Updated 2017 :
The Han-era empress Lu Zhi–a woman portrayed by Chinese
historians as the epitome of all that was evil. It was Lu Zhi who,
in 194 B.C., wreaked revenge on a concubine rival by gouging out
her eyes, amputating her arms and legs, and forcing acid down her
throat to destroy her vocal chords. The mute and limbless concubine
was then tossed into a cesspit in the palace with the wild boars.
It seems possible that the fate ascribed to Wang and the Pure
Concubine was a chronicler’s invention, intended to link Wu to the
worst monster in China’s history.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/
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There has been much evil on the planet since ancient times, in
almost every civlization, and ancient China is no exception (heck,
modern China too).
Wu Zetian, famous for being the only female emperor of China in
history, was also famous for her extreme cruelty.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Wu
Wu Zetian had the demoted empress née Wang and concubine Xiao
executed in a cruel manner -- their arms and legs were battered and
broken, and then they were put in large wine urns and left to die
after several days of agony.
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http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/418928
It has been said that Mei (Wu Zetian) herself killed her own
daughter in order to accuse the Empress of such atrocity. Empress
Wang was disgraced and Mei was promoted to the position of Empress
in her place. As Empress, Mei had the hands and feet of the former
Empress Wang and the concubine Xiashu amputated. They were then
placed in vats of vine and left to die.
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http://www.members.tripod.com/~journeyeast/empress_wu.html
One of the first things Mei-Niang (Wu Zetian) did was to give an
order to amputate the hands and feet of the ex-Empress, and of the
Concubine Xiao. Those two women were then thrown into barrels of
wine with their arms and legs tied together and left to die.
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http://www.bluechipmag.com/pi/0904/art22.html
Soon after she became Empress, Wu Zetian became worried that the
Emperor would regret his treatment of Empress Wang and Lady Shiao
(which he was showing signs of doing). Wu ordered that both women
be whipped mercilessly and that their hands and feet be cut off.
She then had them thrown in the palace wine vats let their bones
and marrow melt in drunken ecstasy! she allegedly said.
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http://users.bigpond.net.au/bstone/china.htm
Wu Zetian framed Empress Wang by smothering her own daughter,
accusing the Empress of the crime. Wu became principal consort. In
665, Wang was accused of attempting to poison the emperor, was
stripped of her title of empress, and banished. Wu became empress.
Her first goal was to kill those who stopped her rise to the
throne. Wang was dismembered and left in a wine vat to die.
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