Politics opens a new century and governs macro chastity. Praising Wu Zetian developed Guan Zhen's rule in Emperor Taizong, which laid the foundation for the prosperous era of Xuanzong in Tang Dynasty.
Wu Zetian (65438+ 16 February, 624-705), whose real name was Wu zhào, was born in Wenshui, Wenzhou (now Wenshui, Shanxi). The only orthodox female emperor in the history of China (reigned from 690 to 705) is also one of the emperors with the oldest enthronement age (67 years old) and the longest life span (82 years old). Together with Lv Hou, she was called "Lv Wu" in the Han Dynasty. Wu Zetian is the second daughter of Wu Shihuo, the secretariat of Jingzhou. He entered the harem at the age of fourteen and was a talented person of Emperor Taizong. He was named "Wu Mei". Tang Gaozong was named Zhao Yi, then the queen, and was honored as the "queen of heaven", and was also called "double saint" with Emperor Gaozong. After the death of Emperor Gaozong, he became the empress dowager of Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong.
In the first year of God's Grant (690), Wu Zetian established herself as emperor, changed her country name to Zhou, made Luoyang her capital, and established Wu Zhou. Before and after the reign of Wu Zetian, the imperial clan of the Tang Dynasty was massacred, and "cruel officialdom politics" arose. However, she is "observant and good at judging", with more power and less power, and can use people. Reward agriculture and mulberry, reform official management, attach importance to talent selection, and make talents come forth in large numbers. In his later years, he gradually became extravagant and arbitrary, and gradually degenerated.
In the first year of Shenlong (705), Wu Zetian was seriously ill, and Prime Minister Zhang Jianzhi launched the "Shenlong Revolution" to support the restoration of Tang Zhongzong and forced him to abdicate. After the restoration of the Tang Dynasty, Zhongzong was honored as the "Emperor of Heaven". In the same year 1 1 month, Wu Zetian died in shangyang palace at the age of 82. In accordance with his last wish, Zhongzong changed his name to "Zetian Tiansheng Queen" and was buried in Ganling as a queen. Later, she became the "Tianshun Saint Queen". Wu Zetian is brilliant, dabbling in literature and history, and is also quite talented in poetry. There are "hanging arch sleeve" and "golden wheel sleeve", which have been lost. There are 46 complete Tang poems.
Wu Zetian's political actions. After Wu Zetian was made queen, Sun Chang Wuji, Chu Suiliang and others who opposed her being queen were all expelled from the court. For Wu Zetian, it was an example, but these Guanlong groups and their families had become a conservative force with vested interests at that time. Driving them out of the political arena marked the end of the rule of Guanlong Group for more than a century since the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and also created favorable conditions for social progress and economic development. Wu Zetian also fostered the landlord bureaucrats through various channels, collected more landlord talents in the cloth, and expanded its ruling foundation:
1. The imperial court sent envoys to all parts of the country to collect talents and sent them to the capital. The emperor himself took the exam. This is a policy of asking questions. For example, "in the early days of the revolution, people who escaped from all directions were searched, and those who responded were sent to the south gate of Los Angeles to take the exam in person." Those with excellent grades are not qualified, and they are hired and appointed to important positions. Two, ordered the "civil and military to do the above and the people salty bootstrap", allowing officials and people to recommend themselves, so as not to miss the recommendation. Third, the further development of the imperial examination system, which mainly focuses on rural tribute (tribute), not only increased the number of subjects, but also greatly increased the number of people admitted. The average number of students admitted each year has more than doubled compared with the Zhenguan period; Moreover, it also pioneered the palace entrance examination system. For example, in February of the first year of natural grant (690), "The Queen Mother decided to set up Gong's family in the Los Angeles Temple, and Gong's palace entrance examination began". In addition, in the second year of Chang 'an (702), a "military exercise was initially set up", which expanded the scope of selecting officials.
Wu Zetian has a wide selection of officials, and it is inevitable that she will make up for it; However, it did select a lot of talented people. For example, The Book of the New Tang Dynasty said, "The Queen Mother did not hesitate to win the title and win over heroes from all sides to help herself. Although she is a fool, she says what she said is right, and she doesn't need to be an official. Even if you are incompetent, you will find many mistakes. You should take the real thing. "
These talents were not only an important pillar to strengthen the rule of Wu Zetian at that time, but some of them were also famous ministers and sages who later assisted Xuanzong's "rule of Kaiyuan", such as Yao Chong and Song Jing. Wu Zetian was once known as "the gentleman of Manchu Dynasty", among whom Lou Deyi, De Renjie and other famous people were all listed. Lu Zhi said: "The (Empress Dowager) class has strict responsibilities, and the speed of advancing and retreating is very fast. Only without hesitation can it rise sharply. It is based on the contemporary knowledge of knowing people and relies on the help of many people. " In addition, when Wu Zetian was in power with Emperor Gaozong * * *, she also wrote a letter to modify the Genealogy and renamed it Surname Spectrum, which made it more clear that "anyone who got five grades in the imperial dynasty was promoted to Jinshi", which further dealt a blow to the old gentry and improved the status of the cloth-wearing bureaucrats, so the situation of "being tied by the crown and disorderly" appeared after the middle Tang Dynasty.
During the reign of Wu Zetian, he inherited the national policy of Emperor Taizong and Li Shimin, and implemented the strategy of "peace if you fall, begging if you rebel", so the frontier was stable in five weeks! It is precisely because Wu Zetian is good at governing the country that during her reign, the country was stable and the economy was prosperous, and the lives of ordinary people became more and more affluent. These achievements of Wu Zetian laid the foundation for the long-term stability of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, so the historian Guo Moruo said that Wu Zetian was "politically enlightened and governed by the Yuan Dynasty". To say what Wu Zetian left for us modern people, there are at least ancient buildings such as Chang 'an Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Songshan Shaolin Temple, Luoyang Longmen Grottoes and Ganling.
Especially since the Anshi Rebellion, many soldiers from civilian backgrounds have been awarded more than five titles for military service and have been promoted to the rank of gentry. So the strict boundary between scholars and ordinary people has gradually disappeared. All the people surnamed Zheng call themselves Zheng in Xingyang, Li in Longxi and Li in Zhaojun, and they can't distinguish between fresh and old.
People often think that it is her fault that Wu Zetian looks up, but I think this is human nature. For example, who is not Evonne or Xuan Queen? Why did Wu Zetian make irresponsible remarks when he was emperor? However, what is really puzzling is that Wu Zetian moved the capital to Princess Yongtai and Prince Yide because of Toy Boy.
But I think it's more than merit! After all, the royal family has no affection and may be judged by others like a tablet without words, but the title of Wu Zetian, the eternal female emperor, is enough to go down in history, not to mention that she did leave an indelible mark of the times, and perhaps her name is enough to last forever.
Wu Zetian