20 Facts About Wu Chengsi

Wu Chengsi, courtesy name Fengxian, formally Prince Xuan of Wei, was a nephew of the Chinese sovereign Wu Zetian and an imperial prince of the Wu Zhou dynasty.

Wu Chengsi participated in her planning in taking the throne and had wanted to become crown prince after she claimed the throne in 690, but his attempts were repeatedly rebuffed, and after she showed her intent to eventually return the throne to her son Li Zhe by recalling Li Zhe from exile in 698, Wu Chengsi died in disappointment.

When Wu Yuanshuang was exiled, Wu Chengsi went to Zhen Prefecture with his father.

Wu Chengsi was made the minister of imperial clan affairs.

Around this time, it appeared that Wu Chengsi became a close confidant of hers, and later that year, when the chancellor Liu Rengui, who was then in charge of the capital Chang'an, offered to resign, it was Wu Chengsi that she sent to Chang'an to comfort Liu and to dissuade him from resigning.

In 687, Wu Chengsi further accused Li Xiaoyi of having made comments that he would be emperor one day, and Empress Dowager Wu had Li Xiaoyi exiled to Dan Prefecture, where he died in exile.

In 688, Wu Chengsi had the words, "The holy mother is on earth, and the imperial sovereignty will forever be magnified" carved onto a rock and then had the rock thrown into the Luo River.

Wu Chengsi then had the commoner Tang Tongtai "discover" the rock and offer it to Empress Dowager Wu as a sign of divine favor.

Wu Chengsi took the throne as "emperor" and established her Zhou dynasty, interrupting Tang.

Wu Chengsi had a number of her Wu relatives created imperial princes, and Wu Chengsi was created the Prince of Wei.

Wu Chengsi then pointed out to Wu Zetian that Li Dan was her son and closer to her than a nephew.

Wu Chengsi pointed out that she had received her power from her husband Emperor Gaozong, whose worship would be swept aside if Wu Chengsi were to become emperor.

Around this time, Li Zhaode secretly suggested to Wu Zetian that Wu Chengsi's powers were becoming too great and would soon rival her own.

Wu Chengsi subsequently tried to accuse Li Zhaode of crimes, but Wu Zetian did not believe him.

Wu Chengsi continued to be honored and around the new year 693, when Wu Zetian offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, she personally offered sacrifices first, and then had Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi follow her in sacrificing.

Wu Chengsi invited Biyu to come to his mansion to teach his own concubine arts, and then kept her and would not allow her to go back to Qiao.

When Wu Chengsi found this poem on her, he had secret police officials falsely accuse Qiao of crimes, and Qiao was killed.

Later that year, Wu Chengsi was again made chancellor, but less than a month later, he was again removed.

Wu Chengsi, seeing his chances of being crown prince slipping away, died later that year in distress.

Wu Chengsi was succeeded by his eldest son Wu Yanji who had married Princess Yongtai daughter of Emperor Zhongzong.