Feng Xiaolian
Encyclopedia
Consort Feng Xiaolian (died 581?) was an imperial consort of the Chinese
dynasty Northern Qi
. She was a concubine of the penultimate Gao Wei
, and his infatuation with her caused her to be, fairly or unfairly, often stated by traditional historians as a reason for Northern Qi's downfall.
Feng Xiaolian was initially a servant girl of Gao Wei's third wife Empress Mu Sheli
. As Empress Mu lost favor from Gao Wei, she offered Feng Xiaolian to Gao Wei as a consort, and Gao Wei favored Consort Feng greatly. He gave Consort Feng the title of Shufei (淑妃), the first rank among consorts. She was described as alert, capable of dancing and playing the pipa
. He became so infatuated with her that they went everywhere together and swore to heaven that they wanted to live together and die together.
In winter 576, rival Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
launched a major attack on Northern Qi, capturing the important city of Pingyang (平陽, in modern Linfen
, Shanxi
). At that time, Gao Wei and Consort Feng were on a hunt at Qilian Lake (祁連池, in modern Xinzhou, Shanxi
), and when Gao Wei learned that Pingyang had fallen, he wanted to rush to recapture it, but Consort Feng wanted to hunt for one more round, so he agreed. When he eventually gathered his troops, he put Pingyang under siege, intending to recapture it. The Northern Qi forces sieged Pingyang with all effort—and after several days, were able to breach the wall—but at this point, Gao Wei stopped his attack and summoned Consort Feng so she could witness the fall of the city. When she arrived, however, Northern Zhou forces had already filled in the breach, and therefore held the city.
Around the new year 577, Northern Zhou's Emperor Wu led an army intending to lift the siege on Pingyang. Gao Wei engaged him. As soon as the armies engaged, though, Consort Feng misinterpreted a slight backoff by part of the Northern Qi army and panicked, yelling, "We have been defeated!" This caused Gao Wei's official Mu Tipo
to panick as well, and together they persuaded Gao Wei to abandon the army. The army collapsed after the emperor left. Gao Wei and Consort Feng then fled north to the secondary capital Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan
, Shanxi
). (Gao Wei had intended to claim, if Pingyang had been captured, that it was the achievement of Consort Feng and then create her "Left Empress," and so had ordered his eunuchs to retrieve ceremonial clothes for an empress from Jinyang; on the way back to Jinyang, they met the eunuch, and despite the defeat, Gao Wei nevertheless had Consort Feng put on the empress's ceremonial clothes, although he did not create her Left Empress as he intended.) Once at Jinyang, Gao Wei had no will to resist Northern Zhou, and he fled back to the capital Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan
, Hebei
) with Consort Feng.
Once Gao Wei was back at Yecheng, in order to ward off an ill omen, he passed the throne to his son and crown prince
Gao Heng
(Empress Mu's son), taking the title Taishang Huang
(retired emperor) but retaining imperial powers. Soon, he abandoned Yecheng, and fled south with his mother Grand Empress Dowager Hu
, Empress Mu, Consort Feng, and the young emperor Gao Heng, but they were soon captured by Northern Zhou forces and taken back to Yecheng. Northern Zhou seized Northern Qi's territory. Later in the year, when Emperor Wu returned to the Northern Zhou capital Chang'an
, he took Gao Wei and members of the Gao clan with him. Once at Chang'an, Gao Wei, who was created the Duke of Wen by Emperor Wu, requested to have Consort Feng back. Emperor Wu stated, "I view the world as a broken sandal, and how would I hold back this old woman from you, Duke?" He returned Consort Feng to Gao Wei.
In winter 577, Emperor Wu, apprehensive of the Gao clan, falsely accused Gao Wei of conspiring with Mu Tipo to rebel. Gao Wei and the other members of the Gao clan were forced to commit suicide. Emperor Wu awarded Lady Feng to his younger brother, Yuwen Da (宇文達) the Prince of Dai, as a concubine. Yuwen Da greatly favored her; however, once, when she accidentally broke a pipa string, she, lamenting Gao Wei, wrote a poem that read:
While being Yuwen Da's concubine, she made accusations against Yuwen Da's wife Princess Li, nearly leading to Princess Li's death. After the death of Emperor Wu's son and successor Emperor Xuan
in 580, Emperor Xuan's father-in-law Yang Jian
became regent
over his son Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou
. Several imperial princes of the Yuwen clan believed that Yang had designs on the throne but failed in a plot to kill him. After the plot, he began executing the imperial princes in earnest, and around the new year 581, he executed Yuwen Da and Yuwen Da's sons. He awarded Lady Feng to the official Li Xun (李詢) -- who happened to be Princess Li's brother. Li Xun's and Princess Li's mother, in order to avenge her daughter, humiliated Lady Feng by forcing her to wear rough clothes and grind grains. Lady Feng committed suicide.
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 a concubine of the penultimate 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...
, and his infatuation with her caused her to be, fairly or unfairly, often stated by traditional historians as a reason for Northern Qi's downfall.
Feng Xiaolian was initially a servant girl of Gao Wei's third wife Empress 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:...
. As Empress Mu lost favor from Gao Wei, she offered Feng Xiaolian to Gao Wei as a consort, and Gao Wei favored Consort Feng greatly. He gave Consort Feng the title of Shufei (淑妃), the first rank among consorts. She was described as alert, capable of dancing and playing the pipa
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
. He became so infatuated with her that they went everywhere together and swore to heaven that they wanted to live together and die together.
