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.post p { margin:0 0 .75em; line-height:1.75em; text-indent:2em; }  The Sorceress' Revolt -  Ko Eiji's Story Author: Toriumi Jinzō Translator: Ainikki the Archivist Part One: Sorceress Chapter 1 Bianliang was the capital city of the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 CE). It was the largest city in the world at the time, with a population that exceeded one million. There were twenty-eight city gates, thirty-six entertainment districts with theaters, seventy-two official orchestras, and a forbidden Imperial Palace protected by a secret entrance. One theater was called Bianliang Tower, so-called because of its dizzying height. The wide-open lot behind the theater was filled with wildflowers. Courtiers played kemari 1 in an impromptu arena on that lot. The well-maintained road in front of Bianliang Tower was called Panlou Street 2 and was always bustling with people. Many wealthy families lived on Panlou Street to take advantage of the high-end shops and expensive entertainment options. Ko Kō’s family was one of these. Ko Kō (nicknamed “Moneybags” by his associates) was a merchant who owned three prosperous shops on Panlou Street. His wife was named Chō Shi, and she was an unparalleled beauty. Her family had been wealthy before her marriage, and she wanted for nothing. Ko Kō and Chō Shi were a power couple on Panlou Street; everyone wanted to be their friends. Ko Kō and Chō Shi had one child: a daughter named Ko Eiji. Like her parents, Ko Eiji was well-known and liked on Panlou Street. She was newly sixteen years old and was already almost as beautiful as her mother. Even Empress Wu Zetian in her youth was not so lovely in form and feature. She walked everywhere adorned from head to foot in gold and jewels. Her body was slim, but had attractive curves. Her skin was fair, and her dark straight hair spilled down her shoulders past her waist. It was no wonder that the men of Bianliang made such a fuss over Ko Eiji. They rushed to see her, wanting to catch a glimpse of her beautiful face even though they had neither the money nor the inclination to buy any goods from her parents’ stores. She was a sheltered girl, so it was difficult to meet her alone. Men said that regular visitors to Ko Kō’s store should consider themselves fortunate to converse with Ko Eiji once every ten years. Those who did manage to claim a precious moment of her time became the object of envy among their peers. These objects of envy suffered from an illness like dementia and failed to take food and water at normal times until forty-nine days after their visit to Ko Eiji. 3 Ko Eiji was blessed from the moment of her birth. She received nothing but love and care from her parents and was indulged in everything. On her seventh birthday, her mother, Chō Shi, said to her: “You are a child of Xuanwu, the god of the North Star.4 You will surely marry a good husband and be happy in life.” From that day on, Ko Eiji’s heart fluttered whenever she looked up at the Big Dipper in the night sky. By the time she was fourteen, she was a firm believer in astrology and thought that everything her mother said about her future was the truth. “Maybe I am a child of Xuanwu, the North Star. But why was I born in this house, and not in the sky?” she asked herself. It was around this time that she became interested in magic and began praying directly to Polaris, the North Star. When Ko Eiji was twelve, her parents hired a tutor to teach her. His name was Chin Zen, and Ko Eiji didn’t like him much, mainly because she disliked studying. She loved history, though, and was fascinated by tales of the past. Stories about noble beauties such as Daji, Bao Si of the Western Zhuo Dynasty, Yu Meiren of the Chu Dynasty, Diaochan from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Empress Wu Zetian, and Yang Guifei enraptured her. 5 Tales about powerful women in history took Ko Eiji into a dream world. How wonderful it would be if she could be reborn as one of them? Perhaps she was, and she just didn’t know it? Like all the women she learned about in history, she aspired to live a life of luxury within China’s Imperial Court. *** On September 9, 690 CE, the first and last Empress in Chinese history was formally crowned. The title that Empress Wu Zetian gave herself when she was first acknowledged as Empress was “Compassionate Ancient Golden Wheel Holy Divine Ruler.” 