Empresses and consorts selections from Chen Shou's Records of the Three States with Pei Songzhi's commentary |
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Records of the Three States: The Book of Wei |
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 | Empresses and consorts |  |
Records of the Three States: The Book of Wei
Fascicle 5: Empresses and Consorts
The Classic of Changes states, "A man properly takes his place
outside the home; a woman properly takes her place within the
home. For a man and a woman to be proper is the greatest
principle of Heaven and Earth."[1] Without exception, the wise
kings of bygone days understood the regulations regarding
empresses and consorts and complied with the morals of Heaven
and Earth. Therefore, two consorts were given in marriage at Gui
[OMITTED], and the way of Yu [OMITTED] was able to thrive; Ren [OMITTED] and Si [OMITTED]
married into the Ji [OMITTED], and the Zhou house thus prospered.[2]
Whether a state rises or falls, lives or dies is ever due to this. The
[Apocryphon to the] Spring and Autumn Annals: Explaining [the
Themes and Words] says that the Son of Heaven has twelve
women and the nobles have nine.[3] If one looks into it, this is a
sound rule in terms of both emotion and reason. But later ages
were extravagant and undisciplined and indulged their wasteful
desires to the point that it left men and women pining and single
and affected and shook the spirit of harmony.[4] They only exalted
sex and did not take pure goodness as basic. Therefore, customs
and moral teaching deteriorated, and the major relationships were
destroyed. Is it not a pity? Alas, may whosoever possesses a
kingdom or a family always be able to learn from this!
In the Han system, the grandmother of the emperor was called
grand empress dowager, the mother of the emperor was called
empress dowager, the wife of the emperor was called empress, and
for the remainder of the palace women there were fourteen ranks.
Wei followed the Han model; all the terms for mothers and
empresses were the same as under the old system. But from the
rank of lady down, there were additions and deletions. When the
Grand Progenitor [Cao Cao] established the kingdom, he initially
named a queen (wanghou [OMITTED]), with five ranks below her: lady,
brilliant companion, favorite beauty, elegant lady, and beautiful
lady. Emperor Wen [i.e., Cao Pi] added honored concubine
(guipin), lady of chaste beauty (shuyuan [OMITTED]), lady of cultivated
(shuncheng [OMITTED]), and sweet lady. Emperor Ming [Cao Rui]
added pure consort (shufei [OMITTED]), lady of bright loveliness
(zhaohua [OMITTED]), and lady of cultivated deportment (xiuyi [OMITTED])
and abolished the office of lady of complete complaisance. Only in
the Taihe [OMITTED] reign period [227-233] did Emperor Ming restore
lady to its position above pure consort.[5] From lady down, there
were altogether twelve grades of aristocratic rank:[6] The positions
of honored concubine or lady were second only to empress, and
there were no equivalent aristocratic ranks; the position of pure
consort was equivalent to chancellor of state and the aristocratic
rank was comparable to king (zhuhou wang [OMITTED]);[7] the position
of lady of chaste beauty was equivalent to grandee secretary (yushi
dafu [OMITTED]), and the aristocratic rank was comparable to
prefectural duke (xian gong [OMITTED]); brilliant companion was
comparable to prefectural marquis (xian hou [OMITTED]); lady of bright
loveliness was comparable to district marquis (xiang hou [OMITTED]);
lady of cultivated countenance was comparable to commune
marquis (ting hou [OMITTED]); lady of cultivated deportment was
comparable to marquis within the passes; favorite beauty was
equivalent to an official ranking fully two thousand bushels;
elegant lady was equivalent to an official ranking exactly two
thousand bushels; beautiful lady was equivalent to an official
ranking equivalent to two thousand bushels; and sweet lady was
equivalent to one thousand bushels.
Empress Bian the Celebrious of the Martial Emperor (Wu Xuan
Bian huanghou [OMITTED]), whose home of record was Kaiyang
[OMITTED] in Langye, was the mother of Emperor Wen.[8] Originally, she
was in a brothel,[A] but when she was twenty, the Grand Progenitor
took her as a concubine at Qiao.[9] Later, she followed him to
Luoyang. When Dong Zhuo [OMITTED] (d. 192) rebelled, the Grand
Progenitor went eastward in disguise to avoid trouble.[10] Yuan Shu
spread news of his death, and at the time those of the Grand
Progenitor's associates who had come to Luoyang all wanted to go
home.[11] The empress stopped them, saying, "Lord Cao's fate as yet
cannot be known. If you go home today and tomorrow he is
alive, could you look him in the eye again? And if calamity should
happen to befall us, what misery is there in dying together?"[12]
They did as she said. The Grand Progenitor learned of it and
praised her. At the beginning of the Jian'an period, Lady Ding [OMITTED]
was set aside, and he made the empress his next wife.[13] He had
the empress raise all his sons whose mothers had died.[B] When
attendants (zuo you zhangyu [OMITTED]) congratulated her, saying,
"Since the general has been made heir apparent, everyone in the
empire is overjoyed. You should open your coffers and bestow
rewards."[14] She replied, "The king named Pi successor because he
is the eldest. I should just count myself lucky that I did not make
the mistake of failing to teach and guide him. Why should I also
bestow gifts?" The chief attendant returned and told the Grand
Progenitor of this exchange. The Grand Progenitor was pleased
and said, "Not showing your anger and maintaining your dignity
when you are glad are surely the most difficult of accomplishments."
The Wei History says: The empress was born at Baiting [OMITTED] in Qi [OMITTED]
commandery on the day yisi [OMITTED] in the twelfth month of Yanxi [OMITTED]
3.[15] There was a yellow pneuma that filled the room for a long time. .
Her father, the Attentive Marquis (Jing hou [OMITTED]), wondered at it and
asked the diviner Wang Dan [OMITTED] about it.[16] Dan said, "This is an
auspicious sign."[17]
The Wei Epitome says: In the beginning, the Grand Progenitor had
Lady Ding, and then Lady Liu, who gave birth to Zixiu [Cao Ang]
and the Senior Princess of Qinghe (Qinghe zhang gongzhu [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]). Liu died young, and Ding raised Zixiu. Zixiu fell at Rang [OMITTED],
and Ding would always say, "Having taken my son and killed him, you
don't think of him anymore!" Then she would weep uncontrollably.
The Grand Progenitor found this exasperating and sent her back to her
family, hoping she would have a change of heart. Later, he went to see
her. She was weaving just then, and when someone from outside
conveyed the words "His lordship has arrived," she remained kneeling
at the loom. The Grand Progenitor arrived, and stroking her back, said,
"Turn around and look at me and let us ride back together!" She did
not turn to face him or respond. He withdrew and, standing outside
the door, spoke again: "Might it still be possible?" But there was no
reply. He said, "Then this is really goodbye" and broke off with her.
He wanted her family to marry her off to someone else, but they did
not dare. Earlier, when Lady Ding had already become the principal
wife and had additionally taken on Zixiu, she had insufficient regard for
she did not think about this old grudge. When the Grand Progenitor
was away, she sent someone to take presents to Lady Ding with every
season of the year. She also received her privately, inviting her to take
the seat of honor and taking the place below her. She received her
Ding apologized, "How can you always be so kind to a castoff such as
me?" Afterward, when Ding died, the empress asked the Grand
Progenitor to be allowed to hold the funeral. He permitted it, and she
was buried south of Xucheng [OMITTED].[18] Later, when the Grand Progenitor
was troubled by illness and thought he would not recover, he sighed,
saying, "In all of my thoughts and deeds, there has never been anything
that I was ashamed of in my heart. But if there is a soul after death
and should Zixiu ask, `Where is my mother?'—how shall I reply?"
The Wei History says: The empress was by nature thrifty and frugal
and did not value ornament and beauty. She had no patterned
embroidery or pearls or jade, and her utensils were all of black lacquer.
The Grand Progenitor once obtained several sets of famous ear
ornaments and bade the empress to choose a set. She selected a
middling set, and when the Grand Progenitor asked her why, she
replied, "It would be greedy to pick the best and hypocritical to pick
the worst, so I picked the middling ones."
In Jian'an 24 [219/220], she was made queen, and the patent
said, "Lady Bian has had the virtue of a model mother in rearing
all of my sons. Now let her be promoted to queen. Let the heir
apparent and the imperial marquises take their places by her side
and all the ministers wish her long life. Let the death sentences
within the kingdom be commuted by one degree."
In Jian'an 25 [220/221], the Grand Progenitor died and
Emperor Wen assumed the royal throne.[19] He honored the queen
as queen dowager. When he succeeded to the imperial throne, he
honored her, calling her empress dowager and designating her
Palace of Eternal Longevity[20] (Yongshou gong [OMITTED]).[C] When
Emperor Ming assumed the throne, he honored the empress
dowager as the grand empress dowager.
The Wei History says: Because the state's finances were insufficient, the
empress reduced her livery and comestibles and got rid of all her
objects of gold and silver. [Cao] Zhi, the king of Dong'e [OMITTED], was
her youngest son, and she loved him best. Later, when Zhi committed
an offense and was reported by the officials concerned, Emperor Wen
had Chief Commandant of Imperial Equipages (fengju duwei [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]) [Bian] Lan [OMITTED], who was the son of the empress's younger brother,
take the deliberations of the highest officials and report them to her.
The empress said, "I did not expect this son to do such a thing. Go
back and tell the emperor that he cannot violate the laws of the country
nothing about it.
Your servant Songzhi notes: Emperor Wen dreamed that he was
rubbing a coin. He wanted the markings to disappear, but they became
even clearer. He asked Zhou Xuan [OMITTED] about this.[21] Xuan replied,
"This derives from a problem in Your Majesty's own household.
Although you are wishing for something, the imperial mother does not
concur." Thus, the empress's intentions could not have been as stated
in this history [i.e., the Wei History].[22]
The Wei History also says: Whenever the empress dowager went on
campaigns with the army and saw elderly, white-haired people, she
would always halt the carriage and call them over to ask how they were.
She would present them with taffeta and face them weeping, saying, "I
regret that my parents died before I came into my own." Whenever the
empress dowager saw her own relatives, she did not put on a charming
face. She always said, "In the management of your daily affairs you
should strive for economy and frugality. You should not expect rewards
or gifts, but be mindful of your own excesses. The imperial in-laws
must find it queer that I treat them so stingily, but it is because I have
my own norms and standards. I have served Emperor Wu [Cao Cao]
for forty or fifty years and have practiced frugality for a long time. I
cannot change myself to be extravagant. If any among you violates a
law, I can even increase the offense one degree. Do not expect money,
grain, kindness, or leniency." The emperor [Cao Cao] built a mansion
for the empress's younger brother [Bian] Bing [OMITTED]. When it was
finished, the empress paid a visit to it and invited her entire family and
her in-laws. She offered an inferior cuisine and had no special foods.
The empress and her entourage fed on vegetables and millet and had
no fish or meat. Such was her frugality.[23]
During the Huangchu period, Emperor Wen wanted to ennoble
posthumously the empress dowager's parents. Master of Writing
(shang shu [OMITTED]) Chen Qun [OMITTED] memorialized, saying,[24]
Your Majesty, with Your sage virtue, responded to destiny and
received the mandate. You established the dynasty and reformed
the regulations and should forever stand as a model for later ages.
According to the texts of the canonical books, there are no regulations
for distributing land to and bestowing titles upon one's
wife's people. In the ritual canons, the wife's noble rank depends
on the husband.[25] Qin went against the old laws, and Han did
the same. Theirs were not the excellent canons of the early rulers.
The emperor said, "This argument is correct. It shall not be done.
We shall take the document you have initiated and order it sent
down and kept in the imperial secretariat (taige [OMITTED]) to serve
forever as a model for later ages."[26]
In the spring of Taihe 4 [230], Emperor Ming did confer the
posthumous title Respectful Marquis of Kaiyang (Kaiyang Gong
hou [OMITTED]) on the empress dowager's grandfather Guang [OMITTED].[27]
Her father Yuan [OMITTED] was called Attentive Marquis, her grandmother
Zhou [OMITTED] was made countess of Yangdu (Yangdu jun [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]) and lady of the Respectful Marquis (Gong hou furen [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]). All received seals and ribbons of office. In the fifth month of
that year [May/June], the empress died.[28] In the seventh month
[July/August], she was buried with Cao Cao at Gao Tumulus
(Gaoling [OMITTED]).[29]
Earlier, the empress dowager's younger brother Bing had been
made a marquis of the capital district (du xiang hou [OMITTED]) for
his merit.[30] In the year Huangchu 7 [226/227], he was promoted
and appointed both marquis of Kaiyang (Kaiyang hou [OMITTED]),
with a benefice of twelve hundred households, and general of
brilliant achievements (zhaolie jiangjun [OMITTED]).[D] When Bing
died, his son Lan succeeded him. As a youth Lan possessed talent
and learning,[E] and he became chief commandant of imperial
equipages, scouting and attacking general (youji jiangjun [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]) and honorary cavalier attendant in regular attendance (sanji
changshi [OMITTED]). When Lan died, his son Hui [OMITTED] succeeded
him.[F] Moreover, Bing's benefice was divided, and Lan's younger
brother Lin [OMITTED] became a full marquis and rose in office to be
colonel of foot soldiers (bubing xiaowei [OMITTED]). The daughter
of Lan's son Long [OMITTED] became empress of the Duke of Gaogui
District.[31] Because Long was the empress's father, he became
imperial household grandee (guanglu dafu [OMITTED]) and
advanced in position with unusual rapidity. He was appointed
marquis of Suiyang district (Suiyang xiang hou [OMITTED]), and his
wife Wang [OMITTED] became countess of Xianyang district (Xianyang
xiangjun [OMITTED]). Long's late wife Liu [OMITTED] was posthumously
appointed countess of Shunyang district (Shunyang xiangjun [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]) because she was the empress's mother. Lin's daughter also
became empress of the King of Chenliu.[32] At the time, Lin had
already died, but his wife Liu [OMITTED] was appointed countess of
Guangyang district (Guangyang xiangjun [OMITTED]).[33]
The Wei Epitome says: Earlier, in Jian'an times, Empress Bian's younger
brother Bing attained a position as major of a separate regiment (biebu
replied, "But isn't it enough that he gets to be my little brother-in-law?"
