The Ailing Emperor and His Powerful Consort

Emperor Gaozong of Tang, born Li Zhi, passed away on the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month in 683 AD—coincidentally the very day his reign title was changed to “Hongdao.” His health had been fragile since youth, plagued by epilepsy and chronic illness. Remarkably, he outlived his robust father, Emperor Taizong, by three years despite spending much of his later reign bedridden.

During his prolonged illnesses, state affairs increasingly fell to his formidable wife, Empress Wu Zetian. One month before his death, Gaozong suffered excruciating headaches and temporary blindness. Court physician Qin Minghe proposed bloodletting through acupuncture—a treatment met with Empress Wu’s initial fury. Yet after Gaozong’s insistence, the procedure succeeded, briefly restoring his sight. This episode fueled palace rumors that Wu secretly wished her husband dead.

The Rapid Succession Crisis

Gaozong’s death triggered an extraordinary year of political instability. Their son Li Xian ascended as Emperor Zhongzong, but his reign lasted merely 54 days. His attempt to appoint his father-in-law Wei Xuanzhen as chancellor—declaring he could “give the empire to Wei if he wished”—provoked Empress Dowager Wu’s intervention. In a dramatic court scene on February 26, 684, armed guards escorted Zhongzong from the throne.

Wu installed her younger son Li Dan as Emperor Ruizong while effectively ruling herself. The year saw three successive reign periods (Hongdao, Shensheng, Wenming) reflecting the unprecedented turmoil.

The Machiavellian Matriarch

Wu’s political maneuvers extended beyond her husband’s reign. Earlier, her eldest son Li Hong died mysteriously in 675 after advocating for his half-sisters’ marriages—daughters of Gaozong’s former consort Xiao. Popular suspicion fell on Wu.

Her second son Li Xian (posthumously titled Crown Prince Zhanghuai) became psychologically tormented by rumors that Wu wasn’t his biological mother. His subsequent erratic behavior and alleged hoarding of armor provided justification for his removal and eventual forced suicide in 684.

The Legacy of Wu’s Political Theater

These events reveal Wu Zetian’s mastery of political theater and information control. The rapid-fire reign changes, manipulated successions, and manufactured scandals demonstrate her ruthless consolidation of power. While traditional historiography condemns her transgressions of gender norms, modern scholarship increasingly recognizes her administrative competence amid the dynastic turbulence.

The Tang Dynasty’s bureaucratic systems—the Three Departments and Six Ministries—withstood these palace intrigues, testifying to institutional resilience. Yet Wu’s reign foreshadowed both the heights of Tang prosperity and the An Lushan Rebellion’s destabilization that would follow.

Modern Reappraisals

Recent archaeological discoveries, including Prince Zhanghuai’s tomb murals, provide fresh perspectives on this controversial era. The frequency of reign title changes (four within twelve months) reflects not merely caprice but sophisticated political signaling—a practice modern leaders might recognize in their own media strategies.

Wu Zetian’s eventual 15-year reign as China’s only female emperor (690-705) began with these calculated moves during Gaozong’s decline. Her story continues to resonate in discussions about gender, power, and the selective nature of historical memory.