Imperial Mind | A Reader's Club

Excerpts from Lecture on Art of War of Wu Zetian

Why study the mind of Wu Zetian? The First Lady Emperor Wu Zetian is the

one and only female Emperor

in the history of China. In other words, she can issue Imperial Edicts under her own name. Her rise to power is phenomenal, from a lowly Imperial maid - later forced out of the Palace to be a nun – she became China’s supreme leader. She is the best example of a strategist

who rose through her mastery

of yin-yang principles. If Sun Tzu’s Art of War is essential reading for battles fought on the outside (external marketplaces), Wu Zetian is compulsory for battles fought in the inside (internal boardroom). During her reign, China was then one, if not the most powerful country on Earth.

符绩德

演讲 "武则天聖神皇帝之道"

One of her keys to success is in how she manipulates the Imperial system of eunuchs.

First on entry into

the Palace, being nobody she

befriends the Gong-gong:

Chief of Eunuchs. Whenever she is selected by the Emperor

for his pleasure, she shares what she is given (jades, jewels)。

So naturally,

She is preferred choice when

the Emperor asks for suggestions

from Gong-gong.