After Transmigrating as Wu Zetian's Eldest Daughter

Reader comments are now open. 80% anti-theft protection for the first 24 hours One day, Li Jia died and transmigrated to the Tang dynasty, becoming a three-month-old baby. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted not by the scent of luxurious perfume and the hearty laugh of old money, but by “Heaven has been moved by Lady Wu’s sincerity! The princess has come back to life!” Dazed, she looked around at the sea of faces, listening to them mention “Lady Wu,” “Empress Wang,” and “Consort Xiao.” Having watched enough melodramatic dramas about “Wu Meiniang,” Li Jia could only stare blankly and wonder: Had she become the eldest daughter Wu Zetian had lost in infancy? - Wu Zhao had always believed that Heaven had given her life so she could achieve great things, no matter how difficult the road might be. She was prepared for the possibility of being betrayed at any moment and left to fight alone by the women of the imperial harem, the ministers at court, and even her own children. That is, until her eldest daughter, returned to her by Heaven, took her hand with unwavering resolve. Wu Zhao lowered her head and watched her daughter sleeping soundly in her lap. Suddenly, life seemed full of wondrous surprises. From deposing Empress Wang and raising Wu to the throne, to bringing down the Guanlong aristocracy, from ruling alongside the emperor to performing the Fengshan sacrifices at Mount Tai… At every step, her eldest daughter offered support so unwavering it was almost mindless, even when Wu Zhao set out to become emperor in her own right and found a dynasty. The only thing both disappointing and fortunate was that her Jiashuo wasn’t very perceptive. Of course, that’s not to say her son-in-law was stupid. Wu Zhao really wanted to ask Li Jiashuo: If you’re not interested in literature, why are you so besotted with Wang Zian, who is talented only in literature? - The historical records about Wang Bo amount to only a few brief lines. “Wang Bo, courtesy name Zian, was from Longmen, Jiangzhou. He began composing at six, and at nine pointed out errors in Yan Shigu’s annotations to the Book of Han. At sixteen, he passed the You Su examination and was appointed Court Gentleman for Audiences. When the princes held a cockfight, he wrote ‘Proclamation Against the Rooster of Prince Ying’ as a joke and was expelled. Later, he secretly killed a government slave, and his father was demoted on his account. After writing the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, he drowned in the sea and died of shock.” The good news: Li Jiashuo, who had transmigrated, really did know Wang Bo and had memorized the entire Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng. The bad news: Li Jiashuo, who knew almost nothing about history, knew Wang Bo only from the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, and from the fact that this dashing genius was really handsome and confident! They had only been in love for six months when a female official rushed in with a report. “Your Highness, something terrible has happened.” “What is it?” “His Majesty has seen ‘Proclamation Against the Rooster of Prince Ying.’” “Father thinks it’s powerful too, right? I knew Father and I had the same taste, ” “His Majesty says ‘Proclamation Against the Rooster of Prince Ying’ sows discord between the princes. The scholar has been expelled from Prince Pei’s residence and ordered to leave Chang’an next month.” Li Jiashuo: . After a long silence, Jiashuo asked gravely, “Do you think Father knows he’s my boyfriend?” - Little extra: Most ministers were furious and resentful about a woman participating in government, openly and covertly accusing the Empress of acting like a hen crowing at dawn, and wondering how later generations could possibly judge her without regret. In the Mingtang Hall, the emperor and empress cited the classics as they debated a crowd of scholars. Behind the hall, Li Jiashuo listened in, rubbed her cheek, and mused, “How would they judge her? A score of 9599.” Wang Bo, listening beside her and keeping an eye out for loopholes and useful material, turned and whispered, “Yuanxi, should I put that line in too?” A few things to know before reading: Main couple: Li Jiashuo and Wang Bo / Li Yuanxi and Wang Zian This story follows Li Jiashuo’s view of her mother and the rulers of her time, from Lady Wu’s days as a consort to the Shenlong era, while she falls into a turbulent, romantic love affair. This is a romance, and the relationship isn’t just a backdrop. The romance takes a while to get going, though, since she’s still a baby at first. But our emperor and empress are also great to ship. Since the story features Wu Zetian, I won’t write her carelessly. A Wu’s storyline gives equal weight to her career and her love life, and family bonds are also central to the plot. It’s a happy family story. 1. Also known as The Most Politically Astute Couple in the World and Their Politically Oblivious Daughter and Son-in-Law (This does not defame Wang Bo. The few historical records about him suggest his political instincts were poor, and Jiashuo, who is only half-literate, also knows nothing about politics at first. Wang Bo won’t be written as a man blinded by love, his talents won’t be diminished, and his historical character won’t be distorted. There are ample reasons for him to marry a princess and support the Zhou dynasty.) 2. The main references are the Old Book of Tang and the Tang Huiyao. I won’t use unofficial histories, nor will I ignore the less flattering official histories. For official histories not covered by the Old Book of Tang, I’ll refer to the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government and the New Book of Tang. (Given the limitations of their era and the political climate of the Northern Song, I’ll treat their accounts of Wu Zetian with skepticism.) I won’t demonize the emperor and empress’s ambitions or relationship. I’ll portray both their deep love for each other and the subtle power struggles between them. I reject stereotypes like “the cruel empress” or “the weak emperor,” but I won’t portray them as flawless saints either. 3. This story takes artistic liberties. If anything leaves you puzzled, feel free to discuss it civilly in the comments or paragraph comments. No fighting, please. Getting angry is bad for your health. 4. Wu Zhao and Li Zhi are both sexually experienced; their daughter and son-in-law are both sexually inexperienced. Li Jiashuo won’t have children, for a good reason. 5. This isn’t a story where the protagonist knows the future. Li Jiashuo knows nothing about history and could even be called historically ignorant. She offers an objective perspective on historical figures, neither glorifying nor belittling anyone. She’s neither stupid nor exceptionally clever, and she won’t hold her mother or father back. 6. Because her life is so happy and smooth, and because she transmigrated as a three-month-old baby, Li Jiashuo’s mental age regresses. It’s 26 at the start, then gradually syncs with her Tang-era body as she grows older. In her teens, she’s innocent and naive. She isn’t acting cute on purpose, and there’s nothing wrong with her mind. She isn’t stupid; her intelligence is perfectly normal. A Wu’s original name is unknown. Before the name “Zhao” came into use, this story calls her Wu Ci. (Her mother was Buddhist, and her older sister was named Shun. I speculate she had a single-character name, and that it may have been connected to her sister’s.) The story names Princess Anding Li Jiashuo: Jia means “beautiful,” while Shuo means “the beginning of the first lunar month” and contains the character for “moon.” (Wu Zhao and Li Zhi seem to favor the sun-and-moon motif, and the heroine’s birthday is set as the first day of the first month.) Her courtesy name is Yuanxi. Yuan reflects that Li Zhi would consider his and A Wu’s first daughter “my eldest daughter”; Xi suits the couple’s tastes and evokes sunlight shining over the land. Theme: Honor your parents and elders, and live well.