45-453: (Redirected from Lifei ) Consort Li may refer to: Consorts with surname Li 李 [ edit ] Ancient China [ edit ] Consort Wei [ zh ] (衛婕妤), titled Jieyu (婕妤), original name Li Ping (李平), taking the surname Wei from her predecessor Empress Wei , concubine of Emperor Cheng of Han . Li Zhaoyi (李昭儀), consort of emperor Liu Shan of Shu Han state during
90-437: A handmaid . Now excited over the romantic encounter, Emperor Wu immediately conferred a thousand sycees of gold to his sister as reward, who in turn offered the new girl to him as a gift. Emperor Wu then took Wei Zifu back to Chang'an , bringing along her younger half-brother Wei Qing as well to serve as a palace stableboy . However, what Wei Zifu would later experience was far from a lovely Cinderella story. Upon hearing
135-576: A concubine position just beneath the Empress), and appointed Wei Qing the triple role of Chief of Jianzhang Camp (建章監), Chief of Staff (侍中) and Chief Councillor (太中大夫), effectively making him one of Emperor Wu's closest lieutenants. Consort Wei then went on to monopolize Emperor Wu's love for over a decade, and bore him three daughters. In 130 BC, Empress Chen was found to have resorted to witchcraft to curse other concubines in attempt to restore her husband's love to her. Following an investigation/crackdown under
180-426: A great-grandmother of Liu Bingyi , as well as an older half-sister of the famed general Wei Qing , a younger aunt of Huo Qubing , and a step-aunt of Han statesman Huo Guang . Wei Zifu was born of humble means to a serf family. She was the fourth child and the youngest daughter of a lowly housemaid/servant at the household of Princess Pingyang (平陽公主), Emperor Wu's older sister. Her father presumably died around
225-483: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Wei Zifu Wei Zifu ( simplified Chinese : 卫子夫 ; traditional Chinese : 衛子夫 ; pinyin : Weì Zǐfū ; Wade–Giles : Wei Tzu-fu ; died 9 September 91 BC ), posthumously known as Empress Si of the Filial Wu ( Chinese : 孝武思皇后 ; pinyin : Xiàowǔ Sī Huánghòu ) or Wei Si Hou (衛思后, "Wei
270-2873: The Three Kingdoms period. Li Chunyan , concubine and later empress consort of Emperor Wang Jipeng of Min . Li Liji [ zh ] (李丽姬), also titled Li Lifei (李丽妃), concubine of Emperor Liu Sheng of Southern Han . Consort Li (李宸妃), concubine of Emperor Zhenzong of Song and mother of Emperor Renzong . Consort Li [ zh ] (李元妃), concubine of Emperor Shizong of Jin , mother of Wanyan Yongdao ( 完顏永蹈 ), Wanyan Yongji and Wanyan Yongde ( 完顏永德 ). Li Shufei [ zh ] (李淑妃), concubine of Ming Dynasty's Hongwu Emperor , proposed mother of Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Princes Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang (朱棡). Li Xianfei [ zh ] (李贤妃), concubine of Hongwu Emperor, mother of Zhu Jing ( 朱桱 ). Li Xianfei [ zh ] (李贤妃), concubine of Hongxi Emperor . Li Lifei [ zh ] (李丽妃), concubine of Hongxi Emperor. Li Kangfei [ zh ] (李康妃), concubine of Taichang Emperor , adoptive mother of Tianqi and Chongzhen Emperors. Li Zhuangfei [ zh ] (李莊妃), concubine of Taichang Emperor, adoptive mother of Chongzhen Emperor. Ancient Korea [ edit ] Ingyeong Hyeon-Bi Lee-ssi (仁敬賢妃 李氏, 인경현비 이씨), concubine of King Munjong of Goryeo . Injeol Hyeon-Bi Lee-ssi (仁節賢妃 李氏, 인절현비 이씨), concubine of King Munjong of Goryeo. Consorts with surname Li 栗 [ edit ] Consort Li [ zh ] (栗姬), concubine of Emperor Jing of Han , known for her beauty Consorts with surname Li 驪 [ edit ] Concubine Li (驪姬), wife of Duke Xian of Jin. Elegant Consorts 麗妃 [ edit ] Consort Zhao [ zh ] (趙麗妃), concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Emperor Ming), mother of Deposed Crown Prince Li Ying . Tangkuo Shige [ zh ] (唐括石哥), titled as Lifei (麗妃), concubine of Deposed Emperor Wanyan Liang of Jin, mother of Wanyan Shensiabu (完顏矧思阿補). Consort Ge [ zh ] (葛麗妃), concubine of Ming Dynasty's Hongwu Emperor, mother of Zhu Yi (朱㰘) and Zhu Nan (朱楠). Consort Chen [ zh ] (陈丽妃), concubine of Yongle Emperor . Consort Han (韩丽妃), concubine of Yongle Emperor. Consort Wang [ zh ] (王丽妃), concubine of Hongxi Emperor. Consort Yuan [ zh ] (袁丽妃), concubine of Xuande Emperor . Consort Liu [ zh ] (劉麗妃), concubine of Emperor Yingzong of Ming . Consort Zhang (章丽妃), concubine of Chenghua Emperor . Yan Guifei [ zh ] (阎贵妃), once titled as Lifei (丽妃), concubine of Jiajing Emperor . Consort Wang [ zh ] (王丽妃), concubine of Jiajing Emperor. Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangjing , titled as Lifei (麗妃), concubine of
