Anecdote of the Fifth Queen Mother

Chapter 17 Empress Wu (5)
Li Yifu had Wu Zetian as his backer, and he was also very proud in front of Tang Gaozong.According to the article "Da Tang Xin Yu Punishment": "Li Yi's mansion made a policy to establish the sky, and he worshiped the ministers from the middle school, and used Xu Jingzong's affairs in the middle. He even set up a big prison, punished the generals, and horrified the road. If he entered, he would flatter him. If you go out, you will be treacherous, sell officials and go to jail, and the people in the country will be arrogant. Hundreds of bureaucrats are afraid, like fearing the Queen of Heaven." Gaozong once said to Li Yifu: "Your son and son-in-law have committed many crimes. I will cover up the past for you now, and I will not be able to do it again in the future. That's it." Who would have thought that Li Yifu's face would change suddenly after hearing this, and he said to Tang Gaozong, "Who told Your Majesty these things?" Gaozong said, "Just pay attention from now on, why ask me how I know? " After listening to Li Yifu, he left without saying a word.Such an arrogant attitude, even Tang Gaozong, who has always been cowardly, could not tolerate it.

In March of the third year of Longshuo (AD 663), Li Yifu went to the ancient tomb outside the city to look after his mother during his mother's funeral. Someone reported that he had a different picture.He also accused his son of accepting a large amount of bribes, such as accepting 666 yuan from Changsun Wuji's grandson, Changsun Yan, and granting Changsun Yan the position of Jinsi Supervisor.Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty took advantage of the topic and moved Li Yifu to Changzhou; his son Li Jin went to Zhenzhou; his sons Li Qia, Li Yang and son-in-law Liu Yuanzhen went to Tingzhou.This action was very pleasing to the hearts of the people. People cheered each other and told each other. In the first year of Qianfeng (692 AD), an amnesty was held, but those who lived a long life were not within the scope of the amnesty. After Li Yifu heard the news, he was extremely disappointed and died of illness in exile. land.Wu Zetian's attitude towards Li Yifu was always different from Gaozong's. After she became emperor, she pursued Li Yifu twice.In the first year of Ruyi (701 A.D.), Wu Zetian specially presented Li Yifu as the governor of Yangzhou.In the first year of Chang'an ([-] A.D.), Wu Zetian granted Li Zhan, the son of Li Yifu, three hundred households.It can be seen that Wu Zetian never forgot Li Yifu's meritorious service in his heart, and it seems that the exile of Li Yifu did not come from Wu Zetian's will.

The contradiction between Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian was also reflected in the ups and downs of Shangguanyi.Shangguanyi was a well-known literati at that time. You Gong made five-character poems. People called his poems "Shangguan style" at that time. However, he was not satisfied during the period of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty.In the second year of Longshuo (AD 662), before demoting Li Yifu, Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty suddenly promoted Shangguanyi to be the minister of Xitai, the third rank of Tongxitai (in February of the first year of Longshuo, the name of Baiguan was changed), and doctor Qing Guanglu.Shangguanyi's sudden promotion this time was obviously a measure Tang Gaozong took to deal with Empress Wu.

Sure enough, in the first year of Linde (664 A.D.), Tang Gaozong secretly called Shangguanyi into the palace and ordered him to draft an edict to abolish Wu Zetian in one fell swoop.According to the [-]th volume of "Zizhi Tongjian": "In the early days, Empress Wu was able to endure humiliation and follow her wishes, so she stood up for discussion among the masses; The superior cannot be angry. There is a Taoist priest Guo Xingzhen, who went in and out of the forbidden area, and tasted the art of disgusting victory. The eunuch Wang Fusheng sent it out. The superior was furious, and secretly summoned the servant of the West Terrace, and the third rank Shangguan Yi of the East and West Terraces to discuss it. Yiyin said: 'The empress is unrestrained, and if you don't agree with it in the country, please abolish it.' Shangyi agrees, that is, to order the imperial edict." However, Emperor Gaozong of Tang ordered Shangguan's imperial edict to abolish Wu Zetian, and soon there were people flying Reporting to Wu Zetian, she broke into the palace angrily and cried loudly in front of Emperor Gaozong.Tang Gaozong softened immediately when he saw the plot was revealed, and his cowardly character began to take effect again.Not only did he cancel the imperial edict to abolish Wu, but he also shifted the responsibility to Shangguan Yi, and tried his best to excuse himself in front of Empress Wu.

