She is also the only woman in Chinese history who can be buried with the emperor. She is the woman with both beauty and wisdom - Wu Zetian. The so-called famous families are the Guanlong Group that has controlled the regimes of the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui and Tang Dynasti

She is the only true queen in Chinese history. After her death, a large monument without words in China was erected in Qianling Tomb. She is also the only woman in Chinese history who can be buried with the emperor. She is a woman with both beauty and wisdom - Wu Zetian .

. The influence of her native family on her

Wu Zetian, named Fu; a native of Wenshui, Shanxi, was born in 624 AD. (Tang Wude seventh year), his father Yang Da was born as a timber merchant. His official title is Zhengsanpin, the Minister of Industry and the Governor of the Ministry of Industry and other high officials. His mother, Yang, came from a famous family. His father was originally from a clan in the Sui Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, the Yang family was still a prominent clan in the capital. Despite this, Wu Zetian's family was still a "Han clan" that did not belong to the upper class at that time. The so-called famous families are the Guanlong Group that have controlled the Western Wei , Northern Zhou and the Sui and Tang regimes for more than 100 years. Only people born in these families can be recognized by the imperial court and qualified to serve in the imperial court. For important official positions, according to Wu Zetian's father's experience and official position, he could certainly be ranked among the gentry, but in terms of bloodline and origin, he was from a humble family.

In the twelfth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court revised the "Clan Chronicle" and did not list the surname Wu. The surname Wu was a minor surname. The Wu family was excluded from the nobility. It was very slim to obtain high power and position. Wu Zetian was born into such a family, with the splendor and wealth of the upper class and the "historical birth" of the Hanwei clan. The life in the upper class stimulated her desire for power, but her humble background made it impossible for her to realize her desire to seize power. Wu Zetian grew up in this contradictory psychological state since she was a child, which gradually developed her strong character and desire for power.

2. Strong character

In 636 AD, ’s eldest grandson Queen passed away. The next year, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty heard that Wu Zetian was dignified and beautiful, so he called her into the palace to be a talented person and named her "Wu Meiniang". When she entered the palace, Wu Zetian was only 14 years old, an innocent age. Generally speaking, girls of this age are not willing to leave their father, and once they enter the palace, it is like life and death, but the little Wu Zetian sees it as an opportunity for promotion. Her mother knew that she was very sad when she entered the palace, but Wu Zetian thought it was a big deal. Instead, she smiled and comforted her mother and said: "It may be my blessing if I go to see the emperor, why should I be sad?"

After Wu Zetian entered the palace, from the age of fourteen to twenty-six, during these twelve years, Wu Zetian could only spend her youth in the deep palace. She was just a talented person of the fourth grade, and her status was the lowest internal official. She could only take care of the emperor's life, but could not gain Taizong's favor.

After the death of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian was sent to the Influence Temple again, but she was not discouraged at all. She was still full of hope for the future and was very strong and unyielding in her heart.

Emperor Gaozong paid off, and finally Gaozong came to the Inspiring Temple and met Wu Zetian, but he still missed her in his heart. The Queen saw Tang Gaozong's thoughts. In order to deal with Xiao Shufei, she encouraged Tang Gaozong to take Wu Zetian back to the palace. When Wu Zetian first entered the palace, she was very aware of her situation and adopted a groveling attitude to cater to her. Queen. Queen Wang also liked him very much and said good things about her in front of Gaozong many times. But soon after, Gaozong favored Wu Zetian and named her Zhaoyi. Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu were both very jealous and unhappy here. So the two people joined forces to deal with Wu Zetian.

Wu Zetian clearly knew that she was born into a poor family and had little power. Queen Wang has the support of powerful noble families. Therefore, I have never dared to act rashly against her, and have been waiting for the right time to bring down Queen Wang.

