Wu Chengsi
Encyclopedia
Wu Chengsi (died July 22, 698), formally Prince Xuan of Wei (魏宣王), was a nephew of Chinese
sovereign Wu Zetian
and an imperial prince during her Zhou Dynasty. He participated in her planning in taking the throne and had wanted to become crown prince
after she claimed the throne in 690, but his attempts were repeatedly rebuffed, and after she showed her intent to eventually return the throne to her son Li Zhe
by recalling Li Zhe from exile in 698, Wu Chengsi died in disappointment.
-- both had, as father, the early Tang Dynasty
general Wu Shihuo
(武士彠), but Wu Yuanshuang and his brother Wu Yuanqing (武元慶) were born of Wu Shihuo's first wife Lady Xiangli, while Wu Zetian and her two sisters were born of Wu Shihuo's second wife Lady Yang. After Wu Zetian became empress to Emperor Gaozong
in 655, despite previous intrafamily unpleasantries—Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang, as well as Wu Shihuo's nephews Wu Weiliang (武惟良) and Wu Huaiyun (武懷運) were often disrespectful of Lady Yang previously—Empress Wu's brothers and cousins were often promoted by Emperor Gaozong, with Wu Yuanshuang promoted to Shaofu Shaojian (少府少監), the deputy director of the office of palace supplies. However, sometime before 666, Empress Wu, angry that her brothers and cousins did not appreciate the promotions, had them all demoted, with Wu Yuanshuang demoted to be the prefect of Hao Prefecture (濠州, roughly modern Chuzhou
, Anhui
). Eventually, after further accusations, Wu Yuanshuang was exiled to Zhen Prefecture (振州, roughly modern Sanya
, Hainan
) and died there in exile. When Wu Yuanshuang was exiled, Wu Chengsi went to Zhen Prefecture with his father.
In 674, Empress Wu had Wu Chengsi recalled from exile to inherit the title of Duke of Zhou—which Emperor Gaozong had posthumously created Wu Shihuo. He was also made the minister of imperial clan affairs.
the Crown Prince
(as Emperor Zhongzong), but Empress Wu retained power as empress dowager
and regent
. In spring 684, after Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with another son, Li Dan
the Prince of Yu, but wielded power even more tightly thereafter. Around this time, it appeared that Wu Chengsi became a close confidant of hers, and later that year, when the chancellor Liu Rengui
, who was then in charge of the capital Chang'an
(with Empress Dowager Wu, who disliked Chang'an and favored the eastern capital Luoyang
, taking up permanent residence at Luoyang), offered to resign, it was Wu Chengsi that she sent to Chang'an to comfort Liu and to dissuade him from resigning. It was also Wu Chengsi who formally acted for her at Emperor Ruizong's enthronement. In summer 684, she made Wu Chengsi the minister of rites and gave him the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品), making him a chancellor de facto, although she removed him from that position three months later and made him the minister of ceremonies. Later that year, pursuant to a formal request of his, she posthumously created five generations of Wu ancestors princes or dukes and built a five-generation ancestral temple for them, second only to the imperial ancestral temple (which included seven generations). Meanwhile, he and a cousin, Wu Sansi
(Wu Yuanqing's son), knowing that Empress Dowager Wu was contemplating taking the throne herself, advocated that two senior members of the Li imperial clan—Emperor Gaozong's uncles Li Yuanjia (李元嘉) the Prince of Han and Li Lingkui (李靈夔) the Prince of Lu—be killed, lest that they interfere with her plans. Empress Dowager Wu agreed, but did not immediately carry out the plan.
In 685, Empress Dowager Wu made Wu Chengsi chancellor again (this time with the modified designation Tong Fengge Luantai Sanpin (同鳳閣鸞臺三品), as she had changed many office names in the government structure) but removed him a month later.
