Li Sujie (李素節) (646 – 690-692), formally the Prince of Xu (許王), was an imperial prince of the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
. He was the fourth son of
Emperor Gaozong, born of his one-time favorite
Consort Xiao Consort Xiao may refer to:
*Empress Xiao (Sui dynasty) (566–648), wife of Emperor Yang of Sui
* Pure Consort Xiao (died 655), concubine of Emperor Gaozong of Tang
* Empress Zhenxian (died 847), concubine of Emperor Muzong of Tang
* Xiao Wen (died ...
. After Consort Xiao and Emperor Gaozong's wife
Empress Wang were deposed and executed due to the machinations of Emperor Gaozong's second wife
Empress Wu
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
(later known as Wu Zetian), Li Sujie was under the watchful eyes of Empress Wu, and was several times demoted on false accusations of misbehavior, In particular, as Emperor Gaozong's health deteriorated and government affairs fell to Empress Wu, Li's grief increased. During the Tianshou era, with Wu finally establishing
her own dynasty, she continued to massacre Tang imperial clan members as she perceived them as threats, and she summoned Li Sujie and his older brother Li Shangjin (李上金) to the then-capital
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
. When they arrived near Luoyang, Empress Dowager Wu had him strangled, while Li Shangjin committed suicide.
Before Consort Xiao's death
Li Sujie was born in 646, when his father
Li Zhi Li Zhi may refer to:
*Emperor Gaozong of Tang (628–683), named Li Zhi, Emperor of China
*Li Ye (mathematician) (1192–1279), Chinese mathematician and scholar, birth name Li Zhi
*Li Zhi (philosopher) (1527–1602), Chinese philosopher from the M ...
was
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
under his grandfather
Emperor Taizong. He was Li Zhi's fourth son, and he was born of Li Zhi's then-favorite
concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive.
Concubi ...
,
Consort Xiao Consort Xiao may refer to:
*Empress Xiao (Sui dynasty) (566–648), wife of Emperor Yang of Sui
* Pure Consort Xiao (died 655), concubine of Emperor Gaozong of Tang
* Empress Zhenxian (died 847), concubine of Emperor Muzong of Tang
* Xiao Wen (died ...
. After Emperor Taizong's death in 649, Li Zhi succeeded him (as Emperor Gaozong), and in 651 created Li Sujie the Prince of Yong and gave him titularly the important post of prefect of the capital prefecture, Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
). It was said that Li Sujie could recite 500-word ancient poems, and was studious in studying under the scholar Xu Qidan (徐齊聃). He was said to be much loved by Emperor Gaozong. When he grew older, he was made the prefect of Qi Prefecture (岐州, roughly modern
Baoji
() is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi.
Geography
The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a population of 3,321,853 accordin ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
).
Meanwhile, Li Sujie's mother Consort Xiao was locked in a fierce battle with
Consort Wu (later known as Wu Zetian) for the affections of Emperor Gaozong, in which she allied herself with the emperor's primary wife
Empress Wang. In 655, Consort Wu accused Empress Wang and her mother Lady Liu (sister of
Liu Shi) of engaging in witchcraft; in response, Emperor Gaozong deposed and imprisoned not only Empress Wang, but also Consort Xiao, on 16 November, replacing Empress Wang with Consort Wu. Soon thereafter (within the same lunar month of their deposition), the deposed Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were executed on Empress Wu's orders.
After Consort Xiao's death
After Consort Xiao's death, Li Sujie drew Empress Wu's suspicions because he was born of Consort Xiao. In 657, with the beginning of the elimination of the main political rivals by Empress Wu, Li Sujie's title was changed to the lesser title of Prince of Xun, and around the same time, he was demoted from Qian Prefecture to the less important Shen Prefecture (申州, roughly modern
Xinyang
Xinyang (; postal: Sinyang) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China, the southernmost administrative division in the province. Its total population was 6,234,401 according to the 2020 census. As of t ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
). Early in Emperor Gaozong's ''Qianfeng'' era (666-668), by Empress Wu's influence and instigation, Emperor Gaozong further issued an edict that stated, "Because Sujie is chronically ill, he is not required to attend imperial gatherings at the capital," even though, in reality, Li Sujie was not ill, and effectively, the edict barred Li Sujie from the capital
Chang'an
Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...
