Editing Wu Zetian (section)

== As empress regnant==
In 690, Wu had Emperor Ruizong yield the throne to her and established the Zhou dynasty, with herself as the imperial ruler (''Huangdi'').

The early part of her reign was characterized by secret police terror, which moderated as the years went by. On the other hand, she was recognized as a capable and attentive ruler even by traditional historians who despised her, and her ability to select capable men to serve as officials was admired for the rest of the Tang dynasty as well as in subsequent dynasties.{{NoteTag|See, e.g., {{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷234|vol. 234]]}} &#91;submission of [[Lu Zhi (Tang dynasty)|Lu Zhi]] to [[Emperor Dezong of Tang]], citing Wu Zetian as the prime example of a capable selector of officials&#93;; [[Zhao Yi]]'s ''Notes of the Twenty-Two Histories'' ({{lang|zh|二十二史劄記}}), ''Empress Wu Accepted Corrections and Knew People''. http://ctwang.myweb.hinet.net/22szj/300/0260.htm.}}

Wu Zetian's reign was a pivotal moment for the imperial examination system. The reason for this was because up until that point, the Tang rulers had all been male members of the Li family. Wu Zetian, who officially took the title of emperor in 690, was a woman outside the Li family who needed an alternative base of power. Reform of the imperial examinations featured prominently in her plan to create a new class of elite bureaucrats derived from humbler origins. Both the palace and military examinations were created under Wu Zetian which were based solely on merit.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Morton |first1=W. Scott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0jadRpepdHsC |title=China: Its History and Culture |last2=Lewis |first2=Charlton M. |date=2004-09-21 |publisher=McGraw Hill Professional |isbn=978-0-07-146526-7 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Early reign (690–696) ===
[[File:Epitaph for Yang Shun, general to Empress Wu Zetian, China, Luoyang, Tang dynasty, 693 AD, limestone - Royal Ontario Museum - DSC03576.JPG|thumb|[[Epitaph]] for [[Yang Shun]], general to Empress Wu Zetian, China, [[Luoyang]], 693, limestone, [[Royal Ontario Museum]]]]

Shortly after Wu took the throne in her newly established dynasty, she elevated the status of Buddhism above that of [[Taoism]]. She officially sanctioned Buddhism by building temples named Dayun Temple ({{lang|zh|大雲寺}}) in each prefecture belonging to the capital regions of the two capitals, Luoyang and Chang'an, and created nine senior monks as dukes. She enshrined seven generations of Wu ancestors at the imperial ancestral temple, while continuing to offer sacrifices to the Tang emperors Gaozu, Taizong, and Gaozong.<ref name="ZZTJ204" />

Wu faced the issue of succession. At the time she took the throne, she created Li Dan, the former Emperor Ruizong, crown prince, and bestowed the name Wu on him.<ref name="ZZTJ204" /> The official [[Zhang Jiafu]] convinced the commoner Wang Qingzhi ({{lang|zh|王慶之}}) to start a petition drive to make her nephew Wu Chengsi crown prince, arguing that an emperor named Wu should pass the throne to a member of the Wu clan. Wu Zetian was tempted to do so, and when the chancellors [[Cen Changqian]] and [[Ge Fuyuan]] opposed sternly, they, along with fellow chancellor [[Ouyang Tong]], were executed. She ultimately declined Wang's request to make Wu Chengsi crown prince, but for a time allowed Wang to freely enter the palace to see her.<ref name="ZZTJ204" />

On one occasion, when Wang angered her by coming to the palace too much, she asked the official [[Li Zhaode]] to batter Wang as punishment. Li Zhaode exploited the opportunity to batter Wang to death, and his group of petitioners scattered. Li Zhaode then persuaded Wu Zetian to keep Li Dan as crown prince—pointing out that a son was closer in relations than a nephew, and that if Wu Chengsi became emperor, Gaozong would never again be worshiped. Wu Zetian agreed, and for some time did not reconsider the matter.<ref name="ZZTJ204" /> At Li Zhaode's warning that Wu Chengsi was becoming too powerful, Wu Zetian stripped Wu Chengsi of his chancellor authority and bestowed on him largely honorific titles without authority.<ref name="ZZTJ205" />

Meanwhile, the secret police officials' power continued to increase, until they appeared to be curbed, starting in about 692, when Lai Junchen was foiled in his attempt to have the chancellors [[Ren Zhigu]], [[Di Renjie]], [[Pei Xingben]], and other officials Cui Xuanli ({{lang|zh|崔宣禮}}), Lu Xian ({{lang|zh|盧獻}}), Wei Yuanzhong, and Li Sizhen ({{lang|zh|李嗣眞}}) executed. Di, under arrest, had hidden a secret petition inside a change of clothes and had it submitted by his son Di Guangyuan ({{lang|zh|狄光遠}}). The seven were exiled. After this incident, particularly at the urging of Li Zhaode, [[Zhu Jingze]], and Zhou Ju ({{lang|zh|周矩}}), the waves of politically motivated massacres decreased, although they did not end entirely.<ref name="ZZTJ205" /> Wu Zetian utilized the imperial examination system to find talented poor people or people without backgrounds to stabilize her regime.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Employing Strategy in Wu Zetian's Governance|url=http://d.g.wanfangdata.com.hk/Periodical_ltsj201903038.aspx|access-date=4 November 2020|archive-date=25 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125091107/http://d.g.wanfangdata.com.hk/Periodical_ltsj201903038.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

