After Emperor Taizong of Tang died, Wu Zetian left the palace and entered Ganye Temple in Chang'an and became a nun. He was 26 years old at the time. Although in this isolated temple, there are three meals a day, and chanting scriptures and worshiping Buddha to do homework every day, Wu Zetian seemed calm and silently endured the torture of the rules and precepts in the temple.
After she finishes her homework every day, she takes the initiative to do some rough work, either cleaning the courtyard, or cultivating flowers and planting grass. The nuns who managed the temple always stayed away from Wu Zetian, who had enjoyed wealth and glory in the palace.
At first, Wu Zetian helped the nuns in the temple sweep the floor. They deliberately sprinkled all the sewage all over her and told her to stand aside and not to get in the way here. Wu Zetian helped them cultivate flowers, so they went to pull weeds and deliberately ignored her, or they would sarcastically mock her and stimulate her, but Wu Zetian endured humiliation and worked constantly.
One day, a little nun accidentally knocked over the eternal light in front of the Guanyin Master while cleaning the hall, causing a big disaster. If you want to destroy the eternal lantern, it will be a big deal if the temple incense is cut off! Seeing the old host coming, the little nun was at a loss and trembled all over.
Wu Zetian saw it, and in an instant she took the lead, knelt in front of the old host, saying that she could not work and turned off the lamp and was willing to be punished.
The old host saw that Wu Zetian was sincere and admitted his mistakes. He was a talented man who had been favored by the late emperor Taizong, so he just said, "Why don't you hurry up and go" and left.
This disaster caused by the little nun was concealed by Wu Zetian. From then on, the little nun was extremely grateful to Wu Zetian and called her senior sister affectionately. This is how Wu Zetian won the favor and closeness of the nuns with his own scheming subtle actions.
Wu Zetian was able to endure humiliation in the hellish Ganye Temple because she had a glimmer of hope to get out of the sea of suffering. The eldest son Li Zhi 's Dandan oath is still ringing in his ears, and the prince gave her the token of "love" Jiulong mutton fat jade hook, which he never left her day and night.
She waited and waited for it. Two years have passed, and the prince has succeeded to the throne and become the emperor, but she has not yet received the news of leaving the sea of bitterness, so she can't help but feel a little discouraged and irritable.
This day was the death day of the late emperor Taizong. As soon as the sky was dawn, Ganye Temple began to hold a Dharma ceremony to commemorate the former emperor. In front of the spiritual throne of the late emperor, the eternal lamp was half bright and half dark, a pair of half of the red candles flashed, and smoke was lingering in the incense burner. Several nuns knelt on the desk and knocked on wooden fish, chanting scriptures to save Taizong's souls. Wu Zetian mechanically knocked on the wooden fish with his right hand, but his left hand, which was reading the scriptures, did not move at all, and his eyes were staring blankly and thinking about something.
The little nun hurriedly ran to report to the old host: "The emperor is here to commemorate the late emperor!" The old host stood up from the ground and ordered the nuns to prepare fragrant tea and fruits immediately to welcome the holy carriage.
Gaozong Li Zhi brought several personal eunuchs into the hall and burned incense and worshipped in front of the spiritual throne of the late emperor Taizong.
The old host knelt down behind Gaozong and said, "Please go to the guest hall to rest."
The old host came to the guest hall and sat down, and asked, " Wu Mei is still in the temple?"
The old host replied, "Here."
The Gaozong was silent for a moment and said, "I am here today to pay tribute to the late emperor, and the other is to check the offerings in the temple. "
At this time, the eunuch gave the gold, silver and jade and silk he brought to the temple. After the old host thanked him, he asked a little nun to call Wu Zetian. After a while, Wu Zetian appeared at the door. She wrapped a white scarf on her head and wore a black robes. The old host, nuns, and eunuchs all quietly withdrew from the guest hall.
Wu Zetian knelt on the ground while crying, saying, "Wu Mei wishes the emperor long live! Long live! "
Gao Zong hurriedly helped her up, moved his old love, and burst into tears: " Mei Niang , you have suffered in the past two years! "
Wu Zetian burst into tears and said, "As long as the emperor does not forget his oath, Wu Mei can tolerate any suffering. "
Gaozong comforted her and said, "The future is long, and the bitterness will come after all! ”
From then on, Emperor Gaozong often came to Ganye Temple to have a secret meeting with Wu Zetian.
Once, when he met Wu Zetian, he started crying and said that she was pregnant, but she was still a nun, so ashamed that she had no face to meet people. Emperor Gaozong returned to the palace and had to tell Queen Wang . Queen Wang thought about it again and again, and recognized Wu Zetian's entry into the palace to serve in the bed.
It turned out that Empress Wang was competing for favor with Concubine Xiao Shu, and she wanted to use Wu Zetian to subdue Concubine Xiao Shu. Queen Wang could not give birth, and Emperor Gaozong didn't like her, but he favored Concubine Xiao Shu, who was charming and had a prince. Concubine Xiao Shu's son King Yong Su Jie is smart and smart, and is also the prince that Emperor Gaozong likes. If Emperor Gaozong made Su Jie the crown prince, the status of Queen Wang would be threatened. She thought: Let Wu Zetian enter the palace, kill two birds with one stone. First, it was to divert Emperor Gaozong's favor for Concubine Xiao; second, it could unite with Wu Zetian to slander Concubine Xiao.