The well-informed Wu Zetian once again turned danger into safety, escaped a political crisis, and saved his emergency by buying the palace servants.She regained her breath and began to counterattack without hesitation.Wu Zetian immediately instructed Xu Jingzong to falsely accuse Shangguanyi of conspiring against the former prince Li Zhong and the eunuch Wang Fusheng, and executed Shangguanyi and his son Shangguan Tingzhi.This palace coup was easily and completely crushed by Wu Zetian due to Gaozong's weakness and incompetence.Since then, Wu Zetian's power has been strengthened instead, "Since every time the superiors look at things, the curtain will hang behind them, and the government, no matter how big or small, is all heard of. , the Son of Heaven surrendered his hands, and they are called the two saints at home and abroad" ("Zizhi Tongjian Volume [-]").Named the Second Sage, in fact, Gaozong's power was further weakened, but Wu Zetian's arrogance became even more arrogant.

The contradiction between Wu Zetian and Tang Gaozong was also reflected in the attitude towards Mrs. Wei.It turned out that the sons of Wu Zetian's ex-wife, Yuan Qing, Yuan Shuang, and his brothers Weiliang, Huaiyun, etc., were not very respectful to Wu Zetian's biological mother Yang after the death of Wu Zetian, which was expected in a feudal society where men were superior to women. However, Wu Zetian and his mother were both brooding about it.After Wu Zetian was established as a queen, her mother Yang was also named Mrs. Rongguo.To avenge old hatred, Wu Zetian not only refused to promote Yuan Qing and others, but drove them all to remote places to serve as governors.Later, Wu Yuanqing died in depression, and Wu Yuanshuang was exiled to Zhenzhou and died.

Mrs. He Lan, Wu Zetian's elder sister, lost her husband very early and had only one son, He Lanminzhi, and one daughter.Mrs. He Lan and her daughter were both outstanding in appearance, so they were favored by Tang Gaozong.Tang Gaozong named Mrs. Helan Mrs. Han and his daughter Mrs. Wei.Mrs. Han died not long after, because she often went to and from the court, so some people said that the prince Xian was born of her, but there is no basis for it.After the death of Mrs. Han, Tang Gaozong wanted to formally bring Mrs. Wei into the harem, but he was always hesitant because of Wu Zetian's despotic power.Wu Zetian was already in her mid-mature at this time, how could she be allowed to sleep soundly beside the couch?She was afraid that Gaozong would neglect her after Mrs. Wei became favored, and she was also afraid of adding another political opponent.Jealousy and fear intersected, so Wu Zetian acted preemptively to get rid of this potential opponent.When her cousins ​​Wu Weiliang and Wu Huaiyun came to the capital to offer food, she secretly put poison in the food. Mrs. Wei fell ill and died immediately after eating it.

Tang Gaozong was suspicious of Mrs. Wei's sudden death. "The death of Mrs. Wei Guo, the emperor (Gaozong) saw Minzhi, and wept bitterly: "I went out and saw that the court was still safe, and the retreat was beyond salvation. He Cang is so sudden!" Min Zhi cried wrong" ("Zi Zhi Tong Jian "Volume [-]).Tang Gaozong not only mourned the death of Mrs. Wei Guo, but also suspected that she was murdered, and the object of this suspicion was Empress Wu.Wu Zetian had long thought of a way to transfer the blame. She used Weiliang and Huaiyun as scapegoats and ordered them to be killed. She was also afraid of He Lanmin's hatred and resentment, so she exiled him to Leizhou. Still worried, she sent someone to whip He Lan Minzhi strangled to death.It is said in history that Yan Ping needed two peaches to kill three soldiers, but Wu Zetian only used a small trick to kill four birds with one stone, which is really extremely vicious.

In August of the fourth year of Xianheng (673 A.D.), Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty was called the emperor, Wu Zetian was called the queen of heaven, and the yuan was changed to amnesty the world.In September of this year, Emperor Gaozong of Tang suddenly issued an edict to recover the official titles of Changsun Wuji and others, and let Wuji's great-grandson, Changsun Yi, take over the title of Duke Zhao. Mausoleum.This is an unusual move, undoubtedly to rehabilitate Changsun Wuji, which is tantamount to publicly declaring Changsun Wuji's innocence. This is obviously another attempt by Tang Gaozong to get rid of Wu Zetian's control.Wu Zetian refused to give an inch, and pressed on every step.On the one hand, she recruited a group of scholars of literature, such as Yuan Wanqing, Liu Yuzhi, etc., as wings (known as "Northern Gate Scholars") to share the power of the prime minister;

