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”)