The Only Female Emperor
唯一的女皇帝
武则天
武则天
• 唐太宗 was a very talented person, but his successor was not.
• 武则天 used to be唐太宗 ’s junior wife, became one of 唐高宗 ‘s
the emperor’s junior wives. She was very ambitious. A story said that
once she had a baby girl, after the queen visited her and the baby, she
killed her own daughter secretly. In a while, the emperor came and
found the baby dead. She pretended to be in huge shock and was
heartbroken, and said she had no idea what happened. So the emperor
asked other people who had came, and people said only the queen
visited. The emperor thought it must be the queen who killed the baby,
so he deprived the queen of her position and later on,武则天 became
the new queen.
• Since the emperor wasn’t a smart person at all, all the power gradually
went to武则天.
武则天
• 武则天 even killed two of her own sons who were talented,
and after her husband died, 武则天 made another son of
her the new emperor, the one who was a coward and would
listen to her.
• Later on,武则天 imprisoned her son and became the new
emperor herself. She was the only female emperor in
Chinese history.
• Being a very cruel and cold blood person to her husband
and children, she turned out to be an good emperor and
people lived relatively happily under her governing.
• http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/idD0
xIRlF4M/ (3’15” ~ )
• http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/ZwO
D2hE9S6I/
The Story of “Please Enter the Pot”
• Both 周兴 and 来俊臣 were cruel officials and used horrible
instruments to torture suspects and prisoners. Once武则天 suspected
that周兴 would rebel, so she ordered 来俊臣 to interrogate him.来俊
臣 invited周兴 to dinner and chatted with him: “I have suspects who
wouldn’t admit they have done certain crimes, how to make them
admit?”周兴 said: “This is easy. Put a pot on fire till it gets really hot,
then ask the suspect to enter the pot – then he would admit whatever
you want him to admit.”来俊臣 said: “Great!” and asked his servants
to light fire and put a pot on it.周兴 was surprised: “What are you
doing?”来俊臣 said: “Well, Her Majesty ordered me to interrogate you,
so please enter the pot.”周兴 was terrified and admitted every crime he
was suspected of.
• http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/JOzOMXCY2Q8/ (2’30”)