37 replies to this topic

[Wu Zetian]

I have always been curious about why Wu Zetian chose her successor to be Tang Zhongzong.

Both her (remaining) sons, Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong had been Crown Prince at some point during her reign. However, her daughter Princess Taiping, who was more capable than either of her two brothers, had never been Crown Princess. Sure, there had never been a Crown Princess before, but this should not be a big issue for someone who was China's first and only female emperor!

It was recorded in history that during Tang Ruizong's reign, the person with power was actually Princess Taiping, with no important decisions being made without her consent. Tang Zhongzong was also quite weak, giving in to any of his wife's requests.

Therefore, I have some difficulty trying to understand why Wu Zetian chose her sons over her daughter, who was definitely more capable. Furthermore, I believe that the Zhou dynasty MAY have lasted longer if Taiping was named the heir to the throne. I think that being a woman, Taiping would feel less inclined to be loyal to her father's (as opposed to her mother's) lineage and revert back to the Tang Dynasty.

Taiping could have taken on the surname Wu (as did Tang Ruizong for a while), and the law could be changed so that the (male) spouses and any children of the (female) emperor would have to carry on the (female) emperor's surname - i.e. Wu.
It's not like Wu Zetian pays much attention to what is "right" according to tradition, so changing this law should not be a big problem

Tang Zhongzong (who actually succeeded Wu Zetian) changed the dynasty back to Tang. I think this is due to both external pressure from government officials, and his loyalty to his father's lineage. Princess Taiping, being of a stronger character and a female, may have reacted differently.

What does everyone else think?

[Yun]

As to her second son (Li Xian), I believe that he was killed on the orders of Wu Zetian (and Tang Gaozong?) due to the fact that he planned to rebel - there was evidence that he was buying weapons and training troops secretly

Li Xian2 李贤 (not to be confused his brother Tang Zhongzong, Li Xian3 李显), was deposed, exiled and murdered for directing the assassination of Ming Chongyan, a Daoist priest and lackey of Wu Zetian who had made a physiognomical prediction that Li Xian was not suitable to be emperor.

I have always been curious about why Wu Zetian chose her successor to be Tang Zhongzong.

Both her (remaining) sons, Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong had been Crown Prince at some point during her reign. However, her daughter Princess Taiping, who was more capable than either of her two brothers, had never been Crown Princess. Sure, there had never been a Crown Princess before, but this should not be a big issue for someone who was China's first and only female emperor!

Princess Anle later tried to persuade her father Tang Zhongzong to do just that - make her Crown Princess. When he declined, she plotted with her mother Empress Wei to murder him. I am not sure myself why Princess Taiping did not go as far as Princess Anle, or why Wu Zetian didn't let her, but perhaps the answer lies in the fact that daughters cannot make ritual offerings to their parents. As I mentioned in an earlier post:

Empress (or Emperor) Wu Zhao ran into a constitutional dead-end when she founded her Zhou dynasty, because if she passed the throne to her son he would be a Li, and the Tang dynasty would start all over again. And if she passed her throne to a daughter, she would still still be a Li and furthermore would also take the family name of her husband.

Wu Zhao tried to get around this by appointing her nephew (brother's son) Wu Chengsi as her heir. In 698, she sent Wu Chengsi's son Yanxiu to the Tujue for him to marry the Tujue Kaghan's daughter in a marriage alliance. But the Tujue Kaghan refused, saying, "I asked to marry my daughter to a prince of the Li house, so what's a Wu doing here? Are you the son of an emperor, or aren't you?" The Kaghan locked Wu Yanxiu up and sent a letter back to the Zhou court, saying, "This Wu boy isn't royalty, and isn't fit to marry my daughter. I won't settle for anything less than an emperor's son." He also threatened to invade Hebei if snubbed again.

Wu Chengsi and his brother Wu Sansi were the only nephews that Wu Zhao had, and they believed that the throne should go to one of them. Wu Zhao now changed her mind and decided that Wu Sansi was a better choice as emperor. But Di Renjie stepped in and asked a question that put her in a spot: "Which is a woman closer to, her son or her nephew?" He went on to argue, "If Your Majesty makes a son the heir, Your Majesty will still be enjoying offerings in the temple many generations from now. But no one has ever heard of a nephew making offerings to his aunt in the family temple." Wu Zhao risked becoming a hungry ghost if she did not make her son the heir to the throne!

