Chapter Ten - The Fall of the Tang Princes

CHAPTER TEN

The Fall of the Tang Princes

BY THE EARLY 690s, Wu Zhao had everything she needed.

Power? Check.
Popular support? Check.
Religious backing? Locked in.
Rivals? Already buried.

There was only one thing left standing in her way. The Tang Dynasty itself.

Technically, she was still ruling on behalf of the Tang. Her sons had been placed on the throne, then removed. She was ‘just holding power until a rightful male heir could take over.’

That was the story.

But everyone knew the truth. And Wu was done pretending.

The Tang had to go.

She started with the bloodline. One by one, her sons were cut off from power.

Zhongzong was still under heavy surveillance. He made the mistake of speaking up again, trying to flex some authority. Wu shut it down instantly. He was placed under house arrest, stripped of titles, and watched day and night.

Ruizong, her quieter, more obedient son, was still emperor in name. But he wasn’t allowed to speak in court. He couldn’t issue orders. He couldn’t even sneeze without permission. His job was to exist and not mess things up.

Wu didn’t trust either of them.

She began to doubt all of her children. Every son was a potential rival. Every male heir reminded the court that technically this was still the Tang era.

And the Tang princes?

They were already fading into irrelevance.

Some were sent away to distant provinces. Others “fell ill” and died. The ones that lived knew better than to speak.

Even her grandsons weren’t safe. One was punished after criticizing her inner circle, and he didn’t survive the fallout. People seemed to just die under *ahem* mysterious circumstances.

Wu Zhao wasn’t trying to preserve the imperial line.

She was replacing it, with herself at the center.

The Tang princes were supposed to inherit the world.

But Wu Zhao reminded everyone who actually owned it.