His father was Emperor Taizong Wen of the Tang Dynasty, and his mother was the eldest son of Empress Wende of Yi Zhenguan. The prince has the same mother and brother, and Gaozong has the same mother and brother.
He was honored and favored throughout his life, enjoyed all kinds of fatherly love, and received all kinds of excessive favors, which repeatedly attracted the attention of the courtiers, and even the historians had to sigh with emotion.
His records can be found endlessly in various volumes of Tang history. Although he was demoted for seizing the direct descendant, he regained the title within four years, which is a unique example in the history of Tang Dynasty.
He is Li Tai, King of Pu.
"Old Book of Tang": "The king of Wei is the most favored king among all the kings."
"The Admonishment Record of Duke Zheng of Wei": "The king of Wei was born to Queen Wende and was favored by Emperor Taizong. "
"Zhenguan Zhengyao": "The King of Yue, the son of Empress Changsun, the prince's younger brother, is extremely intelligent, and is especially favored by Taizong."
"Tanghui Yao": "Tai Zong. He is loved by Emperor Taizong and has the same courtesy and status as his direct descendants. "
"New Book of Tang Dynasty": "The king is your majesty's beloved son"
"Zi Zhi Tong Jian": "The king of Wei is very favored. Above."
When you open every volume of historical materials related to the Tang Dynasty, you can see the figure of Tang Taizong's beloved son everywhere. And is the statement "Your Majesty's beloved son" just a general statement casually mentioned by the historian, or is it a sincere emotion from the heart?
In fact, through the history books with clear black and white letters, the answer is already there. Even through the yellowed scrolls from thousands of years ago, we can still deeply feel the love a father has for his son - even if that father is the lofty Emperor Tian Khan of the Tang Dynasty.
In the third year of Wude, Li Tai, the second son of King Qin Li Shimin and Princess Changsun, was born.
Li Tai’s courtesy name is Huibao and his small character is Qingque.
In the same year, Li Tai, who was just born, was canonized as King of Yidu by his grandfather, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan.
The following year, Li Taijin was granted the title of King of Wei and was awarded the title of Shangzhu Kingdom. As the legitimate second son of the King of Qin, Li Tai's future title was originally the highest rank of a county king, but Li Yuan made him a first-rank king of Wei (rather than a descendant of the first rank) to succeed Li Yuanba. It is a great favor for Li Shimin and his son.
In the second year of Zhenguan, nine-year-old Li Tai was granted the title of King of Yue, and was granted the titles of Governor of Yangzhou and Governor of Yuezhou, with the title of Governor of Chang, Hai, Run, Chu, Shu, Lu, Hao, Shou, and She. He served as the military governor of Yangzhou in sixteen states including Su, Hang, Xuan, Dongmu, and Nanhe, and also supervised six states in Yue, Wu, Quan, Jian, Taiwan, and Kuo. Not only did he not serve as an official, but he also had as many as 22 states as fiefs! As for Li Ke, the king of Shu who was granted the title at the same time, he only had 8 states.
In the fifth year of Zhenguan, while Li Tai was serving as the governor of Yangzhou, he also held the post of general Zuo Wuhou, but he was not an official.
In the sixth year of Zhenguan, Li Tai was granted the title of Grand Governor of Yanzhou and the five Governors of Xia, Sheng, Beifu, Beining and Beikai. The remaining officials remained the same and were still not in office.
In the eighth year of Zhenguan, Li Tai not only failed to go to the fiefdom as usual, but also led the governor of Yanzhou and the fifth governor of Xia Sheng, Fu Beining, Beikai, and General Zuo Wuhou. He was also awarded the post of Yongzhou Shepherd. And where is Yongzhou, and what kind of official position is Yongzhou Mu?
According to the records in "Old Book of Tang Geography", Yongzhou refers to Jingzhao Prefecture, which is the place under the jurisdiction of the capital of the Tang Dynasty, so Yongzhou Mu is the chief in charge of Chang'an, Xijing. Such a prestigious official position was given to his beloved son by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty in an understatement.
