Library

"Research on Unearthed Documents and Medieval History" is the latest monograph by Professor Meng Xianshi of the School of Chinese Studies at Renmin University of China. This book uses unearthed materials such as Dunhuang documents, Turpan documents and epitaphs of the Tang Dynasty, combined with the basic classics of the Tang Dynasty, to explore the major political events and ethnic groups of the Tang Dynasty. It also conducts innovative special research on the local politics, economy and social culture of Dunhuang and Turpan in the Tang Dynasty, as well as important political figures in the Tang Dynasty such as King Wu Li Ke, Princess Anle, and Shangguan Yi.

The book "The Truth about Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty" is based on the lecture of the same name given by the author Mr. Meng Xianshi in the CCTV Baijia Forum column in April 2008. It is the lecture series with the highest ratings this year. It mainly focuses on the character and life of Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, his relationship with Queen Wu Zetian, and ministers Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang and others. At the same time, through these questions, we analyze why the originally promising emperor Li Zhi became a "cowardly and incompetent" figure in the minds of later generations, always shrouded in the shadow of his father Li Shimin and his wife Wu Zetian. In people's impression, Tang Gaozong Li Zhi was weak in character and mediocre in ability. He was always controlled by his wife Wu Zetian, which directly led Wu Zetian to establish Wu Zhou and became the only female emperor in Chinese history. But in fact, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty was round on the outside and careful on the inside, bold in thinking and daring to act. It was during his reign that the territory of the Tang Dynasty reached its maximum; even the Northeastern border issues that had not been resolved by emperors of the Sui and Tang dynasties, including Tang Taizong Li Shimin, were all resolved during the Emperor Gaozong's period; and the Zen Ceremony, which marked the prosperity of the dynasty, was successfully held for the first time during the Emperor Gaozong's period. Without the development, consolidation, and paving the way in the Gaozong era, the Zhenguan rule would have been just a short-lived climax, and the prosperous Kaiyuan era would have become water without a source. The image of Gaozong recorded in history has been distorted and vilified. The reason why later generations distorted Tang Gaozong and made him mentally retarded and incompetent was that Wu Zetian, whom he carefully cultivated, replaced "Li Tang" with "Wu Zhou". In order to warn the world and avoid the recurrence of the heroine's dictatorship, later generations of historians tried their best to vilify Wu Zetian, and therefore wrote Tang Gaozong as mentally retarded. This distortion was even more serious because the Queen Mother was also in power during the Song Dynasty.

Most of the handed down history books believe that Tang Gaozong was "weak and incompetent", but they cannot explain why Gaozong's era had the vastest territory in the Tang Dynasty, and why the "Kaiyuan Age" could come after Gaozong. In fact, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty was round on the outside and square on the inside, bold and careful, and he dared to think and act. Without the development, consolidation, and paving the way in the Gaozong era, the "Reign of Zhenguan" would be just a short-lived climax, and the "Kaiyuan Prosperity" would become water without a source. Whether measured by the traditional political thought of "the monarch does nothing" or the actual achievements achieved, Gaozong was a successful emperor. The reason why history books describe Tang Gaozong in this way is simply because Wu Zetian, whom he trained, replaced "Li Tang" with "Wu Zhou". In order to prevent the recurrence of the Queen's dictatorship, later historians must have historical facts that can serve as a warning. Therefore, they would rather "retarded" Tang Gaozong at the expense of historical truth.

The "Xuanwumen Incident" was an extremely bloody and cruel palace coup in Chinese history. In front of Xuanwu Gate, Li Shimin made a precise layout and executed decisively, shooting an arrow through his brother's throat. In ancient China, there are countless incidents of violent seizure of political power. However, among those who violently seize power, few can achieve the brilliant results that Li Shimin did later. The "Government of Zhenguan" has been talked about by historians since ancient times. During his twenty-three-year reign, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was good at accepting advice and working hard to govern. He not only created a civilized political environment and a harmonious relationship between monarchs and ministers in the monarchy era, but also laid the foundation of the Tang Dynasty's three-hundred-year-old system. He also became a model for the Ming Dynasty in China for the next thousand years. The birth and development of the Zhenguan era were inseparable from Taizong's wisdom. But the word "wise" alone is not enough to explain all the reasons why Taizong was able to create such brilliant achievements, let alone the bloody killings in front of Xuanwu Gate. From the Xuanwumen incident to the Zhenguan period, what did Li Shimin experience?