She also wanted Cao Cao to give him money and silk. Cao Cao
again said, "But isn't it sufficient that you misappropriate things and
give them to him?" Therefore, to the end of Cao Cao's days, Bing's
office was not changed, neither was his wealth increased.
The Wei Epitome says: Lan presented a rhapsody praising and
recounting the beauty of the heir apparent's [ Cao Pi's] virtue. The
heir apparent replied, saying, "A rhapsody speaks of the attributes of
objective categories, and a eulogy praises the form and appearance of
great virtue. Therefore, their authors do not falsify the words, and their
recipients must live up to them. How can I live up to this rhapsody of
yours? Formerly, when Wuqiu Shouwang [OMITTED] once discoursed
on a precious tripod cauldron and He Wu [OMITTED] and others sang
eulogies, they even received rewards of gold and silk.[35] Although your
action has not been sincere, the intent is commendable. We now award
you one ox." Thenceforth, Lan was treated as an intimate and
respected.
The Wei Epitome says: In Emperor Ming's time, Lan saw that while
there were two external difficulties, the emperor devoted his attention
to his household.[36] Lan always took advantage of attending upon and
accompanying the emperor to remonstrate earnestly with him several
times. Although the emperor was unable to follow his advice, he still
acknowledged his sincerity. Later, Lan suffered from diabetes caused by
drinking. At the time, Emperor Ming believed in a shamaness's cure
using water. He sent someone to deliver the water to Lan, but Lan was
unwilling to drink it. The emperor summoned him and asked why. Lan
said that in curing illness one should use prescribed medicines. How
could one trust in this? The emperor was irked, but Lan never did take
the cure. Later, the diabetes gradually worsened and Lan died. Thus
people of today view Lan as someone who was fond of speaking
bluntly, but when they say that he committed suicide because the
emperor humiliated him face-to-face, such was not actually the case.
Empress Zhen the Illustrious of the Civilizing Emperor (Wen Zhao
Zhen huanghou [OMITTED]), whose home of record was Wuji [OMITTED]
in Zhongshan [OMITTED], was the mother of Emperor Ming and a
descendant of Grand Guardian (taibao [OMITTED]) Zhen Han [OMITTED] of
Han times.[37] The family had been officials for generations at two
thousand bushels.[38] Her father Yi [OMITTED] was prefect of Shangcai [OMITTED]
[OMITTED].[39] She lost her father when she was three.[G] Later, when the
sold their precious objects of gold, silver, pearls, and jade.[40] At that
time, the empress's family had an abundance of stored grain, and
they bought many such objects with it. The empress was ten or so
and said to her mother, "Although the world is now in turmoil,
we are buying more precious objects. `Though a man may be
innocent, just possessing a jade may constitute a crime.'[41] Moreover,
all about us everyone is starving and in want. It would be
better to give our grain as relief to kinsmen and neighboring
villages and to practice benevolence and charity on a broad scale."
The whole family agreed it was a good idea and followed her
advice.[H]
The Wei History says: Yi married a woman named Zhang [OMITTED] from
Changshan [OMITTED], and she gave birth to three boys and five girls.[42] The
eldest son Yu [OMITTED] died young. Next was Yan [OMITTED], who was recommended
as filially pious and incorrupt, was clerk (yuan [OMITTED]) to the general-in-chief
(da jiangjun [OMITTED]), and was chief of Quliang [OMITTED].[43] Next was
Yao [OMITTED], recommended as filially pious and incorrupt. The eldest
daughter was Jiang [OMITTED], followed in order by Tuo [OMITTED], Dao [OMITTED], Rong
[OMITTED], and the empress. The empress was born during the Han on a
dingyou [OMITTED] day in the twelfth month of Guanghe [OMITTED] 5 [26
January 183]. Every time she went to sleep, her family seemed to see
something like a person bringing a jade garment to cover her, and they
often marveled at it together. When Yi died, she added [her little voice]
to the keening and wailing,[44] and those within and without the family
increasingly regarded her as special. Later, when the physiognomist Liu
Liang [OMITTED] examined the empress and other children, he pointed to
her and said, "The exalted status of this girl shall be inexpressible."
From the time she was little until she was grown, the empress never
liked frivolity. When she was eight, someone performed outside by
riding standing up on a horse. The people in the household and all her
older sisters went up to the gallery to watch it. Only the empress did
not go along. All her older sisters thought this was odd and asked her
why. She replied, "A woman should not watch such things." When she
was nine, she enjoyed writing, and whenever she saw a character, she
always recognized it. She often used her elder brothers' brushes and
inkstones, and they said to her, "You ought to learn women's work. Do
you think all this writing and study will make you a woman erudite?"
The empress replied, "I have heard that, of the worthy women of
antiquity, there was never one who did not study the successes and
failures of former times in order to admonish herself. If one does not
understand writing, how can one examine these?"
The Wei Epitome says: When the empress was fourteen, she lost her
middle elder brother Yan, and her sorrow continued beyond the
stipulated mourning period. In serving her widowed sister-in-law, she
was humble and respectful. Managing and dealing with the work and
solicitously caring for Yan's child, her affection and love were very
great. The empress's mother was by nature stern and had norms for
treating all her daughters-in-law. The empress often remonstrated with
her mother, saying, "My elder brother unfortunately died early. Sister-in-law
is young to be a celibate widow and has been left with but a
single child.[45] Speaking in terms of moral obligations, you ought to
treat her like a daughter-in-law, and you should love her like a
daughter." Her mother was moved by the empress's words and shed
together. Whether sleeping or resting, sitting or rising, they were always
together, and their mutual affection grew increasingly deep.
In the Jian'an period, Yuan Shao obtained her for his middle
son Xi. When Xi went out to govern You province, the empress
remained behind to care for her mother-in-law.[46] When Ji province
was pacified, Emperor Wen married the empress in Ye.[47] She was
favored and gave birth to Emperor Ming and the Princess of
Dongxiang.[I] In the first month of Yankang [OMITTED] 1 [February/
March 220], Emperor Wen assumed the throne as king. In the
sixth month, he went on a military expedition south and the
empress remained in Ye. In the tenth month of Huangchu 1
[October/November 220], the emperor ascended the throne as
emperor.[48] Afterward, the Duke of Shanyang presented two
daughters in marriage to the Wei ruling house.[49] Empress Guo and
the Honorable Ladies Li and Yin were all loved and favored.[50] The
empress was increasingly discouraged and had fractious words. The
emperor became irate, and in the sixth month of the second year,
he sent an envoy to order her to commit suicide.[51] She was buried
in Ye.[J]
The Wei Epitome says: Xi went out to run You province, and the
empress remained behind to wait on her mother-in-law. When Ye's city
wall was breached, Shao's wife and the empress sat together in the
main hall. Emperor Wen entered Shao's residence and saw Shao's wife
and the empress.[52] As the empress, terrified, put her head on her
mother-in-law's lap, Shao's wife instinctively clutched her with her
hands. Emperor Wen said, "Lady Liu, what makes her thus? Have your
daughter-in-law lift her head." The mother-in-law then supported her
and made her look up. Emperor Wen approached and looked at her.
learned how he felt, he brought her back as Emperor Wen's wife.[53]
The Conversations of the Eras says: When Cao Cao subjugated Ye,
Emperor Wen was first to enter Yuan Shang's compound. There was a
woman with disheveled hair and a dirty face standing behind Shao's
wife Liu shedding tears. Emperor Wen asked about her, and Liu
replied, "This is Xi's wife." Turning around, she gathered the woman's
hair and rubbed her face with a kerchief. Her good looks were
matchless. Once it was over, Liu said to the empress, "You don't need
to worry about dying now!" She was taken in marriage and was
favored.[54]
The Wei History says: The more the empress's favor grew, the more
she denigrated herself. She advised and encouraged those in the rear
palace who had favor, and consoled and instructed those who did not.[55]
She always took advantage of leisure times to exhort the emperor,
saying, "In former times the descendants of the Yellow Emperor were
born in great numbers. It was probably because his royal ladies were
multitudinous that he obtained this blessing. What I wish is for you to
search everywhere for ladies of chaste beauty to make your progeny
abundant." The emperor in his heart appreciated this.
Later, the emperor was about to banish Madam Ren, and the
empress implored him, "Ren is from a well-known clan of your
hometown, and her virtue and beauty are more than someone like me
can match. Why banish her?" The emperor said, "Ren is by nature
rash and impetuous and is not pleasant and agreeable. She has all in all
angered me more than once. This is why I am banishing her." The
empress, shedding tears, insistently implored, "Everyone knows that I
have received the favor of your esteemed attention. They will say Ren's
leaving is all my doing. Just as you fear criticism for being prejudicial, I
may have a hard time for being specially favored. I hope you will
reconsider!" The emperor did not heed her and sent Ren away.
In Jian'an 16 [211/212], Cao Cao led a military expedition to
Guanzhong [OMITTED], and Empress Bian the Celebrious of the Martial
Emperor went along [part of the way], stopping off at Mengjin [OMITTED].[56]
The emperor [Cao Pi] stayed behind in charge of Ye. At that time,
Empress Bian was in poor health and indisposed. The empress could
not periodically check on her and was so anxious and frightened that
ask about and report [on her improvement], but the empress still did
not believe it. She said, "When the consort was at home, every time
her old ailment flared up, it lasted for a time. How could she improve
so quickly now? You just want to put my mind at ease!" Later she
already recovered from her ailment and had returned to normal. The
empress rejoiced.
In the first month of [Jian'an] 17 [February/March 212], the great
army returned to Ye, and the empress had an audience with Empress
Bian. When she gazed on her seated in her tent, she was both sad and
happy, which moved those in attendance. When Empress Bian saw the
empress like this, she, too, cried and said to her, "Were you upset over
my recent illness, as you were on former occasions? It only lasted for a
little while, and I was better in ten days or so. But don't look at my
face!" She sighed and said, "This is a truly filial daughter-in-law."
In [Jian'an] 21 [216/217], Cao Cao led a military expedition east.
Empress Bian, Emperor Wen, Emperor Ming, and Princess of
Dongxiang all accompanied him. At the time, the empress remained
in Ye due to illness.[57] In the ninth month of [Jian'an] 22 [October/
November 217], the great army returned. The attendants and courtiers
of Empress Bian noticed that the empress's face was plump and full.
They were surprised and asked, "Since the empress has been separated
from her two children for so long, and feelings for offspring cannot be
put out of one's consciousness, how is it that the empress's face is more
magnificent?" The empress smiled and answered them, "Since Rui and
the others were with the consort, what have I had to be anxious
about?" Such was the way the empress ably and intelligently used
propriety to maintain her composure.
The Wei History says: The officials concerned memorialized the throne
about naming a Palace of Prolonged Autumn.[58] The emperor sent a
letter bearing his seal inviting the empress to come to him. The
empress sent up a memorial stating,
I have heard that, from the beginning of the earliest
dynasties, the perpetuation of sacrifices to the state and the
handing down of blessings to descendants all were due to
empresses and consorts. Therefore, you must carefully select
such women in order to make moral education thrive in the
palace. Now, when you have just assumed the imperial throne,
you really should raise and promote a worthy and good
woman to take overall charge of the Six Palaces.[59] I consider
myself ignorant and lowly, not up to the offerings of grain-filled
vessels. Besides, I am sick in bed and dare not maintain
the slightest aspirations.
The sealed letter came three times and the empress thrice declined, her
words being very sincere. At the time it was the height of summer, so
inviting the empress. But it happened that her illness became grave,
and that summer, on the dingmao [OMITTED] day of the sixth month [4
August 221], she died in Ye. The emperor sighed in sorrow and pain
and issued a patent bestowing on her the seal and ribbon of empress.
Your servant Songzhi understands the principles of the Spring and
Autumn Annals to be that great evils within the palace are concealed,
while lesser evils are recorded.[60] We have clear knowledge of the fact.
that Emperor Wen did not make Madame Zhen empress and went so
far as to kill her. If the Wei historians[61] considered this to be a great
evil, they should have concealed it and not spoken of it. If they
considered it a lesser evil, then they should not have written falsely
about it. Such revering of embellished and untrue texts is alien to what
we learn from the old historians. If we were to judge from this, then
whenever the historians praised the goodness of the words and deeds of
the empresses Bian and Zhen, they would be difficult to find credible.
Chen Shou's abridgements and omissions truly have some basis.
