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94-506: Twelve Philosophers are Min Sun (Ziqian), Ran Yong (Zhonggong), Duanmu Ci (Zigong), Zhong You ( Zilu ), Bu Shang (Zixia), You Ruo (Ziruo), Zai Yu (Ziwo), Ran Geng (Boniu), Ran Qiu (Ziyou), Yan Yan (Ziyou), Zhuansun Shi (Zizhang) – all disciples of Confucius – and Zhu Xi , who established Neo-Confucianism during the Song dynasty . Sacrifices to the philosophers were first offered in

188-404: A chancellor as well. Meanwhile, by 722, Empress Wang, who had contributed to Emperor Xuanzong's reign by providing suggestions, had begun to lose favor to Consort Wu , a great-grandniece of Emperor Xuanzong's grandmother Wu Zetian. Emperor Xuanzong secretly discussed with Jiang Jiao the possibility of deposing her, but Jiang Jiao careless leaked the discussion. At the urging of Zhang Jiazhen, who

282-455: A close associate of Consort Wu, as a chancellor as well. Around the new year 735, Ketuhan was killed in an internal Khitan power struggle, and Khitan became a vassal again, although it would not stay so permanently. By 736, Emperor Xuanzong was described as having been tired of important affairs of state and beginning to become wasteful and exuberant in his lifestyle. Zhang tried to curb his behavior but thus began to lose favor, while Li Linfu

376-492: A group of soldiers to examine the northern border. However, the group of conscripted soldiers was disbanded in spring 713, and the plan was never carried out. By summer 713, it was said that Princess Taiping, Dou, Cen, Xiao, Cui; along with other officials Xue Ji , Li Jin ( 李晉 ) the Prince of Xinxing (a grandson of Li Deliang ( 李德良 ), a cousin of Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu ), Li You ( 李猷 ), Jia Yingfu ( 賈膺福 ), Tang Jun ( 唐晙 );

470-511: A guard beheaded her. Li Guo'er, Wu Yanxiu, and Lady Helou were killed as well. Li Longji soon slaughtered a number of officials in Empress Dowager's faction as well as her clan, while displaying Empress Dowager Wei's body on the street. At the urging of Princess Taiping, Li Longji, and Li Longji's brother Li Chengqi, Li Dan soon took the throne from Li Chongmao and again became emperor (as Emperor Ruizong). Emperor Ruizong once again ascended to

564-420: A meeting with his brothers Li Longfan the Prince of Qi and Li Longye the Prince of Xue (who had changed their names to Li Fan and Li Ye by this point to observe naming taboo for Emperor Xuanzong), Guo Yuanzhen , along with a number of his associates – the general Wang Maozhong ( 王毛仲 ), the officials Jiang Jiao ( 姜皎 ) and Li Lingwen ( 李令問 ), his brother-in-law Wang Shouyi ( 王守一 ), the eunuch Gao Lishi , and

658-762: A member of her party.) As a result, the war between her and him continued more seriously. Liu Youqiu and the general Zhang Wei ( 張暐 ), with Emperor Xuanzong's approval, planned to mobilize the imperial guards to kill several of those chancellors – Dou Huaizhen , Cui Shi and Cen Xi . However, after Zhang told the plan to the imperial censor Deng Guangbin ( 鄧光賓 ), the news was leaked. At the request of Princess Taiping's, Emperor Ruizong issued an order to arrested Liu, and initially set to be executed. But Emperor Xuanzong interceded on his behalf with Emperor Ruizong, and Liu, Zhang, and Deng were spared but exiled. Later in 712, in one of Princess Taiping's plans to oust him, at her request, Emperor Ruizong decreed that Emperor Xuanzong lead

752-416: A petition accusing Song and Yao of alienating him from his brothers Li Chengqi and Li Shouli (who was actually a cousin but was raised with Emperor Ruizong's sons) and aunt Princess Taiping, asking that the two be put to death. Emperor Ruizong, in response, demoted Song and Yao and recalled Princess Taiping, Li Chengqi, and Li Shouli to the capital. In the aftermaths, Li Longji submitted another request to yield

846-625: A plan that they believed would end her plotting and influence. They proposed that the two princes who arguably had superior claims on the throne than Li Longji—Li Chengqi and Li Shouli (whose father Li Xian (note different character than Emperor Zhongzong) was an older brother to both Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong)—be sent out of the capital Chang'an to serve as prefectural prefects, while Princess Taiping and Wu Youji be sent to live in Luoyang. They also proposed that Li Longji be put in charge of most affairs of state. Emperor Ruizong initially agreed and made

940-426: A result, Wang Junchuo did not dare to counterattack, and subsequently blamed the defeat on a number of tribal chiefs in the area and had them exiles. In response, Yaoluoge Hushu ( 藥羅葛護輸 ), the nephew of one of the chiefs so exiled, Yaoluoge Chengzong ( 藥羅葛承宗 ), ambushed Wang Junchuo and killed him, and while Yaoluoge Hushu was forced to flee thereafter, for several years Tang did not engage in any offensive campaigns in