In 686, fearful of the general Li Xiaoyi (李孝逸) -- a member of the imperial Li clan who had defeated the anti-Empress Dowager Wu rebellion led by Li Jingye
the Duke of Ying in 684—Wu Chengsi made false accusations against him, and in response, Empress Dowager Wu demoted Li Xiaoyi. In 687, Wu Chengsi further accused Li Xiaoyi of having made comments that he would be emperor one day, and Empress Dowager Wu had Li Xiaoyi exiled to Dan Prefecture (儋州, modern Danzhou
, Hainan
), where he died in exile.
In 688, Wu Chengsi had the words, "The holy mother is on earth, and the imperial sovereignty will forever be magnified" (聖母臨人永昌帝業) carved onto a rock and then had the rock thrown into the Luo River (洛水, near Luoyang). He then had the commoner Tang Tongtai (唐同泰) "discover" the rock and offer it to Empress Dowager Wu as a sign of divine favor. Empress Dowager Wu was very pleased and claimed herself the honorific title, "Holy Mother, the Divine and August One" (聖母神皇) and set a date to offer sacrifices to the god of Luo River, ordering the commandants, prefects, and nobles to be gathered at Luoyang for the sacrifices. This caused the Li clan imperial princes to be fearful that she was intending to slaughter them, and in response, Emperor Gaozong's brother Li Zhen
the Prince of Yue and Li Zhen's son Li Chong
the Prince of Langye rose in rebellion against her, but both were quickly defeated; Li Chong was killed in battle, while Li Zhen committed suicide. Empress Wu took this opportunity to have her trusted secret police official Zhou Xing
arrest Li Yuanjia, Li Lingkui, Li Yuanjia's son Li Zhuan (李譔) the Duke of Huang, Emperor Gaozong's aunt Princess Changle, and Princess Changle's husband Zhao Gui (趙瓌) and force them to commit suicide. Subsequently, another uncle of Emperor Gaozong, Li Yuangui (李元軌) the Prince of Huo, was exiled, and died on the way to exile; his son Li Xu (李緒) the Prince of Jiangdu and a cousin of Emperor Gaozong's, Li Rong (李融) the Duke off Dongwan, were executed.
In 689, Empress Dowager made Wu Chengsi Nayan (納言) -- the head of examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor. In 690, she made him Wenchang Zuo Xiang (文昌左相) -- one of the heads of the executive bureau of government, also considered a post for a chancellor. Around the same time, he had Zhou falsely accuse Emperor Gaozong's sons by other consorts, Li Shangjin
(李上金) the Prince of Ze and Li Sujie
the prince of Xu, of treason. Empress Dowager Wu summoned Li Shangjin and Li Sujie to Luoyang and had Li Sujie strangled; Li Shangjin committed suicide.
Later that year, Emperor Ruizong yielded the throne to Empress Dowager Wu. She took the throne as "emperor" and established her Zhou Dynasty, interrupting Tang. She had a number of her Wu relatives created imperial princes, and Wu Chengsi was created the Prince of Wei.
had the commoner Wang Qingzhi (王慶之) organize a group of petitioners, requesting that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince—under the argument that with an emperor from the Wu clan, it would be inappropriate to have a crown prince from the Li clan. The chancellors Cen Changqian
and Ge Fuyuan
opposed the movement and advocated that the petitioners be rebuked and disbanded—and their advocacy angered Wu Zetian. Cen and Ge were soon arrested by her secret police official Lai Junchen
, and soon, they, as well as another chancellor friendly to them, Ouyang Tong
, were executed. For a time, it appeared that Wu Zetian would create Wu Chengsi crown prince, as she often received Wang in audience to hear his advocacy for Wu Chengsi's candidacy; however, later, on an occasion when Wang happened to offend Wu Zetian, the chancellor Li Zhaode
, who opposed Wu Chengsi, took the opportunity to have Wang battered to death and his group of petitioners disbanded. He then pointed out to Wu Zetian that Li Dan was her son and closer to her than a nephew. He also pointed out that she had received her power from her husband Emperor Gaozong, whose worship would be swept aside if Wu Chengsi were to become emperor. Wu Zetian agreed with his points and for some time did not speak again of making Wu Chengsi crown prince.
