Editing Wu Zetian (section)

== Rise to power ==
By early 650, Consort Wu was a concubine of Emperor Gaozong, and she had the title [[Imperial consorts of Tang China|Zhaoyi]], the highest ranking concubine of the nine concubines in the second rank. Wu progressively gained immeasurable influence over the governance of the empire throughout Emperor Gaozong's reign. Over time, she came to control most major decisions made. She was regarded as ruthless in her endeavors to grab power, and was believed by traditional historians to have killed her own children. This was later proven false, as these rumors seem to have surfaced 400 years after her death. This was likely due to the belief in ancient China that a woman wasn't suited to hold the power of the emperor.
[[File:Gaozong of Tang.jpg|thumb|upright|A depiction of Emperor Gaozong of Tang from ''An 18th century album of portraits of 86 emperors of China, with Chinese historical notes'']]

=== Imperial consort (650–655) ===
Gaozong became emperor at the age of 21. He was not the first choice, as he was inexperienced and frequently incapacitated with a sickness that caused him spells of dizziness.<ref name="Paludan, 96" /> Gaozong was made heir to the empire only due to the disgrace of his two older brothers.<ref name="Paludan, 93" /> 

On or after the anniversary of Emperor Taizong's death,{{NoteTag|The modern historian [[Bo Yang]], based on the fact that Consort Wu's oldest son [[Li Hong]] was born in 652, fixed the date of this incident as 650, but 651 is also a possibility. See ''Bo Yang Edition of Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 47.}} Gaozong went to Ganye Temple to offer incense to Buddha. When he and Consort Wu saw each other, they both wept. This was seen by Gaozong's wife, [[Empress Wang (Gaozong)|Empress Wang]].<ref>[[Bo Yang]], ''Outlines of the History of the Chinese'' ({{lang|zh|中國人史綱}}), vol. 2, p. 520.</ref> At that time, Gaozong did not favor Wang. Instead, he favored his concubine [[Pure Consort Xiao]]. Furthermore, Wang had no children while Xiao had one son ([[Li Sujie]]) and two daughters (Princesses Yiyang and Xuancheng). 

Wang, seeing that Gaozong was still impressed by Wu's beauty, hoped that the arrival of a new concubine would divert the emperor from Xiao. Therefore, she secretly told Wu to stop shaving her hair and later welcomed her to the palace. (Some modern historians dispute this traditional account. Some think that Wu never left the imperial palace and might have had an affair with Gaozong while Taizong was still alive.)<ref>{{cite wikisource
|title=唐會要
|chapter=卷003
|quote=太宗聞武士彠女有才貌，召入宮，以爲才人。時上在東宮，因入侍，悅之。
|wslanguage=zh
|trans-title=Tang Huiyao
|trans-chapter=Volume 3
|trans-quote=Taizong heard the daughter of Wu Shiyue is talented and beautiful; he called her into the palace and given her the title ''cairen''. At that time, Li Zhi was in the eastern palace, and because she served him, she also pleasured him.
}}</ref>

Wu soon overtook Xiao as Gaozong's favorite. In 652, she gave birth to her first child, a son named [[Li Hong]]. In 653, she gave birth to another son, [[Li Xian (prince)|Li Xián]]. Neither of these sons was in contention to be Gaozong's heir, because Gaozong, at the request of officials influenced by Wang and her uncle (the chancellor [[Liu Shi (Tang dynasty)|Liu Shi]]), had designated his eldest son [[Li Zhong]] as his heir. Li Zhong's mother, Consort Liu, was of lowly birth. Wang did this in order to receive Liu's gratitude.

By 654, both Wang and Xiao had lost favor with Gaozong, and these two former romantic rivals joined forces against Wu, but to no avail. For example, as a sign of his love for Wu, Gaozong conferred posthumous honors on her father, [[Wu Shiyue]]. In the same year, Wu gave birth to a daughter. But her daughter died shortly after birth, with evidence suggesting deliberate [[Strangling|strangulation]]. The evidence include allegations made by Wu herself, and she accused Wang of murder.<ref name="Paludan, 96" /> Wang was accused of having been seen near the child's room, with corroborating testimony by alleged eyewitnesses. Gaozong was led to believe that Wang, motivated by jealousy, had most likely killed the child. Wang lacked an alibi and was unable to clear her name.

