Later in 690, Empress Dowager Wu took the throne herself (and was thereafter known as Wu Zetian) and took the title of "emperor," demoting Emperor Ruizong to be
crown prince, but with the unusual title of
Huang Si () rather than the usual title of
Huang Taizi (), and she changed the name of the state from Tang to Zhou (). She encouraged people to submit signs of fortune and of Zhou's rise, and it was said that Cen Changqian, apprehensive of his situation, submitted a proposal to have Crown Prince Dan's surname changed from
Li to
Wu, which Wu Zetian accepted. To reward Cen, she created him the Duke of Deng, and further bestowed on him the surname of Wu as well as the honorific title
Tejin (). However, Cen would soon offend Wu Zetian and her Wu clan members. There had been a movement started by the official
Zhang Jiafu and the commoner Wang Qingzhi () to have Wu Zetian's nephew
Wu Chengsi made crown prince—under the theory that given that Wu Zetian was now emperor, she should be succeeded by a member of the Wu clan rather than her husband's Li clan. They circulated a petition among officials, and Cen refused to sign—and further suggested to Wu Zetian that, as Wu Dan was already crown prince, this proposal should be firmly rejected and that the group of people that Zhang and Wang had gathered before the palace to petition Wu Zetian should be disbanded. He was supported in this by fellow chancellor
Ge Fuyuan. Cen and Ge's actions offended both Wu Zetian and her Wu clan members. At that time
Buddhist monks from He Prefecture (, roughly modern
Chaohu,
Anhui) -- especially
Xu Huaiyi -- submitted a sutra, the
Dayun Sutra (
Great Cloud Sutra, ), which purportedly foretold Wu Zetian's rise to power. They also released the
Commentary on the Great Cloud Sutra, which laid out the argument that the sutra was an omen of her ascent to leadership. Wu Zetian issued an edict that this find be commemorated by the construction of the impressive Dayun Temple (). Cen opposed this as well, further drawing her displeasure. To remove Cen from the capital
Luoyang, in late 690, she ordered him lead an army against the
Tufan, but even before his army could reach the front, she recalled him to Luoyang and imprisoned him. One of Wu Zetian's favored secret police officials,
Lai Junchen, then tortured Cen's son who was serving as Magistrate of Lingyuan () and obtained a confession implicating Ge and fellow chancellor
Ouyang Tong, as well as a large group of other officials. In winter 691, Cen Changqian, Ge, and Ouyang were all executed. Cen Changqian's five sons were forced to commit suicide, and his ancestral tombs were destroyed. Dozens upon dozens of officials and their relatives (including Cen's) were executed, exiled, or fled to Southern China during the reign of Wu Zetian. After Emperor Ruizong was eventually restored to the throne in 710, he restored Cen's titles and reburied him with honor. His nephew (actually son of his cousin i.e. a grandson of Cen Wenben)
Cen Xi later also served as a chancellor during Emperor Ruizong's and
Emperor Xuanzong's reigns. == Notes and references ==