315-479: The four arts . Wei Zifu was good at singing and composing, she also had beautiful long hair. Emperor Wu's relationship with his newly-wed first wife, Empress Chen , started to strain not long after he ascended to the throne at age 16. Empress Chen was an older cousin who was at least 8 years his senior, and their union was arranged from the political alliance between his mother Consort Wang Zhi (王夫人) and his paternal aunt Grand Princess Guantao (館陶長公主), when he
360-626: The Crown Prince by falsely accusing him of committing adultery with Emperor Wu's palace maids. The first trial began in early 91 BC involving Prime Minister Gongsun Ao (Empress Wei's brother-in-law) and his son, leading to their unexplained suicide in jail and the execution of their clan. Liu Ju's sisters Princess Zhuyi and Princess Yangshi as well as cousin Wei Kang (衛伉, Wei Qing's eldest son) were also accused of involvement in witchcraft and executed, effectively removing almost all of his political allies in
405-537: The Crown Prince's household. Liu Ju was shocked by this and forced to consult his close advisers. His teacher Shi De (石德), invoking the infamous story of Zhao Gao 's scheme to murder Ying Fusu and raising the possibility that Emperor Wu might already be deceased, suggested to Liu Ju to start an uprising to get rid of the villains. Liu Ju initially hesitated and wanted to speedily proceed to Ganquan Palace and explain himself to his father, but when he found out that Jiang Chong's messengers were already on their way to report
450-497: The Han court. With the sanctioned witch-hunts underway, Jiang Chong and Su Wen decided to strike while the iron was hot and move against Liu Ju, once again with the accusation of witchcraft. Because the physically deteriorating Emperor Wu was then staying at his summer palace in Ganquan (甘泉, in modern Xianyang , Shaanxi), he relied heavily on Jiang and Su for day-to-day information. Jiang, with
495-483: The Palace of Son-Grieving (思子宮) and Platform of Longing for Return (歸來望思台), officially rehabilitating Liu Ju's name. 18 years after her death, her great-grandson Liu Bingyi ascended to the throne in 74 BC as Emperor Xuan . Emperor Xuan then had his great-grandmother's name officially cleared and rebuilt her tomb to a larger mausoleum cared by 1000 men, and gave her the posthumous title Wei Si Hou (衛思后, literally meaning "Wei
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#1732855174933540-699: The Qing Dynasty's Xianfeng Emperor . See also [ edit ] Empress Li (disambiguation) Li Ji (disambiguation) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consort_Li&oldid=1237504864#Elegant_Consorts_麗妃 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Interlanguage link template existing link Short description
585-603: The Right (右賢王) in 124 BC. Empress Wei's nephew Huo Qubing was also a distinguished military tactician with a series of highly successful campaigns over the control of the Hexi Corridor . By 123 BC, the Wei family had five marquess es and achieved top family honour , a remarkable feat for a clan from serf background. Despite the fact that the rise of the Wei family largely owed credit to the military talent of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, Wei Zifu
630-552: The Thoughtful Empress"), was an empress consort during ancient China's Han dynasty . She was the second wife of the famous Emperor Wu and his spouse for 49 years. She stayed as his empress for 38 years, the second longest in Chinese history (behind only the 47-year reign of Empress Wang , the wife of Ming dynasty 's Wanli Emperor , who lived over 1,600 years later). She was the mother of Emperor Wu's heir apparent Liu Ju and
675-563: The Thoughtful Empress"). Her new tomb, due to its remote location and relative humbleness, escaped the looting by tomb raiders later. Munjong of Goryeo Munjong (29 December 1019 – 2 September 1083), personal name Wang Hwi , was the 11th monarch of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. King Munjong was born in 1019 and reigned from 1046 until his death in 1083. During his reign, the central government of Goryeo gained complete authority and power over local lords. Munjong, and later kings, emphasized
720-421: The approval from Emperor Wu, searched through various palaces, planted voodoo dolls and pieces of cloth with mysterious writings in the house of the "perpetrators", then condemned the victims on the spot. Eventually he reached the palaces of Liu Ju and Empress Wei, engaged in so much digging that there were barely any space to lay a bed. He then announced that he found overwhelming evidence of crime particularly at
