A Kingdom in Crisis: The Historical Backdrop

In the turbulent year of 684 AD, the Tang Dynasty faced its most severe internal crisis since its founding. The empire, still reeling from the death of Emperor Gaozong, found itself under the de facto rule of his formidable widow—Empress Wu Zetian, who governed as regent for her youngest son, Emperor Ruizong. Yet her authority was far from secure.

The flashpoint emerged in Yangzhou, where the disgraced official Li Jingye (also known as Xu Jingye) launched a rebellion under the banner of “Restoring the Tang.” Rallying over 100,000 supporters, this uprising posed an existential threat to Wu’s regime. At this critical juncture, the court’s power structure rested on three pillars: Wu Zetian herself, the puppet Emperor Ruizong (confined to the palace), and Pei Yan—the revered Grand Chancellor appointed by Gaozong as a regent.

Pei Yan was no ordinary official. A seasoned administrator with decades of experience, he had been Wu’s crucial ally in deposing her rebellious son, Emperor Zhongzong, mere months earlier. Yet as the Yangzhou rebellion raged, Pei’s puzzling inaction raised eyebrows. When Wu pressed him for strategies, his response would ignite a political earthquake.

The Fatal Audience: Pei Yan’s Defiance

During a tense court session, Wu Zetian publicly demanded Pei Yan’s counsel on suppressing the rebellion. After a prolonged silence, Pei uttered words that stunned the hall:

“The rebellion thrives because the adult emperor is barred from ruling. Restore power to Emperor Ruizong, and the rebels will disband without battle.”

This audacious demand—effectively urging Wu to relinquish power—plunged the court into silence. The atmosphere grew so thick that, as chroniclers noted, “a dropped needle’s clink would echo.” Wu, renowned for her political acumen, immediately recognized this as a coup in rhetorical form.

Salvation came from an unexpected quarter. An obscure eighth-rank censor seized the moment:

“Pei Yan holds regent’s authority yet demands the empress’s abdication. If not treason, what is this?”

With this accusation, Wu pounced. Declaring Pei a traitor, she ordered his arrest—an earth-shattering move against Gaozong’s most trusted minister.

The Trial by Fire: Competing Narratives of Treason

The subsequent controversy split the court. Two factions emerged:

1. The Loyalists: Led by two chancellors, they petitioned:
“Pei Yan is a pillar of state, devoted to the dynasty. We stake our lives on his innocence.”

2. The Accusers: Wu’s faction insisted on secret evidence of Pei’s guilt.

Historical records present three damning allegations:

1. The “Green Goose” Conspiracy (Chaoye Qianzai):
– Rebels allegedly sent Pei a coded message—”青鹅” (qīng é)—deciphered by Wu as “December: I will act” (拆字法 showing 青=十二月, 鵝=我自与).
– Problematically, this tale portrays Pei as simultaneously ignorant of wordplay (needing骆宾王’s help to decode “一片火” riddles) yet later crafting sophisticated ciphers—an inconsistency undermining its credibility.

2. The Aborted Coup (New Tang Book):
– Pei supposedly plotted to arrest Wu during a龙门 outing, foiled by rain.
– Historians note flaws: no military collaborators named, and Emperor Ruizong’s unawareness would have made the plan nonsensical.

3. The Nephew Connection:
– Pei’s nephew薛仲璋 facilitated Li Jingye’s Yangzhou entry.
– Yet dispatching a relative to rebels defies basic conspiratorial logic—why implicate oneself so blatantly?

The Clash of Visions: Why Pei Yan Had to Die

Beneath the treason charges lay an irreconcilable conflict of ambitions:

– Pei Yan’s Goal: A Tang restoration with himself as powerbroker under a pliant emperor.
– Wu Zetian’s Design: Absolute imperial authority—with no room for rival power centers.

Their rift had been brewing. When Wu proposed building ancestral temples for her Wu clan—a move toward dynastic legitimacy—Pei invoked the disastrous precedent of Empress Lü (汉朝). Later, he blocked her purge of Li princes, declaring:

“One cannot execute nobles without evidence.”

By demanding Wu’s abdication during the rebellion, Pei crossed a line. To Wu, eliminating him wasn’t just punishment—it was strategic necessity. As she later taunted her cowed courtiers:

“Pei Yan, Xu Jingye, and Cheng Wuting were giants among men. I crushed them like ants. Dare any of you surpass them?”

The Bloody Aftermath: Purges and Power Consolidation

Pei’s execution in December 684 triggered waves of repression:

– Civil Purge: Supporters like chancellors Liu Yizhi and Hu Yuanfan were exiled.
– Military Purge: General Cheng Wuting—hero of the Turkic wars and Pei’s defender—was executed at the frontier.

Wu’s message was clear: no institution—civil or military—could challenge her ascendancy. The Tang bureaucracy, once a check on imperial power, now knelt before her.

Legacy: The Unraveling of Tang Confucianism

Pei Yan’s death marked a pivotal shift:

1. The End of Regent Authority: Gaozong’s attempt to balance power via regents died with Pei.
2. Precedent for Persecution: Wu’s tactics—exploiting crises to eliminate rivals—became a playbook for later dynastic struggles.
3. Moral Paradox: Pei died renowned for personal integrity (his home held no ill-gotten wealth), yet his political maneuvering exemplified the era’s cutthroat realpolitik.

Historians still debate: Was Pei a principled conservative or an opportunist outplayed by a superior tactician? What’s undeniable is that his fall cleared Wu’s path to becoming China’s sole female emperor—a reign that would redefine the boundaries of power in imperial China.

As the dust settled on the Guangzhai era’s convulsions, one lesson resonated through the halls of power: in Wu Zetian’s court, loyalty was transient, ambition was lethal, and survival demanded absolute submission. The next act in this high-stakes drama—the “Swallowing of Imperial Grandsons”—would soon unfold.