What is the relationship between Di Renjie and Wu Zetian Why did Di Renjie choose Wu Zetian

Many people are not familiar with Wu Zetian and Di Renjie. Let’s follow the editor of the History Encyclopedia to appreciate them together.
In the Tang Dynasty, there were many famous prime ministers, including Yao Chong, Du Ruhui, and Changsun Wuji, all of whom were famous officials. And today we are not talking about these people, on the contrary, we are talking about a prime minister during the Wu Zetian era, who was Di Renjie.
Di Renjie can be said to be a very legendary figure who dares to speak frankly and give advice. In this characteristic, he is no less than Wei Zheng. Not only that, he also experienced three emperors, from Emperor Taizong of Tang to General Gao of Tang and finally to Empress Wu Zetian, and was unanimously praised by the emperors.
In addition to having a smooth career, Di Renjie also has a good reputation among the public. Due to his ability to solve cases like a god, he is also known as a “detective”, and the most glorious era of his life was during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian. During her reign, he was even appointed as a prime minister.
It should be noted that in the Tang Dynasty, as a commoner, it was not easy to become a prime minister. Although the imperial examination system was already in place at that time, many people from humble backgrounds were unable to truly enter the officialdom. And Di Renjie did it, not only that, but he was also highly valued by Wu Zetian.
Wu Zetian not only followed Di Renjie’s advice on national affairs, but also personally consulted him on her own family affairs, which led many people to speculate about the relationship between Wu Zetian and Di Renjie?
You should know that as the first empress in Chinese history, Wu Zetian had many “faces”, and these beautiful male pets made people wonder if Wu Zetian also had some special relationship with Di Renjie. Some even suspect that Di Renjie may have become a prime minister based on this relationship.
The rumors among the people are like a flood, but the relationship between these two people has not restrained at all. Not only that, Wu Zetian also ordered Di Renjie to accompany her on an outing to the outskirts, but these two did not bring any servants. After Di Renjie’s hat was blown to the ground by the wind, Wu Zetian ordered the then crown prince to pick it up and put it on Di Renjie.
It should be noted that Di Renjie’s ability was not something that happened in a day or two. As early as the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Di Renjie was already the magistrate of Dali Temple. However, although he was skilled in solving cases during this period, he did not receive much recognition from Emperor Gaozong of Tang.
On the contrary, it was not until the reign of Empress Wu Zetian that Di Renjie was truly valued. Wu Zetian saw Di Renjie’s ability and gave him the position of prime minister, and the two of them began to cooperate with each other and forge ahead in the court.
Wu Zetian was accustomed to addressing Di Renjie as the “old man of the country”, which also expressed her respect for Di Renjie. Even later on, Wu Zetian specifically exempted Di Renjie from kneeling and bowing. Moreover, Wu Zetian personally ordered that if there were no major matters, there was no need to invite Di Renjie.
In the court, whenever Wu Zetian encountered difficulties, she would think of Di Renjie. Once Wu Zetian was undecided about the choice of prime minister, so she specifically sought the opinion of Di Renjie. However, this time Di Renjie elected Zhang Jianzhi.
Wu Zetian was not satisfied with this candidate, but after being repeatedly recommended by Di Renjie, she still appointed Zhang Jianzhi. Later on, Zhang Jianzhi’s abilities were indeed demonstrated. Zhang Jianzhi is a very talented person, and his position as prime minister can be said to be well deserved.
In fact, this also shows the wonderful cooperation between Empress Wu Zetian and Di Renjie. On the one hand, Di Renjie can speak frankly and give advice without worrying too much about the etiquette of monarchs and ministers. On the other hand, Empress Wu Zetian is also good at listening to Di Renjie’s opinions.
Wu Zetian’s ability to become the first female emperor in Chinese history indicates that she must have outstanding qualities. To some extent, her talent in employing people may be her outstanding ability. Of course, although there is some distance between these two people, they are both broad-minded individuals who do not dwell too much on these trivial matters.
It is precisely because of the close and intimate cooperation between these two people that the Tang Dynasty, which belonged to Wu Zetian, was created. And when Di Renjie passed away later, Wu Zetian was even more heartbroken. Even due to the death of Di Renjie, Wu Zetian did not attend court for several days in a row and paid great tribute to Di Renjie.
Not only that, at that time there were four words to describe the relationship between these two people as’ the court was empty ‘. It is precisely because of this adjective that later generations have made many speculations about the improper relationship between Wu Zetian and Di Renjie.
Conclusion: However, after analyzing the above, I believe everyone has their own judgment on the relationship between Wu Zetian and Di Renjie. Regardless of the true situation of their relationship, one thing cannot be denied, which is that these two individuals can be described as’ wise kings meet wise ministers’.