1034-509: A single military general. Eventually, the establishment of jiedushi would be extended to other parts of the empire. Also in 714, Emperor Xuanzong created Li Siqian , his second son and the son of his then-favorite concubine Consort Zhao, crown prince. (Emperor Xuanzong's wife Empress Wang was sonless.) Meanwhile, the Tang relationship with Qapaghan Qaghan of the Göktürks had fluctuated during

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1128-456: A single sentence, and if the subject was undecided, it was changed or determined by a sentence from her, so most chancellors, forbidden troops, civil and military officials, regional warlords and senior servants of the Imperial palace were her associates. Initially, Princess Taiping agreed to Li Longji's ascension as crown prince despite the fact that Li Longji was not Emperor Ruizong's oldest son and

1222-580: A three-way tug of war for influence in the Xiyu (i.e., modern Xinjiang and former Soviet Central Asia ) region. In 715, for example, when the king of Bahanna ( 拔汗那 ) was expelled by a new king supported by the Tibetan Empire and the Umayyad Caliphate, Tang forces commanded by the general Zhang Xiaosong  [ zh ] ( 張孝嵩 ) attacked the new king and restored the old king. General Tang Jiahui led

1316-699: Is included in the Confucian text The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars . Min Sun was a native of the State of Lu . According to Sima Qian , he was fifteen years younger than Confucius , but the Narratives of the School states that he was fifty years younger. When he first came to Confucius he had a starved look, but after studying with Confucius he gained a look of fullness and satisfaction. When Duanmu Ci once asked Min Sun how this change had come about, he replied, "I came from

1410-660: The Khitan and the Xi for having defeated Tang forces during Emperor Zhongzong's reign, commissioned the general Xue Ne to attack them, but Xue suffered another devastating loss to them, at the casualty rate of 80–90%. However, later in the year, when the Tibetan Empire attacked, Emperor Xuanzong again commissioned Xue to defend against the attack, and Xue was able to repel the Tibetan forces. Subsequently, though, although both sides tried to invoke

1504-873: The Song dynasty , he was additionally awarded the titles of Duke of Langye ( 瑯琊公 ) and Duke of Fei ( 費公 ). There are several memorial tombs and temples of Min Sun in China, including the Tomb of Min Ziqian in Jinan , Shandong , and the Min Ziqian Temple in Suzhou, Anhui , a major protected heritage site of Anhui province. Min Sun's descendants held the title of Wujing Boshi ( 五經博士 ; Wǔjīng Bóshì). Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ( [ɕwàn.tsʊ́ŋ] ; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762 ), personal name Li Longji ,

1598-619: The 6th year of the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty , AD 720. This Confucianism -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Min Sun Min Sun (536 – c.  487 BC), also known by his courtesy name Ziqian , was one of the most prominent disciples of Confucius . Confucius considered Min his second best disciple after Yan Hui , and commended him for his filial piety . His legend

1692-498: The Abbasids. Meanwhile, the jiedushi (military governors), most of whom were non- Han took more and more regional power into their own hands. Some successful generals included Geshu Han , known for victories over the Tibetan Empire ; Gao Xianzhi , who conquered city states of the Xiyu region, eventually battling the Abbasids at Talas; and An Lushan who defeated and once again vassalized

1786-654: The Chinese to defeat the following Arab-Tibetan attack in the Battle of Aksu (717) . The attack on Aksu was joined by Turgesh Khan Suluk . Both Uch Turfan and Aksu were attacked by the Turgesh, Arab, and Tibetan force on 15 August 717. Qarluqs serving under Chinese command, under Arsila Xian, a Western Turkic Qaghan serving under the Chinese Assistant Grand Protector General Tang Jiahui defeated

1880-600: The Göktürks, while remaining an important regional power, posed much less of a threat to China, although at times still capable of dealing serious defeats to Tang forces, as was the case in 720 when the Göktürk general Tonyukuk defeated the Tang garrison at Liang Prefecture (涼州, roughly modern Wuwei , Gansu ) and the Tang vassal Basmyl . Meanwhile, Tang, the Tibetan Empire, and the Umayyad Caliphate were constantly engaging in

1974-499: The Khitan, but meanwhile made peace with the Tibetan Empire. Initially, the campaign against the Khitan did not succeed, but in 732, with Li Hui in command, Tang forces dealt Ketugan a serious defeat and causing many of Ketugan's subordinates to defect and submit to Tang, although Ketugan was not captured. Meanwhile, Tang also began to have periodic conflicts with Balhae , and in 733 Emperor Xuanzong tried to commission Dae Mun-ye ( 大門藝 ),

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2068-752: The Khitan. Eventually, in 755, An Lushan started the Anshi Rebellion at Fanyang . The rebels quickly seized the eastern capital Luoyang , and then the imperial capital Chang'an six months later. Emperor Xuanzong fled to Sichuan during the war and abdicated the throne to Li Yu (whose name had been changed to Li Heng at that point) (as Emperor Suzong). Meanwhile, at Li Linfu's encouragement, Emperor Xuanzong began to promote non- Han generals to command large border armies, believing Li Linfu's assertion that non-Han generals were more likely to be personally loyal to Emperor Xuanzong himself and would not have clan entanglements, even though Li Linfu's own personal motivation

