Wu Zetian favored many men but had no illegitimate children, why?

The life of Wu Zetian (624 - 705) - the first and only female emperor in Chinese history has many things to say, from merits, crimes, to personal controversies. Of course, love affairs cannot be left out.

Wu Zetian had two husbands. The first was Tang Taizong, the second was Tang Gaozong. After her second husband passed away, Wu Zetian ascended the throne and proclaimed herself emperor. As an emperor, in addition to power, she also had a harem of concubines waiting to serve her. Wu Meiniang was the same. She had hundreds of male concubines. All were carefully selected, only those who were strong and handsome could serve Wu Zetian.

Among Wu Zetian's male concubines, there were many who were famous for their husbandly skills and were favored by her. It is recorded that every night, at least two male concubines served Wu Zetian. Even when she was over 70 years old, Empress Wu still maintained this habit.

Despite her rich love life, Wu Zetian strangely never became pregnant or gave birth to a child for any male concubine. There are many theories surrounding this story. Some people believe that Wu Zetian used birth control pills after each sexual encounter. Empress Wu did not want to give birth to a child for anyone, because she knew that it would spark a power struggle in the imperial court.

In addition, pregnancy would also delay and hinder her rule. Wu Zetian's keeping of male concubines was simply to help her relieve her boredom, and could not be considered as the empress's bedfellow.

There is also information that Wu Zetian could not conceive because when she became emperor she was over 60 years old. At that age, even if she wanted to, it would be very difficult for Wu Zetian to have more children.

Besides Wu Zetian, these are two of the most feared women in Chinese history.

1. Luc Tieu Man with scandalous love affairs and lavish lifestyle

Lu Xiaoman was one of the most famous women in 20th century China. At that time, she was very scandalous: she had extramarital affairs, then divorced, and her lifestyle was said to be extremely lavish.

Lu Xiaoman was born into an upper-class family in Shanghai in 1903, and was known for her stunning beauty and extensive knowledge. She was a talented writer and painter, fluent in English. She married Wang Geng, but within the first few years of their marriage, she fell in love with her husband's friend, the poet Xu Zhimo, one of the most famous poets in China at the time. Zhimo had been married before, but later divorced. This was China's "first modern divorce."

Lu and the poet quickly became entangled in a messy affair while she was still married to Wang Geng. She eventually divorced him and married Xu Zhimo in 1926. Xu quickly realized that he could not keep up with her lavish lifestyle. She squandered her money on luxury goods, fine dining, and extravagant nights out. She even rented a house with 14 servants. Lu's extravagant lifestyle got Xu into serious financial trouble.

During an argument about her spending, the conflict between the two reached its peak and Mr. Tu left home. During that fateful trip, he died in a plane crash. Because Mr. Tu left during the argument and boarded an old plane instead of a more modern one due to lack of money, some people believe that it was Ms. Lu Xiaoman who pushed her husband to his death.

2. Empress Dowager Cixi - ambitious and cruel

Empress Dowager Cixi is one of the most famous empresses in Chinese history, known for her ruthlessness and determination. She was born into a prominent Manchu family and was brought into the Forbidden City as a concubine of Emperor Xianfeng.

She was favored by the Emperor early on, especially after the birth of her son. Xianfeng often discussed politics with her, so she became knowledgeable about the state of affairs and gained more and more power. When Xianfeng died, Empress Dowager Cixi did everything she could to seize all power. She forced the regents to disappear and placed her son, Tongzhi, on the throne.

She ruled the country during the reign of her son, and later during the reign of her grandson, Emperor Guangxu. When Guangxu ascended the throne, she imprisoned him in a palace inside the Forbidden City and did not allow anyone to see him except his wife and servants, who were later banished.

In fact, Empress Dowager Cixi reigned for 47 years. She was famous for her debauchery, lavish banquets, and expensive jewelry. Her banquets included 150 dishes, and she drank from jade cups and ate with golden chopsticks. Until the end of her life, she still harbored hatred for her grandson Guangxu. Some documents say that she was unwilling to die before Guangxu, so she had him poisoned with arsenic. She died one day after Guangxu died.

The emperor "offered a man to the queen", but it turned out to be intentional because he was infatuated with a young master. JLO21:17:11 19/12/2024What is surprising is that despite possessing three palaces and six courtyards, seventy-two concubines with the most beautiful women in the empire, many Chinese Emperors were homosexuals...