[Lightscreen]
[But if you look at how Li Jing was portrayed by later generations, his image changed quite a bit depending on who was writing and when they were writing.
Take Excellent Stories of the Sui and Tang, the same book that gave us the story about Li Shimin comparing Li Jing to Sima Yi. It also contains one of the most famous Li Jing anecdotes ever recorded.
Basically, Li Shimin wanted to train the next generation of military talent. But being emperor was already a full-time headache, so he dumped General Hou Junji on Li Jing and told the old man to teach him.
On paper, it looked great. One was a founding hero of the Tang and one of Li Shimin's closest companions. The other was the undisputed military genius of the era. A match made in heaven, right?
Wrong.
After studying under Li Jing for a while, Hou Junji secretly reported to Li Shimin that Li Jing was planning a rebellion.
Li Shimin, confused, dragged both men into his office to sort it out.
Hou Junji went first: 'Every time he teaches me strategy, he stops right before the advanced parts. If he's not hiding his best tactics for a rebellion, then what's he doing?'
Li Jing shot back: 'The country is at peace. The basics I taught him are plenty for border raids. But he's asking for my most lethal stuff. My ultimate kingdom-deleting techniques. Why would he need those unless he's planning something himself?'
Li Shimin didn't believe either of them was actually rebelling at that moment, so he dropped it.
Fast forward a few years.
Hou Junji returned to the capital after winning a big campaign. He was so full of himself that he rode his horse right past the Department of State Affairs without even noticing, by pure chance, the retired Li Jing happened to be nearby and saw the whole thing.
Li Jing immediately turned to the people next to him and said, 'Hou Junji's lost his mind. He's definitely going to rebel.'
Everyone thought Li Jing was just getting senile. An old man yelling at clouds. Your time is over. Old Hou's time to shine now. You're just jealous.
So nobody took him seriously.
Then a few years later, Hou Junji joined forces with Crown Prince Li Chengqian in a failed coup.
He was executed.
Only then did people gasp: Wait. The Duke of Wei really could see the future?
Here's the thing about old history books. You gotta look at when they were written. The context. The time period. Otherwise? You're gonna get lost.
The author, Liu Su, entered government during Xuanzong's golden Kaiyuan era and died around the time of the An Lushan Rebellion. He had a front-row seat to the collapse of the High Tang.
When his book describes Li Jing warning everyone about Hou Junji's rebellion, does that sound familiar? It's exactly what happened before An Lushan's rebellion. Everyone knew An Lushan was dangerous, but Xuanzong wouldn't listen. The problem wasn't that nobody noticed. The problem was that the Emperor refused to do anything about it.
And when he casually writes that Li Shimin compared Li Jing to Sima Yi, the ultimate usurper? That's not history. That's a veiled insult aimed at Xuanzong's terrible leadership. A literary punch in the gut disguised as an anecdote.
Here's the thing about reading old books. You can't just take every word at face value. You have to ask: Why did this person write this? What was happening around them? What are they really trying to say without actually saying it?
Think of it like getting a text from a friend who says, "Wow, you're really on time today." You don't just read the words. You stop and think: Is this a compliment? Or is my friend being sarcastic because I'm always late?
Same with Liu Su.
He couldn't just write: "Emperor Xuanzong, you were an idiot. You let An Lushan get away with everything while your empire burned." That would get him killed. His family killed. Probably his dog too.
So he did what clever writers have always done. He wrote about the past. Li Jing warning about Hou Junji. Li Shimin suspicious of Sima Yi.
But any reader who lived through An Lushan's rebellion would read those lines and think: Wait. This sounds familiar. This is exactly what just happened to us.
That's the trick. Not magic. Just paying attention to the gap between what the words say and what the author actually means.
And in Liu Su's case, he was basically screaming from across time: "I told you so. But Li Longji was too busy playing with Yang Guifei."
Political jabs aside, Excellent Stories of the Sui and Tang is actually a fun read. It's got some great little stories, like:
Emperor Yang of Sui allegedly called Li Yuan 'Grandma' because his face was covered in wrinkles. Ouch.
Tang-era Chang'an was so crowded that the city had strict 'keep left' traffic laws for people entering the gates. Yes, really. Traffic jams in the 7th century.
And this book is the main source for the legend that Li Shimin took Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion to his grave.