2162-435: The Prince of Ping [(i.e., Li Longji, whose title had been changed to Prince of Ping by this point)]. Li Chengqi wept and begged to yield for several days, and after further persuasion by the chancellor Liu Youqiu —who had been part of Li Longji's coup plans—Emperor Ruizong agreed and created Li Longji crown prince. Li Longji submitted a petition offering to yield to Li Chengqi, but Emperor Ruizong rejected it. After he came to

2256-412: The Prince of Xin'an (Emperor Xuanzong's second cousin) and was exiled, and subsequently died in exile. Still, it was said that it was starting from Yuwen's times that Emperor Xuanzong began to pay attention on taxes to replenish the imperial treasury, which traditional historians viewed as the start of his inflicting financial burdens on the people. Further, with Pei in charge of the civil service system, it

2350-412: The Prince of Yong'an (the sons of their uncle Li Xián , formerly crown prince but who had been forced by Wu Zetian to commit suicide in 684), were kept inside the palace and not allowed to have contact with outsiders until 699, when they were allowed to leave the palace and take up residences outside. In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown in a coup, and Li Longji's uncle Li Xiǎn (note different person than

2444-409: The Prince of Zhong, in 738. Historians said that Emperor Xuanzong forced tens of thousands of beautiful women to live in his palace to please him, more than many other Tang emperors. And he did not allow many to be set free even when they were old. As Emperor Xuanzong turned his attention to pleasure-seeking with his favorite concubine Yang Guifei and her family, he paid less and less attention to

2538-711: The Temple of Confucius is on the first place on the east, among the Twelve Wise Ones , immediately following the Four Assessors . He was first sacrificed to, along with Confucius, in 720 AD, by the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty . His title, the same as that of all but the four assessors, is "The Ancient Worthy, the Philosopher Min." The eleventh chapter of the Analects was traditionally attributed to his disciples. Min Sun

2632-417: The Tibetan Empire, and after a Tibetan incursion in late 726, Wang counterattacked and inflicted losses on Tibetan forces commanded by the general Xinuoluogonglu ( 悉諾邏恭祿 ). Later in the year, though, Xinuoluogonglu and another general, Zhulongmangbuzhi ( 燭龍莽布支 ) attacked and captured Wang's home prefecture Gua Prefecture (瓜州, roughly modern Jiuquan , Gansu ), taking Wang's father Wang Shou ( 王壽 ) captive. As

2726-446: The abolition to be the root of Tang's later fracturing, but some others, such as the modern historian Bo Yang , argued that Zhang's actions not only were necessary to restore the supply of soldiers but saved many lives. ) In 723, Zhang Jiazhen was demoted on account of a corruption scandal involving his brother Zhang Jiayou ( 張嘉祐 ). His position was filled by Wang Jun , who was soon himself demoted over suspicions, never proven, that he

2820-591: The accounting to be complete. Emperor Ruizong moved to a secondary palace, Baifu Hall ( 百福殿 ) and would remain there until his death in 716. Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan era is usually viewed as one of the golden ages of Chinese history – a period of political stability, peace in society, and economic prosperity, in addition to advances in education, literature, music, painting, sculpture, and religion. Meanwhile, Zhang Yue and Liu Youqiu served as chancellors, but they were soon displaced by Yao Yuanzhi (who then changed his name to Yao Chong ) and Lu Huaishen . Changing

2914-470: The advice of his sister, Princess Taiping. By winter 711 Princess Taiping had become even more powerful than before. Because of her recommendations, Emperor Ruizong carried out a major reorganization of his administration, relieving the chancellors Wei, Guo Yuanzhen , Dou, Li Rizhi , and Zhang Yue of their chancellor positions, instead commissioning a number of chancellors that she recommended — Liu Youqiu , Wei Zhigu , Cui Shi , and Lu Xiangxian . (Cui

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3008-756: The attack. Al-Yashkuri, the Arab commander and his army fled to Tashkent after they were defeated. In and around 716, there was a major locust infestation in the central China region. At Yao's suggestion, Emperor Xuanzong ordered an extensive campaign of extermination, which was said to reduce the impact of the infestation and ward off a major famine . Later in 716, however, due a corruption scandal involving Yao's sons and his associate Zhao Hui ( 趙誨 ), Yao incurred displeasure from Emperor Xuanzong and offered to resign. He and Yuan Qianyao , who replaced Lu after Lu's death earlier in 716, were removed from their offices and replaced with Song Jing and Su Ting , with Song making more of

3102-498: The brother of Balhae's King Mu , to attack Balhae, along with forces from Silla , but the attack was not successful. Also in 733, Pei Guangting died, and at the recommendation of Xiao Song, he was replaced with Han Xiu , but soon, Song and Han were in repeated conflicts, and late in 733, both were removed and replaced with Pei Yaoqing , who became known for improving the food distribution system, and Zhang Jiuling , known for his integrity. In 734, Emperor Xuanzong added Li Linfu ,

3196-664: The change in the emperor's position could be accounted by an orderly transition, offered to pass the throne to Li Longji. Princess Taiping fervently opposed it, and Li Longji initially declined, but at Emperor Ruizong's insistence finally accepted and took the throne on 8 September (as Emperor Xuanzong). However, at Princess Taiping's suggestion, Emperor Ruizong retained much of the imperial power as Taishang Huang (retired emperor), and his edicts continued to carry greater force than Emperor Xuanzong's. Emperor Xuanzong made his wife Crown Princess Wang empress. Meanwhile, Princess Taiping continued to be listening to politics with curtains in