In the spring of 654 AD, Wu Zetian gave birth to a daughter. She was very cute and beautiful. Queen Wang heard about it and went to have a look. Wu Zetian happened to be away when she went there, so Queen Wang watched for a while and then went back.Not long after Queen Wang left, Tang Gaozong also came in to see his daughter. After watching for a long time, he found that her daughter had not moved. Gaozong felt something was wrong. When he looked carefully, there were black fingerprints on his daughter's neck. He found that her daughter was not breathing and was dead. Emperor Gaozong anxiously asked the maids on his left and right, who had been here just now? The maid was so frightened that she kept saying, "The Queen came to see the little princess just now." Gaozong said angrily, "The Queen has killed my daughter." At this time, Wu Zetian came in and found that the situation was not good, and learned that her daughter was dead. She was heartbroken. Desperate.

After the death of her daughter, Wu Zetian took the opportunity to enumerate the sins of Queen Wang and Queen Wang, and Queen Wang found it difficult to defend herself. From then on, Emperor Gaozong made up his mind to abolish Queen Wang and make Wu Zetian his queen. The true cause of death of Wu Zetian's daughter is still a mystery and cannot be verified.

Under the circumstances at that time, Wu Zetian was probably the only effective way to save herself through the death of her daughter. Because the power of Queen Wang is really too great. This is the ruthlessness and indifference of being in a deep palace, with intrigues everywhere. If you don't let him die, you have to die first. If you are not careful, you will lose your life. This also shows Wu Zetian's tenacity and ability to swim against the tide when encountering difficulties.

3. Extraordinary courage.

Tufan State attacked and gave Taizong a group of extremely valuable horses called "lion mane" . They were very fierce and powerful and difficult to tame. Taizong himself could not control them even if he tried to ride them. At that time, Wu Zetian stood by and said loudly, "Only I can subdue him." . Taizong hurriedly asked her what she could do. Wu Zetian replied: "I have three things to subdue it. I started to beat it hard with an iron whip. If she doesn't obey, I will hit it hard with an iron rod. If she still doesn't obey, I will use a dagger." Stab it in the throat.” Taizong couldn't help but be surprised that a little palace maid had such courage and courage.

Wu Zetian showed her extraordinary courage when she helped Taizong tame the "lion mane " when she was a talented person. Later, after the queen was deposed, Tang Gaozong wanted to make Wu Zetian his queen. Before establishing the queen, there was resistance in the court. Many times, most of the old factions of the Guanlong Group disagreed. Led by Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang and others, they felt that even if a new queen was to be established, a lady from a famous family should be chosen instead of someone like Wu Zetian who had served the previous emperor. They cited Daji, Baosi and other witches The example of the previous dynasty that destroyed the country was used to admonish Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty.

In order to establish a queen, Wu Zetian also asked her mother to intercede, and went to these Guanlong nobles together with Gaozong, hoping to get their support, but no matter what, it was ineffective. Wu Zetian finally understood that she could not To obtain the support of these Guanlong aristocratic groups, she thought of a group of frustrated officials from poor families and went there to find supporters. Such as Zhongshu Sheren Li Yifu , Wang Dejian, Yushi doctor Cui Yixuan, Yushi Zhongcheng Yuan Gongyu and Xu Jingzong and others.

Wu Zetian finally got the support of these people. She was too soft to be tough. Li Yifu was the first to go to the table to ask the queen to depose the king and make Wu Zetian the queen. This group of people also fully supported Wu Zetian after she became emperor, and they have been devoted to Wu Zetian.

From this, we can also see that Wu Zetian, although she is a woman, is really no worse than men in controlling political power. She is really a very political person. When she encounters a problem, she remains calm, clears her mind, and prescribes the right remedy. He is always able to find a good solution, and he really has extraordinary courage.

4. An ambitious woman.

Wu Zetian's goal of becoming queen was achieved. Her second step plan was to seize power. The top priority was to completely destroy the Queen Wang and her party. She imprisoned Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu in the cold palace, and demoted Prime Minister Chu Suiliang to death in Love. State , forced Taiwei Zhang Sun Wuji to commit suicide, and killed Prime Minister Liu Shuang in Xiangzhou, and Prime Minister Han Yuan was forced to die in Zhenzhou. The main relatives of these people were also killed or demoted. In 659 AD, Changsun Wuji's power group was completely destroyed, and all subsequent power was in the hands of Wu Zetian.