6 This was not the name of a Buddhist or Daoist deity, though it certainly resembled one. The name was meant to reference Matreiya,7 a Bodhisattva of loving kindness and compassion. Empress Wu Zetian was born as the second daughter of a lumber merchant in Wenshui, Bingzhou (Shanxi Province). She entered Emperor Taizong’s harem at the age of fourteen. Even at a young age, she was well-versed in literature and excelled at calligraphy. After Emperor Taizong’s death, she became a Buddhist nun who stayed in seclusion to pray for the soul of the deceased emperor. Later, she was summoned by Emperor Gaozong and returned to the palace as a concubine. They were already in love with each other. As a young woman entering Emperor Gaozong’s harem, Wu Zetian competed with Gaozong’s current Empress, Wang, and his consort, Xiao Shufei, for affection. At first, she served Empress Wang well and received commendations and titles based on this service. Empress Wang had no children and was jealous of consort Xiao Shufei, who had given birth to a son. Empress Wang bullied Xiao Shufei and imprisoned her based on false charges. Later, Wu Zetian also bore a son. Empress Wang loved the child and would often visit the nursery to hold him in her arms. One day, Empress Wang was seen leaving the child’s room by Wu Zetian. When Wu Zetian entered the room, she found the boy strangled to death and covered in bedclothes. Empress Wang had done this, then walked away as if nothing had happened. 8 A court lady saw Empress Wang leaving the palace and suspected her. Wu Zetian took this opportunity to cry and plead with Emperor Gaozong about Empress Wang’s wrongdoing. Empress Wang was dethroned and confined to the same estate as Xiao Shufei. Wu Zetian’s plan to depose them both had worked. *** The Wang and Xiao families lived in misery after that. Their daily lives were no different from those of common prisoners. Their only contact with the outside world was food sent through a small hole in the wall. When Wu Zetian heard their pleas to Emperor Gaozong, she became so enraged that she ordered their limbs to be cut off and plunged into wine jars. And so former Empress Wang and consort Xiao Shufei died, writhing in agony. All the senior officials who opposed Wu Zetian’s rise to power were executed by beheading. Wu Zetian suspected that the Eastern Palace’s armed guards were plotting treason and burned hundreds of them to death in front of the common people at the Tianjin Bridge in Luoyang. The sickly Emperor Gaozong had no choice but to rely on the talent of Wu Zetian to govern the country in his stead. In November of 655 CE, Emperor Gaozong overrode all opposition in the Imperial Court and bestowed the title of Empress on Wu Zetian. She ascended as a semi-divine being and received worship from all the civil and military officials of the court. *** After Emperor Gaozong’s death, Empress Wu’s third son, Li Zhe, ascended to the throne as Emperor Zhongzong. All political affairs were handled by Wu Zetian, who became the Empress Dowager. Empress Dowager Wu Zetian disliked Li Zhe because he attempted to rule independently from her. She decided to supplant him with her fourth son, Li Dan (who became Emperor Ruizong). Xu Jingye, a general who was demoted in response to Emperor Zhongzong’s removal, raised an army of over one hundred thousand soldiers in rebellion against Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian sent her own army of three hundred thousand, headed by General Li Xiaoyi, and the rebellion was quickly crushed. Empress Wu believed in both Buddhism and Taoism. The monk Fa Ming9 and others even presented her with a copy of the Great Cloud Sutra10 in hopes of gaining her favor. In the end, Li Dan was demoted and Wu Zetian ascended as Empress in her own right. She sat on the imperial throne wearing a crimson flower crown on her head, a yellow dragon-patterned robe, and a gold and jade leather belt around her shoulders. She was sixty-seven years old. The Dynasty name was changed to Zhou, and a new era began. After becoming Empress, Wu Zetian indulged in more and more splendor and luxury, and her reign became tyrannical. Her informants were provided with official traveling horses, and if their reports were proven to be true, they were given high-ranking government posts. Informing on others became widespread in society, and false accusations were rampant everywhere. Torture specialists were trained and special torture devices were made that had never been seen in history before. People suspected of insurrection or treason were brutally punished. The ultimate punishment was being drawn and quartered: the condemned would have their hands and feet tied to four horses that were forced to gallop away from each other, tearing the condemned