During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, the Tang Dynasty had stable policies, appropriate military strategies, cultural revival, and prosperous people, making it the world’s top ranked power at that time. As for why Wu Zetian, who had a “legacy of chastity” in governing the country, ultimately returned the throne to the Li family, historical encyclopedias believe that there are at least three reasons for this.
Firstly, Wu Zetian has aged
People who have frequent contact with the elderly should know that they are more prone to nostalgia and even reminisce about the past.
When Wu Zetian ascended to the throne, she was already 67 years old. When she truly considered becoming a crown prince, she was almost 80 years old.
Even in modern times, people who are almost 80 years old still show their signs of aging, and even if Wu Zetian takes good care of herself, she cannot withstand the erosion of time.
Throughout Wu Zetian’s life, the people of the Li family spent more time with her. As she reminisced about the past in her old age, she naturally remembered the kindness of the Li family towards her. Therefore, when it comes to who should be crowned as the crown prince, she also took the position of the Li family more.
Secondly, Prime Minister Di Renjie’s words moved Wu Zetian
In the first year of the Holy Calendar (698 AD), Wu Zetian’s nephews Wu Chengsi, Wu Sansi, and others sought the position of crown prince.
They repeatedly sent people to advise Wu Zetian that since ancient times, emperors have only appointed people with the same surname (Wu surname) as crown princes, and no one has ever heard of someone appointing someone of the opposite sex (Li surname) as crown prince.
On one side was her own nephew, and on the other was her own son. Wu Zetian was also very conflicted about who to choose.
Prime Minister Di Renjie took the opportunity to advise Wu Zetian, saying: Your Majesty, which one is closer between nephew and son? If Your Majesty appoints his son as the Crown Prince, he can still enter the Temple of Heaven after death to enjoy the worship of future generations; If it were a nephew, I have never heard of a nephew worshipping his aunt in the temple.
After careful consideration, Empress Wu Zetian believed that what Di Renjie said was indeed reasonable, so she gave up the idea of appointing a descendant of the Wu family as the crown prince and secretly brought Li Xian back to Luoyang.
Thirdly, Wu Zetian saw that the forces supporting Li Tang were still very strong
Of course, although Di Renjie’s words could move Wu Zetian, what prompted her to make the final decision to return the throne was that she saw the strong support for Li Tang’s power.
Here are two examples.
Firstly, not long after Di Renjie’s advice, even Wu Zetian’s male pets Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yi’s brothers, under the persuasion of those with ulterior motives, often whispered in Wu Zetian’s ears, suggesting that she appoint Li Xian as the crown prince.
Secondly, there was a recruitment during the Tang Dynasty, and at the beginning, there were very few applicants. Recruitment offices established in various places were idle and had nothing to do. Later, people heard that Li Xian had arrived, and a hill in the northern suburbs of Luoyang was packed with applicants.
At this moment, Empress Wu Zetian realized that even if she ultimately passed the throne to the Wu family, they might not be able to defend the country and instead bring disaster to the Wu family’s clan.
