[Opening statement]: The content of this article is written with authoritative information combined with personal opinions, and the source of the literature and screenshots have been marked at the end of the article, please be aware.
In 690 AD, an epoch-making moment in Chinese history was ushered in. In this year, Wu Zetian officially ascended the throne as emperor and established the Zhou Dynasty, becoming the only orthodox female emperor in Chinese history. However, on the path of Wu Zetian to the pinnacle of power, there was once a formidable opponent - Queen Wang.
Empress Wang, whose real name is Wang Yuan, is the wife of Li Zhi of Tang Gaozong. She was born in a famous family, and her father Wang Dewen was the general of the Right Tun Guard. As the empress, Wang Yuan had considerable influence and supporters in the court. However, her position was soon threatened by Wu Zetian.
Wu Zetian was originally a talented person of Tang Taizong, and was later favored by Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and became his concubine. With his extraordinary wisdom and skill, Wu Zetian gradually gained Gaozong's favor and trust. As time passed, the contradictions between Wu Zetian and Empress Wang deepened, and eventually evolved into a life-and-death power struggle.
In this battle, why did Wu Zetian get rid of Queen Wang at all costs? What made her determined to eliminate this opponent? If you don't do this, what kind of fate will await Wu Zetian?
China's most famous empress - Wu Zetian
Speaking of the name Wu Zetian, everyone must be familiar with it.
We usually say that history is written by the victors, and Wu Zetian, the empress, her life can be said to be extremely exciting, but it is also full of controversy.
Today, let's talk about how she stepped on the throne step by step from an ordinary talent, and then to the queen's throne.
First of all, let's talk about the background of Wu Zetian's entry into the palace.
When she first entered the palace, she was just a talented person, and she was the kind of monk who should enter the temple according to the rules after the death of Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
But Wu Zetian is not a vegetarian, she has her own little abacus in her heart.
I think that back then, when she was a nun in Ganye Temple, she happened to meet Li Zhi to incense in the temple.
is as clever as her, and has long seen Li Zhi, the future emperor, and directly expressed her longing for Li Zhi through a poem "Ruyi Niang".
This operation, we have to admire, it is really both direct and implicit.
As soon as this matter was fiddled, Wu Zetian was taken back to the palace again, this time it was different, she became Li Zhi's favorite concubine, and soon gave birth to a son.
Now it's okay, with a son, his position has stabilized a lot all of a sudden, and he has caught up with Li Hong, who later became the prince.
But the harem is like a battlefield, there is no eternal winner, only eternal struggle.
At that time, the big drama in the palace was Queen Wang, Concubine Xiao Shu, and our protagonist Wu Zetian.
Queen Wang is Li Zhi's main family, but she has no children and her status is in jeopardy.
And Concubine Xiao Shufei gradually climbed in the harem by giving birth to children.
Queen Wang saw that the situation was not right, and planned to use Wu Zetian's "emerging force" to deal with Concubine Xiao Shu.
As everyone knows, he fell into the pit he dug himself.
The rest of the story is even more dramatic.
Although Empress Wang tried to use Wu Zetian to suppress Concubine Xiao Shu, she was gradually eroded by Wu Zetian.
In the end, Li Zhi still chose Wu Zetian and kicked Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu away together.
To put it bluntly, this is a wonderful palace fighting scene, each character has his own abacus, but the result is unpredictable.
In the final analysis, Wu Zetian was able to grow from a palace maid to a country, and then to the later empress, relying not only on opportunities, but also on her wisdom and means beyond ordinary people.
The story in the middle can be described as a twist and turn, which is exciting.
It is not easy for her to turn the clouds and rain in that era of male superiority and inferiority.
Having said that, there are so many figures in history, why is she particularly outstanding?
In addition to her super personal ability, I am afraid it is also due to the unique court political background of that era.
We often say that life is like a play, and Wu Zetian's life is like a wonderful drama, which is breathtaking.
The story of this empress is not only history, but also an eternal legend in the hearts of countless descendants.
Wu Zetian's decision on Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu
In that Tang Dynasty, where the heroes competed for hegemony, the harem was not just a place of red faces and thin lives, but another form of political struggle.
The alliance between Wu Zetian and Li Zhi is the most unique and powerful combination on this invisible battlefield.
Li Zhi, this Tang Gaozong, although he sits on the country, he is not at peace at all times.
Above the court, the eldest grandson Wuji, Chu Suiliang and other powerful ministers are like wolves and tigers, and if they are not careful, they may be attacked by them.
And in this seemingly helpless situation, Wu Zetian undoubtedly gave Li Zhi great support.
She not only solved the troubles of the harem for Li Zhi, but also became Li Zhi's strongest backing in the political game.
The so-called "abolition of Wang Liwu", simply put, means that Li Zhi abolished the then queen Wang and changed Wu Zetian to the queen.
At first, it wasn't that simple.
Since it is a political game, it is absolutely inseparable from the support of the military.
