Li Sujie , formally the Prince of Xu, was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the fourth son of Emperor Gaozong, born of his one-time favorite Consort Xiao. After Consort Xiao and Emperor Gaozong's wife Empress Wang were deposed and executed due to the machinations of Emperor Gaozong's second wife Empress Wu, Li Sujie was under the watchful eyes of Empress Wu, and was several times demoted on accusations of misbehavior. In 690, with Empress Wu serving as empress dowager and regent over her son Emperor Ruizong, she began to massacre Tang imperial clan members in preparation of seizing the throne herself, and she summoned Li Sujie and his older brother Li Shangjin to the then-capital Luoyang. When they arrived near Luoyang, Empress Dowager Wu had him strangled, while Li Shangjin committed suicide.
Before Consort Xiao's death
Li Sujie was born in 646, when his father Li Zhi was crown prince under his grandfather Emperor Taizong. He was Li Zhi's fourth son, and he was born of Li Zhi's then-favorite concubine, Consort Xiao. After Emperor Taizong's death in 649, Li Zhi succeeded him, and in 651 created Li Sujie the Prince of Yong and gave him titularly the important post of prefect of the capital prefecture, Yong Prefecture. It was said that Li Sujie could recite 500-word ancient poems, and was studious in studying under the scholar Xu Qidan. He was said to be much loved by Emperor Gaozong. When he grew older, he was made the prefect of Qi Prefecture. Meanwhile, Li Sujie's mother Consort Xiao was locked in a fierce battle with Consort Wu for the affections of Emperor Gaozong, in which she allied herself with the emperor's primary wife Empress Wang. In 655, Consort Wu accused Empress Wang and her mother Lady Liu of engaging in witchcraft, and in response, Emperor Gaozong deposed and imprisoned not only Empress Wang, but also Consort Xiao, replacing Empress Wang with Consort Wu. Soon thereafter, the deposed Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were executed on Empress Wu's orders.
After Consort Xiao's death
After Consort Xiao's death, Li Sujie drew Empress Wu's suspicions because he was born of Consort Xiao. In 657, Li Sujie's title was changed to the lesser title of Prince of Xun, and around the same time, he was demoted from Qian Prefecture to the less important Shen Prefecture. Early in Emperor Gaozong's Qianfeng era, by Empress Wu's instigation, Emperor Gaozong further issued an edict that stated, "Because Sujie is chronically ill, he is not required to attend imperial gatherings at the capital," even though, in reality, Li Sujie was not ill, and effectively, the edict barred Li Sujie from the capital Chang'an. Saddened that he was not allowed to see his father, Li Sujie wrote an essay entitled, Commentary on Faithfulness and Filial Piety. His cashier Zhang Jianzhi secretly submitted the essay to Emperor Gaozong. After Empress Wu read it, it drew her ire, and she falsely accused Li Sujie of corruption. In 676, Li Sujie was demoted to the title of Prince of Poyang, exiled to Yuan Prefecture, and put under house arrest. In 681, Empress Wu submitted a petition for Li Sujie and his older brother Li Shangjin the Prince of Qi to be forgiven their crimes. Emperor Gaozong made Li Sujie the prefect of Yue Prefecture, but still disallowed him and Li Shangjin to visit the capital.
Death
Around the new year 684, Emperor Gaozong died and was succeeded by Empress Wu's third son Li Xiǎn, but Empress Wu took on actual regent powers as empress dowager, and later in 684, when Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of disobeying her, she deposed him and replaced him with her fourth son Li Dan, but held even firmer grip on power thereafter. In spring 684, she created Li Sujie the greater title of Prince of Ge and soon thereafter changed his title to Prince of Xu, making him the prefect of Jiang Prefecture. In 690, Empress Dowager Wu was poised to take the throne herself as "emperor," and was carrying out massacres of Tang imperial clan members and others whom she perceived to be threats, using a number of secret police officers to carry out tortures and executions. Her powerful nephew Wu Chengsi instructed one of the secret police officers, Zhou Xing, to falsely accuse Li Sujie and Li Shangjin of treason. She ordered them to report to Luoyang, which she had made capital. Li Sujie was heading to Luoyang from his then-post Shu Prefecture, when he heard family members mourning a person's death crying bitterly, and he made the comment, "Dying of illness is fortunate and difficult to get. Why do they cry?" As he was in Luoyang's vicinity, Empress Dowager Wu ordered that he be strangled. Empress Dowager Wu also killed nine of Li Sujie's sons, but four youngest sons were spared and imprisoned at Lei Prefecture. After her death in 705, Emperor Zhongzong was restored to the throne, and Li Sujie was posthumously honored the Prince of Xu and reburied with honor near Emperor Gaozong's tomb. His son Li Guan was created the Prince of Xu to succeed him, and later, during the reign of Li Sujie's nephew Emperor Xuanzong, two other sons, Li Lin and Li Qiu were created princes as well.
