gaozong received helu's plea and agreed to his request, despite a tang law ordering the execution of captured rebel generals and kings. in accordance with confucian rituals, he was sent to taizong's tomb where gaozong spared his life, and then to the capital's ancestral temple where the captive was presented again, mirroring ancient rituals celebrating victorious armies. helu felt disgraced by taizong and committed suicide a year later while still in captivity. he was buried in a mound decorated with a stele outside the emperor's park. the tomb served as a military trophy, visible to the emperor's visitors entering the park, symbolizing the loyalty of the qaghan to the emperor and the tang military victories against the western turks.