Phi-Fic Chapter 86 Who was Emperor Zhongzong of Tang?
Chapter 86 Who was Emperor Zhongzong of Tang?
In the stillness of the night, Xiao Si turned over in bed and looked at her older brother Zi An, who was guarding her on the opposite kang (heated brick bed). In her childish voice, she asked, "Brother Zi An, do you know Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian?"
Zi'an casually smoothed her hair and chimed in, "Of course you have to know! The Tang Dynasty emperor named 'Zhong' was Li Xian, the fourth emperor of the Tang Dynasty, whose real name was Li Zhe! He was the seventh son of Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi and the third son of Empress Wu Zetian. Oh my, this kid was born in Chang'an—on November 26, 656. The weather in the Tang Dynasty was quite nice back then, perfect for a birth!"
Xiao Si did some quick calculations and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "November of 656, the weather in the Tang Dynasty was quite nice back then, quite suitable for a birth!"
Zi'an continued smugly, "He can even predict the weather?! Wow, amazing. At first, he was the King of Zhou, and later he was promoted to the King of Ying. His brother Li Xian was unlucky enough to be deposed, so he became the Crown Prince. When he ascended the throne in 683, he was incredibly powerful! However, all the power was in the hands of his mother, Wu Zetian. It was truly the kind of situation where 'Emperor, Emperor, I am the greatest, but my mother is even greater than me.'"
"And then?" Xiao Si climbed out of bed and leaned closer, wanting to hear some different gossip.
Zi'an gestured and began to recount: "Then he only served as the Prince for a few days before his mother kicked him off the throne, making him the Prince of Luling. He was then exiled to Junzhou and Fangzhou, supposedly for a 'vacation,' but in reality, he was just like our Mu Tou, going to farm!"
Si Zi got angry: "Don't call Brother Mu a blockhead! Farming is fine, it's better than being a puppet mama's boy."
"Later in 698, his mother saw that he was quite honest, so she summoned him back to Luoyang and reinstated him as the crown prince. In 705, he finally ascended the throne again and became the formal emperor. He quickly began to drastically restore the traditions of the Tang Dynasty—tax reduction, inspection tours, setting up the Xiwen Academy, and so on. He was also very good at maintaining good relations with Tibet and implementing a marriage alliance policy."
Little Si's eyes widened: "Wow! Isn't that amazing?"
Zi An shook her head and sighed: "It's a pity that Li Xian became completely out of his mind as soon as he became emperor. However, he spoiled Lady Wei and his daughter Princess Anle too much, and he also favored Wu Sansi. As a result, the court was in complete chaos, and he himself was still just a figurehead. He was a complete mama's boy!"
Xiao Si chuckled: "Emperor Zhongzong had a rather tragic fate. What happened afterward?"
Zi An lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Later, I might not be right, but this guy was poisoned to death by his wife, Lady Wei, and his daughter, Princess Anle! He ascended the throne twice and reigned for a total of five and a half years. In 710, he just passed away at a young age, only 55 years old."
Xiao Si shook his head in annoyance and sighed, "Oh dear, I was hoping to enjoy a few more of the Emperor's poems."
Upon hearing this, Zi'an, a poetry enthusiast, raised an eyebrow: "That's right! His poems are included in the Complete Tang Poems! Seven of them, like 'On the Ninth Day of the Ninth Lunar Month, I Visited Linwei Pavilion and Ascended to a Height, Obtaining the Character 'Autumn',' 'On the Day of the Beginning of Spring, I Visited the Garden to Welcome Spring,' and 'Climbing to the Summit of Mount Li to Enjoy the View.' It's a pity that his imperial dream ended before it even officially began! Hey, hey, hey?! Little Si?! You're so amazing, why are you asking me?! Go to sleep now!!"
Si Zi squinted and grinned, saying, "Okay, goodnight, Brother Zi An. Tomorrow I'll ask my sister-in-law to let me enjoy afternoon tea with you!"
Zi'an feigned surprise and said, "Oh my, you know how to enjoy yourself! The sister-in-law you're talking about, you wouldn't happen to be Wu Zetian, would you?"
Si Zi chuckled and shook her head: "Haha, Brother Zi An, that's not your sister-in-law's name! Wu Zetian's title was added to her by Emperor Zhongzong of Tang later. She was called 'Emperor Zetian the Great Sage'."
Zi'an smiled and said, "Hehe, no wonder you were interested in Emperor Zhongzong tonight. It turns out it was your 'sister-in-law' who caused this trouble! Alright, that's all I have to say. Go and rest now."
While yawning, Si Zi rushed to get up and blow out the candle.
The candlelight flickered slightly, and the last ray of light disappeared into the darkness.
Sizi groped her way back to the kang in the dim darkness, pulled the corner of the quilt up, shrank into the quilt, and started snoring!