When Emperor Ming assumed the throne, the officials concerned
memorialized, requesting to bestow a title on her posthumously, so
the emperor sent Minister of Works (sikong [OMITTED]) Wang Lang [OMITTED]
[OMITTED], commissioned with a verge and offering a patent, to make the
announcement to the shrine at her tumulus by means of a Great
Sacrifice.[62] He also separately established a temple.[K] In the third
month of Taihe 1 [April/May 227], he posthumously awarded
[Zhen] Yi a thousand households of Ancheng [OMITTED] district,
Weichang [OMITTED] prefecture in Zhongshan, and gave him the
posthumous title Attentive Marquis.[63] His legitimate grandson
Xiang [OMITTED] inherited the rank. In the fourth month [May/June], they
first began to lay out the [Wei] ancestral temple. They excavated
the earth and found a jade seal 1.9 cun square.[64] Its inscription
read, "The Son of Heaven Longingly Misses His Mother."
Emperor Ming blanched over this and reported it to the imperial
empress in a dream. Thereupon, he ranked the members of his
maternal uncles' family on the basis of how close they were and
their status, and employed them accordingly. His gifts to them
reached gigantic proportions. He made Xiang general of the
gentlemen-of-the-household rapid as tigers. That month the
empress's mother died, and the emperor put on sackcloth and
attended the funeral, with the members of officialdom
accompanying him.
In the eleventh month of Taihe 4 [December 230/January 231],
because the empress's old tumulus was too low, he sent Xiang,
concurrently serving as grand commandant (taiwei [OMITTED]) and
commissioned with a verge, to go to Ye and make a public
announcement to the God of Earth. In the twelfth month
[January/February 231], they reinterred her at Zhaoyang Tumulus
(Zhaoyang ling [OMITTED]).[65] When Xiang returned, he was
transferred to be cavalier attendant in regular attendance. In the
spring of Qinglong [OMITTED] 2 [234], the emperor bestowed the
posthumous title Serene Marquis (Mu hou [OMITTED]) of Ancheng
district on the empress's elder brother Yan. In the summer, the Wu
bandits pillaged Yang province [OMITTED]. Xiang was made billowsubduing
general (fubo jiangjun [OMITTED]) and, commissioned
with a verge, supervised all the generals on a military expedition
east. Upon returning, he was also made colonel of archers who
shoot by sound (shesheng xiaowei [OMITTED]). In [Qinglong] 3
[235/236], he died. He was posthumously presented with the title
general of the guards, had his benefice changed to Weichang
prefecture, and was given the posthumous title Pure Marquis
(Zhen hou [OMITTED]). His son Chang [OMITTED] succeeded him. Chang's
younger brothers Wen [OMITTED], Wei [OMITTED], and Yan [OMITTED] were all appointed
full marquises. In [Qinglong] 4 [236/237], the original benefices of
[Empress Zhen's father] Yi and [her brother] Yan were changed
and both were called Marquis of Weichang, but their posthumous
names remained as before. Yan's wife Liu [OMITTED] was made countess
of Dong district (Dongxiang jun [OMITTED]), and Yi's wife Zhang was
posthumously made countess of Anxi (Anxi jun [OMITTED]).[66]
The Wei History contains a memorial of the Three Dukes, which says:[67]
In general, the way of filial piety and respect is to be devoted
to one's family. It is that by means of which the lands within
the four seas are civilized, that by means of which Heaven
and Earth are understood and observed.[68] What this refers to
is seeing to their support when they are alive, glorifying their
spirits when they are dead, telling of them to fully convey
their excellence, and exalting them to make their names
renowned. Now Your Majesty, because of Your sage and fine
virtue, continues the magnificent enterprise. Your perfect filial
piety rises thickly and communes with the gods. Enmeshed in
deep grief, You always strive to be modestly deferential. When
the former emperor was moved to his divine tumulus, a great
ceremony was prepared, but as for the former empress, she
consider that the former empress's respectful deference was
obvious in her obscurity, and her perfect behavior was
manifest in her silence. Her civilizing influence circulated in
the country, and her virtue equaled that of the "Two Nan."[69]
Therefore, she was able to receive auspicious signs from
divine spirits and become the first royal wife of the Great
Wei. Although she will have passed away long before, myriad
years from now people will everlastingly spread her shining
brilliance. None of the achievements of empresses and
consorts will be able to surpass hers. According to the
standards for posthumous titles, "When one's sage reputation
extends everywhere, one is called zhao [OMITTED] [`illustrious'] and
when one's virtue is bright and one has achievements, one is
called zhao."[70] Zhao is the quintessence of brightness,
something that is not diminished even after a great length of
time. It would be fitting for the Emperor to honor her with
the posthumous title the Illustrious Empress of the Civilizing
Emperor.
That month the Three Dukes again memorialized:
From ancient times, the people of Zhou first made Lord
Millet their ancestor and set up a temple to worship Jiang
Yuan.[71] Now, as for the effect of the Illustrious Empress of
the Civilizing Emperor on myriad later generations, how can
her sage virtue and perfect influence be measured? She had
the honor due the first royal wife of the imperial family, yet
was disarmingly deferential and sincerely respectful.[72] She
firmly rejected grandiose status until her divine soul was
transformed [by death], but for her not to have a temple to
receive and enjoy sacrifices is not the way to reward her
eminent virtue or to make your filial respect apparent.
Looking it up in the old regulations, it is fitting, according to
the Rites of Zhou, to establish a temple for a deceased
mother.[73]
He approved both memorials.
In the summer of the first year of the Jingchu reign period
[237], the officials concerned suggested establishing seven temples.[74]
In the winter they also memorialized, saying:
In general, when an emperor or king arises, there is both a ruler
who has received the mandate and a sage consort who is
age prosper and complete the royal enterprise. Of old, Gaoxin
shi [OMITTED] divined that the sons of his four wives would all
possess the world, and hence Di Zhi [OMITTED], Tao Tang [OMITTED],
Shang, and Zhou arose in turn.[75] The people of Zhou reached
back to Lord Millet and thereby worshiped him together with
august Heaven. Tracing and recounting his kingly beginnings,
they found his origins in Jiang Yuan and specially established a
temple where, generation after generation, they offered sacrifices
to her. This is what the Rites of Zhou refers to by "Play the yize
[OMITTED], sing the zhonglü [OMITTED], dance the grand huo [OMITTED] in order
to make an offering to the ancestral mother."[76] The poets
eulogized her, saying, "She who in the beginning gave birth to
our people [of Zhou], / This was Jiang Yuan."[77] This means she
was the root of the king's civilizing influence, the source which
gave birth to his people. Further, they say, "Silent was the Closed
Hall, / Solid and closely timbered. / Majestic was Jiang Yuan, /
Flawless her virtue."[78] The magnificence of the Ji ancestors
praised by the [Classic of] Poetry and the Rites [of Zhou] was
as beautiful as this.
The Great Wei has come round at its appointed time and
inherited from Youyu [OMITTED].[79] In exalting and spreading the
imperial way, however, the Three Generations have been even
more eminent.[80] The number of temples is actually the same as
in Zhou times. Now Empress Bian the Celebrious of the Martial
Emperor and Empress Guo the Virtuous of the Civilizing
Emperor (Wen De Guo huanghou [OMITTED]) each share in
inexhaustible blessings. As for Empress Zhen the Illustrious of
the Civilizing Emperor, she received Heaven's numinous sign and
gave birth to and raised the enlightened sage. Her achievement
saved the people, and her virtue filled the universe. She began all
the later generations and so is the starting point for moral
civilization. Special sacrifices at a temple would be taken as
another Closed Hall of Jiang Yuan. But since we have not yet
made known an irrevocable rule, we fear that myriad later
generations will be deficient concerning the principles of
evaluating merit and rewarding virtue. This is not the way to
make Your filial respect known and to demonstrate it to later
generations. At Empress Zhen's temple it would be appropriate
to offer sacrifices and play music for generation after generation,
just as at the ancestral temple. Make forever known an
irrevocable statute in order to spread Your zephyr of holy
goodness.
Thereupon, it was engraved with the petition for the seven temples
on golden slips and placed in a golden chest.
The emperor thought incessantly about his maternal uncles'
families. [Zhen] Chang was still a child, but at the end of the
Jingchu period, he was made colonel of archers who shoot by
sound and additionally made cavalier attendant in regular
attendance. The emperor also specially erected a great mansion for
him and personally visited it. Furthermore, in its rear garden he
erected a lodge and temple for Xiang's mother. He named the
ward Weiyang [OMITTED] ward to commemorate his mother's family.[81]
In the first month of Jiaping [OMITTED] 3 [February/March 251], Chang
died. He was posthumously awarded the title of general of chariots
and cavalry (juji jiangjun [OMITTED]) and given the posthumous
name Respectful Marquis. His son Shao [OMITTED] succeeded him. In
Taihe 6 [232/233], Emperor Ming's beloved daughter Shu [OMITTED]
died.[82] He gave her the posthumous appointment and name
Exemplary Princess of Pingyuan (Pingyuan Yi gongzhu [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]) and established a temple for her.[83] He selected the empress's
deceased grandnephew [Zhen] Huang to be buried with her and
posthumously appointed him a full marquis. He made Lady Guo's
younger cousin [Guo] De their offspring, and having him take the
surname Zhen, appointed him marquis of Pingyuan and let him
inherit the princess's noble rank.[L] In the Qinglong period, he also
appointed Yi [OMITTED], who was son of the empress's older cousin, and
Xiang's three younger brothers, making all of them full marquises.
Yi often sent up memorials expounding contemporary government
affairs, and he rose in office to be colonel of picked cavalry (yueji
xiaowei [OMITTED]). During the Jiaping period, he also appointed
Chang's two sons full marquises. The granddaughter of the
empress's elder brother Yan became empress of the king of Qi.[84]
The empress's father had already died, but her mother was
appointed countess of Guangle district (Guangle xiangjun [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]).
Sun Sheng [OMITTED] [fl. ca. 350] says: If there are no statutes for the
appointment and ennoblement of wives in the rites, this is even more
so for their children, so how can they be established in great benefices?
De was from a different clan, yet he was brought in to carry on
another family. He was neither meritorious nor closely related, but he
inherited his [posthumously adoptive] mother's noble rank. Defying
feelings and disregarding statutes were at their worst here. Although
Chen Qun spoke in opposition and Yang Fu [OMITTED] cited events to serve
as analogies, neither was able to expound to their full extent the rites of
inheritance.[85] Words whose sincerity is perfect may still have
shortcomings! The Classic of Poetry says, "Awe-inspiring are you, O
[Grand-] master Yin,/And the people all look to you!"[86] The top
executive officials might as well be done away with!
Encomia on the Dukes of Jin (Jin zhugong zan [OMITTED])[87] says: De's
appellative was Yansun [OMITTED]. When King Jing of the Sima family was
ruling as regent, he married his daughter to De. She died early, and
King Wen gave him a daughter for his next wife; this was Senior
Princess of the Capital (Jingzhao zhang gongzhu [OMITTED]). Kings
Jing and Wen wanted to tie themselves to Empress Guo and because of
this frequently made such marriages. Although De lacked talent and
learning, he was respectfully reverent and humbly compliant. Zhen Wen
[OMITTED], appellative Zhongshu [OMITTED], together with Guo Jian [OMITTED], De,
and others, all were of the empress's clan and were favored as a matter
of policy. At the beginning of the Xianxi [OMITTED] period [264], Guo Jian
was appointed duke of Linwei prefecture (Linwei xian gong [OMITTED])
and De as duke of Guang'an prefecture (Guang'an xian gong [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]), each with a benefice of eighteen hundred households. Wen was
originally a marquis with a state. He was promoted to general-in-chief
who supports the state (fuguo da jiangjun [OMITTED]),[88] serving also
as palace attendant and concurrent colonel of archers who shoot by
sound, and De was made general-in-chief of the subduing army
(zhenjun da jiangjun [OMITTED]).[89] In Taishi 1 [265/266], Jin
accepted the abdication [of Cao Huan] and promoted Jian, Wen, and
De with great rapidity.[90] As a man, De was upright and pure and, in
addition, was the husband of the Succedent Progenitor's elder sister.[91]
Because of this, he was esteemed at that time. In De's later years, his
post was again changed to director of the imperial clan (zong zheng [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]), and he was transferred to palace attendant.
In the Taikang period [280-289], Commander-in-Chief (da sima [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]) You [OMITTED], King of Qi, was about to go to his benefice. De and
Left General of the Guards (zuo wei jiangjun [OMITTED]) Wang Ji [OMITTED]
jointly remonstrated and petitioned [that he remain], and their
contemporaries admired them. The Succedent Progenitor blamed De
for this. Consequently, he sent him out to be grand herald (da honglu
[OMITTED]), and made him concurrent palace attendant and imperial
household grandee.[92] Soon De became ill and died. The emperor gave
him the titles general-in-chief of the Middle Army (zhong jun da
jiangjun [OMITTED])[93] and palatine palace attendant (kaifu shizhong [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]), as before. He was posthumously named the Respectful Duke,
and his son Xi [OMITTED] succeeded him. Xi was refined and pure and had
Writers, right general of the guards, and palace attendant, and he rose
to be general-in-chief who supports the state, to which was added
cavalier attendant in regular attendance. Xi was close to the throne by
marriage. That he got through the incidents involving Lun, King of
Zhao [OMITTED], and Jiong, King of Qi [OMITTED], and was able to remain
uninvolved at this juncture was really because he was considered short
on talent.[94] But he also avoided them by withdrawal and quietude.
