Princess Taiping (Chinese: 太平公主; pinyin: Tàipíng Gōngzhǔ; literally "Princess of Great Peace"; born after 662 – died August 2, 713), personal name unknown, was a member of the imperial family of the Tang dynasty and a political figure active during the reigns of her mother Wu Zetian, and her brothers Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong (both of whom reigned twice), particularly during Emperor Ruizong's second reign, when for three years until her death, she was the real power behind the throne. Her personal name is not recorded in official histories, though some later sources suggest it may have been Li Lingyue (李令月).
She played a significant role in court politics during a period of dynastic transition, including the restoration of the Tang dynasty following Wu Zetian’s abdication. Princess Taiping was involved in the 705 coup that reinstated Emperor Zhongzong and later supported the 710 purge of Empress Wei’s faction. During Emperor Ruizong’s second reign (710–712), she held considerable influence over state affairs and was regarded as a key figure in the administration.
Following Emperor Ruizong’s abdication in favor of his son Li Longji (later Emperor Xuanzong) in 712, tensions between Princess Taiping and the new emperor escalated. In 713, according to historical records, believing that she was planning to overthrow him, acted first, executing a large number of her powerful allies and forcing her to commit suicide.
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Early life
The exact birth date of Princess Taiping remains unknown, but she was the youngest of six known children born to Emperor Gaozong and his second wife, Empress Wu .This places her birth either around the same time as her brother Li Dan (the future Emperor Ruizong) or sometime after, some scholars say she was born around 665 AD.
In her early years, Princess Taiping lived in the Ziwei Palace in the western section of the imperial city in Luoyang, near the Jiuzhou Pond area. When she was about five or six years old, she frequently visited the home of her maternal grandmother, Lady of Rongguo, located in the Jiaoyi Ward of Luoyang, during one of these visits, a palace maid accompanying her was sexually assaulted by her cousin, Helan Minzhi. This incident enraged Wu Zetian, especially since Helan Minzhi had previously raped the woman who was to become the crown princess. As a result, Wu Zetian stripped Helan Minzhi of his status as heir to the Wu family, exiled him, and ultimately had him executed on route.
In 670, when Empress Wu's mother Lady Yang died, Empress Wu had Princess Taiping become a Taoist nun to gain divine favor on behalf of Lady Yang.
Failed marriage
Later, during the Yifeng era (676–679), while Emperor Gaozong was engaged in peace negotiations with the Tibetan kingdom of Tufan, the Tufan king proposed marriage to Princess Taiping. Gaozong declined the offer. To diplomatically sidestep the proposal, he commissioned the construction of a Taoist temple named Taiping Temple (太平觀) and appointed Princess Taiping as its abbess.
First Marriage
In 681, Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu arranged a marriage between Princess Taiping and her cousin Xue Shao (薛紹), the son of Princess Chengyang (Gaozong’s sister) and her second husband, Xue Yao (薛曜). The wedding was a grand affair held in the autumn of that year. According to historical accounts, the procession from the palace to the Xuanyang District (宣陽坊)—where the Xue family resided—was so lavishly lit with torches that the heat and smoke reportedly scorched trees lining the streets.
Empress Wu, however, expressed disdain for the wives of Xue Shao’s brothers Lady Xiao (wife of Xue Yi) and Lady Cheng (wife of Xue Xu) believing their backgrounds were too humble for her daughter’s in-laws. She reportedly remarked, “How can my daughter be a sister-in-law to the daughters of farmers?” Although she considered forcing the brothers to divorce, she relented when informed that Lady Xiao was a grandniece of the deceased chancellor Xiao Yu.
Princess Taiping and Xue Shao had two sons, Xue Chongxun (薛崇訓) and Xue Chongjian (薛崇簡), as well as a daughter, born in 686, who was later granted the title Lady Wanquan (萬泉縣主).
Early Political Influence and Second Marriage
Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by Princess Taiping's older brother Crown Prince Li Zhe (as Emperor Zhongzong), but actual power was in the hands of Empress Wu, as empress dowager and regent. In 684, when Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with another brother of Princess Taiping's, Li Dan, Prince of Yu (as Emperor Ruizong), but thereafter wielded power even more firmly. As she viewed Princess Taiping as similar to her in appearance and attitude, she favored Princess Taiping greatly and often discussed the affairs of the state with her.
In 688, after a failed rebellion against Empress Dowager Wu led by Emperor Gaozong's brother Li Zhen, Prince of Yue and Li Zhen's son Li Chong, Prince of Langye, Xue Yi, Xue Xu, and Xue Shao were discovered as having conspired with Li Chong. Xue Yi and Xue Xu were beheaded, while Xue Shao was caned 100 times and starved to death — which led to more suffering, but which allowed his body to remain whole and thus was considered a more honorable death.
