Do you all know that Zetian hated Empress Wang and Consort Xiao the most, but in her later years she granted amnesty to their families? Next, the History Encyclopedia editor will bring you relevant articles
In history, people have always had mixed evaluations of Wu Zetian, but it cannot be denied that as a woman, she was able to reign alone for 15 years during the early Tang Dynasty, which indeed made many men admire her political strategy and aspirations. Some people think that she established herself as an emperor solely to satisfy her own desires. Of course, some people believe that she was actually doing it for her beloved Emperor Gaozong of Tang, and did not want the Li family’s hard won empire to decline.
In fact, she didn’t completely want to replace him at first. Unfortunately, her third son Li Xian was not cut out to be an emperor. After Li Zhi abdicated in favor of this son, Wu Zetian felt that none of her sons were suitable for her and decided to become an emperor herself. Although this move was unprecedented for many courtiers, the country developed even better under the rule of Empress Wu Zetian than during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, so there was no objection from everyone.
Especially in selecting talents, she has the courage and decisiveness that the previous dynasty did not have, which is why she has won the recognition and support of so many people. Although it is inevitable that some literati like Luo Binwang have openly written essays opposing her, Wu Zetian did not take any excessive actions towards them because she was offended. Instead, she greatly appreciated the talents of these people. This kind of measurement is indeed what a king should possess. So when she abdicated and became the Grand Emperor, those courtiers who had received her favor were indeed very reluctant, and even there were moving scenes of tears in public.
As Wu Zetian grew old, she could no longer continue to govern the country, so it was time to relinquish the throne. Should we give it to her mother’s family, the Wu family, or to the Li family? This has become a question for many people. But Wu Zetian’s cleverness lies here. She did not occupy the magpie’s nest because of this and decisively returned the country to Li Xian. Although the son still felt that his mother seemed to have some conspiracy at the time and was scared out of his wits, Wu Zetian did wave goodbye to her political career.
In addition to this clever move, Wu Zetian also did some things that later generations thought were clever. That’s because she pardoned the relatives of Queen Wang, Xiao Shufei, and others, and specially bestowed the title of Wei Yuanzhong. You should know that these people were all victims of her political career, and it was precisely during Wu Zetian’s 15 years in power that her strong ruling methods made everyone think she was a cold-blooded and ruthless executioner. However, making such a move in her later years was actually a disguised admission of her mistakes, hoping that future generations would not overly blame her for these issues.
