Empress Zhen – The Empress who committed bigamy

Empress Zhen was the first empress consort of Emperor Cao Pi of the Cao Wei Dynasty. She was the mother of Emperor Ming of the Cao Wei Dynasty. Empress Zhen was originally the wife of Yuan Xi. She committed bigamy when she remarried Cao Pi while she was still married to Yuan Xi.^[1] When Zhen became Empress, she would quickly fall out of Emperor Cao Pi’s favour and meet her own tragic end.^[2]

On 26 January 183 C.E., Empress Zhen was born in Wuji County in Zhongshan Commandery (modern-day Dingyuan District in Hebei Province).^[3] Her personal name is unknown.^[4] Her family were provincial officials of the Han Dynasty. Her father was Zhen Yi, the Marquis of Shangcai.^[5] She had four brothers and five sisters.^[6] All of whom were older than her.^[7] Her father, Zhen Yi, died when she was three years old.^[8] Ancient chroniclers claimed that Lady Zhen liked writing at a young age.^[9] When one of her older brothers died when she was fourteen, Lady Zhen took care of his widow.^[10] They were very close and had a loving relationship.^[11]

^{The Han Dynasty, in which Lady Zhen was born, was crumbling.[12]} Instead, she was witnessing the rise of three powerful states that would each become their own kingdoms.^[13] The first was Cao-Wei in northern China.^[14] The second was Shu-Han in western China.^[15] The third was Wu in southern and eastern China.^[16] During this time, there was famine throughout China, and many people often went hungry.^[17] However, Lady Zhen’s family had a large storage of grain, and Zhen convinced her family to distribute their grain to the poor.^[18]

Lady Zhen married Yuan Xi (the second son of the famous warlord, Yuan Shao).^[19] Yuan Xi was made the Governor of Youzhou and went to Youzhou.^[20] Lady Zhen did not follow him to Youzhou and remained behind with her mother-in-law in Jizhou.^[21] In 204 C.E., Jizhou was occupied by Yuan Shao’s rival, the famous warlord, Cao Cao.^[22] Cao Cao’s army held control of the Yuan women’s household.^[23] When Cao Cao’s son, Cao Pi, entered Lady Zhen’s house, he was immediately “struck by her beauty.”^[24] Cao Pi took Lady Zhen as his wife.^[25] Because Lady Zhen was still married to Yuan Xi, she had committed bigamy.^[26] Yuan Xi did not die until 207 C.E..

In 204 or 205 C.E., Lady Zhen gave birth to a son named Cao Rui (the future Emperor Ming of Wei).^[27] Therefore, ancient chroniclers and historians debate the paternity of Cao Rui on whether he was Yuan Xi’s son or Cao Pi’s son.^[28] Lady Zhen also gave birth to a daughter named Princess Dongxiang at an unknown date.^[29] Cao Pi was very fond of Lady Zhen.^[30]

On 25 November 220 C.E., Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty to abdicate. On 11 December 220 C.E., Cao Pi proclaimed himself Emperor of the Cao Wei Dynasty. Emperor Cao Pi invested Lady Zhen as his Empress.^[31] It was said that Empress Zhen’s brother-in-law, Prince Cao Zhi, was in love with her.^[32]  Because of his unrequited love, he composed the poem, Rhapsody of the Luo River Goddess.^[33] In the poem, Prince Cao Zhi compared Empress Zhen to the local river goddess.^[34] Many historians believe the story of Prince Cao Zhi being in love with Empress Zhen is false.^[35] However, the tale has become very famous in popular culture and has been the subject of poems and novels.^[36]

Initially, Empress Zhen got along well with the other imperial consorts.^[37] She even advised Emperor Cao Pi to have more wives so that he could have more sons.^[38] When Emperor Cao Pi was about to banish Imperial Consort Ren, Empress Zhen persuaded him to keep her.^[39] However, Empress Zhen’s attitude towards the other imperial concubines started to change when Emperor Cao Pi was no longer interested in her.^[40] When Empress Zhen learned that Emperor Cao Pi intended to make Imperial Consort Guo Nuwang his Empress,  she was very upset.^[41] She “became increasingly difficult.”^[42] She was very “bitter”^[43] and often complained. This angered Emperor Cao Pi deeply, and he ordered Empress Zhen to commit suicide.^[44] On 4 August 221 C.E., Empress Zhen followed Emperor Cao Pi’s instructions and committed suicide.^[45] She was forty years old.^[46] She was buried in Ye Commandery.^[47] “Her hair was left unbound, and her face was covered, and her mouth was stuffed with grain husks.”[48]

In 235 C.E., Cao Rui, who ascended the Cao Wei throne as Emperor Ming, learned the truth of Empress Zhen’s death.^[49] He was very angry at Empress Dowager Guo Nuwang and blamed her for his mother’s death.^[50] Emperor Ming “hounded her to death.”^[51] Emperor Ming ordered that Empress Dowager Guo Nuwang would be buried in the same way his mother was buried.^[52] 

In 231 C.E., Emperor Ming had Empress Zhen reburied in a more elaborate tomb.^[53] He gave her the posthumous title of Empress Wenzhao.^[54] He granted a posthumous title to Empress Zhen’s father.^[55] He also gave titles and territories to her brothers’ families.^[56] Emperor Ming presented the tablet of lament and personally performed the sacrifice that was required to initiate her funeral.^[57]

Empress Zhen was said to have a love of literature.^[58] When she was no longer in favour with Emperor Cao Pi, she composed a ballad of her own.^[59] The ballad she wrote is titled “The Pond.”^[60] It was in a collection of poetry titled Wen Xuan.^[61] In this ballad, she wrote about how she rose to the highest position only to fall out of Emperor Cao Pi’s favour.^[62] An excerpt of the poem went:

“I remember when you left me,

Alone I grieve, ever keen my sorrow

I imagine I see your face,

Feelings tangle, bruise my heart.

I remember you, ever keen my sorrow,

Night after night unable to sleep.

Don’t through glory and renown

Reject one you loved before

Don’t because fish and meat are cheap

Reject the leek and shallot

Don’t because hemp and jute are cheap

Reject straws and rushes.”^[63]

Empress Zhen was once the cherished wife of Emperor Cao Pi.^[64] He made her his Empress and chose her son as his successor.^[65] As Emperor Cao Pi grew accustomed to being Emperor, he began to neglect her in favour of his imperial consorts.^[66] He even wanted to replace her with his favourite imperial consort.^[67] When Empress Zhen expressed her displeasure, he ordered her to commit suicide, and she was given a humiliating burial.^[68] Yet, Empress Zhen’s lasting legacy is her ballad, The Pond.^[69] Her ballad has moved readers for thousands of years, and it especially resonates with women.^[70] Many women knew the pain and heartbreak of a woman being abandoned by her husband in favour of another woman.^[71] Empress Zhen’s story is truly tragic.^[72] It is no wonder that Empress Zhen still continues to be the symbol of “a deserted wife.”^[73]

Sources:

Ching-Chung, P. & Shen, L. (2015). “Zhen, Empress of Emperor Wen of Wei”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E.. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 382-386.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.