A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

A month later, on an auspicious day, thousands of people, including the princes of the Wu clan, the prime ministers of the two provinces, officials of the six ministries, generals of the imperial guards, Emperor Li Dan and his relatives of the Li clan, elders from all over the country, officials from various states, and envoys from eighteen countries, gathered at the Wanxiang Divine Palace.

Wu Chengsi stood at the very front of everyone, looking at Wu Zetian as she walked out, and spoke slowly.

"The Hetu and Luoshu of the past were all omens of the birth of a sage king. Now, the Luoshui Treasure Map, the five-colored auspicious clouds, and the prophecy have appeared one after another. The mandate of heaven belongs to Your Majesty, which cannot be defied by human power! If you defy the mandate of heaven, disaster will surely befall the world."

"We urge Your Majesty to prioritize the well-being of the nation and its people, and to obey the will of Heaven by ascending the throne!"

Emperor Li Dan, despite his imperial status, was standing behind Wu Chengsi, which shows how low his position was.

Li Dan kowtowed again: "Your Majesty, I voluntarily resign from the throne. No member of the imperial family dares to assume the throne. The empire cannot be without a wise ruler for even a day. I beg Your Majesty to ascend the throne!"

A high-ranking military general stepped forward: "The soldiers of the capital garrison and the border troops are of one mind, obeying only the Emperor's orders, and are willing to die for the new dynasty!"

Wang Xuance, carrying the joint memorial from various countries, stepped forward and bowed to report:

"Your Majesty, I, your subject, oversee all the envoys from the four directions. In the past, the allied forces of eighteen nations rebelled, but Your Majesty's power and virtue quelled the rebellion. Now, eighteen envoys from the various kingdoms of the Western Regions and Central Asia have gathered in the capital, all submitting a petition stating: 'Heaven cannot have two rulers; the four seas universally revere the Holy Mother Divine Empress. If Your Majesty does not ascend the throne, the nations will have no common sovereign, and border conflicts will surely resurface. Foreign nations are devoted to you from afar; Heaven's mandate and the people's hearts are with Your Majesty. You cannot refuse again!'"

The envoys from various countries knelt down and shouted in unison in Chinese, pleading with Wu Zetian to become empress.

Thousands of people prostrated themselves in worship, their shouts echoing throughout the hall. They refused to rise, some weeping and kowtowing, creating a magnificent scene.

Wu Zetian declined for the third time.

"I have repeatedly declined, but you and the people of all nations have insisted. Even though auspicious omens have appeared one after another and the people have pleaded, the throne of the emperor carries a heavy burden. If I am even slightly wicked, it will bring disaster to the people. I am worried that I will not be able to govern this vast territory well and will fail the expectations of the people. Therefore, I dare not easily accept the abdication."

"If the government fails in the future and the people are displaced, won't those who urged me to ascend the throne today be filled with regret? I urge you all to find another virtuous and wise ruler and not to force me any further."

All officials responded in unison, effectively shutting down any excuses.

Wu Chengsi replied loudly, "The Mandate of Heaven has been decided, and the will of the people cannot be defied! Your Majesty's merits are unparalleled, and the hearts of the people are with you. If you were to be overly modest, you would be going against the will of Heaven and chilling the hearts of the people. We, your ministers and envoys from all nations, are willing to swear an oath to assist Your Majesty in governing the world, even at the cost of our lives!"

Everyone echoed in unison, their voices filling the hall.

With the three concessions concluded, it is in accordance with the will of Heaven and is imperative to proceed.

Seeing that the officials, members of the imperial family, common people, and vassal states were determined to refuse, Wu Zetian sighed deeply, her expression turned solemn, and she no longer declined.

"Since Heaven has bestowed its mandate, the people are devoted to it, and all nations have requested it, if I were to continue to evade it, I would be ignoring Heaven's will and failing the people's expectations. From this day forward, I will follow the will of Heaven and the people and accept the throne."

The entire audience cheered instantly, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times, and grand music and ceremonial music filled the air.

Therefore, an altar was set up at the Wanshang Temple to worship Heaven and Earth and the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and to announce the change of dynasties.

They changed the country's name to Zhou, changed the era name to Tianshou, and named Luoyang Shendu.

Empress Wu changed her title to Holy and Divine Emperor and her name to Wu Zhao, which means "the sun and moon soaring in the sky".

Li Dan was demoted to Crown Prince and given the surname Wu. The former Crown Prince Li Chengqi was made Imperial Grandson and given the surname Wu.

Seven temples were built for the Wu clan, and the ancestors of the Wu clan were posthumously honored as emperors. Wu clan members were granted titles: Wu Chengsi was the King of Wei, Wu Sansi was the King of Liang, and dozens of Wu clan members were granted the title of Prince.