3290-435: The cold. When his father learned what had happened, he went back to throw his wife out of the house. However, Min Sun said, "If mother leaves, there will be three of your sons who go cold, but if she stays, then only one will suffer." His stepmother was touched by his kindness and never mistreated him again. In 739 AD, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang posthumously awarded Min Sun the nobility title Marquess of Fei ( 費侯 ), and during

3384-416: The court, highly extremely influential in governmental matters through Emperor Ruizong, the group of chancellors openly frequented her house and most chancellors, forbidden troops, officials and warlords were her associates. (Of the seven chancellors at the time, five – Dou Huaizhen, Xiao Zhizhong, Cen Xi, Cui Shi , and Lu Xiangxian – were made chancellors at her recommendation, although Lu was not considered

3478-670: The crown prince position to Li Chengqi, but Emperor Ruizong declined it. Also in 711, Emperor Ruizong posthumously honored both Empress Liu and Li Longji's mother Consort Dou as empresses and built a temple for them to be worshipped, but was unable to locate their bodies for reburial, and therefore had to give them a ceremonial reburial without the bodies. But this posthumous honor for Li Longji's mother further displeased Princess Taiping. Emperor Ruizong also ordered that all minor matters be decided by Li Longji, and with this, Emperor Ruizong established Li Longji as his sole successor, but diverted his participation in important matters and focused more on

3572-441: The crown prince title and the emperor's trust, Li Longji was active and powerful in the politics of Emperor Ruizong's reign, but, also, whenever Emperor Ruizong called a court meeting, Princess Taiping would listen to the courtiers' conversations with the emperor about the government behind a pearl curtain and had the government under her hands. Under her ample reputation in the previous reigns, her great achievements in two coups,

3666-478: The cruel secret police officials of Wu Zetian's reign, exiling the ones that were still alive and eventually barring their descendants from holding political offices. At the urging of Jiang Jiao's brother Jiang Hui ( 姜誨 ), he also exiled a number of chancellors – Wei Sili , Wei Anshi , Zhao Yanzhao , and Li Jiao – from Emperor Zhongzong's reign whom Jiang accused of being unable to curb Empress Wei's abuse of power. Also in 714, Emperor Xuanzong, wanting to punish

3760-568: The emperor's son, he was created the Prince of Chu. It was said that he was handsome, with an appearance that was "majestic and beautiful", and was talented in music. He had two older brothers – Li Chengqi , born of Emperor Ruizong's wife Empress Liu , and Li Chengyi ( 李成義 ), as well as three younger brothers – Li Longfan ( 李隆範 ), Li Longye ( 李隆業 ), and Li Longti ( 李隆悌 ). He had two full younger sisters, Princess Jinxian ( 金仙公主 ) and Princess Yuzhen ( 玉真公主 ), who later became Taoist nuns. In 690, Empress Dowager Wu had her son Emperor Ruizong yield

3854-470: The father of Li Guangshun, Li Shouli, and Li Shouyi), who was at that time crown prince (Li Dan having yielded that title to him in 698 and taken the title of Prince of Xiang), who had been briefly emperor prior to Li Dan, returned to the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong). Li Longji was made the deputy minister of military supplies (衛尉少卿, Weiwei Shaoqing ). In 708, he was made the secretary general of Lu Prefecture (潞州, roughly modern Changzhi , Shanxi ). In 710, he

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3948-538: The first few years of the Kaiyuan era, as minor hostilities occurred at the borders as well as contests over vassals' loyalty for the two states, but they were also at times friendly to each other, with Qapaghan requesting at times to marry a Tang princess and Emperor Xuanzong agreeing to the proposal. In 716, however, Qapaghan was killed in battle against the Bayegu ( 拔野古 ), and from that point on, lacking his efficient leadership,

4042-400: The first reign of his father Emperor Ruizong (Li Dan) – but at that time, Emperor Ruizong's mother Empress Dowager Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), not Emperor Ruizong, was in actual control of power as empress dowager and regent . Li Longji was the third son of Emperor Ruizong, and his mother was Emperor Ruizong's concubine Consort Dou, who was highly ranked in the bureaucracy. In 687, as

4136-513: The generals Chang Yuankai ( 常元楷 ), Li Ci ( 李慈 ), and Li Qin ( 李欽 ); and the monk Huifan, were plotting to overthrow Emperor Xuanzong. It was further said that they discussed, with the lady-in-waiting Lady Yuan, to poison the gastrodia elata that Emperor Xuanzong routinely took as an aphrodisiac. When this alleged plot was reported to Emperor Xuanzong by Wei Zhigu , Emperor Xuanzong, who had already received advice from Wang Ju ( 王琚 ), Zhang Shuo , and Cui Riyong to act first, did so. He convened

4230-402: The government's talent pool, and so issued an edict ordering that the people who had unusual talents to come to Chang'an to be examined by himself. Li Linfu, fearing that these examinees might accuse him of improprieties when they get to meet the emperor, suggested that these examinees go through two levels of preliminary examinations – by the local governments, and then by the executive bureau. As

