Chapter 15 Emperor's talent

Empress Wu is now compiling another book: .Empress Wu has great ambitions.The trivial murders she was forced to commit were nothing, and she didn't care about that.What she really cares about, and the only thing she finds interesting is the Great Tang Empire.Her nature is to rule, to conquer, to wipe out enemies, to seize power, and to show a courtier just by gesticulating with her eyes, so that a person can be stabbed—this is what she finds most interesting. In fairness, Empress Wu is indeed the most shrewd and capable politician, better than those learned Confucian officials, better than the ambitious

Chi queen.In the second half of her life, she gave the impression of a tyrannical king and a lustful woman.I often hear Empress Wu comparing herself with Empress Lu of the Han Dynasty. Empress Lu's lover has no other advantages, but she is majestic and good at court skills.Empress Wu's affair with the crazy monk is also comparable to Empress Lu's affair with others.However, Empress Lv of the Han Dynasty was an illiterate village woman. She was as intelligent and wise as her husband Liu Bang.She was not born criminal, nor born murderous.Empress Wu, on the other hand, had that primitive predatory nature, coupled with cruelty and intelligence, which Empress Lu did not have.Moreover, although Empress Wu was not a scholar, she had read the books of sages after all.Like ordinary politicians, she also has a little respect for the history and culture that she knows little about.She can quote scriptures at any time to embellish her speech.It is naturally more dangerous to serve the primitive and predatory nature with a reading mind than the insidious and cunning of a stupid village woman.

Empress Wu's expectations are grand and lofty.Besides, flirting with strong men or handsome boys is her only pastime, and she seeks light-hearted pleasure in it.She wants to do great things, accomplish extraordinary achievements, and do things that are unprecedented, but they have all reached the level of madness, and I will express this after describing it.In short, she is obsessed with power, obsessed with ruling, enjoys killing people, and is proud of being kind.Regarding her reign in the second half of her life, people will continue to debate whether she was credited or not. The reason why people have different opinions is mostly due to differences in opinions.At that time, corruption was rampant, the judiciary was corrupt, and the official system was completely destroyed. At that time, the sons of scholars and princes did not study in the Imperial Academy. Reporting neighbors and friends to the authorities was a shortcut to promotion and wealth.

Empress Wu's political tricks, the tricks of fighting for power, were indeed played very cleverly.Everything seemed to work together to make her a smooth sailing and a threat to the master.Gaozong was weak and sickly, and he was like a corpse, which was really a blessing for Empress Wu.Gaozong had never been a strong and strong person, but now he was full of diseases, often having headaches, dizziness, and restlessness.Reluctance to meet people, almost no self-confidence, sometimes tantrums, sometimes stubborn.Although he is determined to do his best in government affairs, he always feels comfortable in a quiet time.In his middle age, he felt lonely and desolate.His body is already weak, but taking Wu Zetian as his wife without getting divorced halfway, other men can't do it.Now Gaozong's temperament is calm and harmless to others, his spirit is under the control of others, and his personality has gradually disappeared under the torture of his wife who is critical every day.Although he has become kind and kind, it is only foolish kindness.

In the fourth year of Xianheng, Gaozong's condition became worse and worse. Empress Wu and Gaozong often lived in Luoyang, the eastern capital, for several months.During this period, Prince Hong was ordered to take charge of the government.In case of important government affairs, he only asked Luoyang for instructions from the "two sages". In fact, he was only asking for instructions from Empress Wu. Emperor Gaozong was bedridden. What about abroad?He was at war with neighboring countries, and the war went smoothly because Emperor Taizong left behind a well-disciplined army and generals who were good at fighting.Frontier fortresses extended to the west of Korea, Inner Mongolia, and Turks.In a country far away from the Tang Dynasty, the pacification is only temporary, and it is also expected that the rebellion will start.The Eastern Turkic Alliance has disintegrated, and the Western Turkic Union has risen to replace it.In the second year of Qianfeng, the British prince Li won a complete victory in Korea, and about 30,000 Koreans relocated to the mainland of China.In the twelfth lunar month of the fourth year of Xianheng, the Turkic king went to Chang'an to pay tribute and ask for peace.In the twelfth lunar month of the following year, the Persian king was persecuted by the Muslims and took refuge in Chang'an.

In Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty, there are different costumes for men and women from various countries, and various bright colors - there are monks from Tianzhu, Japanese students studying abroad, Persian Zoroastrians, Manicheans, Nestorian Christians, and Syrian Jews.Emperor Taizong has always been lenient to businessmen and believers from all over the world, so many foreign businessmen and believers came to live in Chang'an, and all believers had to build their own churches and worship freely.During these years, the eminent monk Tang Xuanzang, after living in Afghanistan and India for seventeen years, has returned to Chang'an, bringing back 657 Buddhist scriptures, which are now in the Yuhua Palace in the suburbs of Chang'an specially built by Emperor Gaozong. , doing great translation work.