[Wu Zetian]

i've just finished "Imperatrice" a novel by shan sa which tales the exploits of the empress wu zentai, but i've some doubts, the book says she was recruited as a concubine for imperial Gyneceum, asign her the 5th rank, do you know how many women compose each rank? which were the titles of each rank, How many ranks of concubine were there?
In my country (Spain)there is only one book publish about this subject but it's kind of vague...

The harem structure varies with the dynasty, and sometimes even with individual emperors.
When Wu Zetian first entered the Tang palace, she had the title of Cai-Ren, which was 5th rank. In the Tang dynasty, the standard harem structure was as follows
(For the chinese titles, please refer website: http://www15.brinkster.com/orientalempire/harem.htm)
Note: you will have to load pictures, but do not need Chinese installed on your computer

1 person: Empress

4 people: Fei (1st rank)
(Gui-Fei / Shu-Fei / De-Fei / Xian-Fei)

9 x Bin (2nd rank)
(Zhao-Yi / Zhao Rong / Zhao-Yuan / Xiu-Yi / Xiu-Rong / Xiu-Yuan / Chong-Yi / Chong-Rong / Chong-Yuan)

9 people: Jie-Yu (3rd rank)
9 people: Mei-Ren (4th rank)
9 people: Cai-Ren (5th rank)
27 people: Bao-Lin (6th rank)
27 people: Yu-Nu (7th rank)
27 people: Cai-Nu (8th rank)


However, in the later periods, Tang Xuanzong added other ranks to his harem with concubines such as Hui-Fei, Mei-Fei etc
But when Tang Gaozong tried to give Wu Zetian the rank of Chen-Fei, he was opposed by his ministers, who stated that there can only be 4 Fei.....weird?!

Edited by Wu Zetian, 28 June 2005 - 11:40 PM.

[tieu_yeu_nu]

i believe Grand Empress Dowager Xiao Zhuang, KangXi's grand mother can also be considered a good ruler, since she did in fact help rule the country during her son and grandsons reign.

although she was more behind the curtains, but if she had more ambition she would have been a great emperor.

i remember reading some where that said she help KangXi defeat Obai and reclaim his power.

[urofpersia]

The harem structure varies with the dynasty, and sometimes even with individual emperors. 
When Wu Zetian first entered the Tang palace, she had the title of Cai-Ren, which was 5th rank.  In the Tang dynasty, the standard harem structure was as follows
(For the chinese titles, please refer website: http://www15.brinkster.com/orientalempire/harem.htm) 
Note: you will have to load pictures, but do not need Chinese installed on your computer

One of the stories I read had Wu Zetian being recruited into the palace as little better than a maid. However fortune smiled on her when the Emperor happened to notice her while she was attending to him during toilet. He at that point asked her to enjoy the Clouds and the Rains with him and subsequently appointed her as an official concubine.

[Wu Zetian]

One of the stories I read had Wu Zetian being recruited into the palace as little better than a maid. However fortune smiled on her when the Emperor happened to notice her while she was attending to him during toilet. He at that point asked her to enjoy the Clouds and the Rains with him and subsequently appointed her as an official concubine.

I don't think that this story is reliable (it sounds like something that could happen in a Wu Zetian movie or TV series).
I have read one of the official Tang history records (Xin Tang Shu, or Jiu Tang Shu.......forget which one), where it states that Wu Zetian entered Tang Taizong's harem at the age of 14 as a Cai-Ren. There was nothing mentioned about her being a maid

[urofpersia]

I don't think that this story is reliable (it sounds like something that could happen in a Wu Zetian movie or TV series). 
I have read one of the official Tang history records (Xin Tang Shu, or Jiu Tang Shu.......forget which one), where it states that Wu Zetian entered Tang Taizong's harem at the age of 14 as a Cai-Ren.  There was nothing mentioned about her being a maid

I believe my use of the term maid is incorrect.

[Rong Qin Wang]

I have always been curious about why Wu Zetian chose her successor to be Tang Zhongzong.

Both her (remaining) sons, Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong had been Crown Prince at some point during her reign. However, her daughter Princess Taiping, who was more capable than either of her two brothers, had never been Crown Princess. Sure, there had never been a Crown Princess before, but this should not be a big issue for someone who was China's first and only female emperor!

It was recorded in history that during Tang Ruizong's reign, the person with power was actually Princess Taiping, with no important decisions being made without her consent. Tang Zhongzong was also quite weak, giving in to any of his wife's requests.