4324-488: The guards harshly, had alienated the guards, and the guard officers Ge Fushun ( 葛福順 ), Chen Xuanli ( 陳玄禮 ), and Li Xianfu ( 李仙鳧 ) thereafter also joined the plot. Without first informing Li Dan, the conspirators enacted their plan on July 21, 710, first killing Wei Bo, Gao, and Empress Wei's cousin Wei Gui ( 韋璿 ). They then began their attack on the palace, causing Empress Dowager Wei to flee to an imperial guard camp, where

4418-445: The imperial government almost to the end of Emperor Xuanzong's reign. Li Linfu did all he could to stay in power, and carried out many dirty tricks against actual or potential threats to his power. He also severely discouraged criticism, ending the relative freedom that officials had to make proposals to Emperor Xuanzong. This was often viewed by traditional historians as the turning point of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, which up to that point

4512-430: The important decisions and Su assisting. Yao would not return to the chancellorship, but would remain influential as a key advisor for Emperor Xuanzong until Yao's death in 721. Contrary to the practical and flexible Yao, Song was more interested in emphasizing integrity and rule of law in governance, and it was said that while Yao's and Song's emphases were different, they were both regarded as instrumental in establishing

4606-478: The lessons of our Master have penetrated deeply into my mind. My progress also has been helped by the example of you my fellow disciples. I now know what I should follow and what I should avoid, and all the pomp of power is no more to me than the dust of the ground. It is on this account that I have that look of fullness and satisfaction." Min Sun was one of Confucius's favourite students. He was distinguished for his moral purity and his love for his parents. His place in

4700-427: The marriage between Li Shouli's daughter Princess Jincheng and Me Agtsom , emperor of the Tibetan Empire, in seeking peace, the two sides could not reach an agreement and remained in border conflict yearly. In response, Emperor Xuanzong established the office of jiedushi (military governor) of Longyou Circuit ( 隴右 , headquartered in what is now Haidong , Qinghai ), with a centralized command of 12 prefectures under

4794-555: The midst of my reeds and sedges into the school of the Master. He trained my mind to filial piety , and set before me the examples of the ancient kings. I felt a pleasure in his instructions; but when I went abroad, and saw the people in authority, with their umbrellas and banners, and all the pomp and circumstance of their trains, I also felt pleasure in that show. These two things assaulted each other in my breast. I could not determine which to prefer, and so I wore that look of distress. But now

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4888-424: The military officer Li Shoude ( 李守德 ) – and decided to act first. On 29 July, Emperor Xuanzong had Wang Maozhong take 300 soldiers to the imperial guard camp to behead Chang and Li Ci. Then, Jia, Li You, Xiao, and Cen were arrested and executed as well. Dou fled into a canyon and committed suicide by hanging. Xue Ji was forced to commit suicide. When Emperor Ruizong heard about this, he quickly ascended

4982-417: The mountains, only appearing three days later. Emperor Ruizong asked Emperor Xuanzong for her pardon, but he refused. Emperor Xuanzong ordered her to commit suicide at home, and put to death her sons and associates, except for Xue Chongjian. Princess Taiping's assets were confiscated, and it was said that there was so much treasure, livestock, and real estate that it took several years: more than thirty years for

5076-457: The orders as Song and Yao suggested, except that he believed that Luoyang was too far and therefore sent Princess Taiping and Wu Youji only to Pu Prefecture (蒲州, roughly modern Yuncheng , Shanxi ). After Princess Taiping found out that the plan was conceived by Song and Yao, however, she was incensed and let Li Longji know her anger, and she mobilized her group to attack Song and Yao and oppose Emperor Ruizong's decision. In fear, Li Longji submitted

5170-429: The palace after Wu Zetian's lady-in-waiting Wei Tuan'er ( 韋團兒 ) falsely accused them of using witchcraft against Wu Zetian – and not even their bodies were recovered. Subsequently, all of Li Dan's sons were reduced in title, and Li Longji's title was reduced to Prince of Linzi. He and his brothers, along with their cousins Li Guangshun ( 李光順 ) the Prince of Yifeng, Li Shouli the Prince of Yong, and Li Shouyi ( 李守義 )

5264-522: The palace and was treated inside the palace like an empress would be. Still, in 726, when Emperor Xuanzong considered creating her empress, he encountered oppositions from officials on two grounds – that her Wu clan was hated by the people and that as she had her own sons, the position of Li Siqian the Crown Prince (whose name had been changed to Li Hong by this point) would be threatened. As a result, Emperor Xuanzong never created her empress. But Consort Wu's

5358-474: The palace as "the Lady" and treated like an empress (as was consort Wu until her death). He abducted more than 40000 women in his palace. Some were not set free even after they were over 60 years old. Meanwhile, Li Linfu was beginning to conflict with Li Shizhi and Wei Jian, who were allies. Li Linfu, who engaged a group of secret police officials to investigate and manufacture evidence against political enemies,

5452-555: The region. Around the same time, Emperor Xuanzong began to build a residential complex in the palace for imperial clan members, known as the Mansion of the Ten Princes ( 十王院 ), to centralize their residence. Thereafter, imperial princes, including the crown prince, would rarely live outside the palace complex. On 6 December 728, Emperor Xuanzong added the general Xiao Song as a chancellor. Subsequently, in 729, with Yuan, even though he

