Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty-Three

Wu Zetian believed that they were loyal to their duties and trusted them even more, especially appreciated Lai Junchen's ingenious inventions, while ignoring their femme fatale and jackal behavior.Officials who live under a political terror are trembling with fear, fearing that innocent people will be accused or tricked by cruel officials.When they leave home to go to court, they often have to say goodbye to their families first.When he came to the court, he never said a single private word except for official business, for fear of making mistakes or being informed.Suspicious of each other, the mental state is close to the verge of suffocation and collapse.Xu Jingye's younger brother Xu Jingzhen escaped from exile, was captured in Ding County, Hebei Province, and sent to Luoyang.

The cruel officials were overjoyed and brought out their "Luo Zhi Jing" again.Xu Jingzhen was implicated by Xu Jingye and was exiled to Xiuzhou [Guiping County, Guangxi] in the south of Lingnan. He fled back and planned to join the East Turks.From Lingnan to the northernmost Turks, it is difficult to run through the northern and southern continents, and he himself is a fugitive in exile. It can be imagined how determined he is.At that time, the Turks continued to invade northern Xinjiang, and there were frequent local wars with the Tang army.They wanted to obtain information on China's politics, economy, military affairs, diplomacy, etc., and also wanted to learn the highly developed culture of the Central Plains. Therefore, they welcomed the surrender of Tang Dynasty officials and treated them as guests.Xu Jingzhen escaped from Lingnan and decided to sneak into Luoyang first.From Lingnan to Luoyang, the distance is about 5,500 li.Although there are boats and horses to ride on, he generally can only avoid roads, cross mountains and ridges, and cross rivers and waters.In addition to guarding against people's eyes and ears at all times, it is also necessary to prevent the attacks of wild animals.If there are no temples along the way, or if you can't find a place to stay, you have to sleep in the wild.After a year of arduous and dangerous trek, Xu Jingzhen finally arrived in Luoyang.He sneaked into the home of Zhang Siming, the well-known Luoyang order, and begged him for support.Zhang Siming invited his friend Sima Gong Siye of Luozhou to discuss together.The two made up a sum of escape expenses and necessities, and sent him away.Xu Jingzhen continued to go north to Dingzhou, where he was seen through.Zhang Siming and Gong Siye were arrested and brought to justice on charges of hiding fugitives.Gong Siye hanged himself.Zhang Siming and Xu Jingzhen wanted to gamble their luck and survive, so they made the same request at the same time: "I am very familiar with the geography of mountains and rivers, and I want to use this knowledge to do something for the country. Please forgive my death."

"Fuck you, who cares about your geography knowledge, can it be eaten? Hehe, what we want is a confession." The cruel officials taunted the criminals, and then handled the case according to established procedures.They took out a piece of paper with the names of princes and ministers written on it, and asked the criminals to report and expose these people and make meritorious deeds to atone for their crimes.Under the threats and hints of the cruel officials, Zhang Siming rolled his eyes, gritted his teeth, and falsely accused Zhang Guangfu, the secretary of the internal history, saying: "When he accepted the order to attack King Zhen of Yue, Zhang Xiangguo secretly discussed the prophecy and observed the sky. Variation, success or failure of divination, it can be seen that he has two mouthfuls of milk between the court and the rebels."

"Are you going to change your confession?" The cruel official secretly delighted, pretending to be cautious on the surface. "to not fix." "Is it true?" The cruel official asked again deliberately. "reality." "It counts that you have made a contribution." There was an evil and proud smile on the face of the cruel official, "Come here, take Zhang Siming down!" According to the "Historical Records of Gui Ce Biography", the picture prophecy is a kind of cryptic or prophecy made by the abbot or a wizard, as a way to predict future personnel affairs. Or the auspicious amulets or omens of personal fate have confused many people and brought many disadvantages.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty repeatedly banned it.The Tang Dynasty was also included in the national ban.Zhang Guangfu violated the laws of the country, especially Wu Zetian would not tolerate his unruly intentions.Together with Xu Jingzhen and Zhang Siming, Zhang Guangfu was escorted to the execution ground and beheaded.If the condemned prisoner hadn't had a penis in his mouth, Zhang Guangfu and Zhang Siming would inevitably have a quarrel, and even cursed.Affected by Xu Jingzhen, hundreds of people were sentenced to death and exiled by traitors.Among them are Zhang Chujin, Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, Yuan Wanqing, Minister of Fengge, Wei Yuanzhong, the new Luoyang Commander, and Guo Zhengyi, the governor of Shanxian County, Henan Province.Xu Jingzhen knew that he could not escape death, so he insisted that the person he was dissatisfied with and hated had colluded with Xu Jingye.The cruel officials did not distinguish the truth from the false accusations against him, and gave receipts for all of them.Zhang Chujin is the head of the Qiuguan. He was arrested and brought to justice with just a word from the death row prisoner Xu Jingzhen.At least three meanings can be seen from this incident: 1. The politics of terror has reached the level of madness. 2. The emerging power of autumn officials, that is, the cruel officials clearly have an advantage in the Ministry of Punishment. Xing, probably played a trick behind his back, and at the same time fully exposed his ambition, wanting to take the top spot.Wei Yuanzhong was an effective general who suppressed Xu Jingye's rebellion, and Xu Jingzhen undoubtedly had deep-seated hatred for him.When a group of death row prisoners were brought into the execution ground and were about to be executed, Lu Chengen galloped over and shouted loudly: "Under the imperial decree, keep people under the sword!" The shout passed through the streets and went to the execution ground.The executioner stopped his knife, and the executioners, jailers, and the onlookers all turned their heads to look in the direction of the call.Lu Chengen rushed to the execution ground, quickly jumped off his horse, and announced Wu Zetian's edict in a panting voice: "Under the imperial decree, Zhang Chujin, Yuan Wanqing, Guo Zhengyi, and Wei Yuanzhong are pardoned for capital crimes and commuted to exile."

The heavy gray clouds rolled like sea tides, flowing from all directions to the mid-heaven.The dark clouds gathered more and more, and the pressure became lower and lower, layer by layer covering the execution ground.Its galloping speed makes people feel dizzy when they see it, as if the sky is about to collapse.After the imperial decree came down, a gust of wind blew past, and in an instant, the edge of the black cloud was inlaid with white clouds, which gradually thinned and dispersed, and the magnetic blue sky emerged from the dense clouds.The white feather-like floating clouds, floating with the wind, are as light as silk and as soft as fluff, changing slowly, in various poses and unpredictable.The cruel official took the "money" from the mouths of the four prisoners and untied them.Zhang Chujin, Yuan Wanqing, and Guo Zhengyi were all over half a century old, but they were running and jumping like children in excitement, laughing and crying, crying and laughing.Their crazy behavior infected the people around them, and they all cheered for this unexpected amnesty.In the turmoil of the carnival, Wei Yuanzhong had no expression on his face, like a sculpture sitting in place, motionless, his incomprehensible indifferent calmness confused everyone again, and all of a sudden they focused on to him.A well-meaning criminal thought that he hadn't heard Lu Chengen's words clearly, so he came up to him and shouted, "Hey, you have already pardoned the death penalty, why are you still sitting still?"

