Whenever Wu Chengsi is mentioned, he always thinks of the one on TV, so I have to give you a detailed explanation.
As we mentioned earlier, after Wu Zetian became emperor, the previous emperor Li Dan was demoted to the position of heir, and the former crown prince also became a grandson.
Attention everyone, Li Dan has been demoted to Crown Prince instead of Crown Prince. It may seem like there is no difference, just a change of name, but the essence is quite different.
What is the Crown Prince? That is the first in line heir of the emperor. If nothing unexpected happens, then after a hundred years of the emperor’s reign, he will be the new emperor. As for the imperial heir, he only acknowledges the identity of the emperor’s son and may not necessarily inherit the throne.
However, after Empress Wu Zetian declared herself emperor, she did not appoint a crown prince and did not determine a definite heir. Wu Zetian was in a difficult position when it came to choosing an heir, and she indeed encountered a problem that most emperors do not have. At this moment, she has two choices:
One is to choose to pass on the throne to the heir Li Dan (renamed Wu Lun at this time), but she also thinks that if she passes on the throne to Wu Lun, Wu Lun will definitely return to the surname Li after he ascends the throne and declares himself emperor, and then the world will be their Wu family’s world again, which of course she does not want.
The second is to pass on the throne to her nephew from the Wu family, so that the country can be passed down in the Wu family. In her heart, she is also more inclined to pass on the throne to her nephew, and the heir in her mind is Wu Chengsi.
Wu Chengsi was also a person who made contributions to Wu Zetian’s coronation, and coupled with his various flattery towards Wu Zetian, he was deeply loved by Wu Zetian and was the closest to her among all his nephews. He not only held the position of Minister of Rites and the third rank (i.e. Prime Minister) under the same Ministry of Rites, but was also appointed as the King of Wei and concurrently studied national history. It can be said that she was highly regarded by Wu Zetian.
In order to obtain the throne, Wu Chengsi actively campaigned and fought for it, but due to a few words, he not only had no hope of becoming the crown prince, but also was dismissed from the position of prime minister. Who is this? What did he say to Wu Zetian again?
He is Li Zhaode, also one of the prime ministers at that time. In the second year of Tianshou (691 AD), under the promotion of Wu Chengsi, Wang Qingzhi led hundreds of people to petition multiple times, requesting Wu Zetian to appoint Wu Chengsi, the King of Wei, as the Crown Prince.
Wu Zetian was too annoyed, so she asked Li Zhaode to teach Wang Qingzhi a lesson. Li Zhaode’s heart was towards the Tang Dynasty. He had always thought that Wu Zetian could pass on the throne to the heir and restore the Li Tang royal family. Today, he met someone who supported Wu Chengsi. Isn’t that his political enemy? So he mercilessly executed Wang Qingzhi on the spot.
Later, he said another sentence to Empress Wu Zetian: “Since ancient times, there have been nephews who have built temples for the emperor and his sisters. As a matter of kinship, the emperor is the husband of the emperor, and the heir is the son of the emperor. The descendants should be passed down as a plan for eternity. Your Majesty inherited the trust of the emperor and has the world, and has also established heirs. I see that the emperor no longer comes to eat
This passage has three layers of meaning: the first layer means that I have never heard of a nephew who became an emperor and built a temple to worship his aunt. Even if you make your nephew the crown prince, if he becomes emperor in the future, he will only build a temple to worship his parents, not his aunt;
The second meaning is that if we talk about close relationships, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi is your husband, and the heir is your son. You should pass on your throne to your son or grandson, who can last for a long time and be remembered for generations to come;
The third meaning is that your throne comes from Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi. If you appoint Wu Chengsi as the crown prince, even if Wu Chengsi can establish a temple for you to worship, he will never be able to worship Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi again.
These few words can be said to be both emotional and logical, and immediately hit Wu Zetian’s heart. Wu Zetian felt that what she said was right, so she put aside the idea of appointing Wu Chengsi as the heir.
Not only that, but when it comes to speaking
In the first year of Shou (692 AD), Li Zhaode once again advised Wu Zetian. What did he say to Wu Zetian? The theme of his advice to Wu Zetian was that Wu Chengsi’s power was too great, and you should not give him such great power.
Wu Zetian said that Wu Chengsi is my nephew, and I believe in him, which is why I gave him such great power.
Li Zhaode continued, “Wu Chengsi has already been granted the title of king and is no longer suitable to serve as prime minister. Since ancient times, emperors and fathers have been usurping power, let alone their nephews
What does this passage mean? It means: “Since Wu Chengsi is already the King of Wei, he is suitable to be a prime minister. Since ancient times, fathers and sons have been usurping power from each other, let alone from their nephews
With just one sentence, Wu Zetian’s mind immediately began to ponder. Wu Zetian had risen step by step from a talented person to the throne. How much did she experience in this process of power struggle? It can be said to be countless. Has she ever argued for power with her husband Li Zhi and her own son? For such things, it is better to believe in their existence than to believe in their absence. She must take preventive measures.
Soon after, Empress Wu Zetian dismissed Wu Chengsi as the Crown Prince Shaobao (nominal title) and no longer allowed him to hold the position of prime minister. And appointed Li Zhaode as prime minister, appointed as Fengge attendant and Tongping Zhangshi.
In this way, Wu Chengsi, who could have been appointed as the heir, was dismissed from his position as prime minister due to a few words from Li Zhaode. What is your opinion on this?
