As we all know, Wei Chigong was a powerful general under Emperor Taizong of Tang and Li Shimin, and also a "door god" respected by future generations.
Ever since Wei Chigong shot Li Yuanji for Li Shimin during the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Shimin trusted him even more, not only naming him the Duke of Wu, but also listing him as one of the Twenty-Four Heroes of LingYange.
In the third year of Xianqing (658), the seventy-four-year-old Wei Chigong died unexpectedly at home. When Emperor Gaozong of Tang learned of this, he was extremely saddened and personally ordered him to be posthumously honored as "Zhongwu". As the founding father of the Tang Dynasty, Wei Chigong can be described as a brilliant life. In particular, the relationship between him and Li Shimin can be used as a model for ancient monarchs.
But few people know that the relationship between Wei Chigong and Li Shimin is not as good as it seems.
Li Shimin claimed to be the empress, and Wei Chigong, who had a straight-forward nature, did not regard his once good brother as the supreme emperor. He still opened his mouth in front of Li Shimin as usual, and he spoke wherever he wanted. Although Li Shimin was somewhat dissatisfied with Wei Chigong's wanton behavior, he recalled the time when the two fought together, and he really couldn't bear to lose his temper with Wei Chigong.
In this way, Wei Chigong became more and more arrogant under the connivance of the emperor. In the eighth year of Zhenguan (634), Emperor Taizong Li Shimin feasted on guests in the imperial palace. In order to have a good time, he called all the heroes who fought together in the world, among them, naturally there was Wei Chigong. After Wei Chigong came to the palace, he sat down triumphantly, and was about to have a full meal, but found that the seats of the Chancellor Yu Wenshi were in front of him.
Usually, he maintained his own merit and did not pay attention to the scribe and this minister at all. At this time, seeing such a seating order, it was even more angry. Therefore, Wei Chigong disregarded Emperor Taizong's face and publicly rebuked Yu Scribe and said, "What great achievements have you made, and you dare to sit in front of me!" Yuwen Shi became angry after hearing this, but it was only because the emperor's face was not good.
In the face of Wei Chigong's arrogance, all the heroes were also stunned and did not know what to do, in the end, it was Taizong who came over and comforted Wei Chigong, so that Wei Chigong returned to his seat and let the banquet proceed smoothly.
Logically, Wei Chigong had played enough of his majesty in front of the chancellor, and he was not blamed by the emperor, and he should accept it when he saw it. Unexpectedly, after Wei Chigong returned to his seat, he constantly lamented that his treatment was unfair, which made the guests present feel very embarrassed. The chancellor Li Daozong saw that the emperor's face showed displeasure, so he stood up and took the initiative to persuade Wei Chigong, hoping that he would be more stable and not cause any more trouble.
However, Wei Chigong was even more angry after listening to Li Daozong's persuasion, and even directly rounded his fist and hit Li Daozong. Li Daozong hurried to dodge, but Wei Chigong had been in the battlefield for a long time, and the speed of his punches was far beyond his imagination. In this way, Wei Chigong severely injured Li Daozong's eye and almost lost his sight. At that time, Tang Taizong saw that Wei Chi gong was making such a bad fuss, so he had to hurriedly end the banquet.
After that, he ordered someone to summon Wei Chigong, and then said solemnly: "When I was reading the history books of the Han Dynasty, I saw han Xin, Peng Yue and others die, and I couldn't help but be very dissatisfied with Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao. If he had been merciful, these heroes would have been able to die well. Therefore, after ascending the throne, He has always warned himself that he must not forget his heroes. However, as a hero, you have repeatedly provoked wrongdoing, which is really too much. Now, Shuo also understood that the death of Han Xin and others could not all be counted on Han Gaozu's body. ”
Wei Chigong immediately felt a chill in his back after listening to it, and he hurriedly admitted his mistake to Emperor Taizong, saying that he would strictly restrain himself. After returning home, Wei Chigong became cautious and cautious, and no longer dared to talk nonsense in crowded places.
Later, Tang Taizong saw that Wei Chigong's behavior had relented, and only then did he put his mind at ease. In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan (639), Emperor Taizong suddenly thought that he had not seen Wei Chigong for a long time. Therefore, he ordered Wei Chigong to come and see him. After Wei Chigong came to the palace, he showed humility between his words and changed his arrogance from the past. Emperor Taizong looked into his eyes and said happily, "How do you feel that you want to marry your daughter to you?" ”
At that time, Wei Chigong was already fifty-four years old, and Li Shimin's daughter was only in her twenties. Emperor Taizong's move can be described as the emperor's grace. However, Wei Chigong listened and hurriedly said: "Although the wife of the minister is not from a good background, after all, she has been with the minister for many years. The minister did not understand any great truth, but he never dared to forget the love affair with his wife. After hearing this, Emperor Taizong was deeply moved and stopped mentioning it.
After that, Wei Chigong basically withdrew from people's field of vision.
His later life can be roughly divided into two categories:
One is to refine the elixir and prolong one's own life;
The other is to enjoy singing and dancing and enjoy life beautifully.
Therefore, after Wei Chigong's death, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, feeling the friendship between him and Emperor Taizong, specifically ordered Wei Chigong to accompany Him to the tomb of Emperor Taizong. In feudal society, this was a great gift.
In fact, throughout Wei Chigong's life, since he submitted to Tang Taizong, he relied on his own skills to save Tang Taizong from danger many times, and was deeply appreciated by Emperor Taizong. Especially after the Coup d'état at Xuanwumen, he advised Emperor Taizong to release and not kill those who followed the crown prince. Such a move not only eased the internal contradictions at that time, but also absorbed many talents for Tang Taizong.
It can be seen that Wei Chigong is a brave and resourceful person.
In addition, although Wei Chigong is proud of his achievements, from the side, isn't such an act exactly the performance of Wei Chigong's lack of heart? Therefore, such a Wei Chigong, how could Tang Taizong not like it?
Resources:
[Old Book of Tang, Taizong Benji, Seventeen Histories of Hundred Generals, Tang Wei ChiGong, Zizhi Tongjian, Vol. 191, Tang Dynasty VII]