In winter 576, rival Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou , personal name Yuwen Yong , nickname Miluotu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. As was the case of the reigns of his brothers Emperor Xiaomin and Emperor Ming, the early part of his reign was dominated by his cousin Yuwen Hu, but in 572 he...
launched a major attack on Northern Qi, capturing the important city of Pingyang (平陽, in modern Linfen
Linfen
-Administrative divisions:The prefecture-level city of Linfen is divided in one district, two cities and fourteen counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from 2010 Census.-Pollution:...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
). At that time, Gao Wei and Consort Feng were on a hunt at Qilian Lake (祁連池, in modern Xinzhou, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
), and when Gao Wei learned that Pingyang had fallen, he wanted to rush to recapture it, but Consort Feng wanted to hunt for one more round, so he agreed. When he eventually gathered his troops, he put Pingyang under siege, intending to recapture it. The Northern Qi forces sieged Pingyang with all effort—and after several days, were able to breach the wall—but at this point, Gao Wei stopped his attack and summoned Consort Feng so she could witness the fall of the city. When she arrived, however, Northern Zhou forces had already filled in the breach, and therefore held the city.
Around the new year 577, Northern Zhou's Emperor Wu led an army intending to lift the siege on Pingyang. Gao Wei engaged him. As soon as the armies engaged, though, Consort Feng misinterpreted a slight backoff by part of the Northern Qi army and panicked, yelling, "We have been defeated!" This caused Gao Wei's official Mu Tipo
Mu Tipo
Mu Tipo , né Luo Tipo , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. He was a close associate of the emperor Gao Wei, and during the latter part of Gao Wei's reign controlled the political scene along with his mother Lu Lingxuan, and the other favorites of Gao Wei, Han Zhangluan and Gao...
to panick as well, and together they persuaded Gao Wei to abandon the army. The army collapsed after the emperor left. Gao Wei and Consort Feng then fled north to the secondary capital Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
). (Gao Wei had intended to claim, if Pingyang had been captured, that it was the achievement of Consort Feng and then create her "Left Empress," and so had ordered his eunuchs to retrieve ceremonial clothes for an empress from Jinyang; on the way back to Jinyang, they met the eunuch, and despite the defeat, Gao Wei nevertheless had Consort Feng put on the empress's ceremonial clothes, although he did not create her Left Empress as he intended.) Once at Jinyang, Gao Wei had no will to resist Northern Zhou, and he fled back to the capital Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) with Consort Feng.
Once Gao Wei was back at Yecheng, in order to ward off an ill omen, he passed the throne to his son and 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 Mu's son), taking the title Taishang Huang
Taishang Huang
Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used throughout East Asian feudal regimes for former emperors who had abdicated voluntarily to their sons. This title appeared in the history of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam...
(retired emperor) but retaining imperial powers. Soon, he abandoned Yecheng, and fled south with his mother Grand 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...
, Empress Mu, Consort Feng, and the young emperor Gao Heng, but they were soon captured by Northern Zhou forces and taken back to Yecheng. Northern Zhou seized Northern Qi's territory. Later in the year, when Emperor Wu returned to the Northern Zhou capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
, he took Gao Wei and members of the Gao clan with him. Once at Chang'an, Gao Wei, who was created the Duke of Wen by Emperor Wu, requested to have Consort Feng back. Emperor Wu stated, "I view the world as a broken sandal, and how would I hold back this old woman from you, Duke?" He returned Consort Feng to Gao Wei.
In winter 577, Emperor Wu, apprehensive of the Gao clan, falsely accused Gao Wei of conspiring with Mu Tipo to rebel. Gao Wei and the other members of the Gao clan were forced to commit suicide. Emperor Wu awarded Lady Feng to his younger brother, Yuwen Da (宇文達) the Prince of Dai, as a concubine. Yuwen Da greatly favored her; however, once, when she accidentally broke a pipa string, she, lamenting Gao Wei, wrote a poem that read:
- Although I receive favor today,
- I remember the love I had yesterday.
- If you want to know how my heart is broken,
- Look at this glued string.
While being Yuwen Da's concubine, she made accusations against Yuwen Da's wife Princess Li, nearly leading to Princess Li's death. After the death of Emperor Wu's son and successor Emperor Xuan
Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou
Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou , personal name Yuwen Yun , courtesy name Qianbo , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. He was known in history as an erratic and wasteful ruler, whose actions greatly weakened the Northern Zhou regime...
in 580, Emperor Xuan's father-in-law Yang Jian
Emperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui — personal name Yang Jian , Xianbei name Puliuru Jian , nickname Naluoyan — was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty . He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state...
became regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
over his son Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou
Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou
Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou , personally name né Yuwen Yan , later Yuwen Chan , was the last emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. He became emperor at the age of six, after his father Emperor Xuan formally passed the throne to him, but Emperor Xuan retained the imperial powers...
. Several imperial princes of the Yuwen clan believed that Yang had designs on the throne but failed in a plot to kill him. After the plot, he began executing the imperial princes in earnest, and around the new year 581, he executed Yuwen Da and Yuwen Da's sons. He awarded Lady Feng to the official Li Xun (李詢) -- who happened to be Princess Li's brother. Li Xun's and Princess Li's mother, in order to avenge her daughter, humiliated Lady Feng by forcing her to wear rough clothes and grind grains. Lady Feng committed suicide.