The Gatekeeper of the Demon Catalogue - Wu Cao

Wu Cao (624-705), also known as Wu Cong and Wu Zhao, whose real name is unknown, commonly known as Wu Zetian or Empress Wu, and a native of Wenshui, was the "only" universally recognized female emperor in Chinese history.

Tang Gaozong was the empress (655-683), and the honorific title was the Queen of Heaven, and Tang Gaozong Li Zhi was called the two saints.

In 683-690, as the empress dowager of Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong, she later established herself as Emperor Wuzhou (reigned 690-705), and after abdicating in 705, she became the only female emperor in Chinese history.

Wu is the second daughter of the Tang Dynasty founding hero Wu Shi Yan, mother Yang, ancestral home and Wenshui County, Shanxi Province, born in Chang'an (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province), at the age of 14 because of the beauty of the harem, and into the harem for the Tang Taizong talent, Tang Taizong gave the name Wu Mei. Gaozong was Zhaoyi, later named the queen, and was called the "Queen of Heaven".

Gaozong collapsed, Zhongzong ascended the throne, Wu was the queen mother, and the name was changed after the Linzhao Dynasty. Wu considered himself as as lofty as the sun and the moon, hanging above the sky.

After being called the emperor, he was called the "Holy Spirit Emperor", and after abdication, Zhongzong was called "Emperor Zetian Great Sage". The Wu clan also abolished the honorific titles "Holy Mother God Emperor, Holy Spirit Emperor, Golden Wheel Holy Spirit Emperor, Yuegu Golden Wheel Holy Spirit Emperor, Ci Yue Ancient Golden Wheel Holy Spirit Emperor, Heavenly Book Golden Wheel Holy Spirit Emperor, Zetian Great Sage Emperor" and so on.

Wu was a native of Wenshui (now Wenshui County, Shanxi Province), and was born in Chang'an, the imperial capital, in the seventh year of Wude (624), the imperial capital of Tang Dynasty.

Wu is the second daughter of Wu Shiyu and Yang, and has half-brothers Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang. There are also two sisters of the same mother, one is Mrs. Wu Shun of South Korea, and the other is Mrs. Guo.

Wu's real name has not been recorded, and some people speculate that it is Wu Yuanhua, but this statement only refers to her brother's generation, not her sister's name.

His father, the samurai, was engaged in timber trading, and his family was well-off and wealthy. In the last years of Emperor Sui's great cause, when Li Yuan served in Hedong and Taiyuan, he stayed in the martial arts many times. Thus get acquainted.

After Li Yuan raised an army against the Sui in Taiyuan. The Wu family had funded money, grain, and clothing, so after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, he had served as a "Yuan Cong Meritorious Hero" as the official and industrial department of Shangshu, the Huangmen Shilang, the sentence of the six Shangshu, the governor of Yangzhou, the governor of Lizhou, Jingzhou, etc., Zhenguanzhong. Tired relocation of the Ministry of Labor, Jingzhou Governor. Feng Ying Guogong.

After the death of his father, Samurai Yan, in the ninth year of Zhenkan (635). Cousins Wu Weiliang, Wu Huaiyun and Wu Yuanshuang were rude to their mother Yang.

In the eleventh year of Zhenguan (637), Tang Taizong heard that the young Wu clan was talented and good-looking, so he included her in the palace. He was named a five-grade talent, and was given the name "Wu Mei", and later generations falsely called Wu Mei Niang.

Before entering the palace, Wu said goodbye to his widowed mother, Yang, and said, "How can you know that it is not a blessing to serve the Son of Heaven?

There is no detailed description of Wu's life in the palace during the Taizong period, and it is only seen that Wu recalled his horse taming for Taizong in his later years.

At that time, Taizong had a famous horse master, and he was incapable of controlling it. The Wu clan waited at the side and said to Taizong, "If a concubine can make it, she must have three things: an iron whip, two iron swords, and three daggers. If he refuses to accept the blow of the iron whip, he shall be struck with a dagger, and if he refuses, his throat shall be cut off with a dagger. 』The ambition of Taizong Zhuang Wu clan.

In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), the crown prince Li Chengqian was deposed, and Li Zhi, the king of Jin, was established as the crown prince. After that, while serving Taizong, Wucai and Li Zhi met and fell in love.

In the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649), Taizong of the Tang Dynasty died, and the martial arts people entered the Ganye Temple to cut their hair as a nun according to the example of the Tang Harem.

In the first year of Yonghui (650), when Tang Gaozong entered the Ganye Temple on the anniversary of Taizong's death, he met with Wu again, and the two recognized each other and told each other about their feelings of longing after parting.

At this time, Queen Wang, who had no children and fell out of favor, saw it in her eyes, so she took the initiative to ask Gaozong to include the Wu family in the palace, in an attempt to hit her rival Xiao Shufei.

Tang Gaozong had already had this intention and immediately agreed. In the second year of Yonghui (651), Tang Gaozong's filial piety clothes were full, and the Wu family entered the palace again. The following year, he was worshiped as the second grade Zhaoyi.