In the tenth year of Zhenguan, Li Tai moved to the throne and was granted the title of King of Wei. He was the governor of Xiangzhou from afar and supervised the military affairs of Xiangzhou, Wei, Li, Wei, Ming, Xing and Bei. The remaining officials remained as before. However, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was not only reluctant to let his beloved son leave him and go to the fiefdom, he even issued an edict to let his beloved son move into Wude Hall. Where is Wudeden Hall? It was a palace very close to the East Palace. Wei Zheng once said that "Today's Wude Palace is close to Chu Houyan" and "to the west of the East Palace". The importance of its geographical location can be seen. What's more, considering that Li Yuanji lived in Wude Hall and exchanged opinions with Li Jiancheng, and considering that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was in charge of politics in Wude Hall when he first came to the throne, it's no wonder that Wei Zheng tried his best to remonstrate with him.
However, the various extraordinary actions that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty made because of his love for his son did not stop because of the strong advice of the ministers.
According to historical records, Li Tai had a "big waist and abdomen." However, when Emperor Taizong saw his son's chubby appearance, he was not worried that being too fat would affect his figure, but that he thought his son would look taller. It must be very hard to pay homage to the emperor, so he was specially allowed to ride in a small sedan chair to the palace because of his distress.
Because Li Tai loved literature, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered the establishment of a literature museum in the Palace of the Prince of Wei, and allowed him to recruit bachelors. Later, Xiao Deyan and Gu Yin, who later worked with Li Tai to compile "Kuo Di Zhi" , Jiang Yaqing, Xie Yan and others were recruited at this time.
As for the "residence area of ??thirty hectares and the return of seventeen miles", the famous Furong Garden was also given to his beloved son by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Not only that, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also gave Li Tai the mansion occupying one square of Huixunfang in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and Li Tai built the embankment between the pond and the Luo River here. These are the two sceneries of Weiwangchi and Weiwangdi that will be called the "prosperity of the capital" in the future.
Li Tai acquired Wei Wang Pond and Wei Wang Dike because of his father's favor, and such beautiful scenery became world-famous because of Wei Wang Li Tai. Countless literati and poets throughout the ages have left immortal poems here. Han Yu once wrote in his poem "Spring in the Eastern Capital": "There are boats swimming in the Wei Wang Pond alone. The water and the sky are both green and pure here." Bai Juyi's "Wei Wang Di" "Wei Di is pregnant" "In several poems such as "The King of Wei", it is the scenery of King Wei's Embankment that is chanted; in Wei Zhuang's poems such as "Bodhisattva Barbarian" and "View at Night on the Middle Crossing", Wei Wangchi and Wei Wangdi can be seen everywhere; when Liu Yuxi was boating here, he also He once said: "The scenery of Sichuan is clear and far away, and the sound of black clouds is about to rest at dusk. The only remaining outing companion is waiting for the moon on the Wei Wangdi."
In the twelfth year of Zhenguan, Yu Shinan died of illness. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was very sad, so He wrote to his beloved son Li Tai: "Yu Shinan and I are like one body. If I make a small mistake, he will definitely rebuke me. Now that he is gone, how can I express my regret in words!"
In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Wang Gui passed away. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty mourned for this for a long time, and issued an edict to Li Tai to lead hundreds of officials to mourn in person. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once ordered Wang Gui, the Minister of Rites, to be Li Tai's teacher. Li Tai never regarded himself as a prince when he saw Wang Gui. Seeing that his son respected his teacher so much, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was overjoyed and said, "My son will never make mistakes again."
In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty personally visited Li Tai's residence in Yankangfang. Therefore, he specially pardoned the criminals in Yongzhou and Chang'an who were guilty of less than capital crimes, exempted the people of Yankangfang from one year's rent, and also rewarded the officials of the Wei Palace and the old people who lived in the same fang with many things. Speaking of this green bird's mansion, Cen Wenwen was admonished by Cen Wenwen for the renovation of the mansion long before he officially moved in. Tang Taizong still praised and rewarded Cen Wenwen for his superior work, but he did not see any displeasure or restraint on Li Tai's behavior.