In 690, Empress Dowager Wu wanted to remarry Princess Taiping to Wu Youji, a grandson of Empress Dowager Wu's uncle Wu Shileng (武士稜). Wu Youji, however, was already married, and Empress Dowager Wu secretly had Wu Youji's wife assassinated so that Princess Taiping could marry him. With Wu Youji, Princess Taiping would have an additional two sons — Wu Chongmin (武崇敏) and Wu Chongxing (武崇行) — and one daughter. A possible second daughter, titled Lady Yonghe (永和县主), was also born to them.
Emperor Wu Zetian's reign
Later in 690, Empress Dowager Wu had Emperor Ruizong yield the throne to her, establishing the Zhou dynasty with herself as its "emperor" (therefore interrupting the Tang dynasty).
In or before 697, Princess Taiping recommended Zhang Changzong to serve as Wu Zetian's lover. Zhang Changzong further recommended his brother Zhang Yizhi as well.
Also in 697, Wei Suizhong (衛遂忠), a friend of the secret police official Lai Junchen, revealed that Lai had intended to accuse Princess Taiping, the Wu clan princes, Li Dan, and Li Zhe of treason. Princess Taiping and the Wu clan princes, in response, accused Lai of crimes, and Wu Zetian put Lai to death.
In 699, when the chancellor Zong Chuke (a son of Wu Zetian's cousin) and Zong Chuke's brother Zong Jinqing (宗晉卿) were accused of corruption and exiled, Princess Taiping visited the Zongs' mansions and commented, "Once we look at their mansions, it is like we have not lived."
Also in 699, Wu Zetian, in fear that after her death that Li Zhe (who by now had changed his name to Li Xian and then further to Wu Xian and had been recalled to be crown prince again) and the Wu clan princes would not be able to coexist peacefully, had him, Li Dan, Princess Taiping, Wu Youji, and the other Wu clan princes swear an oath to each other and read the oaths to the gods. The oaths were then carved on iron and kept in the imperial archives.
In 702, Wu Zetian had Li Xian, Li Dan, and Princess Taiping submit formal petitions to have Zhang Changzong created a prince. She then formally rejected the petitions but created Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi dukes.
In 703, a favorite official of Princess Taiping's, who might have been her lover, Gao Jian (高戩), was accused by the Zhangs of agreeing with the chancellor Wei Yuanzhong, whom the Zhangs had resented, that Wu Zetian was old and that it would be more secure to support the crown prince. Wu Zetian, in anger, had Wei and Gao arrested and subsequently exiled.
Emperor Zhongzong's second reign
In 705, a coup led by the officials Zhang Jianzhi, Cui Xuanwei, Jing Hui, Huan Yanfan, and Yuan Shuji killed Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong and overthrew Wu Zetian, restoring Li Xian to the throne. Princess Taiping was said to be involved in the coup, and after Emperor Zhongzong's restoration, he gave her the special title of Zhenguo Taiping Gongzhu (鎮國太平公主) — literally "the Princess Taiping who secured the state." He also established her own luxurious palace, and she enjoyed five thousand households, so she became very much rich, therefore, her power skyrocketed and she found a say in court politics. Later, Emperor Zhongzong specially sent a number of Imperial Army guards to be stationed at Princess Taiping's mansion. An imperial guard was set up around her mansion and there were also many fully armed guards patrolling day and night to protect her and protecting her was a lot like protecting the emperor. This alone is enough to see Princess Taiping's exalted position in Emperor Zhongzong's reign. In 706, she, along with Emperor Zhongzong's daughters Princesses Changning, Anle (Li Guo'er), Yicheng, Xindu, and Ding'an, and Princess Jincheng (the daughter of Princess Taiping's nephew Li Shouli the Prince of Yong), were allowed to retain staffs, similar to imperial princes. As a result, they led a governmental structure, and the staffs and offices they held were part of a governmental mechanism and it was like setting up a government. She became one of the powerful women at court, although her power was rivaled by Emperor Zhongzong's wife Empress Wei and Li Guo'er. As a result, Princess Taiping with Empress Wei and Li Guo'er were engaged in party battles to seize power and eliminate each other.
After Emperor Zhongzong ascended the throne, Empress Wei and Li Guo'er dominated his reign and their lifestyle was completely promiscuous and extravagant, both tried to imitate Wu Zetian: Empress Wei successfully imitated Empress Wu's position during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, who listened to politics with a curtain at court next to the emperor, and effectively participating in both military and civil decisions, and Li Guo'er brought chaos to his father's administration with rampant lawlessness and corruption, and in an unsuccessful attempt she tried to convince Emperor Zhongzong to make her crown princess.
