Chapter Six - The Crown and the Corpse

CHAPTER SIX

The Crown and the Corpse

BY THE EARLY 660s, Wu Zhao wasn’t behind the curtain anymore.

She was the curtain.

Emperor Gaozong was still alive, technically, but most days he wasn’t capable of running anything. He was half-blind, sick, and struggling to stay conscious. And Wu? She wasn’t just helping. She was replacing.

She sat in on audiences. She issued orders. She met with ministers. She heard petitions.

And nobody stopped her.

Because she made it work.

Wu knew how to handle power without making a show of it. She didn’t walk around shouting. She didn’t demand everyone call her god. She just... acted like the one in charge. And eventually, everyone adjusted.

People stopped talking about Gaozong’s government and started talking about Wu’s rule.

But not everyone rolled over.

Some ministers protested. Confucian scholars especially hated her. Not just because she was a woman, though yeah, that was part of it, but because she was rewriting the script. Women weren’t supposed to rule. They weren’t supposed to speak in court. They sure as hell weren’t supposed to make policy.

Wu didn’t care.

She tightened censorship. She created new agencies to monitor dissent. She installed loyalists in key positions. And when someone spoke too loud, they were quietly removed. Or not so quietly, depending on the case.

Then came the real shift.

In 660, Emperor Gaozong officially declared that Wu would co-rule with him. It was the closest thing China had ever seen to a woman being recognized as an equal ruler.

But unofficially?

She’d already passed him.

By this point, she was the one calling the shots. Gaozong didn’t argue. Whether out of love, weakness, fear, or some combination, he let her take the lead.

And the country ran better because of it.

Wu was ruthless, but she wasn’t reckless. She promoted capable people, especially those outside the traditional power circles. She picked administrators for talent, not just family connections. She strengthened the civil service exams. She punished corruption. She raised revenue without raising rebellion.

But the more effective she became, the more enemies she made.

The court started whispering again. About witchcraft. About ambition. About what would happen if Gaozong died.

And then he did.

683 CE. Emperor Gaozong was gone.

Officially, their son Zhongzong took the throne. But everyone knew the truth.

Wu wasn’t stepping down.

She’d outlived her rivals. Now she’d outlive her husband.

And put the crown on herself.