Even once, someone told Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty that the ministers of the third rank and above did not respect Li Tai enough. As a result, when Emperor Taizong heard that his beloved son had been wronged, he was furious without saying a word and immediately The ministers were called into the palace and questioned sternly. Fang Xuanling and others were so frightened that they did not dare to speak. Only Wei Zheng held his neck and argued hard. In the end, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty admitted that he had forgotten his official duties because of his personal love for Li Tai. However, afterwards, his love for the green bird was still the same, and the ministers were helpless.
In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, the "Kuo Di Zhi" edited by Li Tai was completed. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was very happy. As if he had found a treasure, he not only collected this work in the royal library, but also published it one after another. He rewarded Li Tai lavishly - first "ten thousand pieces of property", and then a large amount of property every month. The amount even exceeded the specifications of the prince, which prompted Chu Suiliang to write a book to persuade him. As a result, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty happily agreed with his point of view, but instead of reducing Li Tai's expenditure, he canceled the prince's expenditure limit, which was equivalent to maintaining Li Tai's excessive expenditure in disguise.
On November Xinmao of this year, Li Tai vowed to complete the three niches in Longmen Mountain built for his mother, the eldest grandson, Empress. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty went there in person to review them in Yique. The "Three Niches" on the stele of the Yique Buddhist niche was written by Chu Suiliang, one of the "Four Schools of the Early Tang Dynasty" written by Cen Wenwen. The calligraphy and painting are majestic and famous throughout the ages. It not only shows Li Tai's admiration for his mother's eldest grandson, the Queen, but also the importance that Emperor Taizong and his son of the Tang Dynasty attached to this Buddhist niche.
Not only did Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty dote on this green bird, he often took him around with him. Even if he couldn't see him for just one day, he would send one of his own named birds to him. The white falcon for the "general" went to deliver a message, and the swan geese made several trips back and forth in one day. Even Li Tai's eldest son Li Xin was "especially loved by Taizong" because of his father. He was particularly favored by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and was taken into the palace to raise him when he was four years old.
Perhaps as the saying goes, like father, like son. Li Xin was very well-behaved and smart at a young age. When Empress Changsun asked him if he was still used to it as he had just lived here, he immediately held up his little hands. Said: "My grandson is lucky enough to live in the palace, I am already very happy." Queen Changsun was surprised and happy when she heard this. She not only named him "Xin" personally, but also raised the grandson as her own son. As a result, Li Xin often played with her uncle Li Zhi, who was about the same age. The relationship between the uncle and nephew was extraordinary, so Li Xin, as the heir to King Pu, did not leave the capital for his own fiefdom until he was still young.
Tang Taizong's love for Li Tai that went beyond etiquette, even the historians had to sigh: "His love is so extraordinary." It is precisely because of this endless doting that Li Tai had the illusion that he could ascend to the position of prince as long as he pulled his brother Cheng Qian off the horse, so Li Tai finally chose to embark on a path that was destined to be irreversible. road.
In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, Prince Li Chengqian was deposed. Li Tai took the opportunity to act coquettishly to his father, claiming that he would kill his son in a hundred years and pass the throne to his younger brother Li Zhi. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty saw the plump green bird falling into his arms, his heart softened immediately. When he heard such a guarantee, he immediately promised to make him the prince. However, such lies were exposed mercilessly by Chu Suiliang. Emperor Taizong calmed down and understood that it was impossible to kill his son to pass on his younger brother, so in order to ensure that his three beloved sons could survive at the same time, he decisively Li Zhi was made the prince.
However, Emperor Taizong was worried about how Prince Yi Li would deal with Li Tai, his beloved son. In the end, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had no choice but to say sadly in the edict deposing Li Tai: "Li Tai, King of Wei, is my extremely beloved son. I really love this son. This son was very smart and hobbies when he was young. Literature, my love for him is so unusual... However, I can't let future generations think that the throne can be obtained through planning, so I demoted King Li Tai of Wei to the title of King of Donglai County."
Li Tai. This hurt his father's heart, but Tang Taizong still couldn't bear to blame his beloved son, and he still missed this green bird endlessly.
