Yuan Xi (died c. December 207), courtesy name Xianyi or Xianyong , was a Chinese military general and politician. He was the second son of Yuan Shao , a warlord who controlled much of northern China during the late Eastern Han dynasty . He was executed along with his brother Yuan Shang by Gongsun Kang .
67-485: Yuan Xi's wife, Lady Zhen , was taken as a wife by Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi , while Yuan Xi still lived. Yuan Shuji , a Tang dynasty chancellor , was a descendant of Yuan Xi. Yuan Xi was described in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms as "intelligent but weak and indecisive", in contrast to his older brother Yuan Tan , who was described as "brave but impulsive and violent". After
134-514: A beautiful lady, an emperor, and his romanticised brother." A tradition dating back to at least as far as an undated, anonymous note edited into the Tang dynasty writer Li Shan's annotated Wen Xuan had Cao Zhi meeting the ghost of the recently deceased Empress Zhen, and writing a poem originally titled Gan Zhen Fu ( 感甄賦 ; Rhapsody on Being Moved by Lady Zhen ). Afterwards, Cao Rui found this poem about his uncle's love for his mother, and changed
201-741: A campaign to attack a coalition of northwestern warlords led by Ma Chao and Han Sui , leading to the Battle of Tong Pass and the subsequent battles. Cao Cao's wife Lady Bian followed her husband and stayed at Meng Ford ( 孟津 ; present-day Mengjin County , Henan ), while Cao Pi remained in Ye (in present-day Handan , Hebei ). Lady Bian fell ill during that time. Lady Zhen became worried when she heard about it and she cried day and night. She constantly sent messengers to inquire her mother-in-law's condition, but refused to believe them when they reported that Lady Bian
268-409: A conspiracy to exterminate the eunuchs. They were, however, rebuffed by Empress Dowager He, and they hatched the plan to secretly order a number of warlords to advance on the capital Luoyang to force Empress Dowager He to agree to their demands. One of these warlords was Dong Zhuo , who saw this as an opportunity to control the central government. He Jin's plan was discovered by the eunuchs, who laid
335-573: A few months later. Cao Pi mourned her death and posthumously elevated her to the status of an empress. Pei Songzhi , who added the Wei Shu account to Lady Zhen's biography in Sanguozhi , found the account dubious. He believed that there were specific reasons as to why Cao Pi did not instate Lady Zhen as the empress after he became the emperor, and why he forced her to commit suicide. He suspected that Lady Zhen had probably committed an offence, which
402-405: A girl should watch?" When she was nine years old, she became interested in scholarly arts and started reading books and using her brothers' writing materials. Her brothers told her, "You should be learning what women traditionally do (such as weaving). When you picked up reading, were you thinking of becoming a female academician?" Lady Zhen replied, "I heard that virtuous women in history learnt from
469-455: A harshly-worded edict condemning Yuan Shao for taking over nearby provinces – even though it still bestowed Yuan with the highly honorific post of Grand Commandant. Cao Cao and Emperor Xian maintained a superficially cordial relationship, but this did not prevent two major confrontations involving Cao and other court officials. In early 199, as Cao Cao was facing a major military confrontation against Yuan Shao, Dong Cheng claimed to have received
536-465: A noble title – Duke of Shanyang ( 山陽公 ), and gave him a fiefdom of 10000 households, with Zhuolucheng (浊鹿城) as the capital. Liu Xie was also ranked above vassal princes, didn't have to refer to himself as a subject while speaking to the emperor and didn't have to kneel when receiving edicts. The former Emperor Xian died in April 234 and was buried with honours befitting an emperor, using Han ceremonies, and
603-620: A number of local officials, loosely forming a coalition led by Yuan Shao, quickly rose up against Dong Zhuo. Even though they still feared Dong Zhuo's military power and did not directly advance on Luoyang, Dong Zhuo was also fearful of their collective strength, and therefore determined to move the capital west to the old Han capital Chang'an , closer to his power base in Liang Province (涼州; covering present-day Gansu ). On 9 April 190, he forced Emperor Xian to relocate to Chang'an and set fire to Luoyang, leaving it largely in ruins. After
