Princess Xu Zhaopei
Encyclopedia
Princess Xu Zhaopei (died 549) was an imperial princess of the Chinese
Liang Dynasty
. She was the wife of Xiao Yi
, Prince of Xiangdong, son of the founding emperor Emperor Wu
who later took the throne as Emperor Yuan.
Xu Zhaopei was the granddaughter of the Southern Qi
prime minister Xu Xiaosi (徐孝嗣). Her father, Xu Gun (徐緄), was also an important official under Emperor Wu. She married Xiao Yi around the new year 518; thereafter she carried the title Princess of Xiangdong. In the Book of Liang
and History of Southern Dynasties
, it was said that as her bridal procession neared Xiao Yi's mansion, powerful winds damaged the house, and it snowed so hard that the curtains all turned white, both of which were considered ill signs.
Princess Xu bore Xiao Yi two children—his oldest son and heir apparent
Xiao Fangdeng (蕭方等) and a daughter, Xiao Hanzhen (蕭含貞) (the later Princess Yichang). However, the relationship between Xiao Yi and Princess Xu was stormy, and Xiao Yi rarely joined her in bedchambers—only once every two or three years. Each time he did, she humiliated him, however—as Xiao Yi was blind in one eye, she would intentionally put on makeup only on one side of her face and not the other, to parodize him, and he would rush out of her bedchambers when he saw this. She was said to be an alcoholic and jealous. When she knew of Xiao Yi's concubines becoming pregnant, she would try to attack them with swords, and she often drank with the other concubines who were not favored by the prince. She also carried on affairs—initially with the Taoist monk Zhiyuan (智遠), and then later with her husband's associate Ji Jijiang (暨季江) and another man, He Hui (賀徽), and she wrote He poetry. Ji once commented, "Although Lady Xu is old, she is very amorous." This led to the Chinese idiom "the half-old Lady Xu" (徐娘半老, Xu Niang banlao), used to describe a middle-aged or old-aged woman who is considered sexually promiscuous.
Because of the difficult relationship between Xiao Yi and Princess Xu, Xiao Yi also did not favor her son, the Heir Apparent Xiao Fangdeng. In 548, when the capital Jiankang
was besieged by the rebel general Hou Jing
, Xiao Yi, then the governor of the important Jing Province (荊州, modern central and western Hubei
), sent Xiao Fangdeng with a relatively small detachment to assist other generals in trying to relieve Jiankang, but after Hou captured the capital in spring 549, Xiao Fangdeng returned to Xiao Yi's base of Jiangling. When Xiao Yi saw how organized Xiao Fangdeng's troops were, he was greatly pleased, and he entered Princess Xu's bedchambers to tell her of how much he approved of Xiao Fangdeng. Princess Xu, however, inexplicably responded by crying hard. In anger, Xiao Yi wrote extensively about her affairs and posted the writing onto the provincial government walls. (He later also collected these writings in his work Jinlou Zi (金樓子).)
Xiao Fangdeng became fearful of his father's wrath, and in summer 549, when his cousin Xiao Yu (蕭譽) the Prince of Hedong and governor of Xiang Province (湘州, modern central Hunan
) refused to follow Xiao Yi's orders, Xiao Fangdeng volunteered to attack Xiao Yu—and made the comment, "I will surely die on this campaign -- but I would have no regrets dying in the right place." Soon, when he engaged Xiao Yu, he was defeated, and he fell into the Xiang River
and drowned. When Xiao Yi heard of Xiao Fangdeng's death, he did not mourn Xiao Fangdeng at all, and his relationship with Princess Xu deteriorated even greater after Xiao Fangdeng's death. When his favorite concubine Lady Wang died, he accused Princess Xu of murdering Lady Wang, and ordered her to commit suicide. She killed herself by jumping into a well. Xiao Yi, instead of burying her with honors due a princess, returned her body to the Xu clan, stating that she had become a divorced wife. He also prohibited his sons from mourning her. When he became emperor in 552, he also made no efforts to posthumously honor her.
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...
Liang Dynasty
Liang Dynasty
The Liang Dynasty , also known as the Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of the Southern dynasties in China and was followed by the Chen Dynasty...
. She was the wife of Xiao Yi
Emperor Yuan of Liang
Emperor Yuan of Liang , personal name Xiao Yi , courtesy name Shicheng , nickname Qifu , was an emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty...
, Prince of Xiangdong, son of the founding emperor Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu of Liang
Emperor Wu of Liang , personal name Xiao Yan , courtesy name Shuda , nickname Lian'er , was the founding emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty...
who later took the throne as Emperor Yuan.