In March of the third year of Shangyuan (AD 676), "Gaozong issued an imperial edict to Zetian to take charge of the state affairs, summoned the ministers to discuss it, and Chujun confronted the sun: ""Book of Rites" says: The Son of Heaven manages the Yang way, Regulate yin and virtue. However, the relationship between the emperor and the empress is like the relationship between the sun and the moon, and the relationship between yin and yang. Emperor Wen issued an order that after the death, the queen was not allowed to come to the court, but he wanted to take Zen as the queen of heaven. In terms of the world, the world of Gaozu and Taizong is not the world of your majesty. Just keep the ancestral temple and pass it on to the descendants, and you can't hold the country and people , It is private to the latter. Only His Majesty will examine it carefully.' Li Yiyan, the servant of Zhongshu, entered the day: "Chu Jun quoted the classics, and his words are extremely loyal, but if there is no doubt about the sacredness, the common people will be very lucky." admonish").

On the surface, it seems that Tang Gaozong wanted to abdicate on his own initiative, but he gave up after the persuasion of Hao Chujun, Li Yiyan and other ministers.In fact, Tang Gaozong's abdication was just a gesture, and he had no choice but to do so. Under Wu Zetian's aggressive coercion, the cowardly emperor had to use the mouth of his ministers to put an end to Wu Zetian's coveting heart.

Wu Zetian played a lot of tricks in order to seize the highest power, and Tang Gaozong also tried his best to make the Li family pass on from generation to generation.In the second year of Kaiyao (AD 682), Li Xian had been abolished at this time, and Li Xian, the third son of Wu Zetian, became the crown prince. for heavy profit).Tang Gaozong knew at this time that he would die soon, and when he had a grandson in his later years, he felt that there were successors, and he was overjoyed.When Li Chongzhao was full moon, Emperor Gaozong of Tang pardoned the world for him, changed the Yuan to Yongchun, and made an exception to make Li Chongzhao the emperor's grandson (before this, the Tang Dynasty had never established an emperor's grandson). high hopes.But this is not in line with Wu Zetian's wishes. If the descendants of the Li family pass on from generation to generation, there will be no world under the Wu family!Therefore, Wu Zetian would never let him go. As soon as Tang Gaozong died (684 A.D., the first year of Guangzhai), Wu Zetian deposed his three-year-old grandson Li Chongzhao as a commoner.In September of the first year of Dazu (701 A.D.), Li Chongrun, his younger sister Li Xianhui, princess of Yongtai County, and his brother-in-law Wei Wang Wu Yanji discussed Wu Zetian's improper private life together.When Li Chongrun died, he was only 19 years old, and Li Xianhui was only 17 years old.

After Tang Zhongzong was restored, he posthumously presented Li Chongrun as Prince Yide and Li Xianhui as Princess Yongtai, and moved their coffins back to Qianling in the second year of Shenlong (706 A.D.).The tomb of Prince Yide is located about three kilometers northwest of Qianxian County. The tomb was excavated and cleaned up from July 1971 to May 7, and more than 1972 pieces of various cultural relics were unearthed.The tomb of Princess Yongtai was excavated and cleared from August 5 to April 1960, and 8 and three pieces of various cultural relics were unearthed.The Qianling Museum is built in the cemetery of Princess Yongtai.Now, when visitors come to the Qianling Mausoleum, in addition to climbing up Liangshan Mountain and looking at the huge steles, they can also visit the excavated tombs of Prince Zhanghuai, Prince Yide and Princess Yongtai. The grievances and grievances between the three tomb owners and Wu Zetian It is especially fascinating to recall the present and the past.

In November of the first year of Hongdao (683 A.D.), Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty was dying of illness, and Wu Zetian was impatient, hoping for his quick death.According to the article "New Words of the Tang Dynasty · Flattery": "In the last years of Emperor Gaozong, the bitter wind was dizzying and heavy, and the eyes could not see it. It was fortunate that the misfortune was to show one's own will, and the medical skills were hidden, and he did not want to be cured. When the disease was serious, Zhang Wenzhong was called to serve the doctor. , Qin Minghe diagnosed it, and Minghe said: "The wind and poison attack upwards. If the head is stabbed with less blood, it will be healed." Then the angry sun in the sky curtain: "This can be cut! Is the emperor's head the place where the blood is tested?" The Minghe kowtowed to plead for his life. Emperor Gaozong said: "The doctor discusses the disease, and the reason does not add crime. And my head is heavy and dull, I can't bear it, and the bleeding may not be bad. I am determined." Order to stab him. Minghe stabs Baihui And the blood in the house. Gao Zong said: "My eyes are clear." Before he finished speaking, the sky bowed from the curtain to thank Minghe and said: "This is my teacher from heaven." I will take the treasure and leave it." Here, Wu Zetian once again showed her double-faced tactics to the fullest. Although she skillfully concealed it, she couldn't hold back her eagerness to go on stage publicly.

