The Case of Prince Xiang's Subordinates Being Exiled as Empress Wei's Partisans in the First Year of Shenlong

In the first year of the Shenlong era (705 AD), shortly after Emperor Zhongzong of Tang was restored to the throne, Empress Wei and Wu Sansi conspired to control the court. Feeling threatened by Prince Xiang (Li Dan, the former Emperor Ruizong), they sought to weaken his influence. The censor Dou Congyi, at their behest, impeached several key subordinates of Prince Xiang’s mansion, including officials Liu Youqiu, Wang Ju, and Zhang Wei, accusing them of secretly colluding with Empress Wei’s faction and plotting misconduct. Although the charges were fabricated to purge the prince's loyalists, Emperor Zhongzong accepted the accusations. The accused were convicted as "Empress Wei’s partisans" and sentenced to exile in the remote Lingnan region or demoted to minor provincial posts, effectively dismantling Prince Xiang’s political network at the capital.

The accused officials, including Liu Youqiu and Wang Ju, were convicted of being illicit partisans of Empress Wei. They were exiled to the harsh Lingnan territories or demoted to distant provincial posts, while several other minor functionaries in the prince's mansion also faced administrative demotions.

Whether the Prince Xiang's subordinates genuinely colluded with Empress Wei's faction as part of a conspiracy, or whether the charges were entirely fabricated by Wu Sansi and his allies to politically weaken Prince Xiang and remove his loyal retainers from court.

The case deepened the hostility between Prince Xiang's supporters and the Empress Wei faction, further polarizing the imperial court. It silenced many loyal to the prince but also fueled resentment in the capital. The purge contributed to the eventual rebellion and coup known as the Tanglong Coup (710 AD), led by Prince Xiang’s son Li Longji, which overthrew Empress Wei's regime and fundamentally reshaped the Tang imperial succession.