Empress Wu Huifei was a favored concubine of Emperor Xuanzong during the Tang Dynasty, and also the niece of Empress Wu Zetian. It is said that after Li Longji, he only favored Yang Guifei because he treated her as a substitute for Empress Wu Huifei, which shows the degree to which Empress Wu Huifei was favored. However, Empress Wu Huifei was still a member of Empress Wu Zetian’s family. Empress Wu Zetian usurped the throne of Li Tang, and the fate of the Wu family was not very good. Why did Empress Wu Huifei receive the favor of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang?
1. The Life of Empress Wu Huifei
Empress Wu Huifei, whose name is unknown, was the daughter of King Heng’an Wu Youzhi, and Empress Wu Zetian was her great aunt. Due to her father’s early death, according to tradition, Empress Wu Huifei was sent to the palace, and Empress Wu Zetian took care of her. As a result, she grew up in the palace from a young age. By the time Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne, Empress Wu Huifei had grown into a graceful and graceful young girl, instantly catching Emperor Xuanzong’s attention.
It was precisely for this reason that Empress Wu Huifei embarked on the path of the imperial harem and was deeply loved by Li Longji. Although she never became the empress, all the etiquette in the palace was equivalent to that of the empress. However, as other concubines were not favored by Empress Wu Huifei, their children may have some grievances in secret. They were embellished and told to Empress Wu Huifei, and coupled with Li Linfu’s speculation, Empress Wu Huifei framed the three princes to death.
After their deaths, Empress Wu Huifei fell ill and could often see their ghosts. No methods worked, and in the end, she was scared to death by herself at the age of only 38. And later on, Yang Guifei was the queen consort of Li Mao, the son of Wu Huifei, so it is not unfounded to associate her with Wu Huifei.
2. Empress Wu Huifei and Empress Wu Zetian
It is also impossible to say that Empress Wu Huifei was not influenced by Empress Wu Zetian. On the issue of establishing an empress, Li Longji had always wanted to make Empress Wu Huifei the empress. However, due to her status, her distant uncle Wu Sansi and distant uncle Wu Yanxiu were both corrupt and unruly people, and no one liked them. Therefore, many ministers expressed opposition to this. Moreover, the Crown Prince at that time was not the son of Empress Wu Hui. If she became the Empress, wouldn’t the Crown Prince feel embarrassed?
3. Empress Wu Huifei and Li Longji
But Li Longji was extremely fond of Empress Wu Huifei. He certainly knew the reasons why those courtiers opposed her, but he still loved and trusted Empress Wu Huifei. He trusted her so much that he obeyed her words and killed three princes, including his own crown prince. Although Empress Wu Huifei was only Huifei, her status was no different from that of the empress. All of this was certainly the favor of Li Longji, after all, the palace was a place where only the emperor had one master.
However, Empress Wu Huifei may have been too timid and had never done anything wrong, but she killed all three princes with one strike. She was constantly suspicious and frightened to death by herself. This is truly a tragedy. If Empress Wu Huifei had not died, perhaps there would have been nothing wrong with Yang Guifei.
