Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in the history of the mainland, her life is full of legends. And the wordless tablet she left behind has become a mystery for the ages. This article will take you into the historical background of Wu Zetian's wordless monument and explore the story and cultural connotation behind it.
1. The historical background of Wu Zetian's wordless monument
Wu Zetian, a female politician during the Tang Dynasty, established the Zhou Dynasty in 690 AD, becoming the only female emperor in history. However, after her death, there was no writing on her tombstone, which is very rare in ancient tombs on the mainland. This wordless monument has become a mystery of Wu Zetian's life, which has aroused speculation and discussion among countless historians and literati.
Second, the legend of Wu Zetian's wordless monument
There are many legends about Wu Zetian's wordless monument, and one of the most popular is that Wu Zetian left a will before his death, asking not to engrave any words on her tombstone. Behind this legend, there is a hidden bump and helplessness in Wu Zetian's life.
The mystery of Wu Zetian's life experience:
Wu Zetian's background has always been a mystery. Regarding her birth, there is a theory that she was the biological daughter of Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Although there is some basis for this claim, there is still no conclusive evidence. Another theory is that Wu Zetian was originally an ordinary palace maid, but later became favored by Tang Taizong because of her beauty and intelligence, and finally became the queen. Either way, it reflects the mystery of Wu Zetian's life experience.
Wu Zetian's political career:
Wu Zetian's political career can be said to be full of legends. She had already risen to prominence during the Tang Gaozong period, and later successfully seized power through a series of political struggles. Under her rule, the country was politically stable, the economy prospered, and culture and art developed unprecedentedly. However, her reign was also controversial and considered "tyrannical" by some historians.
Wu Zetian's later life:
Wu Zetian's life in his later years was not satisfactory. After establishing the Zhou Dynasty, she faced pressure and challenges from all sides. Her son Li Xian and grandson Li Dan staged a coup d'état in an attempt to overthrow her rule. Under these circumstances, Wu Zetian had to adopt a series of tough measures to maintain his position. However, these means did not save her fate. In 705 AD, Wu Zetian was forced to abdicate and died of illness shortly after.
There are two huge stone tablets standing in the Qianling Tomb, the west side is the "Shusheng Ji Tablet", the text is a male ink script, more than 8,000 words, the content mainly describes the martial arts of Gaozong's cultural rule; the east side is Wu Zetian's "wordless tablet". The reasons for the lack of words, there are different opinions, and there are no more than the following:
The first statement is that Wu Zetian's political achievements are incomprehensible, and it is not easy to write, so he simply does not write. The basis is that Wu Zetian is a very contradictory figure, she not only knows people well, appoints Di Renjie, Yao Chong, Song Jing and other famous ministers, but also quite brutal, in order to seize power, she not only killed the eldest grandson Wuji, Chu Suiliang and other ministers, but also killed the crown prince Li Hong, Prince Xian and Prince Zhongyun. During her reign, although she made a certain social and economic development, she fought against the Turkic and Khitan intrusions on the border, and ensured the stability of the border areas and the interior. At the same time, she changed the number of officials, rewarded farmers and mulberries, and lightly paid for the poor, and the social economy continued to develop under her rule. But after all, she was a female emperor, and in feudal society, the concept of male superiority and inferiority of women was deeply rooted, and how easy was it for a woman to become an emperor? She killed many people in order to seize power, and this should be condemned. Therefore, later generations love and hate this female emperor, and loving her shows that she is a talented woman after all, and hates her for killing too many people when she seized power. For such a complex character, it is really the best way to erect a "wordless monument".
