He had just ascended the throne, and if Wu Sansi and others were to rebel in desperation, the imperial throne he had painstakingly obtained might be lost again.
Finally, his sister, Princess Taiping, was ambitious, taking their mother as a role model, and was determined to become the second empress.
If Wu Meiniang were to be completely negated at this critical juncture, the myth of the empress would be completely shattered.
In the future, if Princess Taiping wanted to become empress, she would inevitably face immense resistance, and it was absolutely impossible for her to allow Li Xian to do so.
Once Princess Taiping joined forces with the Wu family and launched another palace coup, his reign as emperor would surely be over.
Precisely because the situation was so complex, no matter how much Li Xian hated her, he had to issue a decree to honor Wu Meiniang.
Her posthumous title was 'Empress Regnant Zetian Dasheng,' honored with the specifications of an emperor. This meant that she, who had abdicated, was not the Empress Dowager, but the Grand Empress Dowager.
Thus, she also became the only legendary woman in history to have been an emperor, a queen, an empress dowager, and a grand empress dowager.
It is said that the Han and Tang dynasties were periods of great prosperity, recognized by history as powerful dynasties.
Strangely, both of these legendary dynasties experienced brief dynastic changes.
In the Han Dynasty, Wang Mang usurped the throne, severing the long Han Dynasty in half and dividing it into the Western Han and Eastern Han.
In the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian established the Wu Zhou dynasty, splitting the prosperous Tang into two, only for it to be reunited later.
Even more incredibly, Wang Mang reigned for fifteen years, and Wu Zetian also reigned as emperor for fifteen years.
However, while both were rulers of fallen states and usurpers, their fates were completely opposite.
Wang Mang was dismembered and died without a burial place, his name eternally disgraced on the pillar of historical shame.
Wu Zetian, however, broke the tragic fate of a ruler of a fallen state, dying with honor and being laid to rest in peace.
This was not only because she was Li Xian's biological mother but also because of the arrangements she made during her reign.
She understood the importance of her maternal family too well. While establishing her son, she actively granted power to her maternal relatives. After abdicating, with her maternal family as her backing, no one could do anything to her.
A strong maternal family was of utmost importance for women in ancient times.
With a supportive maternal family, a married woman could hold her head high in her husband's household.
Many believed that Li Xian's decree to honor his mother as Empress Regnant Zetian Dasheng was a matter of course, but they did not deeply consider how unwillingly he issued this decree after being cruelly deposed by his mother and then regaining the throne.
'The Double Saints of the Tang Dynasty' fully depicted this unwillingness and the power struggles behind it. Audiences realized how foresightful the Empress's arrangements were.
It is said that what goes around comes around. Without such arrangements, it would be pure fantasy for the Empress to expect a peaceful retirement and a perfect conclusion after abdicating.
With Li Xian ascending the throne and honoring his birth mother in the second to last episode, 'The Double Saints of the Tang Dynasty' only had the final episode left.
In this final episode, after abdicating, Wu Meiniang, sensing her approaching end, hurriedly summoned her trusted secretary, Shangguan Wan'er.
Wu Meiniang said to Shangguan Wan'er, "Wan'er, my body is failing. Please help me draft an imperial decree, to be issued in the form of my dying testament after I pass away."
Shangguan Wan'er was startled and quickly said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you are destined for eternal life. How can you speak such inauspicious words?"
Wu Zetian said with a wry smile, "Even wishing for a hundred years of life is so difficult, let alone eternal life. I know my own body. Please draft the decree for me."