670-609: A number of sons previously, and therefore both Liu Xie and his elder brother Liu Bian were known by such titles; Liu Bian, having been raised by Shi Zimiao ( 史子眇 ), was known as "Marquis Shi"). Liu Bian was born of the empress and was older, but Emperor Ling viewed his behaviour as being insufficiently solemn and therefore considered appointing Liu Xie as his crown prince , but hesitated and could not decide. When Emperor Ling died in 189, an influential eunuch official whom he trusted, Jian Shuo , wanted to first kill Empress He's brother, General-in-Chief He Jin , and then install Liu Xie on
737-523: A positive image of Lady Zhen. Pei remarked that Chen Shou had done well in omitting the questionable information when he first compiled Sanguozhi . Lady Zhen's personal name was not recorded in any surviving historical text. All near-contemporary sources, such as Chen Shou's Sanguozhi and Xi Zuochi 's Han–Jin Chunqiu , refer to her as "Lady Zhen" ( 甄氏 ), "Madam Zhen" ( 甄夫人 ), "Empress Zhen" ( 甄后 ), or simply "(the) Empress" ( 后 ). The attachment of
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#1732772160404804-484: A secret edict issued by Emperor Xian (hidden in a belt), and he entered into a conspiracy with Liu Bei , Zhong Ji ( 种輯 ) and Wang Fu ( 王服 ) to assassinate Cao Cao. Late in 199, Liu Bei started a rebellion and waited for Dong Cheng to act in the capital, but in 200, Dong's conspiracy was discovered, and he, along with Zhong Ji and Wang Fu, were killed. Liu Bei was later defeated by Cao Cao and forced to flee to Yuan Shao's territory. Dong Cheng's daughter, an imperial consort,
871-407: A trap for him and killed him. Yuan Shao then led his forces into the palace and killed the majority of the eunuchs. The remaining eunuchs initially took the young emperor and Liu Xie hostage, but were eventually forced to commit suicide when the battle turned against them. When Dong Zhuo then arrived on scene, he, impressed with his own power and unimpressed with the nervous Emperor Shao, by threatening
938-522: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lady Zhen Lady Zhen (26 January 183 – 4 August 221 ), personal name unknown, was the first wife of Cao Pi , the first ruler of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. In 226, she was posthumously honoured as Empress Wenzhao when her son Cao Rui succeeded Cao Pi as the emperor of Wei. Lady Zhen was from Wuji County ( 無極縣 ), Zhongshan Commandery ( 中山郡 ), which
1005-560: Is in present-day Wuji County , Hebei . She was a descendant of Zhen Han ( 甄邯 ), who served as a Grand Protector ( 太保 ) in the late Western Han dynasty and later the General-in-Chief ( 大將軍 ) during the short-lived Xin dynasty . Her father, Zhen Yi ( 甄逸 ), served as the Prefect of Shangcai County in the late Eastern Han dynasty . He died when Lady Zhen was about three years old. Lady Zhen's mother, whose maiden family name
1072-458: Is unruly, impulsive and disobedient. She has made me angry many times before. I'm sending her away." Lady Zhen wept and pleaded with her husband, "Everyone knows that you love and adore me, and they'll think that you're sending Lady Ren away because of me. I fear that I'll be ridiculed and accused of abusing your favour towards me. Please consider your decision again carefully." Cao Pi ignored her and sent Lady Ren away. In 211, Cao Cao embarked on
1139-443: The Battle of White Wolf Mountain , after which they fled to Liaodong to join the warlord Gongsun Kang . Gongsun Kang feared that they would become a threat to him, so he lured them into a trap, executed them, and sent their heads to Cao Cao. Lady Zhen bore Cao Pi a son and a daughter. Their son, Cao Rui , later became the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. Their daughter, whose personal name
1206-451: The Battle of Ye in 204. Cao Pi died on 29 June 226 and was succeeded by Cao Rui , who became the second ruler of Cao Wei . On 25 July 226, Cao Rui granted his mother the posthumous title "Empress Wenzhao", which means "cultured and diligent empress". Lady Zhen's family and relatives also received noble titles. Xi Zuochi 's historical text Han–Jin Chunqiu mentioned that Cao Rui had all along been aware of his mother's fate, and he
1273-532: The Duke of Zhou and the beautiful consort Daji , lately the favourite of the defeated king Di Xin , and legendarily blamed for the downfall of the Shang dynasty . Thinking that Kong Rong was citing a classic text to praise him, Cao Cao asked about the source, but Kong merely said, "I saw what happened in our day and thought it must have been so." In 207, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Xi, Yuan Shang and their Wuhuan allies at