"Wait for the imperial decree!" Wei Yuanzhong raised his eyebrows and said solemnly, "How can such a big event be done with just one sentence?" Lu Chengen walked over quickly, with a dignified appearance, unfolded the imperial decree, and shouted: "Wei Yuanzhong accepts the decree!" "Chen Wei Yuan accepted the imperial edict respectfully." Wei Yuanzhong stood up firmly, brushed off the dust from his body, pulled at the front of his clothes, knelt down on the ground, and calmly listened to Lu Chengen read the imperial decree.All the people present were touched by his polite calm and composure, some sighed, some nodded, some applauded, some whispered, and some shed tears.People's moods at this time were extremely complicated. Some expressed deep sympathy for the innocent prisoners, some felt incomprehensible for the Queen Mother's inconsistency, some blamed all the culprits on the cruel officials, and some felt that they had missed a bloodbath. Sanchi's most provocative "performance" was regretted, so that they quietly argued: "At this time, why am I amnesty? Why let us down the fun!"

"Hey, it's not like watching tricks. A dead person cannot be brought back to life." "It has nothing to do with me whether he dies or not! These dog officials are usually arrogant and domineering, and there are not many good ones." Someone interjected: "In the past, it was more interesting not to keep your mouth shut. There were those who wept loudly, those who were choked up with sorrow, those who sang generously, and those who died reciting poems." "Hao Xiangxian exposed the Empress Dowager's ugliness in public, exposing her old background. Scary, he died happily, expressing his grievances. But after killing the death row prisoners, they will not be allowed to speak."

Someone brought back the broken topic: "Look, these three benevolent old men are so excited that they can't say anything. It's not the same for them. .” "But Wei Yuanzhong is promising. Whether you pardon him or not, let him talk or not let him talk, he can calm down and be at ease." The silence speaks.Wei Yuanzhong's steadiness and calmness really left a deep impression on people. They are awe-inspiring and full of praise. It is more enjoyable and worthwhile than watching a death penalty.Four death row prisoners were actually pardoned during their execution. This is a very rare "gracious case" when cruel officials are rampant.

Wu Zetian finally issued an edict to pardon their capital crimes, and both reason and emotion played an important role.Like Liu Yizhi, Yuan Wanqing, a bachelor of the North Gate, has helped her write many books and established achievements.Zhang Chujin and Guo Zhengben are her confidantes.Wei Yuanzhong was the hero who crusaded against Xu Jingye, and suddenly there was a 180-degree change. It is really unreasonable to accuse him of colluding with Xu Jingye.After hearing the amnesty report, Zhou Xing replied coldly: "Understood!" There were two chilling lights in his eyes, and even the murderous subordinates felt terrified.Afterwards, when the prisoner was convicted of a capital crime, the cruel officials did everything possible to detect whether Wu Zetian would give him an amnesty.Once the amnesty is granted, the prisoner will be secretly killed before the edict arrives.When Zhang Chujin and the other four were on their way to the place of exile, Lu Chengen asked Wu Zetian to allow him to follow Wei Yuanzhong to Lingnan.

Wu Zetian closed his eyes slightly, and said indifferently, "Why do you want to go? He will come back naturally." "The empress dowager is wise," Lu Chengen knocked his head until the red steps thumped, "I thank you for Wei Yuanzhong, and I am happy for Wei Yuanzhong." "I know you are here to set my tone, you are a ghost." "I'm going to die, I deserve to die!" "Get up! Tell you, the heavenly secret must not be leaked." Wu Zetian glanced at Lu Chengen with a strange expression, got up and retreated into the harem.Between the second and third massacres, Tubo and Turks invaded the border aggressively.

Wu Zetian ordered Wenchang's right minister and right servant to shoot Wei Daiqi to be the general manager of the Anxi Road Marching Army, and lead the expedition to Tubo.He also dispatched Xue Huaiyi, the general of Zuo Weiwei, as the general manager of the Xinping Army, and went north to conquer the Eastern Turks.Using Xue Huaiyi as a military general and entrusting him with important tasks just reflects the wonder of Wu Zetian's employment of people.Her intention was obvious, she wanted to tell the courtiers with the facts, not to despise Xue Huaiyi, he is not just a prostitute who can only be favored by the Queen Mother, but also a talent worthy of great responsibility.Xinping refers to Bin County, Shanxi, Binzhou, northwest of Chang'an. Xue Huaiyi's army arrived in Binzhou, took a short rest, continued northward, and made full preparations for a decisive battle with the Turks.The army and horses arrived at the Hunhe River, a tributary of the Yellow River in southern Inner Mongolia, Zihe, but no Turkic army was found.Xue Huaiyi frowned, and made up his mind to set up a "monument" for himself in Beiba, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, Shanyutai, and then led the army back to Luoyang, pretending that the Tang army had a neat camp and high morale , Invincible, the enemy did not dare to fight, fled watching the wind, and retreated to the mainland.Although Wei Taigui is up for grabs and reused, he is not a genuine material, but a straw bag with too much self-esteem. He talks about the war on paper, and he talks endlessly, but he can't contact him in the march.The army was ambushed by the Tubo army when the Yinshijia River flowed