The deep night shrouded Chang'an City, but the palace was brightly lit. Empress Wu Zetian put on her cloak and quietly left the palace. She was going to visit her mother, Mrs. Yang, who she hadn't seen for many years, 88-year-old Mrs. Yang.
One night in 667 AD, when the moon was like a wash, Wu Zetian was in a happy mood and drove to Rongguo Mansion. She hopes to catch up with her mother, whom she hasn't seen for a long time, and share their lives. However, as her carriage approached her mother's residence, a shadow suddenly leapt down from the high wall and slipped silently into the night.
Wu Zetian immediately ordered to stop, she picked up the lantern she carried with her, and quickly chased in the direction where the shadow finally disappeared. Under the illumination of the light, she finally saw the man's face clearly—it was actually her own grandson, Helan Minzhi. She shouted at her, but the young man quickly disappeared into the darkness like a frightened bird.
Wu Zetian's heart was full of doubts and anger, she quickened her pace and hurried into her mother's mansion. The moment she entered, she saw her disheveled mother sitting on the edge of the bed. In this moment, she seemed to understand everything.
Facing his mother, Wu Zetian felt an unprecedented disappointment and sadness: "Mother, you are almost 90 years old, why do you still do such a thing?" Don't you know that the man is your own grandson? Her tone was full of reproach and incomprehension.
However, her mother, Yang, seemed to have long been accustomed to such a life, and she replied lightly: "This child is handsome in appearance and sweet-talking, and I like him very much." You don't see what happened tonight. With that, she walked slowly to the inner room on crutches.
Wu Zetian stood in place, biting his lip and clenching his fists. She knew that she could not change her mother's decision, and could only silently bear the sudden blow. All this development is far beyond her imagination, originally just a simple family visit, but she witnessed the secret of the family.
Growing up, Wu Zetian had heard some gossip about her nephew Helan Minzhi, but she never thought that these were true.
Back then, in order to consolidate her position, she promoted her mother's family, including her nephew Helan Minzhi. The young man was distinguished by her promotion and had great power, but his behavior was extremely disorderly. Even the crown princess within the royal family has been violated by him. When the crown prince Li Hong reported the matter to Wu Zetian, she was extremely angry and wanted to punish He Lanminzhi severely.
However, her mother, Yang, stood up and said in that old voice, "Minzhi, this child is still young and ignorant. Hong'er, you, a talent, where can you find a better woman? ”
Yang just said this, and actually cried, saying that he was too old to be useful, and he couldn't even protect his grandson. Wu Zetian looked at his mother's old face, and could only sigh helplessly, putting the matter aside for the time being.
It stands to reason that Helan Minzhi should be more interesting, but Helan Minzhi did not restrain because of this. The hatred for Wu Zetian in his heart became deeper and deeper, and he felt that his family had become the playthings of the emperor.
His mother, Wu Shun, was favored by Emperor Li Zhi because she often entered the palace to accompany her sister Wu Zetian; His younger sister, Helan, was also favored and was named the Lady of Wei. But the good times didn't last long, his mother committed suicide by hanging herself from a beam for no reason, and her sister died of bleeding and poisoning.
Although the murderer was someone else, He Lanminzhi believed in his heart that all this was manipulated by Wu Zetian behind his back. So, he decided to take revenge on Wu Zetian.
A few years later, Yang died at the age of 91. Although Wu Zetian felt sad about his mother's death, he could only bear it silently. However, at this moment, Helan Minzhi couldn't wait to take off his mourning clothes and invite prostitutes to drink and have fun at home.
This made Wu Zetian very dissatisfied. What made her even more intolerable was that Helan Minzhi actually stretched out her poisonous hand to her baby daughter Princess Taiping. Wu Zetian felt an indescribable anger in her heart, and she decided not to tolerate this nephew anymore.
So, she ordered Helan Minzhi to be exiled to Leizhou. However, this did not calm the anger in Wu Zetian's heart. Later, she sent someone to strangle Helan Minzhi with the reins of a horse.
Wu Zetian originally planned to use his nephew and other family members to assist him in ascending the throne as emperor, but his relatives were so uncompetitive that he wanted to put himself to death. She also understood that in this world, only herself is the most reliable support.