Spring Crane Terrace

The first time I met Li Xuanying was on a snowy winter day. I am a history student in the 21st century who has devoted himself to the study of ancient books. I have believed in dialectical materialism since I was a child, and have viewed the changes of the past thousand years with an objective and rigorous attitude. I never thought that after one night of rest at my desk in the rare book room of the library, when I opened my eyes again, I would have transcended time and space, and found myself in the troubled times of the Southern Tang Dynasty, when productivity was far behind. I never expected that the first person I met when I stepped into this strange world would be Li Xuanying, a tyrant who left an infamy in the annals of history and was vilified verbally and written by later generations. When I write these words, I have spent a long time in the Southern Tang Dynasty, witnessed the intrigues inside and outside the palace walls, and experienced the ups and downs of the world and the vicissitudes of life. When I write these words at this moment, these are my true reflections after half a lifetime. I once thought that when I came here, I was just a calm historical observer, quietly watching the ups and downs of Li Xuanying's life. With modern knowledge and historical perspective, I was watching an old dynasty event that had already been concluded. In the historical materials I have studied, Li Xuanying has always been a thin and flat image. The descriptions of him written by historians are always firmly imprisoned by the four characters of cruelty and ignorance. All merits and demerits are covered by a single judgment. No one has ever really approached his life and explored the hidden reasons and difficulties behind those brutal acts. It would be difficult to describe Li Xuanying's life experience in detail. His birth was extremely noble. He was the eldest son of the current emperor Li Xuandu and Empress Yang Yang Xi, the eldest daughter of the Hongnong Yang family. With the royal family's legitimacy and the glory of the family, he was born to be the perfect candidate for the position of crown prince. But it happened that fate played tricks on people, and it was precisely because of his birth that the Yang family, which was once prominent, was criticized by the government and the public and criticized by the world. Li Xuanying was born with silver hair and six fingers on her right hand. In ancient times, when people believed in destiny's auspiciousness and bad omens, such anomalies were regarded as an ominous sign and regarded as the arrival of monsters, which could shake the foundation of the country. Judging from the scientific understanding of the 21st century, such congenital anomalies are most likely caused by genetic defects in Li Xuandu and Empress Yang, who were close cousins ​​and were connected by blood. However, in the Southern Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago, no one knew about the principles of inheritance, and all the abnormalities turned into sharp blades that stabbed the prince. Precisely because of this innate appearance, Li Xuanying has been subjected to cold looks and bullying since childhood. In the deep palace, human relationships were cold, brothers looked down upon each other, and palace people looked down upon them. It was hard to see warmth in the eyes of even his biological father. He spent his most vulnerable childhood in loneliness and contempt. When he was ten years old, the relations between the Southern Tang and Northern Qi were in turmoil. The Northern Qi held hostage to force the Southern Tang to send their legitimate son to the Qi as a hostage. No one in the civil and military dynasties dared to respond. In the end, the prince, who had been regarded as a monster since childhood, was personally put on a carriage heading north, and entered a foreign country full of dangers. No one knows what kind of will Li Xuanying had to survive alone in the humiliation and danger of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and no one knows how many conspiracy calculations and life and death tests he went through before he was able to break free from the shackles of a hostage and return to the Southern Tang Dynasty, and finally ascended to the throne of the Ninth Five-Year Plan and took charge of the world's power. And his return and ascension to the throne were also key nodes in the turning point in the history of the Southern Tang Dynasty. In the conclusion of later history books, Li Xuanying never had the qualifications and virtues to become an emperor. He had a cruel temperament, ruthless actions, and hidden wounds that were difficult to heal and deep-rooted diseases in his heart. It was widely said that in the first month after he ascended the throne, he used thunderous means to cleanse the court and massacre his family members. His sisters and brothers were not spared. Rivers of blood flowed, and the government and the public were shocked. This bloody coup was regarded by historians as the change of this spring, and became the most powerful evidence of his reputation as a tyrant. As for why Emperor Taizong finally abandoned the virtuous prince and entrusted the prince with thousands of miles of land to this prince who was regarded as a monster since childhood, there are different opinions in later generations. Some people lamented that the emperor felt guilty because of Empress Yang's early death, while others speculated that the second prince rebelled, triggering the emperor's rebellion, and made such an unexpected decision out of frustration. But for me, these speculations are no longer important. I personally stepped into this period of history and was able to touch the most authentic first-hand traces. I no longer have to stick to the fragments of history. When I first came to the Southern Tang Dynasty, I felt not only the fear and trouble of living in troubled times, but also the secret expectations of a historical researcher about this tyrant emperor. Among all the recorded emperors, I am most curious about this white-haired emperor. His life is full of mysteries, his actions are unbelievable, and his controversies have lasted for thousands of years. What's more, although the history books belittled his character, they never concealed his appearance. They all recorded that he was as handsome as a demon and had unrivaled elegance. This extreme contrast between his appearance and his temperament is far more intriguing than those ordinary emperors with vague faces. In the literary world of the 21st century, there are countless derivative works about this white-haired emperor. Love, hate, anger, obsession, and legendary interpretations have already shaped him into a charming and controversial symbol. I have to admit that when I first entered this world, my thoughts were not pure. I had a bit of prying heart hidden in my heart. I just wanted to see with my own eyes whether this legendary white-haired emperor was really as beautiful and enchanting as written in the history books. It was only when I, as a bystander, accompanied him through half a lifetime of ups and downs, and saw his forbearance, struggle, pain and determination, that I suddenly realized how narrow and shallow my vision was back then. I was obsessed with the authenticity of his appearance, and the good and evil recorded in history books, but I ignored the suffering he endured as a human being and the inability to control himself. Those cruelties that have been mentioned in history books, those harsh words that are reviled by the world, are behind half a lifetime of troubles, the coldness of the palace, the humiliation of protons, survival in desperate situations, and the only armor that can protect oneself for a person who has been abandoned by the world. And all of these are the past events and truths that I finally understood after half a lifetime of vicissitudes. However, I am not the heroine of this story. I am indeed a recorder and observer of his life. Purpose: Learn to cherish the people in front of you