Empress Guo the Virtuous of the Civilizing Emperor had her home
of record in Guangzong [OMITTED] in Anping [OMITTED].[95] Her forebears
were senior subalterns (zhang li [OMITTED]).[M] When the empress was
young, her father Young [OMITTED] thought she was extraordinary and
said, "This is the queen of my daughters," so he gave her the
appellative Queenie. She lost both parents at an early age and
drifted about in the death and disorder of the times, coming to
rest in the household of the marquis of Tongdi [OMITTED].[96] When the
Grand Progenitor was Duke of Wei, she was able to enter the
Eastern Palace.[97] The empress was a shrewd strategist and from
time to time offered advice [to Cao Pi]. When he was designated
the successor, she had a hand in planning it. Once he had assumed
the royal throne, the empress was made lady, and when he
assumed the imperial throne, she was made honored concubine.
The death of Empress Zhen resulted from the favor shown
Empress Guo. In Huangchu 3 [222/223], Emperor Wen was about
to name an empress, and he wanted to designate her. Gentleman-of-the-Household
Zhan Qian presented a memorial:
When the emperors and kings of yore governed the empire, they
not only had assistance without, they also had help within. From
this proceeds order or disorder, and rise or fall come from it.
Thus Xiling [OMITTED] was spouse to the Yellow Emperor, and Ying
[OMITTED] and E [OMITTED] married Gui, who was below their station.[98] All of
them were thereby worthy and enlightened and spread their
fragrances through the ancient ages. When Jie fled to Nanchao,
the disaster stemmed from Moxi.[99] Zhou used the punishment of
roasting alive to give joy and delight to Daji.[100] Hence, sage
wisdom exercises circumspection in setting up a principal
consort. One must select from the household of an eminent clan
of former ages, and pick an outstanding maiden to control the
Six Palaces, make reverent offerings at the imperial temples, and
cultivate the feminine civilizing influence. The Changes says,
"When the way of the family is correct, the empire is settled.[101]
kings. The Spring and Autumn Annals writes that Ancestral
Intendant (zong ren [OMITTED]) Xin Xia [OMITTED] said there is no rite for
making a concubine a lady.[102] [Duke] Huan [OMITTED] of Qi swore an
oath at Kuiqiu [OMITTED], also saying, "Do not make a concubine
your wife.[103] At present, the favorite from the rear palace is often
second only to the emperor. If for love's sake you promote her
to empress, causing someone of humble station to become
suddenly noble, I fear that, should in later ages inferiors be
usurpative and superiors be set aside, then the turmoil will have
originated with Your Highness.[104]
The emperor did not heed his advice and subsequently made her
empress.[N]
The Wei History says: Her father Yong rose in office to hold the post of
grand administrator of Nan commandery [OMITTED] and was posthumously
named Attentive Marquis. Her mother, surnamed Dong [OMITTED], was
countess of Tangyang [Tangyang jun [OMITTED]] and gave birth to three
boys and two girls. The eldest boy was Fu [OMITTED], who was prefect of
Gaotang [OMITTED]. Next was the girl Yu [OMITTED] and next was the empress. The
empress's younger brothers were Du [OMITTED] and Cheng [OMITTED]. The empress
was born during the Han on an yimao [OMITTED] day in the third month of
Zhongping [OMITTED] 1 [8 April 184]. From birth there was something
extraordinary about her.
The Wei History says: The empress sent up a memorial saying:
I lack the integrity of Huang and Ying's marrying below their
station, and I am not one to hope to emulate Jiang and
Ren.[105] I am really inadequate to be relied on to fill the grand
position of woman ruler and to manage the important duties
of your household.
From the time the empress was in the Eastern Palace until she
assumed the venerable throne, even though she was extraordinarily
favored, her heart was increasingly respectful. She cared for the Palace
of Eternal Longevity [Empress Dowager Bian] and was famous for her
filial piety. At that time, Honorable Lady Chai [Chai guiren [OMITTED]]
also was favored, and the empress taught and trained, encouraged and
guided her. When there was some lapse on the part of the worthy
ladies of the rear palace, she always covered it up. When one of them
was reprimanded, she always explained the ins and outs of the affair to
the emperor. If perhaps he were greatly angered by someone, she
of this, the Six Palaces had no enmity toward her. By nature she was
frugal and economical. She did not like music and always admired the
way Empress Ma the Virtuous of the Enlightened Emperor [OMITTED]
of Han times comported herself.[106]
The empress lost her brothers early, and Yong's line was carried
on by her elder cousin Biao [OMITTED], who was made chief commandant
of imperial equipages. The empress's maternal relative Liu Fei
[OMITTED] married into another kingdom. When the empress heard of
it, she cautioned, "In marrying, all my relatives naturally should
make matches with families in their own hometowns and should
not utilize their position to force marriage with people of other
places." The empress's elder sister's son, Meng Wu [OMITTED], returned
to his hometown and sought a concubine, but the empress stopped
him. Subsequently, she cautioned all of her family: "In the present
age, there are too few women, so they should pair up with the
officers and men. One cannot use some pretext to take them as
concubines. It is appropriate for each of you to be circumspect and
not be the first to get punished."[O]
The Wei History says: The empress often cautioned and warned Biao,
Wu, and others, saying, "The reasons the families of the pepper rooms
of the Han house were seldom able to keep themselves intact were
always pride and excess.[107] You must be circumspect!"
In [Huangchu] 5 [224/225], the emperor went east on a military
expedition, and the empress remained behind at the Terrace of
Perpetual Beginning in Xuchang.[108] At this time it poured rain for
over a hundred days, and the city walls and towers were much
damaged. The officials concerned asked her to move elsewhere.
The empress replied:
Of old, King Zhao of Chu [OMITTED] went out traveling and Jiang
the Chaste (Zhen Jiang [OMITTED]) remained behind at Jian Terrace
(Jian tai [OMITTED]). When the waters of the Yangtze came, an envoy
arrived, but since he had no verge, she would not leave, and
drowned.[109] Now the emperor is far away. If I were simply to up
and move elsewhere, even though I have been fortunate enough
not to experience such adversity, what then?
None of the officials dared say anything more. In [Huangchu] 6
[225/226], the emperor went east on a military expedition against
behind at Qiao Palace.[110] At this time, Biao remained behind in the
imperial bodyguards. He wanted to stem the river's flow to get
fish.[111] The empress said:
The river is meant to freely transport supplies. Besides, there is
too little timber, and servants are not available. You would also
need to take state-owned bamboo and wood for your personal
use to make the dam. But now, Commandant of Equipages,
whatever it is that you find you lack, how can it be fish?
When Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he honored the
empress as empress dowager and designated her Palace of Eternal
Peace (Yongan gong [OMITTED]). In Taihe 4 [230/231], by edict he
appointed Biao marquis of Anyang commune (Anyang ting hou
[OMITTED]), then advanced his rank to district marquis. The added
households, when combined with what he had before, totaled five
hundred. He was transferred to be general of the capital rampart
(zhong lei jiangjun [OMITTED]). Biao's son Xiang [OMITTED] was made chief
commandant of cavalry (ji duwei [OMITTED]). That year, the emperor
posthumously named the empress dowager's father Yong the
Attentive Marquis of Anyang district (Anyang xiang Jing hou [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]) and her mother Dong countess of the capital district (du
xiang jun [OMITTED]). Biao was transferred to be general of brilliant
virtue (zhaode jiangjun [OMITTED]), awarded an honorary gold
[seal] and purple [cord], and designated Specially Advanced (te jin
[OMITTED]). Biao's second son Xun [OMITTED] was made chief commandant of
cavalry. When Meng Wu's mother died, he wanted to give her an
elaborate burial and erect a shrine, but the empress dowager
stopped him, saying, "Since the death and disorder began, there is
no tomb that has not been dug up, all because of elaborate
burials. Let Shouyang Tumulus (Shouyang ling [OMITTED]) be your
model."
In the spring of Qinglong 3 [235/236], the empress died in
Xuchang.[112] They built her tumulus in accordance with her last
will, and on the gengyin [OMITTED] day in the third month [16 April
235], she was buried west of Shouyang Tumulus.[P] The emperor
advanced Biao's noble rank to marquis of Guanjin (Guanjin hou
[OMITTED]) and increased his benefice by five hundred households,
bringing the total to one thousand. Xiang was transferred to be
chief commandant of attendant cavalry (fuma duwei [OMITTED]).
In the fourth year [236/237], Yong had his appointment posthumously
changed to Attentive Marquis of Guanjin (Guanjin Jing
countess of Tangyang. The empress's elder brothers were
posthumously ennobled, Fu as Venerated Marquis of Liangli
commune (Liangli ting Dai hou [OMITTED]), Du as Filial Marquis
of Wucheng commune (Wucheng ting Xiao hou [OMITTED]), and
Cheng as Reassuring Marquis of Xinle commune (Xinle ting Ding
hou [OMITTED]). In every case an envoy was sent to present a
patent and offer a Great Sacrifice. When Biao died, his son Xiang
succeeded him, Biao's benefice was divided, and Xiang's younger
brother Shu [OMITTED] was appointed a full marquis. When Xiang died,
his son Zhao [OMITTED] succeeded him.
The Wei Epitome says: After Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he
was pained by the memory of Empress Zhen's death; therefore,
Empress Dowager [Guo] died unexpectedly from worry. When
Empress Zhen was near death, she had placed the emperor under the
care of Lady Li. Once the empress dowager had died, Lady Li
was not properly coffined, and that her disheveled hair covered her
face.[113] The emperor shed tears in his sorrow and regret and
commanded that in the funeral and burial of the empress dowager all
be done as in the case of Empress Zhen.[114]
The Han-Jin Spring and Autumn says: Earlier, the killing of Empress
Zhen stemmed from the favoritism shown Empress Guo, and when she
was buried, they let her disheveled hair cover her face and stuffed her
mouth with chaff. Subsequently Empress Guo was made empress and
charged with raising Emperor Ming.[115] The emperor was aware of this,
and in his heart always harbored resentment. He often tearfully
inquired about the circumstances of Empress Zhen's demise. Empress
Guo replied, "The late emperor killed her. Why blame me? Besides,
may a child carry a grudge against his deceased father and wrongly kill
his stepmother because of his natural mother?" Emperor Ming was
angry and subsequently hounded her to death. In ordering her funeral,
he had them do as previously in the case of Empress Zhen.[116]
The Wei History contains the tablet of lament which says: In the third
month of Qinglong 3,[117] on the renshen day,[118] with the empress
dowager in a catalpa coffin, the funeral procession to bury her at
Western Tumulus (Xiling [OMITTED]) at Shouyang will begin. Her bereaved
son Rui, the emperor, personally presented the tablet and performed
the sacrifice to initiate the funeral. Next, he personally made the
offerings to send off the departed. Striking his heart, he beat his breast
and stamped his feet; loudly crying, he looked up and appealed:
I am pained at the soul's journeying abroad,
Sad at the hearse's facing the road.
She has turned her back on the Three Luminaries to conceal
herself;[119]
Drawing nigh the Yellow Earth, she shall be placed in the
crypt.[120]
Alas! Alack!
Of old,
The two daughters were consorts to Yu,[121]
And his imperial way was thereby distinguished;
The three mothers married Zhou rulers,[122]
And sage goodness attained full brightness.
Since these rulers received so much good fortune,
They enjoyed the prolongation of their kingdoms.
Alack! Alack! My late loving Mother
Brought transformation to the women's apartments,
Flew dragonlike to the Purple Bourne,[123]
From the start cooperated with the sage sovereign,
And did not expect in middle age
Suddenly to encounter catastrophy.
Pity me, the little child,
All alone, crushed and wounded.
Her soul is forever gone.
How can I hope to pay her morning and evening courtesies?
Alas! Alack!
Empress Mao the Lamented of the Enlightened Emperor (Ming
Dao Mao huanghou [OMITTED]) had Henei as her home of
record.[124] During the Huangchu period, she entered the Eastern
Palace by selection. At the time, Emperor Ming was king of
Pingyuan [OMITTED]. On going in and giving herself to the emperor,
she won his favor, and she shared a carriage with him going and
coming. When he assumed the imperial throne, he took her to be
his honored concubine. In Taihe 1 [227], he established her as
empress.[125] Her father Jia [OMITTED] was made chief commandant of
cavalry, and her younger brother Zeng [OMITTED] gentleman-of-the-palace
(lang zhong [OMITTED]).
Earlier, when Emperor Ming was a prince, he first took Madam
Yu of Henei as his consort. When he became emperor and
Madame Yu was not made empress, Grand Empress Dowager
Bian consoled and encouraged her. Madame Yu said:
The Caos have always been fond of establishing the inferior.
They have never been able to promote someone on the basis of
ruler attends to governing without. Their ways complement each
other, so if they are unable to get off to a good start, they will
never be able to end well. I fear that because of this they will
surely ruin the state and let the sacrifices die out!