Quick background: Wang Xizhi was the greatest calligrapher in Chinese history. His Orchid Pavilion Preface is basically the Mona Lisa of calligraphy. And Chu Suiliang was a famous calligrapher and top official in Li Shimin's court.
The book records Chu Suiliang petitioning: 'The Orchid Pavilion was deeply cherished by the late Emperor; it cannot be left behind. Thus, it was secretly buried in the Zhao Mausoleum.'
In other words: The Emperor loved it so much he took it to the grave. No copies. No public display. Just him and the ink, forever.
True or not? Nobody knows. Probably won't be settled until archaeologists finally crack open Li Shimin's tomb in the distant future.
As for Li Jing? After he destroyed the Tuyuhun and became Duke of Wei, he went into full political hiding. He refused to even meet his own relatives, let alone make wild predictions about rebellions in public.
The old man definitely didn't have time to go for random walks near the Department of State Affairs just to diagnose future traitors.
The real Li Jing spent his final years doing what he had always done best: staying out of trouble.]
[Server Chat Log]
[midnight_ramen: I wonder if our generation will live long enough to see the Zhao Mausoleum opened. I really want to know if the Orchid Pavilion is actually in there.
rusty_caltrop: Unlikely. If the technology isn't perfect, whoever opens that tomb will go down in history as a criminal. But what even counts as 'perfect technology'? Nobody knows.
xiaolongbao_slayer: I still can't figure out why Hou Junji rebelled. How did he think he could win? Maybe he thought his experience at Xuanwu Gate made him a rebellion expert. 'Pfft, overthrowing the Heavenly Khagan? Easy mode.'
teahouse_lurker: Honestly, looking at Li Jing's resume, the man was incredibly busy. From a minor border official in the Sui Dynasty to the literal Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. From birth to death, and even after death, the man just never stopped getting promoted.]
Du Ruhui didn't need to turn around. He knew the smiles had frozen on every face in the room.
Including the Emperor's.
Hearing that Hou Junji was destined to rebel? That stung. A veteran general getting arrogant and attempting a coup? Pretty standard stuff, sadly.
But launching a coup with the Crown Prince? That was a whole different nightmare.
Sitting on his small stool, young Wang Xuance suddenly felt the room get colder.
He shuddered.
Hey... hey, what the hell, he thought. This is imperial family business. I don't want to get involved. Now I'm hearing top secrets. Am I supposed to be here?
He looked around at the ministers and dukes.
The big shots might survive this. But me? A lowly county magistrate?
He felt like he'd just walked into a room where someone was juggling explosives.
And he really, really shouldn't be here.
Li Shimin had no idea the young magistrate was panicking. And honestly, who still cares about a county magistrate when your own son might be plotting a rebellion?
His hand shot out and grabbed Sun Simiao's wrist.
The legendary physician flinched.
"Your Majesty," Sun Simiao whispered carefully, "no worry. I have some cooling pills in my bag if you need them."
Li Shimin closed his eyes for a second. Breathed in.
He didn't need pills. He didn't want to show weakness. Maybe the fish diet was helping. Or maybe, deep down, he'd already known something like this might happen. He still visited his own father at Da'an Palace. He really understood how ugly succession could get.
The headache was manageable. He pushed it aside and started doing the math.
"The screen says Hou Junji destroyed Gaochang in the fourteenth year of Zhenguan," Li Shimin said, his voice flat. "That means Chengqian was still the Crown Prince then."
So the rebellion must have happened around the seventeenth or eighteenth year, right before Li Zhi was made Crown Prince.
The current year was only the fourth year of Zhenguan. He had a whole decade to change things.
He locked his thoughts behind a neutral face. The room stayed quiet. Even Zhangsun Wuji said nothing.
Hou Junji's execution would be straightforward. But the other half of the equation? The Emperor's eldest son. Wuji's own nephew. When it came to imperial family bloodshed, Wuji knew his only job was to support whatever decision the Emperor made.
"I've already started fixing this problem," Li Shimin said firmly. "That ancient tragedy won't happen in my court."
His recent decision to assign young Wu Meiniang as the Crown Prince's companion had been a smart move. Over the past few months, Chengqian had seemed more engaged. The only awkward part was that the screen had revealed she was supposed to become his own concubine. He pushed that thought aside.
With that one sentence, the Emperor closed the topic of the Crown Prince.