Wu Zetian came to the palace, and Emperor Gaozong was with her every night. She understood Gaozong's weaknesses of affection and affection, and was humble and polite to him, gentle and considerate. Soon, Emperor Gaozong not only forgot about Queen Wang, but also gradually forgot about Concubine Xiao Shu.
Gaozong was dazed by Wu Zetian's sister and charm, but Wu Zetian was very clear-headed. She uses more brains and less emotion. She did not want to be the second Concubine Xiao, nor did she want to offend Queen Wang because of her favor. So he hypocritically advised Emperor Gaozong to get close to the queen and Concubine Xiao and not to neglect them. Sometimes I even feel moved and cry. Emperor Gaozong was moved, praised her for being generous, loved her even more, and was unwilling to leave her.
One day, Emperor Gaozong came to meet Concubine Xiao Shu. He said, "Beloved concubine, I have neglected you these days..." Before Emperor Gaozong finished speaking, Concubine Xiao was jealous and said coldly, "What are you doing?"
"Because I love you!" Emperor Gaozong wanted to kiss her.
"Hmph! Love me? You're tired of playing with the demon nun!" Concubine Xiao Shu avoided Gaozong and said sarcastically, "What kind of ecstasy has that vixen given you to you, making you so fascinated!"
Gao Zong was no longer happy when he heard Concubine Xiao scolding Wu Mei as a demon nun and vixen , but he still restrainedly said, "Why are you cursing like this?"
Concubine Xiao Shu stimulated Gaozong with even more ugly words: "I cursed like this, and it's reasonable for me to curse. Wu Mei used to charm the late emperor, but now she has charmed you again. What is she not a vixen?"
Gao Zong could no longer hold it back and said, "Don't scold her, you scold her, it's equivalent to scolding me!" After that, he turned around and left.
Gaozong returned to Wu Zetian and was so angry that he trembled all over. Wu Zetian didn't know what happened, so he knelt down and said, "Please take care of yourself, don't get angry!" She helped Gaozong sit down and gently stroked his chest and back.
Gao Zong calmed down and said everything Xiao Shufei scolded Wu Zetian. Finally, he said, "This bitch is really ignorant. It's not that you advised me, I won't go yet! She insulted you."
Wu Zetian was secretly happy, but pretended to be innocent and said, "I don't care what she scolds me, the emperor doesn't have to be angry."
Emperor Gaozong also praised Wu Zetian for being humble, generous, kind and wise, and said that he would never see Concubine Xiao Shu again in the future. Emperor Gaozong promoted Wu Zetian to Zhaoyi , second only to the queen and the four concubines. Wu Zetian had already subdued Concubine Xiao Shu, and her next goal was to subdue the king as the queen.
Soon after, Wu Zetian gave birth to a daughter in Ganye Temple, named Hong. She dismissed Empress Wang with her erroneous disobedience. On the surface, Queen Wang is the great benefactor of her mother and son to escape from the sea of suffering and Guanyin. She thanked her for her many gratitudes and will never forget Queen Wang's great virtue for life. Secretly, he was not satisfied with being Zhaoyi, coveting the position of queen, and wanted to be the mother of the country above ten thousand people. In order to achieve this goal, she first tried her best to win over and buy the female officials, eunuchs and palace maids in the palace, because she would be like a blind man or a deaf man, which would make her eyes and ears blocked and achieve nothing.
The opportunity finally comes. One day when Wu Zetian's biological little princess was not yet full month old, Queen Wang came to see the little princess again early in the morning. She could not have children and was particularly fond of the emperor's flesh and blood. Seeing that the little princess was sleeping sweetly and fragrantly, she only looked at it and kissed her, but did not disturb Wu Zetian and her daughter and left.
Wu Zetian knew that the king had passed by later, and she had a vicious plan. She thought: If the baby is strangled to death and blame the Queen of Kings, Emperor Gaozong will inevitably be furious and will definitely hate Queens more, thus clearing the obstacles for her advancement to the Queen's throne. After a certain idea, Wu Zetian cruelly suffocated his biological daughter to death, covered her brocade quilt, turned around and went to the Imperial Garden to play.
Godong returned to the court and went to see the little princess excitedly, but she screamed in fear.It turned out that the little princess's face was as dark as the color of the earth, her eyes were closed, and she had already died of anger! The eunuch, the maid, and the wet nurse were all scattered and knelt on the ground together. Emperor Gaozong shouted loudly: "What's going on? What's going on?"
Wu Zetian ran back from the garden, looked at the dead little princess, and cried and made a fuss: "The morning was fine, why did you lose your anger in a while?" She turned around and asked the maid and the wet nurse, "Have anyone been here just now?"
The wet nurse was trembling all over: "The Empress has seen the little princess!"
