From 684 to 705 AD, Wu Zetian established the Wuzhou regime. This "strong woman" has been a female emperor for 21 years with her own talents. Before Wu Meiniang became emperor, the Tang Dynasty had been in operation for decades, and there were still many nobles and powerful ministers loyal to Li Surname Jiangshan in the imperial court, so Wu Zetian had to solve some political stumbling blocks after he came to power. Prime Minister Pei Yan is one of them. Pei Yan was born into a famous family and was known for his talent and learning in the imperial court, so Emperor Gaozong of Tang left him to the crown prince Li Xian, and put him in charge of assisting the crown prince.
However, Pei Yan seems to be a bit too literati, with good literary talent but lack of political ability. According to historical records, this old brother could even fight with prince Li Xian for a little trivial matter to get a blushing neck. After the two tore their faces, Pei Yan immediately chose to "join forces" with Empress Wu, and it was not long before the prince was deposed. It is reasonable to say that this prime minister helped Wu Zetian solve a major obstacle to the emperor, and he should have been deeply valued, but Pei Yan still could not get rid of the tragic result of being killed by Empress Wu. So why was Pei Yan killed by Wu Zetian?
It is rumored that after this powerful minister wrote the two words "Green Goose", Wu Zetian was so angry that he immediately moved to kill the machine. Originally, when Wu Zetian wanted to be emperor, a person named Xu Jingye had openly opposed her, and even wrote a text against Wu Cao, and officially raised an army to attack Wu Hou. This Xu Jingye may not be very famous, but when it comes to his father, no one knows. Xu Jingye's father is the famous Xu Maogong. According to historical records, this benevolent brother seems to be Zhuge Liang of Wagangzhai, known for his clever calculations. And Xu Jingye is the son of this founding hero.
At that time, after Xu Jingye raised an army to fight against Wu, Pei Yan wrote a letter to him, but his letter did not fall into Xu Jingye's hands, but was intercepted by Wu Zetian. When Wu Hou saw the word "Green Goose" written on the letter, he was instantly angry and "ran away" and immediately killed Pei Yan. At that time, the hundred officials of the imperial court did not understand why Wu Zetian had put the prime minister to death because of two words. Wu Zetian then asked these people to take apart the "green goose" and see it. After Wu Zetian nodded, everyone could see clearly.
The green characters are taken apart to mean "December", and "goose" means "I am self". So the correct solution of "Green Goose": I (Pei Yan) will cooperate with Xu Jingye in December. Since Pei Yan was ready to betray Wu Zetian for Neiying, Empress Wu could only put him to death in exchange for peace. However, this incident is from the Tang Notes novel, not a thing recorded in the history, so it is not convincing, so it cannot be history. So what is the real cause of Pei Yan's death in history?
Simply put, Pei Yan died in a power struggle. This benevolent brother is talented but has no political skills. First of all, he was a minister left by Emperor Zhongzong, in other words, Pei Yan was a staunch supporter of the Li Tang Dynasty, which was not good for Wu Zetian. Secondly, after Xu Jingye raised his army, this elder brother also took the opportunity to let Empress Wu hand over the power, which made people feel a bit in collusion with Xu Jingye. In the end, Pei Yan had deposed Li Xian because of his disagreement with the crown prince, and it was difficult for him to reassure Wu Zetian because of his "criminal record". Therefore, under the influence of these factors, it was not surprising that Wu Zetian killed him.