A Palace Strangled by Rumors
Wu Zetian’s rise to power was as dramatic as it was controversial. Married first to Emperor Taizong as a concubine and later to his son Emperor Gaozong, she became empress in 655. Almost immediately, whispers began to surround her name. The most infamous accusation came in 654, when her newborn daughter died under mysterious circumstances.
Wu claimed Empress Wang, her rival, had killed the child out of jealousy. Eyewitnesses claimed Wang was near the infant’s chambers, and Emperor Gaozong believed the charges. Historians centuries later suggested Wu herself may have killed the girl to frame Wang, but concrete evidence has never been found. What is certain is that both Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were soon deposed, imprisoned, and later executed on Wu’s orders.
The Sudden End of the Crown Prince
In 652, Wu had given birth to a son, Li Hong, who was eventually named crown prince. By 675, however, tensions rose. Li Hong resisted her growing influence at court, objected to her control over Emperor Gaozong, and even pleaded for imprisoned princesses to be released.
Not long after, he suddenly died. Traditional historians wrote that Wu poisoned him, though the records provide no definitive proof. His death cleared the path for another of Wu’s sons, Li Xián, to be named crown prince.
Treason and the Fall of Li Xián
Li Xián’s position did not last. Rumors spread that he was unsettled about his parentage and fearful of his mother’s dominance. In 680, investigators discovered stockpiled weapons in his palace, and Wu accused him of treason and of orchestrating the assassination of the sorcerer Ming Chongyan.
Emperor Gaozong initially wanted to pardon him, but Wu pressed relentlessly. Li Xián was deposed and exiled, forced into house arrest until his eventual death by suicide under her watch in 684.
Accusations, Executions, and Control
Wu Zetian’s youngest son, Li Dan, became emperor in name after Gaozong’s death, but she remained the true ruler. Rivals within the Li clan were accused of plots, many forced into suicide.
Even later, in 693, Crown Prince Li Dan’s wife and consort were executed after accusations of witchcraft, while his servants were tortured until one, An Jincang, disemboweled himself to prove his master’s innocence. Wu halted the investigation, sparing Li Dan. Yet throughout her reign, accusations, sudden deaths, and forced suicides haunted her family.
Wu Zetian became China’s only female emperor in 690. Her reign lasted until 705, but the path there was lined with the downfall of rivals, charges of treason, and the deaths of her own children—events that remain among the most disputed and chilling episodes in imperial history.
Wu Zetian became the only female emperor in China’s history, but her rise was clouded by claims she killed her own children to secure power.
From an infant’s sudden death to princes lost under suspicious ends, every step toward the throne was contested…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/A6XT4kjJvD
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) September 30, 2025