5546-423: The rule of Kaiyuan and that subsequent chancellors could not compare to them. Meanwhile, Song and Su had carried out a stern campaign against the use of coins that were not officially forged by the government, which brought popular resentment that Emperor Xuanzong found problematic. In 720, he removed Song and Su from chancellor offices and replaced them with Yuan and Zhang Jiazhen , and in 721 added Zhang Yue as

5640-616: The running of his empire, and much of his power fell into the hands of the corrupt Li Linfu (who was succeeded by Lady Yang's dissolute cousin Yang Guozhong ) and the eunuch Gao Lishi . At the same time, 751 saw the loss of the Battle of Talas against the Abbasid Caliphate. As a consequence, the Tang dynasty temporarily lost some of its influence in Central Asia to the emerging Abbasid Caliphate, as several Tang tributaries turned to

5734-438: The system of having a large group of chancellors simultaneous, as had been the case throughout Tang, Emperor Xuanzong reduced the numbers to two (or sometimes three) for the rest of his reign. Yao was considered a highly capable administrator, and with him ruling on most important matters and Lu assisting, the government was said to be highly efficient. In 714, Emperor Xuanzong carried out a series of political reprisals against

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5828-489: The throne to her, and she took the throne as empress regnant of a new Zhou dynasty , interrupting Tang. She imposed upon Ruizong and his family the surname Wu ( 武 ) to match hers. In 692, Li Longji and his brothers were allowed to have residences outside the palace and were given staffs at their mansions. In 693, both his mother Consort Dou and Li Dan's wife Crown Princess Liu (Li Dan's having been reduced to crown prince rank at that point) were killed by Wu Zetian inside

5922-436: The throne, whenever the chancellors and officials discussed political affairs with him, the first sentence he asked was: "Have you ever discussed with Princess Taiping? "If the answer is yes, he will continue to ask: "Have you ever discussed with Li Longji?" If both people have clear opinions, he will make a decision based on this, as a result, he relies heavily on Princess Taiping and Li Longji. Because of his achievements, having

6016-437: The throne, which is different from the first time he was a puppet. This time he truly mastered the power and quickly used it handily. Emperor Ruizong was immediately faced with the issue of whom to make crown prince—as Li Chengqi, as the oldest son overall and the oldest son of his wife, was the appropriate heir under Confucian principles of succession, but Li Longji had been the one whose accomplishments had allowed him to retake

6110-423: The throne. He hesitated. Li Chengqi declined consideration to be crown prince—stating to his father: If the state were secure, then consideration should be first given to the oldest son of the wife. If the state were in danger, then consideration should be first given for achievement. If you did not follow this principle, the people of the entire empire will be disappointed. I would rather die than to be placed above

6204-455: The throne. However, under Emperor Xuanzong, the empire reached its turning point and went into sharp decline and near collapse, due to numerous political missteps throughout his long reign, such as over-trusting Li Linfu , Yang Guozhong and An Lushan , with Tang's golden age ending in the An Lushan rebellion . Li Longji was born at the Tang dynasty eastern capital Luoyang in 685, during

6298-979: The time being, Emperor Zhongzong's son by a concubine, Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen, was named emperor (as Emperor Shang), but Empress Wei retained actual power as empress dowager and regent. Originally, Empress Dowager Wei's clan members, along with Zong, Li Guo'er's husband Wu Yanxiu, and other officials Zhao Lüwen ( 趙履溫 ) and Ye Jingneng ( 葉靜能 ) were advising her to take the throne, like Wu Zetian did, and they also advised her to eliminate Li Dan and Princess Taiping . The official Cui Riyong leaked their plan to Li Longji. Li Longji responded by conspiring with Princess Taiping, Princess Taiping's son Xue Chongjian ( 薛崇簡 ), as well as several low-level officials close to him— Zhong Shaojing , Wang Chongye ( 王崇曄 ), Liu Youqiu , and Ma Sizong ( 麻嗣宗 )—to act first. Meanwhile, Empress Wei's nephews Wei Bo ( 韋播 ) and Gao Song ( 高嵩 ), who had recently been put in command of imperial guards and who had tried to establish their authority by dealing with

6392-423: The time, was near a collapse, as the soldiers were forced into long tours of duty but their families were not exempt from taxes, thus causing great numbers of desertions, Zhang suggested a switch to a recruitment-based system where soldiers were paid salaries. This allowed, for a time, Tang's soldier supply to be replenished. (Some later historians condemned Zhang for the abolition of the conscription system, believing

6486-405: The tower at Chengtian Gate ( 承天門 ) to ascertain what was happening. Guo reported to him Emperor Xuanzong's intentions, and Emperor Ruizong felt compelled to affirm Emperor Xuanzong's actions in an edict. The next day, on July 30, Emperor Ruizong issued an edict transferring all authorities to Emperor Xuanzong. Meanwhile, Princess Taiping, hearing what happened to her associates, fled into a temple in

6580-409: The trust of Emperor Ruizong's, the vast privileges, attention, independence and wealth that Emperor Ruizong bestowed on her, and having countless allies, Princess Taiping has decision-making power on many serious events in the court and the country matters and was so powerful that she even surpassed Emperor Ruizong. She could often decide the promotion or demotion, deportation or summons of officials with

