Chapter 10 Part Two - The Incident of the Emperor Visiting the Prison

After three years of patient waiting and hard work, Wu's ambition can be regarded as realized.Of course, this is just the beginning; a queen's status can be extremely high, or it can be nothing at all, the key is how to use one's wisdom.Empress Wu now thinks of the abolished Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu, and laughs to herself—they are so stupid.Empress Wu still holds a grudge against the opposition of Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang and others.It can be said that it is because of a woman's intuition that she believes that Suiliang, Wuji and other pillars are all assisting her husband, and these people will not be able to do as she pleases.Xu Jingzong is naturally her own confidant.She needs a tool, and she needs to teach people that anyone who agrees with her will be greatly favored by the emperor.she consolidates

The way to govern oneself is very simple, that is: Those who follow me will be prosperous and rich, while those who go against me will die but not live. In the winter of that year, Xu Jingzong was promoted to the position of the imperial edict and served as the private secretary of Empress Wu. He was ordered to be on duty every day at the west gate of the main hall of the imperial palace.Empress Wu still let Changsun Wuji and those who opposed her stay in their original positions. She didn't want to be too aggressive for a while, and she was too hasty.Because Wuji and the others are important officials of the imperial court, their prestige is well known.She is not afraid of them, but willing to act according to reason.Everything she did was in line with the law, because Xu Jingzong was proficient in law, familiar with history, and put his heart into everything.If she immediately dismissed Wuji Suiliang and others one by one, she would not be the famous Wu Zetian, and she would not succeed.She must wait until the ministers and common people are used to her, the emperor has tamed her, Xu Jingzong's reputation has grown, and his strength has grown, and then deal with them one by one.This kind of calmness, foresight and foresight is exactly what Wu Zetian excels at.The first thing she did, which was also a sure thing, was to abolish the crown prince Yan Wangzhong and make her own son Hong the crown prince.

However, in the winter of that year, an accident happened, which made Empress Wu unable to control herself, and became furious. It was a woman's anger at her rival, a fierce and savage anger, an inherent anger.Because Gao Zong was the first to commit Empress Wu's habit and got close to another opposite sex. Gaozong should have imprisoned the abolished queen and concubine Xiao Shu in another courtyard and never questioned.But he was wrong.He was soft-hearted and had a disturbed conscience.One day, when Empress Wu went home to visit her relatives, he took the opportunity to see Wang and Xiao.He wandered into the harem alone, feeling quite ashamed in his heart, and even felt guilty and guilty.Suddenly found the courtyard door locked, startled.There is a small hole next to the door for servants to bring food in.Concubines and concubines in the palace are often relegated to the cold palace after falling out of favor, and most of the time they are under detention, which is actually imprisonment.

Gaozong called into the small hole, "Queen, Concubine Shu, where are you?" After a while, he heard slow, shuffling footsteps and weak, miserable voices. "The concubines have fallen out of favor and are imprisoned in other courtyards. I don't want the emperor to still call them concubines... I beg the emperor to remember the past and release the concubine! Let us see the sun and the moon again. We want to pray to Buddha for the rest of our lives. Let’s call it back to the Heart Institute instead.” Gaozong was very sad: "Don't be sad, I must find a way." Gaozong didn't understand Empress Wu's behavior until that day.Empress Wu had spies everywhere, telling her what the emperor had done at any time.Gaozong himself was secretly watched all the time, but he didn't know it.After Empress Wu returned, Gaozong went to Tan Leng Palace and someone reported it to her immediately.He still misses those two women, this is true evidence!Empress Wu need not hesitate.

Before the emperor mentioned it to her, Empress Wu mentioned it to the emperor first.According to reports, the emperor visited the two female prisoners, she said.Is it true? The emperor quickly denied it. "Then it's good not to go." If a dull, cowardly man meets a determined, quick-witted, able-bodied woman, a certain decision is overturned, and the normal course of events is changed.This kind of situation, we are not uncommon. In fact, Gao Zong had better admit his mistake and say that he should not go to see them.Empress Wu ordered her servants to beat Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu one hundred lashes each.Then he cut off his limbs, tied his arms and legs upside down behind his back, and threw them into the wine jar.

Empress Wu said: "Let these two little harlots be as drunk as they are crazy." Two days later, of course Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu died.The news of death played Ming Gaozong. Empress Wu smiled nonchalantly and asked, "Are the two of them intoxicated like crazy now?" The servant girl replied, "Yes, Your Majesty." Empress Wu asked Xu Jingzong to do the rest.According to the law, the queen who was murdered by Empress Wu was guilty of treason.Empress Wang's uncle Liu Shi had been dismissed a month before Empress Wu's coronation.However, she has another uncle.Empress Wu ordered that the entire clan of Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu be assigned to the land of Baiyue.Renyou, the Duke of Wei, the father of Queen Wang, is dead, but there are still heirs who inherit the title.Xu Jingzong had always been servile and obsequious to Empress Wu, but now he said that the emperor was still too lenient to the rebels, that Duke Wei and his heirs should be removed from their titles, and that Duke Wei's grave should be dug up and the coffin should be opened to slaughter the corpses.Gaozong felt disgusted and refused to accept it, but he did deprive his father-in-law of his title.Because in this way, the soul can be punished, and the revenge of Empress Wu will be under Jiuquan.

Empress Wu was complacent, but with a cruel heart, evil humor, and a pun, she changed the queen's family name to Mang and concubine Xiao Shu's to Xiao, and ordered the descendants of Wang and Xiao's two families to be named Mang and Xiao.In this way, people know that if you offend Empress Wu, you will get what you deserve.Empress Wu's life has come to an end here, and she probably thinks so. Wu is off to a good start - and this is just the beginning.She stepped over the dead bodies of two women, succeeded, and seized power.