to pieces. *** Empress Wu Zetian was a great lover of men. She favored the beautiful young brothers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong as well as the lowly medicine seller Xue Huaiyi, whom she promoted to high priest of a Buddhist temple. Wu Zetian always had at least one man by her side waiting to attend to her needs. As Empress, Wu Zetian indulged in every luxury. She used her power to enjoy everything life had to offer. Sadly, her desires caught up with her, and she fell into decline, spending days or weeks bedridden from illness. Chancellor Zhang Jianzhi seized the opportunity and returned Emperor Zhongzong returned to the throne. Wu Zetian, who had enjoyed immense power for fifty years, was forced to swallow her tears of regret and passed away in Shangyang Palace in December of 705 CE. She was eighty-two years old. Her posthumous name was given as Empress Wu Zetian, the Great Sage. 11 However, Wu Zetian could not die. She was too blessed to die. Too magnificent. She wanted to live in eternal joy. She lamented her illness, cursed at old age, and cursed death most of all. Wu Zetian’s soul floated bodiless for hundreds of years, searching for a place to land. Her only desire was to reclaim her past happiness—to live again and regain everything she desired. This time, she would keep it all forever. Wu Zetian’s obsession latched onto her soul and wouldn’t let go. *** Out of the darkness, Wu Zetian said, “Sei Koko, it has been a long time.” The darkness melted away, and several large bonfires emerged to light up the world. Sei Koko lay prone in an Imperial Palace garden. She sat up and looked around, not knowing how or when she had come here. An orchestra played in the middle distance. She recognized the music and her face lit up with joy. A pearl curtain hung in the center of a high platform above Sei Koko. The curtain parted, revealing Empress Wu Zetian and her ladies-in-waiting. She was eighty-two years old, and much of the beauty of her youth had withered. She wore her hair in a topknot to denote her imperial status. Sei Koko prostrated herself before Wu Zetian. “I have missed you, Empress,” she said. “I’ve been waiting so long.” “It’s been twenty-two years since we have seen one another.” “Yes. You asked me to wait and I have, Empress.” Twenty-two years before, Sei Koko had climbed Yongxing Mountain to pray for success in deciphering the Book of Desires and Treasures, also known as the Heavenly Book. She’d gotten caught up in a black whirlwind while traveling and found herself face-to-face with Empress Wu Zetian. The Empress had told her that her daughter would die young. She’d said: “Do not grieve for her. She will be reincarnated. My soul will be reborn through her.” Ever since that day, Sei Koko had waited… and plotted. Her daughter, Ko Biji, had died more than twenty years ago. Tears welled up in Sei Koko’s eyes. This was the day she had been waiting for, at long last. Sei Koko’s great ambitions in life would be realized. In a voice like a pronouncement of fate, Empress Wu Zetian said, “Sei Koko, Ko Biji has been reincarnated.” “My daughter is reincarnated… then where is she now?” “The law of the underworld states that reincarnation can take place at any time and in any place. I have found signs of her rebirth. She is already sixteen years old, and is in the prime of her life.” “What is her name? Where is she?” “Fear not; we shall find her. Ko Biji died in violence, and her soul is tethered to the place where she was murdered. She must be in Bianliang, or very near it.” “Yes, that is likely true,” Sei Koko said. “Reincarnation does not mean awakening to one’s past life,” Wu Zetian said. “This, too, is a law in the underworld. Until the child’s soul surpasses the age of her past life’s death, my will shall not be revived in her.” “Ko Biji was summoned into the underworld when she was eighteen years old, during a holiday of mourning.” “Yes. And when this girl is eighteen, I will be resurrected through her, performing a miracle that will overturn the world. Sei Koko, your dreams and mine will come true on that day.” “It is the day we have all been waiting for, Empress Wu Zetian. But Bianliang is a large city, and I fear it will be difficult to find the girl.” “You and Ko Biji were mother and daughter. Fragments of that connection yet remain. Rely on your Daoism, and I certain that you will be able to detect her.” “I will find her even if I must dig through every blade of grass in the province.” “I have a sense that Beizhou shall be important for us.” “I’ve heard that Beizhou is a very religious place.” “When