The power center of the feudal dynasty has always been full of bloody storms, and everyone who ascends to that position needs not only a strong will, but also enough ambition and ability, otherwise they will soon be abandoned.
And Wu Zetian is undoubtedly the most "slippery" among them, this is the first and only time that women in ancient society have shown their charm on the male political stage.
As a generation of empresses, Wu Zetian has always been gracious and powerful, but he never forgets a man and kills all his children and grandchildren?
He is Chu Suiliang, who Wu Zetian once killed all the way. Chu Suiliang did not work under Li Shimin at first. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, he first defected to Xue Ju. After his death, Li Shimin incorporated his subordinates, including Chu Suiliang.
Li Shimin and Chu Suiliang gradually became familiar with calligraphy and gradually got reused by Li Shimin. In the matter of abolishing the crown prince, they have referred to the opinions put forward by Chu Suiliang and others.
Wu Zetian once stayed in Li Shimin's harem as a "talented person" for more than ten years and met the crown prince Li Zhi.
After Li Shimin died, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life in Ganye Temple, so she used means to let Li Zhi welcome her into the palace. After returning to the palace, Wu Zetian successively solved Concubine Xiao Shufei and Queen Wang, and favored the harem alone.
Before Wu Zetian became the empress, there was a heated debate in the court. The main topic of the debate was whether or not the military force would be the successor. In this controversy, Chu Suiliang had a resolute attitude and opposed Wu Zetian as the queen, so that Wu Zetian hated him from then on.
Therefore, when she succeeded in ascending to the throne, she launched fierce revenge, first demoting him to Guilin and then exiled to Viet Nam.
In this process, Chu Suiliang wanted to write a letter to Li Zhi, bluntly saying that he also had the credit for establishing the prince, but Li Zhi did not reply, and the disheartened Chu Suiliang quickly collapsed, and died of grief not long after.
And this is not over, after Wu Zetian became emperor, her revenge unfolded to Chu Suiliang's descendants, who were either executed or exiled, and all this stemmed from Chu Suiliang's fierce opposition to Wu Zetian's seal. It was not until after Li Zhi's death that Chu Suiliang's descendants were allowed to return to the Central Plains.
But in his later years, Wu Zetian thought of Chu Suiliang again and issued an edict to forgive him and his children and grandchildren. So, why would she do it?
1. The elderly Wu Zetian is very superstitious
As he grew older, Wu Zetian gained supreme power and wanted eternal life. So, she began to take all kinds of pills and raise male pets.
At the same time, she was also worried that she had killed too much, which would affect her ability to ascend to the Western Heavenly Bliss. Chu Suiliang's death, Wu Zetian can be regarded as the biggest promoter, afraid that Chu Suiliang will come to her to settle accounts.
As a result, she began to use various methods to alleviate her sins, including settling Chu Suiliang's rebellion.
Second, the importance of talents
After Wu Zetian became emperor, he implemented a series of changes, strengthened the centralization of power, selected a large number of talents, and stabilized the stability of the Tang Dynasty to a certain extent.
Although her methods of rule may have been too cruel, it is undeniable that during her reign, the national power of the Tang Dynasty was restored, and certain results were achieved in various fields.
But by this time, after the Shenlong coup, she had gradually realized the unreliability of power, especially in the royal family. Therefore, she is willing to face courtiers who disobey her opinion with a more forgiving heart. This shows that she gradually understands the value of loyal servants and wants to make up for the mistakes she has made in the past.
When a man is about to die, his words are good. And Wu Zetian is not born with such cruel means, in this palace surrounded by wolves, a little carelessness is a catastrophe, and step by step he has cultivated a heart that is invulnerable, in fact, it is understandable.
However, from her arrangements before her death, you can also see a little bit of her former kindness.
After restoring Li Tang's national name, Wu Zetian spent his last life in the company of his children, leaving a wordless tablet for posterity to comment, which can't help but make people sigh!