In 692, Lai falsely accused a group of individuals—the chancellors Ren Zhigu
, Di Renjie
, Pei Xingben
, along with the other officials Cui Xuanli (崔宣禮), Lu Xian (盧獻), Wei Yuanzhong
, and Li Sizhen (李嗣真) of treason. These officials, in order to avoid torture, confessed to treason—but managed to escape death when Di wrote a secret plea and hid it inside blankets to be smuggled out to his family members, who presented it to Wu Zetian, who then spared them from death but exiled them, despite Lai's and Wu Chengsi's advocacy that they be killed.
Around this time, Li Zhaode secretly suggested to Wu Zetian that Wu Chengsi's powers were becoming too great and would soon rival her own. Wu Zetian agreed, and she gave Wu Chengsi the highly honorific title of Tejin (特進), but removed him from being chancellor. Wu Chengsi subsequently tried to accuse Li Zhaode of crimes, but Wu Zetian did not believe him. Wu Chengsi continued to be honored, however, and around the new year 693, when Wu Zetian offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, she personally offered sacrifices first, and then had Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi follow her in sacrificing.
In 697, Wu Chengsi became aware that the official Qiao Zhizhi (喬知之) had a beautiful concubine named Biyu (碧玉) -- whom Qiao loved so much that he declined to formally marry a wife. Wu Chengsi invited Biyu to come to his mansion to teach his own concubine arts, and then kept her and would not allow her to go back to Qiao. Qiao wrote a poem entitled the Mourning of Lüzhu (綠珠怨) and sent it to Biyu. When Biyu read it, she was so distressed that she committed suicide by jumping into a well. When Wu Chengsi found this poem on her, he had secret police officials falsely accuse Qiao of crimes, and Qiao was killed. Later that year, Wu Chengsi was again made chancellor, but less than a month later, he was again removed.
By 698, Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi were both again making designs on becoming crown prince, and they often had people tell Wu Zetian, "Throughout the ages, no emperor has ever made a person of a different clan crown prince." She hesitated. However, Di, who by this point had been recalled and was again chancellor, constantly advocated for Wu Zetian's sons, including advising her to recall Li Zhe, the former Emperor Zhongzong, from exile. With the other chancellors Wang Fangqing
and Wang Jishan
, as well as Wu Zetian's close advisor Ji Xu
and her lovers Zhang Yizhi
and Zhang Changzong
advocating the same, Li Zhe was recalled from exile. Wu Chengsi, seeing his chances of being crown prince slipping away, died later that year in distress.
, Prince of Shao and eldest son of Emperor Zhongzong. Whether or not his wife Princess Yongtai was also executed at this time is debated but she nonetheless died around the same time. The second son Wu Yanyi (武延義) succeeded as the new Prince of Wei whilst the youngest son Wu Yanxiu (武延秀) was created Prince of Huaiyang.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
sovereign Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
and an imperial prince during her Zhou Dynasty. He participated in her planning in taking the throne and had wanted to become crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
after she claimed the throne in 690, but his attempts were repeatedly rebuffed, and after she showed her intent to eventually return the throne to her son Li Zhe
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Xiǎn , at times during his life Li Zhe and Wu Xian , was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu...
by recalling Li Zhe from exile in 698, Wu Chengsi died in disappointment.
Background
It is not known when Wu Chengsi was born. His father Wu Yuanshuang (武元爽) was a half-brother of Wu ZetianWu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
-- both had, as father, the early Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
general Wu Shihuo
Wu Shihuo
Wǔ Shìhuò , was the father of Wu Zetian, the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant. Posthumously honored with the title of King Zhongxiao, Wu was the son of Wu Hua and became a timber merchant. He was also known as the Duke of Ying and King of Wei serving as army...
