The mystery left by Wu Zetian to posterity
Wu Zetian
China's only empress, Wu Zetian, was strong all her life, but she dropped such a sentence when she was dying.
"Go to the Emperor's Trumpet, and call it the Heavenly Saint Empress",
And her wordless monument, the powerful Wu Zetian, the dying is to penetrate life and understand the world' enlightenment? Or did the strong man finally fail to overcome the traditional concept of the prince in the matter of establishing a prince, and was disappointed in power? And as the only empress in her personal private life, she only respects the imperial power, and cannot blatantly set up a "harem" like a male emperor, and there is no sadness of feminism (of course, the heavens do not have the concept of feminism)? Or did fifty years of power-to-ry feel tired and repentant?
A wordless monument, let future generations evaluate, they are not good at positioning themselves, and their merits are ruined. Therefore, the history of future generations is divided into opinions, both experts and folks. So let's start with Wu Zetian's experience.
Wu Zetian's abilities, tactics, power techniques, and healing skills. No matter from the plot to the cure, it is inseparable from a "poison" word.
Wu Cao (624–705) is also known as Wu Zetian (meaning Wu Zetian's name later). Shanxi and Zhou Wenshui people. The only recognized orthodox empress in Chinese history. In the Tang Dynasty, it is also counted as the three generations of Li and Tang, and even the Zhou itself is four generations. I don't know if it is counted as a few dynasties, anyway, history does not call it so, no matter the harem vestibule, it is quite embarrassing for her to say that she has, which may be her dying sorrow, or there is no feminism, no matter how strong it is, it must submit to tradition. As an empress in Chinese history, she has the ability to govern the country, the ability to tolerate people, the wisdom of knowing people, the art of using people, and she also has the hand of killing, the poison of destroying people, the desire of people, and the tiredness of being a person.
1. Emperor Gaozong recalled Wu Meiniang from Ganye Temple
Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian served li and tang for three generations, namely Li Shiming, Li Zhi, and his sons Li Xian and Li Dan.
In 624 AD, that is, Tang Gaozu Wude was born in Chang'an on the twenty-third day of the seventh month of the seventh year, her father Wu Shiyan, although he was a Tang Dynasty nobleman, but his ancestors were not prominent, his ancestral home was Wenshui (present-day Wenshui, Shanxi), his father was in the Sui Dynasty, because the imperial court built a large number of civil engineering, in line with the situation to do timber business, the result was to become rich, in the process of doing business, officials and businessmen colluded, and the magnates had interests, that is, they funded Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, and also got a position as a junior officer. In 617 AD, Li Yuan raised an army, Wu Zetian's father was born as a merchant, who could take care of logistics, and followed Li Yuan as a quartermaster, and finally Li Yuan conquered Chang'an, and his father Wu Yan guaranteed logistics meritorious service, and on the merits of the worship of Guanglu Dafu, the Duke of Taiyuan, included in the ranks of fourteen founding heroes, and became a new upstart of the Tang Dynasty. In 620, Wu Zetian's father married the daughter of Yang Da, a prominent figure of the Sui Dynasty, and later gave birth to three daughters, the second daughter being Wu Zetian. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, the concept of the door is quite serious, his family's door has only begun to rise from his father, and there is still widespread discrimination against the upstarts like his father in public opinion, although the same is noble, but because of the difference in the status of the family lineage, so Wu Zetian has felt this difference since childhood, when she became an empress, she began to retaliate against those who discriminated against her, especially the Guan Long nobles. In the tenth year of Zhenguan, that is, in 636 AD, Empress Taizong's eldest grandson died of illness, and Emperor Taizong saw that Wu Zetian was beautiful and outstanding, and recruited into the palace to become a "talented person", which was a very low-level concubine, and was only fourteen years old at the time. Emperor Taizong gave her the name Wu Mei Niang.
Before Tang Taizong died, he met the crown prince Li Zhi in front of Emperor Taizong's sickbed, and the two secretly had a love affair, and they did something on the side of the Huan Domain (toilet), in 649, Emperor Taizong died of illness, and the wucai people who had been in the palace for 13 years did not give birth to a man and a half a woman to Emperor Taizong.
When Emperor Taizong died, Emperor Gaozong succeeded him, remembering Wu Meiniang, who had already committed himself to him, and recalled Wu Meiniang from Ganye Temple two years later.