Scientifically credible [[forensic pathology]] information about the death of Wu's daughter does not exist, and scholars lack concrete evidence about her death. However, scholars have many theories and speculations.{{cn|date=November 2024}} Because traditional folklore tends to portray Wu as a power-hungry woman unconcerned about whom she hurt or what she did, the most popular theory is that Wu killed her own child in order to accuse Wang. Other schools of thought argue that Wang indeed killed the child out of jealousy and hatred of Wu. The third argument is that the child died of [[asphyxiation]] or [[crib death]].{{cn|date=November 2024}} The ventilation systems of the time were nonexistent or of poor quality, and the lack of ventilation combined with using coal as a heating method could have led to [[carbon monoxide poisoning]]. In any case, Wu blamed Wang for the girl's death, and as a result, tried to remove Wang from her position.

Because of the child's death, an angry Gaozong also wanted to depose Wang and replace her with Wu.{{cn|date=November 2024}} But first he needed to make sure that he had the support of the government chancellors. So Gaozong met with his uncle [[Zhangsun Wuji]], the head chancellor. During the meeting, Gaozong repeatedly brought up Wang's childlessness. Childlessness was a sufficient excuse to depose Wang, but Zhangsun repeatedly found ways to divert the conversation.{{cn|date=November 2024}} Subsequent visits made by Wu's mother, Lady Yang, and an official allied with Wu, [[Xu Jingzong]], to seek support from Zhangsun were met with disappointment.<ref name="ZZTJ199">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷199|vol. 199]]}}</ref> 

In the summer of 655, Wu accused Wang and her mother, Lady Liu, of using witchcraft. In response, Gaozong barred Liu from the palace and demoted Wang's uncle, Liu Shi.<ref name="ZZTJ199" /> Meanwhile, a faction of officials began to form around Wu, including [[Li Yifu]], Xu, Cui Yixuan ({{lang|zh|崔義玄}}), and Yuan Gongyu ({{lang|zh|袁公瑜}}). That autumn, Gaozong summoned the chancellors Zhangsun, [[Li Shiji|Li Ji]], [[Yu Zhining]], and [[Chu Suiliang]] to the palace. Chu had deduced that the summons were about changing the empress. Li Ji claimed illness and refused to attend. At the meeting, Chu vehemently opposed deposing Wang, while Zhangsun and Yu showed their disapproval by silence. Chancellors [[Han Yuan]] and [[Lai Ji]] also opposed the move. When Gaozong asked Li Ji again he responded, "This is your family matter, Your Imperial Majesty. Why ask anyone else?" {{cn|date=November 2024}}

Gaozong therefore resolved to demote Chu to commandant at [[Tanzhou (in modern Hunan)|Tan Prefecture]] (roughly modern [[Changsha]], Hunan),<ref name="ZZTJ199" /> and then deposed both Wang and Xiao. He placed them under arrest and made Wu empress. Later that year, Gaozong showed signs of considering their release. Because of this, Wang and Xiao were killed on Empress Wu's orders. After their deaths, they often haunted Wu's dreams over the years.<ref>{{cite wikisource
|title=新唐書
|chapter=卷076
|quote=武后頻見二人被髮瀝血為厲，惡之，以巫祝解謝，即徙蓬萊宮，厲復見，故多駐東都。
|wslanguage=zh
|trans-title=New Book of Tang
|trans-chapter=Volume 76
|trans-quote=Wu often sees [in her dreams] the two [Wang and Xiao] in bloody shape, and she disliked it. She tried ''wu'' (shaman) practices and moved to Penglai palace, yet still seeing them. Therefore, she mostly lived in the eastern capital from then on.
}}</ref>

Wu came to believe their spirits were after her. For this reason, Emperor Gaozong started remodeling a secondary palace, Daming Palace (大明宮), into Penglai Palace (蓬萊宮). When Penglai Palace's main hall, Hanyuan Hall (含元殿), was completed in 663, Gaozong and Wu moved there. It was later renamed Hanyuan Palace, yet Empress Wang and Consort Xiao still continued to appear in her dreams. Therefore, for the rest of Gaozong's reign, he and Wu often took up residence at the eastern capital [[Luoyang]] and only infrequently spent time in [[Chang'an]].<ref name="ZZTJ200">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷200|vol. 200]]}}</ref>