(武士彠), but Wu Yuanshuang and his brother Wu Yuanqing (武元慶) were born of Wu Shihuo's first wife Lady Xiangli, while Wu Zetian and her two sisters were born of Wu Shihuo's second wife Lady Yang. After Wu Zetian became empress to Emperor Gaozong
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
in 655, despite previous intrafamily unpleasantries—Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang, as well as Wu Shihuo's nephews Wu Weiliang (武惟良) and Wu Huaiyun (武懷運) were often disrespectful of Lady Yang previously—Empress Wu's brothers and cousins were often promoted by Emperor Gaozong, with Wu Yuanshuang promoted to Shaofu Shaojian (少府少監), the deputy director of the office of palace supplies. However, sometime before 666, Empress Wu, angry that her brothers and cousins did not appreciate the promotions, had them all demoted, with Wu Yuanshuang demoted to be the prefect of Hao Prefecture (濠州, roughly modern Chuzhou
Chuzhou
Chuzhou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the southwest, Huainan to the west, Bengbu to the northwest, Chaohu to the south, and the province of Jiangsu to the east...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
). Eventually, after further accusations, Wu Yuanshuang was exiled to Zhen Prefecture (振州, roughly modern Sanya
Sanya
Sanya is the southernmost city in China and is a part of Hainan Province. In 2006, it had a population of 536,000, making it, after the provincial capital , the second most populous city on the island. The city is renowned for its tropical climate and has emerged as a popular tourist destination,...
, Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
) and died there in exile. When Wu Yuanshuang was exiled, Wu Chengsi went to Zhen Prefecture with his father.
In 674, Empress Wu had Wu Chengsi recalled from exile to inherit the title of Duke of Zhou—which Emperor Gaozong had posthumously created Wu Shihuo. He was also made the minister of imperial clan affairs.
During Emperor Zhongzong's and Emperor Ruizong's first reigns
Emperor Gaozong died in 683, and was initially succeeded by his and Empress Wu's son Li ZheEmperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Xiǎn , at times during his life Li Zhe and Wu Xian , was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu...
the Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
(as Emperor Zhongzong), but Empress Wu retained power as empress dowager
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
and regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. In spring 684, after Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with another son, Li Dan
Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Emperor Ruizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Dàn , known at times during his life as Li Xulun , Li Lun , Wu Lun , and Wu Dan , was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty...
the Prince of Yu, but wielded power even more tightly thereafter. Around this time, it appeared that Wu Chengsi became a close confidant of hers, and later that year, when the chancellor Liu Rengui
Liu Rengui
Liu Rengui , courtesy name Zhengze , formally Duke Wenxian of Lecheng , was a general and official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong and the subsequent regency of his wife Wu Zetian over his sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong...
, who was then in charge of the capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
(with Empress Dowager Wu, who disliked Chang'an and favored the eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, taking up permanent residence at Luoyang), offered to resign, it was Wu Chengsi that she sent to Chang'an to comfort Liu and to dissuade him from resigning. It was also Wu Chengsi who formally acted for her at Emperor Ruizong's enthronement. In summer 684, she made Wu Chengsi the minister of rites and gave him the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品), making him a chancellor de facto, although she removed him from that position three months later and made him the minister of ceremonies. Later that year, pursuant to a formal request of his, she posthumously created five generations of Wu ancestors princes or dukes and built a five-generation ancestral temple for them, second only to the imperial ancestral temple (which included seven generations). Meanwhile, he and a cousin, Wu Sansi
Wu Sansi
Wu Sansi , formally Prince Xuan of Liang , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and his aunt Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, becoming an imperial prince and chancellor during the reign of Wu Zetian and subsequently, while only briefly chancellor during the second reign of Wu Zetian's son...
(Wu Yuanqing's son), knowing that Empress Dowager Wu was contemplating taking the throne herself, advocated that two senior members of the Li imperial clan—Emperor Gaozong's uncles Li Yuanjia (李元嘉) the Prince of Han and Li Lingkui (李靈夔) the Prince of Lu—be killed, lest that they interfere with her plans. Empress Dowager Wu agreed, but did not immediately carry out the plan.
In 685, Empress Dowager Wu made Wu Chengsi chancellor again (this time with the modified designation Tong Fengge Luantai Sanpin (同鳳閣鸞臺三品), as she had changed many office names in the government structure) but removed him a month later.