through Huocheng County, Xinjiang. Wei Daigui was not a general, unable to calm down, panicked, unable to stabilize his position, and suffered heavy casualties. Wu Zetian was furious, removed Wei Daiqi's official status, and exiled Lingnan Xiuzhou [A person from Guiping County, Guangxi beheaded Yan Wengu, the deputy chief executive, Anxi Dadu Hu Yan Wengu.Promote Tang Xiujing, the deputy governor of Anxi, to be the governor of Turpan City in Xizhou, Xinjiang, and collect and gather the remnants of the Western Expeditionary Army to appease the western border and heal the wounds of the war.The Eastern Turks made a comeback, and Wu Zetian once again ordered Xue Huaiyi to be the general manager of the Xinping Road March, leading an army of 200,000 to conquer the Turks.Because of the sufficient soldiers and food, he dared to employ people boldly, fought well and won some partial victories.The rampant and cunning Turkic army turned around and retreated.Sure enough, Xue Huaiyi lived up to Wu Zetian's expectations and led the three armies back to the court in triumph. Wu Zetian ordered all the officials to welcome them in the suburbs and gave them great rewards.The foreign war came to an end, and the cruel officials became active again.At the same time as the crusade against the Turks, Zhou Xing took the lead and gave a memorial, falsely accusing Wei Xuantong of saying behind his back that "the empress dowager is getting old and should return to power as the emperor". Wu Zetian tabooed words such as "returning the government" the most, and indiscriminately sent Wei Xuantong to commit suicide at home.Out of sympathy, Fang Ji, the prison censor, asked according to the respectful title for a virtuous elder, "Why did the old man criticize the queen mother?" "..." Wei Xuantong shook his head to show that he hadn't said anything. "Then, why did Zhou Xing falsely accuse you?" "..." Wei Xuantong shook his head again, expressing that he didn't know. "In that case," Fang Ji's eyes widened, "why don't you report to the secretary? When the Empress Dowager summons you, you can complain about your injustice." "People kill ghosts, what's the difference, why should you be an informer!" Human killing refers to criminal execution.Ghost killing refers to natural death. "Master Xiang, even if you die, you have to die clearly. Why should you be an unjust dead ghost?" "If I can live to this day, I will be considered lucky in my third life, so what is wrong with me?" The honest and honest Wei Xuantong was seventy-three years old at this time, and he followed Confucianism all his life: "Do not do to others what you do not want yourself to do to yourself." But he never expected that it is hard to be a good person.That year, because of one sentence, Zhou Xing, who had long lost hope of promotion and was desperately waiting for the imperial decree, returned to his original post.Zhou Xing didn't think of virtue, but instead thought of hatred. He concluded that Wei Xuantong was obstructing him, holding a grudge, and waiting for an opportunity to retaliate against him.After Fang Ji left, Wei Xuantong got up to take a bath, washed his body, put on white mourning clothes, burned white sandalwood incense, and hanged himself from the beam. Wu Zetian also ordered the assassination of Cui Ji, Xia Guan's servant, in a hidden place. The rest of the ministers inside and outside the court were charged with crimes, and there were countless people who were killed or exiled.The expansion of Xu Jingzhen's case has continued.Liu Yicong, the governor of Pengzhou [Peng County, Sichuan], was implicated only by Xu Jingzhen's confession, without distinguishing the truth from the false, and the cruel officials went to Pengzhou to execute the death sentence.Liu Yi was diligent and caring for the people, and won the hearts of the people. When he was taken to the execution ground, officials and people from far and near came to see him "on the road" with tears.After his head fell to the ground, the cries shook the heavens and earth, and everyone took off their clothes and threw them on the ground. They raised their arms and shouted, "Pray for Liu Changshi's peace!"During this period of time, Zhou Xing reached the point where he could not afford to write manuscripts.He also falsely accused General Youwuwei and Yan Guogong Hei Chi Changzhi of conspiring to rebel.Black Teeth Changzhi is a native of Baekje. After he descended to the Tang Dynasty, he conquered east and west and made outstanding military exploits.Hei Chi Changzhi, who was imprisoned, said sadly, "My fate is over, it's time to go on the road." Hanged himself in his cell.Six members of the Li family, including Zheng Wang Li Ping and Teng Wang Li Xiuqi, who were imprisoned in Wuchang City, Ezhou, Hubei, were exempted from the death penalty and exiled to Lingnan.Li Yu was the son of Zheng Wang Yuanyi, the thirteenth son of Emperor Gaozu.Li Xiuqi is the son of Li Yuanying.The third massacre lasted much longer than the previous two. From the second half of the first year of Yongchang to the first half of the first year of Tianshou, the massacres were closely linked one after another.Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, Wu Zetian accelerated the pace of usurping the throne.On November 1st of the first year of Yongchang, Empress Wu Zexia abolished the summer calendar, switched to the weekly calendar and changed "year" to "zai"~~ Zhou Dynasty refers to "year" as "zai".The Xia calendar refers to the calendar used in the Xia Dynasty.The Xia Dynasty was a dynasty in my country around 2000 BC.Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains, "Xiazheng" has been used in all dynasties, that is, the summer calendar. Wu Zetian claimed to be a descendant of the Zhou Dynasty, and constantly took measures to deepen people's impression.The weekly calendar starts with November in the summer calendar.The first year of Yongchang... On November 1st, Empress Wu Zetian changed the Yuan to the first year of Zaicu. November 1st is New Year's Day, December is the twelfth lunar month, and the first month of coming spring is January.Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the summer calendar has been used continuously for more than 800 years, and people have long been used to it.Suddenly switching to a weekly calendar, the order of the months has changed to the first month, the twelfth month, January, February...November.The calendar suddenly fell into chaos.The chaos had been expected by Wu Zetian.Not only is she not afraid of chaos, but she also hopes for chaos, deliberately creates chaos, forces people to adapt to all kinds of sudden changes, and tames people's psychology.When an unprecedented queen appears, it will not feel too sudden and cause some "unnecessary" troubles. Under the banner of "reviving the Zhou Dynasty", Wu Zetian forcibly adopted the Zhou calendar, which shows that she is approaching step by step to usurp Li Tang's country, and the "prelude" has already been played.On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the first year of Zaichu, she ingeniously promulgated twelve new characters.Wu Zetian, who is extremely superstitious about the magic and mystery of words, can express her character in every new character she formulates.She especially liked the new character "瞾", and said to her officials without shame: "The character "瞾" in which the sun and the moon soar across the sky can give people a sense of magnificence and magnificence. It's just right for me. From today on, I'll change my original name from Zhao to Li." The name of the Son of Heaven, except himself, is a forbidden character that anyone is not allowed to use, even the phonetic characters are also forbidden.Since 瞾 and Zhao have the same pronunciation, it must be avoided, so "Zhao" was changed to "Zhi". Both "zhao" and "zhi" were originally used to represent the voice of the emperor, but since then "zhao" has to be stopped. Not long after Wu Zetian adopted the weekly calendar, he then introduced new characters, which were first used by the imperial court and transmitted to all parts of the country by express.Since then, no matter the official documents of the imperial court, the memorials of officials, or the official documents and memorials of local yamen, new characters have been used to replace the old ones.These new characters were handed down to later generations and were called "Zetian characters". They have been used for more than a hundred years in border areas and some ethnic minority areas.These new characters were first drafted by Fengge servant Zong Qinke, and then approved by the Empress Dowager herself.Zong Qinke is the son of the elder sister of Wu Zetian's father, Wu Shiqi, and Wu Zetian's cousin.This person often advocates the Yi surname revolution to her, and he, his second brother Chu Ke, and third brother Jin Qing are gradually reused.At present, the three Zong brothers are far less popular than the Wu brothers. They only want to narrow the gap, and even want to surpass the past.Zong Qinke compiled a set of false legends for Xue Huaiyi, saying that Xue Huaiyi was the incarnation of a Bodhisattva who descended from heaven to the world in an untestable age, in order to curry favor with Wu Zetian.Xue Huaiyi paid homage to General Youwei and changed his title to Duke of E. Wu Zetian was really kind to him.The thriving Wu family, especially Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi, had almost reached the point where they were in power, and the prime ministers seemed to be shorter in front of them, and if they were negligent, disaster would befall them.The local official Shangshu and Wei Fangzhi, the third grader of Luantai in Tongfeng Pavilion, are ill in bed. Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi went to visit together, but Wei Fangzhi stayed out of bed due to illness, and the second Wu resented him for his arrogance and rudeness.Some people advised Wei Fangzhi to apologize to Er Wu as soon as possible. Wei Fangzhi might have been disgusted with Er Wu in the first place, and said in a nonchalant manner: "Life and death are determined by the heavens. How can a man force himself to curry favor with the emperor's relatives and relatives?" , just to escape disaster?" How could Er Wu not care about it?They immediately instigated Zhou Xing to sue Wei Fang, exiled him to Dan County, Danzhou, Hainan, and confiscated his family and family.After this incident, the courtiers regarded the Wu brothers as ghosts and gods and kept them at a respectful distance.They had to be face to face, and they were very careful, for fear of causing misunderstanding and causing trouble.The Great Purge once again set off a climax.Its main target is undoubtedly the civil and military officials in the royal family.The cleansing has reached a level of madness all day and all hours, which is shocking.The cruel officials are the executors of the Great Cleansing. They lead Wu Zetian to the road of "accepting the destiny" and take on the important task of scavengers.Hou Sizhi appeared on the stage, and Shangshu reported: "Pei Zhen, governor of Hengzhou, and Sikong Shu Wang Yuanming conspired against each other." Shu Wang Yuanming was Gaozu's eighteenth son, barely saved his life in the previous turmoil.Because of Hou Sizhi's successful informant, he was arrested and imprisoned, and executed together with his son Yuzhang Wang Dan.Pei Zhen was also