Ancient China experienced more than 2,000 years of feudal despotism, producing more than 500 emperors, of which there was only one empress, she was Wu Zetian.
When Wu Zetian was fourteen years old, he was summoned to the harem by Emperor Taizong of Tang and Li Shimin, and was given the title of Wupincairen. Eleven years later, Emperor Taizong of Tang died, and Wu Zetian entered the Chang'an Ganye Temple as a nun.
(Wu Zetian film and television image, picture from the Internet)
After another two years, Emperor Gaozong of Tang put Wu Zetian back into the palace and made him Erpin Zhaoyi. After that, she joined forces with Li Zhi to support the Hanmen Shu clan, and defeated the noble daughters of the door valves such as Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shufei in the harem; she overthrew the powerful elder ministers led by Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang in the court, and firmly held the imperial power in the hands of the husband and wife.
In this struggle between imperial power and door valves, Wu Zetian was the representative of the Hanmen Shu clan. However, her origin was only inferior to that of the door valve nobles such as Empress Wang of the Taiyuan Wang Clan and Concubine Xiao Shufei of the Lanling Xiao Clan. In fact, Wu Zetian was also born in a rich family, and her father was not only valuable, but also rich.
Wu Zetian's father was a samurai, a native of Wenshui, Shanxi, who was initially just a merchant. During the Reign of the Sui Dynasty, the sui dynasty built a palace in a large number of buildings, and the samurai took the opportunity to manage timber to earn millions of family fortunes.
(Li Yuan's film and television image, picture from the Internet)
However, as we all know, the ancient merchants had no social status to speak of, and were at the bottom of the "scholar, peasant, industrial and commercial" class rankings. No matter how rich you are, as long as you are a businessman, it is difficult to have a way to become an official.
But the samurai did not obey fate, he had a brain, an idea, and a determination to change his life.
Merchants as high-ranking officials, not in history, the Qin State Minister Lü Buwei is one. Lü Buwei was originally a large merchant in the Warring States period, doing business between countries, and when he was in Handan in the Zhao kingdom, he met the Qin prince Yiren who was a hostage in the Zhao kingdom. Lü Buwei managed to make friends with the infidels, and lobbied and paid for them to become the prince of the Qin state. Later, he once again helped yiren to successfully escape back to the Qin state to succeed to the throne, and he himself became the minister of the Qin state, a very popular subject. This is the story of "strange goods can be lived", the stranger is "strange goods", Lü Buwei saw his value, and finally made a big deal.
(Lü Buwei film and television image, picture from the Internet)
Lü Buwei's success may have inspired the samurai Yan, who also had the wisdom to make friends with Li Yuan.
His friendship with Li Yuan is very unusual, very, very good. By chance, Samurai Yan and Li Yuan met, and he warmly entertained Li Yuan, often letting him stay at home, and formed a deep friendship.
In the last year of the Sui Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and the samurai Yan supported Li Yuan to raise an army against the Sui. He paid for and fully funded Li Tang to ensure the logistics supply of the army. The Li family was finally able to seize the throne, and the samurai made great contributions, and he became the founding hero of the Li Tang Dynasty.
(Li Yuan, picture from the Internet)
After the establishment of Li Tang, in order to reward the samurai Yan, Li Yuan promoted him to Kubu Langzhong and listed him as the 13th "Taiyuan Yuanmou Hero".
With the improvement of social status, samurai also married a famous and noble woman. You must know that the Shu clan and the Wang clan are very different. It was more difficult for the Shu clan to marry a noble woman than to ascend to the heavens, and the samurai from the merchant background had never dared to think about it before.
The original wife of samurai was the Sari clan and had two sons. But then his wife died, and Li Yuan personally married him, giving him a woman from the Yang clan of Hongnong. This family is very prominent, and in order to show their noble status, the Sui Dynasty royal family must be related to the Hongnong Yang clan.
The Yang family daughter was already forty-four years old at this time, and although she was old, there were many people like this famous and noble woman who were vying to marry. It is said that she was originally a non-marriageist, but because the emperor gave the marriage, she still agreed to marry the samurai.
This noble daughter of the Yang clan was Wu Zetian's mother.
(Yang's film and television image, picture from the Internet)
The samurai saw the pearls and made himself embark on the peak of his life.
Moreover, his relationship with Li Yuan is sincere and noble, and it is not simply used.
In May of the ninth year of Zhenguan (635), Li Yuan died. When samurai heard the news, he was so sad that he couldn't afford to fall ill. Li Shimin sent famous doctors to diagnose and treat many times, but still died due to ineffective medical treatment, at the age of 59.
Two years later, Li Shimin remembered The Samurai And heard that his daughter "Rong Zhimei" (容止美), so he summoned her to the palace and gave her the title of "Wu Mei". Since then, Wu Zetian has begun her legendary life.