1340-510: The Han dynasty . Cao Pi became the emperor and established the state of Cao Wei , which marked the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period. The dethroned Emperor Xian was reduced to the status of Duke of Shanyang ( 山陽公 ). The former emperor presented his two daughters to Cao Pi to be his concubines. Cao Pi began to favour his other concubines, especially Guo Nüwang . When Lady Zhen realised that Cao Pi favoured her less, she started complaining. Cao Pi
1407-521: The Wei Shu and Weilüe , were later added to Sanguozhi by Pei Songzhi. In his commentary, Pei cast doubts on the anecdotes relating to the "virtuous deeds" of Lady Zhen and other noble ladies of Wei, because it was difficult to verify whether they were true or not due to a dearth of alternative sources. The Wei Shu and Weilüe were among the official histories of Cao Wei, so they were likely to be biased towards Lady Zhen. Hence, some of those anecdotes might have been fabricated by Wei historians to promote
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#17327721604041474-476: The Empress Dowager He, he forced the young emperor to yield the throne to Liu Xie (partly because he was raised by Empress Dowager Dong who, while not related to Dong Zhuo, was therefore respected by Dong Zhuo), who then ascended the throne as Emperor Xian. Dong Zhuo then murdered Empress Dowager He and the former Emperor Shao, and became firmly in control of the political scene. In the spring of 190,
1541-525: The Luo River, named Consort Fu ( Chinese : 宓妃 ; pinyin : Fúfēi ), interpreted as a proxy for Empress Zhen by those who believed in Cao Zhi's infatuation with her. This interpretation becomes less allusive if Empress Zhen's personal name was actually "Fu". Emperor Xian of Han Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe ,
1608-497: The administrative centre of Yuan Shao's domain, to take care of her mother-in-law. Yuan Shao lost to his rival, Cao Cao , at the Battle of Guandu in 200 CE and died two years later. After his death, his sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang became embroiled in internecine struggles over their father's vast domain. When the Yuan brothers were exhausted from their wars against each other, Cao Cao attacked and defeated them, swiftly conquering
1675-547: The combined forces of Yuan Xi and his younger brother Yuan Shang was defeated in battle against Cao Cao in the follow-up battles after the Battle of Guandu , he fled to Liaodong with Yuan Shang and stayed with administrator Gongsun Kang , hoping to one day take over Gongsun's forces and have their revenge on Cao Cao. However, they were themselves betrayed and were killed in an ambush set up by Gongsun, who instead wanted to join Cao's forces. This Chinese biographical article
1742-529: The control of Li Jue and Guo Si , two former subordinates of Dong Zhuo. The various regional warlords formally acknowledged Emperor Xian's legitimacy but never took action to save him from being held hostage. In 195, Emperor Xian managed to escape from Chang'an and return to the ruins of Luoyang during a feud between Li Jue and Guo Si , where he soon became stranded. A year later, the warlord Cao Cao led his forces into Luoyang, received Emperor Xian, took him under his protection, and escorted him to Xu , where
1809-418: The empress despite opposition from an official, Zhan Qian ( 棧潛 ). The historical text Han–Jin Chunqiu ( 漢晉春秋 ) mentioned that Lady Zhen's body was desecrated after her death: her face was covered by her hair and rice husks were stuffed into her mouth. Cao Rui was raised by Guo Nüwang after Lady Zhen's death. The Wei Shu ( 魏書 ) mentioned that Cao Pi issued an edict to Lady Zhen, asking her to move to
1876-434: The example of the mythical Yellow Emperor . Cao Pi was very pleased. Once, Cao Pi wanted to send Lady Ren ( 任氏 ), one of his concubines who fell out of favour with him, back to her family—which meant that he was divorcing her. When Lady Zhen heard about it, she told her husband, "Lady Ren comes from a reputable clan. I can't match her in terms of moral character and looks. Why do you want to send her away?" Cao Pi replied, "She
1943-451: The faulty logic that if he did, he would have to yield to Emperor Xian on key decisions. Yuan Shao listened to Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong and never again considered welcoming Emperor Xian. What Yuan Shao would not do, Cao Cao did. Cao Cao was at this time a relatively minor warlord, as the governor of Yan Province (covering present-day western Shandong and eastern Henan ), with his headquarters at Xu (present-day Xuchang , Henan ). He saw