Xu Zhaopei was the granddaughter of the Southern Qi
Southern Qi
The Southern Qi Dynasty was the second of the Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Liang Dynasty. During its 23-year history, the dynasty was largely filled with instability, as after the death of the capable Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye was assassinated...
prime minister Xu Xiaosi (徐孝嗣). Her father, Xu Gun (徐緄), was also an important official under Emperor Wu. She married Xiao Yi around the new year 518; thereafter she carried the title Princess of Xiangdong. In the Book of Liang
Book of Liang
The Book of Liang , was compiled under Yao Silian, completed in 635. The book heavily relied on his father, Yao Ca's original manuscript, as his comments were quoted in several chapters....
and History of Southern Dynasties
History of Southern Dynasties
The History of Southern Dynasties is one of the official Chinese historical works in the Twenty-Four Histories canon. It contain 80 volumes and covers the period from 420 to 589, the histories of Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty, and Chen Dynasty. Like the History of Northern Dynasties, the...
, it was said that as her bridal procession neared Xiao Yi's mansion, powerful winds damaged the house, and it snowed so hard that the curtains all turned white, both of which were considered ill signs.
Princess Xu bore Xiao Yi two children—his oldest son and heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
Xiao Fangdeng (蕭方等) and a daughter, Xiao Hanzhen (蕭含貞) (the later Princess Yichang). However, the relationship between Xiao Yi and Princess Xu was stormy, and Xiao Yi rarely joined her in bedchambers—only once every two or three years. Each time he did, she humiliated him, however—as Xiao Yi was blind in one eye, she would intentionally put on makeup only on one side of her face and not the other, to parodize him, and he would rush out of her bedchambers when he saw this. She was said to be an alcoholic and jealous. When she knew of Xiao Yi's concubines becoming pregnant, she would try to attack them with swords, and she often drank with the other concubines who were not favored by the prince. She also carried on affairs—initially with the Taoist monk Zhiyuan (智遠), and then later with her husband's associate Ji Jijiang (暨季江) and another man, He Hui (賀徽), and she wrote He poetry. Ji once commented, "Although Lady Xu is old, she is very amorous." This led to the Chinese idiom "the half-old Lady Xu" (徐娘半老, Xu Niang banlao), used to describe a middle-aged or old-aged woman who is considered sexually promiscuous.
Because of the difficult relationship between Xiao Yi and Princess Xu, Xiao Yi also did not favor her son, the Heir Apparent Xiao Fangdeng. In 548, when the capital Jiankang
Jiankang
Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Southern Dynasties. Its walls are extant ruins in the modern municipal region of Nanjing.-History:...
was besieged by the rebel general Hou Jing
Hou Jing
Hou Jing , courtesy name Wanjing , was a general for the Chinese states Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, and Liang Dynasty, and briefly, after controlling the Liang imperial regime for several years, usurped the Liang throne, establishing a state of Han...
, Xiao Yi, then the governor of the important Jing Province (荊州, modern central and western Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
), sent Xiao Fangdeng with a relatively small detachment to assist other generals in trying to relieve Jiankang, but after Hou captured the capital in spring 549, Xiao Fangdeng returned to Xiao Yi's base of Jiangling. When Xiao Yi saw how organized Xiao Fangdeng's troops were, he was greatly pleased, and he entered Princess Xu's bedchambers to tell her of how much he approved of Xiao Fangdeng. Princess Xu, however, inexplicably responded by crying hard. In anger, Xiao Yi wrote extensively about her affairs and posted the writing onto the provincial government walls. (He later also collected these writings in his work Jinlou Zi (金樓子).)
Xiao Fangdeng became fearful of his father's wrath, and in summer 549, when his cousin Xiao Yu (蕭譽) the Prince of Hedong and governor of Xiang Province (湘州, modern central Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
) refused to follow Xiao Yi's orders, Xiao Fangdeng volunteered to attack Xiao Yu—and made the comment, "I will surely die on this campaign -- but I would have no regrets dying in the right place." Soon, when he engaged Xiao Yu, he was defeated, and he fell into the Xiang River
Xiang River
The Xiang River , in older transliterations as the Siang River or Hsiang River, is a river in southern China...
and drowned. When Xiao Yi heard of Xiao Fangdeng's death, he did not mourn Xiao Fangdeng at all, and his relationship with Princess Xu deteriorated even greater after Xiao Fangdeng's death. When his favorite concubine Lady Wang died, he accused Princess Xu of murdering Lady Wang, and ordered her to commit suicide. She killed herself by jumping into a well. Xiao Yi, instead of burying her with honors due a princess, returned her body to the Xu clan, stating that she had become a divorced wife. He also prohibited his sons from mourning her. When he became emperor in 552, he also made no efforts to posthumously honor her.