This is Huang Guangyu's description of a generation of empress Wu Zetian. As we all know, Wu Zetian is the only orthodox female emperor in Chinese history. But even if the empress unifies the country on the throne, she cannot avoid the love of the children in her heart.
When Wu Zetian first entered the palace, like most harem women, he was caught in a palace battle. In order to gain a foothold and gain power, she finally ascended to the throne of the emperor step by step, imprisoned her former enemies in the Cold Palace, and finally eliminated the troubles with the punishment of bone drunkenness. The word bone drunk sounds very beautiful, but in fact it is terrible. So, what is so-called bone drunkenness?
Influenced by her parents, talented women in the family have just grown up
Wu Zetian, a politician of the Tang Dynasty, was one of the oldest and longest-lived emperors in the Tang Dynasty, and her most special status was that of the only orthodox female emperor in ancient China.
Wu Zetian has a decisive personality, is brave and strategic, and is extremely adaptable. This is inseparable from her early childhood experience. His father was the founding hero of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Yan, who was quite talented, often traveled around the country toiled and worked diligently, so his political achievements at the local level were remarkable.
After the imperial court had examined the talents and achievements of the samurai, they arranged for him to be placed in other places. As a child, Wu Zetian followed in his father's footsteps, traveled from place to place, and finally settled in Miangu, Sichuan. Although her father was transferred many times, Xiao Wu Zetian did not cry, which made her exercise her strong adaptability when she was young.
After the death of their father, Wu Shiyan ( 武彟 ), the children of the Wu clan , who had originally been respectful to the Wu Zetian family , began to be unruly, ignoring etiquette and disrespecting their mother and son. Her mother, Yang Shi, did not care about these things, she devoted herself to cultivating Buddhism, although Wu Zetian was dissatisfied with the attitude of Wu's children, but under the infection of her mother, she also became restrained and patient.
This also played a subtle role in the formation of Wu Zetian's stoic and calm personality. Coupled with the fact that his mother Yang Shi was different from ordinary women and liked to study poetry books, Wu Zetian had a strong interest in poetry and song since childhood. Her cleverness, poetry and good looks paved the way for her to be later selected to enter the palace.
Laying the groundwork, entering the palace and fighting one after another
Initially, Wu Zetian did not directly enter the political field. In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Tang Taizong personally visited Luoyang Palace, and when he heard that the fourteen-year-old Wu Zetian "Rong Zhimei" was "Rong Zhimei", he summoned her to the palace and made her a talented person. However, more than ten years have passed, and her status has not been improved, but she has a relationship with the crown prince Li Zhi.
In the first year of Yonghui, when Li Zhi went to the Ganye Temple to pay tribute to Li Shimin, he met Wu Zetian again. The two complained to each other about the pain of parting. All this was seen by Empress Wang, and she wanted to borrow Wu Zetian to suppress Concubine Xiao Shu in the palace.
Concubine Xiao Shufei was in the palace to be blessed with the emperor's favor, and she was arrogant and wanton, which made Empress Wang very dissatisfied, but because she was helpless because she could not be sacred. The following year, Wu Zetian entered the palace pregnant and gave birth to the crown prince Li Hong, who soon suppressed Xiao Shufei's momentum as Empress Wang expected. However, the vigilant Empress Wang felt that Wu Zetian's arrogance was also about to overwhelm her, so she competed for favor and suppressed it.
The alert Wu Zetian confronted Consort Xiao while dealing with Empress Wang. In this process, Li Yifu, the Zhongshu sheriff at the time, was the first to approve of the "abolition of Wang Liwu", which Was rewarded by Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, and all the courtiers also supported this initiative. Therefore, Li Zhi decreed that Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shufei be reduced to concubines and imprisoned in the other court for the crime of "conspiracy to poison". At this point, Wu Zetian stabilized his position as empress.
The punishment of bone drunkenness, the hatred in the heart
Most of the ancient Chinese torture was very cruel, car cracking, lingchi, waist chopping... These tortures were gruesome, but it was undeniable that on the one hand, they increased the deterrent power of the king and maintained social order.
On the other hand, the use of torture in the interrogation of prisoners also yields key information. At the same time, it is not difficult to see that those who like to use torture are mostly tyrants. The sensory stimulation brought about by torture can largely satisfy the psychological needs of the tyrant.
...... These tortures are gruesome, but it is undeniable that on the one hand, they increase the deterrent power of the king and maintain social order; on the other hand, the use of torture in the interrogation of prisoners also provides key information. At the same time, it is not difficult to see that those who like to use torture are mostly tyrants. The sensory stimulation brought about by torture can largely satisfy the psychological needs of the tyrant.
In the past, there was the punishment of Lü Houren Yan, and then there was the punishment of Wu Zetian's drunkenness. The so-called bone drunkenness is to cut off people's hands and feet, goug out their eyes, smoke deaf ears, cut off their tongues, and then soak people in wine tanks, tearing wounds encounter alcohol, not only painful, tearing hearts and lungs, alcohol can play a role in disinfection, which in turn makes the tortured person not die immediately. It can be described as a punishment that is worse than death. And this cruel punishment was used by Wu Zetian on Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shufei.
After Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shufei were deposed as shuren, they were imprisoned in a secret room in the harem, did not see the light of day, and washed their faces with tears all day long, and the two complained about each other's sorrows. One day, Emperor Gaozong of Tang remembered the former empress dowager Wang and The unloving Concubine Xiao Shu, so he went to visit under the guidance of his subordinates.
Seeing that the two were living in misery, he felt pity, so he shouted through the wall: "Empress, Lady Concubine, is it okay?" Where is it now? The two people in the room responded hurriedly, first thanking the emperor for his old feelings, and then hoping that the emperor would rename the place back to the Heart Temple, and Tang Gaozong's eyes were misty with tears, so he agreed to come down. However, all this was seen by Wu Zetian's confidants, and she immediately told Wu Zetian.
Hearing of this, Wu Zetian was furious and ordered Empress Dowager Wan and Concubine Xiao Shufei to each have a hundred, and then cut off their hands and feet, put them into a wine urn, and make an adult. He also said that this was to make the two of them drunk.
Empress Wang choked up and said, "Your Majesty ten thousand years, Zhaoyi (wu Zetian) cheng'en, death is divided into parts!" When it was Xiao Shufei's turn, after she was commanded, she broke her mouth and vowed to be born as a cat in the next life, while Wu Zetian was born as a rat and strangled her throat. The two were beaten to the skin, lost face, and tortured, which showed how powerful this bone drunken punishment was.
As we all know, Wu Zetian was called emperor in the first year of the Tianzhi Dynasty, the state name was Zhou, the capital was Luoyang, and Wu Zhou was established. Wu Zetian, who was known as the empress dowager, opened up the way of speech; lightly dispensed with thin endowments and rested with the people; he was also good at poetry and song, and wrote many poems, such as "Early Spring Night Feast" and "Ruyi Niang".
While stabilizing the community and taking care of the people, she also appointed cool officials to deter hundreds of officials. Under her rule, the prosperous world was peaceful, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, a scene of national peace and security.
Indeed, he was a capable and capable king, decisive in killing, rational and calm, and maintained the tranquility and stability of the Jiangshan Community; at the same time, she was vicious enough to deal with love enemies. As an emperor, he had courage and strategy, and was a well-deserved emperor for thousands of years; as a concubine, she was fierce and fierce, with a snake and scorpion heart. So, how do you see the emperor?
References: "Biography of Wu Zetian", "New Book of Tang", "Old Book of Tang"