As in Chinese historyThe first and only female emperor, Wu Zetian has been controversial.
Lu ZongdaoInHistory of the Song Dynasty IntroductionIt was once commented on: The sinner of the Tang Dynasty, several dangers of the society.
But in fact, he can leave a wordless tombstone after death and let future generations evaluate it.
From this point alone, how many emperors of all Chinese dynasties have such a bearing?
In contrast, in fact, a slightly more convincing evaluation should be Hong Maizai"Rong Zhai Continues to Write".said
"Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty, can not be said to be unknown, and the scourge of witches, the prison of weaving, the world is ruined, the concubine and the princess, they will be killed when they cross their arms, and later generations will hate it when they hear the name of the two martial arts."The meaning here is that the two emperors of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Wu Zetian cannot be said to be unvirtuous.
It's just that under their governance, there will still be witchcraft and weaving prisons, the world will be ruined, and the harem concubines and court ministers may be killed because of a trivial matter, which is also the reason why later generations feel disgusted when they hear about the two emperors.
Indeed, few people know about a criminal law invented during Wu Zetian's reign"The Jade Girl Climbs the Ladder"., after letting women use it, they all cry out for mercy.
Although she was feared by the people at the time, it also became the main excuse for later generations of literati to criticize and write.
Anyone who has watched Wu Zetian's film and television works must be right"After the third generation of the Tang Dynasty, the heroine King Wu".This is a familiar statement.
During Li Shimin's reign, he was actually very nervous about this prophecy.
However, he never thought of itThe so-called Martial King turned out to be Wu Zetian, a talented person he didn't pay attention to.
Judging from Wu Zetian's journey from a talented woman to the pinnacle of national political power step by step, people have to admit that Wu ZetianRuthless and decisive, by no means ordinary women can do it.
If not for her personal, of courseThe art of conspiracyIt has reached a point where ordinary people are difficult to achieve, and I believe it will be difficult to accomplish this achievement.
After Li Shimin died of illness, the two happiest people in the entire Tang DynastyOne is Li Zhi, who finally became the emperor, and the other is Wu Zetian, who made Li Zhi deeply trapped and unable to extricate himself.
Despite the collective opposition of the ministers, Li Zhi still sent Wu Zetian to his subordinatesGanye Templetook back to the palace. From that moment on, Wu Zetian seemed to have seen his future.
In the end, under the circumstances that were incomprehensible to the predecessors and unimaginable to the present, Wu Zetian abolished several sons in a row and successfully sat on the throne of the emperor.
The difficulties and sadness of this are unknown to outsiders, and Wu Zetian does not bother to make all this public.
So what is the "Jade Girl Ladder" specifically for women?
On the face of it, there does not seem to be any threat from this criminal law.
But in fact, at the time of the actual execution,Female prisoners are roped around their necks with a live buckle and forced to climb wooden stakes several meters high.
In the process, the other end of the rope is pulled by the executioner, and the prisoner can only keep climbing upwards.
Once retreated, the rope was pulled and straightened, resulting in the prisoner eventually suffocating to death.
But is this already the end?The answer is not so, at the time of the establishment of the relevant torture instruments,Both on and under the stakes, there are sharpened bamboos.
In the process of climbing, women not only have to bear the stinging pain of the bamboo tip on the wooden stake, but also worry about being stabbed by the bamboo tip after falling under the wooden stake.
Under the dual pressure of physical and psychological pressure, almost all women who are subjected to this criminal law will eventually die tragically in the torture instruments.
And even if he survived by luck,Poorly clothedof women are exposed to the public, and their lives have come to an end.
It has been recorded in relevant historical materialsAlthough many women are very strong to complete the whole journey, they still can't stand the cynicism of the world, and finally choose to commit suicide.
It can be seen that although it seems harmless to humans and animals on the surface, the actual criminal law makes women cry and beg for mercy.
It's hard for people to imagine,Under the Tang Dynasty, such a criminal law still existed.
It is no wonder that Lu Zongdao will evaluate the four words "several dangers of society".
However, it is worth mentioning that when looking at historical figures, we must not define her just by a certain event or some evaluation.
Taking Wu Zetian as an example, the world is cruel and tyrannical, ruthless, and especially favors cool officialsCome to Junchen.
But didn't she really make any contribution to the development of the Tang Dynasty and even Chinese history?The answer, of course, is no.
It was mentioned in the previous history textbooks that it was precisely because of the existence of Wu Zetian that it continuedZhenguan is prosperousdevelopment, and forKaiyuan prosperousThe emergence of the company has laid a solid foundation.
And during her reign, the entire Tang DynastyMilitary, economic, cultural, political, diplomatichave all grown to a certain extent.
From these aspects, how many of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty can do it?