Li Tai

The crown prince was Li Chengqian.

The second son was Li Tai.

And the third one is the one we're mainly concerned about.

This was Li Zhi.

Li Chengqian had been crown prince since six twenty-six when he was seven years old.

Like his other two brothers, his mother was Empress Zhangsun.

He had the emperorship in the bag, but his brother, Li Tai, well, he was the talented one.

He was the one who should have been named the crown prince.

They went on to have seven children, three sons and four daughters.

The three sons were Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi.

Li Chengqian was the oldest and next in line to the throne.

That is, he was the crown prince.

Some of you might remember Li Chengqian as the one in his family who really immersed himself in Turkic culture, something that was very much in vogue during the early Tang.

Egged down and assisted by his brother, Li Tai, Crown Prince Li Chengqian would later on, in the year 645, be caught plotting against his father, the emperor.

And those two brothers met a most unfortunate and dishonorable end.

And this then cleared the path for the youngest son, Li Zhi, to become crown prince.