6674-451: The use of magic would allow her to have a son. Empress Wang was deposed and reduced to commoner rank, while Wang Shouyi was exiled and subsequently ordered to commit suicide in exile. Empress Wang died later in the year, and it was said that the eunuchs and the ladies in waiting mourned her bitterly and Emperor Xuanzong much regretted his treatment of her. Still, after Empress Wang's removal and death, Consort Wu became undisputed mistress of

6768-432: Was a chief favorite of the emperor and undisputed mistress of the palace until her death and had political power. In winter 725, Emperor Xuanzong, at Zhang Yue's urging, carried out a magnificent ceremony at Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. On 11 May 726, Zhang Yue was accused of corruption by several officials that he had blocked the advances of – Cui Yinfu ( 崔隱甫 ), Yuwen Rong , and Li Linfu – and

6862-438: Was a lover of Princess Taiping, and when she offered to recommend him as chancellor, because he admired Lu, he requested to be made chancellor along with Lu, even though Lu was not an associate of Princess Taiping. It was said that Emperor Ruizong, however, was initially unwilling to make Cui chancellor, but relented after Princess Taiping begged in tears, although the account may be somewhat discountable in that neither Liu nor Wei

6956-648: Was able to get Wei and Li Shizhi demoted and exiled in 746. (Li Shizhi was replaced by Chen Xilie , who gained favor from Emperor Xuanzong for his knowledge in Taoism and sorcery.) In 747, Li Linfu further carried out a campaign of terror against exiled officials, and among the officials executed were Wei, Li Yong ( 李邕 ) and Pei Dunfu ( 裴敦復 ). Li Shizhi and Wang Ju, who had been instrumental in Emperor Xuanzong's initial actions against Princess Taiping, committed suicide. Meanwhile, in 747, Emperor Xuanzong wanted to expand

7050-402: Was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. Through two palace coups, he seized the throne and inherited an empire still in its golden age. He was initially assisted by capable chancellors like Yao Chong , Song Jing and Zhang Yue who were already serving as government officials before Xuanzong ascended

7144-454: Was an associate of Princess Taiping either, and both were close associates of Li Longji.) In 712, Princess Taiping had astrologers warn Emperor Ruizong that the constellation that symbolized the imperial throne, Dizuo ( 帝座 ), showed that there would be a change in the emperor's position—believing that Emperor Ruizong would suspect Li Longji of plotting a coup and that she could remove Li Longji this way. Instead, Emperor Ruizong, reasoning that

7238-491: Was an improper crown prince . She even spread rumors throughout the empire and tried to cause discontent among the common people, saying: Li Longji is not the eldest son of the emperor, so he should not become the crown prince. She further often paid Li Longji's staff members to spy on him to try to find faults with him. She associated with a group of officials, including the chancellors Dou Huaizhen , Xiao Zhizhong , and Cen Xi , intending to find some way to remove Li Longji, but

7332-625: Was back in Chang'an, he spent time to cultivate relationships with imperial guard commanders, as he believed that Emperor Zhongzong's powerful wife Empress Wei , who was in charge of government affairs, would bring harm to the Tang dynasty. In summer 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning by Empress Wei and her daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle so that Empress Wei could become "emperor" like Wu Zetian and Li Guo'er could become crown princess. For

7426-619: Was considered a golden age in Chinese history, toward a path of degeneration. The Song dynasty historian Sima Guang , in his Zizhi Tongjian , for example, commented: Of the chancellors that the Emperor commissioned after he took the throne, Yao Chong emphasized flexibility, Song Jing emphasized the rule of law, Zhang Jiazhen emphasized administrative abilities, Zhang Shuo emphasized literary talent, Li Yuanhong and Du Xian emphasized frugality, and Han Xiu and Zhang Jiuling emphasized honesty. All of them had their different talents. After Zhang Jiuling

7520-452: Was demoted, however, the officials were all concerned about keeping their positions, and honest words no longer had a place in government. In 737, with Zhang no longer in the government to protect him, Li Ying was deposed and subsequently forced to commit suicide. However, with Consort Wu dying later in the year, Emperor Xuanzong did not immediately accept Li Linfu's proposal to have Li Mao made crown prince. Rather, he chose an older son, Li Yu

7614-433: Was found to have committed corruption. At the intercession of Gao Lishi , however, Zhang Yue was removed only from his chancellor post on 18 May and permitted to maintain his title and a number of other posts. He was replaced by Li Yuanhong on 15 May, and subsequently, Du Xian was also added as a chancellor. In 727, at the suggestion of the general Wang Junchuo (王君㚟), Emperor Xuanzong commissioned Wang Junchuo to attack

7708-414: Was friendly with Empress Wang's brother Wang Shouyi ( 王守一 ), advocated that Jiang Jiao be punished and exiled, and Jiang died in exile. Meanwhile, at Zhang Yue's suggestion, the Tang northern border defense forces, which had about 600,000 men at that time, was reduced by 200,000 men to allow the soldiers to return home. Further, seeing that the Tang conscription system, due to abuses against the soldiers at

