Emperor, the beauty of heaven and earth; The emperor carries the life of all things. In ancient societies, the emperor and the emperor symbolized heaven and earth and all things, respectively. In myths and legends, the outstanding contributions of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors are remembered by the world, and the title of Emperor is an honorific title for these mythological figures.
King Yingzheng of Qin, who unified China, proudly proclaimed himself emperor, believing that his merits surpassed those of the three emperors and the five emperors, and aimed to demonstrate his prominent position and supreme power.
Since then, Emperor has become the honorific title of the supreme ruler of the feudal era, and after more than 2,000 years of changes, no matter how the dynasty changes, the title has always been cherished by rulers.
In their eyes, these two words symbolize supreme power and glory, and can infinitely magnify their majestic image, even if sometimes their actions do not deserve such honorific titles.
From the time Qin Shi Huang became emperor to Pu Yi's forced abdication under the impact of the Xinhai Revolution, there is a history of 2,132 years. During this period, a total of 494 emperors reigned, 73 were posthumously recognized as emperors, 251 were monarchs of the border minority regimes, about 100 leaders of peasant uprisings proclaimed themselves emperors, and many leaders of separatist forces.
All combined, the number of emperors in feudal China can reach more than a thousand. Although this number may seem like a lot, it is not easy to stand out from it and become a household name for future generations.
The most well-known emperors are Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Taizu of the Song Dynasty and Genghis Khan.
The five emperors have their own merits, but they all have some criticisms that have been criticized by later generations. Especially Tang Taizong Li Shimin, if his exploits are put aside, he may even be infamous for 10,000 years. The cause of his death is difficult to write in history, and it may be humiliating to uncover the truth.
In feudal empires, the succession of emperors followed the primogeniture system, which meant that some people were destined to be supreme monarchs from birth. However, the road is not smooth, and the slightest mistake can lead to ruin, or even a peaceful resting place, after all, the charm of imperial power is enough to make people lose their minds.
There are 3,000 beauties in the harem in the palace, and it is common to have many children. Tang Taizong Li Shimin even succeeded in fighting for the throne by virtue of his roommates, otherwise how could the country be owned by him.
It is true that his throne was not just-deserved, and his hands were full of brotherly blood. In terms of ruthlessness, Li Shimin can be called the top five among emperors. However, it is also because of this cruelty that he cares about his reputation very much, and constantly forces himself to move forward in order to gain the recognition of the world and sit on the throne justifiably.
Although we sometimes turn a deaf ear to the exhortation, we need to pretend to listen with an open mind, just as Wei Zheng saw as a mirror by Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. He had thoughts of killing him, and said to those close to him, "If you have the chance, you must kill this hillbilly." ”
However, Li Shimin is a sane person after all, he did not put that flashing evil thought into action, and his control is admirable. The person in charge of life and death can control the butcher knife in his hand, which is not easy in itself.
In order to create a good public image, Li Shimin took a variety of measures, the most direct of which was to order historians to revise historical records. This obscures an otherwise clear history, including the cause of his death.
In 649 AD, he died in the Temple of Hanfeng, reigning for 23 years at the age of 52. This age is not a short life among feudal emperors, after all, there are many emperors who have a shorter lifespan, and some even die before they are one year old.
So this comparison doesn't have much reference value, but when we compare the lifespan of Li Shimin's father and son, we can find some clues.
Li Yuan lived to be 69 years old, and his son Tang Gaozong Li Zhi also lived to be 54 years old, and Li Shimin lived to be 52 years old despite his reputation for being frail and sickly. The "Old Tang Book" has only a short sentence about Li Shimin's death, and it seems that the historians have reservations about it, as if they are hiding some big secret.
However, when we delve into the history books, we will find that Li Shimin's death is full of mysteries, far from being as simple as it seems.
Li Shimin gradually changed from a heroic general who fought in the south and north to an emperor who was obsessed with the words of warlocks and longed for immortality in his later years. Fearing that his sons would follow in his footsteps, he took the elixir provided by the monks, which eventually led to his violent death due to poisoning.
This is recorded in the "Old Tang Book: The Biography of Hao Chujun".
Hu monk offered medicine, and Chang'an City spread for thousands of years"Wang Xuance, a Bolo monk captured by Zhongtianzhu, was dedicated to Li Shimin's two ancient Indian medicines - Chew Lai Luo and Pan Cha Shui.
Although it is not possible to determine the specific ingredients, Joseph Needham speculated that the water may be an inorganic acid with pain-relieving properties, comparable to that of modern aspirin, but its actual efficacy cannot be determined due to the impurity of the extraction.
Once, Li Shimin commented on the practice of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in their pursuit of immortality, thinking that they were high-spirited and full of vitality. In the stories that have been passed down for thousands of years, can the medicine offered by Luo Er really bring immortality?
Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han's quest for immortality proved to be vain, and the immortals they expected did not appear. Li Shimin didn't believe in immortality when he was young, but in his later years, he believed in it, and even wanted to ascend to immortality through immortality.
Unfortunately, he died in pursuit of immortality, which is not recorded in detail in the history books, because it was a shame for a wise emperor.
In the history of the Tang Dynasty, many emperors became obsessed with Jindan, and even five emperors died because of it. This pursuit of immortality always existed in Tang Dynasty society.
This can be confirmed from historical documents such as the Book of the Old Tang Dynasty and the Book of the New Tang Dynasty.