. Saddened that he was not allowed to see his father, Li Sujie wrote an essay entitled, ''Commentary on Faithfulness and Filial Piety'' (忠孝論, which was already lost by the
Five Dynasties
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...
period). His cashier
Zhang Jianzhi Zhang Jianzhi (張柬之) (625Zhang's birth year of 625 is based on his biographies in the '' Old Book of Tang'' and the '' New Book of Tang'', both of which indicated that he was 81 at the time of his death in 706. However, the ''New Book of Tang' ...
secretly submitted the essay to Emperor Gaozong. After Empress Wu read it, it drew her ire, and she falsely accused Li Sujie of corruption. In 676, Li Sujie was demoted to the title of Prince of Poyang, exiled to Yuan Prefecture (袁州, roughly modern
Yichun,
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
), and put under house arrest.
In 681, Empress Wu submitted a petition for Li Sujie and his older brother Li Shangjin the Prince of Qi to be forgiven their crimes. (Li Shangjin had been previously accused of similar offenses as Li Sujie's and was similarly put under house arrest.) Emperor Gaozong made Li Sujie the prefect of Yue Prefecture (岳州, roughly modern
Yueyang
Yueyang, formerly known as Yuezhou or Yochow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern shores of Dongting Lake and Yangtze in the northeastern corner of Hunan Province in the People's Republic of China.
Yueyang has an administrative area of a ...
,
Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...
), but still disallowed him and Li Shangjin to visit the capital.
Death
On 27 December 683, Emperor Gaozong died and was succeeded by Empress Wu's third son
Li Xiǎn (as Emperor Zhongzong), but Empress Wu took on actual
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
powers as
empress dowager
Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) () is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere.
The title was also g ...
. On 27 February 684,
[Volume 203 of the '']Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'' recorded that Ruizong was made emperor under Wu Zetian on the ''jiwei'' day of the 2nd month of the 1st year of the Guangzhai era of his reign. This date corresponds to 27 Feb 684 in the Gregorian calendar. 光宅元年二月)己未,立雍州牧豫王旦為皇帝。''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 203. after Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of disobeying her, she deposed him and replaced him with her fourth son
Li Dan (as Emperor Ruizong), but held even firmer grip on power thereafter. In spring 684, she created Li Sujie the greater title of Prince of Ge and soon thereafter changed his title to Prince of Xu, making him the prefect of Jiang Prefecture (絳州, part of modern
Yuncheng
Yuncheng is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and Shaan ...
,
Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
).
During the Tianshou era, Empress Dowager Wu was carrying out massacres of Tang imperial clan members and others whom she perceived to be threats, using a number of secret police officers to carry out tortures and executions. Her powerful nephew
Wu Chengsi
Wu Chengsi ( Chinese: 武承嗣; Pinyin: Wǔ Chéngsì) (died July 22, 698), formally Prince Xuan of Wei (魏宣王), was a nephew of the Chinese sovereign Wu Zetian and an imperial prince of the Wu Zhou dynasty. He participated in her planning in ...
instructed one of the secret police officers, Zhou Xing (周興), to falsely accuse Li Sujie and Li Shangjin of treason. She ordered them to report to
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
, which she had made capital. Li Sujie was heading to Luoyang from his then-post Shu Prefecture (舒州, roughly modern
Anqing
Anqing (, also Nganking, formerly Hwaining, now the name of Huaining County) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Anhui province, People's Republic of China. Its population was 4,165,284 as of the 2020 census, with 804,493 living in the ...
,
Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
), when he heard family members mourning a person's death crying bitterly, and he made the comment, "Dying of illness is fortunate and difficult to get. Why do they cry?" As he was in Luoyang's vicinity, Empress Dowager Wu ordered that he be strangled. (Li Shangjin committed suicide.) Empress Dowager Wu also killed nine of Li Sujie's sons (Li Jing, Li Ying, Li Qi, Li Wan, Li Zan, Li Yang, Li Yuan, Li Chen and Li Tangchen, in Chinese 李璟、李瑛、李琪、李琬、李瓚、李瑒、李瑗、李琛、李唐臣), but four youngest sons were spared and imprisoned at Lei Prefecture (雷州, roughly modern
Zhanjiang
Zhanjiang (), historically spelled Tsamkong, is a prefecture-level city at the southwestern end of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, facing Haikou city to the south.
As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,981,236 (6,994,832 ...
,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
). After her death in 705, Emperor Zhongzong was restored to the throne, and Li Sujie was posthumously honored the Prince of Xu and reburied with honor near Emperor Gaozong's (and Empress Wu's) tomb. His son Li Guan (李瓘) was created the Prince of Xu to succeed him, and later, during the reign of Li Sujie's nephew
Emperor Xuanzong, two other sons, Li Lin (李琳) and Li Qiu (李璆) were created princes as well.
Ancestry
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Sujie
Tang dynasty imperial princes
646 births
690 deaths