Shangguan Wan'er (664~710)
A native of Shaanxian County, Shaanzhou (now part of Henan), she was the granddaughter of Shangguan Yi, the prime minister of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. In the first year of Linde (664), Shangguan Yi was killed by Empress Wu for drafting an edict for Emperor Gaozong to depose Wu Zetian. The newly born Shangguan Wan'er was exiled to Yeting together with her mother Zheng. During her time as a slave in Yeting, under the careful training of her mother, Shangguan Wan'er was familiar with poetry and books. Not only could she recite poems and write essays, she was also knowledgeable about official matters and was extremely intelligent. In the second year of Yifeng (677), Shangguan Wan'er was summoned to the palace by Wu Zetian, who proposed a topic on the spot and asked her to write an article accordingly. Shangguan Wan'er's prose was written in a matter of seconds without adding any extra points, and its meaning is smooth, the words are gorgeous, and the language is beautiful. It really seems to have been composed long ago. Wu Zetian was overjoyed after seeing this, and immediately ordered her to be relieved of her status as a slave and let her take charge of the palace's edicts. Soon, Shangguan Wan'er was sentenced to death for disobeying the decree. However, Wu Zetian cherished his literary talent and pardoned her, but only gave her a tattoo. From then on, Shangguan Wan'er served her carefully and catered to Wu Zetian's needs. Starting from the first year of the Holy Calendar (698), he was allowed to handle hundreds of memorials and participate in government affairs, and his power became increasingly powerful.
In the first year of Shenlong (705), after Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty was restored to power, Shangguan Wan'er was given the task of drafting edicts. She was deeply trusted, and she was consecrated to Zhaorong, and her mother Zheng was granted the title of Lady of Peiguo. In the second year, Wu Sansi relied on the support of Empress Wei, Princess Anle and others, and successively planned to demote and kill five kings, including Zhang Jianzhi, Huan Yanfan, Jinghui, Yuan Shuji and Cui Xuanwei. His power was overwhelming and arrogant. Shangguan Wan'er also had an affair with her, and in the edicts she drafted, she often praised the Wu family and suppressed the royal family, which made the prince Li Chongjun very angry. In July of the first year of Jinglong (707), Li Chongjun, together with Zuo Yulin General Li Duozuo and others, sent out an imperial edict to send more than 300 Yulin troops to kill Wu Sansi and Wu Chongxun in their mansion, and punished their close associates for ten years. The remaining people also led troops to cut through Suzhangmen, knocked on the pavilion door, and searched for Shangguan Wan'er. Shangguan Wan'er hurriedly fled to Tang Zhongzong and Empress Wei, and threatened: "The prince's intention is to kill Shangguan Wan'er first, and then arrest the queen and your majesty in turn." Empress Wei and Zhongzong were furious, so they took After Shangguan Wan'er and Princess Anle boarded the Xuanwu Gate to avoid the enemy, they ordered General Liu Jingren of Youyu Lin to lead more than 2,000 flying cavalry to camp in front of the Taiji Hall and defend themselves behind closed doors. The prince was defeated and killed.
After that, Shangguan Wan'er often persuaded Zhongzong to appoint a large number of Zhaowenguan bachelors, summoned officials of the dynasty's Ci studies, gave many banquets and entertainments, and composed poems and songs. Shangguan Wan'er replaced Zhongzong, Empress Wei and Princess Anle at the same time every time, and composed several poems together. The poems were beautiful, and most people at that time recited and sang them. Zhongzong also ordered Shangguan Wan'er to evaluate the poems written by ministers. Those who ranked first were often rewarded with golden titles, which were extremely valuable. Therefore, reciting poems and writing poems became a common practice both inside and outside the imperial court. Zhongzong sent people to build rocks across the pond at Shangguan Wan'er's residence, and decorated them with exquisite carvings, which often attracted ministers to enjoy themselves. At that time, the palace restrictions were relaxed and palace officials were allowed to come and go at will. Shangguan Wan'er then bought and built mansions outside the palace with some palace officials, and often hung out with some unscrupulous dandies and market scoundrels. Some people sought high-ranking positions because of this. Cui Shi, the minister of Zhongshu, was later taken as the prime minister because of his affair with Shangguan Wan'er outside his house. Soon after, Cui Shi made many mistakes when presiding over the election. He was impeached by the imperial censor Li Shangyin and was demoted to the Sima of another state for the crime. He was still reinstated because Shangguan Wan'er and Princess Anle appealed for him.
In the fourth year of Jinglong (710), Princess Taiping became increasingly powerful, and Shangguan Wan'er secretly attached herself to Princess Taiping. In June, after Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty was poisoned by Empress Wei and Princess Anle, Shangguan Wan'er and Princess Taiping drafted a posthumous edict and established King Wen Li Chongmao as the crown prince. Empress Wei knew the political affairs, and Prime Minister Li Dan participated in the political affairs. In July, Linzi King Li Longji led Yulin soldiers into the palace and killed Queen Wei and her party members. Shangguan Wan'er held a candle and led the palace people to greet her, and showed Liu Youqiu the edict drafted by her and Princess Taiping. Liu Youqiu took the edict to Li Longji to explain it to him, but Li Longji refused and killed Shangguan Wan'er under his banner. In the early years of Kaiyuan, Tang Xuanzong sent people to collect Shangguan Wan'er's poems and compile them into twenty volumes, and asked Zhang Shuo to write a preface. This collection is lost today, and "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" contains only thirty-two of his poems.