Madam Yu subsequently was demoted and returned to the Ye
Palace. Jia was advanced to be chief commandant of imperial
equipages and Zeng to chief commandant of cavalry, and their
gifts as favorites were bountiful and substantial. Before long, Jia
was appointed marquis of Boping district (Boping xiang hou [OMITTED]
[OMITTED])[126] and transferred to imperial household grandee, and Zeng
became chief commandant of attendant cavalry. Jia originally was
a carriage maker (che gong [OMITTED]) under the chief commandant of
waters and parks.[127] When he suddenly became rich and noble,
Emperor Ming ordered the court officers to assemble at Jia's home
for symposia.[128] Jia's demeanor and his behavior were very stupid
and foolish, and when he spoke, he always referred to himself as
"the Lordly Person."[129] People of the time thought he was a
Zeng was transferred to cavalier gentleman-in-attendance. In
Qinglong 3, Jia died. He was posthumously accorded the office of
imperial household grandee, and had his appointment changed to
marquis of An state (An guo hou [OMITTED]), with an increase of five
hundred households, which, added to what he had before, brought
the total to one thousand. He was posthumously named the
Decent Marquis (Jie hou [OMITTED]). In [Qinglong] 4 [236/237], the
empress's mother Xia [OMITTED] was appointed countess of Yewang
(Yewang jun [OMITTED]).
Sun Sheng says: The kings of antiquity made sure to seek excellent
maidens in order to match and glorify their own perfect virtue. They
extended royal transformation through "Guan ju" and brought about
simple customs through "Lin zhi."[130] The last rulers of the Xia, Shang,
and Zhou periods disturbed this thread; righteousness was drowned by
passion, status was muddled by favoritism, noble and inferior lacked
order, and the low ascended and the high declined. Rise or fall, success
or failure all are in this thing. During the Wei, beginning with King
Wu and extending down to the Illustrious Ancestor,[131] the empresses of
all three rulers arose from obscure and inferior positions. Since their
origins were humble, how could they be used to perpetuate the line?
The [Classic of] Poetry lines "Fine linen and coarse, / Cool they are
because of the wind" probably refer to such a case![132]
From the time the emperor began to favor Empress Guo, the
love and favor shown Empress Mao diminished daily. In Jingchu
1 [237/238], the emperor was touring the rear garden and
summoned those of the rank of lady of talents and above to a
private feast to enjoy themselves fully. Empress Guo said, "It
would be fitting to invite the empress." But the emperor would
not allow it. He then prohibited those about him from mentioning
it so that it would not be made known. But the empress learned
of it, and the next day when the emperor saw her, she asked,
"Were the outing and feast yesterday in the northern garden fun?"
The emperor assumed that those about him had leaked it, and
more than ten people were killed. The empress was allowed to
commit suicide, but she was still given a posthumous name and
buried at Min Tumulus (Minling [OMITTED]).[133] Zeng was transferred to
become cavalier attendant in regular attendance,[134] and was later
shifted to general of the gentlemen-of-the-household rapid as tigers
and of the feathered forest (yulin huben zhonglang jiang [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]), and [colonel] director of agriculture for Yuanwu
(Yuanwu diannong [OMITTED]).[135]
Empress Guo the Paramount of the Enlightened Emperor (Ming
Yuan Guo huanghou [OMITTED]) had her home of record in
Xiping [OMITTED].[136] For generations, hers was a great clan in Heyou
[OMITTED].[137] In the Huangchu period, her home commandery rebelled,
so she was impressed into the palace. When Emperor Ming
assumed the throne, she was greatly loved and favored and was
appointed lady. Her father's younger brother Li [OMITTED] became chief
commandant of cavalry, and her paternal uncle Zhi [OMITTED] became
general of the gentlemen-of-the-household rapid as tigers. When
the emperor was stricken with illness, she was established as
empress.[138] When the King of Qi [Cao Fang] assumed the throne,
he honored the empress as empress dowager and designated her
Palace of Eternal Peace. He posthumously appointed and named
the empress dowager's father Man [OMITTED] the Reassuring Marquis of
the Western Capital (Xi du Ding hou [OMITTED]) and had Li's son
Jian carry on the noble rank. He appointed the empress dowager's
mother Du [OMITTED] countess of Geyang (Geyang jun [OMITTED]). Zhi was
transferred to cavalier attendant in regular attendance and colonel
of the Chang River encampment (Chang shui xiaowei [OMITTED]),[R]
and Li to general of manifest virtue (xuan de jiangjun [OMITTED]).
Both were appointed full marquises. Jian's older brother De was
raised by the Zhen family. De and Jian were both generals for
garrison defense (zhenhu jiangjun [OMITTED]) and each was
imperial bodyguards. It happened that three rulers in a row were
minors, and the top executive officials controlled the government
and settled great affairs with them. They always checked with or
informed the empress dowager before taking any action.[139] When
Guanqiu Jian [OMITTED], Zhong Hui [OMITTED], and others rebelled, they
all did so in her name.[140] She died in the twelfth month of
Jingyuan [OMITTED]4 [January/February 264]. In the second month of
[Jingyuan] 5 [March/April 264], she was buried on the west of
Gaoping Tumulus (Gaoping ling [OMITTED]).[S]
The evaluation says: Although the families of the Wei empresses
and consorts may be said to have been rich and noble, there were
not any who took advantage of what was not their rightful
position to carve up the court's administration. Admirable it is to
take the past as a mirror for changing one's course. In retrospect,
Chen Qun's argument and Zhan Qian's theory are perfectly
sufficient to be canons for all kings and to provide a model for
later generations.
These lines are quoted from the Classic of Changes, Hexagram 37, "Tuan
zhuan" [OMITTED] [Commentary on the Decision]. Cf. Wilhelm, I Ching, 570. See
also Wilhelm, Heaven, Earth, and Man in the Book of Changes, 86; Klöpsch,
" `Bird in a Cage,' `Jade in the Mire,' " 238. We discuss "inner and outer"
spheres of activity in Chapter 2 above. A good discussion of the concept as
it existed in later times is Ebrey, The Inner Quarters, 23-29.
Yu is the culture hero Shun, who lived near the stream Gui: "All (giving =)
to the emperor said: There is an unmarried man (below =) in a low position,
called Shun of Yu. The emperor said: Yes, I have heard (of him): what is he
like? (Si) Yue said: He is the son of a blind man; his father was stupid, his
mother was deceitful, (his brother) Xiang was arrogant; he has been able to
be concordant and to be grandly filial; he has controlled himself and has not
come to wickedness. The emperor said: I will try him; I will wive him, and
observe his behaviour towards my two daughters. He (regulated, arranged =)
directed and sent down his two daughters to the nook of the Gui river, to be
wives in the Yu (house). The emperor said: Be reverent!" (Karlgren, "The Book
of Documents," 4). See also Karlgren, "Glosses on the Book of Documents,"
69-71. For more on the lore surrounding Yao's daughters, see note 98 below
and Yuan, Zhongguo shenhua chuanshuo cidian, 149. Ji was the surname of
the Zhou ruling house. Ren was the name of the mother of King Wen of Zhou,
and Si was the name of the mother of King Wu of Zhou.
Lu Bi notes that Chunqiu: Bao qian tu [OMITTED] [Apocryphon to the Spring
and Autumn Annals: Schema for Preserving Qian] says that "only the Son of
Heaven takes twelve wives" (Sgz jijie, 5.1b). See also Tjan, Po hu t'ung, 1:251252,
349n. 466. The latter indicates that both the Son of Heaven and the nobles
might take nine wives at a time but also points out that some held the emperor
might take twelve. On the number of wives the Son of Heaven should have,
see Chapter 3, note 40.
That San guo zhi here writes Chunqiu shuo [OMITTED] is something of a
[OMITTED] [Apocryphon to the Spring and Autumn Annals: Explaining the
Themes and Words], and we have translated accordingly. However, the
surviving fragments of that work do not contain a similar passage. Perhaps
Chen Shou is referring to a lost portion of the Shuo ti ci or to some now
unknown work. Another possibility is that Chunqiu shuo is not a title at all,
but means instead "an explanation to the Spring and Autumn Annals," as
indicated by Dubs, who, however, was unsure.
Mengzi [OMITTED] 1B.5 says: "At that time there were neither girls pining for a
husband [yuannü [OMITTED]] nor men without a wife [kuangfu [OMITTED]]" (Lau,
Mencius, 66, brackets ours). The point here is that the huge size of the imperial
harems led both to a shortage of wives for the men of the empire and to
neglected women in the harem wishing for husbands of their own.
This sentence may mean something like "Only in the Taihe period, when he
named a new lady, did he raise her position above that of pure consort," or
"In the Taihe period when he first named a new lady, he raised her position
above that of pure consort." These latter interpretations offer more specificity
about the occasion, but we are not sure which of the three might be right.
The one adopted in the translation reflects our impression that the punctuation
in the Zhonghua shuju text may be misleading.
The expression zhuhou wang is a generic term that ought simply to be
understood as wang [OMITTED] (king or prince). See, for example, Hucker, A Dictionary
of Official Titles in Imperial China, no. 1384; Loewe, "The Orders of
Aristocratic Rank of Han China," 110; and Lin, Zhongguo lishi da cidian:
Qin Han shi, 374-375.
Kaiyang prefecture in Langye commandery was located just north of modern
Linyi [OMITTED] in Shandong province.
One of the main anti-eunuch voices in the political machinations of 189 was
Yuan Shao. Yuan and General-in-Chief He Jin [OMITTED] (d. 189), half brother of
Empress Dowager He [OMITTED], wanted to exterminate the eunuchs, but she
opposed this. Yuan and others decided to intimidate her by having military
leaders bring their forces to the capital. One such army was lead by Dong Zhuo.
Dong was a seasoned military leader, and his advance caused the empress
dowager to dismiss all the eunuchs except those connected with He Jin. Yuan
Shao urged He to execute them all, but the latter refused. He Jin even demanded
that Dong stop his advance, and soon the eunuchs resumed their posts. But
on 22 September 189, He Jin had an audience with his sister in which he
requested permission to kill the eunuchs. The eunuchs were suspicious of his
visit to court. Having discovered what he was up to, they lured him back as
he was leaving and cut off his head. Anti-eunuch forces then went into action.
Leading eunuchs, taking along the empress dowager, the Young Emperor (Shao
di [OMITTED]; Liu Bian [OMITTED]), the emperor's younger brother Liu Xie [OMITTED], and
others, fled to the Northern Palace. The empress dowager slipped away from
the group en route. Yuan Shao's men are reported to have massacred more
than two thousand people at the palace, but the party leading the Young
Emperor escaped and fled the city. They were caught, and those eunuchs not
killed by the pursuers committed suicide.
While the Young Emperor and Liu Xie were returning to Luoyang, they were
intercepted by Dong Zhuo, who then proceeded to the capital with his royal
charges. He went about solidifying his position, with many former soldiers
of the He brothers joining his army. Worried about an army that was stationed
east of the capital, Dong got its commander's subordinate, Lü Bu, to murder
his superior and bring the force over to Dong's side. Dong now had a
preponderance of military power in the capital region. He forced Empress
Dowager He to depose the ruler and replaced him with Liu Xie (Emperor
Xian), who was just a boy. Dong also killed the empress dowager and the
former emperor (HHs, 69.2249-2253, 72.2322-2324, 74A.2374, 56.1830,
9.367, 369; Ch'ü, Han Social Structure, 499-502, 505-506; Sgz, 1.5, 6.172,
6.174, 21.600; de Crespigny, To Establish Peace, 1:1-25; Leban, "Ts'ao Ts'ao
and the Rise of Wei," 130-131, 135-137, 140-141, 142-147, 152).
Some idea of Dong Zhuo's brutality can be had through the following
account of events after he made Liu Xie emperor:
Zhuo was transferred to be chancellor of state and appointed marquis
of Mei. Unannounced by the herald, he would enter the hall in sword
and shoes. His mother was also appointed lady of Chiyang [OMITTED]
and provided with a prefect of the household and assistant of the
household.
Having happened upon tremendous chaos in the imperial house
when he came leading his crack troops, Zhuo was able arbitrarily
to set aside one ruler and establish another and to seize the weapons
of the arsenal and the treasures of state. His might shook the world.
By nature Zhuo was ruthless and inhuman, so he menaced the
masses with severe punishments. He was sure to take retribution over
the smallest grievance, and people could not save themselves. He once
sent an army to Yangcheng [OMITTED]. It was just at the time of the secondmonth
sacrifice to the God of Earth, and the people were all at the
altar. The soldiers all went forth and cut the men's heads off, yoked
up their carts and oxen, and loaded up the women and property. They
tied the heads they had cut off to the shafts and axles of the carts
and returned to Luoyang in a continuous line, saying they had
attacked bandits and made a big haul, and shouting "Long life!" They
entered the Kaiyang Gate [OMITTED] and burned the heads. They gave
the women to the armored soldiers as slaves and concubines. They
even raped the palace women and princesses. Such were his cruelty
and treachery.
As soon as Dong began his coup, Yuan Shao quit the capital. Cao Cao
slipped out about the same time and headed east, where he raised an army.
Both men participated in an abortive anti-Dong alliance (HHs, 74A.2374; Sgz,
1.5-6; Leban, "Ts'ao Ts'ao and the Rise of Wei," 146-149, 151-152). On
9 April 190, because of the threat posed by the opposition forces—and over
the protests of the court—Dong sent Emperor Xian to Chang'an [OMITTED], forcing
the population of Luoyang to move, too (HHs, 9.369, 62A.2327; Sgz, 1.7).
