In the Tang Dynasty, there appeared a female emperor Wu Zetian in Chinese history. Wu Zetian was the queen of Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. After the death of Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, it was Li Xian, Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, who inherited the throne, but soon Wu Zetian abolished Li Xian and ascended the throne. Wu Zetian's literary, political and martial arts skills in her life are quite excellent. However, after her death, she only set up a wordless monument for herself. Why? The following is the information I collected and sorted out. Let's have a look!
After her death, Wu Zetian was buried in the Qianling mausoleum on Liangshan Mountain, north of Qian County, Shaanxi Province, where Wu Zetian and Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty were buried together. This is also the only joint burial tomb in Chinese history where both husband and wife are the emperor. To the west of the mausoleum is the memorial tablet of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, and to the East is the wordless tablet of Wu Zetian. Although Wu Zetian only set up a wordless stele for herself, the workmanship of the tombstone is absolutely exquisite. So why didn't you write a word on such a luxurious tombstone?
It is obvious that both Shusheng memorial tablet and wordless tablet were erected by Wu Zetian before her death. The Shusheng memorial tablet is engraved with more than 8000 words, which are all for the praise of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. This wordless tablet is obviously prepared by Wu Zetian for herself. However, the intention of this wordless tablet has become a mystery for thousands of years. There have been various opinions about this wordless monument for thousands of years, but it is always impossible to assert what is going on.
According to the arguments, there are probably several kinds to sum up:
The first is that Wu Zetian's merits and virtues are high in her life, so she doesn't have to tell. It took about 50 years for Empress Wu Zetian to abdicate. During this period, Wu Zetian was the actual controller of the government. Since the death of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, she has had actual control of the government for 21 years. As the only orthodox female emperor in China's history, in Wu Zetian's view, she is no worse than men, and even worse than Tang Gaozong. During her reign, she was politically clean and bright, social stability, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. It can be said that the country was peaceful and the people were safe. This is Wu Zetian's greatest achievement. But at that time, many people thought she was a sinner who usurped Li Tang's territory and power, and many people were dissatisfied with her. So Wu Zetian simply set up a wordless Monument and let future generations comment on it!
The second statement is: Wu Zetian thinks that her sins in her life are still very heavy. After claiming to be emperor, Wu Zetian has always felt guilty about Li Tang and had the idea of returning the country to the Li family for a long time. Obviously, she has no confidence in her situation after her death. In particular, she killed many descendants of the royal family surnamed Li during her reign, which is a stain she can't erase all her life. She also knows that she has killed too much in her life and will inevitably be scolded by the world. Therefore, he left a wordless tablet to show his self atonement for Li Tang.
The third saying is: Wu Zetian thinks that her merits and demerits in her life should be left to future generations to comment on! According to historical records, Wu Zetian left a last word: her merits and demerits in life should be left to future generations to comment on! This is really a good way. Because during the reign of Empress Wu, there were praises and criticisms. During the reign of Empress Wu, the country was prosperous and the economy was very developed, which also showed the extraordinary wisdom and ability of Empress Wu as a woman. However, she was cronyist, vigorously promoted Wu's relatives, appointed cruel officials, and indiscriminately killed innocent people. Many national loyalists died in her hands for various reasons. Wu Zetian knows that her life is very complicated. No matter how she evaluates herself, there will be disputes. She simply doesn't say anything. Let the later people evaluate their merits and demerits by themselves!
The fourth statement is: Wu Zetian thought it was inconvenient to say in terms of address, because Wu Zetian was buried with Tang Gaozong Lizhi after her death. Then it is not necessary for Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty to say that the tombstone must be the title of the emperor. But Wu Zetian is hard to say. Does she call herself emperor or queen? It seems that it's inappropriate to call it anything. If you call it the emperor, there are two emperors buried in a mausoleum, which obviously doesn't conform to the rules. If you call yourself queen, it seems to belittle your identity. After all, it is an unchangeable fact that you once ruled the world. Therefore, it is most appropriate to leave a wordless tablet for future generations to conclude.
Based on the above estimates, it is almost the reason why Wu Zetian left the wordless monument.