2010-625: The fifth century, Pei Songzhi annotated Sanguozhi by incorporating information from other texts and adding his personal commentary. Some sources used in the annotations include Wei Shu ( Book of Wei ), by Wang Chen , Xun Yi and Ruan Ji ; and Weilüe ( Brief History of Wei ), by Yu Huan . The original version of Lady Zhen's biography in Sanguozhi did not contain the anecdotes about Zhen's excellent moral conduct, such as her care for her family members, her filial piety towards her mother-in-law Lady Bian , her tolerance of Cao Pi's other wives, etc. These accounts, which were mostly documented in
2077-497: The funeral rites befitting that of an empress, but also ordered her dead body to be treated in the same manner as she did to his mother: hair covering face, mouth stuffed with rice husks. However, Yu Huan 's Weilüe stated that after Empress Dowager Guo died of illness in March 235, Cao Pi's concubine Lady Li ( 李夫人 ) told Cao Rui about the fate of his mother. Cao Rui was deeply aggrieved and he ordered Guo's dead body to be treated in
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2144-691: The imperial court under their control. However, Li Jue and Guo Si did not have serious ambitions, and their incompetence in governance furthered the breakdown of the Han Empire into warlord regimes. In 195, Li Jue and Guo Si had a major fallout, and Li took Emperor Xian hostage while Guo took the officials hostage as they battled. Later in the year, after peace talks between Li Jue and Guo Si, they agreed to allow Emperor Xian to return to Luoyang , but as soon as Emperor Xian departed Chang'an , they regretted their decision and chased him with their troops. While they were never able to capture him, Emperor Xian's court
2211-503: The names "Fu" ( 宓 ; Fú ) and "Luo" ( 洛 ; Luò ) to Lady Zhen came about due to the legend of a romance between her and Cao Zhi , which Robert Joe Cutter, a specialist in research on Cao Zhi, concludes to be "a piece of anecdotal fiction inspired by the [ Luo Shen Fu ( 洛神賦 ; Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo )] and taking advantage of the possibilities inherent in a triangle involving
2278-691: The new emperor – an event marking the formal end of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in China. The dethroned Emperor Xian received the noble title Duke of Shanyang ( Chinese : 山陽公 ) from Cao Pi and spent the rest of his life in comfort and enjoyed preferential treatment. He died on 21 April 234, about 14 years after the fall of the Han dynasty. Liu Xie was born in 181 to Emperor Ling and his Consort Wang. During her pregnancy, Consort Wang, fearful of Emperor Ling's Empress He , had taken drugs that were intended to induce an abortion, but
2345-403: The new imperial capital was established. Although Cao Cao paid nominal allegiance to Emperor Xian, he was actually the de facto head of the central government. He skillfully used Emperor Xian as a "trump card" to bolster his legitimacy when he attacked and eliminated rival warlords in his quest to reunify the Han Empire under the central government's rule. Cao Cao's success seemed inevitable until
2412-551: The newly constructed Changqiu Palace ( 長秋宮 ) in Luoyang . Lady Zhen declined humbly, stating that she felt that she was not capable enough to manage the imperial harem, and also because she was ill. Cao Pi then consecutively sent another two edicts but Lady Zhen rejected both. It was around summer at the time. Cao Pi intended to fetch Lady Zhen from Ye to Luoyang in autumn, when the weather was cooler. However, Lady Zhen died of illness in Ye
2479-508: The other generals and nobles, and while he gave them little power, he made sure that they remained honoured, so minimal opposition against him developed at the imperial court. He then moved the capital to Xu to affirm his control over the central government, and when Yang Feng opposed him, he defeated Yang in c. November 196, and was able to move the capital. Cao Cao then began to issue imperial edicts in Emperor Xian's name – including
2546-542: The revolting coalition collapsed, a number of officials, led by Wang Yun and Lü Bu , assassinated Dong on 22 May 192. For a while, it appeared that the Han regime might return to normal, as Wang Yun quickly established relatively friendly relations with the local officials resisting Dong but by this time acting more as local warlords. However, due to Wang Yun's failure to pacify Dong Zhuo's former subordinates, they rose in revolt and killed Wang. Dong Zhuo's former subordinates, led by Li Jue and Guo Si , took Emperor Xian and