765-481: The arrival of the new girl, the extremely jealous and intolerant Empress Chen threw a tantrum and made sure Emperor Wu would abandon his idea of keeping Wei Zifu as a concubine. Wei Zifu was then demoted to an insignificant palace maid and was largely neglected. More than a year later, feeling hopeless with her life inside the palaces, Wei Zifu blended into a queue of palace maids waiting to be expelled (normally those who were too aged or incompetent in palace services) in
810-423: The conspirators exploited his trust and plotted his son's death, he had Su Wen burned alive , Jiang Chong's immediate and extended family executed , and killed every official promoted for tracking down the Crown Prince. He also promoted Tian Qianqiu to prime minister, and made major policy change rectifying the ideals supported by his dead son. To express his regret over causing his son's death, Emperor Wu also built
855-487: The conspirators was Jiang Chong (江充), a high-ranking legal official known for his ruthlessness and opportunism. Jiang once had a run-in with Liu Ju after arresting one of the crown prince's assistants for improper use of an imperial road, and feared that Liu Ju would seek payback after ascending to the throne. Another conspirator was Emperor Wu's chief eunuch Su Wen (蘇文), who was in charge of managing Emperor Wu and Lady Zhao's living arrangements, and had previously tried to frame
900-471: The conspirators. At the same time, Su Wen ran to Ganquan Palace and told Emperor Wu that the Crown Prince was committing treason. Emperor Wu, not believing it and correctly (at this point) concluding that Liu Ju were merely angry at Jiang Chong, send a messenger back to Chang'an to summon his son for an explanation. This messenger, a low-ranking eunuch, did not dare to proceed to the capital city, but instead returned and falsely reported to Emperor Wu that Liu Ju
945-406: The deeds of their aunt Princess Guantao (who gained favor with their father Emperor Jing by routinely procuring new concubines for him), had prepared a collection of young women to offer for her brother's concubinage to establish herself political leverage (girls from lowly background like Wei Zifu were however not considered). However, the plan did not work – all her candidates failed to impress
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#1732855174933990-504: The early Han Dynasty. This indicated that Liu Ju's birth promoted his mother to empress, and his mother's promotion promoted him to crown prince. After Wei Zifu became Empress, Wei Qing, now considered part of Emperor Wu's extended family , would be entrusted with more prominent roles in the war effort against Xiongnu, and was appointed the Generalissimo (大將軍) of All Armed Forces after his crushing victory over Xiongnu's Worthy Prince of
1035-463: The east side of an avenue outside Fu'ang Gate (覆盎門, the eastmost south gate of Chang'an). Most of her clan members were wiped out in the turmoil. Crown Prince Liu Ju was later tracked down and cornered in Hu County (湖縣) by local officials eager for rewards, and committed suicide when it became obvious he could not escape. His two sons were also killed. Not long afterwards, Emperor Wu began to realize that
1080-518: The false accusations, he decided to accept Shi's suggestion. He sent an individual to impersonate a messenger from Emperor Wu, and arrested Jiang and his co-conspirators – except for Su Wen, who escaped. He then denounced and personally executed Jiang, and reported his actions to his mother. Empress Wei, faced with the dilemma between her husband and son, chose to support her son and authorized Liu Ju to rally her palace guards and recruit civilian militias in preparation to defend himself against retaliation by
1125-408: The hope of getting out. Coincidentally, Emperor Wu happened to be there inspecting the expulsion process, and love soon re-flamed when he saw the tearful girl pleading to go home. By this point, Emperor Wu had just scored his first political victory with the successful intervention of Dong'ou and consolidated enough power, and thus no longer needed to appease Empress Chen and Princess Guantao. Wei Zifu
1170-609: The importance of civilian leadership over the military. Munjong expanded Korea's borders northward to the Yalu and Tumen Rivers and built many forts to guard the northern border. Munjong's fourth son, Uicheon (born 1055), became a Buddhist priest who founded the Cheontae as an independent school of Buddhism . During Munjong's reign, academic physician officers (hallimuigwan) first appeared in Goryeo, and Goryeo's medicinal exams were often used as