2. Wu Meiniang's tactics
Concubine Xiao
When Empress Wu and Concubine Xiao shu were competing for favors, Empress Wang encouraged Emperor Gaozong to take Wu Meiniang back to the palace and make the master to let Wu Meiniang grow her hair, and Empress Wang did not feel that she had lured the wolf into the room. Wu Meiniang was also very grateful to Empress Wang, and had great respect for Empress Wang, and the empress Dowager Wang who was waiting for her was also very thoughtful. Both the emperor and the empress were happy, and Wu Meiniang, who had passed the age of style and posture, did her best to charm, exerted her feminine skills, and teased Gaozong's potential, and her status rose to "Zhaoyi", and the harem ranked fifth. After Wu Meiniang entered the palace, she basically let Emperor Gaozong spoil her alone, and gave birth to four men and two women before and after, Wu Meiniang's goal was to become an empress, refusing to live under the people, after giving birth to children, her position was consolidated, and she encircled the eunuch palace women, especially those who had a bad relationship with Xiao Shufei, united with empress Wang, attacked Xiao Shufei, and finally let Gaozong abolish Xiao Shufei as a concubine, and the next goal was to depose Empress Wang, at any cost.
Wu Zetian married Empress Wang
Wu Zetian (we don't call her Wu Mei Niang here, it should be Wu Zhaoyi, for convenience, call wu Zetian), giving birth to the second child is a girl, Gaozong and the empress are very fond of it, Empress Wang went to visit the girl one day, and when Emperor Gaozong was about to come, Empress Wang left knowingly, the empress just left, Wu Zetian knew that the emperor was coming, he strangled the girl to death, disguised the quilt, Gaozong came, to see his daughter, pulled open the quilt Wu Zetian lost her voice and cried, the daughter died. In Wu Zetian's crying, I don't know if it is a little remorseful, after all, the tiger poison does not eat children, let alone people with flesh and blood! Power made people lose their minds, and finally blamed the queen. Finally, in 655 AD, on October 13 of the fifth year of Emperor Gaozong's reign, Emperor Gaozong issued an edict deposing Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu as shuren, and six days later, Wu Zetian made Wu Zetian empress, and Wu Zetian beat them with a hundred rods each, cut off their feet, and soaked them in a wine urn and tortured them to death, perhaps to avenge the daughter of the previous empress who was pinched to death by herself. Wu Zetian's scheming skills have come to this point, for the sake of power, in the heartbroken Wu Zetian, how pale the affection is in the face of power! From then on, the concubines of the palace did not dare to let Emperor Gaozong be favored, and tried to stay as far away as possible.
3. Wu Zetian's power technique
Wu Zetian bowed to the government
In 655, after Emperor Gaozong established Wu Zetian as empress, he began to exercise the power of the empress, Emperor Gaozong was cowardly by nature, so he was easily swayed by the ministers, and now a strong empress natural power was slowly excessive, coupled with the problem of Gaozong's late headwind, more things were handled by Wu Zetian.
Li Zhi had eight sons: Zhong, Xiao, Shangjin, Sujie, Hong, Xian, Xian, and Dan. The latter four were all born to Wu Zetian, and the eldest son, Li Zhong, was ten years older than Li Hong, who was born to Wu Zetian. In 652, Li Zhong was made crown prince, and a year later Li Hong was born, and Wu Zetian used Xu Jingzong to overthrow Li Zhong's qualification as crown prince and make Li Hong crown prince, and when the new prince grew up, he showed integrity, kindness, and fruit, as well as sympathy for the two daughters of the deposed prince and Xiao Shufei. Asking Emperor Gaozong to release them caused Wu Zetian to be uneasy. So Wu Zetian quietly poisoned his own son Li Hong. Immediately after the establishment of Li Xian, the 20-year-old Li Xian was intelligent and studious, discerning right from wrong, and was deeply loved by Emperor Gaozong, Wu Zetian was strict with Li Xian, and finally he was afraid that Li Xian would be difficult to control, and under the pretext of Li Xian's lust, he let Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi depose and let his third son Li Xian be crown prince. In the fifth year of Xianqing (660), Emperor Gaozong was seriously ill and could not see, and all the major affairs of the imperial court, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, were handed over to Wu Zetian for adjudication, and Wu Zetian was very decisive in handling things, and Emperor Gaozong was also satisfied. Later, Wu Zetian held the military and political power and insisted on going his own way, and it was too late for Emperor Gaozong to take back the imperial power, and after Emperor Gaozong instructed Shangguan Yi to abolish the edict, Wu Zetian knew that he had reprimanded Emperor Gaozong, and Wu Zetian asked the chancellor Xu Jingzong to falsely accuse Shangguan Yi of rebellion, and by the way, even the crown prince Li Zhong, whom they had served, was executed. Shangguan Yi destroyed the three tribes, leaving only one granddaughter, Shangguan Wan'er, who played a key role in the future in the changes in the imperial court. From then on, When Emperor Gaozong came to the dynasty, Wu Zetian hung the curtain, no matter how big or small, and all participated. The power of the imperial court was vested in Wu Zetian.
