Why did Wu Zetian, who had been on the throne for 15 years, die violently less than a year after abdicating the throne? Wu Zetian reigned for 15 years, why did he die violently less than a year after abdicating the throne? Expert: Because it was too messy before!
The year 705 (the first year of the Wu Zetian God Dragon) was disastrous for Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian, who had been sitting in the empress position for nearly 15 years, suddenly became a little overwhelmed.

In order to maintain eternal youth, Wu Zetian attracted youth nutrition from Zhang Yizhi, Zhang Changzong and other small fresh flesh. Because of the grace of Wu Zetian, the Zhang brothers temporarily fell in power to the opposition, and even Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi of the Wu family competed to pursue Erzhang, and even led horses for them.
Because Wu Zetian had entered his twilight years and his energy was not as good as before, she entrusted many affairs of the government to Erzhang, and let Erzhang become her eyes and ears and spokesman. It is said that "villains are powerful but rampant", and the erzhang brothers are no exception, interfering in the politics of the dynasty and framing Zhongliang.
Erzhang not only killed the chancellor Wei Yuanzhong, but even Princess Yongtai, the granddaughter of Wu Zetian, was framed and executed for discussing Erzhang with her husband Wu Yanji and Li Chongrun, the Prince of Shao. What's more, Erzhang not only had a grudge with the chancellor, but also obstructed Wu Zetian's return to power and Li Tang and passed on the throne to the throne, thus triggering an unprecedented tension between Wu Zetian's mother and son and the monarch and the subject.
As the saying goes, "if the moon is profitable, it will be lost, and the extremes of things will be reversed", and the two Zhangs finally came to the head, causing public indignation. At that time, Wu Zetian was already an 82-year-old man, and he was plagued by diseases, and he no longer had the agility and courage of that year. In the first month of the first year of shenlong (705), Wu Zetian was bedridden in the Yingxian Palace, and the chancellor Zhang Kamzhi and Cui Xuanwei befriended the commander of the forbidden army, Li Duozuo, pretending that Erzhang was plotting rebellion, led more than 500 forbidden troops, rushed into the palace to kill Erzhang, and then surrounded the Jixian Hall of the Yingxian Palace where Wu Zetian lived, forcing her to abdicate.
At this time, Wu Zetian had no one to be around, and a lonely old woman could only "tie her hands and submit" and was forced to give up the throne and the crown prince Li Xian. After Li Xian's restoration, Shangwu Zetian was honored with the title of "Emperor Zetian Dasheng", and subsequently, Wu Zetian was relocated to Shangyang Palace (west of Luoyang Ziwei City, also known as "West Palace").
Whether a person can survive, in addition to having a healthy body as a guarantee, must also have mental motivation as a support. Wu Zetian, who had been strong for a lifetime, suddenly fell from the clouds to the bottom, and the blow she received was fatal.
According to relevant historical records, in his later years, Wu Zetian was "good at whitewashing himself, although his descendants were on the side, he did not feel his aging." However, after she abdicated and moved into the Shangyang Palace, she no longer dressed up, and the whole person became haggard and mentally atrophied.
Experts believe that people's body and spirit have habitual "memories", just like quitting smoking and alcohol, if they break too suddenly, it will be counterproductive. Wu Zetian's performance in his later years is also in line with this meaning. The power of the past is gone, the small fresh meat of the past is gone, there is no close companionship of the young and beautiful teenager, Wu Zetian's body strides fast.
As the saying goes, when a man dies, his words mourn. When he saw his son Li Xian again, Wu Zetian had completely turned into a lonely and helpless ordinary woman. Wu Zetian wept at Li Xian, "I took you back to Shendu from Fangling, although I wanted to entrust the world to you, but the Five Thieves (referring to the Five Kings who participated in the Shenlong coup) coveted merit and alarmed me here." After hearing this, Li Xian wept bitterly and knelt down to "thank the death penalty."
"The empress dowager is good at whitewashing herself, although her children and grandchildren are on the side, she does not feel old. And in the Shangyang Palace, there is no longer a 栉頮, described as a emaciated. On the sight, frightened. The empress dowager wept: "I came from Fangling to welcome Ru, and I fixed the world to grant Ru Yi, and the five thieves were greedy for merit, and I was shocked to this point." "The Weeping of Sorrow is invincible, and the prostrate bows to the death penalty (Zizhi Tong Jian Kao Yi, Vol. XII). )”
As soon as the human spirit crosses, it is inseparable from death. Sure enough, on November 26 of the first year of the Shenlong Dynasty (December 16, 705), Wu Zetian died of illness at the Xianju Hall of Shangyang Palace at the age of eighty-two after being forced to abdicate for more than 10 months.