Wu Zetian's Political Purges

Timeline

1. 684–686Chang'an · GuanzhongAfter deposing Zhongzong, Wu Zetian executed a group of Li Tang imperial clansmen and former officials on charges such as treason, changed the banners, and moved the capital to Luoyang, using terror to intimidate opposing factions.
2. 688–697Chang'an · GuanzhongCruel officials such as Lai Junchen and Zhou Xing presided over imperial prisons, fabricating charges through interrogations modeled on the Luozhi Jing, targeting the bureaucratic elite and imperial clan, forming a highly personalized machine of terror.
3. 697Chang'an · GuanzhongLai Junchen was executed for his crimes; Wu Zetian gradually dismissed the cruel officials and turned to imperial examination graduates from humble backgrounds and capable officials. Political terror relatively eased, but the imperial clan and old families were severely weakened.