In 707, after Emperor Zhongzong's son Li Chongjun the Crown Prince, angry over Li Guo'er's repeated attempts to displace him to become crown princess, failed in a rebellion to arrest Empress Wei and Li Guo'er, Li Guo'er and Zong Chuke (now chancellor again) tried to implicate Princess Taiping and Li Dan in Li Chongjun's plot, Emperor Zhongzong requested Xiao to investigate, but after Xiao Zhizhong spoke on their behalf, weeping, responded:
Empress dowager Wei's regency
Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly in 710 — a death that traditional historians believed to be a murder carried out by Empress Wei and Li Guo'er so that Empress Wei could become emperor and Li Guo'er could become crown princess. In the aftermath of Emperor Zhongzong's death, Empress Wei, who initially kept the death secret, tried to consolidate power; she immediately ordered that the palace and the capital be sealed. All the gates were blockaded and exit of the capital forbidden, and summoned her allied officials into the palace, and mobilized a total of 50,000 soldiers from various prefectures to be stationed in Chang'an City, and immediately put Wei Wen in overall command of the imperial guards, with his cousin Wei Xuan (韋璿) and nephews Wei Bo (韋播) and Gao Song (高嵩) in command as well. But Emperor Zhongzong's death was discovered by Princess Taiping faster than Empress Wei wanted to secure her power, and Princess Taiping and another powerful woman, Emperor Zhongzong's concubine Consort Shangguan Wan'er, drafted a will on Emperor Zhongzong's behalf that attempted to balance the various factions — having Emperor Zhongzong's son by another concubine, Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen, take the throne, and having Empress Wei as empress dowager and regent, assisted by Li Dan. This performance of Princess Taiping angered Empress Wei and her clan and faction. Immediately, Empress Wei's cousin Wei Wen, wanting to have Empress Wei take sole power, however, modified the will to remove Li Dan as coregent. Accordingly, Li Chongmao took the throne (as Emperor Shang), while Empress Wei became empress dowager and regent. The foiling of Princess Taiping's plan terrified her and her followers, prompting them to wage a carefully planned war against Empress Dowager Wei and her powerful clan and faction.
Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Wei's clan members, along with Zong Chuke, Li Guo'er's husband Wu Yanxiu (武延秀), and other officials Zhao Lüwen (趙履溫) and Ye Jingneng (葉靜能) were advising her to take the throne, like Wu Zetian did, and they also advised her to eliminate Li Dan and Princess Taiping. The official Cui Riyong leaked their plan to Li Dan's son Li Longji the Prince of Linzi. Li Longji responded by conspiring with Princess Taiping, Princess Taiping's son Xue Chongjian, as well as several low level officials close to him — Zhong Shaojing, Wang Chongye (王崇曄), Liu Youqiu, and Ma Sizong (麻嗣宗) — to act first. Meanwhile, Empress Wei's nephews Wei Bo (韋播) and Gao Song (高嵩), who had recently been put in command of imperial guards and who had tried to establish their authority by dealing with the guards harshly, had alienated the guards, and the guard officers Ge Fushun (葛福順), Chen Xuanli (陳玄禮), and Li Xianfu (李仙鳧) thereafter also joined the plot.
Emperor Ruizong's second reign
After Emperor Ruizong returned to the throne, she was awarded the unprecedented title of Zhenguo Taiping Gongzhu Wanhou (鎮國太平公主万侯) — literally "the Princess Taiping who secured the state and has the obedience of all." Against this backdrop, the following edict was issued in the name of Ruizong to reward Princess Taiping with additional households of income: The persons who succeed in settling the Temple and the Altar greatly transcend their peers. The deeds that exceed the scope of silk-and-bamboo [that is, historical] records forever shine upon their greatness.
Princess Guardian of the Realm and of the Great Peace: [in her,] the illustrious blossom shares its luster; the luxuriant plum exudes its fragrance. As offspring of the same blood, she enjoyed the love of the previous sovereigns." [She is] loyal and filial in how she conducts herself, and her benevolence and discernment surpass all others. There is nowhere to which her talents do not extend, and nothing that her mind does not grasp. Previously, she resolved the catastrophe afflicting the Realm; then, she supported Us as the emperor. Her supreme righteousness moves Heaven; her earnest sincerity binds her to the sun.
The turmoil has been settled; we hear only humble words [from her]. The land of her estates has not been augmented; We then receive her pleas, declining noble [rewards]. We, the emperor, envelop everything with extreme impartiality. How can We follow others in being constrained by the trivial norms? It is appropriate that We endow additional territory [to her]; let the land be hers until [the river lapses into] a belt and [the mountains shrink into] a whetstone. It is approved that she be supplemented with an additional thousand households, as an actual source of income.