Less than four years after Li Tai was demoted, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty reinstated him as King Pu. Not only that, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also took Li Tai's watch and said to the surrounding ministers: "Tai's beautiful words are not a talented man. You also know how much I miss him in my heart. But I can only reluctantly part with him. This is also preservation." The three brothers were able to achieve both goals. "
In the 23rd year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty died in Hanfeng Hall, and Li Zhi came to the throne that year. After Li Zhi came to the throne, he also treated his brother with special preferential treatment. But within a few years, Li Tai passed away in depression.
In the twelfth month of the third year of Yonghui, Li Tai, the king of Pu, passed away.
Tang Gaozong was very sad about the death of his brother, and specially mourned Li Tai with the most solemn funeral specifications-not only posthumously awarded him the title of Taiwei and Yongzhou Mu, with the posthumous title of Gong, but also resigned from the court for him. He also ordered "Ban Jian 8 people, Yu Bao advocated, 3,000 pieces of stolen goods, 3,000 stones of rice and millet, and the secret weapon of Dongyuan was given to the funeral official, and the service was generous." He also specially invited Zen Master Fazang to come and pay tribute to his brother. Pray for blessings in the afterlife.
Looking at Li Tai's life, it can be said that he has had both wind and rain. Although his status is slightly lower than that of his brother Li Chengqian, he is as favored as his younger brother Li Zhi. More importantly, Li Tai himself is said to be talented, and history records that he is "unparalleledly intelligent", because he is not only very proficient in literature, and his collection of books is as many as the royal library, he is also good at calligraphy, and he is very good at calligraphy and painting. He is also quite good at appreciation.
According to the records of Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty in "Records of Famous Paintings of the Past Dynasties", Li Tai had two seals for calligraphy and painting appreciation, which were divided into two seals: "turtle" and "yi", while King Zhou Mu's "Eight Horses" "Picture" is also passed down because of Li Tai.
The "Kuo Di Zhi" edited by Li Tai preserved many precious materials in the geography books of the Six Dynasties and had a profound influence on later generations. The new geography book genre he created also pioneered the style of general annals in the Tang and Song Dynasties. A first of its kind.
After Li Tai's death, he left behind twenty volumes of collected works, but unfortunately, these collected works have been lost to this day.
From the large amount of historical materials left by Li Tai in his life, we can see that even though he was the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Tian Khan, even though he had the most dazzling status in the world, as a father, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty Just like ordinary people, he would do all kinds of unruly things to love his son, he would take great pains to educate his son, he would grieve for the mistakes his son made, and he would even hang himself to save three beloved legitimate sons at the same time. Brain.
It is said that the Tian family has no family ties, but Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty could indeed say something to other princes: "The love between father and son, don't you want to see each other more often? But the family and state affairs are special, and we must go out to serve as a vassal." With such a grand title, these princes were then sent to the fiefdoms with "absolute covetousness", but because of personal love, Li Tai and Li Zhi, who were the most threatening to the prince's position, stayed with them to prevent them from becoming vassals; Tang Dynasty Taizong could also say to other princes, "I want to leave you treasures, but I am afraid that they will be arrogant and extravagant" - to prevent his sons from becoming arrogant and extravagant, he refused to give them more property, but when he rewarded Li Tai, he not only "given Tai Tai thousands of things" , the things given to him every month were even more than those of the prince; Tang Taizong could also say to other princes when they rebelled, "He was my son in the past, but now he is the prince of the country", and then gave him without hesitation. Death, but only when facing his most beloved Cheng Qian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi, he will be reluctant to give up, racking his brains to save their lives.
These actions of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty were like any ordinary father's love for his son in the world, but they often attracted Wei Zheng, Cen Wenwen and others to write one after another. Even Chu Suiliang had to sigh with emotion in the end. : "The reason why the heirloom took place today is precisely because of your uncontrolled favor, Your Majesty!"
And Li Tai also lost his way for a moment in this thousands of father's love, Choosing to embark on a road of no return, how can this not make people feel regretful and regretful!