Li Chengqi - During Emperor Xuanzong's Reign

During Emperor Xuanzong's Reign

In 713, Emperor Xuanzong, believing that Princess Taiping was about to, along with officials and generals loyal to her, start a coup to overthrow him, acted first, killing officials and generals close to her and then forcing her to commit suicide. Thereafter, Emperor Ruizong transferred full imperial authorities to Emperor Xuanzong, who subsequently conferred on Li Chengqi the honorific titles Kaifu Yitong Sansi (開府儀同三司) and Taiwei (太尉) (also one of the Three Excellencies). It was said that thereafter, Emperor Xuanzong tried to show his love toward his brothers—Li Chengqi, Li Chengyi (李成義) the Prince of Shen, Li Fan (李範) the Prince of Qi, Li Ye (李業) the Prince of Xue—as well as his cousin Li Shouli, who was raised with them, established rooms for them inside the palace to allow them to stay overnight whenever they wished. Emperor Xuanzong and the five princes often spent time together in various activities—discussing Confucian classics, writing poetry, drinking, gambling, gaming, hunting, and playing music (and Li Chengqi, in particular, was known for playing the flute). Li Chengqi was praised for being humble and careful, and Emperor Xuanzong was therefore respectful and trusting of him. Nevertheless, the officials were concerned that Li Chengqi, Li Shouli, and Li Chengyi (who was also older than Emperor Xuanzong) would become centers of conspiracies, and therefore requested that they be sent out of the capital to be prefects. In 714, Emperor Xuanzong agreed and sent the three princes out of the capital, and Li Chengqi became the prefect of Qi Prefecture (岐州, roughly modern Baoji, Shaanxi). He instructed them to only be concerned about the general policies of the prefectural governments, and to entrust the implementation to the secretaries general and the military advisors. Meanwhile, the princes offered the mansions that they (and Emperor Xuanzong) had previously lived in the Xingqing District (興慶坊) of Chang'an to be the location of a new palace for Emperor Xuanzong, and Emperor Xuanzong accepted and converted the mansions into Xingqing Palace (興慶宮). He built new mansions for the princes near the palace.

In 716, because Emperor Xuanzong's mother Consort Dou had been posthumously honored Empress Zhaocheng, Li Chengqi and Li Chengyi, in order to observe naming taboo, changed their names—Li Chengqi to Li Xian (note different character than his uncle) and Li Chengyi to Li Hui (李撝).

In 719, Li Xian's title was changed to Prince of Ning. Around that time, there was an incident in which Emperor Xuanzong, while on a skyway overseeing the palace, saw a guard who did not finish his meal but instead dumped some of the food in a hole. Angry that the guard was wasting food, he ordered that the guard be battered to death. None of Emperor Xuanzong's attendants dared to speak. However, Li Xian, who was present, calmly stated to Emperor Xuanzong:

Your Imperial Majesty had discovered this person's fault from a skyway. If you kill him, I am afraid that everyone will be fearful for himself. Moreover, the reason why Your Imperial Majesty despises wasting food is because food can be used to sustain life. Now, if you kill because of wasting food, the original point is lost.

Emperor Xuanzong agreed and stated, "If not for you, big brother, I would have killed excessively." He ordered the guard released. Later that day, at a feast, Emperor Xuanzong, in gladness, took off his belt, made of red jade, and awarded it to Li Xian, along with his own horse.

In 721, Li Xian became the minister of rites, a post that he served in until 726, when he again took on the honorific title Kaifu Yitong Sansi. In 733, he was again Taiwei. As the years went by, Emperor Xuanzong's brothers died one by one, with only Li Xian still remaining, and it was said that Emperor Xuanzong valued him even more. Whenever there were tributes submitted by the prefectures and the vassal states, he would always send some of the tributes to Li Xian.

Li Xian died near the new year 742. Emperor Xuanzong greatly mourned him, and, pointing out that Li Xian was initially the proper imperial heir, posthumously honored Li Xian as Emperor Rang and buried him with honors due an emperor. He also posthumously honored Li Xian's wife Princess Yuan as Empress Gong.