killed.Both families were wiped out.Hou Sizhi was born in a peasant family in Liquan County on the outskirts of Chang'an. He was mischievous since he was a child.When he grew up, he did not worry about farming and went to the city to make a living. He lost all his money in his small business and had no means of living.At that time, it was the early stage of Yue Wangzhen's rebellion.By chance, Hou Sizhi got to know Gao Yuanli, a guerrilla general, and became a servant under his sect, and his life settled down.However, Gao Yuanli called him "Shaobing" and it was easy to say, and he couldn't change it.Colleagues also made fun of him, and called him "Seed Bing".He does not mean that.Whenever Hou Sizhi heard the word "cake", he felt uncomfortable as if he had been humiliated, his face turned red and then pale.He wants to resist and take revenge, but at this moment, he has no power, no money, wants to be an official, and has no education, which means that he lacks a bridge to the other side.So he wholeheartedly wanted to save money and get rich.It's really limited to just rely on going out to get some tips, and earn some extra money by running errands and shopping.Obsessed with money, he returned to his old business and went to the casino.Gao Yuanli was transferred from Chang'an to Luoyang, and the guerrilla general was a rank below the fifth rank. He would have a residence no matter in Chang'an or Luoyang, and there would be no difficulty in eating and lodging. Hou Sizhi also followed to Luoyang.In a casino in Luoyang, he met a rich friend.This person was a judge in Zhengding County, Hebei Province, Hengzhou. He was beaten by the governor Pei Zhen for a crime and was deprived of his official position.At that time, an official who was demoted to a common man after being beaten with a cane, could no longer serve as an official. Therefore, he hated Pei Zhen to the core and planned to wait for an opportunity to retaliate.Come forward yourself, and I was afraid that my past crimes would be exposed, so I gave Hou Sizhi a large sum of money and asked him to inform me.But Hou Sizhi was uneducated and couldn't write the petition, so he had to ask Gao Yuanli to write it for him.Gao Yuanli didn't know who was manipulating behind the scenes, so out of helplessness, he wrote the whistleblower for him.Hou Sizhi succeeded in making an informant, became a guerrilla general, and participated in the prison system.In terms of official rank, he became an official at the same level as Gao Yuanli.Gao Yuanli became afraid of Hou Sizhi, and he didn't dare to call him "Saobing" anymore, so he changed his name to "General Hou".Hou Sizhi became a guerrilla general and wanted to become an official censor.Even Wu Zetian thought it was funny to have such a lack of support, but he became interested in this illiterate guerrilla general who was born as a lowly servant, so he summoned him and asked, "I heard that you want to be a censor, isn't it?" "yes." Hou Sizhi nodded in acknowledgment. "Without culture, how can you be competent?" "Hey, holy, holy," Hou Sizhi was a little nervous, and wanted to answer wittily, but he couldn't even remember the "Holy Mother God Emperor", "Holy Emperor, oh, Holy Emperor, Your Majesty, Xiezhi doesn't even recognize it." The word, but, has the ability to judge the righteousness and evil of a person, and use horns to beat treacherous people." Xiezhi is a legendary beast that inhabits the northeast of my country. It is shaped like a cow and has a horn.When it sees a dispute, it attacks the evil side.The judiciary uses it as a proxy name, and the hat on the head of the censor in charge of justice is called "Xiezhi crown".One answer was very ingenious, and what's more, he accidentally came up with a new term—Holy Emperor. Wu Zetian was so happy that he smiled, and immediately appointed him as the censor of Zuotai.The guerrilla general is from the fifth rank, and the censor is from the sixth rank, so he was awarded the honorary title of Chaosan doctor, from the fifth rank.Shi Yushi is usually held by important officials of the Qing Dynasty, and has the important task of impeaching civil and military officials. Naturally, the power is not comparable to that of guerrilla generals who are military officials. Wu Zetian learned that Hou Sizhi did not have a private house and lived in a narrow official house, so she gave him a house where the family was confiscated.Hou Sizhi knelt down to Dan Chi, and pleaded: "I am sincerely angry with the rebels, and I am determined not to use their plants or trees." Wu Zetian could understand his meaning because of inappropriate words and sentences, thinking that he really refused to accept it, and even more adored his "straightforwardness and cuteness", and called him to relieve boredom and have fun when he had time.During this period of time, all the cruel officials were rewarded, and among them, besides Hou Sizhi, there was Wang Hongyi who was promoted the fastest.Wang Hongyi was born in a poor farmer's family in Hengshui County, Hebei Province, Hengshui.Seeing that he had done too much, the neighbors forbade him to eat and pocket.In a fit of anger, Wang Hongyi ran to the county government office and reported, "Wild white rabbits have appeared in a melon field in our village. I don't know if it's a bad luck, a blessing or a curse. Please help me find out." The county magistrate listened to what he said, and sent the government servants and soldiers to catch the white rabbit. They searched the melon field for a long time, but there was no trace.Wang Hongyi explained: "The cunning rabbit has three caves, I don't know which cave it is hiding in." He led them to dig rabbit holes everywhere, completely destroying the