I don't know when Emperor Gaozong began to sense that a series of potentially major changes had taken place in the imperial court under his rule, and in less than five years of Wu Zetian's canonization, the imperial chancellors Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, Han Yao, and Liu Shuang were exiled and died unknown. Prince Zhong was deposed. The year number has been changed repeatedly, the official titles have been changed, the court is still the same, and the system is refreshed. Strangers to the people and things around them are getting strangers. In 683, Emperor Gaozong fell ill and died, and the weak Li Xian succeeded to the throne for Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, and within two months Emperor Zhongzong showed dissatisfaction with his mother's actions. Wu Zetian immediately convened a meeting at the Qianyuan Palace, deposed Li Xian as the King of Luling, imprisoned him in the deep palace, and killed his son Li Xian the next day after the abolition of Li Xian. The fourth son Li Dan was Tang Ruizong, that is, he put on a puppet, and all matters large and small were decided by Wu Zetian, who had the interest and desire to be emperor. So the cabinet was reorganized and the era name was changed. Quell Xu Jingye's rebellion.
4. Wu Zetian's healing technique. Take the word "poison" to the extreme.
On September 9, 690, on the Chongyang Festival, Wu Zetian, who was more than a year old, changed his life to Yuan Tianzhi and established his own Great Zhou Dynasty, calling himself the "Holy Spirit Emperor", and at the same time demoting Tang Ruizong to the position of imperial heir, and the crown prince Li Chengqi was also demoted to the position of imperial grandson. It opened an alternative method of ascending the throne in Chinese history, and the royal family was brought down.
After coming to power, the target of the attack was Li Tangzong's chamber, and the imperial court generally had anti-martial intentions, and Li Zhen, the king of Yue, was executed, and at the request of Di Renjie, more than 5,000 families were spared the killing of more than 600 or 700 families. Li Sujie, the Prince of Xu, who was born to Concubine Xiao Shu, and his ninth son. Forced Emperor Gaozong's third son, Li Shangjin the Prince of Ze, to hang himself, and seven of his sons were killed. He also killed Li Ying, the eldest son of Li Yuanxiao, the 21st son of Tang Gaozu, and 12 other members of the clan and accused him of being pro-party. Sima Guang said in the Zizhi Tongjian: "The Tang Dynasty's imperial chamber is exhausted."
Wu Zetian used cool officials to make whole people
There is also a so-called "perverse act" of the target of the strike. Prime Ministers Feng Yuanchang, Liu Yizhi, the famous generals Black Tooth Changzhi, Li Xiaoyi, and the Right Guard general Li Jing. are in columns.
In this way, she was opposed not only by his political enemies, but also by her cronies. Not only did they attack political enemies, but they also had to endure the pain of cutting off their loved cronies, and had to use torture, and the cool officials Lai Junchen, Zhou Xing, and Suo Yuanli appeared in the court at this time, causing the other ministers to retreat. Reward for reporting and false accusations of innocence. There are many innocent people.
4 Wu Zetian's exploits were only in her policies
1. Carry out reforms to break the control of the Guanlong clan over the political situation, the Sui and Tang dynasties were all born in the Guanlong nobles, and the representative figures Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang all believed that Wu Zetian was born in a slightly cold background and was not qualified to be an empress, as well as opposed Wu Zetian Xu's dedication and li zhen. It restricted the participation of the Guanlong nobles in politics and deliberations, and used people from lower levels to participate in political affairs. Because the Officials of the Shu nationality from the lower levels are more pragmatic and love the people, they have a role in promoting the development and production of the common people.
2. The implementation of the examination system, the reuse of The Shu people, the improvement of the participation of the Shu people in politics, breaking the concept of the door, the recruitment of talents in the new category, can be recommended or self-recommended, the name Di Renjie, Zhang Kamzhi, Yao Chong, etc. are thus up, so that social talents are widely used, not the hereditary monopoly of power in the Guanlong area.