Therefore, I have some difficulty trying to understand why Wu Zetian chose her sons over her daughter, who was definitely more capable. Furthermore, I believe that the Zhou dynasty MAY have lasted longer if Taiping was named the heir to the throne. I think that being a woman, Taiping would feel less inclined to be loyal to her father's (as opposed to her mother's) lineage and revert back to the Tang Dynasty.

Taiping could have taken on the surname Wu (as did Tang Ruizong for a while), and the law could be changed so that the (male) spouses and any children of the (female) emperor would have to carry on the (female) emperor's surname - i.e. Wu.
It's not like Wu Zetian pays much attention to what is "right" according to tradition, so changing this law should not be a big problem

Tang Zhongzong (who actually succeeded Wu Zetian) changed the dynasty back to Tang. I think this is due to both external pressure from government officials, and his loyalty to his father's lineage. Princess Taiping, being of a stronger character and a female, may have reacted differently.

What does everyone else think?

Zunjing de China History Forum members,

I have always found Wu Zetian to be one of the most interesting women in Chinese History. Despite being a female, Wu Zetian founded her own dynasty, ruling in her own name, and not sending out orders through her husband or son like other Empress Dowagers have in the past. How can something unprecedented and unrepeated not be so interesting?

I personally find how Wu Zetian intended to keep her dynasty much more interesting than how she forged an Empire. Being a patriarchal society, of course, everyone takes after their father’s surname. This proved to be a major issue for Wu Zetian as she will have no direct heir. She cannot pass the throne to her children because they have a different surname, which would mark the end of her dynasty. The only way to keep the dynasty was to make one of her nephews the heir. However, nephews won’t offer rituals to deceased aunts, so Wu Zetian definitely will be a hungry ghost. I love how brother Yun had stated that she ran into a “Constitutional Dead-end” after founding the dynasty. That was the perfect diction to explain her situation. Even though she had never thought highly of her sons, I would assume that she liked them better than her nephews. Her nephews were more capable, but it was the opposite when we talk about virtues. So, when Prime Minister Di Renji supported Tang Zhongzong as the new crown prince, Wu Zetian reluctantly gave in because he had brought up a really good point that she could not overlook.

Obviously, the direct bloodline was of greater importance to Wu Zetian than her dynasty since she chose her successor to be Tang Zhongzong. To be completely fair, her two remaining sons were very weak, and unworthy of being an Emperor in many aspects. Of course, they were intelligent and virtuous, but they really lacked the courage and determination of a great Emperor. I guess it would not be that surprising to see them somewhat like their father, Tang Gaozong. Of course, some blames can be put on Wu Zetian for not grooming them into capable princes, but not a lot of leaders can maintain a prosperous Empire and bring up a good successor at the same time.

Like other members in here, I have also wondered as to why Wu Zetian did not create Princess Taiping as Crown Princess. Some years ago, Wu Zetian deposed Tang Zhongzong because he proved to be easily dominated by his wife, Empress Wei. Her youngest son, Tang Ruizong was even weaker than his older brother, as he abdicated in favor of his mother. It was clear that it would have been very difficult for either one of them to make a decent Emperor, and maintain a prosperous nation.

Being the first female monarch, the thought of having a Crown Princess has to be too good for Wu Zetian not to try, especially since Princess Taiping was far more capable than her two brothers. The only reason that I can think of would be the opposition from officials. I mean do you think that they would support another female monarch? I think they cannot even wait to get rid of the first one!

Before I make anymore comments, I would like to ask if Wu Zetian and Princess Taiping actually had a good relationship with each other. Wu Zetian was not a very compassionate woman, making her children feel very distant from her. From what I have read in books, I get the impression that Princess Taiping was much closer to her brothers and her father’s lineage. So, I think she would still revert back to the Tang Dynasty if she ascended to the throne. Let’s not forget that Wu Zetian identified herself as a “Wu,” and I don’t think that she was that close to her mother’s lineage either. Therefore, making Princess Taiping the next Emperor will only solve the problem temporarily.

As for children taking after their mother’s surname, that idea would have been too radical for other people to take. I think that even Wu Zetian would not dare to think of this idea because it is really impossible. So, I guess Wu Zetian finally realized that by being a woman, she can only do everything for herself, and not for her entire clan of Wu. She had to surrender to fate!

I agree that Princess Taiping had a much stronger personality than Tang Zhongzong, but she still would have reverted back to the Tang Dynasty because she belonged to the Li family, and not the Wu family.

I would really appreciate any questions or comments?

