Li Chengqi
| Li Chengqi | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Ning 寧王 | |
| Reign | 716–742 |
| Prince of Song 宋王 | |
| Reign | 710–716 |
| Prince of Shouchun 壽春郡王 | |
| Reign | 693–710 |
| Crown Prince of Tang (唐) | |
| Father | Emperor Ruizong of Tang |
| Mother | Empress Liu |
Li Chengqi | |
|---|---|
| Grand Commandant | |
| In office 733–741 | |
| Preceded by | Li Dan |
| Succeeded by | Li Chu |
| Minister over the Masses | |
| In office 713–713 | |
| Preceded by | Wu Youji |
| Succeeded by | Li Chengyi |
| Minister of Work | |
| In office 712–713 | |
| Preceded by | Wu Sansi |
| Succeeded by | Li Shouli |
Li Chengqi (
According to historical records, Li Chengqi was close to his younger brother, Li Longji (later Emperor Xuanzong), and was never ambitious. Despite his never having been emperor, he was posthumously honored as an emperor by Emperor Xuanzong.
Background
Li Chengqi was born in 679, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Gaozong. He was the oldest son of Li Dan, who was then the Prince of Yu, and Li Dan's wife Princess Liu. Sometime after his birth, he was created the Prince of Yongping.
During Emperor Zhongzong's and Emperor Ruizong's first reigns
Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by Li Chengqi's uncle
During Wu Zetian's reign
In 690, Empress Dowager Wu had Emperor Ruizong yield the throne to her, establishing a new Zhou Dynasty as Empress Regnant and interrupting Tang Dynasty. Emperor Ruizong was reduced to crown prince, while Li Chengqi was reduced to the title of "imperial grandson" (皇孫). For a while, Li Chengqi and his younger brothers were allowed to establish residences outside the palace, and Li Chengqi was given a staff. As Wu Zetian changed Li Dan's surname to Wu, Li Chengqi also carried the surname of Wu during Wu Zetian's reign.
Things appeared to change in 693, however, after Li Chengqi's mother Crown Princess Liu and Li Dan's
During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign and Emperor Shang's reign
Wu Zetian was overthrown in 705 in a coup led by the officials Zhang Jianzhi, Cui Xuanwei, Jing Hui, Huan Yanfan, and Yuan Shuji. The former Emperor Zhongzong, whom Wu Zetian had recalled from exile in 698 and to whom Li Dan had subsequently yielded the position of heir apparent, was restored to the throne. He gave Li Chengqi's father Li Dan great honors and created Li Chengqi the greater title of Prince of Cai, but Li Chengqi declined this greater title and thereafter continued to be Prince of Shouchun.
Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly in 710—a death that traditional historians believed to be a murder carried out by his powerful wife Empress Wei and daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle. Empress Wei made Emperor Zhongzong's son by a concubine, Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen, emperor (as Emperor Shang), but took power as empress dowager, and as part of a number of honors that she conferred on various persons to try to pacify them, Li Chengqi was created the greater title of Prince of Song. Less than a month later, however, a coup led by Li Chengqi's aunt Princess Taiping and younger brother Li Longji the Prince of Linzi killed Empress Dowager Wei and Princess Anle. Princess Taiping subsequently ordered Emperor Shang to yield the throne to Li Dan, who initially declined, but under persuasion by Li Chengqi and Li Longji, accepted.
During Emperor Ruizong's second reign
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
If the state were secure, then consideration should be first given to the oldest son of the Empress. If the state were in danger, then consideration should be first given for achievement and ability. 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 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
Princess Taiping, who had already been powerful both in governance matters and in court conspiracies during Emperor Zhongzong's reign, and especially she became close to absolute power after Emperor Ruizong's return to the throne, had initially acquiesced to Li Longji's ascension as crown prince, believing that given his youth (25 at that time) he would be easy to control. However, she soon found him to be strong-willed and difficult to control, and she secretly considered finding some way to replace him with Li Chengqi or Li Shouli (who also could potentially have a legitimate claim for succession given that he was the senior son of
During Emperor Xuanzong's reign
Meanwhile, Princess Taiping continued to highly influential in governmental matters through Emperor Ruizong, and most chancellors, commanders of the imperial guards, officials and generals were her associates. Therefore, the survival of her power was an obvious dangerous threat and an undeniable challenge to Emperor Xuanzong's authority. In 713, Emperor Xuanzong, believing that Princess Taiping was about to, along with officials and generals loyal to her, start a coup to overthrow him, acted first, killing officials and generals close to her and then forcing her to commit suicide. Thereafter, Emperor Ruizong transferred full imperial authorities to Emperor Xuanzong, who subsequently conferred on Li Chengqi the honorific titles Kaifu Yitong Sansi (開府儀同三司) and Taiwei (太尉) (also one of the Three Excellencies). It was said that thereafter, Emperor Xuanzong tried to show his love toward his brothers—Li Chengqi, Li Chengyi (李成義) the Prince of Shen, Li Fan (李範) the Prince of Qi, Li Ye (李業) the Prince of Xue—as well as his cousin Li Shouli, who was raised with them, established rooms for them inside the palace to allow them to stay overnight whenever they wished. Emperor Xuanzong and the five princes often spent time together in various activities—discussing
In 716, because Emperor Xuanzong's mother Consort Dou had been posthumously honored Empress Zhaocheng, Li Chengqi and Li Chengyi, in order to observe naming taboo, changed their names—Li Chengqi to Li Xian (note different character than his uncle) and Li Chengyi to Li Hui (李撝).
