Hi, it’s time to meet everyone again. Today, the History Encyclopedia editor has brought an article about Li Zhi and Wu Zetian. I hope you like it.
There are eighteen imperial tombs in Guanzhong, including Xian, Zhao, Qian, Ding, Qiao, Tai, Jian, Yuan, Chong, Feng, Jing, Guang, Zhuang, Zhang, Duan, Zhen, Jian, Jing, and others. The Tang Emperor’s Mausoleum faces away from the mountains, forming a fan-shaped path around them. But among the eighteen Tang imperial tombs, nineteen emperors were buried, and one of them buried two emperors, which is the Qianling Mausoleum.
Ganling is the first tomb in China where an emperor and his wife were buried together, built in 684 AD. The Qianling Mausoleum adopts the construction method of “using mountains as tombs”, built along the mountains, and accompanied by 17 small tombs as burial sites. The Ganling Mausoleum is well preserved and is the only tomb in the Tang Emperor’s Mausoleum that has not been invaded by thieves. Why did Wu Zetian bury with Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi? Is it really out of love for Li Zhi?
According to textbooks, Wu Zetian was the only female emperor in Chinese history. In 638 AD, Wu Zetian, who was only 14 years old, was favored by Li Shimin and became a talented scholar in the palace. But she fell in love at first sight with Li Zhi, so after Li Shimin’s death, Wu Zetian married Li Zhi again and began to fight against political enemies together. Wu Zetian and Tang Gaozong are known as the two saints along with Tang Gaozong. Li Zhi’s health is poor, and he couldn’t become emperor after only a few years. After Li Zhi’s death, Wu Zetian became the only manipulator of the Tang Dynasty.
After gaining control of Wu Zetian’s power, they began to target the Li family. Southern Prince Li Ying, Crown Prince Li Xian, Han Prince Li Yuanjia, Lu Prince Li Lingkui, Huangguo Duke Li Zhuan, and Dongguan County Duke Li Rong all died under the butcher’s knife of Wu Zetian. Under the strong attack of Empress Wu Zetian, the Li family suffered almost no casualties and was unable to threaten her. Wu Zetian finally ascended to the throne of the emperor in 690 AD,
Despite Wu Zetian’s emphasis on agriculture, imperial examinations, and promotion during her reign. However, after all, she lived in a feudal society where men were superior and women were inferior, and the illegality of the throne had always been a problem.
In 705 AD, Prime Minister Zhang Jianzhi and others launched the “Divine Dragon Coup”, forcing Wu Zetian to abdicate in favor of Li Xian. In November, 82 year old Wu Zetian passed away in Shangyang Palace. Before his death, Wu Zetian called Li Xian and had him buried with her husband Li Zhi. Despite opposition from his courtiers, Li Xian still obeyed his mother’s wishes and, against public opinion, buried Wu Zetian in the Qianling Mausoleum. Wu Zetian requested to bury the Qianling Mausoleum because of its good feng shui. Ganling is located in Liangshan Middle, north of Gan County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province.
During the lifetime of Li Zhi, Changsun Wuji and Li Chunfeng were sent to search for a feng shui treasure trove that could be used as a tomb, and Liangshan was the place under the supervision of Changsun Wuji and Li Chunfeng. Due to the presence of three peaks here, the north side resembles the head of a woman with a high bun. The southern peak faces east and west, presenting a milky appearance. From a distance, it looks like a beautiful woman lying down. The scenery is beautiful, with smoke filling the air, like a fairyland on earth. Moreover, the five elements here are earth, which is something that all emperors value.
Yuan Tiangang firmly opposed it. He believed that the earth gave birth to gold, and this place was like a woman. In the future, there would definitely be a woman appointed by gold to govern the Li Tang kingdom. Li Zhi, who can ignore advice, must be buried here. Yuan Tiangang let out a long sigh and said, “It must be Wu Zetian who replaced the Tang people.” Later, he resigned from his official position and retired. As expected, Wu Zetian became the emperor and she also set her sights on this feng shui treasure land.
Secondly, Wu Zetian hoped for peace after her death. In short, Empress Wu Zetian suffered from poor health in her later years and massacred the Li family during her lifetime. Therefore, in her later years, she did some acts of charity, not only pardoning Empress Wang and Consort Xiao Shufei, but also releasing Chu Suiliang and others, and venerating Li Xian as a deity. Although the Tang Dynasty governed the world with filial piety, Wu Zetian still belonged to the Wu family, not the Li family. After death, it is necessary to dig the tomb and open the coffin to whip the body. If buried together with Li Zhi, this kind of thing can definitely be avoided. As long as the Tang Dynasty is still in the hands of the Li family, who dares to do so? Tang Gaozong’s decision to bury Wu Zetian and Li Zhi together is truly a wise move!