3. Heavy farming, development of agriculture, reclamation of wasteland, promotion of governors of prefectures and counties with surplus grain. Officials who slack off and lazy government were punished, which developed a social economy and prospered the market. The population increased from 3.8 million to 6.5 million.
The troubles of a generation of empresses, the choice between private life and the prince
Wu Zetian and Xue Huaiyi
1. One of the troubles, the empress's private life, this topic is forbidden here, but the topic of Wu Zetian is inextricable, even the Old Book of Tang is recorded. So let's be subtle.
Although Wu Zetian became emperor, killing decisively and wielding boundless power, in feudal society, she still did not jump out of the secular concept of male power society. This is also the reason why she can put it down when she is dying, see through all the things in the world, and also feel that "many things in ancient and modern times are paid for laughter and talk" "The world is black and white, and the exchanges are for honor and disgrace." The glory is at peace with itself, and the humiliating one is determined to be at peace" (from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms), a kind of open-mindedness. Why fight any longer?
Wu Zetian and Zhang brothers
Wu Zetian, who is in his sixties, is still young and immortal. Decades of court struggles, court rivalries, and indulgence, but the tradition of patriarchal society still imprisons her footsteps as a strong woman, and at first she only sneaks through Shangguan Wan'er's promotion, and raises a Jianwei Fengyi, black tower-like Xue Huaiyi (Feng Xiaobao). Releasing the tiredness of decades of imperial court struggle, and then packaging himself as a monk for Xue Huaiyi's convenience in and out, he was found by the ministers to have many criticisms and dissatisfaction, and the imperial power "under the whole world, can not be the king's subjects." "It doesn't work for her here, if it is a male public establishment system, the three palaces, six courts, and seventy-two concubines are all righteous." Later, in the name of the aether doctor and the two brothers of the Zhang family, these male favorites died in the capital.
Wu Zetian and Mian Shou
There is also a familiar Song Zhiqing, with his appearance and poetry and other skills, he is also eager to try to make noodles and eat soft rice. When she exercised her monarchy, she did not dare to break through tradition to change women's rights, which was also one of her last sighs. Finally, the emperor who felt boundless power was also unable to do so. Finally, I thought that I was still a woman, and I would be an empress dowager when I was dying.
Prime Minister Di Renjie
2. The second annoyance is the prince's choice. It is said that the selection of the prince is a state affair, but most of the people involved in the selection of the prince do not have a good end, because of the problem of standing, so the state affairs are often handled according to the royal family affairs. Many people still have to speak for the Li family to break through this taboo, but Wu Zetian's choice of whether the prince chooses the surname "Li" or the surname "Wu" is a major difficulty in front of her. Because he saw that the authority of the Li family in the future was still stronger than that of their martial family.
Wu Zetian consolidated his power and throne, but he was always troubled by the issue of succession to the throne, and he was embarrassed by his nephews as prime ministers and generals, exempting Wu from the tax of servitude. This also prompted his nephew Wu Chengsi's desire for the throne. In 693, Wu Zetian held a memorial ceremony at the Vientiane Shrine, unexpectedly making his nephew Wu Chengsi offer ya and Wu Sansi as the final offering, while the official crown prince Li Dan was left out in the cold, very embarrassed. This was also the experimental bureau smoke bomb released by Wu Zetian to see the reaction of the ministers and the imperial family. It was also an open encouragement to nephews to prepare for succession.
However, Wu Zetian's behavior was fiercely opposed by Di Renjie, the chancellor he regarded as an arm. This made Wu Zetian extremely contradictory, and he thought that after a hundred years, his nephews would not be able to withstand the pressure of the ministers in all aspects, and the world would be in chaos, and the martial family would be destroyed. Di Renjie said that even if the martial family inherits, you will not be able to reach the ancestral temple, and there is no rule for your aunt to enter the family temple since history, because you are a married girl and an outsider. If you are still the orthodox Empress Zetian in the Li family, whether Li Xian or Li Dan will give you an orthodox name, in a feudal society where death is not reborn, if the throne is passed to the martial family, it is nothing. Wu Zetian seemed to see that after his death, the imperial court was out of control, the royal family Ge, the sword and light sword shadow, no doubt the world supported Li Tang, and finally their Wu surnames were all exterminated and wiped out of the three tribes. It made her shudder at the thought of these.
