How high is Wu Zetian’s status as a male pet and why do so many people want to be her male pet

During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, many people wanted to be her male pet. What are the benefits of having a male pet like Empress Wu Zetian? Why do so many people have this idea? This is a question that many readers are quite concerned about. Now, let’s learn about it together with the editor of History Encyclopedia!
Originally, Wu Zetian intended to return to power under the Li Tang Dynasty in her later years, but due to the malicious instigation of the Zhang brothers, Wu Zetian returned to Luoyang to manage the court again. After Wu Zetian returned to Luoyang, the courtiers began to split into two factions. One faction is known as the pro Zhang faction, which supports the two male pets, Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi. The other faction is against the Zhang brothers, known as the anti Zhang faction. The main reason for the pro Zhang faction was composed of some literati and bureaucrats, most of whom were subordinates of the Zhang brothers and were products of Wu Zetian’s later years of governance. Furthermore, many literati and bureaucrats who became male favorites were immediately promoted and ennobled, receiving many benefits. Therefore, the Zhang brothers gained the support of these people. In the face of interests, Wu Zetian’s family, who suffered greatly, also had to please the Zhang brothers. In their view, pleasing the Zhang brothers is pleasing Wu Zetian herself. Therefore, the fans of the Zhang brothers continue to increase, and their power is at stake both domestically and internationally. To confront them is actually to confront Wu Zetian, but there are still a large number of officials who have stepped forward and openly confronted them.
Those who oppose the Zhang brothers include two factions: the Prince’s Mansion and the Prime Minister’s Mansion, as well as judicial departments such as the Dali Temple, the Imperial Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice. For example, Song Jing, who was the actual person in charge of the Imperial Censorate, was upright and therefore looked down upon the character of the Zhang brothers. The pro Zhang faction and the anti Zhang faction can be said to be incompatible, with both factions having significant power. But justice lies in the hearts of the people. Most of the common people support the anti Zhang faction and strongly dislike the actions of the Zhang family. The Zhang brothers, who were deeply favored by Empress Wu Zetian, were now filled with pride because their previous involvement in political turmoil had not been punished, and there were so many high-ranking officials and ministers who supported them. They did not even consider those who opposed them. At this point, the judicial personnel wanted to use the law to punish the Zhang brothers and knock them off the pedestal. In the fourth year of Chang’an, Wu Zetian built a Xingtai Palace at the instigation of her nephew, with Li Jiongxiu, the lover of the Zhang brothers’ mother, as the person in charge. Li Jiongxiu then profited greatly from this and engaged in corruption and bribery. Judicial officials seized this opportunity and Li Jiongxiu was demoted to the position of local governor. Judicial officials used this to undermine the morale of the Zhang brothers and weaken their power. The Zhang brothers did not restrain themselves from this, but went against the wind and committed corruption and bribery. And their actions were also reported by people and subsequently imprisoned.
Although the Zhang brothers did all sorts of bad things, the punishment for them in the verdict was very light. After learning about it, Wu Zetian was very satisfied and immediately approved such a verdict. After a few days, the censor’s review opinion came out, stating that the Zhang brothers had embezzled 40 million yuan and should be dismissed from their official positions according to the law. The Zhang brothers immediately jumped out and said that they had made great contributions to the country, and this mistake was not worth mentioning. When everyone was discussing how to make a judgment, Yang Zaisi said that the Zhang brothers had once refined elixirs for His Majesty, and His Majesty’s health improved after taking them, which is a great contribution to the country. Wu Zetian wanted to use this as an excuse to pardon the Zhang brothers, so she pardoned them. At this moment, the anti Zhang faction couldn’t sit still, and Prime Minister Tang Xiujing and Wei Anshi said that the Zhang brothers still needed to be tried. Wu Zetian then transferred Wei Anshi and Tang Xiujing to local positions. Due to Empress Wu Zetian’s excessive favoritism towards the Zhang brothers, the anti Zhang faction suffered repeated defeats.
In December of the fourth year of Chang’an, a large number of anonymous flyers suddenly appeared on the streets and alleys of Luoyang City. The flyers stated that the Zhang brothers were plotting rebellion. The Zhang brothers became afraid psychologically and took the initiative to explain their situation to Empress Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian did not take this seriously, while the Zhang faction took it seriously. Someone complained that the Zhang brothers have rebellious intentions and cannot be neglected. Wu Zetian ordered an investigation into this matter, but her heart still turned to the Zhang brothers. Wu Zetian wanted to protect her ministers while also wanting to keep her lover. The final outcome still depends on Wu Zetian herself.