Born during the reign of Wu Zetian, Li Longji grew up surviving the deadly power struggles of the imperial court. Through the Tanglong Coup, he eliminated Empress Wei's faction, and later used the Xiantian Coup to remove Princess Taiping, finally securing complete control of imperial power. During the early years of his reign, he governed with diligence and ambition, appointed capable ministers, reformed the bureaucracy, and ushered in the Kaiyuan Golden Age. In his later years, however, he gradually became complacent, indulged in pleasure, and placed his trust in treacherous ministers such as Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong. By delegating his authority and allowing information at the imperial center to become distorted, while permitting the military governors to grow increasingly powerful, he set the stage for disaster. Eventually, An Lushan launched the An Lushan Rebellion. Li Longji fled in panic and was forced to order Yang Guifei's death at Mawei Slope. The imperial authority collapsed, and the Tang Dynasty began its decline after reaching its peak.