Emperor Ruizong of Tang in the context of "Wu Zhou"

Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (26 November 656 – 3 July 710), personal name Li Xian, and at other times Li Zhe or Wu Xian, was the fourth and seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710. During the first period, he did not have actual power, which was in the hands of his mother, Empress Wu Zetian and he was overthrown on her orders after opposing his mother. During his second reign, most of the power was in the hands of his consort Empress Wei.

Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), and during the reign of his father, Emperor Zhongzong's mother Empress Wu, not Emperor Gaozong, was in actual control of power as empress consort and power behind the emperor. He succeeded his father in 684, But as emperor, he had no true power, and all authority remained in the firm hands of his mother, Empress Dowager Wu. His mother, however, deposed him less than two months later in favor of his younger brother Emperor Ruizong. The former emperor, demoted to a princely rank, was exiled to the provinces and placed under house arrest. Six years later, Emperor Ruizong relinquished the throne to his mother and Empress Dowager Wu officially proclaimed herself empress regnant, while Emperor Ruizong was made crown prince.

Princess Taiping (Chinese: 太平公主; pinyin: Tàipíng Gōngzhǔ; literally "Princess of Great Peace"; born after 662 – died August 2, 713) was a member of the Tang imperial family and a political figure active during the reigns of her mother Wu Zetian, and her brothers Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong (both of whom reigned twice), particularly during Emperor Ruizong's second reign, when for three years until her death, she was the real power behind the throne.Her personal name is not recorded in official histories, though some later sources suggest it may have been Li Lingyue (李令月).

She played a significant role in court politics during a period of dynastic transition, including the restoration of the Tang dynasty following Wu Zetian’s abdication. Princess Taiping was involved in the 705 coup that reinstated Emperor Zhongzong and later supported the 710 purge of Empress Wei’s faction. During Emperor Ruizong’s second reign (710–712), she held considerable influence over state affairs and was regarded as a key figure in the administration.

Zhou, known in historiography as the Wu Zhou (Chinese: 武周) and Southern Zhou (Chinese: 南周), was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty that existed between 690 and 705. The dynasty consisted of the reign of one empress regnant, Wu Zhao (Wu Zetian), who usurped the throne of her son, the Emperor Ruizong of Tang, in 690. The dynasty lasted until another one of Wu Zhao's sons, the Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, was restored to the throne in the Shenlong Coup (zh) in 705, marking the restoration of the Tang dynasty. Historians generally regard the Wu Zhou as an interregnum of the Tang dynasty.

Wu named her dynasty after the ancient Zhou dynasty, from whom she believed herself to be descended.

Yao Chong (Chinese: 姚崇; pinyin: Yáo Chóng; 650 – September 28, 721), born Yao Yuanchong (姚元崇), known 700s–713 by the courtesy name Yuanzhi (元之), posthumous name Duke Wenxian of Liang (梁文獻公), was an official of the China's Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties, serving as chancellor under four sovereigns—Wu Zetian, her sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong, and her grandson Emperor Xuanzong. After his resignation in 716, he still had great influence inside the imperial government, and his opinions often influenced the decisions of Emperor Xuanzong and the succeeding chancellors.

Song Jing (Chinese: 宋璟; 663 – November 21, 737), posthumous name Duke Wenzhen of Guangping (廣平文貞公), was a Chinese politician of the Tang dynasty and Wu Zhou dynasty, serving as the chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong. He was praised by historians for his insistence on being morally upright, and for being a just administrator of the law during his time as Emperor Xuanzong's senior chancellor.

Zhang Yue (simplified Chinese: 张说; traditional Chinese: 張說; pinyin: Zhāng Yuè) (667 – 9 February 731), courtesy name Daoji (道濟) or Yuezhi (說之), posthumous name Duke Wenzhen of Yan (燕文貞公), was a Chinese historian, military general, poet, and politician of the Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties. He served as chancellor on three separate occasions during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and under Emperor Xuanzong. He was known for having suggested the transition of Tang central government armed forces from being conscription-based to recruitment-based, and for turning the office of the chancellor into a specialized post with strong executive powers.

Zhang Yue was a well-respected literary figure of his time, and was ranked alongside Su Ting (Duke Wenxian of Xu, another of Emperor Xuanzong's chancellors) as the two great writers of the Kaiyuan era. They were known in unison as 燕許大手筆 ("Immense pen-brushes from Yan and Xu").