Text丨 Weisheng Xiaoyun
Editor丨Weisheng Xiaoyun
Preface
In the brutal race for the throne of the emperor, Wu Zetian had to deal not only with the different parties in the court, but also with the chaos caused by the rebellion in order to ensure her ascend to this supreme position.
She eliminated dissidents with an iron fist and extended her hand of scheming to the Li clan, and a cruel and inevitable battle of scheming officially began.
Terrorist policy
Wu Zetian was well aware of the instability of the regime, so she turned her attention to the Li clan. In the whirlpool of conspiracy, she coldly slashes the killer and cuts off potential competitors.
This is not a simple battle of power, but a bloody murder game. In the process of her watching coldly, the bloodline of the Li clan gradually disappeared in the long river of history.
Wu Zetian's usurpation caused the resentment of the Li clan, and in the fourth year of the vertical arch, Li Yuanjia, the king of Han, stepped forward and contacted the princes of the Li family in the name of "welcoming back Zhongzong", and raised troops to fight against Wu Zetian.
It was a righteous revolt and a response to the trampling of power. The entire royal family was in turmoil, and Wu Zetian did not show weakness in the face of this threat. She was well versed in the essence of political struggle and acted quickly because she understood the contradictions and divisions within the Lee clan.
Under her resolute and decisive counterattack, the Li clan's forces were scattered and the people's hearts were uneven, and they were soon suppressed by force. This political storm, although short-lived, left a deep imprint, marking that Wu Zetian sat more firmly on the throne of the emperor.
The Double Ninth Festival on September 9 of the first year of the Heavenly Grant, it was a golden breeze and a cool autumn day, at that time, Chang'an City, the scenery was picturesque, the red walls and yellow tiles reflected the blue sky and white clouds, as if the whole city was shrouded in a piece of peace.
On this special day, sixty-seven-year-old Wu Zetian stood in front of the golden gate of the palace, her gaze was deep and firm, as if she was looking through the long river of time. After years of hard work and hard work, she finally ushered in the most glorious moment of her life.
From Cairen, Zhaoyi, Empress, Queen of Heaven, Queen Mother, and then to Our Lady God Emperor, Wu Zetian's road to power is like a magnificent picture, recording her treacherous life course.
Throughout the 36 years of her life, every step of progress has been accompanied by laughter and tears, and her footprints have walked through the labyrinth of power and intrigue, while her heart has always carried the supreme responsibility for the country.
The moment he ascended the throne, although Wu Zetian's face was still elegant, it also revealed the vicissitudes of time. There was a deep wisdom in her eyes, as if she had seen through the vicissitudes of the world and the strife of the world.
Her hair hung down like a waterfall of silver, reflecting her graceful and resolute countenance. The female emperor's lavish and dignified costumes show her majesty and dominance, and looking back on her journey, every step is accompanied by a battle of power and strategy, and every promotion is accompanied by a test of life and death.
From the talented person of the past to the current Holy Mother of God, she is filled with a calm and calm majesty. Behind her, the temple was majestic and golden, like a sacred paradise.
All this splendor was bought behind the bloodshed and killing. She had repeatedly ventured into the troubles of court battles, her hands were stained with the blood of her political enemies, and her eyes carried countless worries.
Every victory of power schemes has been paid a heavy price on the battlefield of life. Despite the twists and turns of her journey, the female emperor became a shining star in China's feudal society.
The moment she ascended the throne, the entire palace seemed to be shrouded in tension. The empress was dressed in a magnificent dragon robe and wore a golden crown, and the main hall of the palace was brilliantly lit, but the brilliance in it revealed a kind of uneasiness and challenge.
The rise of this empress violates the traditional feudal political principles and social ethical norms, like a rapid storm impacting the old order. In the political arena, she defeated Xu Jingye's rebellion and the rebellion of the clan through military means.
Cool officials prevail
The walls of the palace seem to hear previously unknown whispers, and the palace and beyond, are filled with intrigue and strife. In the process of suppressing the rebels, the empress did not rely only on military force, but also used political skills to imprison people with dissident aspirations.
The cold stone walls reflect the dark side of the court, and the cries of the innocent seem to be buried deep in this enclosed space.
In order to find potential traitors, the empress also rewarded whistleblowers, making secret transactions in the court like meteors in the night, with a brief but dazzling light.
Those who were once friends and relatives are now in the whirlpool of power and intrigues, and it is difficult to trust. The entire court is like a complex chessboard, and every step is related to the victory or defeat of the power struggle.
Under the power of the Empress, the abuse of torture seemed to be the order of the day. The devastated execution ground, blood stained the stone slabs of the palace, and the empress's eyes seemed to have no meaning. She ruled with an iron fist, suppressing all voices that dared to resist silently, and there was silence and fear inside and outside the court.
Against the backdrop of Zhongzong's deposition and Wu Zetian's monopoly on power, these chilling policies were quickly implemented. In the first year of Guangzhai, a few days have passed since Zhongzong was abandoned, and more than a dozen Praetorian Guards gathered in one place to raise a glass and drink.
In the midst of this laughter, a Praetorian Guard couldn't help but complain: "If I had known that I wouldn't get a little reward after the abolition of Zhongzong, it would have been better to support Zhongzong all the time." ”
This dissatisfaction quickly reached Wu Zetian's ears, and as a master of scheming, she did not hesitate to send her subordinates to arrest all these complainers and hang them.