neighbor's melon patch.Wang Hongyi was idle all day long, not doing business properly, unable to gain a foothold in his hometown, and wandered to Zhao County, Hebei Province, Zhaozhou, Qinghe County, Hebei Province, Beizhou and other places.These places set up altars everywhere to pray to the gods, and Wang Hongyi took advantage of the whistleblowing wind to go to Luoyang and told Wu Zetian: "Zhao and Bei Prefectures prohibit practicing witchcraft and offering sacrifices to obscene temples, and the local officials have turned a blind eye to it." The informant was successful, local officials, elders, and wizards were arrested, and more than 200 people were executed.Wang Hongyi was promoted as a guerrilla general because of his meritorious service, and became Lai Junchen's right-hand man, responsible for publishing official documents of rebel suspects.His innate sense of mischievous drama was brought into full play in cruel officials. He was cruel and vicious, and his cruelty was simply better than that of a judge in the underworld.In summer, he gathered the criminals in a small airtight cell, and covered the floor with thick rice straw and cotton wool. The prisoners were so hot that they couldn't bear it, and even fainted, and had to confess their guilt.Those who confessed were moved to cool cells to await execution or exile.Someone reported that Wang Anren, the governor of Zhungeer Banner in Shengzhou, Inner Mongolia, was planning to rebel. Wang Hongyi was ordered to go to a distant border. Wang Anren insisted on his innocence and said that the informer had evil intentions.Seeing the complexity of the case, Wang Hongyi beheaded Wang Anren and killed his son angrily. He soaked the heads of the father and son with salt, put them in a box, and brought them back to the court.Passing through Fenyang County, Shanxi Province, Fenzhou, Sima Maogong of the state hosted a banquet as usual, and ate face to face. "Damn it, what kind of a feather are you to dare to sit on the same level as me!" Wang Hongyi suddenly said, "Sir, please calm down and forgive my negligence for a while." Mao Gong knelt down and kowtowed, explaining and pleading guilty. "Go down the steps!" Mao Gong walked down the steps with his head down. Wang Hongyi drew his sword, stabbed Mao Gong to death, picked his head up with a gun, and entered Luoyang.Along the way, in prefectures and counties, seeing Wang Hongyi's entourage carrying a box with a head on, and a bloody human head on the tip of a spear, they were frightened, for fear that he would discover that the prison yamen in Luoyang, the capital of God at that time, was located in the Lijing Gate. .The two gates on the west side of Luoyang Imperial City are called "Xuanyao Gate" in the north and "Lijing Gate" in the south.Wang Hongyi jokingly called Lijingmen "Lijingmen" on purpose, which means that the defendant came to the end of his life as usual after entering the gate.He and Lai Junchen sent the official documents related to the prison system to all the prefectures and counties. Everyone in the yamen was terrified, fearing that it would cause accidents.Wang Hongyi grinned grimly: "Hey, is there any kudzu in the official document?" Wolf's poison refers to extreme ferocity, and kudzu is a poisonous weed.The big cleaning is not without standards, it requires it to be done cleanly without leaving any traces.In terms of official rank in the court, the highest positions are the three masters, Taishi, Taifu, and Taibao, as well as the Sangong Taiwei, Situ, and Sikong. They are the emperor's elder advisers.Since the killing of Sikong Shu Wang Yuanming, these official positions have been vacant.The royal family of the Tang Dynasty is already empty, and the eradication of this dynasty is not far away.Not long after Shu Wang Yuanming was executed, Wu Zetian ordered Wu Chengsi to secretly order Zhou Xing to falsely accuse Suizhou, Suizhou, Hubei Suizhou, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, Suizhou City, and Xu Wang Sujie, the governor of Qianshan County, Anhui Province, Shuzhou, saying that they deliberately conspired against each other.The two sons of Li Zhi, named Lashi, actually lived a life equivalent to confinement.The cruel officials under Zhou Xing arrested the two princes and escorted them back to Luoyang.From Suizhou to Luoyang one thousand and eight miles, from Shuzhou to Luoyang one thousand and eight hundred and ninety-three miles.Trekking long distances under the scorching sun, sweating profusely, the sad situation and mood of the two kings are indescribable.On the way to escort, Su Jie met a family who was going to attend a funeral.It seemed to be a wealthy family with a large number of people, and the funeral procession was long and long. There were blows, blows, cannons, and paper money. "At the end of his life, there are so many people sending him up the mountain, life is enough to fulfill his wish!" Su Jie sighed.The people around him were silent and did not look at him, Sujie stopped talking and continued westward.He knew that he was heading towards death step by step, either by execution or by imposition of death.When they first arrived at Longmen in the south of Luoyang, the cruel officials strangled Sujie to death.In this world, he was lucky enough to live for forty-three years.Sujie had thirteen sons, the older one was brutally murdered, and the four children were exiled to Leizhou in the south of the Lingnan [Haikang County, Guangdong a, Wang Shangjin was taken to Luoyang and imprisoned in Yushitai.When he learned the sad news that the cruel officials had strangled to death at the Su Festival in Longmen, he hanged himself in prison.Shangjin had seven sons, six of whom were exiled to