Emperor Ruizong of Tang - During Wu Zetian's Reign

During Wu Zetian's Reign

Despite the fact that Wu Zetian created Li Dan crown prince, she considered creating one of her nephews, Wu Chengsi the Prince of Wei or Wu Sansi the Prince of Liang crown prince, and a petition drive for Wu Chengsi to be created crown prince reached its peak in 691. The chancellors Cen Changqian and Ge Fuyuan were even executed for opposing it, but Wu Zetian never did carry out the change, and when the leader of the petition drive, Wang Qingzhi (王慶之) was caned to death by the official Li Zhaode, the petition drive dissipated.

Meanwhile, in 693, Wu Zetian's lady in waiting Wei Tuan'er (韋團兒), who was resentful of Li Dan for reasons lost to history, falsely accused Li Dan's wife Crown Princess Liu and concubine Consort Dou of witchcraft, and Wu Zetian killed Crown Princess Liu and Consort Dou. In fear of offending Wu Zetian, Li Dan did not dare to mourn either and continued to behave normally. When Wei Tuan'er tried to further falsely accuse Li Dan, someone in turn reported her activities to Wu Zetian, and Wu Zetian executed her. Still, thereafter, Li Dan's sons were demoted in rank and kept under secure watch. Later in 693, the officials Pei Feigong (裴匪躬) and Fan Yunxian (范雲仙) were executed on account of meeting Li Dan secretly, and there were accusations that Li Dan was planning to rebel against Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian ordered that the officials not be allowed to meet Li Dan, and further arrested his servants to interrogate them. The secret police official Lai Junchen tortured Li Dan's servants, and many of them, unable to stand up to the torture, considered falsely implicating Li Dan. One of them, An Jinzang, however, cut his own belly open and proclaimed Li Dan's innocence. When Wu Zetian heard this, she sent imperial doctors to save An, and, impressed by An's willingness to die to show Li Dan's innocence, ended the investigation against Li Dan.

In 698, after Wu Zetian had, at the encouragement of the chancellors Di Renjie, Wang Fangqing, and Wang Jishan, as well as her close associate Ji Xu and lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong, recalled Li Zhe from exile, Li Dan offered to yield the crown prince position to Li Zhe. Wu Zetian agreed, and created Li Zhe crown prince (changing his name initially back to Li Xian and then Wu Xian) and Li Dan the Prince of Xiang.

In 699, Wu Zetian, in fear that after her death that Li Xian and the Wu clan princes would not be able to coexist peacefully, had Li Xian, Li Dan, their sister Princess Taiping, her husband Wu Youji (Wu Zetian's nephew), 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. Later that year, the restrictions on his and Li Xian's sons were lifted, and they were allowed to live outside the palace.

In 701, when there was an incursion by the Eastern Tujue khan Ashina Mochuo, Li Dan was put in command of an army to defend against the attack, but before the army could be launched, Ashina Mochuo withdrew. Subsequently, Li Dan was nominally put in charge of the imperial guards.

In 702, Wu Zetian put Li Dan in command of an army and made the prefect of Bing Prefecture (并州, roughly modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), with Wu Sansi, Wu Youning, and Wei Yuanzhong as his assistants, apparently preparing to attack Eastern Tujue, but the army was never launched. Later that year, she 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, Li Dan was made the prefect of Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern Xi'an, Shaanxi), the prefecture that included Chang'an.