At this time, Li Ji, the representative of the hardliners, stood up, which made Li Zhi's hanging heart feel a little bit on the ground.
With the support of the military, he has much more confidence in the operation behind this.
But Wu Zetian's real decision to move Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shufei has her own set of logic.
The alliance and marriage between her and Li Zhi are not just as simple as feelings, but also a kind of political mutual benefit and win-win.
Wu Zetian knew that only by thoroughly consolidating his position could he better help Li Zhi and maintain the stability of the country.
Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu, one is the original queen of the main palace, and the other is the concubine who gave birth to Li Zhi's son, the existence of the two is undoubtedly a huge threat to Wu Zetian's heart.
When Li Zhi was soft-hearted and impulsively wanted to forgive Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu, Wu Zetian's calmness and decisiveness were particularly important.
She knows that this is not just an emotional issue, but a major event related to herself, Li Zhi and even the stability of the Tang Dynasty.
So, she resolutely decided to use the power in her hands to solve the problem once and for all.
When the news came that Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu were deposed as concubines and detained in the cold palace, many people thought that this was their end.
Who knows, Wu Zetian took even more extreme measures to make them miserable.
Although all this is cruel, it is also silently telling the world that the cruelty of the harem battle is far beyond their imagination, and it also tells the world that Wu Zetian is not a simple woman, but an iron-blooded empress who can rise in the political struggle and sit firmly at the head of the harem.
This power game in the harem finally ended with Wu Zetian's victory.
The tragic fate of Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu is not only the end of the fate of the two women, but also a profound political reckoning.
Wu Zetian took this opportunity to firmly sit in the position of empress, and also laid the foundation for her to go further in the future and become the empress of Wu Zhou, who revitalized the Tang Dynasty and even founded the Zhou Dynasty.
In that era of male supremacy, the rise of Wu Zetian was undoubtedly a miracle.
She not only won a place for later women in the political arena, but also used her wisdom and courage to prove that women can also control their own destiny in the changing political situation.
The Tang Dynasty under the rule of Wu Zetian
The fate of Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu finally came to an end in the hands of Wu Zetian, marking that she had grasped the throne of the queen.
But this is only one scene in Wu Zetian's power struggle.
How did Wu Zetian consolidate his power in the Tang Dynasty, and how did he deal with internal strife and external enemies?
Let's take a look at the Tang Dynasty under Wu Zetian and its influence.
First of all, how Wu Zetian consolidated his power and handled the harem battle.
After securing the security of her position as queen, Wu Zetian did not stop her pace, and she began to work to clear all potential threats.
She is not only a shrewd ruler, but also a politician who can perceive people's hearts and minds and take advantage of human weaknesses.
In the harem, she adopted a divide-and-conquer strategy, taking advantage of the rivalries between the concubines to ensure that no one could amass enough strength to stand up to her.
She even spared no expense in cruelty, using the means of killing chickens and monkeys to deter potential opponents, such methods undoubtedly made no one in the harem dare to take the lead.
Then, Wu Zetian's political maneuver and brutal treatment of the enemy.
In court politics, Wu Zetian showed political skills beyond ordinary people, not only through the selection and appointment of capable officials, but also unscrupulous means to eliminate the forces that oppose her.
For example, when dealing with ministers who opposed him, Wu Zetian not only imposed harsh punishments, but even used the death penalty to warn those who tried to rebel against her authority.
She implemented the system of "being virtuous and outspoken", and tried to establish a selection system that did not completely rely on clan power, which to some extent changed the selection mechanism dominated by gate valves at that time and promoted the metabolism of officialdom.
Finally, reflections on Wu Zetian's later years and the subsequent development of the Tang Dynasty.
In her later years, Wu Zetian is said to have begun to reflect on her life's power struggles, and she may have realized what consequences the pursuit of power and totalitarianism had brought to the Tang Dynasty, and even to herself.
But it is undeniable that Wu Zetian's rule, especially the support for religion and the promotion of culture, had a considerable impact on the Tang Dynasty.
Despite her cruel methods, she was also one of the few women in history who could claim the title of emperor, and her reign showcased the power and charm of women.
After her death, power in the Tang Dynasty returned to the hands of the Li men, but some of the political and cultural measures established by Wu Zetian himself, such as promoting Buddhism and promoting education, had a profound impact on the Tang Dynasty and later generations.
Although Wu Zetian's reign was not entirely positive, she was undoubtedly a powerful, intelligent, and complex historical figure.
She left her own unique mark on the politics and culture of the Tang Dynasty.
For Wu Zetian, the hardships of her early life, her quest for power, and her reflection in her later years constitute a trio of her life legend.
She single-handedly earned a place in the era of male superiority and inferiority, no matter what the evaluation is, this is worth pondering.
Resources:
[1] Li Qingfeng. On the contingency of Wu Zetian's claim to be emperor[J].Qianling Cultural Research,2015(00):98-107.)
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[1] Meng Xianshi. Wu Zetian and the harem struggle[J].National New Bibliography,2008(10):19.)