Xianzhou and died of illness one after another.The concubine Xun has been at the nanny's house and escaped the disaster.Sujie and Shangjin's left and right attendants were all sentenced to death.The second king's concubines and unmarried daughters all served as servants in the palace, either died of illness, or committed suicide, and died soon.The systematic and rhythmic cleaning was stepped up step by step.Pei Judao, the prince Shaobao and Nayan, was also doomed and executed.He is the father of the old mourning empress Hongsi, the old filial emperor.Twelve members of the royal family including Nan'an Wang Ying were also sentenced to death for the crime of "rebellion".Ying was the 21st son of Gao Que, the son of Yuanxiao, king of Mi, who died of illness in the third year of Shangyuan.Of the three sons of Prince Xian who were imprisoned in the palace, only the eldest son Guangshun and the second son Shouli, formerly known as Guangren, survived. The third son Shouyi died of illness two years ago.Ten years ago, Prince Xian was deposed, and his son was imprisoned in the palace. Now Guangshun is 22 years old, and Shouli is about 20 years old.One point worth mentioning during the ten-year confinement is that as usual, he would be beaten several times by the eunuchs every year. The reason for beating them was: "to compensate the deceased father for his crime of treason." It is called beating with a rod, but it is actually equivalent to receiving a rather severe punishment with a cane, rod, or whip.The degree of punishment can be illustrated by an example.In the Xuanzong Dynasty, Shouli was named King of Bin.Xuanzong Longji's younger brother Qi Wang Fan said: "Bing Wang has the special function of predicting the weather." "I don't have any function, but a reaction from being beaten with a stick during confinement. The pain is relieved when the weather is sunny, and the pain is aggravated when it is about to rain." While talking, Shouli took off his clothes to show to his younger brothers, only to see that his body was covered with scars, rising like purple-brown mountains, it was horrible.Nine times out of ten, Shouyi died from the pain of the stick.Long-term confinement, especially physical pain, not only destroyed the body, but also distorted the human nature.In the second half of Shouli's life, his personality was eccentric, his behavior was secretive, he was greedy for pleasure, he indulged in extravagance and took advantage of petty gains, he failed to repay his debts, etc., and became incomprehensible and unpopular.The royal family of the Tang Dynasty is almost dead, and there are only a handful of them left.Only Li Ren survived and kept his official position.He is the eldest son of Wu Wangke, the third son of Emperor Taizong.After Ke was forced to death by Changsun Wuji, the four brothers Ren, Wei, Kun, and Jing were exiled to Lingnan.The south was hot and there was no development at that time.Because of not adapting to the environment, Ren's three younger brothers died one after another.He survived tenaciously.Since the Gaozong Dynasty, he has devoted himself to collecting special products and presenting them to the court. Wu Zetian came to the imperial court to claim control, and he catered to her psychological characteristics of liking auspiciousness, focusing on collecting valuable things and offering them in order to protect himself.One of his encounters was caused by Wu Zetian's political opponent Changsun Wuji.The second is that this person is usually in a daze, almost stupid, and doesn't say a word all day, but he keeps offering Wu Zetian some weird things and rare treasures. Wu Zetian did not include him in the scope of the purge of the National People's Congress. In the first year of Yongchang, he was recalled from Lingnan and served as the governor of Xiangfan City, Hubei Province, Xiangzhou.Li Renchang knelt in front of Wu Zetian, thanked Wu Zetian repeatedly with tears, and changed his name to Qianli from then on.After taking office in Xiangzhou, he handed over all government affairs to Chang Shi for management.Although it is usually the long history who is in charge of the daily affairs of state affairs, the governor can not ignore the director.Therefore, he was criticized by many people, saying that he was a slob who never cared about government affairs, a fool with no talent and incompetence.But he still pretended to be deaf and dumb, and only concentrated on collecting auspicious treasures for Wu Zetian.During Tianshou years, he successively served as governor of Tang, Lu, Xu, Wei, and Pu states.In the second year of Shengong... On New Year's Day, Li Qianli, who was the seal envoy, brought two 14 or 15-year-old eunuchs from the Liao tribe from far away in the south of Lingnan, and dedicated them directly to Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian liked these two young eunuchs very much, named them King Kong and Lishi, and kept them around to command. At the same time, he gave Lishi to his confidant eunuch Gao Yanfu as adopted sons, and changed his surname from Feng to Gao.Gao Lishi later served Xuanzong and became the first eunuch general of the third rank in the Tang Dynasty. 李渊和李世民的公主们，这时候也所剩无几，只有千金公主成了武则天的养女，赐姓武，改封“延安大长公主”，广被恩荣，养尊处优。清洗的黑风恶浪已经达到顶峰，文武大臣杀得不少，唐室王公荡然无存。也许有人会问，何必要屠杀三千人家。历史的回答是不得不如此，不可避免的。理由既复杂又简单：武则天必须使臣民确信大唐社稷已无可挽回，而秉命于天的圣母神皇已然兴起，她非在历史上当个旷古未有的女皇不可。改朝换代之日愈近，恐怖的气氛也愈浓。事实上，武则天主宰了一切，至高无上，伪装成忠顺如小绵羊的可怜相可以抛开了，眼下仅凭一道圣旨，一句话，一挥手，就可以结束李唐的寿命了。薛怀义奉武则天的密令，苦心构思武则天“易世革命”最后的具体方略。他没有正式受过儒家的思想教育，即就是说较少受儒家教条的束缚，凡事能以现实为着眼点，从事实出发，大胆发挥想象。如今万事俱备，但是武则天迟迟不肯下手，她有些犹豫，怕落个“篡逆”的罪名。另外，还必须打破儒家经典《书经》中严禁“牝鸡司晨”的观念。她想，最好的法子莫过于挪借和化解自古以来被视为最高的政治典型“周朝”的成规，运用西周神圣政治和神政合权的成功经验，在宗教迷信的庇护下，缔造自己的新王朝，并使自己成为名符其实的天子。 “君权神授”，可说是她最为有力的法宝了。