Li Sujie - After Consort Xiao's Death

After Consort Xiao's Death

After Consort Xiao's death, Li Sujie drew Empress Wu's suspicions because he was born of Consort Xiao. In 657, Li Sujie's title was changed to the lesser title of Prince of Xun, and around the same time, he was demoted from Qian Prefecture to the less important Shen Prefecture (申州, roughly modern Xinyang, Henan). Early in Emperor Gaozong's Qianfeng era (666-668), by Empress Wu's instigation, Emperor Gaozong further issued an edict that stated, "Because Sujie is chronically ill, he is not required to attend imperial gatherings at the capital," even though, in reality, Li Sujie was not ill, and effectively, the edict barred Li Sujie from the capital Chang'an. Saddened that he was not allowed to see his father, Li Sujie wrote an essay entitled, Commentary on Faithfulness and Filial Piety (忠孝論, which was already lost by the Five Dynasties period). His cashier Zhang Jianzhi secretly submitted the essay to Emperor Gaozong. After Empress Wu read it, it drew her ire, and she falsely accused Li Sujie of corruption. In 676, Li Sujie was demoted to the title of Prince of Poyang, exiled to Yuan Prefecture (袁州, roughly modern Yichun, Jiangxi), and put under house arrest.

In 681, Empress Wu submitted a petition for Li Sujie and his older brother Li Shangjin the Prince of Qi to be forgiven their crimes. (Li Shangjin had been previously accused of similar offenses as Li Sujie's and was similarly put under house arrest.) Emperor Gaozong made Li Sujie the prefect of Yue Prefecture (岳州, roughly modern Yueyang, Hunan), but still disallowed him and Li Shangjin to visit the capital.