2613-405: The same manner as she did to his mother. Historian Lu Bi ( 盧弼 ) commented that Cao Rui – seventeen at the time of his mother's death – should have been aware of the circumstances rather than waiting for an explanation from Lady Li. The authoritative historical source on Lady Zhen's life is Records of the Three Kingdoms ( Sanguozhi ), which was written by Chen Shou in the third century. In
2680-481: The situation to sell their grain in exchange for valuable items. Lady Zhen, who about 10 years old at the time, said to her mother, "It's not wrong to own expensive items, but in this chaotic era, owning such items has become a wrongdoing. Our neighbours are suffering from hunger, so why don't we distribute our surplus grain to our fellow townsfolk? This is an act of graciousness and kindness." Her family praised her for her suggestion and heeded her advice. When Lady Zhen
2747-412: The strategic advantage in having the emperor under his control and protection, and in 196 he marched west to Luoyang and, after securing an agreement with Emperor Xian's generals Dong Cheng and Yang Feng , convincing them of his loyalty, he entered Luoyang and technically shared power with Dong and Yang, but was in fact in command. Unlike the situation with Dong Zhuo, though, Cao Cao knew how to assuage
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2814-693: The successes and failures of those who lived before them. If they didn't read, how did they learn all that?" Towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty , after the death of Emperor Ling , China entered a chaotic period because the central government's authority weakened, and regional officials and warlords started fighting each other in a bid to gain supremacy. The common people suffered from poverty and hunger, and many wealthy households who owned expensive items such as jewellery offered to sell these valuables in return for food. Lady Zhen's family had large stockpiles of grain, and they planned to take advantage of
2881-600: The territories that used to be controlled by the Yuans. In September or October 204, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shang at the Battle of Ye and his forces occupied the city. Then massacred the population. Seized control of the women of the Yuan household, who were often raped. Cao Cao's son, Cao Pi , entered Yuan Shao's residence and met Lady Liu (Yuan Shao's widow) and Lady Zhen. Lady Zhen was so terrified that she buried her face in her mother-in-law's lap. Cao Pi said, "What's going on, Madam Liu? Ask that lady to lift up her head!" Cao Pi
2948-595: The then emperor of Wei, Cao Rui , was one of the mourners. As Emperor Xian's crown prince was already dead, his grandson Liu Kang ( 劉康 ) inherited his dukedom, which lasted for 73 more years and two more dukes, Liu Jin ( 劉瑾 ) and Liu Qiu ( 劉秋 ). The line was exterminated during the Jin dynasty in June or July 307, when rebel forces led by Ji Sang and Shi Le sacked the city of Ye . This practice of an emperor conferring hereditary nobility on his predecessor, from whom he usurped
3015-447: The throne, and therefore set up a trap at a meeting he was to have with He Jin. He Jin found out, and preemptively declared Liu Bian the new emperor. Later that year, Emperor Shao granted Liu Xie the title "Prince of Bohai" ( 渤海王 ) and later changed his title to "Prince of Chenliu" ( 陳留王 ). After Liu Bian became emperor, He Jin became the most powerful official in the imperial court, and he and his advisor Yuan Shao quickly entered into
3082-402: The throne, was known as " two crownings and three respects ". Consorts and Issue: In the tenth month of 220 (November), various ministers proposed that Cao Pi replace Liu Xie as the emperor, citing various astrological signs. On 25 November, Liu Xie performed various ceremonies in preparation for abdicating the throne. On 11 December, Liu Xie formally abdicated the throne and Cao Pi ascended as
3149-518: The title to Luo Shen Fu ( 洛神賦 ), which could be translated as Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo or Rhapsody on the Divine Luo , this second interpretation presumably referencing Lady Zhen's personal name, Luo. If true, this would be a forename unique to early China, as the Chinese character 洛 has been a toponym since it entered the language. The poem contains references to the spirit of
3216-421: The winter of 208–209, when he lost the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs against the southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei . The battle paved the way for the subsequent emergence of the Three Kingdoms of Wei , Shu , and Wu . In late 220, some months after Cao Cao's death, Cao Cao's successor, Cao Pi , forced Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne to him. He then established the state of Cao Wei with himself as
