釋氏稽古略 3.108

3.108

His personal name was Xian. He was the seventh son of Emperor Gaozong. He was established as the crown prince. Earlier, when Emperor Gaozong died, the crown prince ascended the throne. In the first month, he honored the Heavenly Empress as empress dowager. He established Consort Wei as empress. He promoted the empress's father, Wei Xuanzhen, to governor of Yuzhou. When the emperor intended to make Xuanzhen a director of the Chancellery, Pei Yan firmly contested it and did not comply. Yan secretly plotted with the empress dowager. In the second month, on the wuwu day, the emperor was deposed as Prince of Luling and moved to Fangzhou, and then moved again to Junzhou; Xuanzhen was banished to Qinzhou. In the first year of the Shengli era of Zetian, he was re-established as the crown prince. Arriving at the yisi year, in the first month on the yisi day, the Heavenly Empress abdicated the throne to the crown prince. On the bingwu day, the emperor ascended the throne. On the dingwei day, the empress dowager moved to reside in the Shangyang Palace. The emperor led the hundred officials to present the honorific title 'Great Sage Emperor Zetian'. In the eleventh month on the renyin day, she passed away. In the first year of Shenlong, in the second month, the national title of Tang was restored. The suburban sacrifices, imperial ancestral temples, altars of soil and grain, banners, and the hundred officials were all returned to the precedents before Yongchun. Shendu (which is Luoyang) was made the Eastern Capital, and the Northern Capital was made Bingzhou. The emperor reigned for six years and lived to fifty-five years of age. Reign eras: Shenlong (two [years]), Jinglong (four [years]).