche.
Before his death, Tang Taizong demoted Li Tao, one of the three famous generals, to Diezhou (now Diebu, Gansu) as the governor, in order to allow Tang Gaozong to be gracious to Li Tao after ascending the throne, so that he could obey the orders of the new emperor and avoid the monopoly of the family of the minister of Tuogu, Sun Wuji.
Xue Wanche was also accused and exiled to Xiangzhou (now Laibin, Guangxi) in the last years of Zhenguan because of his arrogance and arrogance, until he was pardoned and returned in the second year of Yonghui (651). Xue Wanche's temperament has always been like this, Tang Taizong has been with him for many years, and it is impossible to realize it later. According to historical records, Xue Wanche was not satisfied with the results of the imperial court at first, and complained vigorously against Tang Taizong, which triggered Li Tao to write to Tang Taizong to suggest that he be killed. But until the last moment, Tang Taizong still didn't kill him. After Yonghui returned from pardon in the second year, Xue Wanche, who had already been removed from the army, quickly became the assassin of Ningzhou in the Tang Gaozong era. It can be seen that there must be a prior arrangement by Tang Taizong.
Portrait of Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Source: Internet.
The geographical location of Ningzhou should not be underestimated. It is located in the northwest border, which was an important frontier town of the Tang Dynasty, and it was also a necessary place for the Turks and other northwestern tribes to invade the Tang Dynasty in the south. Tang Taizong left Xue Wanche alive and made him the feudal official during the reign of Tang Gaozong, if it was just a coincidence, it would be too coincidental.
The eldest grandson Wuji used Tang Gaozong to run a "Fang Yi Love Rebellion Case", and the real purpose should be to take the opportunity to be a political enemy, suppress the courtiers, and establish his own prestige. At the moment, if the eldest grandson Wuji wants to achieve this goal, the best way is to use the "Fang Yi Love Rebellion Case" as a big net to arrest more people who have ideas but have attempted to do so.
The case that the emperor wanted to handle became what his uncle wanted to do.
In this context, the third trial of Fang Yiai's love has become the key to the final detection of the "Fang Yiai's rebellion case".
If you want to expand the impact of the "Fang Yi Ai Conspiracy Case", the key is to see what Fang Yu Ai can say more. Therefore, the eldest grandson Wuji cited the precedent of the deposed prince Li Chengqian's bodyguard Su Gan Chengji who first sued the prince for his meritorious rebellion, and asked Fang Yiai to reveal more inside information about the rebellion and strive for leniency.
Fang Yiai's own IQ is not enough, and he doesn't know the real reason why Su Gan Chengji was spared death, because Su Gan Chengji completely explained the facts of the crime of rebellion against the abolished prince Li Chengqian. And he himself has been interrogated by the eldest grandson Wuji so far, and all he has confessed are "trumped-up" crimes, which cannot withstand scrutiny at all, let alone constitute the premise of exoneration. On the contrary, everything he confessed before was very much in line with the conviction standard for another major crime stipulated in the "Tang Law" - false accusation. Anyone who bears false testimony shall be deemed to have made false accusations, and if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to death.
Fang Yiai was fooled by the eldest grandson Wuji. Under the guidance of the eldest grandson Wuji, Fang Yiai, who just wanted to live, successively confessed a series of lists of important ministers and military leaders, including Li Ke, King of Wu, Li Daozong, King of Jiangxia, and General Zuo Xiaowei.
Among them, similar to Xue Wanche in front, Li Daozong and Zhi Sili are also high-level military officials. But the contradiction between these two people and the eldest grandson Wuji is not particularly deep. As for Wu Wang Li Ke, that is the name that the eldest grandson Wuji wants Fang Yiai to say the most.
Wu Wang Li Ke. Source: Film and television stills.
A very important reason why Li Ke, the king of Wu, made his eldest grandson Wuji never forget is that when Tang Taizong was alive, he praised Li Ke as "a hero like himself", and on the premise that Li Zhi had been established as the crown prince, he wanted to abolish Li Zhi again and again, and set up Li Ke as the crown prince. For this reason, Tang Taizong once consulted with the eldest grandson Wuji, and the eldest grandson Wuji fought hard as his uncle, saying that Li Zhi was more benevolent, and His Majesty's edict to establish the prince had been issued, and it was not appropriate to change the decree overnight, which preserved the inheritance of Tang Gaozong Li Zhi. But even so, Li Ke's reputation in the court is still very high, and even later historians said: ".The sons of Taizong, Wu Wangke, Pu Wangtai are the most virtuous.
At this time, Li Tai, the king of Pu, was already dying, and if he could threaten the throne of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, wouldn't he be the only one left, Li Ke, the king of Wu?
Under the instruction of the eldest grandson Wuji, Fang Yiai insisted that in the rebellion plan agreed with Xue Wanche before, Li Yuanjing, the king of Jing, was just an alternative, and it was Li Ke, the king of Wu, who really wanted to be the emperor.