The whistleblower was immediately made a five-rank official by Wu Zetian and was able to enjoy favor. This incident quickly spread throughout the government and the opposition, and it was terrifying. Under Wu Zetian's authoritarian rule, whistleblowing became the norm because she admired and rewarded those who could provide her with favorable information. This made the courtiers afraid to speak, for fear that they would fall into a situation from which they could never recover.
The entire court was shrouded in silence and fear, and the hearts of the people were panicked. Wu Zetian used extremely harsh measures to consolidate his authority, which made the political atmosphere more and more tense.
In this era of intrigue and betrayal, the courtiers whispered in the shadow of Wu Zetian, always on the lookout for eyeliner around them. Wu Zetian's intrigues and repression made her rule more solid, but it also stirred up more unease and fear among the government and the opposition.
In March of the second year of the world's hanging arch, Luoyang Palace City is full of spring, peach blossoms are red, willows are new and green, and the whole palace seems to be shrouded in a warm spring glow.
Wu Zetian sat on the throne, and in the midst of her power, she ordered the manufacture of a batch of exquisite copper boxes, which were not only beautiful in appearance, but also placed in front of the palace city, becoming a special and mysterious place.
This bronze box is not an ordinary thing, its purpose is to accept the appearance of the courtiers, the entire Luoyang palace seems to be solidified by this small box, it is like a quiet shrine, it seems to convey Wu Zetian's endless expectations for the courtiers.
Each courtier had the opportunity to put his thoughts and suggestions into words and put them into this pure copper box, as if he had put his heart into a sacred vessel.
Wu Zetian opened the door to whistleblowing and trumpeted the policy, not only making whistleblowing a public and normal act, but also stipulating that anyone could exercise this right.
In this era of whistleblowers, Wu Zetian regarded whistleblowers as contributors, and in order to encourage people to report, the state was willing to provide stagecoaches and horses and hearty meals as a reward.
Surprisingly, even farmers in the countryside and woodcutters in the mountains had the opportunity to be received by the emperor himself.
Wu Zetian's decree conveyed an image of enlightenment and majesty, as if she were the sensible monarch, and even the common people could pour out their hearts, and this new policy set off waves throughout the country, and the whistleblower became a peculiar social phenomenon.
Those who snitched the emperor's wishes were promoted to an unconventional position, which led officials in the court to expose the misdeeds around them in the hope of gaining greater power through this route.
At the same time, Wu Zetian also gave a lenient attitude to the whistleblower, even if the accusation was not true, he would not be held responsible.
Everyone is at risk
Wu Zetian not only skillfully used the art of palace struggle, but also consolidated her dominance through a series of ingenious means, under which a suffocating political atmosphere permeated the government and the opposition.
The most frightening thing is the cool officials she personally selected and appointed, such as Suo Yuanli, Zhou Xing, Lai Junchen, Hou Sizhi and a group of iron-fisted people. These people were entrusted with important tasks and became the executors of power in the hands of Wu Zetian, dominating the judicial system of the empire.
In order to consolidate his rule, Wu Zetian specially set up a strict prison, which became a symbol of terror, and once someone was thrown into this prison, he was destined to face the merciless torture inflicted by the cool officials.
During the interrogation, these cool officials used all kinds of cruel methods, so that almost no one was spared. Very few people made it out of prison alive, and more and more people were beaten to death by the cruel officials.
With the increasing popularity of whistleblowers, Wu Zetian attached great importance to whistleblowers, and even did not hesitate to make an exception to grant them official positions as rewards.
In the second year of her reign, Wu Zetian ordered the execution of 12 members of the clan including Li Ying, the king of Annam, and whipped the two sons of the late crown prince Li Xian, plunging the entire clan into a heavy sea of blood.
In Wu Zetian's court, the political atmosphere was filled with gloom, and she skillfully used the system of rewarding whistleblowers to quickly gather a group of cool officials and scoundrels who specialized in informing and framing them to seek official positions and wealth. Behind this political game is a dangerous and gloomy picture.
There was a Hu man named Suo Yuanli, who had insight into Wu Zetian's thoughts, and because of his successful whistleblowing, he was summoned and promoted to guerrilla general.
Wu Zetian gave him a special task to investigate the prisoners in a specially set up prison, and Suo Yuanli's methods were brutal, and interrogating one person would always involve dozens or even hundreds of people involved.
Wu Zetian summoned and rewarded him many times, so as to constantly consolidate her own authority, and this model made people like Zhou Xing and Lai Junchen follow suit, and they were favored by Wu Zetian.
Zhou Xing's official position rose all the way, and eventually became the Qiu official squire, and Lai Junchen was also promoted to the middle of the imperial history one after another, and they secretly hid hundreds of scoundrels under their hands, specializing in whistleblowers.
Whenever they tried to make false accusations against someone, these scoundrels would launch denunciations from multiple places at the same time, so that the content of the accusations would be almost identical, and these people would also skillfully use various ways and means to falsely accuse others, so that the entire court would be shrouded in conspiracy and fraud.
epilogue
Although Wu Zetian became a female emperor, she was in sharp contradiction with traditional feudal political principles and moral views.
She cemented her rule through rewarding informants, terrorizing tactics, and brutal policies, creating a political atmosphere of terror both inside and outside the court. Despite the advice of ministers, such as Chen Ziang's advice, she ignored them and insisted on going her own way.
In this cruel and chilling history, Wu Zetian left a deep imprint on her status as a female emperor, and although her reign left indelible blood marks, it also became a legend in the history of feudal society because of her pinnacle achievements as a woman.