Xie Xie,

Edited by Rong Qin Wang, 04 September 2007 - 12:46 AM.

[snowybeagle]

About why Wu Zetian did not install any of her daughter as heir to the throne, I could only speculate two possible rationale.

First, Wu's own position to the throne owed a large part to her being empress of Emperor Gaozong, an undisputed legitimate ruler, and bolstered by her being mother of Gaozong's heirs.

Second, while Princess Taiping was said to be capable, there was no account demonstrating her contribution to the running of the country. Instead, her abilities were reflected through her politickings for power, and there were records of her greed leading her to break the law to enrich herself.

While we have to take into account that those who recorded events for history would be prejudiced, I think we have to consider Wu Zetian had made undeniable contributions to the state while her daughter had not shown the same inclination.

We could suppose that Wu Zetian's contribution to the state was not wholly selfless - but rather she saw she needed to prove herself capable to others to convince them that it was right for her to hold the reins of power in a deeply chauvinistic society.

Unfortunately, her daughter seemed to show no signs of realising of the need to cultivate an image of a *capable and caring* leader.

It was unfair that women needed to justify themselves but not men, but that was how it was with society then.

[Rong Qin Wang]

About why Wu Zetian did not install any of her daughter as heir to the throne, I could only speculate two possible rationale.

First, Wu's own position to the throne owed a large part to her being empress of Emperor Gaozong, an undisputed legitimate ruler, and bolstered by her being mother of Gaozong's heirs.

Second, while Princess Taiping was said to be capable, there was no account demonstrating her contribution to the running of the country. Instead, her abilities were reflected through her politickings for power, and there were records of her greed leading her to break the law to enrich herself.

While we have to take into account that those who recorded events for history would be prejudiced, I think we have to consider Wu Zetian had made undeniable contributions to the state while her daughter had not shown the same inclination.

We could suppose that Wu Zetian's contribution to the state was not wholly selfless - but rather she saw she needed to prove herself capable to others to convince them that it was right for her to hold the reins of power in a deeply chauvinistic society.

Unfortunately, her daughter seemed to show no signs of realising of the need to cultivate an image of a *capable and caring* leader.

It was unfair that women needed to justify themselves but not men, but that was how it was with society then.

Zunjing de Snowybeagle Xian Sheng,

Thank you very much for sharing with us your two possible rationales. As usual, you have always thought of very profound analysis!

You are right; even though Wu Zetian officially declared herself Emperor and had the dynastic name changed to “Zhou,” her own position owed a large part to the fact that she was actually a woman from the Li family as she was actually married into the Imperial family.

Princess Taiping, on the other hand, would not have the same problem since she was already a member of the Imperial family by blood; however, as soon as she got married, she would belong to her husband’s family lineage. It really seemed like daughter-in-laws were yours to keep, while real daughters were yours to give away. This was the main reason why many ancient people were not too happy with having daughters.

Hmm, I guess Princess Taiping’s capabilities were shown mostly through her desire for power rather than having made good contributions for the benefit of the country. I am sure that Princess Taiping’s breaking the law to enhance her own avarice would not win any true support from the officials for possibly being made Crown Princess unless she was willing to bribe them with something valuable. Corruption is infamous for being one of the main causes for the downfall of a strong dynasty.

I surmise part of Wu Zetian’s goal for being the first female Emperor was to satisfy her own ambitions that the female gender was not so much inferior to the male gender, while the other part being trying to save the country from going into chaos with the weak reigns of both her sons.

Of course, ancient historians were extremely biased of Wu Zetian, but they cannot deny that she ruled well, so that was why historians had to bring her personal life into the picture. I personally think that a leader’s personal life should not be used to analyze his/her political career unless you can somehow tie it to politics. It was true that Princess Taiping’s intention(s) of succeeding her mother was more likely just to gratify herself as she did not really show any signs of concerns for the welfare of commoners.

Well, the men never needed to justify and prove their capabilities since ancient China was a male dominated society. In fact, if a women had a desire for power, she would have to indeed surpass the talents of many men. It was just the way society was back then.

Hmm, if one of her nephews or their son(s) possessed the capabilities or talents of a competent Emperor, then Wu Zetian may have just passed the throne to a Wu person. History will be written quite differently if that had happened. Despite being everything that she was, Wu Zetian was still a lady. Hence, the responsibility of making Wu family prestigious still laid on the shoulders of the men.

Xie Xie,

[Rong Qin Wang]

Zunjing de Snowybeagle Xian Sheng,

While we are at it, I might as well ask a few more questions regarding Wu Zetian.