you find your reincarnated daughter, take over Beizhou and establish a foothold there.” “I will follow your orders, Empress.” Sei Koko bowed, then raised her head. She was awake in her own bed, and there was no sign of Empress Wu Zetian anywhere. A divine spirit like Wu Zetian could not lie. Wu Zetian had predicted that Ko Biji would be short-lived. Sei Koko took everything she said as the gospel truth. She firmly believed that Wu Zetian had appeared to her in her dreams and had given her instructions. The summer sun shone through Sei Koko’s window as she sat up. It all seemed so real… Ko Biji, who would be reincarnated as Wu Zetian, was the foundation of Sei Koko’s future. She had died in the summer of 1024 CE during an attack on the eunuch Rai Ingyō’s estate. Sei Koko had stolen her daughter’s body from Tanshi’s arms and carried her away. Tanshi was a monk her daughter’s age, and he had foolishly fallen in love with Ko Biji. The attack was not meant to kill Ko Biji. The girl had been caught in the crossfire between the corrupt Rai Ingyō and the righteous Ryū Gen, who had led an attacking force of salt smugglers to put an end to Rai Ingyō’s persecution of the poor and helpless. *** Sei Koko was a wanted woman: the government was investigating her as a sorceress. She’d managed to keep a low profile by relocating to a teahouse at the foot of Mt. Zixia in Wenshui. There was a shrine nearby dedicated to Wu Zetian, complete with a statue of the Empress in the annex. Sei Koko worshiped there every night without fail. Once a year, Sei Koko made a pilgrimage alone to Yongxing Mountain in Shanxi Province to commune with Wu Zetian’s spirit and pray for the reincarnation of Ko Biji. Sei Koko’s dream revelation must have been in response to her fervent belief in Wu Zetian. After twenty years, the reason that Sei Koko was wanted by the government passed out of public memory, and eventually people stopped talking about her altogether. Even Sei Koko’s name was forgotten, and no one searched for her any longer. Even if she had been found, she would not be recognizable as the same woman. She hadn’t aged a day since her daughter’s death, and her persona was so meek and mild that no one would have suspected her of murdering Imperial Guardsmen in cold blood. Sei Koko had mastered the teachings in the Heavenly Book and was making plans for world domination. Her youthful longevity might have been caused by the knowledge she’d gained in the Heavenly Book. She also practiced sexual alchemy with Ryou Hei, her sixteen-year-old servant boy; that, too, might have contributed to her continuous youth and vitality. Since her daughter’s death, Sei Koko had occupied herself with founding a new religion in secret. The religion was not an offshoot of Buddhism or Daoism. She called it “True Divine Immortal Spirit Religion,” or “Immortal Spirit Religion” for short. The religion’s main teaching was that if a person worshiped Wu Zetian and followed Sei Koko, her prophet, the path to immortality would open to them and they would gain eternal life. *** Sei Koko and Wu Zetian had similar personalities. This was not surprising, since Sei Koko viewed Wu Zetian as the ideal of femininity and believed all women should be like her. Wu Zetian was an aspirational role model for Sei Koko. She used her wisdom and cunning as tools to help her succeed. Wu Zetian had strangled her own child to death and massacred senior officials who opposed her will in order to get ahead in life. Sei Koko had driven Ko Biji to her death out of blind ambition. She’d poisoned followers who learned too much or tried to steal money from her. She used men as Wu Zetian had. To Sei Koko (and Wu Zetian), men were toys to be played with, and they were to be seen and not heard. When her favorite follower, Kai Hei, had stolen her gold and silver in the past, Sei Koko had killed him by stabbing him in a vital spot while having sex with him. *** There were no other houses near the teahouse where Sei Koko lived. It was far from the nearest city, and the steep valley was not suitable for building a noble estate. If anyone noticed Sei Koko’s small home, they would probably think it was the secluded residence of a connoisseur or a person of refined tastes. There were several buildings scattered within a reasonable distance of the teahouse. One was a training ground for the more martial followers of the Immortal Spirit Religion, all of whom had been trained by Sei Koko. These followers were sorcerers who had been recruited by Sei Koko. They protected Sei Koko and her teahouse, and in exchange, Sei Koko instructed the