Anecdote of the Fifth Queen Mother

Chapter 14 Empress Wu (2)
Among the founding heroes of the Tang Dynasty, there was a brave general named Li Junxian, who was on duty at the Xuanwu Gate, and was named "Wulian County Duke". The word "Wu" immediately aroused Tang Taizong's suspicion.One day, Tang Taizong hosted a banquet in honor of the generals, and asked everyone to report their nicknames and drink orders. Unexpectedly, Li Junxian reported his nickname "Wu Niang".Tang Taizong was greatly astonished, thinking of the prophecy of "the heroine King Wu", could it be that it should be on Li Junxian.Although he jokingly said at the banquet: "What kind of woman is she, she is brave and strong!" As the governor of Huazhou, he was executed for treason soon after.Tang Taizong also planned to kill all the concubines in the harem to avoid future troubles, thanks to Taishi Li Chunfeng's persuasion.As a woman surnamed Wu in the harem, Wu Zetian must inevitably be suspected. As for her being able to save herself from a desperate situation, it was not only because of Li Chunfeng's effective persuasion, but also because of Li Junxian's unjust act as her scapegoat.It's no wonder that after Wu Zetian ascended the throne, he wanted to recover Li Junxian's official title and rebury him with rites.In such a situation that is easy to be suspected, Wu Zetian was lucky to be able to protect herself wisely, how could she dare to extravagantly expect to be favored by the king!

Second, there is another important reason why Wu Zetian ordered Huagai to spend 12 lonely years beside Tang Taizong, which was neglected in the past, that is, she happened to meet a powerful rival in love, Concubine Xu Xian.Concubine Xu Xian's name is Hui, she is Xu Xiaode's daughter, she is three years younger than Wu Zetian, and she entered the palace a little later than Wu Zetian.She died in the first year after the death of Emperor Taizong [the first year of Yonghui (AD 650)], only lived to be 24 years old, and was posthumously presented as a concubine Xian after her death.

It is said that Concubine Xu Xian is extremely smart. According to historical records, she "was born in May and could speak, she recited "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mao Shi" at the age of four, and she was good at writing at the age of eight." "When Emperor Taizong heard about it, he accepted him as a talented person. The texts he belonged to were well-known, and his poems were gorgeous. He paid homage to Jieyu, and then moved to fill his capacity." Filling Rong was already a second-rank official in the harem. Her rapid promotion and martial talent People's neglect is in stark contrast.Concubine Xu Xian also wrote a letter to Tang Taizong to express her political views, "Taizong is good at his words, and he bestows great gifts" ("Old Tang Book·Xianfei Xu's Biography").It can be seen that she is not only outstanding in appearance, but also quite politically minded, which is probably one of the reasons why Tang Taizong liked her so much.It was the 22nd year of Zhenguan (648 A.D.) when Concubine Xu Xian went to Shu, and Tang Taizong died in the second year. It can be seen that Concubine Xu Xian was always favored during Taizong's lifetime.

It was precisely because of the appearance of the talented and beautiful Concubine Xu Xian that Wu Zetian was defeated.It is said that Wu Zetian "has a lot of wisdom, and also deals with literature and history" ("Old Tang Book: The Book of Empress Zetian") is nothing but a beautiful word. Most of her books and poems are written by Beimen Bachelor and Shangguan Waner. Literary talent has obviously been raised.Concubine Xu Xian was quickly promoted from a talented person of the fifth rank to Jieyu of the third rank, and then to Chongrong of the second rank; while Wu Zetian was still only a talented person of the fifth rank at the end of Tang Taizong's life.Seeing that her youth is passing away and her beauty is not forever, the martial artist living among the concubines can't help secretly worrying, when will she realize her long-cherished wish?

However, Wu Zetian did not waste these 12 years in vain.Through her ears and eyes, she has an insight into the scramble and intrigues in the harem, and also learned a set of skills of observing words and deeds, and playing tricks.She is jealous, jealous of those lucky concubines; she hates, hates those who stand in the way of her promotion.She gritted her teeth in the dark, thinking hard.She matured through adversity and became a female politician.She sucks her wounds, ready to pounce on her foe.During these days, while accumulating experience in court life, she was actively spying on the timing.The opportunity finally came, and this opportunity came from the future emperor-Prince Li Zhi.

