Wu Zetian was the only legitimate female emperor in Chinese history. Below, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s take a look together!
During the reign of the legendary Empress Wu Zetian, many policies directly or indirectly elevated the status of women, such as allowing women to participate in politics and publicly allowing women to take the imperial examination; It is stipulated that women can participate in economic labor and widows can receive land grants from the state; A series of measures, such as the abolition of feudal customs that prevented women from remarrying after a man’s death, also made the social status of women in the Tang Dynasty completely different from other dynasties.
So the changes experienced by those living around Wu Zetian were even more evident. Her daughter-in-law, Empress Wei, daughter, Princess Taiping, and her trusted assistant, Shangguan Wan’er, can all be said to be in the center of power in the Tang Dynasty. Compared to her daughter-in-law and daughter, Shangguan Wan’er’s growth process was the most shocking. Not only did she have no kinship with Wu Zetian, but her grandfather, Shangguan Yi, and father, Shangguan Tingzhi, were also killed by Wu Zetian. In theory, their relationship was that enemies were particularly jealous when they met. So how did she become the most trusted female official by Wu Zetian’s side?
Firstly, we need to start with Shangguan Wan’er herself. Shangguan Wan’er came from a prestigious family. Her grandfather, Shangguan Yi, served as prime minister during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty. Due to Shangguan Yi drafting a decree to abolish Wu Zetian on behalf of Emperor Gaozong, the entire family was punished. Her grandfather and father were killed, and the newborn Shangguan Wan’er and her mother, Zheng Shi, were assigned to Ye Ting. Although in Yeting, Zheng did not give up on nurturing her daughter, which made Shangguan Wan’er very intelligent despite being a servant. She not only read poetry and books well, but also had a clear understanding of official affairs.
As the saying goes, the fragrance of wine is not afraid of deep alleys, let alone the fact that although everyone in Ye Ting is a slave, they are still in the palace. After Wu Zetian learned of Shangguan Wan’er’s talent, in the second year of Yifeng (677), she summoned Shangguan Wan’er, who was only fourteen years old. Shangguan Wan’er displayed her literary talent in the form of a criminal slave without any stage fright, and her writing was done in an instant without adding any dots, with clear meaning and beautiful language. Faced with such a talented and capable young girl, Wu Zetian seemed to see another version of herself. Therefore, Wu Zetian, who valued her talents, immediately ordered her to be removed from her servant status and let her take charge of palace edicts.
But can Wu Zetian completely trust to retain Shangguan Wan’er just because of her talent? Nature is impossible, especially since Wu Zetian’s ascent to power was very bumpy. She could be said to never spare those who prevented or opposed her. A typical example can be seen from how Wu Zetian treated King Luo Bin. After writing an article titled “Conquering Wu Hao”, even the highly talented and talented King Luo Bin was attacked and pursued by Wu Zetian.
Not to mention the little female official who stayed by Wu Zetian’s side, the first lesson that Shangguan Wan’er, who grew up in Yeting, probably learned was that those who understand the times are heroes. Perhaps her mother raised her to read and write in order to one day avenge her family, but at this moment, with Wu Zetian’s absolute advantage, Shangguan Wan’er would definitely not consider revenge.
In some records, it is mentioned that Shangguan Wan’er attempted to assassinate Wu Zetian several times, and Wu Zetian also forgave her actions. Although the truth is unknown, it also reflects to some extent the personality traits of the two. On the one hand, Shangguan Wan’er does have the ambition to become a female prime minister, and such people have pride, especially during her adolescence when she may have had childish assassination attempts; And Wu Zetian’s attitude towards this young female official also reflects a rare kindness in her, although this kindness may come from an absolute disparity in strength, or from a sense of pity and care.
But no matter what, they found a safe and stable perspective in their daily interactions. After Empress Wu Zetian declared herself emperor, she often asked Shangguan Wan’er to write edicts and edicts, calling her an “inner servant”. Later, Shangguan Wan’er was sentenced to death for disobeying the holy will. But Wu Zetian pardoned her for her literary talent and only punished her with facial tattooing.
Wu Zetian not only harbored familial hatred towards Shangguan Wan’er, but also felt grateful for her encounter, trust, and life-saving kindness; Even all the wealth and status possessed by Shangguan Wan’er were bestowed by Empress Wu Zetian. In the first year of the Holy Calendar (698), Wu Zetian began to ask Shangguan Wan’er to help her handle the petitions of the Hundred Departments and participate in political discussions. At this point, Shangguan Wan’er was no longer the guilty minister and orphan girl who was enslaved in Yeting, but had grown into a caring secretary by the Empress’s side, from walking on thin ice with nothing to now welcoming her with a smile of wealth and honor.
Even after the death of Empress Wu Zetian, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, succeeded to the throne, and the power of Shangguan Wan’er remained undiminished. Emperor Zhongzong conferred upon her the title of Zhaorong and allowed her to continue to specialize in drafting edicts and act as an agent for the court in evaluating poetry and literature from all over the world. At this time, Shangguan Wan’er was ambitious and had already become Wu Zetian in another sense. She repeatedly persuaded Empress Wei to follow the story of Empress Wu Zetian and introduced Wu Sansi into the court, becoming a hindrance.
Until the first year of Tang Long (710), Li Longji launched the Tang Long Rebellion, killing Empress Wei, Princess Anle, and their followers, including defecting before death in an attempt to prove himself to be Shangguan Wan’er who stood with the Li Tang royal family. Although Li Longji killed Shangguan Wan’er, he sent people to collect her poems after her death and compiled them into a collection of twenty volumes, which to some extent recognized Shangguan Wan’er’s talent.
Shangguan Wan’er is a life winner who started with a bunch of bad cards but played well. Although historical records highly condemn her behavior of serving the powerful and manipulating politics, it cannot be denied her talent and ability. Shangguan Wan’er, who lived comfortably with Wu Zetian for 27 years, did have many merits. And Wu Zetian dared to keep Shangguan Wan’er by her side, probably because she saw through her talent and ambition.