=== Empress consort ===
==== Involvement in politics (655–660) ====
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2024}}

In 655, Wu became Tang Gaozong's new empress consort ({{lang|zh|皇后}}, ''húanghòu''). In 656, on the advice of Xu Jingzong, Emperor Gaozong deposed Consort Liu's son Li Zhong from being his heir apparent. He changed Li Zhong's status to Prince of Liang and designated Empress Wu's son, Li Hong as the title of Prince of Dai and crown prince (that is, Heir Apparent).<ref name="ZZTJ200" /> In 657, Empress Wu and her allies began reprisals against officials who had opposed her ascension. She first had Xu and Li Yifu, who were by now chancellors, falsely accuse Han Yuan and Lai Ji of being complicit with Chu Suiliang in planning treason. The three of them, along with Liu Shi, were demoted to being prefects of remote prefectures, with provisions that they would never be allowed to return to Chang'an. In 659, she had Xu accuse Zhangsun Wuji of plotting treason with the low-level officials Wei Jifang ({{lang|zh|韋季方}}) and Li Chao ({{lang|zh|李巢}}). Zhangsun was exiled and, later in the year, was forced to commit suicide in exile. Xu further implicated Chu, Liu, Han, and Yu Zhining in the plot as well. Chu, who had died in 658, was posthumously stripped of his titles, and his sons Chu Yanfu ({{lang|zh|褚彥甫}}) and Chu Yanchong ({{lang|zh|褚彥沖}}) were executed. Orders were also issued to execute Liu and Han, although Han died before the execution order reached his location.

It was said that after this time, no official dared to criticize the emperor. In 660, Li Zhong, Gaozong's first-born son (to consort Liu) was targeted. Li Zhong had feared that he would be next and had sought out advice of fortune tellers. Wu had him exiled and placed under house arrest.<ref name="ZZTJ200" />

==== Ruling with Emperor Gaozong (660–683) ====
In 660, Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu toured Bian Prefecture (modern-day Taiyuan), and Empress Wu had the opportunity to invite her old neighbors and relatives to a feast.<ref name="ZZTJ200" /> Later that year, Emperor Gaozong began to suffer from an illness that carried the symptoms of painful headaches and loss of vision, generally thought to be hypertension-related.<ref>See, ''Bo Yang Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 40, p 683.</ref> He began to have Empress Wu make rulings on daily petitions by officials. Thereafter, her authority rivaled Emperor Gaozong's.<ref name="ZZTJ200" />

By 664, Wu was said to be interfering so much in the empire's governance that she was angering Gaozong with her controlling behavior. Furthermore, she had engaged the [[Taoist]] sorcerer Guo Xingzhen ({{lang|zh|郭行真}}) in using witchcraft—an act prohibited by regulations, which led to Empress Wang's downfall—and the [[Eunuch (court official)|eunuch]] Wang Fusheng ({{lang|zh|王伏勝}}) reported this to Gaozong, angering him further. He consulted the chancellor [[Shangguan Yi]], who suggested that he depose Wu. He had Shangguan draft an edict. But as Shangguan was doing so, Wu received news of what was happening. She went to the emperor to plead her case just as he was holding the edict that Shangguan had drafted. Gaozong could not bear to depose her and blamed the episode on Shangguan. As both Shangguan and Wang had served on Li Zhong's staff, Wu had Xu falsely accuse Shangguan, Wang, and Li Zhong of planning treason. Shangguan, Wang, and Shangguan's son Shangguan Tingzhi ({{lang|zh|上官庭芝}}) were executed, while Li Zhong was forced to commit suicide.<ref name="ZZTJ201">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷201|vol. 201]]}}</ref> Shangguan Tingzhi's daughter [[Shangguan Wan'er]], then an infant, and her mother, Lady Zheng, became slaves in the inner palace. After Shangguan Wan'er grew up, she became Empress Wu's trusted secretary.