And what about Empress Wu?She is ostentatiously flaunting her authority.After four years of Xianheng, she changed Gaozong's reign name to Shangyuan.I felt that the ordinary address "Emperor" was too plain, so I decided to order my ministers to call her "Queen of Heaven", and naturally called Gaozong "Emperor". Adding new titles with Tang Taizong, I and Gaozong naturally changed their titles accordingly.This new title means that both Empress Wu and Gaozong became demigods.The ministers naturally used this new title in the official documents. To put it succinctly, during the first ten years of Empress Wu's reign as empress, Gaozong was in court every day, and Empress Wu's presence in court was only accidental.In the middle ten years, from the death of Shangguanyi, that is, from the first year of Linde to the fourth year of Xianheng, Gaozong and Empress Wu came to court at the same time as usual, known as the "two saints".In the next ten years, from the first year of Shangyuan, Empress Wu was in court day by day, and Gaozong's courtship became accidental. This was the "Queen of Heaven" period.

Empress Wu changed the name of Emperor Gaozong to Shangyuan, and once boasted a lot.She intends to start a glorious era.She ordered all officials to make a new court uniform, and ordered all officials to wear the new court uniform and hold a special assembly.In order to show the greatness of the emperor's kindness, an edict was issued to restore Wuji's official title, and the body was transported back from the south and buried next to Taizong's mausoleum. The new era begins with a high-sounding New Deal.Empress Wu's emperor's talents and ingenious political skills were fully revealed in a memorial to Emperor Gaozong in the name of "confess".She once made this memorial public to the world.There are twelve grand and exaggerated political reform plans, all of which are in line with the purpose of benevolent government and can win the hearts of the people.Like all the official papers of the government, the twelve items are very pleasant: (1) promote farming and mulberry, reduce corvee; (2) exempt the land tax of the northwest provinces; (3) promote morality to achieve peace; (4) eliminate waste; (5) reduce Military service; (6) the speaker is not guilty; (7) dismiss the treacherous officials.Of course, the above seven items are all official articles, and the four items (3), (4), (6), and (7) are expected from Wu Zetian, which is even more like seeking skin from a tiger.The following are more special and ingenious five items: (8) From the princes and ministers down, you must study the five thousand words of Laozi's morality (Laozi's surname is Li Minger, which has the same surname as the Tang Dynasty); (9) Although the father is alive, he is the son of man It should still be three years for the funeral of the mother (this is to show the equality of men and women); (10) retired officials, still retain their titles and titles; After a long time, those who are still in the lower position should be examined, and they will be promoted according to their merits.After the announcement of the memorial of Empress Wu, everyone in the civil and military government was full of virtue and gratitude.As for the difficulty of implementing such reforms, there are naturally other reasons, which are not the unspecified faults of the advocated reforms.Promising but not agreeing, words and deeds are not consistent, pedantic people feel uneasy.From Empress Wu's twelve political reforms, we can see her political genius.The political tricks she played are really realistic in every way, very much like a serious matter.

Empress Wu felt that there was nothing to show in terms of culture, so she decided to either use her own name to write a book, or use her own name to write a book, and the content was more or less related to "advocating morality and peace" (the third item above).So besides the addition, write several kinds.The following books are all written in her name: ten volumes of "Neigui Yaolue", which is probably a revised version of the previous text, including ten volumes; five volumes of "New Commandments of Bailiao"; two volumes of "Chen Fan"; Ten volumes of "Yueshu Yaolu".What she can't forget seems to be to restore and further promote the moral conscience of the world and to improve the spiritual ideals of the people of the country.

However, the relationship between people, especially the relationship between families, is more complicated than "promoting agriculture and mulberry", more complicated than "promoting morality to achieve peace", and writing edicts such as writing lessons to make people live benevolently and righteously.Four months after the Yuan Dynasty was changed to Shangyuan, Jiang Wang Yun was accused of conspiracy and sentenced to death.Because Empress Wu didn't like Jiang Wang Yun, she asked her cronies to impeach him.Although Jiang Wangyun (Gaozong's younger brother) was flashy and extravagant, if he said it was a conspiracy, it would be a false accusation.It was too late when Gaozong found out that Jiang Wang Yun had been framed and sent another person for retrial.Gaozong soon encountered the tragedy of his family.It has been almost ten years since there was no poisoning in the house.It's easier said than done!