However, in history, there are many women who can hold power. After the Tang Dynasty, there were Liu in the Northern Song Dynasty, Cixi in the Liao Dynasty, and Cixi in the Qing Dynasty. They are all strong women with great power. They want to get wind and rain, and they have all done things like "listening to politics". However, they all participated in the discussion of state affairs in the form of "listening to politics". Why didn't they take the most crucial step and become the female emperor like Wu Zetian? You know, before them, there was already Wu Zetian. As the saying goes, "the power of example is infinite". With the "precedent" of Wu Zetian, why didn't Xiao Taihou and Empress Dowager Cixi follow suit?
First of all, let's see why Wu Zetian became emperor. Although the feudal era was a time when the concept of "men are superior to women" was very heavy, by the Tang Dynasty, this concept was not so serious. Because the Tang Dynasty was very powerful and prosperous at that time, it was an international metropolis and culturally open, so the concept of "men are superior to women" weakened a lot during this period.
According to historical records, women in the Tang Dynasty still had a high status in society. Like men, women can go out to play, study and even enter the official career and become a court official. Therefore, in the Tang Dynasty, many female literati and historical celebrities appeared. Like poetess Xue Tao, dancer Gong Sundaniang, calligrapher Wu Cailuan, Zhan Luan and so on.
In addition, women in the Tang Dynasty had higher personal freedom and were free to choose their husbands. Even after her husband dies, she can remarry, and no one will make irresponsible remarks about it. Therefore, the number of "martyrs" virtuous women in the Tang Dynasty is the least among several dynasties, only 5 1 person. There were 267 people in the Song Dynasty and 3600 people in the Ming Dynasty, which shows that the social status of women in the Tang Dynasty is still very high. Therefore, in such a big environment, it will not be a big problem for Wu Zetian to become an emperor as a woman. At least culturally and morally, there is not so much resistance.
Secondly, although Wu Zetian became emperor, her reign was 15 years. However, did Wu Zetian really leave Jiangshan in her own hands at last? The answer is no, Wu Zetian returned the throne to the Li family before she died. The reason is actually very simple, that is, there is no heir. If Wu Zetian wants to pass the throne to the Wu family, it is unreasonable. How did he enter the ancestral temple after his death? Didn't the Emperor Wu of later generations also become a "nephew" to worship "aunt" when he worshipped Wu Zetian?
Therefore, Wu Zetian who violated the "tradition" was eventually opposed by the "tradition". In order to keep her name behind her, Wu Zetian must pass the throne to her son Li Jia. Therefore, Wu Zetian finally chose Li Xian as the prince, which solved the problem of the heir behind him and his name. From this perspective, even Wu Zetian can't solve the problem. Even if later generations of women ascend to the throne, how long can they hold it? Therefore, every strong woman with "great talent" will think of Wu Zetian's situation when she wants to be an emperor, and feel that being an emperor is not so good, or even uneconomical.
One more thing, after the demise of the Tang Dynasty, the whole society returned to the serious situation of "men are superior to women". Women's status has become very underground, losing personal freedom and the right to choose a husband. Therefore, in such a big environment, the possibility of women becoming emperors is much smaller. Moreover, almost all women who have the opportunity to become emperors are in power, and they don't need to take that risk to seize the existing splendor and a brand that they don't need at all.