In the sixth year of Yonghui (655), someone in the harem released rumors against Queen Wang, legend: Queen Wang and her mother Liu found sorcerers, and they wanted to use the art of disgust to curse Wu Zhaoyi and die.

But after this unfavorable rumor reached the emperor's ears without evidence, under the anger of Gaozong, he listened to it and drove his mother Liu out of the palace, and also wanted to make Wu Zhaoyi from Zhaoyi to Concubine Chen (there was no title of Concubine Chen among the four ladies of the harem of the Tang Dynasty, and the original quota of the four ladies was full, and Tang Gaozong created the title of Concubine Chen for the sake of Wu), due to the opposition of the prime minister Han Ying and Lai Ji, it was impossible to succeed in the end.

Soon, after Li Yifu and others, who were members of the Zhongshu House, learned that Gaozong wanted to depose the empress and establish Wu Zhaoyi, Xu Jingzong, Cui Yixuan, Yuan Gongyu and other ministers also sent a request to Tang Gaozong to request the establishment of Wu Zhaoyi. Tang Gaozong saw that there were many people who supported it, and the idea of abolishing it sprouted again.

With the support of Li Tao and other important officials of the imperial court, Tang Gaozong finally issued a decree: on the charge of "conspiracy to poison", Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shufei were deposed as concubines and imprisoned, and their parents and brothers were also removed from their official positions and exiled to Lingnan.

Later, Tang Gaozong again made Wu Zhaoyi empress, and at the same time, he demoted Chu Suiliang, the prime minister who opposed the most powerfully, to the governor of other states.

In the fourth year of Xianqing (659), Empress Wu and Tang Gaozong reached a consensus: the eldest grandson Wuji, Yu Zhining, Han Yuan, Lai Ji and others were reduced and dismissed, and demoted from Beijing.

In the fifth year of Xianqing (660), Gaozong suffered from a head wind, dizziness, and could not deal with national affairs, so he ordered Empress Wu to act as the government agent.

In the first year of Lin De (664), he discussed with the prime minister Shangguanyi, intending to abolish the throne of Empress Wu. However, before Shangguan Yi's post-abolition book was drafted, Empress Wu had already received the news.

She came directly to Gaozong and asked about it, and Tang Gaozong had no choice but to put the responsibility on Shangguan Yi. Shangguan Yi was arrested and imprisoned, and soon after, he was beheaded all over the house.

In the second year of Qianfeng (667), Gaozong ordered the crown prince to supervise the country due to a long-term illness. In the first year of the Shangyuan Dynasty (674), Gaozong was called the emperor, and the Empress Wu was called the queen of heaven.

Empress Wu suggested twelve things on the table: "First, persuade Nongsang and Bo Fu.

2. Restore the three auxiliary lands (exempt from forced labor in Chang'an and its vicinity).

Third, stop the army and moralize the world.

Fourth, the south and north are still (government handicraft workshops) are forbidden to be fancy.

Fifth, save work and labor.

Sixth, the road of wide speech.

Seventh, Du slander.

Eighth, the prince and the prince all practiced "Lao Tzu".

Ninth, the father is serving the mother for three years (in the past it was one year).

10. Those who have been given a certificate of appointment by the former commander of the Shangyuan "Year Name" will not be posthumously honored.

Eleventh, Beijing officials above the eighth grade, benefit from the income (increase salary).

Twelve, hundreds of officials have been in office for a long time, and those who are in high positions have to be advanced (promoted) to apply for delay. Gao Zong's edicts are all carried out.

Wu Zetian was able to attach importance to agricultural production, and stipulated that those who "cultivated land and had surplus grain at home" in various prefectures and counties should be given higher rewards; those who "were harsh in government and had their household registration transferred" would be punished. The agricultural book "Zhaoren Benye" compiled by him was promulgated all over the world and had a great impact. During Wu Zetian's reign, his religious policy was based on Buddhism over Taoism.

In the second year of Shangyuan (675), Empress Wu summoned a large number of literati and scholars, revised a large number of books, and successively wrote "Xuanlan", "Ancient and Modern Neifan", "Qinggong Minutes", "Shaoyang Zhengfan", "Weicheng Discipline", "Zishu Yaolu", "Fenglou New Commandment", "Filial Piety Biography", "Lienu Biography", "Neifan Yaolu", "Music Book Yaolu", "Hundred Bureaucrats New Commandment", "Zhaoren Benye", "Chen Rail" and other books.

and secretly ordered this group of scholars to participate in the court recital, in order to share the power of the prime minister, and was called "North Gate Bachelor" at the time. When Gaozong was even more dizzy, he planned to make the Empress Wu regent, and the prime minister Hao Chujun said: "Your Majesty, why should you use the world of Gaozu and Taizong, and the descendants of the descendants who do not pass it on to the queen of heaven!" Gaozong dismissed the regent. (To be continued......)