In December of the first year of Hongdao (AD 683), the 56-year-old Tang Gaozong died in the Zhenguan Hall in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and ordered the prince to ascend the throne before the coffin.Of course, Tang Gaozong couldn't see Li Tang's future, but he couldn't feel at ease. It was the Empress Wu Zetian whom he had single-handedly supported who was going to ruin his Li family's foundation.Tang Gaozong also discovered Wu Zetian's intentions and fought against them, but this cowardly emperor was not Wu Zetian's opponent at all. In addition, a considerable number of ministers in the court were bought by Wu Zetian, so he was almost helpless.Tang Gaozong failed, and his failure was doomed long ago.The root of this matter lies in Tang Taizong. Tang Taizong knew that Li Zhi was not an emperor, but in order to avoid the repetition of the tragedy of Xuanwu Gate, he still set him up against his will. The bitter fruit planted by Tang Taizong can only let his descendants We went to taste it, which he did not expect.

The crown is waving to Wu Zetian, and the era of Wu Zhou is about to begin...

[-]. Call to arms to startle the wind and rain
In Yangzhou in September 684 AD, there was a chilling atmosphere. There were many swords and guns on the school grounds, and the banner of anti-Wu Zetian was erected.The leader of the rebellion was Li Jingye, the grandson of British Duke Li Ji.Li Ji was one of the founding heroes of the early Tang Dynasty. His real name was Xu Shijie. Because of his great achievements, Emperor Gaozu of Tang Dynasty gave him the surname Li. Later, he avoided the taboo of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, so the single name is Ji.Yangzhou is the intersection of the North-South Canal and the Yangtze River waterway, with developed transportation and prosperous commerce. It was a famous industrial and commercial city in the Tang Dynasty, and also a political and military center in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.The ancients once described Yangzhou and said: "Huaihai is the most powerful of the three Chus, and Weiyang is the crown of Kyushu." It can be seen that its geographical location is important.Li Jingye raised troops in Yangzhou, which shocked the whole country, the ruling and opposition parties.

After the rule of Zhenguan in the early Tang Dynasty, there was a scene of peace and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.Why did Li Jingye dare to raise troops in Yangzhou less than a year after Tang Gaozong's death?Let's look at the "Discussion of Wu Mo Mo Xi" written by Luo Binwang, one of the four masters of the early Tang Dynasty, for this uprising.The article is extremely exciting and moving, and has become a well-known famous article.Anyone who has read "Guwen Guanzhi" knows this famous article.The original text is contained in "Old Tang Book·Li Jie Biography Attached to Jingye Biography".The article is not long, the quotation is as follows:

The pseudo-Linchao Wu family is not docile, and the land is cold.In the past, when Emperor Taizong came to Chen, he tried to change clothes to serve him. It was a late festival, and the erotic palace was filthy and chaotic.Seeing jealousy at the beginning, the frowning eyebrows refuse to make people;After practicing the Yuan Dynasty, he was in Huidi, and he trapped my lord in Jumo.With lizards as their heart, wolves become natural, close to evil and secluded, mutilate loyal and good people, kill sisters and brothers, kill kings and mothers.Humans and gods are jealous of each other, but heaven and earth cannot tolerate it.He still hides evil intentions and steals artifacts.The king's beloved son is secluded in other palaces; the thief's clan alliance entrusts him with important responsibilities.Alas!Huo Zimengzhi did not do it, and Zhu Xuhouzhi died.When Yan pecked at the emperor's grandson, he knew that Han Zuo was about to end; after Emperor Longyu, he knew that Xia Ting was in mourning.

