Empress Wu Zetian: China's Only Female Emperor and Her Reign of Terror

Wu Zetian started as a 14-year-old concubine to Emperor Taizong with no power and little status. By the time she died at 81, she had become China's only female emperor, ruling with absolute authority for 15 years and wielding power for over 50. Her rise was paved with corpses - rivals strangled, poisoned, or driven to suicide; relatives exiled or executed; officials tortured by her secret police. The most shocking allegation: she allegedly smothered her own newborn daughter and blamed Empress Wang, leading to Wang's horrific execution and Wu's ascension to empress.

The baby murder story defines Wu's ruthlessness. According to historical accounts, when Empress Wang visited Wu's infant daughter, Wu strangled the baby immediately after Wang left, then ...