How did Wu Zetian enter the palace?

When Wu Meiniang 12 years old, his father died suddenly, because Li Shimin took Wu Meiniang to the palace to take care of warriors and heroes, because he heard that Wu Meiniang was very beautiful although she was small.

After seeing her, Li Shimin directly called her a gifted scholar and named her "Mei". From then on, in history, Wu Zetian was also called Wu Meiniang.

Wu Zetian is the second daughter of Wu Shihuo, the secretariat of Jingzhou. At the age of fourteen, he entered the harem and was named a gifted scholar by Emperor Taizong. . 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.

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 preparation and asking questions. For example, "A New Story of the Tang Dynasty" said: "At the beginning of the day, the revolution collected people who fled in all directions, and the number should be prepared. Then the south gate of Luoyang City should be taken as a personal test." 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 divine providence (690), "The Queen Mother established 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.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Wu Zetian