7802-559: Was gaining power due to his association with Consort Wu. Further, Zhang supported Li Hong (whose name had been changed to Li Ying by this point), while Li Linfu and Consort Wu supported her son Li Mao ( 李瑁 ) the Prince of Shou and tried to have Li Mao made crown prince. In 736, due to Li Linfu's machinations that made Emperor Xuanzong believed that Zhang and Pei Yaoqing were improperly engaging in factionalism, Zhang and Pei Yaoqing were removed and replaced by Niu Xianke , who closely followed Li Linfu's will, and thereafter, Li Linfu would dominate

7896-421: Was infatuated with her, and he had her become a Taoist nun and gave Li Mao the wife of the general Wei Zhaoxun ( 韋昭訓 ) as his new wife and princess. Meanwhile, he secretly took the nun, Yang, into the palace. She became his senior-ranking concubine ( guifei ) , known as Yang Guifei, and soon became so powerful that officials were bribing her family members to get preferential treatment. She was referred to inside

7990-462: Was not born of Emperor Ruizong's wife Empress Liu (Li Chengqi was both—and therefore pursuant to Confucian principles of succession should have been crown prince) as she believed that Li Longji was young (25 at the time he was made crown prince) and would be easy to control. However, once she began to see that Li Longji was strong-willed and criticized her influences, she became apprehensive and often had officials close to her publicly opine that Li Longji

8084-425: Was one of the 24 Confucian paragons of filial piety . According to legend, his mother died when he was young; and, after his father remarried, he was raised by his stepmother. Under her care, he was abused and mistreated. His stepmother, during winter, would line her own sons' clothes with warm cotton, while she would line his clothes with weeds. One day, while taking his father out in a carriage, he almost succumbed to

8178-532: Was plotting treason. With Zhang Yue thus effectively being the senior chancellor, Zhang Yue promoted literary studies, which Emperor Xuanzong also favored. In 724, he also commissioned the chief imperial astronomer Nangong Shuo ( 南宮說 ) to carry out a major astronomical survey to observe the sun and the North Star at various points of the empire. Also in 724, it was discovered that Wang Shouyi had engaged sorcerers to make amulets for Empress Wang to wear, hoping that

8272-428: Was recalled to the capital Chang'an to attend to Emperor Zhongzong when Emperor Zhongzong was sacrificing to heaven and earth. Meanwhile, sorcerers engaged by Emperor Zhongzong believed that there was an aura of an emperor at the area of Chang'an where the mansions Li Longji and his uncles were, and Emperor Zhongzong tried to fulfill the vision by visiting Li Longji's mansion and attending a feast there. While Li Longji

8366-460: Was replaced by Li Shizhi . In 744, Eastern Tujue, after a series of internal turmoil and rebellions from its vassals, finally collapsed. Its vassal Huige rose and became the dominant power of the region, but formally submitted to Tang as a vassal. Meanwhile, after Consort Wu's death, Emperor Xuanzong had been depressed. When he saw his son Prince of Shou Li Mao's wife (his daughter-in-law) Yang Yuhuan (Princess of Shou, by virtue of marriage), he

8460-503: Was said that Emperor Xuanzong had paid less attention to increasing revenues after Yuwen Rong's fall, but by 742 he was again interested in doing so, and such officials as Wei Jian (韋堅, a brother-in-law of Li Yu, whose name was changed by this point to Li Heng), Wang Hong ( 王鉷 ), and Yang Shenjin ( 楊慎矜 ) became favored, and often, matters having to do with finances were stripped out of other officials' responsibilities and given to them as special commissions. Late in 742, Niu Xianke died and

8554-451: Was said that due to Pei's strict adherence to seniority, the Tang civil service system began to lose its ability to find talented people to serve in offices. In 730, the Khitan general Ketugan ( 可突干 ) killed the king Li Shaogu ( 李邵固 ) and took over the reign of the Khitan and the Xi personally, forcing the king of the Xi, Li Lusu ( 李魯蘇 ) to flee to Tang for protection. Tang sent an army to attack

8648-468: Was senior chancellor, unable to curb the disputes between Li Yuanhong and Du, Emperor Xuanzong removed all three from chancellor positions, promoting Yuwen and Pei Guangting to be chancellors in their stead – in Yuwen's case, for his abilities to find ways to add to the imperial treasury by imposing special taxes and levies. Later in the year, though, Yuwen made false accusations against the general Li Hui ( 李褘 )

8742-471: Was to prevent Han officials from going through the border command route to become chancellors, thus threatening him. Such generals who rose in ranks included An Lushan , An Sishun , Geshu Han , and Gao Xianzhi . By 742, the main Tang forces were all concentrated on the border, at nine different military circuits and one special military district (Lingnan), as well as three special coast defense districts ( Changle , Donglai , and Dongmou): Meanwhile, it

8836-451: Was unable to get two other chancellors— Wei Anshi and Song Jing —to join her group. When Princess Taiping tried to depose Li Longji in two actions, one with Emperor Ruizong himself and another time by summoning the chancellors at Xuanwu Gate and publicly accusing Li Longji of treason or incompetence, but it did not achieve the desired result. In 711, Song and another chancellor, Yao Yuanzhi , tried to persuade Emperor Ruizong to carry out

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