But this treasonous general? That was different.
"Your Majesty, just say the word," Yuchi Jingde growled, standing up. "I'll beat him. I'll drag Old Hou here in chains myself."
Fang Xuanling shook his head and raised a hand.
"We can't execute a man today for something he's supposed to do ten years from now."
Yuchi Jingde slowly sat back down. The logic hit him.
If they started executing people for future crimes... the Emperor would have to execute Li Chengqian first, right?
He frowned.
That's bad. That's really bad.
Su Lie felt the atmosphere getting too heavy. He was desperate to change the subject, so he pointed at the screen.
"Why would future generations respect Your Majesty so much but also want to dig up the Zhao Mausoleum?" he asked.
Li Jing turned to him. "Think about it. A thousand years from now, how many books do you think will survive? Wars, fires, floods, book burnings. Libraries get destroyed. Palaces get sacked. Paper rots. Bamboo cracks."
He paused.
"But graves? Graves are underground. Sealed. Hidden. Protected. A tomb isn't just a burial place. It's a time capsule. The things buried inside can survive for centuries while everything above ground turns to dust."
Su Lie's eyes widened. "Ah," he said slowly. "So after a thousand years of war, most books and artifacts will be destroyed. The only things that survive are the ones buried underground."
"Exactly," Li Jing said. "Your grave is the only library that won't burn."
Li Shimin didn't love the idea of people digging up his grave. But he understood the grim logic. He'd seen Cao Cao's ruined tomb on the screen. He knew Liu Bei's shrine was still getting incense. Legacy was complicated.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Well," he announced dramatically, "then the Orchid Pavilion absolutely must be buried in the Zhao Mausoleum! We can't disappoint our future descendants!"
Du Ruhui didn't miss a beat. His face stayed completely straight.
"If Your Majesty is so concerned about preserving culture," he said smoothly, "why not just toss the original manuscript into the screen and mail it to the future?"
Li Shimin's mouth snapped shut.
Then the room erupted in laughter.
Du Ruhui was joking, of course. Even if they could somehow beam the authentic scroll across time, convincing future scholars it wasn't a fake would be a whole other problem.
For now, at least, the future rebellion of Hou Junji remained ten years away. The Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince. The empire was stable.
And the greatest problem currently facing the Son of Heaven was whether future archaeologists deserved access to his calligraphy collection.
[Lightscreen]
[For centuries, historians have argued over one question: why on earth did Hou Junji think rebellion was a good idea?
As your favorite historically illiterate video creator, I'm going to make an educated guess.
There's a concept in modern economics called 'Path Dependence'. Fancy term, simple idea.
Once someone gets used to a certain method of success, they'll blindly rely on the same method forever. Even when things change. Hou Junji was a textbook case.
Let's be honest. Old Hou was a good general. But he was not a legendary genius.
After he destroyed Gaochang, his ego went through the roof.
He conveniently forgot that the whole campaign only happened because Li Shimin had forced it through a reluctant court.
Standing in the ruins of Gaochang, Old Hou completely lost his mind. He led his troops in a massive looting spree. Without asking permission from Chang'an, he exiled the surviving Gaochang royalty.
Why would a seasoned general act like a common bandit? Because success went to his head. In his mind, he was the hero of Gaochang.
He told himself: I did this. I conquered a kingdom. I am the one who deserves glory.
He forgot that Li Shimin had done the hard work before he even arrived.
When he returned to the capital, he wasn't greeted with a parade. He was thrown in jail. He talked his way out of execution, but any hope of rewards or promotion was dead.
But the prison cell didn't teach him humility. It taught him resentment.
Think about his career before Gaochang. He was a core member of the Prince of Qin's inner circle. He helped pull off the Xuanwu Gate coup. He was there at the beginning. He bled for the Emperor.
Then Li Shimin became Emperor. New heroes emerged. Li Jing destroyed the Turks. Others got promotions, titles, fame. Hou Junji? He was still just Hou Junji. Forgotten. Undervalued. Pushed aside.
So when he finally got his own command, his own victory, his own kingdom to conquer... he snapped.
He wasn't just looting treasure. He was proving something. Proving that he mattered. That he was more than just a sidekick. That he deserved what Li Jing had.
