Empress Hu (Gao Wei)
Encyclopedia
Empress Hu was an empress of the Chinese
dynasty Northern Qi
. She was Gao Wei
's second empress.
She was the daughter of Hu Changren (胡長仁) the Prince of Longdong, who was the brother of Gao Wei's mother Empress Dowager Hu
-- making her and her husband cousins. Empress Dowager Hu had been discovered by Gao Wei to have carried out an affair with the Buddhist monk Tanxian (曇獻) in 571
, and he put her under house arrest. Ashamed and wanting to please her son, she summoned Hu Changren's daughter to the palace and dressed her in the best clothes. Gao Wei saw her and was infatuated with her. He took her as a concubine.
After Gao Wei killed the general Hulü Guang
on suspicion of treason in 572, he deposed Hulü Guang's daughter Empress Hulü
. His powerful wet nurse
Lu Lingxuan
wanted to make her adoptive daughter Consort Mu Sheli
, the mother of Gao Wei's crown prince
Gao Heng
, empress, but Empress Dowager Hu wanted Consort Hu to be empress. Not confident that she had sufficient persuasive power, however, she had to flatter and give gifts to Lady Lu, requesting her help. Lady Lu, seeing that Gao Wei favored Consort Hu at that time, she jointly submitted, with the official Zu Ting
, the suggestion to make Consort Hu empress. In fall 572, Gao Wei created Consort Hu empress. To show his love for her, he made clothes out of pearls for her, although those clothes were later burned in a fire.
However, Lady Lu did not relent in her hopes of making Consort Mu empress, stating to Gao Wei, "How can a son be crown prince and a mother be a servant girl, a concubine?" But as Gao Wei favored Empress Hu, she could not carry out her wishes. She therefore engaged witches to use witchcraft on Empress Hu. It was said that within a month, Empress Hu began to show symptoms of psychosis, often mumbling to herself or laughing without cause. Gao Wei began to fear and dislike her. In winter 572, Lady Lu put Consort Mu in empress clothing and put her in a tent, surrounded with magnificent jewelry, and then told Gao Wei, "Let me show you a holy woman." When Gao Wei saw that it was Consort Mu, Lady Lu stated, "For a woman this beautiful not to be empress, who would be qualified to be empress?" Gao Wei agreed with her, and he created Consort Mu "Right Empress" and gave Empress Hu the title "Left Empress."
Around the new year 573, Lady Lu would further carry out adverse action against Empress Hu. She intentionally acted angry before Empress Dowager Hu and stated, "What kind of niece would use that kind of language?" When Empress Dowager Hu asked her about it, she initially refused to say anything, and then when Empress Dowager Hu persisted, she said that Empress Hu had told Gao Wei, "The empress dowager's behavior is immoral and should not be followed." Empress Dowager Hu was incensed, and without verifying the information, she ordered Empress Hu be expelled from the palace, and then had Gao Wei depose her. However, at times, Gao Wei missed her, and he often sent gifts to her. When rival Northern Zhou
launched a major attack in 577 and threatened the capital Yecheng
in the spring of 578, she, along with his other deposed empress Empress Hulü, was summoned to the main palace, probably for her protection. Yecheng fell a few days later, and Gao Wei was captured in flight. Northern Zhou took over Northern Qi's territory. She subsequently remarried, although her new husband's name, unlike Empress Hulü's, was not recorded in history. It is not known when she died.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Northern Qi
Northern Qi
The Northern Qi Dynasty was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577.-History:The Chinese state of Northern Qi was the successor state of the Chinese/Xianbei state of Eastern Wei and was founded by Emperor Wenxuan...
. She was Gao Wei
Gao Wei
Gao Wei , often known in history as Houzhu of Northern Qi , courtesy name Rengang , sometimes referred to by his later Northern Zhou-created title of Duke of Wen , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi...
's second empress.
She was the daughter of Hu Changren (胡長仁) the Prince of Longdong, who was the brother of Gao Wei's mother Empress Dowager Hu
Empress Hu (Wucheng)
Empress Hu was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. Her husband was Emperor Wucheng .- Background :Her father was the Northern Wei official Hu Yanzhi , and her mother was the daughter of Lu Daoyue...
-- making her and her husband cousins. Empress Dowager Hu had been discovered by Gao Wei to have carried out an affair with the Buddhist monk Tanxian (曇獻) in 571
571
Year 571 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 571 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Religion :* The Monophysites again reject the...
, and he put her under house arrest. Ashamed and wanting to please her son, she summoned Hu Changren's daughter to the palace and dressed her in the best clothes. Gao Wei saw her and was infatuated with her. He took her as a concubine.