然而，儒教的教义深入人心，牢不可破。道教呢？它也是中国土生土长的宗教，李唐奉之为国教，根基之深厚与儒教不相上下，不仅不可取，而且和儒教一样都是难以攻破的堡垒，不可逾越的山脉河流。唐代是个开放型的王朝，思想活跃，勇于吸收外来文化。李世民、李治父子都颇尊重佛教。李治曾在长安为亡母长孙皇后修建大慈恩寺，又给予以玄奘为首的译经事业以诸多的支助。不过，当玄奘在鳞德元年病殁前，请示圣谕将“道先佛后”的次序改为“佛先道后”时，李治当即拒绝道：“道教乃朕之家教，不可置于佛后。” 薛怀义由此联想到以周代唐，首先得尊佛抑道，变通—下，用一个西天女菩萨影射武则天。薛怀义佛法根基甚浅，只得去向东魏国寺的和尚法明求教。法明是洛阳高僧，曾奉武则天敕命教导过怀义的佛典。两人一拍即合。这样，一可以完成太后的重托，二又张扬了佛教。法明冥思苦想，琢磨出了最好利用《瑜価师地论》。在玄奘主持所译的七十五部一千三百三十五卷佛经中，《瑜伽师地论》百卷是他欲全力恢宏的大乘佛教的基本论，也是他所创立的唯识宗的基础。《瑜伽师地论》据说是弥勒佛口述，他人记载下来的。弥勒佛生于南天竺的波罗门世家，本是继承释尊佛位的菩萨，不料于释尊之前入灭，要在五十六亿七千万年后，再度以人降生于世，化成未来释迦，教诲芸芸众生，对于弥勒佛的轮回之说，后来又演变成了纳福远害的向往。这和道教颇为相似，很容易为民众所接受。商定之后，法明和九名弟子撰写《大云经》四卷，由薛怀义献给武则天。末尾还附有佛的谶文：“太后武瞾，便是世界盼望已久的弥勒佛转世，由她来取代李唐，成为释尊所说的人类阎浮提主。” 阎浮提的意思是大千世界。经卷中有一节记载了释迦与净光天女的谈话：“汝将降生于尘世，成为女王，天下大众都将顺从归附。” 薛怀义和法明等人运用牵强之法，把释迦对净光天女所说的话与附记谶文混为一谈，把弥勒佛与净光天女合二为一，混淆视听，大造舆论，说武则天系大肚弥勒佛转世。侍御史傅游艺审时度势，看准了势头，动员属下所有的酷吏，在洛阳和郊区进行动员，发起了一项签名活动。然后带着九百名当地百姓，来到宫门请求觐见武则天，呈上请愿书，递交签名簿，吁请太后登基，取消唐室，建立周朝，立皇子旦为皇嗣，赐姓武，以安民心而顺天命。这一着棋很有创造性，以公开的方式请求改朝换代，在历史上还是首次出现。 武则天蔼然微笑，深受感动。虽然谦谢不受，却擢升傅游艺当给事中，正五品。次曰，大同小异的请愿书和签名簿争先恐后呈递，各界代表几乎都来了。有文武官员、远近民众、士农工商、和尚、道士，以及各国使臣、部落酋长，署名的人数达六万之众。有名无实的皇帝李旦也上了表章，恳请赐予武姓，好像自动自觉地向太后提出了退位的请求。自古以来，在成立新王朝之前，形式上必须由上一朝代的天子“主动”禅让，献纳禅国诏和玉玺，演出一场掩耳盗铃似的滑稽戏。接受皇位的人，不宜立马接受，那样显得太急切，而要上表谦辞：“我德行浅薄，难承天下之神器。” 杜绝臣民的毁谤等口实。类似的形式，一般要反复三次。三辞而诏不许，然后方可接受。受禅者又装作勉强的样子，假惺惺地说：“既然如此，我虽无才德，也只好从命了。” 于是筑“受禅台”，集公卿庶民，明白禅位。李旦本来就不想当天子，又没有举行正式的即位仪式，又不准参与朝政，对于放弃帝座抱无所谓的态度。倒是改为武姓，多少有点心不甘。然而傅游艺的奏章中明明写着“请赐皇帝武姓”。如果固执李姓，大有可能触怒母后，那可不是好惹的，也是惹不起的。旦生性淡泊，素无大志，惟一的嗜好是钻研训诂，并擅长楷、草、隶等书法。他二十九岁，已有子女十七名，其中皇子六人，公主十一人。二哥贤的孩子们境遇悲惨，他只求类似的灾难不再降临到自己子女的头上，保住身家性命，其余一切尽可听天由命好啦。九月五日，百官上奏：“从万象神宫飞起一只凤凰，飞到太后起居的上阳宫，又飞回落在左肃政台的梧桐树上，过了很久，才向东南方远飞而去。” 凤凰来仪，当有圣人出现。又奏：“有朱雀数万只，好似一片红云飞来，噪于朝堂的殿顶。” 朱雀与苍龙、白虎、玄武，同为上天“四灵”，即四方的守护神，朱雀守护南方。素喜瑞征的武则天，听到这些稀有的征兆，眉开眼笑。洛阳宫武成殿设卤簿仪仗，文武百官排班肃立，鸣鞭，禁卫、内侍迎驾。李旦再度请求让位。依照惯例，武则天没有接受。第三次，李旦亲自上殿，武则天伫立于御榻之前，群臣一齐跪下，静听皇帝宣读禅让诏书：“太后总理朝纲，施行德政三十余年，至德光昭，声教被四海，仁风布八区。皇灵降瑞，人抻告徵。诞惟亮采，师锡朕命。天之历数，实在尔躬。朕慎重笃请太后顺天意，应民心，祗顺大礼，正九五之位，飨万国以肃天命！”读毕，群臣以头叩地劝进道：“臣等恳请太后即承大统，早登天子位。” 声音汪汪然在殿堂内回响。目武则天款款抬起头来，逡巡了一下大殿，接受策书玺绂，向李旦行了一个臣下之礼。略一凝神，郑重地说道：“天心即民心，民意即天意。臣民再三坚请，皇上降旨逊位。若再推辞，必受昊天谴责。谨此服从圣谕，为万民拜承天命。” 李旦走下丹陛，站到群臣前列。 武则天升坐御座，受臣下八般大礼。中国历史上的第一位女皇，就这样登上了至高无上的天子之位。九月七日，武则天改服衮冕，驾临则天门楼，告示天下，以周代唐，废除唐的国号。从这天起，改载初元年为天授元年，大赦全国罪犯。开国七十三年的唐朝，在一派升平歌舞和血腥恐怖的双层氛围中，就此覆亡，落到了它的第三代皇帝李治的皇后武则天的手上。五日后，即天授元年……耻九月十二日，文武百官向武则天呈献尊号“圣神皇帝”。圣神皇帝以李旦当皇嗣，赐姓武，将前太子成器改立当皇太孙。次日，周朝圣神皇帝传旨，在神都洛阳兴建武姓皇族祖先七座宗庙，追尊周文王当始祖文皇帝，先妣姒氏当文定皇后。亡父武士镬当太祖孝明高皇帝，亡母杨氏当皇后。 封武氏宗族多人为王或郡王：武承嗣当魏王、武三思当梁王、武攸宁当建昌王，武士寻蒦哥哥的孙儿：武攸归、武重规、武载德、武攸曁、武懿宗、武嗣宗、武攸宜、武攸望、武攸绪、武攸止，都封郡王，诸姑姊都封长公主。天下姓武的人都蠲免赋税徭役。定王武攸暨是太平公主的新丈夫。薛绍死后，太平公主寡居了大约两年，自己挑选了武攸暨。攸暨是武则天的伯父士让的孙儿，官拜右卫中郎将。他肤色白皙，长相俊美，举止文雅而祥和，个性与太平公主的泼辣、奔放，形成鲜明的对照。也许脾味和性格相反的人往往相互吸引，太平公主深深地爱上了他。然而攸暨已有妻室，太平公主当然不甘心做二房，不久，攸暨的前妻暴毙。几天之后，攸暨奉命和太平公主结婚。太平公主的住宅在尚善坊，隔着洛水与宫城相对，房屋宽敞、豪华，攸暨像人赘似的搬了过来同住。 武三思的私宅也在这里。傅游艺、岑长倩、丘神积、右玉钤卫大将军张虔勖、待御史来子珣等，均赐“武”姓。陆承恩照他的说法也升了一级，赐予姓“武”一“武”与“伍”同音。傅游艺升鸾台侍郎、同凤阁鸾台平章事，位列相班。众人形象而羡慕地称他“四季官宦”。这一年，他从九品的合宫主簿，升补阙，又升给事中，再升三品的宰相，穿遍蓝、绿、红、紫四种颜色的官服。九品与八品穿蓝袍，七品与六品穿绿袍，五品与四品穿红袍，三品以上着紫袍。撰写《大云经》的法明、云宣等十名和尚，分别赐予县公的爵位，赐给紫袈裟及银龟袋。一般和尚的法衣是黑色的，紫袈裟是一种殊荣。 唐朝官员随时都要带鱼形符信，五品以上官员佩银鱼袋。 武则天取消鱼符，改带龟符。敕令两京及全国各州县兴建大云寺，收藏《大云经》，宣讲《大云经》。至今，国内许多大中城市，如北京、广州、扬州等，还可找到大云寺的遗迹。和西域贸易的重要城市碎叶镇〔俄罗斯境内〕，也兴建了大云寺。由此可见武则天统治之严密，连边远地区，如安西四镇也没有忽咯。天授元年十一月一日，按周历即是天授二年元旦，武周王朝举行大朝仪，即行大朝会之礼，接受群臣朝贺。万象神宫内外设御座、宝案、香案、卤簿仪仗，以及中和韶乐、丹陛大乐等。天刚破晓，初鸣鼓，百官身着礼服在则天门外列班。再鸣鼓，百官由左、右掖门而入，至万象神宫丹墀东西，面北站立。三鸣鼓，执事官抵武成豫殿，大周圣神皇帝武则天着衮冕大礼服升座，钟声止。然后，在中和韶乐声中，武则天在导驾官导引下至万象神宫升御座。丹陛大乐时起时落，地官尚书奏诸州贡献，春官尚书奏诸番国贡献，百官上殿髙呼万岁。礼毕，武则天宣制：“履新之庆，与公等同之。” 百官皆再拜，舞蹈，山呼万岁，又再拜。唐朝以五行推算为土德，高祖李渊于长安太极宫即位时，定黄色为国色，皇旗亦为黄色。周朝以红色为国色，皇旗称大赤。 武则天自称复兴周室，便依周的礼法，皇旗为红色，没有什么花样装饰，仅仅旗杆顶上装一个镀金的龙头。以洛阳为正式的上都，社稷改置于神都洛阳，长安为陪都。 武氏祖宗的灵位纳入国家太庙。唐朝在长安的太庙降称享德庙，仅祀高祖、太宗、高宗，其余四庙封闭停祭。在万象神宫举行隆重的大享礼，先祭天神，次是日月星辰、风神、雨神，而后是后土、五岳等地神，以及其他诸神。祭毕，普天同庆。宏图大愿终于实现。大周王朝，即武则天政权，从此正式步入历史舞台。不过，帝国初创，任重而道远，还有许多事情摆在武则天的面前，还得看她如何对付，除旧布新，开创改朝换代后的新纪元。三十六浩劫的余波五十四年前，在当时的利州都督武士裴的家里，星相家袁天纲看到杨氏夫人牵出一个女扮男装的幼童时，他像发现了国宝似的，眼睛一亮，激昂地说：“噢哟，龙睛凤颈，日角天颜，此乃伏羲之相也。可惜是个男娃儿，若是女儿身，那可就不得了，必将成为人主，君临天下。” 《唐皇室秘录》中也曾预言：“唐三代而亡，武姓之女王昌。” 星相和图箓，仿佛有根有叶，神乎其神，实际上不过是一种利用迷信的骗术而已。 武则天能够登上帝王的宝座，成为中国的惟一的女皇，并非天命，而是由诸多的历史因素所造成的。北方鲜卑遗风，妇人管家，给武则天参政提供了有利的条件。作为一个女人，长相出众也是一大优势，她端庄而妩媚，十四岁以“美容止”声闻朝野。当李世民的才人时与李治偷情，二十八岁在尼姑庵又能以美丽牵动李治的旧情，重新进宫。本人通文史，多权谋，依靠上升庶族阶层的支持，利用酷吏，歼灭李氏皇族，除掉政敌，镇压了反对派。革故鼎新，从各方面形成了权威，造成了声势，水到渠成，终于成就了夙愿。 武周帝国建立后，在论功行赏中，武则天当然不会忘记姑妈的孙儿宗秦客，他是“则天文字”的起草者，很早以前就建议圣神皇帝“易世革命”。他被列为第一级功臣，由凤阁侍郎晋升检校内史，不久即担任内史。然而，不到一个月时间，宗秦客因恶性贿赂案，贬到了岭南钦州的道化县广西灵山西南任县尉。他的弟弟宗楚客犯强奸贪污罪，流放岭外大庾岭以南。有血统关系，又恩宠有加，却在新朝初创即落入法网。 武则天十分恼怒，连平常和宗氏兄弟交往密切的内史邢文伟，也受株连，贬到珍州贵州正安县当刺史。人刚到珍州，天使亦尾随至州府衙门，邢文伟以为是要对他下手，仓猝间自缢身死。宗秦客悔恨交加，到任不久病死了。宗楚客在流放中从反面总结了经验教训，后来召回朝廷，变本加厉，更加奸滑险诈。道州湖南道县刺史李行褒和弟弟李榆次进京办事，途中被酷吏以“阴谋造反”罪收监。秋官郎中徐有功从调查入手，证实是假案，无罪释放了李氏兄弟。徐有功，隋朝名儒徐文远的孙儿。他初任蒲州山西永济县司法参军，问案以宽大为原则，从不拷打囚犯。 属吏相互约定，有犯人使徐有功动用刑杖的，便都一齐叱斥他。到任期届满，徐有功没有责打过一个人，审判却十分顺利。他连续升官至司刑丞。对被酷吏所谄害的人，他都给他们平反，前后救活数十上百家。他曾在朝堂上竭力为囚犯辩护，武则天声色俱厉，节节盘问，文武官员都胆颤心惊，替他捏着一把汗，而他神色如常，仍不肯屈服。 武则天虽然好杀人，但知道徐有功正直，对他相当尊重而且忌惮。秋官侍郎周兴早就想除掉徐有功，借李行褒兄弟一案发难，上疏指控徐有功开脱谋反罪犯，应该处斩。 武则天正式登上皇位后，胸襟趋于开扩，待人处事渐次宽容，开始亲贤臣，远小人，以求政治步上清明的轨道。但是，在目前情势下，抑制酷吏不可操之过急，还得给他们一点面子，暂时免去了徐有功的官职。事情刚过去，又提拔徐有功当侍御史。徐有功仍在周兴手下做事，而且与来俊臣等酷吏为伍，他们对他恨之入骨，也决不会放过他。他跪伏丹墀，不敢受职。 “臣听说过，梅花鹿逛游山林，而它的性命却掌握在厨子的手里。陛下用臣当法官，臣不敢歪曲法律，必定死在这法官任上了。” “朕信任你，你不要推脱啦。” 武则天安抚了几句，却不同意更改制命。徐有功只好抱着孤军奋战的牺牲态度，接受任命当侍御史。侍御史来子珣诬告尚衣奉御刘行感兄弟谋反。纳言史务滋与御史中丞来俊臣一起查处，意见分歧。来俊臣奏报说：“史务滋跟刘行感情谊亲密，企图掩饰刘行感的犯罪证据。” 武则天命来俊臣一并调查史务滋。史务滋恐惧，自杀。刘行感兄弟二人也被处死了。左金吾卫大将军丘神筋因人告密有“叛志”，被捕人狱。这个打击太突然了，武则天的变化也似乎太快了点儿。而且，女皇论功行赏赐他姓武，掌管刑狱大权，位在周兴之上，红得发紫，荣耀之极。爬得愈髙，也就摔得愈惨。经周兴审定，奏请撤销武姓，处以斩刑。丘神筋是个穷凶极恶的大酷吏，残杀上千人。对于他的死，没有人表示同情，臣民都深感快慰，好比拨开迷雾见到了一线青天。他是少数贵族出身的酷吏之一，地位又在所有酷吏之上，去掉他，周兴便成了货真价实的酷吏头子。因此，周兴非但不难过，脸上反则露出了一丝稀有的浅笑。不过，对比之下，周兴等酷吏发现了这毕竟不是一个好的兆头：徐有功为吏不酷，在他们当中受排挤，反而受朝廷重用。丘神筋的胆量和魄力，在酷吏当中首屈一指，反而拿他开头刀。It's not like I don't know, I'm startled.酷吏们自从受命实行恐怖政治以来，第一次产生了恐慌心理。周兴肚子里多几点墨水，心房多两个眼，转念想到了如今大功告成，圣神皇帝会不会像西汉刘邦那样杀歼功臣？想着想着，他下意识地念出了韩信被汉高祖刘邦擒住时所说的话：“狡兔死，良狗烹髙鸟尽，良弓藏敌国灭，谋臣亡。” 事实上，为了巩固新王朝的政权，专政手段是必不可少的。