Luoyang was at the time one of the greatest and most populous cities in the
world. The suffering caused by Dong's decision and the violence with which
he put it into effect can only be imagined, but there are moving descriptions
environs, even ordering Lü Bu to loot imperial tombs and other mausolea
(HHs, 9.370, 72.2327; Sgz, 1.7; Zztj, 59.1897; Bielenstein, "Lo-yang in Later
Han Times," 89-90; de Crespigny, To Establish Peace, 1:42-43; Leban, "Ts'ao
Ts'ao and the Rise of Wei," 155-156). On 22 May 192, Dong Zhuo was
assassinated in Chang'an by his adopted son and confederate Lü Bu as part
of a plot organized by Wang Yun [OMITTED] (HHs, 72.2331-2332; Sgz, 6.179;
Leban, "Ts'ao Ts'ao and the Rise of Wei," 186). The literature of the Jian'an
Period often refers to the hardships and destruction that attended the end of
the Han. Two of Cao Cao's most famous poems, "Xie lu xing" [OMITTED] [Dew
on the Shallot] and "Hao li xing" [OMITTED] [Wormwood Village], deal with the
fall of the Han and the failure of the alliance against Dong Zhuo.
Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao's half brother, had been involved in the slaughter of the
eunuchs (HHs, 8.358, 69.2252). He emerged as one of eight powerful satraps
of the 190s and even tried, to no avail, to establish his own dynasty in 197
(Mansvelt Beck, "The Fall of Han," 342, 349, 351). He is mentioned several
times in Fascicle 50 on the empresses and consorts of Wu below.
Empress Bian herself gave birth to four sons: Cao Pi, Cao Zhang [OMITTED] (d. 223),
Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong [OMITTED], who died young. These brothers eventually
had at least twenty-one half brothers (Sgz, 20.579). The eldest brother, Cao
Ang [OMITTED], referred to below by his appellative Zixiu [OMITTED], was the son of
Lady Liu [OMITTED] (see also Sgz, 1.14). He was killed in battle in 197, at which time
he must have been at least twenty. Thus he would have been born no later
than 178. Cao Pi, born in 187, was the next eldest, followed by Cao Zhang,
whose birthdate is not known. Cao Zhi may have been the next son born,
but this is not an absolute certainty, for Cao Ang's younger brother Cao Shuo
[OMITTED], who seems to have died in his teens, conceivably was older (Xu, "Cao
Zhi wei Cao Cao diji erzi," 36-38). See also Appendix I, Table 9.
Cao Pi was named Cao Cao's heir in the winter of Jian'an 22 (A.D. 217; see
Sgz, 1.49, 19.557). He was general of the gentlemen-of-the-household for all
purposes (wuguan zhonglang jiang [OMITTED]) at the time. Zhang yu [OMITTED],
here translated as "chief attendants," was the name of a Han office, but it
is not entirely clear that it was a formal term (Sgz cidian, 230). Drawing on
Wei Hong's [OMITTED] (fl. A.D. 25-57) Han jiu yi [OMITTED] [Old Han Ceremonies],
Ru Chun notes that "a female chief attendant (nü zhang yu [OMITTED]) was
comparable to a [male] palace attendant" (Hs, 63.2744).
Qi commandery was in modern Shandong. There seems to be a mistake in
the date given here, for there was no yisi day in that month. Imataka, Inami,
and Kominami, Sangoku shi, 1:149, also question this date. Note that Leban,
"Ts'ao Ts'ao and the Rise of Wei," 57, reads second month for twelfth month
and thus gives the Western equivalent 4 April 160. Yanxi 3 ran from 27
December 159 to 13 January 161.
This quotation from the Wei History also appears in the commentary to Shi
shuo xin yu. See Xu, Shishuo xinyu jiao jian, 19.364-365; Mather, Shih-shuo
Hsin-yü, 342. In the Shi shuo xin yu version, the diviner is called Wang Yue
[OMITTED].
In 196, following the advice of Xun Yu [OMITTED] (163-212), Cao Cao took
Emperor Xian under his protection and installed him at Xu [OMITTED] (or Xucheng),
Xuchang in He'nan.
Cao Cao died early in Jian'an 25 (on 15 March 220) in Luoyang. Cao Pi
succeeded him as chancellor and king of Wei and, later, on 10 or 11 December
220, became emperor of the new Wei dynasty (Zhang, San Cao nianpu, 168,
177; Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:10, 38-39; Leban,
"Managing Heaven's Mandate," 322, 325).
Zhou Xuan was noted for his skill at dream interpretation. The story related
here by Pei Songzhi is found in Zhou's biography in Sgz, 29.810-811. It has
been translated as follows:
The emperor also asked, "I dreamed that I was rubbing away at the
design on a coin, trying to make it disappear. But the design only
became brighter. What does this mean?"
Xuan was distraught, and he hesitated to answer. The emperor
pressed him with the question again, and Xuan said, "This derives
from a problem in Your Majesty's own household. Although you are
wishing for something, the imperial mother does not concur. This is
the reason the pattern only brightens, although you would like to rub
it away."
At that time, it was true that the emperor wanted to inflict a
punishment on his younger brother Cao Zhi, and he was pressuring
his mother to permit it. But the imperial mother was willing only
to reduce Cao Zhi in rank.
Magicians of Ancient China, 139)
It is unclear what offense is referred to here and difficult to reconcile Empress
Bian's response with the very different one to an event recorded in Cao Zhi's
biography: "In the year Huangchu 2 [221/222], Regent-Receptionist (jianguo
yezhe [OMITTED]) Guan Jun [OMITTED], catering to the emperor's wishes,
memorialized that "While drunk, Cao Zhi was disrespectful and coerced and
intimidated Your envoy." All the officials concerned wanted the emperor to
punish this offense, but because of the empress dowager he only demoted Cao
Zhi to marquis of An district (Anxiang hou [OMITTED])" (Sgz, 19.561). The most
detailed investigation of Cao's demotion to marquis of An district is found in
Xu, "Cao Zhi shengping ba kao," 204-212. Xu pulls the fragmentary evidence
together into a convincing sequence of events. See also Zhang, San Cao nianpu,
189-190.
For another translation of this Wei History entry, see Fang, The Chronicle of
the Three Kingdoms, 1:106, 124-126.
Chen Qun's biography is in Sgz, 22.633-638. He was an important official,
first under Liu Bei, then under Cao Cao and Cao Pi. He is often credited with
establishing the nine-rank system of official recruitment in 220, but is perhaps
better characterized as the person who formalized its use in the government
(Holzman, "Les neuf catégories," 393; Ch'en, "A Confucian Magnate's Idea
of Political Violence," 79; Fairbank, "King and Province in the Western Chin,"
10). For another translation of Chen Qun's memorial and the emperor's
response, see Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:11-12, 41.
As Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:41, points out, there is a
pertinent passage in the Record of Rites. In Legge's translation it says, "Hence
while the wife had (herself) no rank, she was held to be of the rank of her
husband, and she took her seat according to the position belonging to him"
(Legge, LîKî, 1:441; Lj, 26.19b).
The term "imperial secretariat" is a reference to the masters of writing (shang
shu). Well before the Wei, the notion that a person who had no rank during
his or her lifetime should not receive a posthumous name was no longer strictly
observed. See Ch'ü, Han Social Structure, 78. Although Cao Pi accepted—and
even praised—Chen Qun's argument, ultimately Cao Rui conferred titles on
Empress Bian's parents, and her grandparents as well.
Note that Sgz, 3.97 gives the precise date of death as 9 July 230 rather than
the May/June date given here.
This sentence is also translated in Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms,
1:328. Gao Tumulus lay west of Ye; that is, to the west of modern Linzhang
[OMITTED], Hebei. To judge from two surviving orders he composed, Cao Cao seems
to have personally chosen this site, which was visible from the famous Bronze
Bird Terrace (Tong que tai [OMITTED]), for his tomb. He said he wished to have
a thrifty burial there (see Cao Cao ji, 3.51, 57-58; Anhui Boxian, Cao Cao
ji yi zhu, 176-177, 187-188). As early as 205, Cao Cao prohibited lavish
burials (Sgz, 1.27). On lavish versus thrifty burial and the numerous calls for
the latter near the close of the Han, see Poo, "Ideas Concerning Death and
Burial in Pre-Han and Han China."
Qian Daxin says that a du xiang was a district near the capital and that a
du xiang hou, or the marquis of such a district, ranked above a regular xiang
hou, or district marquis (Sgz jijie, 5.7a).
Duke of Gaogui District was a title held by Cao Mao, a nephew of Emperor
Ming. In Jingchu [OMITTED] 3(239), Emperor Ming died and was succeeded by his
adopted son Cao Fang, a seven- or eight-year-old. Cao Fang's regents were
Cao Shuang and Sima Yi [OMITTED] (179-251). A decade later, Sima Yi launched
a coup, and the Sima family took control of the Wei dynasty. After Sima Yi's
death, his eldest son Sima Shi [OMITTED], also known as King Jing of the Sima
family (Sima Jing wang [OMITTED]), became the de facto ruler of Wei. In 254,
he and his younger brother Sima Zhao, also known as King Wen [OMITTED], removed
Cao Fang as emperor and replaced him with Cao Mao, who was then fourteen
years old. In 260, Cao Mao attempted to do away with Sima Zhao but was
himself killed. He was replaced by Cao Huang [OMITTED], whose name was changed
to Cao Huan because rulers' personal names were taboo, and Huang was
thought difficult to avoid (Sgz, 4.147; see Fang, The Chronicle of the Three
Kingdoms, 2:354). Cao Huan was a grandson of Cao Cao and son of Cao
Yu [OMITTED] (King Yu of Yan [OMITTED]). Known to history as Emperor Yuan [OMITTED]
[OMITTED] (r. 260-265), or the Young Emperor (Shaodi [OMITTED]), he was just a teenager
at the time (Sgz, 4.117-147; Zhang, San Cao nianpu, 233; Fu, Zhongguo tong
shi, 1:252-254). It is because Cao Mao did serve as emperor, even though he
is not so referred to here, that Bian Long's daughter is called empress.
King of Chenliu refers to Cao Huan, who is also referred to as Duke of
Changdao District (Changdao xianggong [OMITTED]). After a five-year stint
as emperor, he abdicated in 266 to Sima Yan (r. 266-290), the first ruler of
the Jin dynasty. Cao Huan's biography is in Sgz, 4.147-154.
Bielenstein notes that "majors might command entire regiments in exceptional
cases" (Bielenstein, The Bureaucracy of Han Times, 120). That seems to be
what is meant here.
Wuqiu Shouwang (ca. 156-110 B.C.) is sometimes referred to as Yuqiu
Shouwang [OMITTED], as in Xiao Tong's [OMITTED] (501-531) "Wen xuan xu" [OMITTED]
[OMITTED] [Preface to Selections of Refined Literature]. During the reign of the Han
Emperor Wu, a bronze tripod cauldron (ding [OMITTED]) was unearthed. All the other
officials saw this object as a numinous Zhou relic, but Wuqiu dissented. When
the emperor asked why, he said it was a gift from Heaven in approbation of
the Han. Emperor Wu was greatly pleased (Hs, 64A.2798). Hs, 30.1747 credits
Wuqiu with fifteen fu, or rhapsodies, all of which are lost (Knechtges, Wen
xuan, 1:95n).
During the reign of the Han Emperor Xuan [OMITTED] (r. 74-49 B.C.), Wang Xiang
[OMITTED], who was inspector of Yi province [OMITTED] (in the region of modern
Sichuan), had Wang Bao [OMITTED] (d. ca. 61 B.C.) compose a eulogy on the virtue
of the Han, which He Wu and others learned to sing. Wang, He, and others
were rewarded by Emperor Xuan (Hs, 86.3481).
The "external difficulties" would have been Wu and Shu. The emperor seems
to have been more interested in the ladies of the palace, as indicated near the
end of Chapter 4 above.
Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:70-71, makes much of some
confusion about the date of birth of Cao Rui (Emperor Ming). However, it
seems likely that he was born later than Fang allows, probably sometime in
206. See Zhang, San Cao nianpu, 94.
Wuji, in the Han kingdom of Zhongshan, was in the vicinity of the modern
county by the same name in Hebei. Zhen Han was the son-in-law of Minister
over the Masses (situ [OMITTED]) Kong Guang [OMITTED], a supporter of Wang Mang.
Both Zhen and Kong played a role in Wang's consolidation of his power, and
Zhen became a member of his circle of advisers and one of his most important
officials. See Dubs, The History of the Former Han Dynasty, 3:137-138, 140,
142-145, 167, 181, 200, 225, 234, 236-237, 263, 319.
This places Empress Zhen's family in the level just below the highest officials
in the bureaucracy. See Bielenstein, The Bureaucracy of Han Times, 4-5;
Hucker, A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China, 16.
Shangcai, in the Han commandery of Ru'nan [OMITTED], was located near modern
Shangcai in He'nan. Liu Jun's [OMITTED] (462-521) commentary to A New Account
of Tales of the World quotes the Wei Epitome, which calls her father Zhen
Hui [OMITTED] (Xu, Shishuo xinyu jiao jian, 35.489; Mather, Shih-shuo Hsin-yü,
484). However, the sentence in which Zhen Yi's name is given as Zhen Hui
is missing from the Wei Epitome as that text has been preserved in Pei's
commentary. According to Lu Bi, the Wei Epitome text has probably been
garbled in the commentary to Shi shuo xin yu (Sgz jijie, 5.11a).
