Emperor Taizong of Song - Succeeding The Throne: Foul Play Involved?

Succeeding The Throne: Foul Play Involved?

Emperor Taizong succeeded the throne in 976 after the death of his brother Emperor Taizu, who was 49 and had no recorded illness. It is rather unusual in Chinese history for a brother rather than the son to succeed the throne, so the event fueled popular belief that foul play was involved.

According to official history, the empress dowager Lady Du before her death in 961 asked the 34-year-old Emperor Taizu to promise that his brother will succeed him so as to ensure the continuation of the Song Dynasty. She reportedly asked Emperor Taizu: "Do you know why you came to power? It was because Later Zhou had a 7-year-old emperor!" The so-called "Golden Shelf Promise" (金匱誓書) was also allegedly recorded and sealed, by secretary Zhao Pu and reopened after Emperor Taizong's succession to prove the latter's legitimacy.

Emperor Taizu's eldest son Zhao Dezhao was already 25 years old in 976, certainly old enough to handle an emperor's duties. Also suspicious is that Zhao Pu, banished in 973 by Emepror Taizu for allegations of bribery, returned to the capital in 976 and was made the chancellor in 977.

Wen Ying, a Buddhist monk who lived in the era of Emperor Taizong's grandson Emperor Renzong, wrote an eerie account about the last night of Emperor Taizu. According to this account, he was dining and drinking with Emperor Taizong, then still the Prince of Kaifeng, besides some candles. Eunuchs and imperial maids standing in a distance saw that Emperor Taizong's shadow on the window moved a lot and appeared antsy. It was getting late and several inches of snow have fallen on the inside of the hall. Then they heard an axe chopping the snow, with Emperor Taizu saying, "Do it right! Do it right!" Soon enough Taizu was heard snoring. Several hours later, he was pronounced dead by his brother, who spent the night in his palace. This legend has been referred to as "shadows from the candles and sounds from an axe" (燭影斧聲) and proved to be popular to this day.

Modern historians were unable to find any concrete evidence suggesting murder; however they generally accept that the "Golden Shelf Promise" as fraud fabricated by Emperor Taizong and Zhao Pu.

Also worth mentioning is the suicide of Zhao Dezhao, Emperor Taizu's eldest son, 3 years after his father's death. During Taizong's first campaign against Liao, Zhao Dezhao was leading an army when rumors spread that Empero Taizong had disappeared, and that Zhao Dezhao should be the new emperor. Upon hearing that, Taizong did not award the troops when they returned. When Zhao Dezhao asked him, Taizong barked back: "You do that when you become the new emperor!" According to this account, Zhao Dezhao immediately went to his palace and killed himself.

Emperor Taizu's second son, Zhao Defang died in 981 from an unidentified illness. Just 22, he was unusually young. During the same year, Taizong and Taizu's younger brother Zhao Tingmei (previously known as Zhao Guangmei and Zhao Kuangmei) was also stripped of the title of King of Qi and sent to the Western Capital. He died 3 years later. Moreover, when Taizu's widow Empress Song died, her body was not buried with her late husband and not given the recognition according to tradition.