Also in 692, Wu Zetian commissioned the general [[Wang Xiaojie]] to attack the [[Tibetan Empire]]. Wang recaptured the four garrisons of the [[Western Regions]] that had fallen to the Tibetan Empire in 670 – [[Kucha]], [[Yutian County, Xinjiang|Yutian]], [[Kashgar]], and [[Suyab]].<ref name="ZZTJ205" />

In 693, after Wu's trusted [[lady-in-waiting]] [[Wei Tuan'er]] ({{lang|zh|韋團兒}}), who hated Li Dan because he rejected her advances, falsely accused Li Dan's wife [[Empress Liu (Tang dynasty)|Crown Princess Liu]] and Consort Dou of using witchcraft, Wu had Crown Princess Liu and Consort Dou killed. Li Dan, fearful that he was next, did not dare speak of them. When Wei planned to falsely accuse Li Dan, someone informed on her, and she was executed. Wu had Li Dan's sons demoted in their princely titles. When the officials Pei Feigong ({{lang|zh|裴匪躬}}) and Fan Yunxian ({{lang|zh|范雲仙}}) were accused of secretly meeting Li Dan, she executed Pei and Fan and further barred officials from meeting Li Dan.<ref name="ZZTJ205" />

There were then accusations that Li Dan was plotting treason. Under Wu's direction, Lai launched an investigation. He arrested Li Dan's servants and tortured them. The torture was such that many of them were ready to falsely implicate themselves and Li Dan. One of Li Dan's servants, [[An Jincang]], proclaimed Li Dan's innocence and cut his own belly open to swear to that fact. When Wu heard what An did, she had doctors attend to An and barely saved his life, and then ordered Lai to end the investigation, saving Li Dan.<ref name="ZZTJ205" />

In 694, Li Zhaode, who had become powerful after Wu Chengsi's removal, was thought to be too powerful, and Wu Zetian removed him.<ref name="ZZTJ205" /> Also around this time, she became highly impressed with a group of mystic individuals—the hermit [[Wei Shifang]] (on whom she bestowed a chancellor title briefly), who claimed to be more than 350 years old; an old [[bhikkhuni|Buddhist nun]] who claimed to be a [[buddhahood|Buddha]] and capable of predicting the future; and a non-[[Han Chinese|Han]] man who claimed to be 500 years old. During this time, Wu briefly claimed to be and adopted the cult imagery of [[Maitreya]] in order to build popular support for her reign.<ref name="domesticatingdharma">{{cite book |last = McBride |first = Richard D. |title = Domesticating the Dharma: Buddhist Cults and the Hwaeom Synthesis in Silla Korea |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XpUyLqQ26ioC |year = 2008 |publisher = University of Hawaii Press |isbn = 978-0-8248-3087-8 |page = 52 |access-date = 20 July 2016 |archive-date = 24 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224125429/https://books.google.com/books?id=XpUyLqQ26ioC |url-status = live }}</ref>

In 695, after the imperial meeting hall ({{lang|zh|明堂 }}) and the Heavenly Hall ({{lang|zh| 天堂 }}) were burned by Huaiyi, who was jealous at Wu's taking another lover, the imperial physician Shen Nanqiu ({{lang|zh|沈南璆}}), Wu became angry at these mystics for failing to predict the fire. The old nun and her students were arrested and made into slaves. Wei committed suicide. The old non-Han man fled. Wu put Huaiyi to death. After this incident, she appeared to pay less attention to mysticism and became even more dedicated than before to the affairs of state.<ref name="ZZTJ205" />

=== Middle reign (696–701) ===
[[File:Xian 2006 5-1.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Giant Wild Goose Pagoda]], originally built in 652, it collapsed and was rebuilt in 701–704 during the reign of Wu Zetian. The present structure is largely the same as it was in the 8th century, although it used to be three stories taller before the damage caused by the [[1556 Shaanxi earthquake]]]]
[[File:国内唯一武则天真容石刻像（武则天63岁，唐朝） - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Buddhist statue of Wu Zetian from the 8th century, based on her likeness. [[Huangze Temple]], Sichuan]]
Wu's administration soon faced various troubles on the western and northern borders. In spring 696 she sent an army commanded by Wang Xiaojie and [[Lou Shide]] against the Tibetan Empire, which was soundly defeated by Tibetan generals, the brothers [[Gar Trinring Tsendro]] ({{lang|zh|論欽陵 }}) and [[Gar Tsenba]] ({{lang|zh| 論贊婆 }}). As a result, she demoted Wang to commoner rank and Lou to a low-level prefectural official, though she eventually restored both to general positions.<ref name="ZZTJ205" /> In April of the same year, Wu recast the [[Nine Tripod Cauldrons]], the symbol of ultimate power in ancient China, to reinforce her authority.<ref name="ZZTJ208" />

