After Emperor Zhongzong's Death
In summer 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly -- a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning carried out by Empress Wei and Li Guo'er. Soon, though, Empress Wei was overthrown in a coup led by Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping and his nephew Li Longji the Prince of Linzi. Emperor Zhongzong's brother Li Dan the Prince of Xiang, himself a former emperor, was restored to the throne (as Emperor Ruizong). After Emperor Ruizong took the throne, the censor Ni Ruoshui (倪若水) indicted Zhu Qinming and Guo Shanyun for flattering Empress Wei and misleading Emperor Zhongzong. Emperor Ruizong demoted Zhu to be the prefect of Rao Prefecture (饒州, roughly modern Shangrao, Jiangxi). At a later point, he was recalled to be an imperial scholar at Chongwen Pavilion (崇文館), and died while serving in that role.
Read more about this topic: Zhu Qinming
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“When death comes too near, comedy and tragedy fall silent.”
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