It was very accidental that Li Zhi was established as the crown prince.Tang Taizong had 14 sons in total, among them, the three sons born to Empress Changsun, namely the eldest son Chengqian, the fourth son Wei Wangtai, and the ninth son Jin Wangzhi.According to the traditional eldest son inheritance system, Li Shimin made his eight-year-old eldest son Chengqian the crown prince in the year when he took the throne (the ninth year of Wude, AD 626).Chengqian has a foot disease, and often violates the law, acting absurdly.Once, because he hated his teacher Zhang Haisu's irresponsible remarks, he asked a household slave to beat him half to death.Over time, Li Shimin became more and more dissatisfied with the prince Chengqian, and a question gradually arose in his heart about whether Chengqian could succeed him.Seeing an opportunity, the fourth son Li Tai took advantage of his usual liking for literature and actively organized the compilation of the book "Kuo Di Zhi" to advance, and secretly wooed courtiers, gradually winning Tang Taizong's favor.Tang Taizong rewarded Li Tai very generously, and the courteous treatment was very grand, sometimes even surpassing that of Prince Chengqian.Seeing that his position as the crown prince was in jeopardy, Chengqian desperately organized troops to fight against Li Tai.As a result, Chengqian and Li Tai made friends and started a life-and-death struggle for the crown prince.

In the 17th year of Zhenguan (AD 643), Prince Chengqian contacted Han Wang Yuanchang and Prime Minister Hou Junji and others to plot to assassinate Li Tai and launch a palace coup. Unexpectedly, the plot was exposed because of the report of his confidant Hegan Chengji.Tang Taizong had no choice but to abolish Chengqian as a commoner, and forced Yuanchang and others to commit suicide, killing Hou Junji and others.According to tradition, if the eldest son is abolished, Li Tai, the second son, should naturally be made the prince. However, Li Tai and Chengqian are incompatible and incompatible. Cruel tragedy.In view of this, Tang Taizong felt very conflicted. He considered again and again, and finally decided not to make Li Tai, but against his will, made Li Zhi, the ninth son he didn't like, as the prince.Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once said to his courtiers: "If I establish Tai, I will be able to obtain the position of the crown prince. If Tai is established, neither Chengqian nor Jin Wang will survive; Jin Wang will establish, and Thailand will inherit Qian together without any problems" ( "Old Book of Tang·□Wang Tai Biography").These words clearly stated that the reason why Tang Taizong chose Li Zhi, the king of Jin, was not because Li Zhi had any special talents. He just wanted to make his sons live in peace and live in peace.Li Zhi, a cowardly character, was lucky enough to ascend to the position of prince in such an accidental opportunity without any effort.

Tang Taizong, as his father, knew the weakness and incompetence of Li Zhi, the king of Jin.In order for Li Tang to pass on from generation to generation, and for Li Zhian to enjoy peace, Tang Taizong spent a lot of brains and made a lot of arrangements for the state affairs behind him.On the one hand, in order to ensure a peaceful environment after Li Zhi took over and completely resolve the frontier issue, Tang Taizong launched many large-scale wars in his later years.In the 18th year of Zhenguan (644 AD), the Tang army attacked Yanqi and captured Yanqi King Tuqizhi.In the 19th year of Zhenguan (645 A.D.), the Tang army divided into land and water armies to attack Goryeo, and Emperor Taizong of Tang went to Liaodong to supervise the battle.In the 20th year of Zhenguan (646 A.D.), Emperor Taizong of Tang sent several troops to destroy Xue Yantuo.In the 21st year of Zhenguan (AD 647) and the 22nd year of Zhenguan (AD 648), the Tang army attacked from all sides, and the Northeast went to the sea twice to attack Goryeo; the northwest defeated Kucha and won more than [-] cities; ; The north continued to attack the rest of Xue Yantuo.Although these battles achieved a lot of frontier merits, the heavy military service caused great suffering to the common people and made the frontier behind Tang Taizong very uneasy.

On the other hand, Tang Taizong also made careful arrangements in advance for the personnel arrangements behind him.In the 19th year of Zhenguan (645 A.D.), he killed Liu Ji, a servant who had tried his best to support Li Tai as the prince, with an excuse.In the 22nd year of Zhenguan (648 A.D.), he exiled Cui Renshi, the Minister of Zhongshu who had a close relationship with Liu Ji.Cen Wenwen, another important minister who supported Li Tai as the prince, survived only because of overwork and died of illness in Youzhou in the 19th year of Zhenguan.In order to ensure Li Zhi's smooth succession, Tang Taizong entrusted Li Zhi to his eldest grandson Wuji and Chu Suiliang before his death, which made the Guanlong military aristocratic group a strong backing for Prince Li Zhi to come to power.

In the 23rd year of Zhenguan (AD 649), in order to leave Li Zhi as a prime minister, before his death, Tang Taizong specially demoted Li Ji, the prime minister, to the governor of Diezhou, and asked Li Zhi to say: "Li Shiqin has more than enough talents, but you have nothing to do with him." Well, I’m afraid I won’t be able to conceive. I’m going to depose him now, if he does it, once I die, you will use it as a servant to shoot, and let him be your own; if you linger and look around, you should kill the ears” ("Zi Zhi Tong Jian" volume [-]).The treacherous and cunning Li Ji guessed Tang Taizong's thoughts. After receiving the imperial edict, he went directly to take office without returning home, and was saved from death.