sorcerers in forbidden magic. If it came down to it, they would risk their lives and their power to defend Sei Koko. They had been brainwashed into thinking that she was the key to gaining their own immortality. To the sorcerers, Sei Koko was an absolute being. They worshiped her and call her a living saint. *** Sorcerers had variations in natural talent. Sei Koko had a practiced eye for recognizing that talent. The knowledge contained in the Heavenly Book granted her this discernment. If she judged that a sorcerer did not meet her exacting standards for recruitment, she ordered the other sorcerers to silently eliminate them. Sorcerers who broke free from their brainwashing and conditioning were handled in the same way. She had ordered the deaths of thirty-eight sorcerers so far. Until Sei Koko’s plans came to fruition, she couldn’t risk anyone finding out about them in the outside world. Dozens of sorcerers flocked to her. They’d been military officers, fortune tellers, Daoists, actors, street performers, carpenters, chefs, and many more different professions before they came to her. They were quick to learn, but they were also limited in what they were allowed to learn. She couldn’t teach them the knowledge in the Heavenly Book, for example. The monk Tanshi had risked his life in Hakūn-do Cave to retrieve the Heavenly Book, and its knowledge was divine in nature; the sorcerers could not touch it. Sei Koko could only learn from it because she had translated and deciphered the text of the book with Tanshi. Sorcerers were not all created equal. There were three distinct ranks among the sorcerers: weak, regular, and strong. Weak sorcerers used low-level magic to hypnotize others. Regular sorcerers had mastered at least one magical art. Strong sorcerers were blessed with supernatural powers from the moment of their birth. None of the strong sorcerers were stronger or more capable than Sei Koko, but several approached her in strength. Ranks were not fixed. Weak sorcerers could become regular sorcerers with training, and regular sorcerers could become strong sorcerers. In battle, the weak sorcerers were under the command of the regular sorcerers, and the regular sorcerers were under the command of the strong sorcerers. Every sorcerer obeyed Sei Koko’s orders. There were no women among the sorcerers, at Sei Koko’s insistence. They had to train so that they could fight together and individually; Sei Koko didn’t want them being distracted by women in their midst. She said to the sorcerers: “After the plan falls in place, I’ll let you have as much fun as you want with whatever woman you want. Keep up the good work until then.” The sex-starved sorcerers worked hard based on that promise. *** Sei Koko put her sorcerer recruits through a series of tests based on the Imperial Court’s civil service exam and military exam. Generally speaking, the civil exam was easier and less respected by the common people, but in times of peace and unification civil officials were by and large more respected than military officials. The military exam was similar to the civil exam in that it was conducted in three parts, with the last part of the exam taking place before the Emperor. Exam subjects included mounted archery (shooting a target while galloping from horseback), regular archery, and sword dancing. In times of peace, men who passed the military exam struggled to find good-paying work; most often, they were assigned a position in the Imperial Army at the lowest rank. Jin Sen was a regular sorcerer who passed his military exam with distinction, beating out every other person taking the exam that day. His skill in martial arts was exceptional. He was assigned as a military officer in the Imperial Guard, but then he punched his superior and ran off. The punch broke his superior’s neck, and after that he was a hunted man. His most practiced and distinctive technique was the Blue Dragon Sky Two-Sword Strike. He never spoke much, but he was loyal and courageous. Sei Koko trusted him the most out of all the sorcerers under her command. The sorcerer Chō Ki was nearly Jin Sen’s equal in strength. He was a mountain of a man: very tall and very large around. He couldn’t be moved unless he wanted to do the moving himself. He came from India originally and had trained as a Daoist. His head was shaved; he wore a red hood over his bald pate. Chō Ki was a master of fire magic and could spew flames from his mouth. With one puff, he could reduce an entire cow to ashes. By manipulating his red hood, he could cut the flames he produced to pieces and create a firestorm. His