She and Gaozong were thereafter referred to as the "Two Saints" ({{lang|zh|二聖}}, ''Er Sheng'') both inside the palace and in the empire.<ref name="ZZTJ201" /> The [[Later Jin (Five Dynasties)|Later Jin]] historian [[Liu Xu]], in [[Old Book of Tang]], commented:

{{blockquote|When Emperor Gaozong could not listen to the court issues, all affairs were decided by the Empress of Heaven. Since the execution of the [[Shangguan Yi]], she and the emperor appeared together at the court as Sheng (Holy). The Empress of Heaven hung a curtain behind the throne, and all the political affairs were settled by her, and they were called "two saints" ({{lang|zh|二聖}}, ''Er Sheng'') inside and outside. The emperor wanted to issue an edict to make the Empress of Heaven would formally take over the throne of the empire, and [[Hao Chujun]], persuaded him to stop this issue (appoint of regent).}}

Meanwhile, on Empress Wu's account, her mother Lady Yang had been made the Lady of Rong, and her older sister, now widowed, the [[Wu Shun|Lady of Han]]. Her half-brothers Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang and cousins Wu Weiliang and Wu Huaiyun, despite the poor relationships that they had with Lady Yang, were promoted. But at a feast that Lady Yang held for them, Wu Weiliang offended Lady Yang by stating that they did not find it honorable for them to be promoted on account of Empress Wu. Empress Wu, therefore, requested to have them demoted to remote prefectures—outwardly to show modesty, but in reality to avenge the offense to her mother. Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang died in effective exile. Meanwhile, in or before 666, Lady of Han died as well. After Lady of Han's death, Emperor Gaozong made her daughter the [[Lady Helan|Lady of Wei]] and considered keeping her in the palace—possibly as a concubine. He did not immediately do so, as he feared that Empress Wu would be displeased. It was said that Empress Wu heard of this and was nevertheless displeased. She had her niece poisoned, by placing poison in food offerings that Wu Weiliang and Wu Huaiyun had made and then blaming them for the death of the Lady of Wei. Wu Weiliang and Wu Huaiyun were executed.<ref name="ZZTJ201" /><ref name="WuShihuo">For Wu Shihuo's career and family, see generally ''[[Old Book of Tang]]'', [[:zh:s:舊唐書/卷58|vol. 58]] and ''New Book of Tang'', [[:zh:s:新唐書/卷206|vol. 206]]</ref>

In 670, Wu's mother, Lady Yang, died, and by Gaozong's and Wu's orders, all of the imperial officials and their wives attended her wake and mourned her. Later that year, with the realm suffering from a major drought, Wu offered to be deposed, which Gaozong rejected. At her request, he further posthumously honored Wu Shiyue (who had previously been posthumously honored as the Duke of Zhou) and Lady Yang by giving them the titles of the Prince and Princess of Taiyuan.<ref name="ZZTJ201" />

Meanwhile, the son of Empress Wu's older sister the Lady of Han, Helan Minzhi ({{lang|zh|賀蘭敏之}}), had been given the surname Wu and allowed to inherit the title of Duke of Zhou. But as it was becoming clear to Empress Wu that he suspected her of murdering his sister, the Lady of Wei, Wu began to take precautions against him. (Helan was also said to have had an [[incest]]uous relationship with his grandmother Lady Yang.) In 671, Helan was accused of disobeying mourning regulations during the period of mourning for Lady Yang and raping the daughter of the official Yang Sijian ({{lang|zh|楊思儉}}), whom Gaozong and Wu had previously selected to be the wife and crown princess for Li Hong. On Wu's orders, Helan was exiled and either was executed in exile or committed suicide. In 673, Wu provided 20,000 cash for a gigantic statue of Maitreya at [[Longmen Grottoes]]. In 674, she had Wu Yuanshuang's son [[Wu Chengsi]] recalled from exile to inherit the title of Duke of Zhou.<ref name="ZZTJ202">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷202|vol. 202]]}}</ref>

[[File:Luoyang 2006 7-29.jpg|thumb|The Fengxian cave (c. 675) of the [[Longmen Grottoes]], commissioned by Wu Zetian; the large, central Buddha is representative of the ''[[Vairocana]]'']]
In 675, as Emperor Gaozong's illness worsened, he considered having Empress Wu formally rule as [[regent]]. The chancellor [[Hao Chujun]] and the official [[Li Yiyan]] both opposed this, and he did not formally make her regent, and did not formally bestow she with such authorities. But the Empress Wu's as so powerful that she even surpassed Emperor Gaozong and he was afraid of Wu because of her high intelligence and skills in manipulating officials; thus, until the end of his reign, she has decision-making power on most events in the governmental and border matters, and appoints civil ministers and military generals.