In 719, Li Xian's title was changed to Prince of Ning. Around that time, there was an incident in which Emperor Xuanzong, while on a skyway overseeing the palace, saw a guard who did not finish his meal but instead dumped some of the food in a hole. Angry that the guard was wasting food, he ordered that the guard be battered to death. None of Emperor Xuanzong's attendants dared to speak. However, Li Xian, who was present, calmly stated to Emperor Xuanzong:
Your Imperial Majesty had discovered this person's fault from a skyway. If you kill him, I am afraid that everyone will be fearful for himself. Moreover, the reason why Your Imperial Majesty despises wasting food is because food can be used to sustain life. Now, if you kill because of wasting food, the original point is lost.
Emperor Xuanzong agreed and stated, "If not for you, big brother, I would have killed excessively." He ordered the guard released. Later that day, at a feast, Emperor Xuanzong, in gladness, took off his belt, made of red jade, and awarded it to Li Xian, along with his own horse.
In 721, Li Xian became the minister of rites, a post that he served in until 726, when he again took on the honorific title Kaifu Yitong Sansi. In 733, he was again Taiwei. As the years went by, Emperor Xuanzong's brothers died one by one, with only Li Xian still remaining, and it was said that Emperor Xuanzong valued him even more. Whenever there were tributes submitted by the prefectures and the vassal states, he would always send some of the tributes to Li Xian.
Li Xian died near the new year 742. Emperor Xuanzong greatly mourned him, and, pointing out that Li Xian was initially the proper imperial heir, posthumously honored Li Xian as Emperor Rang and buried him with honors due an emperor. He also posthumously honored Li Xian's wife Princess Yuan as Empress Gong. It was then that Xuanzong changed the era name from Kaiyuan to Tianbao.
Family
- Father
- Mother
- Empress Suming, of the Liu clan of Pengcheng
- Issues and Descendents:
- Li Jin, Prince of Ruyang (汝陽王 李璡), first son.
- Li Sizhuang, Prince of Jiyang Commandery (濟陽郡王 李嗣莊), second son.
- Li Lin, Prince of Ning (寧王 李琳), third son.
- Li Xiang, Duke of Yingchuan Commandery (潁川郡公 李珦), fourth son.
- Li Ting, Duke of Jinchang Commandery (晉昌郡公 李珽), fifth son.
- Li Guǎn, Prince of Wei Commandery (魏郡公 李琯), sixth son.
- Li Jie, Prince of Cangwu Commandery (蒼梧郡公 李玠), seventh son.
- Li Guàn, Prince of Wen'an Commandery (文安郡公 李瓘), eighth son.
- Li Yu, Prince of Hanzhong Commandery (漢中郡王 李瑀), ninth son.
In fiction and popular culture
- Portrayed by Lo Chun-shun in The Legend of Lady Yang (2000).
- Portrayed by Eric Li in Deep in the Realm of Conscience (2018).
Ancestry
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Notes and references
- ^ Tang Xuanzong's biographies in both Old Book of Tang and New Book of Tang indicated that Li Chengqi died on the xinwei day of the 11th month of the 29th year of the Kai'yuan era. This corresponds to 05 Jan 742 in the Julian calendar. ([开元二十九年十一月]辛未，太尉、宁王宪薨，...) Jiu Tang Shu, vol.09
- ^ By this point, Shangshu Pushe was ordinarily not considered a position for a chancellor any more. However, the table of chancellors in the New Book of Tang listed Li Chengqi as a chancellor. See New Book of Tang, vol. 61."唐書 表 第一至九". Archived from the original on 2007-12-26. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- Old Book of Tang, vol. 95.[1]
- New Book of Tang, vol. 81.[2]
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 203, 204, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214.