Xuanwu Gate Incident - Aftermath

Aftermath

Emperor Gaozu was sailing on a lake inside the Palace City during the time of the coup. Bingham (1950a) speculates that the emperor was alarmed by impending crisis, thus he withdrew himself from the situation. He also surrounded himself with senior officials who were friendly to Li Shimin, because he possibly realized that Li Shimin was the cause of this and had better military connections that provided him with the advantage. The officials were Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda, Feng Lun, Yan Shigu, Dou Dan (竇誕), and Yuwen Shiji. All, but Chen Shuda and Dou Dan, are said to have taken up important positions in the future government of Prince Li Shimin when he became emperor. During the ongoing battle, Li Shimin sent Yuchi Jingde—who was still fully armed—into the Palace City to announce the news of the situation to Emperor Gaozu. Emperor Gaozu asked what was disturbing the peace and why he has come. Yuchi Jingde replied: "The Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi committed treason. The Prince of Qin mobilized his troops and executed them. He feared that Your Imperial Majesty would be shocked and he sent me to protect you." Emperor Gaozu accepted the answer that he received from Yuchi Jingde. Subsequently, as the Zizhi Tongjian states, Emperor Gaozu turned to his officials and asked of them: "I did not anticipate that today I should see such a thing as this. What ought to be done about it?" Two of them spoke highly meritorious of Li Shimin and said that the two princely brothers were punished by Li Shimin. They also recommended Emperor Gaozu to appoint Li Shimin as the heir apparent.

At Yuchi's advice, Emperor Gaozu issued an imperial edict ordering the remaining forces to stop their resistance and to submit to Li Shimin. In the end, Li Shimin had taken full control over the Tang government. Within three days, Emperor Gaozu created Li Shimin the heir apparent. Another sixty days later, he abdicated in favor for Li Shimin. He became a Taishang Huang (Retired Emperor) himself, only appearing in public sometimes to attend ceremonial functions at court.

In 632, Ma Zhou charged that the retired Emperor Gaozu had settled in Da'an Palace (大安宮), which he considered an inhospitable place as it was built on low-lying lands at Chang'an that was plagued by dampness and heat during the summer. According to him, ever since Emperor Taizong moved to the countryside during the summers, his retired farther was left behind in Chang'an to suffer in the summer heat. However, his father would always decline any invitation to spend the summer together when Emperor Taizong eventually did invite him. Ma Zhou also charged that Emperor Taizong had not visited his father for a long time even though they lived nearby each other. Ever since the bloody palace coup, it seemed that father and son had drifted apart to an extend that their relationship never healed. In 634, Emperor Taizong launched the construction of the Daming Palace. He ordered the construction of the new summer palace for his retired farther as an act of filial piety. However, Emperor Gaozu grew ill and never bore witnessed to the palace's completion before his death in the 5th month of 635.