great physical strength coupled with his magical power made him practically invincible. Sei Koko summoned Jin Sen and Chō Ki to her teahouse and ordered them to take control of the other sorcerers. They were to search for Ko Biji’s reincarnation in Bianliang and find her at any cost. Translator's Notes  1 蹴鞠: Kemari is a type of football (soccer) played by courtiers in ancient China and Japan. ↩ 2 潘楼街: Panlou Street was the location of one of the famous Night Markets in Bianliang; others included Zhouqiao Night Market and Maxing Street Night Market. The Maxing Street Night Market was particularly impressive, stretching for dozens of miles. Crowds flocked to Night Markets in the city, and they were hubs of industry and trade. ↩ 3 This is a bit challenging to translate. The general sense is that the men of Bianliang treat Ko Eiji as an object, and those who manage to meet her become objects: living dolls that can no longer feed or clothe themselves. The reason for forty-nine days as a limit is related to Buddhism; some Buddhists believe that the soul does not depart from the body until forty-nine days after the person has died. This belief was especially prevalent in China during the time period when this story is set. Meeting Ko Eiji, then, takes on the significance (and side effects) of a near-death experience. ↩ 4 北極佑聖真君: This divine title is a bit tricky. The likeliest meaning for it is Xuanwu (玄武) or Xuandi (玄帝), also known as Zhenwu (真武, lit. 'True Warrior' or 'Truly Valiant'). Xuanwu is a revered deity in Chinese religion, and one of the higher-ranking deities in Daoism. The god Xuanwu was believed to have assisted the Chinese Emperor Zhu Di in taking the throne during the Jignan Rebellion. Zhu Di was a minor character in Toriumi Jinzo's Dororo novels, namely Hyakkimaru's Birth. ↩ 5 妲己: Daji was the favorite consort of Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang Dynasty (600–1046 BCE) in ancient China. In legends and fiction, she is portrayed as a malevolent fox spirit who kills and impersonates the real Daji. Her identification as a fox spirit seems to have originated from at least the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). She is considered a classic example of how a beautiful femme fatale can cause the downfall of a dynasty in Chinese culture.褒姒: Bao Si (ruled c. 779 – 771 BCE) was the concubine of the ancient Chinese sovereign You of Zhou. She was considered one of the most beautiful Chinese women ever, and there are many legends about her life. Some of these legends claim she was born of a virgin slave girl, and there is a long extended story of her husband offering a reward to anyone who could make his melancholy wife laugh. Later, the Marquess of Shen killed King You of Zhou and captured Bao Si for himself, ending the Western Zhou Dynasty. The story of Bao Si and King You of Zhou is amongst the most well-known and iconic of love stories from ancient China, and serves not only as a demonstration of extreme love but also as a cautionary tale of how beauty can topple a nation.虞姬: Yu Meiren (died 202 BCE), also known as "Yu the Beauty" (虞美人), was the wife of the warlord Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu competed with Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, for supremacy over China in the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BCE). In 209 BC, Yu Meiren met Xiang Yu, fell in love with him and became his wife. Afterward, she followed Xiang Yu on his military campaigns and refused to remain behind. She accompanied him to all battles. In 202 BCE, Xiang Yu was besieged in the Battle of Gaixia by the combined forces of Liu Bang, Han Xin and Peng Yue. Xiang Yu ultimately died by suicide in the Battle of Gaixia, but historical records do not mention the fate of Yu Meiren. In later cultural works, it is commonly depicted that she also committed suicide out of love and loyalty.貂蟬: Diaochan is based on a minor historical personage about whom little is known. The fictional character of Diaochan is best known for her role in the 14th-century historical novel _Romance of the Three Kingdoms_. In the novel, she has a romance with the warrior Lü Bu and causes him to betray and kill his foster father, the tyrannical warlord Dong Zhuo. She was praised in tales as a woman of unrivaled beauty who did what no other hero in China was able to accomplish: put an end to Dong Zhuo's regime of terror and the eventual end of Lü Bu, triggering the events that would lead to the formation of the Three Kingdoms: Cao Wei, Eastern Wu, and Shu Han.