Dedicated, the old minister of the Tang Dynasty, the Duke Zhongyin, the success of the first emperor, the old kindness of the Heben Dynasty.Song Weizi's joy and sorrow are justified; Yuan Junshan's runny nose is in vain!It is because of the anger of the situation, Zhian Sheji, because of the disappointment of the world, Shun Yunei's heart, raise the flag of righteousness, and swear to clean up the evildoers.It connects Baiyue in the south and Sanhe in the north, with groups of cavalry and jade boats.The red millet in Hailing, the accumulation of storage is exhausted; the yellow flag in Jiangpu, how far is the contribution to recovery.The sound of the class moves and the north wind rises, and the sword energy rushes while the south fights flat.If you are silent, the mountains will collapse, and if you are loud, the situation will change.Using this to control the enemy, how can the enemy not be destroyed?How can we not succeed in this attempt?

The public and others are either family heirs to the Han Dynasty, or they are associated with Zhou relatives, or they are reposted to minions, or they are ordered by Gu to announce the room.The words are still in the ears, how can you forget the heart when you are loyal?A handful of soil is not yet dry, so what care is there for a six-foot solitary?If you can turn misfortune into blessing, send it to the place where you live, and stand together as the teacher of the king of diligence, without the order of the old king, and all the nobles will reward you, and you will split the mountains and rivers together.Please see who owns the world in today's domain?

The Calligraphy reveals Wu Zetian's actions incisively and vividly, but Wu Zetian smiled slightly after reading it, and calmly asked who the author was.When someone said that this was done by King Luo Bin, the former chief secretary of Chang'an who was demoted to Linhai Cheng, Wu Zetian said excitedly, "This is really the prime minister's fault! How can such an outstanding talent be buried?" At this time, Wu Zetian He was very angry in his heart, but on the surface he was quite calm.She has a plan in mind, the 30 troops led by General Zuo Yuqianwei Li Xiaoyi she dispatched have already marched to Yangzhou, so why worry about King Luo Bin waiting to be captured?

The "mutilation of Zhongliang" in the call to arms refers to the forced death and denigration of Changsun Wuji, Liu Shi, Chu Suiliang, Han Yuan, Laiji and others. "Kill my sister and kill my brother", the elder sister refers to Mrs. Han, and the elder refers to Weiliang, Huaiyuan and others.However, what Wu Zetian actually killed was his sister's daughter, Mrs. Wei Guo.As for "killing the king and poisoning the mother", it is a sensational statement.The call-to-action wrote about Wu Zetian's "concealing evil intentions and stealing artifacts", and lamented, "How can a six-foot solitude be trusted when the soil is not dry?" This is the real thing. "If you can turn misfortune into blessing and send it to the place where you live, you will be a teacher of the diligent king, and you will not have the fate of abolishing the old king." This is Li Jingye's grand reason for attacking.Let's take a look at how Wu Zetian "peeped the artifact"!
On December 683, 12 A.D., Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty died, and Wu Zetian's third son, Prince Li Xian, succeeded to the throne as Zhongzong.In less than two months, on February 27, 684 AD, Wu Zetian abolished Zhongzong as King of Luling and put him under house arrest. Zhongzong's son Zhongzhao, who was established as grandson, was also abolished at the same time.The cause of the incident was that Zhongzong wanted to appoint Wei Xuanzhen, his father-in-law, as a servant, but Prime Minister Pei Yan disagreed that the promotion was too fast.Li Xian, Emperor Zhongzong, said angrily: "I just give up the world to Wei Xuanzhen, what's not possible? What's more, I'm just a servant!" Pei Yan reported this sentence to Wu Zetian, who did not expect that this sentence happened to touch Wu Zetian She was furious, because in Wu Zetian's view, the world was no longer the Li family's world, and it was her who would give it up, and it was not Li Xian's turn to give up the world.She immediately summoned all the officials in the Qianyuan Hall, announced the abolition of the emperor, and ordered Pei Yan, Zhongshu Shilang Liu Yizhi, Yulin General Cheng Wuting, and Zhang Qianxu to lead troops into the palace, confine Zhongzong, and Wei Xuanzhen was also exiled to Qinzhou.

Pei Yan is not part of Wu Zetian's party, and this cooperation between them is only temporary.Pei Yan's purpose is to suppress the imperial power by using the power of the prime minister, so as to prevent the power from being transferred to the hands of foreign relatives.He originally wanted to take advantage of the empress dowager's power to restrain the emperor, but Wu Zetian took the opportunity to abolish Zhongzong.It can be seen that Pei Yan is not Wu Zetian's opponent at all in terms of power struggle.The phrase "the emperor's beloved son is hidden in other palaces" in the call to arms refers to the fact that Zhongzong was abolished.

(End of this chapter)