He established the imperial examination system, including the palace examination and the military examination, allowing scholars from humble backgrounds to directly meet the emperor without the recommendation of aristocratic families.

At the same time, he bestowed honors upon all officials, granted a general amnesty, and bestowed wine, meat, and cloth upon elderly people in various regions.

The once-prosperous Tang Dynasty was usurped by a woman. From the establishment of the Tang Dynasty to Wu Zetian's replacement of the Tang Dynasty with the Wu Zhou Dynasty, it lasted only seventy-two years.

It was far inferior to the previous dynasties, the Qian and Han.

In Fangzhou, in a courtyard, an imperial messenger carrying a newly published official gazette passed through Fangzhou. As was customary, the supervising eunuch took a copy and delivered it into the courtyard for Li Xian to read.

Li Xian had no intention of reading it, but Lady Wei, fearing that he would become depressed and harm his health, spread out the official gazette on hemp paper and read it to him softly, word by word.

……

……

!!!

Li Xian trembled, stood up abruptly, widened his eyes, and snatched the imperial gazette.

Li Xian read the contents of the official gazette at a glance, his eyes filled with terror.

After reading it, the first package slipped from his hand, and Li Xian collapsed to the ground, his eyes glazed over, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

"It's all over! With the Empress Dowager replacing the Tang Dynasty with the Wu Zhou, the mountains will surely belong to the Wu family in the future."

"How could they possibly tolerate the princes of the Li family?!"

"Not to mention me, the former emperor!"

"I'm afraid that in a few days I'll be sent with either a long white silk ribbon or a cup of poison, which will take my life."

Li Xian looked at Madam Wei and his children with a guilty expression and sighed, "I've dragged you all down with me."

"If I had listened to my father's advice, gotten close to Xue Rengui, trusted him, and relied on him, with the Grand Tutor in control of the military, my mother would never have dared to act rashly, and I would not be in this situation today."

"What's even more hateful is that Wang Xuance, who was originally a minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, yet he abandoned me and sought refuge with the Empress Dowager!"

As he spoke, Li Xian embraced his children and wept uncontrollably.

Lady Wei tried to comfort Li Xian, but Li Xian's heart was filled with fear and he couldn't hear anything she said.

He doesn't regret it now, nor does he know he was wrong; he knows he's about to die.

In a village at the foot of a mountain in Yanzhou, Xue Rengui, dressed in a coarse cloth shirt, heard the news that the village head had relayed to everyone, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions.

He took the official gazette from the village head and returned home in silence. He sat down on the stone bench under the elm tree in the courtyard and carefully looked at the gazette in his hand.

On the ninth day of the ninth month of the first year of Tian Shou, the Holy Mother Divine Emperor ascended the Zetian Gate Tower, changed the name of the country to Zhou, and established the capital in Luoyang, the Divine Capital; she bestowed the surname Wu upon her heir Li Dan; she established seven temples for the Wu clan and enfeoffed many princes of the Wu clan.

Xue Rengui's fingertips turned white as he gripped the official gazette tightly, remaining silent for a long time.

His arms, which were strong and battle-hardened, trembled slightly, as if the piece of paper in his hands was as light as a feather, but in reality, it weighed a ton.

The Tang Dynasty ultimately perished.

He failed to fulfill his promise to the late emperor and protect the Tang Dynasty.

Xue Rengui recalled the time when he first resolved to join the army and serve his country. At that time, his family lived in a cave dwelling, and they were poor and could not afford to eat three meals a day.

Later, due to his bravery on the battlefield and his numerous meritorious deeds, he gradually rose to the rank of captain.

Later, he gained the favor of Su Dingfang and was entrusted with important responsibilities. He made great contributions during the suppression of the rebellion and was appointed as a general and ennobled.

Later, when the Eighteen-Nation Alliance invaded the Tang Dynasty, he was again valued by Empress Wu Zetian and appointed as the commander-in-chief, in which he defeated the alliance and achieved unparalleled military exploits.

At this time, he was actually more grateful to Empress Wu.

Empress Wu played an indispensable role in his rise to power.

However, he was ultimately a subject of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Gaozong, as the emperor, so earnestly entrusted the palace, his offspring, and the vast land to him, showing a profound sense of entrustment.

He chose Emperor Gaozong over Empress Wu.

He chose to shoulder the burden of the Tang Dynasty, serving as its last line of defense.

However, Li Xian was incompetent and easily believed the eunuch's misinterpretation and instigation. He personally stripped Li Xian of his military power, effectively cutting off his own arm, and even gave him a cup of poisoned wine, thus ordering his death.

After giving him the poisoned wine, he owed the Li Tang nothing.

Why does my heart still ache so much?