This is apparently a reference to the disintegration of the Han in the 190s and
the concomitant rise of various military leaders, rebels, and powerful regional
administrators. See Mansvelt Beck, "The Fall of Han," 349.
Changshan was a Han commandery with its seat located in modern Yuanshi
personal name of Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng [OMITTED].
Cf. Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:68. Ye was the seat of Ji
province and was the base of power of Yuan Shao and his son Yuan Shang
[OMITTED] (d.207). Cao Cao captured the city in 204. It was located in Hebei in
the vicinity of modern Yezhen [OMITTED] and Santai cun [OMITTED], in the southwest
of Linzhang county.
See note 19 above for the date Cao Pi became emperor. This actually marked
the beginning of the Huangchu reign period, but the name was applied
retroactively to the whole calendar year.
These two sentences are also translated in Fang, The Chronicle of the Three
Kingdoms, 1:40. Duke of Shanyang is the title that was bestowed on Emperor
Xian, the last Han emperor, after he abdicated. The abdication took place on
either 19 or 25 November 220 (Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms,
1:10, 36-37; Leban, "Managing Heaven's Mandate," 324-325). The new title
was given on 13 December 220 (Sgz, 2.76; Fang, The Chronicle of the Three
Kingdoms, 1:10, 39).
Honorable Lady Li was the mother of Cao Pi's son Cao Xie [OMITTED], the
Lamented King of Zan [OMITTED], who died at a relatively young age (Sgz,
20.590).
Empress Zhen's suicide was ordered on 6 August 221 (Fang, The Chronicle
of the Three Kingdoms, 1:48, 71).
Rear palace (hou gong [OMITTED]) is a commonly used term that refers to the section
of a palace complex where the consorts dwell.
Guanzhong (Within the Passes) is the name that was commonly applied to
the area of modern Shaanxi. The campaign mentioned here brought virtually
all of the area under Cao Cao's control (see Sgz, 1.34-36). Both Cao Zhi and
Cao Pi refer to it in rhapsodies. The preface to Cao Zhi's "Li si fu" [OMITTED]
[Rhapsody on Thoughts of Parting] says, "In the sixteenth year of Jian'an, a
great force went west to quell Ma Chao [OMITTED] [176-222]. The heir apparent
stayed behind in the capital while I went along." Cao Pi's preface to his "Gan
li fu" [OMITTED] [Rhapsody on Being Moved by Parting] likewise notes, "In the
sixteenth year of Jian'an, the emperor went on a military expedition west. I
stayed behind in charge. My elderly mother and all my younger brothers went
along" (Zhao, Cao Zhi ji jiao zhu, 1.40; Wei Wendi ji, 1.2b). See also Cutter,
"On Reading Cao Zhi's `Three Good Men,' " 8. Mengjin (Meng Ford) was
south of modern Meng county, He'nan.
Palace of Prolonged Autumn (Changqiu gong [OMITTED]) refers to the empress
(Sgz jijie, 5.12b; HHs, 10A.409, commentary). The usage is like that of referring
to Empress Dowager Bian as Palace of Eternal Longevity. Prolonged Autumn
was the title of an official responsible for matters pertaining to the empresses
during the Former Han (Hs, 19A.734). The Palace of Prolonged Autumn was
established during the Later Han and was occupied by the empress (DHhy,
38.405). There are at least two explanations of the name. One holds that
autumn was adopted because it refers to the season when everything begins
to ripen (HHs, 10A.409, commentary). Another says that autumn was used
because an empress is yin (as opposed to yang), and autumn is when yin begins
to wax (Wei Zhao, Bian Shi ming [OMITTED] [Debating Explaining Names], cited
in Sghy, 9.163). See also Bielenstein, The Bureaucracy of Han Times, 69.
The term Six Palaces (liu gong [OMITTED]) generally refers to the quarters of the
empress and lesser consorts within the imperial palace. The Rites of Zhou says,
"[The administrator of the interior (nei zai [OMITTED])] teaches the rites of yin to
the Six Palaces." The commentary explains:
Zheng Sinong [OMITTED] [Zheng Zhong [OMITTED], d. 83] says, "The rites
of yin are the rites of the women. Six Palaces: five in the rear, one
in front. . . . " [Zheng] Xuan says, " `Six Palaces' refers to the queen.
The wives refer to the boudoir as `palace.' `Palace' is a euphemism
for the queen. Just as the king puts up six palaces and occupies a
primary boudoir, there are also a primary boudoir and five pleasure
boudoirs. The instructor dares not rebuke her, so he refers to her as
`Six Palaces.' This is similar to the-current way of referring to the
emperor as `Central Palace.' "
1:142 n.3)
The Spring and Autumn Annals, one of the canonical texts of Confucianism,
is said to be by Confucius himself. It is an extremely terse chronicle, but due
to the importance that Confucius and others placed on it, it has traditionally
been held to be made up of carefully nuanced judgments on events of the time.
More recently, however, the existence of such praise and blame messages in
the text has been called into question. See Durrant, "Ching," 313. We follow
Wu Jinhua [OMITTED] in considering the negative bu [OMITTED] in this sentence to be
an interpolation and have omitted it (Sgz jiaogu, 41).
The term translated here as "Wei historians" could be taken as Wei History,
as in Miao, San guo zhi daodu, 22. In any case, it means the Wei shu or those
who wrote it.
See also Sgz, 13.412; Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:234; Ss,
16.444. Wang Lang was an important official and scholar who was close to
Cao Pi. He was the recipient of a famous letter from Cao Pi in which Cao
subordinates literature to "establishing virtue and making a name" as a means
to immortal fame. See Holzman, "Literary Criticism in China in the Early Third
Century A.D.," 121-122; Cutter, "The Incident at the Gate," 249; and Cutter,
"To the Manner Born?"
To be commissioned with a verge (shi chi jie [OMITTED]) conferred great prestige
on the recipient and granted him extraordinary powers over government
agencies. See Hucker, A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China, no.
5223. A Great Sacrifice (tailao [OMITTED]) involved sacrificing an ox, a goat, and
example, as offerings to the altars, to Soil and Millet, who were the protective
deities of the empire. The precise date of Empress Zhen's canonization is in
doubt. See Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:203, 215.
For another translation of Empress Zhen's biography through the preceding
sentence, see Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:68-69. See also
Sgz, 3.92; Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:223, 234. Weichang
prefecture in Zhongshan commandery was in the vicinity of modern Wuji
county in Hebei.
A Han cun [OMITTED] (inch) was about 2.3 cm. Three States period cun were a bit
longer—about 2.4 cm. For convenient tables of Han weights and measures,
see Nienhauser, The Grand Scribe's Records, 1:xxxi-xxxiv, and Twitchett and
Loewe, The Cambridge History of China, 1:xxxviii. For more detailed
information, see Qiu, Zhongguo lidai duliangheng kao, 12-69. See especially
pp. 68-69 on the Three States period.
The reburial of Empress Zhen took place on 17 February 231 (Sgz, 3.97; Fang,
The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:320, 333).
Dongxiang probably refers to one of the prefectures of Pei. It was located in
the northeastern part of modern Anhui province. Anxi prefecture was in the
vicinity of modern Ding [OMITTED] county, Hebei.
This is an allusion to the "Ganying" [OMITTED] [Sympathetic Responses] section
of the Xiao jing [OMITTED] [Classic of Filial Piety]. See Xiao jing zhu shu, 8.1a.
The first two groups of poems in the "Airs of the States" section of the Classic
of Poetry are "Zhou nan" [OMITTED] and "Shao nan" [OMITTED], referred to collectively
as the "Er nan" [OMITTED] [Two Nan]. The "Two Nan," as shown by the "Minor
Preface" to the Classic of Poetry, have traditionally and allegorically been read
as depictions of the virtues of rulers' consorts and other women. See Legge,
The Chinese Classics, 4:36-41, and the discussion in Chapter 3 above.
It is unclear whether shi fa [OMITTED] here refers to an actual work. Su Xun's work
of the same title contains virtually the same explanation of zhao, citing the
Eastern Han scholar Liu Xi (Sf, 1.7b). See also Wang, Shi fa yanjiu, 367-368.
Lord Millet was a legendary ancestor of the Zhou ruling house, and Jiang Yuan
was his mother (see also Chapter 2, note 4 above). She was the wife of Di
Ku, said to be a great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor, and she became
pregnant by treading on the footprint of a giant. See Sj, 4.111-112; Chavannes,
Mémoires historiques, 1:209-210; and Nienhauser, The Grand Scribe's
Records, 1:55.
These are the same terms used by the Hallowed Documents in describing Yao.
Cf. the opening of "Yao dian" [OMITTED] [Canons of Yao] of the Hallowed
Documents. See Legge, The Chinese Classics, 3:15.
The "Wang zhi" [OMITTED] [Ruler's Institutions] section of the Record of Rites says
that the emperor has seven miao [OMITTED] (temples) for seven generations of ancestors
(Lj, 12.13b). See also Zhongguo wenhuashi gongju shu, 222, and the
subcommentary in Zlzy, 42.19b.
Gaoxin shi is another name for Di Ku (see note 71 above). Gaoxin is said
to have been a toponym, perhaps the name of his benefice. Di Ku divined that
his four sons would become rulers. The four sons were: Di Zhi, who succeeded
reputed ancestor of the ruling house of the Yin [OMITTED], or Shang, dynasty; and
Hou Ji. See Sj, 1.13-14, 45, 3.91, 4.111; Chavannes, Mémoires historiques,
1:39-42, 93-94, 173-174, 209-210; Nienhauser, The Grand Scribe's Records,
1:5-6, 17, 41, 55. See also Yuan, Zhongguo shenhua chuanshuo cidian, 295296.
See Zlzy, 42.19b. Yize [OMITTED] and zhonglü (called by its name xiaolu [OMITTED] in
the Rites of Zhou) are two of the notes of the classical Chinese scale of twelve
notes (Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, 4.1:165-176; Zhongguo
wenhuashi gongju shu, 175-176). The grand huo [OMITTED] was music from the time
of the Shang founder Tang. See Zlzy, 42.8a. The ancestral mother is Jiang Yuan
(see note 71 above).
Youyu shi [OMITTED] is the legendary sage-ruler Shun. The main point here is
that, like Cao Pi, Shun became emperor through the abdication of his
predecessor. On other references to this similarity, see Leban, "Managing
Heaven's Mandate," 330, 333-334.
This is an allusion to the poem "Weiyang" [North of the Wei] in the Classic
of Poetry (Mao shi 134). The traditional interpretation says it is about Duke
Kang of Qin's [OMITTED] longing for his mother. See Legge, The Chinese Classics,
4:58, 203.
This section on the death of Cao Shu and the subsequent designation of Guo
De as her posthumous offspring is also translated in Fang, The Chronicle of
the Three Kingdoms, 1:388. See also Sgz, 22.636, 25.707; Fang, The Chronicle
of the Three Kingdoms, 1:373-374, 388-390.
Pingyuan is the name of a commandery that had its seat in the modern county
by the same name in northwest Shandong.
This sentence is also translated in Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms,
1:665. King of Qi here refers to Cao Fang. She became empress on 29 May
243, while Cao Fang was still titular emperor (Sgz, 4.120; Fang, The Chronicle
of the Three Kingdoms, 1:655, 665).
Yang Fu has a biography in Sgz, 25.700-708. See also Zhuo, San guo renwu
lun xu ji, 77-80. Zhuo deems him one of the few people to offer honest
criticisms to Emperor Wen.
Mao shi 191. The translation is from Legge, The Chinese Classics, 4:309. This
poem is traditionally read as a criticism of the reign of King You of Zhou and
of his minister Yin [OMITTED], who did not take steps to improve the situation. See
Legge, The Chinese Classics, 4:67. On King You, see Chapter 2 above.
The author of Encomia on the Dukes of Jin is Fu Chang [OMITTED]. See Zhao,
Nianer shi zhaji, 6.106.
General-in-chief who supports the state was an honorific designation used but
occasionally (Hong, San guo zhiguan biao 57).
The office of general-in-chief of the subduing army originated under Emperor
Wen (Lü, Zhongguo lidai guanzhi da cidian, 848; Rogers, The Chronicle of
Fu Chien, 215n).
The reign title was retroactively changed from Xianxi to Taishi in the twelfth
month of the year (January/February 266). See also note 32 above.
Shizu [OMITTED] (Succedent Progenitor) refers to Sima Yan, the first emperor of the
Jin dynasty.
You, King of Qi, was noted for his virtue. At the advice of ministers who
disliked You, Emperor Wu ordered him to leave the capital and proceed to
his fief. As it says here, this was protested by Zhen De, Wang Ji, and others
(Zztj, 81.2581-2582). Yuan Bo [OMITTED] misconstrues these two sentences, taking
them to mean Sima Yan (the Succedent Progenitor) was pleased by Zhen De's
actions (Cao, Baihua San guo zhi, 1:206). But, as Hu Sanxing [OMITTED] (1230-1287)
points out, Zhen's new offices involved a shift out of the inner court,
with its proximity to the throne, to the outer court, or general bureaucracy
(Zztj, 81.2582). See also Js, 42.1205.
