[4] They kept it well hidden for many years, as monks were not supposed to have intimate relationships, and Gaoyang herself was already betrothed to a rich noble named Fang Yi'ai (房遺愛).
Afterward, she led a dissolute private life, having extramarital affairs with the monks Zhixu and Huigong, and the Taoist priest Li Hu.
The alleged affair between Princess Gaoyang and the Buddhist monk Bianji is the most serious accusation against her and the reason for her bad reputation in history.
Nowadays, because there is no more detailed historical evidence to support it, although later researchers have raised various doubts and questions about this matter, they are still not enough to overturn the New Book of Tang's definition of Princess Gaoyang.
However, instead of animosity and resentment, Gaoyang and Fang Yi'ai grew closer and bonded over their mutual hatred for the imperial court.
Gaoyang and her husband gathered an army and led a rebellion against her brother[7] Emperor Gaozong and his wife Empress Wu.