From reading many different accounts in history, it came to my attention that you cannot really trust anyone in the political world. With the precarious nature of politics, you would most likely get the most support from your blood brothers and sisters. Also, there should still be a special bond between a mother and her child even in the palace life, where you were quite vulnerable to attacks.

With the above setting in mind, I would like to ask the reason as to why Wu Zetian had such poor relationships with her two eldest sons. Was it purely because of the struggles for power? Or was it because even her sons were opposed to her being in power as women should never rule a state according to Confucianism? Based on the books I have read, the first two Princes were both advocates of Confucianism. Even though Wu Zetian did not really get along with her two sons, I still cannot believe that a woman would have the heart to kill her own children! Was it even that necessary?

On the other hand, Wu Zetian seemed to have a much better relationship with Princess Taiping, her favorite daughter. In a society, where sons were normally treated better than daughters, I cannot see why she would give more favor to her daughter. Was it because Princess Taiping was a female; hence, she would not be challenging Wu Zetian’s authority to rule?

Well, I am just asking these questions out of curiosity since it is not quite often that I get to see a woman actually killing her children.

Xie Xie,

Edited by Rong Qin Wang, 04 September 2007 - 12:45 AM.

[Rong Qin Wang]

Zunjing de China History Forum members,

Hmm, I believe I have a small, but sort of important question. Who was Wu Zetian’s firstborn child? Was her firstborn the princess (who died in infancy) or Crown Prince Li Hung? I have read four sources regarding this issue and they did not agree with each other. Two sources claimed her firstborn was the infant princess, while the other two stated Crown Prince Li Hung was the first child. Which version is more accurate? I would just like to know, so that I can filter out all the unreliable sources. If the sources cannot even get the correct information for something simple like who was the firstborn child of a famous historical figure, then those sources have virtually no credibility!

Xie Xie,

[snowybeagle]

Rong Qin Wang, sorry I didn't answer your earlier questions, must have missed it back somehow back then.

I've no idea whether Wu Zetian really killed any of her children.

As for her children, I believe their order of birth were as follows

01. AD 652 - Lĭ Hóng (李弘), died AD 675.
02. AD 653 - Princess ĀnDìng (安定公主), died in infancy. Sometimes noted as AD 654-654 instead.
03. AD 654 - Lĭ Xián (李贤), died AD 684.
04. AD 656 - Lĭ Xiăn (李显), known as Emperor Zhongzong (唐中宗).
05. AD 662 - Lĭ Dàn (李旦), known as Emperor Ruizong (唐睿宗).
06. AD 665 - Princess TàiPíng (太平公主), one account named her Lĭ LìngYuè (李令月).

[fireball]

Obviously, the direct bloodline was of greater importance to Wu Zetian than her dynasty since she chose her successor to be Tang Zhongzong. To be completely fair, her two remaining sons were very weak, and unworthy of being an Emperor in many aspects. Of course, they were intelligent and virtuous, but they really lacked the courage and determination of a great Emperor. I guess it would not be that surprising to see them somewhat like their father, Tang Gaozong. Of course, some blames can be put on Wu Zetian for not grooming them into capable princes, but not a lot of leaders can maintain a prosperous Empire and bring up a good successor at the same time.

From what I have read, the two sons were deathly afraid of their mother. It was understandable when the rumors had it that she was responsible for the death of their two elder brothers. Both of her two elder sons had much stronger personalities and openly criticized her close association with her rumored lovers and her involvement in politics. The speculations placed the reasons for her elder sons' exile and death at the foot of their oppositions of her behaviors. Therefore, the two younger sons tried to behave as weak as possible so that they would not get exiled or killed. At one time, Wu was sending a messenger to ZhongZong's exiled place, and he thought Wu was sending the order to kill him. The whole family was holding each other and crying until the messenger told him Wu did not send any order of execution.

Before I make anymore comments, I would like to ask if Wu Zetian and Princess Taiping actually had a good relationship with each other. Wu Zetian was not a very compassionate woman, making her children feel very distant from her. From what I have read in books, I get the impression that Princess Taiping was much closer to her brothers and her father’s lineage. So, I think she would still revert back to the Tang Dynasty if she ascended to the throne. Let’s not forget that Wu Zetian identified herself as a “Wu,” and I don’t think that she was that close to her mother’s lineage either. Therefore, making Princess Taiping the next Emperor will only solve the problem temporarily.