The contradiction between Wu Zetian's succession to the throne was finally solved by Di Renjie, who persuaded Wu Zetian with the signs of his dream. At the same time, the chancellor Ji Yan was also working hard, he said to Wu Zetian's male favorites Erzhang brothers (Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Zongchang), you are favored by the emperor, so that many ministers hate and hate, in order to save your life, you have to persuade the emperor to make the Li family as the crown prince, contribute to the crown prince, and later atone for the merits, Erzhang was afraid in his heart, taking advantage of the convenience of being able to approach Wu Zetian's pillow, making a strong statement, and finally in 698, Wu Zetian took Li Xian back to Luoyang, and the wise Li Dan took the initiative to quit and made Li Xian the crown prince. Wu Zetian's years of operation have seen that the people's hearts are still toward Li Tang, so one of the reasons why he went to the emperor when he was dying.
A generation of empresses dying tolerant
At the end of 704, Wu Zetian finally lost his color, lay down in a hospital bed, and did not summon the prime minister for several months, only the Zhang brothers were around, manipulating the affairs of the imperial court. Prime Minister Zhang Kam is afraid of long nights and dreams, and temporary changes. In the first month of 705, he led Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian to launch a mutiny, killing the Zhang brothers, forcing Wu Zetian to abdicate, allowing Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian to restore the throne and rebuild the Tang Dynasty. Wu Zetian left the empress's palace, and Emperor Zhongzong gave her the title of "Emperor Zetian Dasheng". However, the imperial power was on the sidelines, and his body was weak, and Wu Zetian thought about the merits and demerits of his life on his sickbed. I think of the people who were wrongfully killed by myself. And the children he killed. My heart is sad. Therefore, he pardoned Xiao Shufei, Empress Wang, Shangguan Yi, Li Zhen, Chu Suiliang, and other descendants of the victims, and did not want to make enemies with them in the Yin Cao Prefecture. In 705, the 82-year-old empress Wu Zetian finally came to the end of her life, and before she died, she made a will to "go to the emperor and call her empress Dowager Zetian". Strong all his life, finally in the dying of his words are also good. "Buried in Qianling and Gaozong" is a woman after all, who wants to find his love after death and give up the power that does not belong to her. Only a monument to her is allowed, not a biography of him. This is the origin of the "wordless monument".
Wu Zetian's wordless monument
Wu Zetian's last will and testament and "wordless monument". Is it that she has struggled all her life and is tired? Perhaps, in order to fight for power and profit, it is indeed tiring, and it is necessary to have a strong heart, and it seems that in the ancient years, the combat effectiveness was still vigorous. In the end, "going to the emperor" should actually completely put down the concept of honor and disgrace, there is a sense of seeing through the red dust, a lifelong pursuit, and finally empty hands, great enlightenment, people, what does it mean to fight and fight, after a hundred years, they will meet in a place called the underground government, whether the victor or the loser, whether it is high or low, it is the last destination, so at the time of death, one is the great enlightenment, or realism. In addition, as an emperor in terms of personal private life, guiwei emperor will also be criticized, and on the issue of establishing a prince, he also sees that power and swords can only cut off people's heads, which cannot frighten people's hearts. So give up the imperial trumpet, in short, go away, she is a victor, and finally reason overcomes desire, and is obeyed by Li Tang's descendants. A "wordless monument", for their own may not recognize, may not tolerate, but do not have to kill themselves to admit their mistakes, or leave it to posterity. Only care about the affairs of the living, not the affairs of the future.
Finally draw the snake to add to the words.
As mentioned earlier, Wu Zetian's real name is Wu Cao, so how did "Wu Zetian" come from, it is said that Yuan Tiangang gave him the name, out of the 43rd gua of the I Ching "Ze Tianma".
The I Ching is a zenith
"Zetian" is also "Zetian", I will not read gossip, but I heard that Ze tianmeng is Yangchun March, destined to bring peach blossoms. Further down april is the "dry for the sky" gua. "Ze Tian" Gua only has the upper six yao, the rest are nine yao, in the "I Ching" yin is "six", yang is "nine", shang ze, lower heaven, yin and yang combination, good sympathy. The top one of "Ze" is Yin, representing women, the following five are all yang, representing men, "Zetian" means that a woman leads many men, or circling with many men, from November "mine restoration" Gua, starting, to April "dry for heaven" ends, yang qi rises, yin qi fades, indicating that Wu Zetian will eventually be replaced by men.
(All pictures are from the network)