Wu Zetian has always been an emperor with many controversies, and she herself knows it, so she erected a wordless monument for herself, leaving her merits and demerits to future generations for evaluation. At first, she sacrificed countless people step by step in order to ascend to the throne, almost resorting to any means necessary. However, there was one person she never took action against, and that person was Cheng Yaojin. So, why didn’t Wu Zetian move Cheng Yaojin?
In the long historical memory of China, there is only one outstanding emperor on the list, and that is the only female emperor – Wu Zetian. Although her path to power should have been paved with countless blood, she also demonstrated through her strength that women’s abilities are not inferior to men’s. However, Wu Zetian’s actions back then made even the famous Iron Blood Empress Lv dare not declare herself emperor! But the most common thing between them is that they have killed countless loyal ministers and martyrs in their positions of power.
Tiger poison doesn’t even eat children. Even though Empress Lv was cruel and ruthless, she never killed her own children. Wu Zetian, on the other hand, did anything for herself, being extremely vicious. Even her first born daughter was a sacrifice in her power struggle. Moreover, apart from this incident, the courtiers of the people at that time never imagined that a woman could become an emperor. Therefore, before inheriting the throne, Wu Zetian was opposed by many courtiers.
Wu Zetian also hated these people to the bone, so after she became emperor, she killed all the ministers who were the thorn in her side. Moreover, she had to rely on her own abilities to make the people and ministers convinced of her rule over the world. Many of the ministers killed by Wu Zetian were founding ministers during the reign of Li Shimin, and only one survived.
This person is Cheng Yaojin. She was a founding minister that Wu Zetian had never dealt with before, and he was also an elder of the Four Dynasties. Since Li Shimin, he has been diligently following him to conquer the country. In the eyes of the people, Cheng Yaojin is not only a general with outstanding military achievements, but also a god who can live to be over a hundred years old. Therefore, if Cheng Yaojin were killed by Wu Zetian, it would definitely provoke resistance from the people.
So why didn’t Cheng Yaojin oppose Wu Zetian’s rule and interference in politics? Because Cheng Yaojin is very intelligent and very careful in his conduct and actions, he dare not easily offend anyone. Even though he holds a high position, he has always maintained a humble attitude and will not openly resist Wu Zetian’s rule, so that Wu Zetian cannot find any leverage against him. If Wu Zetian really wants to execute him, he must see whether the common people behind him agree or not.
Not only that, although Cheng Yaojin appeared to obey Wu Zetian’s words on the surface, he could only silently oppose him behind her back and often lend a helping hand to the ministers who were suppressed by Wu Zetian. Therefore, Cheng Yaojin is truly a good brother to Li Shimin. Not only did he help Li Shimin turn danger into safety during previous wars. When Li Shimin passed away, he was able to retain some meritorious officials for the Tang Dynasty and save the country from crisis.
However, speaking of which, although Empress Wu Zetian became an emperor on a cruel and bloody path, her achievements in history cannot be erased by us. Therefore, a wordless monument expresses what she wants to say to future generations. Right and wrong, merits and demerits can only be left for future generations to evaluate.
