WU ZETIAN
The story of Wu Zetian, the only woman to ever rule China as emperor in her own right, who weaponized religion and fear to shatter every rule about gender and power.
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Chapters
20 total- 01Chapter One - The Girl from Bingzhou
- 02Chapter Two - Into the Dragon’s Den
- 03Chapter Three - Death of a Dragon
- 04Chapter Four - Resurrection
- 05Chapter Five - The Rise of Pure Consort Wu
- 06Chapter Six - The Crown and the Corpse
- 07Chapter Seven - The Puppet Emperor
- 08Chapter Eight - Secret Police and Silent Graves
- 09Chapter Nine - The Buddhist Prophecy
- 10Chapter Ten - The Fall of the Tang Princes
- 11Chapter Eleven - Declaring Herself Emperor
- 12Chapter Twelve - Reform, Rebuild, Rebrand
- 13Chapter Thirteen - Blood on the Lotus
- 14Chapter Fourteen - Lovers, Liars, and Lamas
- 15Chapter Fifteen - The Tang Loyalists
- 16Chapter Sixteen - A Body in Decline
- 17Chapter Seventeen - The Coup of 705
- 18Chapter Eighteen - Death in Seclusion
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Edition notes and short pages
WU ZETIAN
WU ZETIAN
The Empress Who Took the Dragon Throne
by James Johnson
Dedication
To every woman they told “you can’t.”
And to every man who believed them.
You were laughably incorrect.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THANKS TO THE ghosts who left records behind.
To the scribes who tried to erase her.
To the historians who looked again.
And to the readers who know legacy always cuts deeper than reputation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JJ IS THE author of over 250 books on history, psychology, power, and the human condition. He writes with clarity, speed, and irreverence, turning the past into something you can actually feel. His work cuts through the myths to show you how the world really worked.
When he’s not rewriting history, he’s probably writing another book. Or five.
More at: jjarchives.com
(Or wherever books refuse to be boring.)
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 JAMES JOHNSON All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be copied, stored, or transmitted in any form without written permission from the author, except in brief quotations for review, education, or commentary.
This book is a historical biography written for general understanding. It’s based on historical records, academic research, and public domain materials, blended with narrative interpretation and commentary. Some events and quotes have been paraphrased or condensed for clarity. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, history, especially imperial Chinese court politics, is messy, biased, and incomplete. Interpretations may vary, and that’s the point.