The eldest grandson Wuji did not say anything, but only announced the end of the trial of the "Fang Yiai Conspiracy Case", and hurriedly reported the results of the trial to Tang Gaozong, requesting that it be executed.
The result of the trial of the eldest grandson Wuji was: Fang Yiai, Xue Wanche, and Chai Lingwu were the first offenders, and they were all beheaded. As their allies and relatives, Princess Gaoyang, Princess Baling (Chai Lingwu's wife), King Li Yuanjing of Jing, and King Li Keci of Wu committed suicide. And Yuwenjie, Li Daozong, and Zhi Lost Sili, etc., ** are the same crime as Fang Yiai, Xue Wanche and others' relatives Fang Zhizhi and Xue Wanbei, exiled to the wilderness, and cannot return to Beijing without a recall.
Faced with the results of his uncle's eldest grandson Wuji's interrogation, Tang Gaozong, who was deeply surprised, said that his personal emotions were difficult to accept. He specifically pleaded with the ministers at the court meeting, and begged his uncle to give a lenient sentence with tears in his eyes: ".I don't have many brothers, King Jing, my uncle, King Wu, my brother, want to die, can you?
wanted to die, that is, Tang Gaozong asked the eldest grandson Wuji not to execute King Jing and King Wu in an extremely humble manner.
Tang Gaozong Li Zhi. Source: Film and television stills.
But the eldest grandson Wuji didn't seem to hear it, and was silent. Seeing that the lieutenant did not speak, the ministers of the DPRK and China also chose to be silent and neutral.
It wasn't until the atmosphere in the court was extremely embarrassing that Cui Dunli, the secretary of the military department who had the same political views as the eldest grandson Wuji, reluctantly opened the golden mouth: "Although Your Majesty is grateful, you can't ignore the law of the world." "The implication is that the trial of the Taiwei is fair, and it is not appropriate for Fang Yiai and other serious offenders to avoid death.
Just imagine, above the court, the emperor is isolated, and the ministers only listen to the orders of the eldest grandson Wuji, is this scene very similar to Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao around Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty?
The eldest grandson Wuji used the rebellion to kill Wu Wang Li Ke and others, and his main purpose was to do his best to protect the throne of Tang Gaozong. In terms of fundamental interests, Tang Gaozong's demands should be consistent with that of the eldest grandson Wuji. But from the side of Tang Gaozong, who needs the dignity of the emperor, didn't Cao Cao back then also coerce the Son of Heaven to order the princes in the name of protecting Emperor Han Xian?
The eldest grandson Wuji's move was extremely scary.
Of course, the focus of the "Fang Widow Love Rebellion Case" is still on how to effectively ** the potential threat to the throne of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, Tang Gaozong, who pleaded for mercy to no avail, still supported the final ruling of the eldest grandson Wuji with practical actions.
On the second day of the second month of the fourth year of Yonghui (653), Li Ke, the king of Wu, was hanged on charges of rebellion. On the same day, Fang Yiai, who was bent on survival, and his friend Xue Wanche fell to the ground. As the "fuse" of this case, Princess Gaoyang, who loved tossing all her life, did not escape the fate of being killed this time.
The worst thing has to be the house is straight. As the elder brother of the mastermind of the "Fang Yiai Rebellion Case", he did not participate in the rebellion of his younger brother's family from beginning to end, and even the hero who first sued Fang Yiai for the rebellion case. However, because he was Fang Yiai's elder brother, he was also demoted to the Tongling Lieutenant of Chunzhou (now Yangchun, Guangdong) for the crime of treason, and went to distant Lingnan to live this life.
Looking at it this way, the eldest grandson Wuji seems to have won. But what he didn't know was that when the knife and pen officer brought various torture instruments to Li Ke on the road, at the last moment of his life, the prince issued a curse that shook the heavens and the earth:"The eldest grandson Wuji steals authority, harms the good, and the sect has a spirit, and the clan will be wiped out soon!
Yes, only six years have passed since the "Fang Yiai Rebellion Case", and the eldest grandson Wuji was forced to commit suicide by Tang Gaozong on the same charge.
References:
Later Jin Dynasty] Liu Yun: Old Tang Dynasty Books, Zhonghua Book Company, 1975.
Ouyang Xiu, The New Tang Dynasty Book, Zhonghua Book Company, 1975.
Song] Sima Guang, "Zizhi Tongjian", Zhonghua Book Company, 2009.
Meng Xianshi: The Truth of Tang Gaozong, Zhejiang People's Publishing House, 2021.
Zheng Min, "Princess Gaoyang's Rebellion Case", Journal of Yantai University (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), No. 4, 1995.
Jiang Runnan, "The Instrumentality of Feudal Law from the Case of Fang Yiai's Conspiracy against Rebellion", Theoretical Circle, No. 3, 2005.