In 188, a special defense force of eight units was organized, partly to protect
the capital and the emperor and partly to offset the power of General-in-Chief
He Jin. The force was led by the eight commandants of the West Garden
(Xiyuan ba xiaowei [OMITTED]; see Hucker, A Dictionary of Official Titles
in Imperial China, nos. 2285, 4368, 6568; Leban, "Ts'ao Ts'ao and the Rise
of Wei," 124-127; Mansvelt Beck, "The Fall of Han," 326). When first
organized, its head was the eunuch Jian Shi [OMITTED], who was in command of
the Upper Army (Shang jun [OMITTED]). The other seven commandants included
Yuan Shao, who commanded the Middle Army (Zhong jun [OMITTED]), and Cao
Cao, commandant of the Control Army (Dian jun xiaowei [OMITTED]; see
HHs, 8.356 n, 69.2247, 74A.2374; Sgz, 1.5; Leban, "Ts'ao Ts'ao and the Rise
of Wei," 126; Ch'ü, Han Social Structure, 495-496.)
This sentence refers to two of the kings involved in the turbulent events of
290-306, especially that segment known to history as the Ba wang zhi luan
[OMITTED] (Eight Kings Insurrection; 300-306). Brief accounts of this period
appear, for instance, in Zhao, Nianer shi zhaji, 8.125-126, and Fu, Zhongguo
tong shi, 1:260-264. Much more thorough is Fairbank, "Kingdom and
Province in the Western Chin." The following summary is based on these
sources.
Kings were very powerful in early Jin times, in contrast to the case under
the Wei. Not long after Emperor Wu (Sima Yan) took the throne in 266, he
made twenty-seven male relatives kings, some of them with very large incomes
and considerable military power. At first these kings resided in the capital. In
277, they were sent to their benefices. Some were placed in charge of the
military affairs of the provinces (zhou [OMITTED]) into which Jin territory was divided.
That same year, Emperor Wu further reduced the military apparatus of the
provinces and commanderies. This resulted in virtually all military power
residing in the kingdoms.
In 290, Emperor Wu died, and the heir apparent Sima Zhong, known to
history as Emperor Hui, ascended the throne at nine years of age. During
Emperor Hui's reign, the empire suffered from factionalism at court, incursions
by non-Chinese peoples in the North and West, armed struggle among
members of the imperial family, as well as famine and local rebellion.
In the 290s, Sima Zhong's consort Empress Jia and her faction held sway
at court. The heir apparent was Sima Yu [OMITTED], who was not her own son.
In 297, when Sima Yu was twenty, the empress and her adherents hatched
a plot to get rid of him and the threat he posed to their hold on power. The
mentioned here in the Encomia on the Dukes of Jin, then tricked the empress
into having Sima Yu murdered. By charging her with this crime, he was able
to remove her and take control of the whole central government. Sima Lun
had been assisted in his machinations by a number of people, including Sima
Jiong [OMITTED] (Jiong, King of Qi; d. 303).
Sima Lun and his senior advisor Sun Xiu [OMITTED] were not popular among
the Jin elite, and their program of increasing Sima Lun's authority led to the
Eight Kings Insurrection. An initial attempt to overthrow Sima Lun was made
by Sima Yun [OMITTED] in September of the year 300 and failed, at the cost of
many lives. Early in 301, Sima Lun forced the abdication of Emperor Hui,
assumed the throne himself, and changed the reign title to Jianshi [OMITTED]. Sima
Jiong and others then rose up and defeated and killed Sima Lun and his
supporters. Although Sima Jiong then became the dominant figure in Jin
government, it was not long before he drew the criticism of other kings. He
was overthrown and killed in 303.
Leizu [OMITTED], the daughter of Xiling shi [OMITTED], is said to have been the
principal wife of the Yellow Emperor, as well as the first sericulturalist. See
Yuan, Zhongguo shenhua chuanshuo cidian, 423-424. Gui is another name
for the legendary sage-ruler Shun, whose wives Ehuang [OMITTED] and Nüying [OMITTED]
[OMITTED] were the daughters of Shun's benefactor Yao. Sj, 6.248 says of the First
Emperor of Qin: "Traveling in a southwesterly direction be crossed over the
R[iver] Huai and came at length to Hengshan. At Nanjun [[OMITTED]] he took
boat and was sailing down the river to the Xiangshan shrine when a great
wind arose and nearly prevented his getting to land. The emperor inquired
of his wise men who Xiangjun was. They replied, `According to our
information, Xiangjun are the daughters of Yao and the wives of Shun who
are buried in this place' " (Hawkes, "The Quest of the Goddess," 56). See also
Karlgren, "Legends and Cults in Ancient China," 296; O'Hara, The Position
of Woman in Early China, 13-17.
Jie was the last ruler of the Xia dynasty, banished by the Shang founder Cheng
Tang [OMITTED] to Nanchao (modern Chao [OMITTED] county, Anhui). Moxi, Jie's consort,
is mentioned in a variety of books and is traditionally treated as a beautiful
but utterly depraved woman who contributed to the downfall of the dynasty.
See Gy, 7.255; Legge, The Chinese Classics, 3:177; Sj, 2.88-89, 19.1967; Yuan,
Zhongguo shenhua chuanshuo cidian, 259.
Yi jing, Hexagram 37, "Tuan zhuan." Cf. Wilhelm, I Ching, 570. This is a
part of the same passage that Chen Shou used to open this juan.
This is an allusion to Zuo zhuan, Zhao 18. For another translation of Empress
Guo's biography through the following sentence, see Fang, The Chronicle of
November 222 (Sgz, 2.80; Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:106,
126).
References are to Yao's daughters, Ehuang and Nüying, who married the lowly
Shun, and Tai Jiang [OMITTED] and Tai Ren [OMITTED], grandmother and mother of King
Wen of Zhou.
In the year A.D. 77, then Empress Dowager Ma issued a long edict in which
she decried, and claimed to eschew, an unduly extravagant way of life. The
statement was possibly part of a piece of special pleading in which she was
hoping to deflect criticism from herself and her family. She claimed that her
thrift was intended to set a good example and to bring moral pressure to bear
where it was most needed (Loewe, "The Conduct of Government and the Issues
at Stake [A.D. 57-167]," 295). See also Chapters 2 and 3 above.
On the pepper rooms (jiao fang [OMITTED]), where the empresses lived, see
Knechtges, Wen xuan, 1:122n.
The expedition in question was an abortive move against Wu and seems to
have begun in the seventh month (August of 224). See Zhang, San Cao nianpu,
205-206. The Terrace of Perpetual Beginning (Yongshi tai [OMITTED]) is
mentioned as a feature of Xuchang in He Yan's [OMITTED] (d. 249) "Jingfu dian
fu" [OMITTED] [Rhapsody on the Hall of Great Blessings], a work ordered by
Emperor Ming. See Wx, 11.31b; Knechtges, Wen xuan, 2:294 n, 295.
Guangling commandery had its seat in the vicinity of modern Yangzhou [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]. Cao Pi set out from Xuchang in the third month (March/April 225) and
reached Qiao in the fifth month (June/July). He reached Guangling in the tenth
month (November/December), but cold weather forced him to withdraw. See
Sgz, 2.84-85; Zhang, San Cao nianpu, 209.
This sentence and the next one are also translated in Fang, The Chronicle of
the Three Kingdoms, 1:485. Empress Guo apparently died on 14 March 235.
See Sgz, 3.104; Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:465, 483, 484485.
This refers to Empress Zhen's having been buried hastily and without proper
ceremony. Neither was her body properly clothed and coffined for burial nor
was her hair appropriately coiffed. On burial preparations in general, see
volume 1 of de Groot, The Religious System of China. Da lian [OMITTED] refers
to the coffining of the deceased, including the final stage in the dressing of the
corpse (de Groot, The Religious System of China, 1:36, 331-342).
The passage is also translated in Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms,
1:483-484. Emperor Ming was born in Jian'an 11 (206), so he would have
been about sixteen or seventeen by the time of Empress Zhen's death in
Huangchu 2 (221). As Lu Bi notes, it seems odd that he was so much in the
dark as to the circumstances of her death and burial, if these were, in fact,
as they are reported by Wei lüe (Sgz jijie, 5.21a).
Some texts have the Wei shu say Qinglong 2, a mistake. See Sgz pangzheng,
7.6a; Sgz jijie, 5.21b.
The day renshen [OMITTED] was actually in the second month of Qinglong 3, making
the date 29 March 235 (Sgz pangzheng, 7.6a; Sgz jijie, 5.21b). The interment
of Empress Guo took place on 16 April.
The Yellow Earth (huang lu [OMITTED]) is another name for the Yellow Springs
(huang quan [OMITTED]), that is, the subterranean abode of the dead. See, for
example, Loewe, Chinese Ideas of Life and Death, 34.
The three mothers (san mu [OMITTED]) are the women referred to as Tai Jiang, Tai
Ren, and Tai Si; that is, the mothers of Hou Ji and kings Wen and Wu,
respectively.
Henei [OMITTED] was a Han commandery roughly encompassing the area along both
banks of the Yellow River within modern Henan. Dao [OMITTED] ("Mourned") was
a posthumous name given to royal personages who died young, but it could
also imply an inability to cultivate virtue. See Sf, 3b-4.4a; LXSf, B.6b-7a.
We are not certain just what Mao Jia did. Dianyu [OMITTED] seems to be an
abbreviation for shuiheng dianyu [OMITTED], which in turn is equivalent to
shuiheng duwei [OMITTED] (Hucker, A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial
China, nos. 5496, 5497; Bielenstein, The Bureaucracy of Han Times, 82-83).
Among other responsibilities, this office oversaw the manufacture of various
items. Perhaps vehicles were among them.
A symposium, of course, was originally a drinking party, and that is the sense
of the word here. On the Han-Wei penchant for such activities and its effect
on literature, see, for example, Cutter, "Cao Zhi's Symposium Poems."
For another translation of Empress Mao's biography through the following
sentence, see Fang, The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:229, 240-241.
As Fang Beichen [OMITTED] notes, a noble of the time would not refer to himself
in such an overblown way. See Fang, San guo zhi zhu yi, 301 n. 8.
According to the traditional interpretation as represented by the "Minor
Preface," "Guan ju" (Mao shi 1, see Chapter 3 above, in the "Han
Philosophers" section) and "Lin zhi" [OMITTED] (Mao shi 11) are related. The topic
of the latter, said to be the ruler's good offspring and family, is seen as a natural
outcome of the topic of the former, said to be the acquisition of a virtuous
mate (or mates) and the moral transforming influence exerted on the world
thereby. See Legge, The Chinese Classics, 4:36-37, 38-39.
The lines are from Mao shi 27, a poem traditionally interpreted as the
complaint of a neglected wife, a woman who has been replaced by a concubine
and herself demoted. See Legge, The Chinese Classics, 4:41 (prolegomena),
42.
The dates of Empress Mao's death and interment, 22 September and 25
October 237, are given in Sgz, 3.110. Fang notes that the word zu [OMITTED] ("died")
is used at Sgz 3.110 instead of the hong [OMITTED] one would normally expect for
one of her rank, and speculates that Chen Shou's intention may have been to
indicate "that she died under an infamous circumstance" (Fang, The Chronicle
of the Three Kingdoms, 1:549).
For another translation of the paragraph to this point, see Fang, The Chronicle
of the Three Kingdoms, 1:518-519, 549-550.
Zeng, must have been a diannong xiaowei [OMITTED], or colonel director of
agriculture, in charge of one of the agricultural garrisons established by the
government at the direction of Cao Cao. The agricultural garrison at Yuanwu
[OMITTED] prefecture was in the vicinity of modern Yuanyang [OMITTED], He'nan. The
rank of colonel director of agriculture was equivalent to a commandery
administrator. See Crowell, "Government Land Policies and Systems in Early
Imperial China," 158-162; Tan, Zhongguo lishi dituji, vol. 3, map 5-6.
Heyou refers to the region to the "right" (west) of the Yellow River, as the
name implies. It roughly corresponds to modern Gansu and the Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region.
Empress Guo was made empress on 16 January 239 (Sgz, 3.113; Fang, The
Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, 1:580, 606).
Guanqiu Jian has a biography in Sgz, 28.761-768. See also Zhuo, San guo
renwu lun xu ji, 121-127. Guanqiu was a loyal Wei official who had some
success as a military leader. However, when he tried to use his military power
to oppose the Simas, he ultimately failed.
Zhong Hui (225-264) has a biography in Sgz, 28.784-795. He was a Wei
general and a leading supporter of the Sima family in their struggles against
Cao Shuang and his followers for control of the Wei government. After Sima
Zhao gained control of the government, Zhong Hui and Deng Ai [OMITTED] led
the Wei campaign against Shu in 263-264. They defeated Shu, and Zhong
was rewarded with the position of minister over the masses. He apparently
had more grandiose ambitions, however, and mounted a rebellion in Shu in
an attempt to overthrow Sima Zhao. He failed and was killed (Sgz, 4.149,
28.787-793; Wan, Wei Jin Nanbeichao shi lungao, 90-91; Fu, Zhongguo tong
shi, 1:251-252).
| Empresses and consorts | |