Also in 675, a number of people fell victim to Empress Wu's ire. She had been displeased at the favor that Emperor Gaozong had shown his aunt, Princess Changle. Changle was married to General Zhao Gui ({{lang|zh|趙瓌}}) and had a daughter who became the wife and princess consort of Wu's third son, Li Xiǎn, the Prince of Zhou. Princess Zhao was accused of unspecified crimes and placed under arrest, eventually starving to death. Zhao Gui and Changle were exiled. Meanwhile, later that month, Li Hong, the Crown Prince—who urged Wu not to exercise so much influence and authority on Gaozong's governance and offended her by requesting that his half-sisters, Consort Xiao's daughters, Princess Yiyang and Xuancheng (under house arrest) be allowed to marry—died suddenly. Traditional historians generally believed that Wu poisoned Li Hong to death. At her request, Li Xián, then carrying the title of Prince of Yong, was created crown prince.<ref name="ZZTJ202" /> Meanwhile, Consort Xiao's son Li Sujie and another son of Gaozong's, [[Li Shangjin]], were repeatedly accused of crimes by Wu and were subsequently demoted.<ref name="ZZTJ202" />

Soon, Empress Wu's relationship with Li Xián also deteriorated because Li Xián had become unsettled after hearing rumors that he was not born to Empress Wu—but to her sister, the Lady of Han. When Empress Wu heard of his fearfulness, she became angry with him. In 678, contemporary poet [[Luo Binwang]] criticizes Empress Wu's involvement in governmental affairs: "She whispered slander from behind her sleeves, and swayed emperor with vixen flirting." Luo Binwang remarks angered Empress Wu and he dismissed and imprisoned.
	
Furthermore, the sorcerer Ming Chongyan ({{lang|zh|明崇儼}}), whom both she and Emperor Gaozong respected, had stated that Li Xián was unsuitable to inherit the throne and was assassinated in 679. The assassins were not caught—causing Wu to suspect that Li Xián was behind the assassination. In 680, Li Xián was accused of crimes and during an investigation by the officials [[Xue Yuanchao]], [[Pei Yan]], and [[Gao Zhizhou]], a large number of weaponry was found in Li Xián's palace. Empress Wu formally accused Li Xián of treason and the assassination of Ming. Emperor Gaozong wanted to forgive Li Xián for treason, but Empress Wu refused and he surrendered at her insistence. Li Xián was deposed and exiled, and at her request, he was placed under house arrest as a normal person.

At Empress Wu's request, after the exile of Li Xián, his younger brother Li Xiǎn [similar-sounding name but different Chinese characters] (now renamed Li Zhe) was named crown prince.<ref name="ZZTJ202" />

In 681, Princess Taiping was married to Xue Shao ({{lang|zh|薛紹}}), the son of Emperor Gaozong's sister Princess Chengyang, in a grand ceremony. Empress Wu, initially unimpressed with the lineages of Xue Shao's brothers' wives, wanted to order his brothers to divorce their wives—stopping only after it was pointed out to her that Lady Xiao, the wife of Xue Shao's older brother Xue Yi ({{lang|zh|薛顗}}), was a grandniece of the deceased chancellor [[Xiao Yu]]. The official Feng Yuanchang was appointed by Gaozong, and he trusted him very much. In 682, Feng also lamented Empress Wu's power and involvement in the administration of the empire and told the emperor: "The queen's authority is very strong, should it be reduced?" Gaozong opposed it, and he was afraid of her, and there was nothing he could do. Upon learning of Feng's ineffective advice to the emperor, Wu became very angry with Feng, and accused him of corruption and degraded him.<ref name="ZZTJ202" />

In late 683, Gaozong died at Luoyang. Li Zhe took the throne as [[Emperor Zhongzong of Tang|Emperor Zhongzong]], but Wu retained the real authority as [[empress dowager]] and regent.<ref name="ZZTJ203">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷203|vol. 203]]}}</ref>

