On July 2, 626 (June 4, Wude 9), Gaozu ordered the three brothers to enter the palace for questioning. When Yuanji entered the palace and passed the Xuanwu Gate, he was ambushed by elite soldiers from Li Shimin and Qin Gong and was killed. This is the "change of Xuanwu Gate".
July 2, 626. On this day, Li Shimin led Weichi Gong and others to ambush in Xuanwu Gate (north main entrance of Chang 'an Taiji Palace) with a group of people. Soon, Prince Li and Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, also got on the horses. They all came to see the driver on orders from Tang Gaozu. But when I got to Xuanwu Gate, I felt something was wrong. The familiar general with troops often doesn't know where to go, and the guards look strange. While wondering, the janitor came out and sent a message asking them to leave the guards and go to see Tang Gaozu alone.
Hearing this, Li turned his head and ran back. At this time, Li Shimin shouted: "Stop, don't go!" When riding a horse. Lee refused to listen, but he ran as fast as he could. I shot Li with a pair of eyes and an arrow. Li Yuanji said, also want to bow shot Li Shimin, but panic in my heart, he didn't pull the bow several times. Then Weichi Gong arrived with seventy cavalry, and a flurry of arrows shot Li Yuanji off his horse. Li Yuanji fled in fright and was hacked to death by Weichi Gong.
Tang Gaozu was waiting for his three sons in the palace, but he heard chaos outside. Just don't know what's going on, Weichi Gong has been holding a spear with troops poured in. He told Li Yuan that Li and Li Yuanji conspired to make trouble and were killed by the king of Qin. "The king of Qin was afraid that the mutinous soldiers would disturb the emperor and sent me to escort him." He demanded that Tai Caliso Tunas and Qi's guards be ordered to stop resisting.
Tang Gaozu was shocked. Faced with such a situation, he had to take advantage of the situation and made Li Shimin the Prince. Two months later, he passed the throne to Li Shimin, the historical Emperor Taizong. Tang Gaozu himself became the "emperor's father".
This bloody event is the famous "Xuanwumen Change" in history. This is an inevitable event.
According to the feudal patriarchal clan system (the ancient system of maintaining the hereditary rule of the nobility), after Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor, he could only let his eldest son Li Jian be the prince, while Li Shimin, who made many meritorious deeds in the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, was only named the king of Qin. Li is therefore very uneasy about it. He formed a clique with Li Yuanji, wooed Tang Gaozu's favorite concubines and made them speak ill of Li Shimin in front of Tang Gaozu, which gradually alienated him from Li Shimin. They don't stop, want to further murder Li Shimin. One day, Li invited to the palace for a drink. Who knows that he poisoned the wine, and Li Shimin had abdominal pain and vomiting after drinking a few mouthfuls. Thanks to the timely rescue of Li Shentong, the younger brother of Huai 'an Wang Liyuan, Li Shimin saved his life.
Li Shimin has been very patient, but Li has been pressing. He and Li Yuanji came up with the idea of hollowing out Qin Gong. In 626 AD, the Turks invaded the Central Plains, and Li Xiang suggested that Li Yuanji take part in the war. Tang Gaozu agreed, but Li Yuanji offered to transfer Weichi Gong, the general of Li Shimin, to fight with him, and also asked him to command all the troops of Qin. It is reported that he will bury these people alive after transferring them, and then get rid of Li Shimin.
At a critical juncture, Weichi Gong and others quit. He said angrily, "I can't stay here and be killed with the king!" " Sun Chang Wuji and others also think that they are heartless and we can be unjust, so we should get rid of them first.
At the strong demand of the soldiers, Li Shimin finally followed the advice and launched the "Xuanwu Gate Change" when Tang Gaozu summoned the three brothers.
After Li Shimin ascended the throne of the emperor, he faced very serious problems. Due to the tyranny of the Sui Dynasty and years of war, people lived in poverty and social production was greatly damaged. Li Shimin, who experienced the peasant uprising at the end of Sui Dynasty, knew the power of the people, so he made great efforts to restore social order and economic production.
Li Shimin is good at reassuring people. In the "Xuanwumen Change", he once killed Li's brother. After he acceded to the throne, he made Li Jian king of Xi, made Li Yuanji king of Hailing County, and ordered him to be reburied as a prince. On the day of burial, Li Shimin not only let the two palaces pay tribute, but also attended the funeral in person.
After the change of Xuanwu Gate, it was reported to Li Shimin that Li's officials had persuaded Li to murder.
Li Shimin called Wei Zhi and asked, "Why do you want to sow discord between us?"
Wei Zhi calmly replied, "Because I was a subordinate of Wang Zi at that time, I had to try my best to think of him. Unfortunately, the prince didn't listen to me, otherwise there wouldn't be such a result today. "
Li Shimin felt that Wei Zhi was upright and courageous, so he was promoted as a remonstrance doctor. Emperor Taizong also publicly said to ministers: "Governing the country is like treating a disease. Even if you get well, you should pay attention to rest. Now that the world is at peace, all parties have come to surrender. This is a rare prosperity since ancient times. But I still have to be cautious and keep a quiet life. This requires listening to your opinions. " In order to stabilize people's hearts, they were also sent to the old headquarters in Shandong Province to provide them with a stage to display their talents.
Due to years of war, the population of the early Tang Dynasty lost a lot. Li Shimin vigorously reformed the military system, strengthened military equipment, defeated East Turkistan, and returned them to the captive Central Plains people. At the same time, he released 3000 ladies-in-waiting, which greatly strengthened the recovery of the population. He also implemented the policy of getting rid of extravagance, practicing economy and neglecting taxes, building water conservancy projects and reclaiming wasteland, which enabled the people to work with peace of mind and restored and developed the social economy. This series of measures was very effective, and finally realized the "rule of chastity" advocated by later generations, which laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.