Shangguan Wan'er, this strange woman who is like a stunner and a dragon, left a strong mark on the political scene in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. She rose to prominence at the age of 14, won the favor of Empress Wu Zetian, and in the long years from Wu Zhou to Tang Zhongzong's reign, she held the dynasty for more than 30 years, and twice served as an indispensable "personal secretary" around the emperor, and the whole country admired her demeanor.
The reason why Shangguan Wan'er was able to win the trust and reliance of successive monarchs in the treacherous court was not only because of her talent and success, but also because of her magnanimous personality charm and the wisdom of the emperor's mind. She has an insight into people's hearts, is good at grasping the pulse of the times, and actively participates in the ever-changing political scene, which is not only due to the great importance that the Tang rulers attached to talents, but also the successful embodiment of her personal talents and philosophy of life.
It's its own business
Shangguan Wan'er was born in 664 and was a native of Shaanxian County, Shaanzhou (now Shaanzhou District, Sanmenxia, Henan), and was born into a famous family. However, the glory of the family did not always accompany her. When she was in infancy, her family was decimated by a political turmoil, and she became a court slave along with her mother Zheng. In the face of adversity, Shangguan Wan'er showed tenacious vitality, and she firmly believed that her fate was in her own hands. She silently accumulated knowledge in the court, and through hard work, she gradually got rid of her status as a slave and began to get in touch with the core affairs of the court.
At the age of fourteen, Shangguan Wan'er's talent was appreciated by Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian greatly appreciated her intelligence and ability to do things, and made her his "personal secretary", responsible for handling important affairs in the palace. With her talent and hard work, Shangguan Wan'er became a celebrity around Wu Zetian. She handled government affairs with ease, and won the admiration of her colleagues and the trust of the emperor.
After Tang Zhongzong ascended the throne, Shangguan Wan'er was named Zhaorong and became an important advisor to the emperor. Not only did she excel in politics, but she also had a keen interest in literature. She often chanted poetry at court banquets, showing her literary attainments. At the same time, she was also a literary connoisseur who was good at judging poetry, and her evaluation of poetry was extremely accurate, which impressed the courtiers and scribes. Her talent and literary attainments were deeply admired by literati, and many literary scholars gathered around her to discuss the beauty of poetry. Influenced by this atmosphere, the creative enthusiasm of the literati was activated, and for a time a large number of talents emerged, such as Shen Qi and Song Zhiwen. The famous "Four Masters of the Early Tang Dynasty" appeared at this time. Obviously, Shangguan Wan'er has the merit of cultivation and support.
Shangguan Wan'er also has extraordinary achievements in politics. She asked Tang Zhongzong to change the age of Chengding to 23 to 59 years old, a reform that greatly reduced the burden of military service on the common people and won widespread praise from the people. She is familiar with the procedures and rules of affairs, and can handle matters quickly and accurately, no matter how big or small. Her work attitude has been recognized and appreciated by her colleagues, and has won her good popularity.
Analysis of the reasons why Shangguan Wan'er pleases the emperor
What is puzzling is how can this descendant of the Shangguan family work with Wu Zetian, the enemy who killed his father? How could Shangguan Wan'er become the "personal secretary" of two generations of emperors?
1. Shangguan Wan'er, with her outstanding talent and wisdom, won the favor of the two emperors Wu Zetian and Tang Zhongzong.
Shangguan Wan'er, who has been brilliant since childhood, is not only good at writing articles, but also has a deep understanding and unique insights into political affairs. After her talent was discovered by Wu Zetian, she became Wu Zetian's right-hand man. By Wu Zetian's side, she won Wu Zetian's trust and reuse with her excellent political wisdom and handling skills.
During the Tang Zhongzong period, Shangguan Wan'er won the trust and reuse of Tang Zhongzong with her rich political experience and skillful handling skills. She was given the title of Zhaorong and became an important advisor to the emperor. During this period, Shangguan Wan'er not only excelled in political affairs, but also led the literary trend of the time. Her poetry inherited the style of her grandfather Shangguanyi, which was self-contained and highly acclaimed. At the same time, she is also a strong literary connoisseur, and her evaluation has been widely recognized and admired by the people of the time.
Shangguan Wan'er's talent and wisdom are an important capital for her to enter the political arena. With her outstanding talent and wisdom, she won the trust of the two emperors, Wu Zetian and Tang Zhongzong.
2, Wu Zetian and Shangguan Wan'er both have lenient personalities.
Shangguan Wan'er's grandfather, Shangguan Yi, suffered a catastrophe for drafting an edict to depose Wu Zetian, and the family was also wiped out. For Shangguan Wan'er, Wu Zetian is undoubtedly the enemy who caused the family tragedy. However, history has given them the opportunity to create brilliance together.