A much more serious threat arose in summer 696. The [[Khitan people|Khitan]] chieftains [[Li Jinzhong]] and [[Sun Wanrong]], brothers-in-law, angry over the mistreatment of the Khitan people by the Zhou official Zhao Wenhui ({{lang|zh|趙文翽}}), the prefect of Ying Prefecture ({{lang|zh|營州 }}, roughly [[Zhaoyang County]], [[Liaoning]]), rebelled, with Li assuming the title of Wushang Khan ({{lang|zh|無上可汗}}). Armies that Wu sent to suppress Li and Sun's rebellion were defeated by Khitan forces, which attacked Zhou proper. Meanwhile, [[Qapaghan Qaghan]] of the [[Second Turkic Khaganate]] offered to submit, while also launching attacks against Zhou and Khitan. The attacks included one against the Khitan base of operations during the winter of 696, shortly after Li's death, which resulted in the capturing of Li's and Sun's families and temporarily halted Khitan operations against Zhou.<ref name="ZZTJ205" />

Sun, after taking over as khan and reorganizing Khitan forces, again attacked Zhou territory and had many victories over Zhou forces, including a battle during which Wang Shijie was killed.<ref name="ZZTJ206">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷206|vol. 206]]}}</ref><ref name="ZZTJ205" /> Wu tried to allay the situation by making peace with Ashina Mochuo on fairly costly terms—the return of Tujue people who had previously submitted to Zhou and providing Mochuo with seeds, silk, tools, and iron. In summer 697, Mochuo launched another attack on Khitan's base of operations, and this time, after his attack, Khitan forces collapsed and Sun was killed in flight, ending the Khitan threat.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

Meanwhile, also in 697, Lai Junchen, who had at one point lost power but then returned to power, falsely accused Li Zhaode (who had been pardoned) of crimes, and then planned to falsely accuse Li Dan, Li Zhe, the Wu clan princes, and Princess Taiping of treason. The Wu clan princes and Princess Taiping acted first against him, accusing him of crimes, and he and Li Zhaode were executed together. After Lai's death, the secret police's reign largely ended. Gradually, many of the victims of Lai and the other secret police officials were exonerated posthumously.<ref name="ZZTJ206" /> Meanwhile, around this time, Wu began relationships with two new lovers—the brothers [[Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong]], who became honored within the palace and were eventually created dukes.<ref name="ZZTJ206" /><ref name="ZZTJ207">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷207|vol. 207]]}}</ref>

Around 698, Wu Chengsi and another nephew of Wu Zetian's, [[Wu Sansi]], the Prince of Liang, repeatedly made attempts to have officials persuade Wu Zetian to make one of them crown prince—again arguing that an emperor should pass the throne to someone of the same clan. But Di Renjie, who by now had become a trusted chancellor, firmly opposed the idea, and proposed that Li Zhe be recalled instead. He was supported in this by fellow chancellors [[Wang Fangqing]] and [[Wang Jishan]], as well as Wu Zetian's close advisor [[Ji Xu]], who further persuaded the Zhang brothers to support the idea. In spring 698, Wu agreed and recalled Li Zhe from exile. Soon, Li Dan offered to yield the crown prince position to Li Zhe, and Wu created Li Zhe crown prince. She soon changed his name back to Li Xiǎn and then Wu Xian.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

Later, Ashina Mochuo demanded a [[Tang dynasty]] prince for marriage to his daughter, part of a plot to join his family with the Tang, displace the Zhou, and restore Tang rule over China, under his influence. When Wu sent a member of her own family, grandnephew Wu Yanxiu ({{lang|zh|武延秀}}), to marry Mochuo's daughter instead, he rejected him.<ref>{{Cite book
 |title = A history of China
 |author = Jonathan Wolfram Eberhard
 |year = 1997
 |publisher = University of California Press
 |page = 186
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mUofeN6WW_IC&q=kao+tsung+demanded+chinese+prince+daughter&pg=PA186
 |access-date = 28 June 2010
|isbn = 978-0-520-03268-2
 |archive-date = 25 January 2022
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125091116/https://books.google.com/books?id=mUofeN6WW_IC&q=kao+tsung+demanded+chinese+prince+daughter&pg=PA186
 |url-status = live
 }}</ref> Mochuo had no intention to cement the peace treaty with a marriage. Instead, when Wu Yanxiu arrived, he detained him and then launched a major attack on Zhou, advancing as far south as Zhao Prefecture ({{lang|zh|趙州}}, in modern [[Shijiazhuang]], [[Hebei]]) before withdrawing.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

