The mute crown prince ascended the throne after 26 years, but only reigned for 8 months

Feudal China gave birth to many Emperors. One of the Emperors who rose to the throne in a stormy way and was also forced to powerlessly usurp the throne was Ly Tung, the 13th Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Ly Tung was the first son of Duong Duc Tong - Ly Quat. When his father ascended the throne, Ly Tung had just turned 19 and was promoted to crown prince. At that time, what people saw was a bright future with the throne waiting for him. However, the path to the throne is not easy. During the Tang Dynasty, not only was the society chaotic, but even within the royal court itself, it was also full of danger. Therefore, what Ly Tung is carrying on his shoulders is not only the responsibility of a successor but also the need to firmly maintain the position he currently has.

In essence, Ly Tung is a man of good morals, perfect in literature and martial arts, and is expected to become a prominent king in the future. At that time, both inside and outside the court greatly respected him. However, perhaps this prince's fate is destined to go through many storms. During his 26 years as crown prince, the Tang Dynasty experienced many upheavals, the most serious of which was the "Phung Thien Incident".

When ascending the throne, Emperor Duc Tong had the ambition to restore the former glory of the Tang dynasty. He began to destroy vassals from various places to consolidate and centralize power to an unprecedented level. Initially, this purge war went quite smoothly, many vassals surrendered.

However, because of the smooth start, Duong Duc Tong began to become enthusiastic as he continuously wanted to quickly complete this goal, and from there many problems arose. This bold move sparked a rebellion by vassals who were loyal to him, leaving the Tang dynasty isolated. When the situation got out of control, Duong Duc Tong had to flee to Phung Thien.

At the critical moment of the country's survival, Ly Tung bravely fought on the front lines for nearly 40 days. This battle brought the Tang Dynasty a valuable opportunity and also guaranteed the safety of the Tang Dynasty. Duc Tong Street. This incident made Duong Duc Tong have more faith in Ly Tung and further strengthened his position as crown prince.

After his days on the front lines fighting and experiencing the Phung Thien Incident, Ly Tung increasingly understood more deeply about governing a country. Although he had never experienced any struggle for the throne, he clearly understood that the struggle for power would lead to the most devastating results. Therefore, he tried his best to control his ambition and demonstrate the virtues of gentleness, humility and frugality.

When the war outside the court ended, the power struggle inside broke out again. Ly Tung's mother-in-law had a not very clean private life, and was even suspected of doing things related to evil. This directly affects Ly Tung's image and status. Duong Duc Tong extremely doubted this. As a result, Ly Tung passively fell into a secretive position, "sitting without being shot" and always having to worry about his position as crown prince, which even caused him to be imprisoned for a period of time.

Ly Tung had been crown prince for 26 years. After Duc Tong grew old, he should have helped his father manage national affairs. Unexpectedly, tragedy suddenly struck. In the winter of 804, Ly Tung suffered a stroke, paralyzed half of his body and could not speak.

On February 25, 805, Emperor Duc Tong passed away. Trinh Nhan and Ve Thu Cong, two great mandarins, were immediately summoned to the palace to draft a decree... The eunuchs thought that the crown prince was sick so succession to the throne was impossible. However, Ve Thu Cong believed that although the prince was sick, he was still the eldest son, and was not completely helpless. If someone else is chosen, I'm afraid life will be chaotic and the country will be difficult to govern. Therefore, Ly Tung - who was paralyzed and unable to speak - was brought to the throne. On February 28, Ly Tung was at the Tai Chi Palace, that is, Duong Thuan Tong.

After Ly Tung ascended the throne, his first task was to correct the chaotic situation of the eunuchs in the royal court. However, the eunuch's power at this time had become a powerful empire, and he encountered failure in this mission. On the contrary, the eunuchs used their power to put pressure on him, eventually forcing him to abdicate. Only 8 months later, he passed the throne to his son, Crown Prince Ly Thuan. What's even more sad is that just one year later, the unfortunate Emperor Ly Tung "died" from illness.

Looking back on his 26 years as crown prince, Ly Tung probably never dared to think that one day he would encounter a terrible disease, nor did he dare to think that he would live for 26 years full of such hardships and hardships. . Even though he was the successor to the throne, he still had to be "irresistible" with his own illness.

During this short reign, Ly Tung showed wisdom and tolerance but also revealed his shortcomings in the struggle for power. Ly Tung's story shows posterity a talented and virtuous crown prince whose life was full of tragedy.