In 686, fearful of the general Li Xiaoyi (李孝逸) -- a member of the imperial Li clan who had defeated the anti-Empress Dowager Wu rebellion led by Li Jingye
Li Jingye
Li Jingye , also known as Xu Jingye , was a grandson of the great Tang Dynasty general Li Shiji who, after Emperor Gaozong's wife Empress Wu had seized power after Emperor Gaozong's death, rose in rebellion against her, but who was quickly defeated and killed in flight.- Background :It is not...
the Duke of Ying in 684—Wu Chengsi made false accusations against him, and in response, Empress Dowager Wu demoted Li Xiaoyi. In 687, Wu Chengsi further accused Li Xiaoyi of having made comments that he would be emperor one day, and Empress Dowager Wu had Li Xiaoyi exiled to Dan Prefecture (儋州, modern Danzhou
Danzhou
Danzhou is a city in the northwest of the Chinese island province of Hainan. It is a County-level city administered directly by the province.- See also :* Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China...
, Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
), where he died in exile.
In 688, Wu Chengsi had the words, "The holy mother is on earth, and the imperial sovereignty will forever be magnified" (聖母臨人永昌帝業) carved onto a rock and then had the rock thrown into the Luo River (洛水, near Luoyang). He then had the commoner Tang Tongtai (唐同泰) "discover" the rock and offer it to Empress Dowager Wu as a sign of divine favor. Empress Dowager Wu was very pleased and claimed herself the honorific title, "Holy Mother, the Divine and August One" (聖母神皇) and set a date to offer sacrifices to the god of Luo River, ordering the commandants, prefects, and nobles to be gathered at Luoyang for the sacrifices. This caused the Li clan imperial princes to be fearful that she was intending to slaughter them, and in response, Emperor Gaozong's brother Li Zhen
Li Zhen (Tang Dynasty)
Li Zhen , formally Prince Jing of Yue , posthumously known during Wu Zetian's reign as Hui Zhen , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, along with his son Li Chong rose against Wu Zetian, then empress dowager and regent, as they feared that she was about to slaughter the...
the Prince of Yue and Li Zhen's son Li Chong
Li Chong (Tang Dynasty)
Li Chong , formally the Prince of Langye , posthumously known during Wu Zetian's reign as Hui Chong , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. Along with his father Li Zhen, Li Chong rose against Wu Zetian, then empress dowager and regent, as they feared that she was about to...
the Prince of Langye rose in rebellion against her, but both were quickly defeated; Li Chong was killed in battle, while Li Zhen committed suicide. Empress Wu took this opportunity to have her trusted secret police official Zhou Xing
Zhou Xing (Tang Dynasty)
Zhou Xing was a secret police official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty. He was largely responsible for carrying out her actions to wipe out senior members of Tang's Li imperial clan, but, in a turnabout, was in 691 himself accused of crimes and, under threats of...
arrest Li Yuanjia, Li Lingkui, Li Yuanjia's son Li Zhuan (李譔) the Duke of Huang, Emperor Gaozong's aunt Princess Changle, and Princess Changle's husband Zhao Gui (趙瓌) and force them to commit suicide. Subsequently, another uncle of Emperor Gaozong, Li Yuangui (李元軌) the Prince of Huo, was exiled, and died on the way to exile; his son Li Xu (李緒) the Prince of Jiangdu and a cousin of Emperor Gaozong's, Li Rong (李融) the Duke off Dongwan, were executed.
In 689, Empress Dowager made Wu Chengsi Nayan (納言) -- the head of examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor. In 690, she made him Wenchang Zuo Xiang (文昌左相) -- one of the heads of the executive bureau of government, also considered a post for a chancellor. Around the same time, he had Zhou falsely accuse Emperor Gaozong's sons by other consorts, Li Shangjin
Li Shangjin
Li Shangjin was the third son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. His mother was a palace maid surnamed Yang . When Gaozong ascended the throne, Shangjin was created Prince of Qi . In 652, he was appointed grand governor of Yizhou in titular. In 666, he was appointed prefect of Shou , then prefect of Lu...