3283-608: Was Zhang ( 張 ), was from Changshan Commandery (常山郡; around present-day Zhengding County , Hebei). Lady Zhen's parents had three sons and five daughters: eldest son Zhen Yu ( 甄豫 ), who died early; second son Zhen Yan ( 甄儼 ), who became a xiaolian and later served as an assistant to the General-in-Chief and as the Chief of Quliang County ; third son Zhen Yao ( 甄堯 ), who was also a xiaolian ; eldest daughter Zhen Jiang ( 甄姜 ); second daughter Zhen Tuo ( 甄脫 ); third daughter Zhen Dao ( 甄道 ); fourth daughter Zhen Rong ( 甄榮 ). Lady Zhen
3350-561: Was 14, her second brother Zhen Yan ( 甄儼 ) died, and she was deeply grieved. She continued to show respect towards Zhen Yan's widow, and even helped to raise Zhen Yan's son. Lady Zhen's mother was particularly strict towards her daughters-in-law and treated them harshly. Lady Zhen told her mother, "It's unfortunate that Second Brother died early. Second Sister-in-Law became widowed at such a young age and she's now left with only her son. You should treat your daughters-in-law better and love them as you would love your own daughters." Lady Zhen's mother
3417-462: Was angry and sad about it. After he became emperor, his stepmother Guo Nüwang became the empress dowager. When he asked her about how his mother died, Guo replied, "The Late Emperor was the one who ordered her death, so why are you asking me? You're your father's son so you can blame your dead father. Are you going to kill your stepmother for your real mother?" Cao Rui turned furious and forced Empress Dowager Guo to commit suicide. He had her buried with
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#17327721604043484-435: Was discovered in 214. Cao Cao was angry and forced Emperor Xian to have Empress Fu deposed. Emperor Xian was hesitant, and Cao Cao sent his soldiers into the palace to put pressure on the emperor. Empress Fu hid inside the walls, but was finally discovered and dragged out. As she was led away, she cried out to Emperor Xian for him to save her life, but his only response was that he could not even know what would happen to him. She
3551-499: Was furious when he heard about it. On 4 August 221, he sent an emissary to Ye (in present-day Handan , Hebei ) to execute Lady Zhen by forcing her to take her own life . She was buried in Ye in the same month. Several years after her death, during the reign of her son Cao Rui, Cao Rui ordered Lady Zhen to be worshiped at the ancestral temple in Ye on 20 March 227. Lady Zhen's downfall was due to Guo Nüwang, whom Cao Pi fancied. One year after Lady Zhen's death, Cao Pi instated Guo as
3618-454: Was getting better, and she became filled with greater anxiety. Lady Bian later wrote a letter to her, telling her that she had fully recovered, and only then did Lady Zhen's worries disappear. About a year later, when Lady Bian returned to Ye, Lady Zhen rushed to see her mother-in-law and displayed mixed expressions of sadness and joy. Those who were present were all deeply moved by the scene before them. Lady Bian assured Lady Zhen that her illness
3685-405: Was in fact a puppet ruler under Dong Zhuo's control. In 190, when a coalition of regional warlords launched a punitive campaign against Dong Zhuo in the name of freeing Emperor Xian, Dong Zhuo ordered the destruction of the imperial capital, Luoyang , and forcefully relocated the imperial capital along with its residents to Chang'an . After Dong Zhuo's assassination in 192, Emperor Xian fell under
3752-431: Was killed, along with her two sons and family on 8 January 215. On 6 March 215,. Cao Cao forced Emperor Xian to instate his daughter Cao Jie , then an imperial consort, as the new empress. Cao Cao died on 15 March 220. His son and successor, Cao Pi , soon forced Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne in favour of himself, ending the Han dynasty. Cao Pi established a new state known as Cao Wei , and he granted Emperor Xian
3819-486: Was not recorded in history, was referred to as " Princess Dongxiang " ( 東鄉公主 ; "Princess of the East District") in historical records. Lady Zhen remained humble even though Cao Pi deeply fancied her. She provided encouragement to Cao Pi's other wives who were also adored by him, and comforted those whom he less favoured. She also often urged Cao Pi to take more concubines so that he would have more descendants, citing