Tang Gaozong was cowardly and indecisive, and was in very poor health. He was often dizzy and unable to govern, and all political affairs were handled by the military. To say that her power is equal to that of Emperor Gaozong is an understatement. In fact, the real power is still in Wu Zetian's hands, especially after the Xianqing period.

The longer Wu Zetian's dictatorship lasted, the more problems arose in many aspects: First, she turned away from her past servility and became domineering; second, Gaozong's power was greatly restricted, and he often felt angry. , In this case, Gaozong instructed Prime Minister Shangguan Yi to draft an edict to depose Wu Zetian as a commoner. Shangguan Yi also wanted to do this and happily obeyed the order.

The spy placed by Wu Zetian next to Shangguan Yi saw that something was not going well and hurriedly told Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian ran to Gaozong that day and persuaded Gaozong by "moving her with emotion and understanding with reason". Gao Zong felt that Wu Zetian's behavior was excusable. Gao Zong softened his heart and said that he had no intention of doing so and that it was Prime Minister Shangguan Yi who suggested it first. Wu Zetian then had someone falsely accuse Shangguan Yi of being together with the former crown prince Li Zhong. rebellion. Shangguan Yi, Shangguan Tingzhi and his son were executed, and Shangguan Yi's wife and daughter Shangguan Wan'er were taken into the palace as slaves. Li Zhong was said to have died in Qianzhou .

From then on, Gaozong relied more on Wu Zetian. Whenever he went to court, Wu Zetian always listened to politics behind the curtain, and the power of life and death belonged to the middle palace. Emperor Tang Gaozong only acted as Wu Zetian's yes-man.

In 674 AD, "the emperor was called the emperor, and the queen was called the queen of heaven." The struggle for power between the queen and the prince, which lasted for more than ten years, ended with Wu Zetian's complete victory. This victory was not just a victory for Wu Zetian alone, but also represented a certain historical turning point, because the political power representing the poor landlords finally stepped onto the stage of history. In this struggle, Empress Wang and Changsun Wuji were representatives of the power of the wealthy landlords that had been formed and continued for a hundred years, and representatives of the tribal tenant economy, while Wu Zetian's side was the newly entered common people from poor families. Representative of landowner power. As a representative of the contracted sharecropping economy, Wu Zetian's victory was, in a certain sense, a victory for the common landowners. This victory marked the end of more than 400 years of history in which the powerful Tu people had held state power since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, while the emerging landlord class gradually took control of the real power. This has very positive significance for emancipating the mind, activating productive forces, and promoting the development of Chinese history.

At this time, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty was plagued by illness, and his illness became more and more serious as he grew older. He wanted to pass the throne to Prince Li Hong. But Li Hong disobeyed Wu Zetian several times, and Wu Zetian didn't like him. In fact, this is also secondary. The key is that Li Hong wanted to fight for power with Wu Zetian, so Wu Zetian poisoned his biological son with poisonous wine. When Li Hong died, he was bleeding from all his orifices, which looked like a lung disease.

After Li Hong's death, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty established Wu Zetian's second son Li Xian as the crown prince. Li Xian was unwilling to listen to Wu Zetian, so Wu Zetian demoted Li Xian to a commoner on the grounds that he was "very sensual" and was imprisoned in the capital. Later, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty could only establish Li Xian as the crown prince.

In 683 AD, Tang Gaozong died of illness, and Prince Li Xian ascended the throne, known as Tang Zhongzong. Wu Zetian, as the empress dowager, came to court and called herself . Once, Zhongzong wanted to make his father-in-law Xuanzhen the prime minister and give the son of his wet nurse a fifth-rank official. Prime Minister Pei Yan felt it was inappropriate and had a dispute with Zhongzong. Zhongzong was young and energetic and said angrily, "I will give the whole world to Wei Xuanwuzhen, so what do I have to fear?"