Why did Tang Taizong choose Li Ji in particular?It turned out that there was a relatively close relationship between Li Ji and Li Zhi.Li Zhi once led the governor of Bingzhou, and Li Ji served as the chief history of the governor's office of Bingzhou.After Li Zhi became the prince, Tang Taizong specially appointed Li Ji as the prince Zhanshi and the prince's left guard rate, and said to Li Ji: "My son is newly appointed as the second prince, and Qing's old long history is now appointed by the palace affairs, so there is this award. "("Old Tang Book Biography of Li Ji").On the day Li Zhi came to the throne, he followed his father and appointed Li Ji as the governor of Luozhou and stayed behind in Luoyang Palace, and then made Li Ji the left servant (prime minister).But Tang Taizong never dreamed that all his careful arrangements turned out to be in vain, and it was Li Ji who opened the way for Wu Zetian to come to power, and it was Li Zhi who almost ruined Li Tang's foundation.

In the 19th year of Zhenguan (AD 645), Tang Taizong fell ill on his way to conquer Korea. Since then, his health has deteriorated. The deposed prince Chengqian and fourth son Li Tai made him exhausted.From the end of the 20th year of Zhenguan (AD 646), Emperor Taizong of Tang began to take alchemists' elixir.In the 21st year of Zhenguan (647 AD), Emperor Taizong's condition worsened.In order to consolidate his position, Prince Li Zhi deliberately made a big fuss about the word "filial piety", and often served decoctions by Taizong's side.According to records: "Shang (Tang Taizong)'s illness was not completely healed, and he wanted to take care of it. On Gengwu, he ordered the military and state affairs and commissioned the crown prince to execute him. So the prince said that he listened to the government in the East Palace. After he was done, he would serve the medicinal food and stay on the left and right. The order The prince went out for a while to see, but the prince did not want to go out; the emperor set up a separate courtyard beside the sleeping hall, so that the prince could live in it" ("Zi Zhi Tong Jian" Volume [-]).At this time, and only at this time, Li Zhi met the young Wu Cairen in the palace, and was immediately overwhelmed by her beauty.

At this time, Wu Cairen was in a state of desperation, and it was hard for her to bear the low status of Cairen, and she eagerly hoped to change her destiny.But the imperial gate is like the sea, and the concubines in the harem are like clouds, what can she do for an inconspicuous and weak woman?And now, the young prince came to her (Wu Zetian is four years older than Li Zhi), this is really a golden opportunity, Wu Zetian's eyes suddenly lit up.Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty is already dying of illness, and the prince will soon become emperor. Doesn't the future belong to the prince?It was really the only glimmer of hope.Without hesitation, Wu Zetian went forward and threw herself into the arms of the prince.With all her ardor and tact, her natural beauty and dexterity, she soon captured the amorous prince.The two fell in love with each other, and they left the feudal etiquette out of the blue. On the side of Tang Taizong's sick bed, Wu Zetian and Li Zhi had some rather ambiguous relationships.

On May 23th in the 649rd year of Zhenguan (26 AD), the 53-year-old Tang Taizong died prematurely due to taking the elixir of Tianzhu alchemists. This outstanding man left the world with a faint anxiety . The 22-year-old prince Li Zhi was helped to the throne by the grandson Wuji, Chu Suiliang and other Guming ministers. This is Tang Gaozong in history.But Tang Gaozong's weak shoulders could hardly bear the burden of the emperor.Tang Taizong's early death left a power vacuum that was difficult to fill, and there would always be someone to contend for.

After the death of Emperor Taizong, according to the feudal ritual system, Wu Zetian, as a talented person of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, was sent to Ganye Temple (according to "Chang'an Zhi" as "Anye Temple") to become a nun together with other concubines of Emperor Taizong.This major change was a devastating blow to Wu Zetian. She seemed to have fallen into eighteen hells at once.Huangjuan black clothes, blue lanterns and ancient Buddha, is it true that Wu Zetian will spend the rest of his life like this?Could it be that Wu Zetian was buried alive for Tang Taizong?
Do not!She is still waiting...

[-]. Queen's Laurel
In April of the 17th year of Zhenguan (AD 643), Chang'an was still a bit chilly. There was no sound in the palace city, and the shadows of candles in Liangyi Hall were red.Suddenly, a person in the seat pulled out his saber and stabbed him in the chest. His eyes turned pale with fright.The person who was about to commit suicide was the well-known Tang Taizong, and the young man was Jin Wang Li Zhi, with only three ministers beside him: Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Li Ji.

