The evaluation of many historical figures must serve the needs and trends of the current political climate.0

For example, when Zhang Yuelu wanted to implement her new policies, she looked through the history books and found that Zhang Suqing, the Chancellor of Jiangling during the previous Wei Dynasty, had also been a reformer. As a result, she had people promote Zhang Suqing’s legacy, downplaying his shortcomings and emphasizing his achievements, thereby building momentum for her own reforms and policies. Consequently, Zhang Suqing’s historical reputation improved significantly.0

Even if the reputation of certain historical figures could not easily be changed, they could still be quietly shelved and mentioned as little as possible.0

Empress Mingkong was the best example of this.0

At the beginning, the Daoist Order highly praised this empress, as they wanted to emphasize equality to break the Confucian system of propriety and moral hierarchy. Although Empress Mingkong herself had not spoken much about equality, she at least had some connection to the idea. Thus, during this period, her reputation remained quite favorable, especially with the Daoist Order’s endorsement. This was when the Daoist Order and the Buddhist Sect were allies and had maintained relatively good relations.0

Therefore,...0