=== Empress dowager ===
====Plenipotentiary regent for Emperor Zhongzong ====
Upon the death of her husband Emperor Gaozong, Wu became empress dowager ({{lang|zh|皇太后}}, ''húangtàihòu'') and then regent and she automatically gained full power over the empire. She had the power to remove and install emperors. Just as before, government decisions were made by her. Wu had already poisoned the crown prince Li Hong and had enough other princes exiled that her third son, [[Emperor Zhongzong of Tang|Li Zhe]], was made heir apparent. Furthermore, Gaozong's will included provisions that Li Zhe should ascend immediately to the imperial throne, he should look to Empress Wu in regards to any important matter, either military or civil, and Empress Wu should claim the senior authority in the Empire for herself.<ref name="Paludan, 97">{{harvp|Paludan|1998|p= 97}}</ref> In the second month of 684, Li Zhe ascended to the imperial throne, known as his temple name Zhongzong, for a short six weeks.

The new emperor was married to a woman of the Wei family. Because Zhongzong was as weak and incompetent as his father, the new Empress sought to place herself in the same position of great authority that Empress Wu had enjoyed.

Immediately, Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of disobeying Empress Dowager Wu. Emperor Zhongzong was under the thumb of his wife, Empress Wei. Under her influence, the Emperor, appointed his father-in-law as prime minister. He also tried to make his father-in-law ''Shizhong'' ({{lang|zh|侍中}}, the head of the examination bureau of government, {{lang|zh|門下省}}, ''Menxia Sheng'', and a post considered one for a chancellor) and gave a mid-level office to his [[wet nurse]]'s son—despite stern opposition by the chancellor Pei Yan, at one point remarking to Pei:<ref name="ZZTJ203" />

{{blockquote|What would be wrong even if I gave the empire to Wei Xuanzhen? Why do you care about ''Shizhong'' so much?}}

Pei reported this to Empress Dowager Wu, and she, after planning with Pei, Liu Yizhi, and the generals Cheng Wuting ({{lang|zh|程務挺}}) and Zhang Qianxu ({{lang|zh|張虔勖}}), deposed Emperor Zhongzong and replaced him with her youngest son, [[Emperor Ruizong of Tang|Li Dan]], the Prince of Yu (as Emperor Ruizong). Wu had Zhongzong's father-in-law, Wei Xuanzhen ({{lang|zh|韋玄貞}}), brought up on charges of treason. Wei Xuanzhen was sent into seclusion. Zhongzong was reduced to the title of Prince of Luling and exiled. Wu also sent General Qiu Shenji ({{lang|zh|丘神勣}}) to Li Xián's place in exile and forced Li Xián to commit suicide.

====Plenipotentiary regent for Emperor Ruizong ====
Wu was the absolute ruler in both substance and appearance during the reign of her youngest son, Emperor Ruizong. She did not follow the customary pretense of hiding behind a screen or curtain and, in whispers, issued commands for the nominal ruler to formally announce. Her reign was fully recognized. Ruizong never moved into the imperial quarters, or appeared at imperial function, and remained a virtual prisoner in the inner quarters.<ref>{{harvp|Paludan|1998|pp= 97–101}}</ref> He held the title of emperor, but Wu firmly controlled the imperial court, and officials were not allowed to meet with Ruizong, nor was he allowed to rule on matters of state. It was to Wu that officials reported, with Ruizong not even nominally approving official actions. Soon after Ruizong took the throne, Wu carried out a major renaming of governmental offices and banners. Wu elevated Luoyang's status, making it a coequal capital. At her nephew Wu Chengsi's suggestion, she expanded the shrine of the Wu ancestors and gave them greater posthumous honors, and made Wu's ancestral shrine the size of the emperor's ancestral shrine.<ref name="ZZTJ203" />

