Today, the History Encyclopedia editor has prepared for you: Wu Zetian became a monk. Interested friends, come and take a look!
Those who have read history must know that in the Tang Dynasty of China, there was a female emperor named Wu Zetian. When she was young, she was beautiful and talented, and as soon as she entered the palace, she was regarded by Emperor Taizong as a talented woman (concubine in the harem) and was given the name Wu Meiniang. Do you remember that Wu Zetian had a history of becoming a monk at that time? She chose to become a monk not because she was superstitious about Buddhism, but because she had no choice. Is there any story between them?
After Wu Zetian became a talented person in the palace, there has been a rumor among the people that “after the three generations of the Tang Dynasty, there will be a female emperor surnamed Wu who will rule the world.” Although Emperor Taizong was deeply rooted in the palace, he also heard this rumor. In the 23rd year of the Zhenguan reign, Emperor Taizong was seriously ill and knew that his time was running out. He became worried about the previous rumors and began to search for women whose names included Wu. At that time, Emperor Taizong knew that Wu Zetian’s surname was Wu and was reluctant to kill her. He asked Wu Zetian a question, “I know that time is running out. Mei Niang, you have been with me for so many years, and I don’t want to leave you like this. Can you tell me what your plans are after my death?” Mei Niang was greatly surprised, knowing that Emperor Taizong had the idea of burying her with him, so she came up with a plan, For many years, I have been well aware of Your Majesty’s favor towards me. I should have accompanied Your Majesty, but I dare not die. I would like to always be with the ancient Buddha and pray for Your Majesty. “After hearing this, Emperor Taizong gradually put aside his murderous intentions and urged me to leave today.
Talented Wu Zetian
Unexpectedly, before this, Meiniang had already been with the Crown Prince. Instead of engaging in any misconduct, she knew that after leaving, the Crown Prince’s rank would inevitably take her back to the palace, so she peacefully became a monk. It was not until Emperor Taizong passed away that she was summoned back to the palace after Emperor Gaozong had finished mourning. As soon as she entered the palace, she was divided into Wu Zhaoyi by Emperor Gaozong and later honored as Empress. In 683 AD, after the death of Emperor Gaozong, his seventh son succeeded to the throne and became known as Tang Zhongzong. However, due to Wu Zetian’s excessive power, he was soon deposed by Wu Zetian and declared himself emperor. From then on, Tang entered a peaceful and prosperous era, making many contributions to future generations.
Wu Meiniang
From this, it can be seen that Wu Zetian’s decision to become a monk was a false attempt to hide her strength and bide her time. Although there were reasons beyond her control, later history proved that Wu Zetian was indeed very scheming.
What are the merits and demerits of Empress Wu Zetian
1. Where did it go?
At the time of Wu Zetian’s seizure of power, she executed a large number of opposing powerful officials, even senior officials of the three dynasties, and even killed her own closest children if there was even a slight deviation. During her reign, there was a unique box named “Whistleblower Box” in the court to encourage whistleblowing. At this time, all officials in the court were worried that anyone who was reported, regardless of the truth, would be punished by criminal law, resulting in a large number of wrongful and false cases.
Where is the achievement?
Wu Zetian’s reign also cultivated a large number of talents, and the famous prime minister Di Renjie was one of them; Valuing agricultural development, agriculture at that time could be said to have reached a high point of development, which played an indispensable role in the prosperous era of Tang Dynasty history; Developing diplomacy, the influence of diplomacy at that time even extends to the present day, and we call it Chinatown in foreign Chinese streets.
Empress Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian’s life can be described as magnificent. From entering the palace to inheriting the throne, although she did many ruthless things during the seizure of power, she also created a peaceful and prosperous era for the people of that dynasty. At that time, the Tang Dynasty far surpassed other countries in comprehensive strength. Nowadays, many foreign friends still refer to us Chinese as Tang people, which shows how prosperous the Tang Dynasty’s national strength was at that time.