3886-479: Was not recorded in the official histories of the Cao Wei state. Many popular stories speculated that the reason for Lady Zhen's death was that she had a secret affair with Cao Pi's younger brother, Cao Zhi , even though this speculation is not supported by evidence and is improbable. She garnered a reputation as a great beauty, and some more fantastical accounts alleged that she was the cause for Cao Cao starting
3953-470: Was not serious and praised her for her filial piety . In 216, Cao Cao launched another campaign to attack the southeastern warlord Sun Quan , leading to the Battle of Ruxu in 217. Lady Bian, Cao Pi, Cao Rui and Princess Dongxiang all followed Cao Cao on the campaign, but Lady Zhen remained in Ye because she was sick. When Cao Pi and Lady Zhen's children returned to Ye in late 217 after the campaign, Lady Bian's attendants were surprised to see that Lady Zhen
4020-435: Was not successful in her attempt. Soon after she gave birth to Liu Xie, the jealous Empress He poisoned her by putting poison in her food. Emperor Ling was enraged and wanted to depose her, but the eunuchs pleaded on her behalf, and she was not deposed. Liu Xie was raised personally by Emperor Ling's mother Empress Dowager Dong and known by the circumspect title "Marquis Dong". (This is due to superstition; Emperor Ling had lost
4087-410: Was pregnant, and Emperor Xian personally tried to intercede for her, but Cao Cao had her executed anyway. Emperor Xian's empress, Empress Fu Shou , angry and fearful about how Consort Dong died, wrote her father, Fu Wan ( 伏完 ), a letter accusing Cao Cao of cruelty, and implicitly asking her father to start a new conspiracy against Cao. Fu Wan was fearful of Cao Cao and never acted on the letter, which
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#17327721604044154-475: Was rendered poor and unable to fend for itself, and once it returned to Luoyang, it lacked even the basic essentials of life. Many officials starved to death. At this time, Yuan Shao 's strategist Ju Shou suggested that he welcome Emperor Xian to his base in Ji Province so that he could effectively be in control of the central government, but the other strategists Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong opposed – under
4221-578: Was so deeply touched that she cried, and she started treating her daughters-in-law better and allowed them to accompany and wait on her. Sometime in the middle of the Jian'an era (196–220) of the reign of Emperor Xian , Lady Zhen married Yuan Xi , the second son of Yuan Shao , a warlord who controlled much of northern China. Yuan Shao later put Yuan Xi in charge of You Province , so Yuan Xi left to assume his appointment. Lady Zhen did not follow her husband and remained in Ye (in present-day Handan , Hebei ),
4288-563: Was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220. Liu Xie was a son of Liu Hong (Emperor Ling) and was a younger half-brother of his predecessor, Liu Bian (Emperor Shao). In 189, at the age of eight, he became emperor after the warlord Dong Zhuo , who had seized control of the Han central government, deposed Emperor Shao and replaced him with Liu Xie. The newly enthroned Liu Xie, historically known as Emperor Xian,
4355-520: Was the youngest of the five daughters. Zhen Yi once brought his children to meet Liu Liang ( 劉良 ), a fortune teller, who commented on Lady Zhen, "This girl will become very noble in the future." Unlike many children of her age, the young Lady Zhen did not enjoy playing. Once, when she was eight years old, her sisters went to the balcony to watch a group of horse-riding performers outside their house but Lady Zhen did not join in. Her sisters were puzzled so they asked her, and she responded, "Is this something
4422-549: Was very cheerful. They asked, "Lady, you've not seen your children for about a year. We thought you would miss them and be worried about them, but yet you're so optimistic. Why is that so?" Lady Zhen laughed and replied, "Why should I be worried when (Cao) Rui and the others are with Madam (Lady Bian)?" After Cao Cao died in March 220, his vassal king title – "King of Wei" ( 魏王 ) – was inherited by Cao Pi . Later that year, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian , whom he paid nominal allegiance to, to abdicate in his favour, effectively ending
4489-415: Was very impressed and entranced by Lady Zhen's beauty when he saw her. His father allowed him to marry her later. Yuan Xi was still alive at the time. Yuan Shang came to join him after his defeat by Cao Cao. When Kong Rong heard of the marriage between Lady Zhen and Cao Pi, he wrote Cao Cao a letter, falsifying a parallel in ancient history, claiming King Wu of Zhou arranged marriage between his brother
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