This dramatic scene was directed by Tang Taizong himself, and its purpose was to ask the ministers to assist his cowardly ninth son, Jin Wang Li Zhi, as the prince.These three ministers were all carefully selected by Tang Taizong.Among them, Changsun Wuji is the leader of the Guanlong military aristocratic group and the elder brother of Empress Changsun; Fang Xuanling is highly respected and experienced;They were all outstanding figures for a while. Emperor Taizong of Tang asked them to assist King Jin in order to enable the prince to succeed smoothly, and also for the long-term stability of Li Tang's country.When Changsun Wuji learned about Tang Taizong's intentions, he made a generous statement: "'I would like to obey the imperial edict. If you have any objections, please beheaded." Wang Yin bowed down" ("Old Tang Book Biography of Changsun Wuji").

Despite the above arrangements, Tang Taizong was still worried. Before he died, he personally entrusted the prince Li Zhi and the princess Wang to his eldest grandson Wuji and Chu Suiliang.Changsun Wuji and others lived up to their trust, and tried their best to assist Tang Gaozong Li Zhi.

In the second year of Tang Gaozong's succession to the throne (AD 650), Yuan Yonghui was changed, and the concubine Wang was made the queen.Queen Wang is the great-great-great-granddaughter of General Wang Sizheng of the Western Wei Dynasty. Her parents are both in-laws of the Li Tang royal family. Her grandmother Tong Anchang Princess is the younger sister of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan.Princess Tong'an found that Queen Wang was very beautiful when she was young, so she recommended her to Tang Taizong.After Tang Taizong saw her, he also liked her very much, so he married her to Jin Wang Li Zhi as his concubine.After Li Zhi was established as the crown prince, she immediately became the crown prince, and at this point, she finally became the queen.

Changsun Wuji held real power in the early years of Yonghui because he was close to the emperor's uncle and also took care of his fate. He shared the state affairs with Chu Suiliang, Fang Xuanling and others, and made quite a lot of political achievements.According to the "New Book of Tang Changsun Wuji Biography": "In the early days, Wuji and Suiliang served the country wholeheartedly and took responsibility for the safety of the world. Therefore, Yonghui's politics has a style of chastity. Set up Zhang, and these two people will maintain it."

Since the eldest grandson Wuji presided over the political affairs, Gaozong indulged in pleasure. Although there were many beautiful concubines in the harem, he still couldn't forget his love for Wu Zetian in the Ganye Temple in private.So, on the day of Taizong's death (May 26), he went to Ganye Temple to burn incense in person in order to meet Wu Zetian.

In Ganye Temple, Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian wept facing each other.Wu Zetian, who was dressed as a nun, looked extremely charming in Gaozong's eyes. The two recounted their previous relationship in front of the Buddha statue and made vows.When Queen Wang knew about this, instead of stopping it, she secretly ordered Wu Zetian to grow hair, and urged Tang Gaozong to bring Wu Zetian into the palace.It turned out that at this time, Concubine Xiao Shu in the harem was competing for favor with the Queen. After giving birth to a son, Concubine Xiao Shu was even more complacent.Queen Wang was willing to accept Wu Zetian into the palace because she hoped to take advantage of Wu Zetian's special relationship with Tang Gaozong to kill Shufei Xiao's prestige.

The time when Wu Zetian entered the palace for the second time is unknown in history, but it seems to be shortly after May 652 in the third year of Yonghui (AD 26).Prior to this, although Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian had contacts from time to time, they still needed to be concealed.In the third year of Yonghui, Tang Gaozong's three-year mourning period expired. At this time, it became a matter of course to openly bring Wu Zetian into the palace.Under the promotion of Queen Wang, this matter finally came true.

After Wu Zetian entered the palace again, it is indeed not what it used to be. She has fully matured politically, and she has adopted different strategies for the subordinates and the superiors.On the one hand, she bought the palace people, distributed all the rewards she got to them, and bought these people with small favors, so that she could keep track of Tang Gaozong, Queen Wang and other concubines through them.In this way, Wu Zetian became the most well-informed person in the palace without much effort, and this may seem ordinary, but it actually has a great relationship with her future future.On the other hand, she did everything possible to please the queen, flattering and flattering, and defrauding the trust of the queen.Empress Wang praised Wu Zetian in front of Emperor Gaozong many times, so Emperor Gaozong of Tang officially granted Wu Zetian the title of Zhaoyi in the fifth year of Yonghui (654 A.D.).

In the harem, Zhaoyi is already the second rank, and her status as a talented person in the past is no longer the same.But Wu Zetian will not be satisfied, she is not willing to be inferior to others, she has only one purpose in entering the palace for the second time, which is to win the queen's crown.After Wu Zetian entered the palace, Tang Gaozong really indifferent to concubine Xiao Shu, but at the same time alienated the queen, which was obviously unexpected by the queen.Now, the aggressive Wu Zhaoyi wants to replace Queen Wang, which of course Queen Wang cannot tolerate.As a result, a fierce competition was launched in the court where the queen wanted to keep the post, and Wu Zhaoyi wanted to seize the post.

(End of this chapter)