武則天: Wu Zetian (c. 17 February 624 – 16 December 705 CE) was Empress of China from 660 to 705 CE, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as Empress Consort through her husband Emperor Gaozong, and later as Empress Dowager through her sons Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong, from 660 to 690 CE. She subsequently founded and ruled as empress regent of the Wu Zhou dynasty of China from 690 to 705 CE. She was the only female sovereign in the history of China widely regarded as legitimate. Under her forty-five-year reign, China grew larger, becoming one of the great powers of the world. Its culture and economy were revitalized, and corruption in the court was reduced. She was eventually removed from power during a coup and died a few months later.楊玉環: Yang Yuhuan (c. 719 – 15 July 756 CE), often known as Yang Guifei (楊貴妃, with _Guifei_ being the highest rank for imperial consorts during her time), was the beloved consort of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang during his later years. During the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong and his cortege fled from the capital Chang'an to Chengdu. During this flight, the emperor's guards demanded that he put Yang Guifei to death because they blamed the rebellion on her cousin Yang Guozhong and the rest of her family. The emperor capitulated and reluctantly ordered his attendant to supervise her forced suicide. ↩ 6 慈氏越古金輪聖神皇帝: This is the name that Empress Wu Zetian gave herself when she was first acknowledged as Empress. ↩ 7 弥勒菩薩: Matreiya is a Bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddha in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha. In some Buddhist literature, he is referred to as Ajitā (Invincible, Unconquerable). In Tibetan Buddhism he is known as the "Lord of Love" or the "Noble Loving One." The root of his name is the Sanskrit word maitrī (Pali: metta; meaning friendliness, loving-kindness). In all branches of Buddhism, Maitreya is viewed as the direct successor of Gautama Buddha (the first Buddha, known as Shakyamuni Buddha in Japanese). ↩ 8 This is a slight stretch of the truth. By this point Wu Zetian had already given birth to two sons, but neither was in line for the imperial succession (due to political reasons, not because the children were illegitimate or fathered by another man). The child who was strangled to death was a daughter. Historical accounts agree that the girl was strangled to death shortly after her birth. Empress Wang had no alibi and was blamed. Contemporaneous and modern historians speculate that Wu Zetian may have strangled her own child to implicate Empress Wang, though of course no evidence for this exists. Death from SIDs is equally (if not more) likely. Other accounts of events in this section, like Wu Zetian's murder by proxy of Empress Wang and consort Xiao Shufei, do have historical precedent but are somewhat exaggerated. ↩ 9 法明: Fa Ming was a Tang Dynasty monk famous for arguing against the preaching of "The Conversion of the Barbarians" sutra, which has a legendary basis and not a historical one. Fa Ming argued before Emperor Gaozong against many other Daoist monks; his arguments led to the sutra being thrown out of Chinese Buddhist canon, after which it was no longer taught in China. This was likely a positive development, since the sutra was steeped in racism; "The Conversion of the Barbarians" reported that Lao Tzu traveled to India and taught the Indians a lesser form of Daoism because the Indians were too "underdeveloped" and "stupid" to understand real Daoism. Fa Ming argued that the story presented in the sutra was apocryphal and that these events never happened, and was very likely right. ↩ 10 大雲経: The Great Cloud sutra contains an account of a female Bodhisattva devī (goddess) named Vimalaprabhā. In one passage, the Buddha gives a prediction about her future attainments and exploits as a great queen.This story was used by the Chinese Empress Wu Zetian as part of her propaganda to promote herself as a Bodhisattva. ↩ 11 則天順聖皇后: This is Wu Zetian's posthumous name. A posthumous name is an honorary name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or reputation, the title is assigned after death and essentially replaces the name used during life. Although most posthumous names are given to royalty, some posthumous names are given to honor significant people without hereditary titles, such as courtiers or military generals. To create a posthumous name, one or more adjectives are inserted before the deceased's title. The name of the state or domain of the owner may be added to avoid ambiguity. ↩