Soon thereafter, Li Ji's grandson [[Li Jingye]], the Duke of Ying, who had been disaffected by his own exile, started a rebellion at Yang Prefecture ({{lang|zh|揚州}}, roughly modern Yangzhou, [[Jiangsu]]). The rebellion initially drew popular support in the region, but Li Jingye progressed slowly in his attack and did not take advantage of that support. Meanwhile, Pei suggested to Empress Dowager Wu that she return imperial authority to the Emperor, arguing that doing so would cause the rebellion to collapse on its own. This offended Wu, and she accused him of being complicit with Li Jingye and had him executed; she also demoted, exiled, and killed a number of officials who, when Pei was arrested, tried to speak on his behalf. She sent General Li Xiaoyi ({{lang|zh|李孝逸}}) to attack Li Jingye, and while Li Xiaoyi was initially unsuccessful, he pushed on at the urging of his assistant [[Wei Yuanzhong]] and eventually crushed Li Jingye's forces. Li Jingye fled and was killed in flight.<ref name="ZZTJ203" />

By 685, Empress Dowager Wu was having an affair with the [[Buddhist monk]] [[Xue Huaiyi|Huaiyi]], and over the next few years, Huaiyi received progressively greater honors.<ref name="ZZTJ203" /><ref name="ZZTJ204">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷204|vol. 204]]}}</ref><ref name="ZZTJ205">{{harvp|Zizhi Tongjian|1084|loc= [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷205|vol. 205]]}}</ref> In 686, Wu offered to return imperial authorities to Emperor Ruizong, but Ruizong, knowing that she did not truly intend to do so, declined, and she continued to exercise imperial authority. Meanwhile, she installed copper mailboxes outside the imperial government buildings to encourage the people of the realm to report secretly on others, as she suspected many officials of opposing her. Wu personally read all the reports of betrayal. Secret police officials, including [[Suo Yuanli]], [[Zhou Xing (Tang dynasty)|Zhou Xing]], and [[Lai Junchen]], began to rise in power and carry out systematic false accusations, torture, and executions.<ref name="ZZTJ203" />

In 688, Empress Dowager Wu was set to make sacrifices to the deity of the [[Luo River (Henan)|Luo River]] ({{lang|zh|洛水}}, flowing through the Henan province city of [[Luoyang]], then the "Eastern Capital"). She summoned senior members of Tang's Li imperial clan to Luoyang. Worried that she planned to slaughter them and secure the throne for herself, the imperial princes plotted to resist her. But before a rebellion could be comprehensively planned, Li Zhen and his son [[Li Chong (Tang dynasty)|Li Chong]], the Prince of Langye rose first, at their respective posts as prefects of Yu Prefecture ({{lang|zh|豫州}}, roughly modern [[Zhumadian]], [[Henan]]) and Bo Prefecture ({{lang|zh|博州}}, roughly modern [[Liaocheng]], [[Shandong]]). The other princes were not yet ready, and did not rise, and forces sent by Empress Dowager Wu and the local forces crushed Li Chong and Li Zhen's forces quickly. Wu took this opportunity to arrest Emperor Gaozong's granduncles Li Yuanjia ({{lang|zh|李元嘉}}) the Prince of Han, Li Lingkui ({{lang|zh|李靈夔}}) the Prince of Lu, and Princess Changle, as well as many other members of the Li clan, and forced them to commit suicide. Even Princess Taiping's husband Xue Shao was implicated and starved to death. In the subsequent years, there continued to be many politically motivated massacres of officials and Li clan members.<ref name="ZZTJ204" />

In 690, Wu took the final step to become the [[empress regnant]] of the newly proclaimed [[Wu Zhou|Zhou dynasty]], and the title ''Huangdi''. Traditional Chinese [[order of succession]] (akin to the [[Salic law]] in Europe) did not allow a woman to ascend the throne, but Wu was determined to quash the opposition and the use of the secret police continued after she took the throne. While her organization of the civil service system was criticized for its laxity of the promotion of officials, Wu was still considered capable of evaluating the officials' performance once they were in office. The [[Song dynasty]] historian [[Sima Guang]], in his ''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]'', writes:<ref name="ZZTJ205" />
{{blockquote|Even though the Empress Dowager{{NoteTag|Throughout the ''Zizhi Tongjian'' descriptions of Wu Zetian's reign, Sima referred to her as "the Empress Dowager", implicitly refusing to recognize her as empress regnant, although he used her [[Chinese era name|era name]]s.}} excessively used official titles to cause people to submit to her, if she saw that someone was incompetent, she would immediately depose or even execute him. She grasped the powers of punishment and award, controlled the state, and made her own judgments as to policy decisions. She was observant and had good judgment, so the talented people of the time also were willing to be used by her.}}