Wu Zetian pretended to be surprised and said, "Why don't I know that the Empress has been here?"
The wet nurse replied, "The Empress saw that the little princess was asleep, and she told me not to disturb you."
Gaozong was shocked and asked, "Has anyone else been here?"
The wet nurse shook her head and said, "No." Wu Zetian cried to death, Gaozong was stunned, silent, and couldn't calm down. He thought that Queen Wang was jealous of Wu Zetian, but he didn't expect that she would do such a despicable beast!
Of course, Queen Wang would not admit it, but she was hard to tell, only she had seen the little princess! Who told her not to win over the people in the palace at any time? Who would stand up and say justice at critical moments?
Godong had originally hated Queen Wang, but now he has increased his new resentment towards her. He thought about it and decided to abolish her. However, Empress Wang was chosen by Emperor Taizong when Emperor Gaozong was the crown prince. She was born in the highest family and was respected in the court. The abolition of Empress Wang must be approved by the court's important officials. Emperor Gaozong's wish could not be realized for the time being.
However, Wu Zetian was reluctant to give up. She was unfair and finally came up with another vicious conspiracy that could kill Queen Wang.
Shortly after the little princess' death, one day, a eunuch came to inform Emperor Gaozong, saying that a small wooden man was buried under the bed of Queen Wang, with the emperor's name and birth date engraved on it, and an iron needle was stabbed in the little wooden man's heart.
At first, Gao Zong was half-believing and half-doubted, but he thought that he had always felt a little heartbroken since the death of the little princess, so he became more and more frightened. He immediately took the eunuchs to check it out, and sure enough, a small wooden man was found under Queen Wang's bed. Emperor Gaozong asked Queen Wang why she killed him? She was covered in her mouth and didn't even want to make a clear decision.
Under Wu Zetian's tight urging, Emperor Gaozong once again raised the issue of abolishing the queen. One day, he summoned the important ministers to the inner palace to discuss, and he said, "Empress Wang framed me with magic and should be executed. If she does not abolish her position as queen, she will be ridiculed by the world. I want to abolish Empress Wang and make Wu Zhaoyi the queen. What do the ministers think?"
The prime minister who is in charge of the government affairs among the senior officials Chu Suiliang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Empress Wang was chosen by the late emperor. When the late emperor was dying, he held the old minister's hand on his sickbed and said, 'I will entrust my beloved son and daughter-in-law to you, and I will loyally assist them in governing the country.' Your Majesty also heard this in his own ears. Now that Queen Wang committed a crime, there is no clear evidence, she should not be abolished easily."
Emperor Gaozong was prepared long ago. As soon as Chu Suiliang finished speaking, Emperor Gaozong ordered the eunuch to present the small wooden man found under Queen Wang's bed and let the ministers pass on it.
After reading it carefully, Chu Suiliang also said, "This little wooden man must have been carved by someone else. If there is only physical evidence and no one proves it, it can only mean that someone else framed Queen Wang. For the framer, you must find out the truth."
The Taiwei Changsun Wuji , who holds military power among the founders of the State, then said, "Retreat 100,000 steps, if Your Majesty must establish a new queen, you should also choose among the nobles of the famous family, why do you need to establish Wu Zhaoyi? Wu Zhaoyi is a humble background and has served the late emperor. If you are appointed as the queen, you may stay in the world with a bad reputation. Please think twice." Several important officials objected, which made Emperor Gaozong undecided again and was very troubled.
At this time, Wu Zetian sent her confidant to buy court officials Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong . The two of them wanted to take the opportunity to seek credit and defect to Wu Zetian's sect, so they watched the wind change and sang and reconciled.The first letter of Li Yi's mansion requested the appointment of Wu Zhaoyi as the queen; Xu Jingzong created public opinion around Emperor Gaozong, saying, "The farmer has collected more than a dozen stones of wheat and wants to change his wife, let alone be the emperor!"
Wu Zetian sent his confidant to the mansion of another veteran and important minister, Li Jie, to give gifts and plead for mercy. Seeing that the general situation was unchanging, Li Jie asked to meet with Emperor Gaozong alone in order to please Wu Zetian, and advised Emperor Gao not to be overly worried about this matter.
Li Jie had an ambiguous attitude and said, "The deposed queen is the family affairs in the emperor's palace. The emperor decided by himself, so why ask outsiders for consent!"
Gongzong suddenly realized and thought, "It makes sense. This is my own family affairs. I will decide as much as I want. Why ask outsiders."
This internal and external attack finally prompted Gaozong to make up his mind and pass on the imperial edict, demote and kill Chu Suiliang, Changsun Wuji and other important officials of the auxiliary state on false charges. Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao were imprisoned and imprisoned in the cold palace, and their families were all exiled.
One day in October 655, Wu Zetian wore a queen's dress and climbed to Suyi Gate and received the seal and ribbon. All officials called out to her. Wu Zetian was 32 years old at the time. Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao were later ordered by Wu Zetian to beat a hundred sticks, and then chopped off their hands and feet, soaked in a wine jar, and were tortured to death.