Feeling underappreciated, Old Hou decided to attach himself to the Crown Prince. He spent all his free time at the Eastern Palace. He even got his son-in-law appointed to Li Chengqian's personal guard. He was all in on being the Crown Prince's wingman.
But the years between the fourteenth and seventeenth years of Zhenguan were guaranteed to spike Li Shimin's blood pressure.
During those three years, the political situation was a mess.
Prince Li Tai was busy compiling a massive geography encyclopedia, racing toward historical immortality.
Prince Li Zhi was playing the perfect filial son, winning his father's love.
And Crown Prince Li Chengqian? He was busy having a meltdown over his favorite male companions.
In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian secretly brought a group of young Turkic musicians into his quarters for a party. Li Shimin found out, screamed at him for hours, and triggered a rebellious streak in his son that never stopped.
By the sixteenth year of Zhenguan, Li Chengqian was obsessed with a teenage male dancer named Chengxin. He moved the boy into his private chambers. Ate every meal with him. Also started hanging out with shady Taoist sorcerers.
When Li Shimin found out, he lost his mind. He ordered the dancer and the sorcerers executed on the spot.
Li Chengqian locked himself in his room, cried for weeks, built an illegal shrine for his dead boyfriend in the Eastern Palace, and ordered his staff to mourn the boy. Naturally, Li Shimin found out and screamed at him again.
With his brothers circling his position like sharks and his own reputation in ruins, Li Chengqian panicked and asked Old Hou for advice.
Two resentful men, feeding each other's anger, convincing each other that they deserved more.
Old Hou looked at the situation, pulled out his blood-stained PowerPoint from the Xuanwu Gate incident, changed a few names, and handed it to the Crown Prince.
In Hou Junji's mind, the plan was flawless.
From his perspective, the early Tang only had two real military gods: Li Shimin in the north and Li Jing in the south. Li Shimin hadn't led an army in twenty years. Li Jing was an arthritic old man who couldn't even ride a horse.
In Hou Junji's mind, the plan was flawless. From his perspective, the early Tang only had two real military gods: Li Shimin in the north and Li Jing in the south. Li Shimin hadn't led an army in twenty years. Li Jing was an arthritic old man who couldn't even ride a horse.
Meanwhile, Old Hou had personally helped pull off the original Xuanwu Gate coup. He thought he was a genius strategist.
I helped Li Shimin win the throne, he told himself. I know how this works. I wrote the blueprint.
He genuinely believed he couldn't lose.
But the fatal flaw in their plan came from a completely unexpected wildcard: Prince Li You, the Prince of Qi.
And the absurdity of this wildcard is almost impossible to believe.
Li You's tutor, Quan Wanji, was a fanatical old-school moralist who idolized Wei Zheng. He constantly lectured the young prince. No staying out late. No parties. He made Li You's life miserable. So the prince rebelled and argued with him.
Quan Wanji's solution was the ultimate toxic teacher move: 'I'm calling your father.'
For months, a perfect cycle of misery played out. Li Shimin screamed at Li You. Li You took his anger out on Quan Wanji. Quan Wanji sent another complaint to Li Shimin.
Eventually, Quan Wanji decided to travel to Chang'an to officially report the prince's behavior to the Emperor.
Li You, showing the spectacular lack of impulse control famous in his bloodline, had his teacher ambushed on the road and hacked to pieces.
Staring at the bloody remains of an imperial official, Li You realized he had to explain this to his father.
So he came up with a brilliant plan.
Despite having no military funding, no logistical preparation, and no actual combat troops, the brilliant Li You, Prince of Qi officially declared a massive rebellion against the Tang Empire.
The rebellion lasted exactly fourteen days. Then a random low-ranking militia captain got annoyed, crushed the prince's forces, and dragged Li You back to Chang'an in chains.
During the interrogations about Li You's pathetic uprising, investigators accidentally stumbled on an unrelated paper trail.
It led straight to Hou Junji and Crown Prince Li Chengqian.
Old Hou never even got the chance to launch his rebooted Xuanwu Gate coup. The whole conspiracy collapsed because a completely unrelated prince threw a deadly temper tantrum.
All that anger. All that resentment. All that planning. For nothing.
He wasn't a mastermind. He wasn't a genius. He was just a man who couldn't see his own flaws, couldn't hear his own excuses, and couldn't understand why the world didn't appreciate him.
History can be cruel. Sometimes it's also very funny.]