After Wu Zetian knew about it, in order to prevent it from happening, Wu Zetian issued an imperial edict to abolish Zhongzong and demoted him to King of Luling. His fourth son, King of Beiyu Li Dan, ascended the throne and was called Ruizong, but she arranged for Ruizong to live there. In another place, he basically cannot participate in political affairs and is equivalent to a puppet emperor. In the end, Wu Zetian controlled the real power in the world. Wu Zetian was not over yet. At the same time, Wu Zetian sent people to force the deposed prince Li Xian to death. At this point, Wu Zetian cleared all the obstructive forces and was ready to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.

5. Possessing strong political abilities

Zhongzong abolished the king and queen and established Wu Zetian as queen. In the four months after Wu Zetian became emperor, she put forward 12 political suggestions to Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty as a queen, which are called "suggestions" in history. Twelve things”. These 12 items were put forward in a targeted manner by Wu Zetian after long-term observation and careful research on the society of the Tang Dynasty. The main contents are: reducing taxes on farmers, allocating land to farmers, strengthening the military, building roads extensively, and promoting filial piety. These 12 political suggestions brought a breath of fresh air to the political, economic and cultural environment at that time, and were indeed beneficial to the development of society at that time.

At the same time, in the seventh month after Wu Zetian came to rule, Xu Jingye in Yangzhou rebelled against the dynasty. Pei Yan, the prime minister of the DPRK, also colluded with him, causing internal and external troubles. But Wu Zetian remained calm in the face of danger. She killed Pei Yan, Cheng Wuting and others, and urgently mobilized 300,000 troops to put down Xu Jingye's rebellion in less than 50 days.

In September 690 AD, Wu Zetian announced that Tang Dynasty would be changed to Zhou Dynasty and she would be titled "Holy God Emperor". She was dazzling in emperor's clothes and ascended the throne of the Great Zhou Emperor in Luoyang, Henan , the only one in Chinese history. The queen was officially born.

Wu Zetian was emperor for fifteen years and was in power for nearly 50 years. During her time in power, she made significant contributions to the development of Chinese history. She first attached importance to the development of agriculture, promoted land equalization, restrained tyrants and land annexation, and rewarded land reclamation. Very productive. During her reign, the country's population increased from 3.8 million households to 6.15 million households.

Secondly, Wu Zetian developed the imperial examination system and personally presided over the examination, selecting a large number of outstanding talents born from common landowners; and launched the " Martial Arts " to select people with military talents. She also attached great importance to cultural and educational undertakings and advocated the compilation of many cultural classics. She also attaches great importance to strengthening border defense and improving neighboring relations with ethnic minorities. It has made positive contributions to maintaining national unity, consolidating border defense and developing commerce.

6. Those who understand current affairs are heroes

After Wu Zetian came to the throne, he governed the country very well. It can be said that it played a positive role in the country's economy and culture. However, in Wu Zetian's later years, as Wu Zetian got older and older, his health deteriorated. It's getting worse and worse. She knows that her time is running out. At this time, she is very worried about who should leave this world to her after she dies. She wanted to give the world to her nephew Wu Sansi of the Wu family. But in the end, after careful consideration, she decided to hand over the world to the Li family. If not, there will definitely be chaos in the world after her death and the country will be unstable.

In 705 AD, the 82-year-old Wu Zetian passed away in Luoyang . Her last will and testament was: "Remove the imperial title and call her the Great Sage Queen Zetian."

It was precisely because she returned the world to Li before she died. After her death, the greatest honor she strived for was to be buried in the Qianling Mausoleum with Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. This may be a symbol that she has equal status as an empress with the emperor.

Looking at the stage of history, although Wu Zetian massacred clan ministers during her reign, almost all the descendants of the Li clan were killed by her. Fifty-eight prime ministers in fourteen years were killed and demoted. But during her reign, the country prospered and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. It must be said that she indeed made outstanding contributions to the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It can be seen from this that she is truly an extraordinary woman with both beauty and wisdom. She is like a meteor streaking across China's long historical trajectory, shining brightly and causing future generations to think endlessly about her.