After Gao Wei killed the general Hulü Guang
Hulü Guang
Hulü Guang , courtesy name Mingyue , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. During the late years of the dynasty -- the reigns of Emperor Wucheng and Gao Wei, traditionally viewed as a period of corruption and debauchery when Northern Qi's once-powerful status was deteriorating -- Hulü...
on suspicion of treason in 572, he deposed Hulü Guang's daughter Empress Hulü
Empress Hulü
Empress Hulü was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. She was Gao Wei's first empress, and she was a daughter of the general Hulü Guang....
. His powerful wet nurse
Wet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who is used to breast feed and care for another's child. Wet nurses are used when the mother is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cultures the families are linked by a special relationship of...
Lu Lingxuan
Lu Lingxuan
Lu Lingxuan was a lady in waiting in the palace of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. As she served as the wet nurse to the emperor Gao Wei, she became exceedingly powerful during his reign, at times eclipsing in importance his mother Empress Dowager Hu, and was often criticized by historians for...
wanted to make her adoptive daughter Consort Mu Sheli
Empress Mu Sheli
Empress Mu Sheli , originally named Mu Yeli , nickname Huanghua , was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. She was Gao Wei's last empress.-Background:...
, the mother of Gao Wei's crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Gao Heng
Gao Heng
Gao Heng , often known in history as the Youzhu of Northern Qi , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. In 577, with Northern Qi under a major attack by rival Northern Zhou, Gao Heng's father Gao Wei, then emperor, wanted to try to deflect ill omens that portended a change in...
, empress, but Empress Dowager Hu wanted Consort Hu to be empress. Not confident that she had sufficient persuasive power, however, she had to flatter and give gifts to Lady Lu, requesting her help. Lady Lu, seeing that Gao Wei favored Consort Hu at that time, she jointly submitted, with the official Zu Ting
Zu Ting
Zu Ting , courtesy name Xiaozheng , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi . He was renowned for his literary and administrative talents, but his ambitiousness eventually led to his falsely accusing the great general Hulü Guang of treason and Hulü's execution, greatly weakening the...
, the suggestion to make Consort Hu empress. In fall 572, Gao Wei created Consort Hu empress. To show his love for her, he made clothes out of pearls for her, although those clothes were later burned in a fire.
However, Lady Lu did not relent in her hopes of making Consort Mu empress, stating to Gao Wei, "How can a son be crown prince and a mother be a servant girl, a concubine?" But as Gao Wei favored Empress Hu, she could not carry out her wishes. She therefore engaged witches to use witchcraft on Empress Hu. It was said that within a month, Empress Hu began to show symptoms of psychosis, often mumbling to herself or laughing without cause. Gao Wei began to fear and dislike her. In winter 572, Lady Lu put Consort Mu in empress clothing and put her in a tent, surrounded with magnificent jewelry, and then told Gao Wei, "Let me show you a holy woman." When Gao Wei saw that it was Consort Mu, Lady Lu stated, "For a woman this beautiful not to be empress, who would be qualified to be empress?" Gao Wei agreed with her, and he created Consort Mu "Right Empress" and gave Empress Hu the title "Left Empress."
Around the new year 573, Lady Lu would further carry out adverse action against Empress Hu. She intentionally acted angry before Empress Dowager Hu and stated, "What kind of niece would use that kind of language?" When Empress Dowager Hu asked her about it, she initially refused to say anything, and then when Empress Dowager Hu persisted, she said that Empress Hu had told Gao Wei, "The empress dowager's behavior is immoral and should not be followed." Empress Dowager Hu was incensed, and without verifying the information, she ordered Empress Hu be expelled from the palace, and then had Gao Wei depose her. However, at times, Gao Wei missed her, and he often sent gifts to her. When rival Northern Zhou
Northern Zhou
The Northern Zhou Dynasty followed the Western Wei, and ruled northern China from 557 to 581. It was overthrown by the Sui Dynasty.Northern Zhou's basis of power was established by Yuwen Tai, who was paramount general of Western Wei, following the split of Northern Wei into Western Wei and...
launched a major attack in 577 and threatened the capital Yecheng
Ye, China
Ye or Yecheng was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan....
in the spring of 578, she, along with his other deposed empress Empress Hulü, was summoned to the main palace, probably for her protection. Yecheng fell a few days later, and Gao Wei was captured in flight. Northern Zhou took over Northern Qi's territory. She subsequently remarried, although her new husband's name, unlike Empress Hulü's, was not recorded in history. It is not known when she died.