As for children taking after their mother’s surname, that idea would have been too radical for other people to take. I think that even Wu Zetian would not dare to think of this idea because it is really impossible. So, I guess Wu Zetian finally realized that by being a woman, she can only do everything for herself, and not for her entire clan of Wu. She had to surrender to fate!

Wu Zetian was very close to her daughter princess Taiping. Princess Taiping supposed to prescreen Wu's lovers for her. I am not sure why you get the impression that princess Taiping was much closer to her brothers and her father's lineage. I have not read in any places that princess Taiping spoke up for the rest of the royal families when Wu Zhetian was killing them with various excuses. On the contrary, she was very close to her Wu cousins and had a few of them as her lovers.

As for children taking after their mother’s surname, that idea was not radical at all. Since ancient time (Qin and pre-Qin era), there were cases where men married into a women's family and the children took up mothers' last name. It was not impossible. Princess Taiping could follow that route. She didn't need to change her name to Wu, and her children could take on her last name. Taiping and her husband could sacrifice to Wu Zetian according to the same tradition (it was a little grey since she had brothers, but, hey, it wasn't that far fetched.) She could definitely make it into the law. If she was a capable enough person, she could have manipulated the court officials into letting her do it. Her mother did many of those manipulations.

However, I think Taiping was not really a capable person and Wu Zetian knew it. Taiping was not a good person by all accounts, and I am not taking into account of her sex life at all. She was both in favor of her parents and in power for many years, and there was no record at all of any positive contribution from her -- no words nor deeds. In addition, Zhongzong was weak, but he was harmless to the people. Princess Taiping was very bad to the people. When she built her palace, she took properties from the surrounding commoners by force. When she went on streets, she caused chaos and damages to people and properties. Basically, Wu Zetian knew Taiping would be a lousy ruler. I think that would be the most important reason why she did not name Taiping as her heir. In addition, princess Taiping probably did not have the necessary skills in the tricky political arena of trying to be an empress, and Wu Zetian knew it. If Wu made Taiping to be the Crown Princess, Taiping would eventually get killed. From what I read, Taiping was Wu Zetian's favorite child. I remembered Wu Zetian had commented, "Taiping took after me the most." Therefore, I believe it was to protect Taiping that Wu Zetian did not name her as an heir.

Edited by fireball, 29 October 2007 - 07:27 PM.

[fireball]

Rong Qin Wang, sorry I didn't answer your earlier questions, must have missed it back somehow back then.

I've no idea whether Wu Zetian really killed any of her children.

As for her children, I believe their order of birth were as follows

01. AD 652 - Lĭ Hóng (李弘), died AD 675.
02. AD 653 - Princess ĀnDìng (安定公主), died in infancy. Sometimes noted as AD 654-654 instead.
03. AD 654 - Lĭ Xián (李贤), died AD 684.
04. AD 656 - Lĭ Xiăn (李显), known as Emperor Zhongzong (唐中宗).
05. AD 662 - Lĭ Dàn (李旦), known as Emperor Ruizong (唐睿宗).
06. AD 665 - Princess TàiPíng (太平公主), one account named her Lĭ LìngYuè (李令月).

There were no direct evidence of Wu Zetian killed her sons or daughter. From what I read, there were other possibilities. For the baby daughter, I guessed infant's sudden death syndrome. For her first son, I think the idea of his falling ill and die was a definitely possibility. Many people speculated he was poisoned by Wu Zetian because they did not like her. The second son was forced to kill himself by his jailor. Many people, again, thought it was on Wu's order, but I thought it was possibly the jailor's own action. The jailor might have gotten the wrong idea from the rumors regarding Wu's first son and thought to please Wu. He was punished afterwards.

Regarding the weapons from the 2nd son, well, they only found a few hundred armors, and he was the crown prince after all. Shouldn't he have guards and guards had armors? It sounded bad, but I really thought the armors were planted, and the accusation was ridiculous. The problem was that Li Xian2 (the second son) had probably killed Wu Zetian's favorite daoist priest and rumored lover 明崇儼 Ming ChungYan, and Wu was angry at him. I thought Wu maybe feeling he was a bit of a problem, so she exiled him to cool it. I do not think she wanted him dead.

Wu Zetian did kill her daughters-in-law, her grandson, granddaughter, and grandson-in-law for criticizing her in private, and it was recorded in history because they were actual executions not secret poisons and such. I always feel sorry for her grandchildren who died because they were very young (only teenagers) and they died horribly (beaten to death).