In 699, the Tibetan threat ceased. Emperor [[Tridu Songtsen]], unhappy that Gar Trinring was monopolizing power, slaughtered Trinring's associates when Trinring was away from [[Lhasa]]. He then defeated Trinring in battle, and Trinring committed suicide. Gar Tsenba and Trinring's son, [[Lun Gongren]] ({{lang|zh|論弓仁}}), surrendered to Zhou. After this, the Tibetan Empire underwent internal turmoil for several years, and there was peace for Zhou in the border region.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

Also in 699, Wu, realizing that she was growing old, feared that after her death, Li Xian and the Wu clan princes would not have peace with each other. She made him, Li Dan, Princess Taiping, Princess Taiping's second husband [[Wu Youji]] (a nephew of hers), the Prince of Ding, and other Wu clan princes to swear an oath to each other.<ref name="ZZTJ206" />

=== Late reign (701–705) ===
[[File:Tang Dynasty circa 700 CE.png|thumb|The estimated territorial extent of Wu Zetian's empire]]

As Wu grew older, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong became increasingly powerful, and even the princes of the Wu clan sought their favour. She increasingly relied on them to handle the affairs of state. This was secretly discussed and criticized by her grandson [[Li Chongrun]], the Prince of Shao (Li Xian's son), granddaughter [[Li Xianhui]] ({{lang|zh|李仙蕙}}) the Lady Yongtai (Li Chongrun's sister), and Li Xianhui's husband Wu Yanji ({{lang|zh|武延基}}) the Prince of Wei (Wu Zetian's grandnephew and Wu Chengsi's son). Somehow the discussion was leaked, and Zhang Yizhi reported this to Wu. She ordered the three of them to commit suicide.{{NoteTag|The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' asserted that Li Chongrun was forced to commit suicide, but the ''[[Old Book of Tang]]'' and the ''[[New Book of Tang]]'' asserted in his biographies that he was caned to death on Wu Zetian's orders. Compare {{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷207|vol. 207]]}} with {{harvp|Old Book of Tang||loc=[[:zh:s:舊唐書/卷86|vol. 86]]}} and {{harvp|New Book of Tang||loc=[[:zh:s:新唐書/卷081|vol. 81]]}}. The ''Old Book of Tang'', meanwhile, inconsistently asserted in the chronicles of Wu Zetian's reign that he was forced to commit suicide. {{harv|Old Book of Tang||loc=[[:zh:s:舊唐書/卷6|vol. 6]]}} The chronicles of Wu Zetian's reign in the ''New Book of Tang'' merely stated that the three of them "were killed". {{harv|New Book of Tang||loc=[[:zh:s:新唐書/卷004|vol. 4]]}}.}}{{NoteTag|However, some modern historians, based on the text on Li Xianhui's tombstone (written after Emperor Zhongzong was restored to the throne in 705), which suggested that she died the day after her brother and her husband and that she was pregnant at death, and the fact that the skeleton believed to be hers had a small pelvis, have proposed the theory that she was not ordered to commit suicide, but had, in grief over her brother's and husband's deaths, had either a miscarriage or a difficult birth and died from that. See, e.g., illustrations preceding the ''[[Bo Yang]] Edition'' of the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 49. <!-- It may be notable that the [[Chinese Wikipedia]] article for [[:zh:李仙蕙|Li Xianhui]] gave the text for her tombstone, but did not give an external link corroborating the text in the article. -->}} <!-- insert more definitive link later if locatable -->

Despite her age, Wu continued to be interested in finding talented officials and promoting them. People she promoted in her old age included [[Cui Xuanwei]] and [[Zhang Jiazhen]].<ref name="ZZTJ207" />

By 703, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong had become resentful of Wei Yuanzhong, who by now was a senior chancellor, for dressing down their brother Zhang Changyi ({{lang|zh|張昌儀}}) and rejecting the promotion of another brother, Zhang Changqi ({{lang|zh|張昌期}}). They also were fearful that if Wu died, Wei would find a way to execute them, and therefore accused Wei and Gao Jian ({{lang|zh|高戩}}), an official favored by Princess Taiping, of speculating on Wu's old age and death. They initially got Wei's subordinate [[Zhang Yue (Tang dynasty)|Zhang Shuo]] to agree to corroborate the charges, but once Zhang Shuo was before Wu, he instead accused Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong of forcing him to bear false witness. As a result, Wei, Gao, and Zhang Shuo were exiled, but escaped death.<ref name="ZZTJ207" />