The edict, together with the reward, was a part of the complicated negotiation at the heart of the delicate alliance between Li Longji and Princess Taiping. On its surface, the throne was using this edict to reward Princess Taiping; in reality, Princess Taiping was one of the real powerholders behind the throne, and her agency permeated every part of the imperial decision making. Indeed, the edict acknowledged, in the emperor's voice, that Princess Taiping supported "Us" as the emperor. In other words, the edict publicly proclaimed a version of history that featured Princess Taiping as the agent who rescued the empire and pacified the realm.
Emperor Xuanzong's reign
After Emperor Ruizong became Taishang Huang (retired emperor), meanwhile, Princess Taiping continued to be highly extremely influential in governmental matters through Emperor Ruizong, and still most chancellors, forbidden troops, officials and warlords were her associates. (Of the seven chancellors at the time, five – Dou Huaizhen, Xiao Zhizhong, Cen Xi, Cui Shi, and Lu Xiangxian – were made chancellors at her recommendation, although Lu was not considered a member of her party.) As a result, she retained the supreme hand, so the power struggle between aunt and nephew intensified. According to Song dynasty historian Sīmǎ Guāng 司马光 in the Zizhi Tongjian:
Princess Taiping leaned the retired emperor's [(i.e., Emperor Ruizong)] power and used his power without permission. She had a power war with the emperor [(i.e., Emperor Xuanzong)]. Five of the seven chancellors followed princess, and most of the civil and military ministers were accountable to the princess.
Later in 712, Liu Youqiu and the general Zhang Wei (張暐), with approval from Emperor Xuanzong, planned to command the imperial guards to kill Princess Taiping's associates, but when Zhang discussed this with the censor Deng Guangbin (鄧光賓), Deng leaked the news. Once the leak was known, Emperor Xuanzong was forced to disavow the plan and further inform Emperor Ruizong. Liu, Zhang, and Deng were arrested, but after Emperor Xuanzong pleaded on their behalf, they were only exiled.
Suicide
By 713, it was said that Princess Taiping, Dou Huaizhen, Cen Xi, Xiao Zhizhong, Cui Shi; along with other officials Xue Ji, Li Jin (李晉) the Prince of Xinxing (a grandson of Li Deliang (李德良), a cousin of Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu), Li You (李猷), Jia Yingfu (賈膺福), Tang Jun (唐晙); the generals Chang Yuankai (常元楷), Li Ci (李慈), and Li Qin (李欽); and the monk Huifan, were plotting to overthrow Emperor Xuanzong. It was further said that they discussed, with the lady in waiting Lady Yuan to poison the gastrodia elata that Emperor Xuanzong routinely took as an aphrodisiac. When this alleged plot was reported to Emperor Xuanzong by Wei Zhigu, Emperor Xuanzong, who had already received advice from Wang Ju (王琚), Zhang Shuo, and Cui Riyong to act first, did so. He convened a meeting with his brothers Li Fan (李範) the Prince of Qi, Li Ye (李業) the Prince of Xue, Guo Yuanzhen, along with a number of his associates — the general Wang Maozhong (王毛仲), the officials Jiang Jiao (姜皎) and Li Lingwen (李令問), his brother-in-law Wang Shouyi (王守一), the eunuch Gao Lishi, and the military officer Li Shoude (李守德) — and decided to act first. On 29 July, Emperor Xuanzong had Wang Maozhong take 300 soldiers to the imperial guard camp to behead Chang and Li Ci. Then, Jia, Li You, Xiao, and Cen were arrested and executed as well. Dou fled into a canyon and committed suicide by hanging. Xue Ji was forced to commit suicide. When Emperor Ruizong heard about this, he quickly ascended the tower at Chengtian Gate (承天門) to ascertain what was happening. Guo reported to him Emperor Xuanzong's intentions, and Emperor Ruizong felt compelled to affirm Emperor Xuanzong's actions in an edict. The next day, Emperor Ruizong issued an edict transferring all authorities to Emperor Xuanzong and moved to a secondary palace, Baifu Hall (百福殿).
Meanwhile, Princess Taiping, hearing what happened to her associates, fled into a temple in the mountains, only appearing three days later. Emperor Ruizong begged Emperor Xuanzong for her pardon, but he refused. Emperor Xuanzong ordered her to commit suicide at home, and put to death her sons and associates, except for Xue Chongjian, who had often counseled Princess Taiping against retaining power and who had often been battered by her — Emperor Xuanzong bestowed on Xue Chongjian the imperial surname of Li and allowed him to retain his titles. Princess Taiping's assets were confiscated, and it was said that there was so much treasure, livestock, and real estate that it took several years for the accounting to be complete.