The second theory is that Wu Zetian knew that she had made a big mistake in her administration, that is, she fought for many years and brought suffering to the people, so she set up a "wordless monument" for self-criticism. The basis is that Shen Jiji, a Tang dynasty, recorded in the "Jianzhong Record": After Tang Zhongzong Li Xian was restored to the throne, he asked how to deal with the son of King Luo Bin. When he learned that the son of King Luo Bin was a monk in Yuquan Temple, Li Xian said: "If you are against Xiao (Shu), you will die innocently." At that time, people thought that this was Wu Zetian's last words. Luo Bin Wang was a poet in the early Tang Dynasty, and when Xu Jingye rebelled, he wrote a letter to discuss Wu's family, saying: "Kantang is on the throne, and the gluttonous minister is the favorite, and he is the one who is in charge, so there are many emblems." It means that Wu Zetian was not the queen of the previous emperor, but he actually ascended the emperor's throne in a grand manner, and the male favorites (the two villains who pointed to Xu Jingye's loyalty) were reused. Wu was furious when he heard this. After the uprising was suppressed, Luo Bingwang was wanted throughout the country. The whereabouts of King Luo Bing are unknown. This may be a major political enemy of Wu Zetian. King Luo Bin's armed rebellion against Wu Zetian shows that her rule was not stable. But what does this have to do with the erection of the "wordless monument"? Later generations speculated that this might be Wu Zetian trying to sum up the mistakes made in his rule.
The third theory is that Wu Zetian consciously has a high level of merit and cannot express it in words. There are two bases: one is that Wu Zetian named himself "Cao". Tang You's book "The Order on the Establishment of Temples" wrote: "Or the county officials and the people voluntarily contributed money and materials to build all temples." And the name is "Cao", Wu Zetian's name contains the meaning of "the sun and the moon are in the sky". "The sun and the moon are in the sky" indicates that she wants to be the only emperor on heaven and earth. The second is her last words: "My own merits and demerits will be left for future generations to comment." "It is the most fair for future generations to comment on and write about merits and demerits.
The fourth theory is that Wu Zetian wants his tombstone to be written by future generations. In this way, future generations will definitely write an epitaph for her. The first basis is that Wu Zetian himself thinks that the merit is too great, but it is difficult to express it in words. The second is that Wu Zetian thinks that his merits and demerits are very great, and it is difficult to evaluate them in words. Therefore, Wu Zetian's "wordless monument" intends to let future generations make a fair evaluation.
The fifth theory is that Wu Zetian's descendants want to erect a "wordless monument" for it. They think that if they write it, it will hurt their mother. The first is that if it is written according to her merits, it will hurt her reputation. Because, after all, she seized power by staging a coup d'état. This seemed perverse at the time. The second is that if you write about her mistakes, it will hurt her even more. Because it is not easy to do this as a female emperor. And which emperor is not at fault? This is too harsh. So they decided that it would be better not to write anything. There is also a saying that Wu Zetian's descendants did not dare to write about her exploits and mistakes. Because Wu Zetian's merits are very great, it is difficult for them to express them in short words, and it is difficult to avoid or cover up many mistakes. So they simply don't write as well.
The sixth theory is that at that time, people thought that Wu Zetian's merits were very great, and it was difficult to express them in words. The first basis is that the social and economic development reached its peak during the reign of Wu Zetian. "Zizhi Tongjian" recorded: "At that time, the generals who guarded various places in the early Tang Dynasty, such as Li Jing, Wei Chigong, Cheng Zhijie, Wang Fangyi, Su Dingfang, Liu Renliang, Pei Xingjian, etc., withered one after another, and Gaozong was sick and often could not look at the court, and the military power was returned to the military queen. So because of the bribes, the female favorites Zhang Yizhi and Changzong brothers entered the palace, and they gradually couldn't hide themselves. Yi Zhi also taught to compose poems, such as "Caifeng Ming Qishan", etc., and Mu Taizong's Qin Wang is good at satirizing the story. He also repaired the "Treasure Book" as the "Luoyang Sex Record", all of which are vague and vague to avoid words. Yi Zhiyin said to Hou Shang (Gaozong): "The wind is very strong, and if you don't want to be provincial, you can summon the prime ministers to ask about the affairs of the world in the inner hall." After inheriting the will of the change, he gradually reprimanded the kings and ministers. Wu Chenghei and the Turks entered the state of Kou, and the state was merged, and he was ordered to follow the prince. and the state is flat, the disease is very serious, and the prince is summoned to supervise the country in the East Palace.
At that time, people believed that Wu Zetian was the only female emperor in history, and her exploits were unprecedented and unprecedented. So it's hard to put it in short words. Second, during the reign of Wu Zetian, social and economic development reached its peak. "Zizhi Tongjian" recorded: "When the world is peaceful, the sea is peaceful. This is the praise of her by later generations. Therefore, they chose the "wordless monument" method to express their admiration and praise for her.