As the only female emperor in the thousands of years of history of China's feudal society, I believe that many people are not strangers to Wu Zetian. The story of her entering the palace since she entered the palace since she was a child, and since then she has been patient, cautious, and used her wisdom to bring down one opponent after another and finally take power and successfully stand at the top, is very inspiring to many people.
She was elected to the palace at the age of fourteen, from a palace maid to a talented person of Tang Taizong, and after Emperor Taizong's death, she was loved by Emperor Gaozong, and was given the title of Zhaoyi, and sat in the position of empress in the competition of various beauties. Maybe she began to think about going further at this time, but she probably didn't know her next direction at that time, let alone that she would become emperor of the Great Zhou.
But later after Emperor Gaozong's death, she first made the young emperor the real ruler, and finally sat directly in this position herself. Among other things, the most powerful thing about Wu Zetian is that she dares to challenge the authority of the entire society with her own strength. Such a person can achieve things because she has the courage and ability, and later historical facts have proved this.
However, no matter how strong a person is, he cannot be separated from her family, and a good family education can cultivate a good person, which is beyond doubt, Wu Zetian's father died early, and it was her mother who had a greater impact on her. Next, let's talk about her mother's story.
What kind of person was her mother?
In today's terms, her mother was a very cultivated and temperamental goddess. This is not an exaggeration on my part, it is.
Her mother, Yang, was born into a family of eunuchs. His father was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and his uncle was the King of Guan of the Sui Dynasty. With such a background, there will definitely be many people who are touched by Yang's heart.
And she is not only beautiful in appearance, but also very cultivated. Since she was a child, she did not like the female red set, but was interested in various books. Her father was also more enlightened, and in order to make her study hard, he also found someone to teach her, and Yang's knowledge was quite extensive, not only in the collection of epic poems, music etiquette, but also in the Dharma she would read.
Immersed in books day by day, people naturally become more and more elegant. Therefore, such a rich and talented official, the suitors naturally lined up, and thought that in the end she would choose a prince who was commensurate with her, but perhaps the study of Buddhism was too deep, or perhaps she saw the final fate of the Sui Dynasty, and she actually left home at the time of the good years. This is a few years.
How much influence did she have on Wu Zetian's later life?
In 623, Yang Shi, who was still in the temple, met The Samurai Yan, at that time he was just an ordinary officer with no background, but Yang Shi took a fancy to him, and she took a fancy to the person in front of her, so she was also vulgar and married him.
There are also two boys in the samurai family, left by their deceased wives earlier, and these two brothers are very bad for the Yang family. In 624, Wu Zetian was born, but the Wu brothers were very bad for her, and later their father died, and they became even more serious.
Perhaps in order to avoid these two brothers, the Yang clan would send the second daughter Wu Zetian to the palace early, hoping that she would be favored by the emperor, so that she herself could be better.
From then on, until Wu Zetian ascended the throne, the change in her personality during this period came half from her later experiences and half from her mother's teachings. She was very simple when she entered the palace, and she was still a little girl. It was the subsequent struggles that made her more complex and more deliberate.
The Yang clan "guided" her more than once after she gained power, and when she became empress, the Wu brothers were also promoted. Although it was because of this sister, the brothers were not grateful and did not take her and Yang in their eyes.
So Yang Shi privately told her that if these two people continue to be promoted, it will definitely be unfavorable to you in the future, and carefully analyzed it. Eventually, at the instigation of Wu Zetian, the two brothers were demoted and died shortly thereafter.
It can be seen that she has a certain influence on Wu Zetian's personality change after entering the palace.
Emperor Wu had raised male pets, was this related to the Yang clan? Is she a promiscuous person?
Many people have said that the character of the son is often like the father, while the character of the daughter is often like the mother. At this point, Wu Zetian and Yang Shi are consistent, at least, in some respects.
The advantages of the Yang family are obvious, generally knowledgeable, cultivated, long-term vision, and also very decisive. If it were a man, it would have been a hero in that period. But she has one stain that can't be washed away, and that is the unrequited love affair with her grandson.
According to historical records, she and her eldest daughter's son, Helan Min, committed incest. This grandson of hers was beautiful and very charming, and had once been defiled by Princess Taiping. Therefore, it is not too much to say that she is sexually immoral and immoral.
But if you change it, if she is a man, she is not in line with the girl. Then in that society where a man has more than one wife, perhaps he will not be criticized by so many people.