Wu Zetian, the woman who enjoys the title of "female emperor" in Chinese history, has had a magnificent and mixed life. In 627, she was still the daughter of an ordinary official eunuch and was elected by Emperor Taizong Li Shimin into the harem and received the title of "Wu Meiniang". After Li Shimin's death, she became a nun in 654, but she had constant fornication with the newly ascended Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi.
In 683, Wu Zetian deposed his son Li Xian and assumed power. In 690, she deposed the Li and Tang dynasties, changed the name of the country to Zhou, and proclaimed herself emperor, creating the first and only dynasty in Chinese history founded by women, Wu Zhou. From an ordinary woman, to a harem concubine, to a female emperor, Wu Zetian finally climbed to the peak of his life with his life's hard work and dedication efforts. However, her deeds are like a wave in the ocean, and it is impossible to escape the fate of dissipation.
Wu Zetian's contemporaries were also a well-known loyal courtier, Di Renjie. He was honest and honest, loved the people for his government, and won the hearts of the people. Beginning in 697, Di Renjie served as prime minister of the Wuzhou Dynasty, confronting Wu Zetian. As a widow of the Tang Dynasty, he still missed the Li Tang Dynasty in his heart. In the face of Wu Zetian's usurpation of the throne, although Di Renjie was dissatisfied, he could only endure it temporarily, unite the people's hearts first, and wait for the opportunity to flourish the Tang Dynasty.
In the early days of Wu Zetian, the political legacy of the Tang Dynasty was still continued, and Guotai Min'an, Di Renjie, also acquiesced to the legal status of this female emperor. When Wu Zetian came to power, she understood that her orthodox status was easily questioned, so she bothered to manage it, while eliminating Li Tang's forces, and on the other hand, she selected wise people to assist the imperial government in order to stabilize the situation. Di Renjie saw it in his eyes and had to admire her political skills.
However, the good times did not last long, and as Wu Zetian became older, some of her quirks began to appear, causing criticism from the government and the public. For example, in her later years, she was as "lustful" as her life, and she received many male favorites in the palace, singing and singing every day, and even influenced the imperial government. Di Renjie saw it in his eyes, anxious, but helpless. He believes that if the head of state of a country is a person who is obsessed with sound and horses, and is unscrupulous, he is bound to bring bad social atmosphere and mislead the country and the people.
In fact, as early as the beginning of Wu Zetian's reign as emperor, Di Renjie noticed that she had some signs of over-favoring eunuchs. He believed that the monarch should choose meritocracy and strict governance, and should not indulge in the words of the harem. It is a pity that Wu Zetian does not listen, and deliberately alienates a widow like him. Seeing that she had already listened to one side's words, Di Renjie gradually disappeared, less than asking about the imperial government.
Now Wu Zetian even openly accepted men to favor the harem, so that Di Renjie couldn't stand it. He thought it was necessary to have a serious talk with Wu Zetian to make her aware of the serious consequences of such behavior. Otherwise, I am afraid that the foundation of the Wuzhou Dynasty will soon collapse. For the sake of the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty and for the sake of the world, he must stand up.
Finally, Di Renjie plucked up the courage to persuade Wu Zetian to quit this vice. He repeatedly considered the wording, fearing that one careless person would anger Wu Zetian and invite the scourge of killing. After all, it is difficult to persuade a ruler to rehabilitate.
Early one morning, Di Renjie came to the palace and met Wu Zetian. He first complimented Wu Zetian, saying that she was wise and martial, virtuous and benevolent, and then tactfully proposed that he hoped that Wu Zetian could control his selfish desires and set an example, which was not only beneficial to Wu Zetian's own body and dragon body, but also had a good demonstration effect on society.
Wu Zetian listened, his expression did not change, but he just looked at Di Renjie quietly and motioned for him to continue. Seeing that Wu Zetian was not embarrassed and angry, Di Renjie was slightly relieved, and continued to persuade: "Your Majesty can listen to the minister's blunt words, and the minister is grateful. However, the minister was worried that His Majesty's dragon body was tired, and he did not want His Majesty's reputation to be slandered by some villains. Please also ask Your Majesty to think twice!"
Wu Zetian did not answer directly this time, but softly let Di Renjie step forward, then stroked the corners of his eyes, and opened his mouth again for Di Renjie to see. Di Renjie was stunned. He found that Wu Zetian's wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were much less than a few years ago, and his skin was much more delicate. Her teeth, too, were much whiter than when she had seen them before, and even grew a few new ones.
Just when Di Renjie was surprised, Wu Zetian said with a smile: "The minister's words are very gratifying." It's just that the cultivation path is successful, and the years can't invade this body, and Gongqing can rest assured. ”
Di Renjie was speechless at this time. He realized that the woman in front of him, who seemed to be over her age, was hiding an incredible secret. She doesn't seem to be something that ordinary people can guess. The previous advice and exhortations were nothing more than jokes in front of her.
Wu Zetian proudly watched Di Renjie's expression change, and smiled secretly in his heart. The Dao secrets accumulated over the years allow her to change her life against the sky and be like a god. What does a courtier take to discipline himself? She had already cultivated a golden body, how could she take an old and empty talk seriously about the country.
"Thank you for your advice, you can step down. Good health, peace in the country, this is the greatest contentment. Wu Zetian waved his hand, indicating that this was the end of the conversation.
Di Renjie reluctantly retreated. He experienced Wu Zetian's soft and rigid personality, and also saw that she seemed to have unfathomable power from others. It seems that it will be even more difficult to persuade her to rehabilitate. He felt like a failed doctor, seeing patients on a desperate path, but unable to do anything.
After that, Di Renjie no longer dared to directly advise Wu Zetian's private life. Wu Zetian's male favorites continued to indulge in the palace until her death in 705 and Li Tang returned to power, and the officials could not help but breathe a sigh of relief in addition to mourning. To an empress who has fallen into depravity, the courtier's advice and exhortation are like playing the piano to an ox.
Wu Zetian really blocked Di Renjie's mouth with that mysterious "object". But for a dull emperor, the indulgence of his old age was bound to invite tragedy. Just a year before Wu Zetian's death, her beloved male favorite, Zhang Yizhi, was killed by eunuchs, and Zhang Changzong was deposed and charged into the army. It can be imagined how much this hit Wu Zetian.
Even when Wu Zetian was buried, Li Tang sent people to open her mausoleum, cut off her head, and buried her with the etiquette of ordinary people, which shows that even her reputation after her death was lost. The glory and glory of her life all ended in this final misery.
The indulgence in his later years cost Wu Zetian dearly. As an emperor, it is inevitable that there will be some hardships in life, but after all, we must think of the world's life. Letting go of selfish desires is true detachment. Although Di Renjie failed to change Wu Zetian, he also fulfilled the responsibility of a courtier, and his good intentions are a precious legacy of history after all.
Wu Zetian struggled all her life, but the emptiness and pain in her heart were not alleviated by the acquisition of power. On the contrary, it was the indulgence of her later years that hastened her destruction. Her story warns future generations that true detachment still depends on indifference to fame and fortune and cleansing the soul.