(李上金) the Prince of Ze and Li Sujie
Li Sujie
Li Sujie , formally the Prince of Xu , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the fourth son of Emperor Gaozong, born of his one-time favorite Consort Xiao...
the prince of Xu, of treason. Empress Dowager Wu summoned Li Shangjin and Li Sujie to Luoyang and had Li Sujie strangled; Li Shangjin committed suicide.
Later that year, Emperor Ruizong yielded the throne to Empress Dowager Wu. She took the throne as "emperor" and established her Zhou Dynasty, interrupting Tang. She had a number of her Wu relatives created imperial princes, and Wu Chengsi was created the Prince of Wei.
During Wu Zetian's reign
However, what Wu Chengsi wanted to be was crown prince—and emperor in the future. However, Wu Zetian created Li Dan, the former Emperor Ruizong, crown prince (with the unconventional title Huang Si (皇嗣)). Wu Chengsi's ally, the official Zhang JiafuZhang Jiafu
Zhang Jiafu was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Shang....
had the commoner Wang Qingzhi (王慶之) organize a group of petitioners, requesting that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince—under the argument that with an emperor from the Wu clan, it would be inappropriate to have a crown prince from the Li clan. The chancellors Cen Changqian
Cen Changqian
Cen Changqian , briefly known as Wu Changqian during the reign of Wu Zetian, formally the Duke of Deng , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, as well as Wu Zetian's reign and her earlier...
and Ge Fuyuan
Ge Fuyuan
Ge Fuyuan was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as a chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign....
opposed the movement and advocated that the petitioners be rebuked and disbanded—and their advocacy angered Wu Zetian. Cen and Ge were soon arrested by her secret police official Lai Junchen
Lai Junchen
Lai Junchen was a secret police official during the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, whose ability to interrogate and falsely implicate officials of crimes made him a subject of fear and hatred...
, and soon, they, as well as another chancellor friendly to them, Ouyang Tong
Ouyang Tong
Ouyang Tong , formally the Viscount of Bohai , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.- Background :...
, were executed. For a time, it appeared that Wu Zetian would create Wu Chengsi crown prince, as she often received Wang in audience to hear his advocacy for Wu Chengsi's candidacy; however, later, on an occasion when Wang happened to offend Wu Zetian, the chancellor Li Zhaode
Li Zhaode
Li Zhaode was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty and at one point served as chancellor. He was known for his abilities and strong will, which eventually led to a conflict with Wu Zetian's secret police official Lai Junchen...
, who opposed Wu Chengsi, took the opportunity to have Wang battered to death and his group of petitioners disbanded. He then pointed out to Wu Zetian that Li Dan was her son and closer to her than a nephew. He also pointed out that she had received her power from her husband Emperor Gaozong, whose worship would be swept aside if Wu Chengsi were to become emperor. Wu Zetian agreed with his points and for some time did not speak again of making Wu Chengsi crown prince.
In 692, Lai falsely accused a group of individuals—the chancellors Ren Zhigu
Ren Zhigu
Ren Zhigu was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor.Despite Ren's high status, little is firmly established about his background or career except for the time that he served as chancellor—as, unusual for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the Book...
, Di Renjie
Di Renjie
Dí Rénjié , courtesy name Huaiying , formally Duke Wenhui of Liang , was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during her reign...
, Pei Xingben
Pei Xingben
Pei Xingben was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor.Despite Pei's high status, little is firmly established about his background or career except for the time that he served as chancellor—as, unusual for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the...
, along with the other officials Cui Xuanli (崔宣禮), Lu Xian (盧獻), Wei Yuanzhong
Wei Yuanzhong
Wei Yuanzhong , né Wei Zhenzai , formally Duke Zhen of Qi , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian and her son Emperor Zhongzong.- Background :It is not known which year Wei Yuanzhong was born, but it...
