In ancient times, wealthy Chinese families submitted their young daughter to the court to serve as a concubine in the hope that she might marry the emperor and elevate her family to the privileges of officialdom, political influence, and wealth.
Passing the requirements of beauty, intelligence, and pleasant poise, fourteen-year-old Wu Zeitian became a lower-rank concubine of the Tang Emperor Taizong. Her duties as chambermaid in the ailing emperor’s bedroom were to clean his chamber, change his bedsheets, empty his bedpan, and attend his needs. Wu profited from Taizong’s stories of plotted family coups and assassination attempts. He shared the court’s “back road” intrigues, war strategies, advised her whom to distrust, and cautioned her to prepare a defense against the multitude of those clamoring for privileges. A good listener and a cheerful companion, the bright young woman exceled in the language of the people and embraced the lessons that would serve her future.
Taizong’s heir, who occasionally visited his father, fell in love and married the exceptional Wu. In time, when the young emperor unfortunately experienced a stroke, Empress Wu wisely helped him to write and respond to edicts. With his passing, her influence and discernable leadership rewarded her as the Empress Regnant. For years, she governed the Chinese Empire, judiciously rebuilding the reputation of the Tang Dynasty. So respected was she that many citizens referred to her as Emperor Wu.
Grātiās tibi !
Dr. P. D. Sargent
Ancient Scribe sharing new ideas twice a month