Surprisingly, Wu Zetian did not feel sorry for his descendants because of what happened to the Shangguan family, but he doted on Shangguan Wan'er, handed over the power to her with confidence, and entrusted her with important tasks. This fully reflects Wu Zetian's generosity and open-mindedness, she understands the value of talents, and knows how to use people without doubt. And Wan'er did not regard Wu Zetian as an enemy, she treated political affairs with a normal heart, worked diligently, and showed extraordinary talent and wisdom.
Tolerance and understanding of each other became the basis of their work together. Wu Zetian's broad-mindedness provided Shangguan Wan'er with a stage to show her talents, and Wan'er's talent and wisdom also added strength to Wu Zetian's rule. This relationship of mutual trust and support has allowed them to become like a fish in water in the political arena and has made a glorious history.
3. Shangguan Wan'er is good at adapting to the new situation.
In the first year of Tang Shenlong (705), Wu Zetian abdicated and was succeeded by his son Li Xian, Zhongzong of Tang. At this time of political change, Shangguan Wan'er successfully adapted to the new situation and continued to be active in the political arena with her keen insight and superb political wisdom. Not only did she not lose power due to Wu Zetian's abdication, but she became Tang Zhongzong's right-hand man and was deeply favored.
With her talent and courage, Shangguan Wan'er is unique in the political arena. She advised Tang Zhongzong on the concept of governing the country, emphasized the importance of talents, and actively recommended talented people. She advocated expanding the scale of the Xiuwen Museum, adding bachelor's degrees, and selecting outstanding talents to promote cultural prosperity. This series of measures not only consolidated the rule of the Tang Dynasty, but also changed the social atmosphere and promoted the vigorous development of culture. Tang Zhongzong's trust in Shangguan Wan'er is increasing day by day, and he trusts her political power with confidence.
4. The emperor attaches great importance to talents.
The Tang Dynasty was a highly civilized and open era, with women living in relatively affluent spaces, their social status significantly improved compared to previous dynasties, and their rights were respected like never before. During this period, the emperor's emphasis on the virtuous became a consensus and fashion. For example, during the reign of Wu Zetian, in the face of the mistakes committed by the talented Shangguan Wan'er, although she was angry and wanted to get rid of it and correct the law of the country, out of her cherishing of her extraordinary talent, the empress finally chose to be deprived of her life, showing her extreme cherishing of talents.
Tang Zhongzong inherited this kind of open-mindedness in understanding and employing people, and he had the courage to break the convention, accept Shangguan Wan'er, who had served the previous emperor, to continue to serve him, obey her words, and fully trust, so as to maintain and carry forward the political tradition of the Tang Dynasty Qingming. Even Li Longji, the Tang Xuanzong in the opposing camp, had to get rid of Shangguan Wan'er in the process of overthrowing the old dynasty, but deep down he still retained deep respect for Shangguan Wan'er's unparalleled literary attainments and outstanding political ability. Therefore, after Shangguan Wan'er's death, Li Longji ordered the collection of her poetry and literary works, and compiled them into the "Tang Zhaorong Shangguan Collected Works", and specially appointed Zhang Shuo, who was the Zhongshu Commander at that time, to write a preface for her, which is a rare move in history, vividly reflecting the Tang Dynasty rulers' sincere love and respect for outstanding talents.
Therefore, it was the political environment of the early Tang Dynasty that highly admired and paid attention to the selection and use of talents, which provided a broad stage for a strange woman like Shangguan Wan'er to show her extraordinary talent, so that she could leave an indelible mark in the long river of history.
Enlightenment for today's women's workplace
At the core of power in the Tang Dynasty court, Shangguan Wan'er shuttled between the inner court and the outer court as a female official, step by step, and was known as the "prime minister of women" with her outstanding intelligence and unique charm. She is born intelligent and has a well-flowing literary mind as the foundation of her official life, and her writing is like a divine help, and every article shows her wisdom. Shangguan Wan'er sticks to her post, is unswerving, loyal to her duties, and can not only make suggestions, but also strategize, and is deeply relied on by the imperial court.
At the same time, they should emulate her perseverance, move forward bravely to maximize their self-worth, be diligent in seeking knowledge, and constantly improve their professional quality and comprehensive ability, adjust their mentality, cultivate strong psychological qualities to improve their workplace adaptability and competitiveness, keep themselves clean and always maintain noble professional ethics, strengthen their sense of responsibility and deepen their professional identity, so as to enhance their sense of mission and responsibility in the workplace。