, and Li Sizhen (李嗣真) of treason. These officials, in order to avoid torture, confessed to treason—but managed to escape death when Di wrote a secret plea and hid it inside blankets to be smuggled out to his family members, who presented it to Wu Zetian, who then spared them from death but exiled them, despite Lai's and Wu Chengsi's advocacy that they be killed.
Around this time, Li Zhaode secretly suggested to Wu Zetian that Wu Chengsi's powers were becoming too great and would soon rival her own. Wu Zetian agreed, and she gave Wu Chengsi the highly honorific title of Tejin (特進), but removed him from being chancellor. Wu Chengsi subsequently tried to accuse Li Zhaode of crimes, but Wu Zetian did not believe him. Wu Chengsi continued to be honored, however, and around the new year 693, when Wu Zetian offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, she personally offered sacrifices first, and then had Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi follow her in sacrificing.
In 697, Wu Chengsi became aware that the official Qiao Zhizhi (喬知之) had a beautiful concubine named Biyu (碧玉) -- whom Qiao loved so much that he declined to formally marry a wife. Wu Chengsi invited Biyu to come to his mansion to teach his own concubine arts, and then kept her and would not allow her to go back to Qiao. Qiao wrote a poem entitled the Mourning of Lüzhu (綠珠怨) and sent it to Biyu. When Biyu read it, she was so distressed that she committed suicide by jumping into a well. When Wu Chengsi found this poem on her, he had secret police officials falsely accuse Qiao of crimes, and Qiao was killed. Later that year, Wu Chengsi was again made chancellor, but less than a month later, he was again removed.
By 698, Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi were both again making designs on becoming crown prince, and they often had people tell Wu Zetian, "Throughout the ages, no emperor has ever made a person of a different clan crown prince." She hesitated. However, Di, who by this point had been recalled and was again chancellor, constantly advocated for Wu Zetian's sons, including advising her to recall Li Zhe, the former Emperor Zhongzong, from exile. With the other chancellors Wang Fangqing
Wang Fangqing
Wang Fangqing , formal name Wang Lin but went by the courtesy name of Fangqing, formally Duke Zhen of Shiquan , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.- Background :It is not known when Wang Fangqing was...
and Wang Jishan
Wang Jishan
Wang Jishan , formally Duke Zhen of Xing , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.- Background :...
, as well as Wu Zetian's close advisor Ji Xu
Ji Xu
Ji Xu was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor.- Background :It is not known when Ji Xu was born, but it is known that he was from the Zhou capital Luoyang. He was said to be tall, good at hiding his emotions, but daring to speak...
and her lovers Zhang Yizhi
Zhang Yizhi
Zhang Yizhi , formally the Duke of Heng , nickname Wulang , was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty who, along with his brother Zhang Changzong, became a lover of Wu Zetian and became very powerful late in her reign...
and Zhang Changzong
Zhang Changzong
Zhang Changzong , formally the Duke of Ye , nickname Liulang , was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty who, along with his brother Zhang Yizhi, became a lover of Wu Zetian and became very powerful late in her reign...
advocating the same, Li Zhe was recalled from exile. Wu Chengsi, seeing his chances of being crown prince slipping away, died later that year in distress.
Issue
Wu Chengsi was succeeded by his eldest son Wu Yanji (武延基) who had married Princess Yongtai daughter of Emperor Zhongzong. In 701, Wu Yanji was accused of privately discussing the Zhangs and his execution ordered along with that of his brother-in-law Li ChongrunLi Chongrun
Li Chongrun , né Li Chongzhao , formally Crown Prince Yide , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasties Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty. He was the only son of Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Zhongzong's second wife Empress Wei...
, Prince of Shao and eldest son of Emperor Zhongzong. Whether or not his wife Princess Yongtai was also executed at this time is debated but she nonetheless died around the same time. The second son Wu Yanyi (武延義) succeeded as the new Prince of Wei whilst the youngest son Wu Yanxiu (武延秀) was created Prince of Huaiyang.