1215-469: The position open, and Emperor Wu now had no official principal spouse. In 129 BC, Wei Qing, who was already a member of Emperor Wu's "insider circle" (內朝) of government officials, led an army of 10,000 cavalry and scored the first proper Han victory against the Xiongnu . The following year, Consort Wei gave birth to Emperor Wu's first son, Liu Ju , and the overjoyed Emperor Wu (who was already 28 years of age when
1260-416: The possible use of witchcraft against him. A series of witchcraft persecutions would begin, and large numbers of people, many of whom were high officials and their families, were accused of witchcraft and executed, usually with their clans. Soon, these witchcraft persecutions would become intertwined in the succession struggles and erupt into a major catastrophe. In 94 BC, Emperor Wu's youngest son Liu Fuling
1305-440: The same as the mythical Emperor Yao —Emperor Wu decided to name her household "Gate of Yao's Mother" (堯母門). This led to speculation that Emperor Wu wanted to get rid of the 38-year-old Liu Ju and replace him with the 3-year-old Liu Fuling as crown prince instead. While there was no evidence that Emperor Wu actually intended to do such a thing, over the next year conspiracies began against Crown Prince Liu Ju and Empress Wei . One of
1350-416: The son was born) immediately made her empress later that year on 30 April. Unprecedentedly and for the first time, a general amnesty was issued in the empire to choose a new empress, which became a tradition for other dynasties. Liu Ju was later created crown prince on 1 June 122 BC. “A son is honored by his mother, and a mother is honored by her son” had a great influence on the etiquette and legal system of
1395-469: The time of her birth, as there were little historic records of most of her family members. Her younger half-brother Wei Qing , born not long after her, was an illegitimate child from an extramarital affair by her mother with a low-level official serving the Princess's household. When Wei Zifu was still young, she was recruited as a courtesan at the princess' estate, where she was also trained in dancing and
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1440-444: The widely feared prosecutor Zhang Tang (張湯), which saw the execution of more than 300 people, Empress Chen was officially deposed for this misconduct against imperial moral standards, and exiled to the remote and lonely Long Gate Palace (長門宮), a suburban household that Princess Guantao once offered to Emperor Wu as a gift for tolerating her scandalous relationship with her godson Dong Yan (董偃). The deposition of Empress Chen had left
1485-413: The witchcraft cases during 91 BC were often false accusations. In 89 BC, when Tian Qianqiu (田千秋), then the superintendent of Emperor Gao 's temple, filed a report claiming that "a white-haired old man" told him in a dream that for the offense of armed uprising, Liu Ju would at most be caned, not killed, as a punishment, Emperor Wu had a revelation about what really happened. Furious over the realization that
1530-436: The young emperor. Realizing her brother was disappointed and bored, the Princess called in her in-house dancers for entertainment. This time, Emperor Wu set his eyes on Wei Zifu and was immediately attracted by her beauty and grace. Taking the opportunity of visiting the restroom, the young emperor took advantage upon and consummated with the young singer, whom the observant Princess Pingyang had ordered to follow in and serve as
1575-429: Was a serious matter), and making his distant uncle Liu An the successor. This pregnancy cleared Emperor Wu's name and silenced his political enemies, and ensured Wei Zifu becoming favoured over Empress Chen. Empress Chen became exceedingly jealous but could do little to Wei Zifu as she was under Emperor Wu's direct protection. Empress Chen's mother, Princess Guantao, then attempted retribution by kidnapping Wei Qing, who
1620-704: Was absent from the capital, and assigned her son Crown Prince Liu Ju as the regent for all governmental and border affairs. Emperor Wu's trust in Empress Wei was such that when she wanted to inform him of important decisions to be made in the palaces during his absence, Emperor Wu received her reports verbally and most of the time refused to listen to them. He fully trusted Empress Wei's judgment on palaces' affairs. Later on, civil unrest broke out between Consort Li's family and Wei Zifu's family, leading to Li's downfall and several of Li's relatives being executed. In his advanced age, Emperor Wu became paranoid and suspicious over
1665-462: Was barely 6 years old. The marriage was consummated at some point after Emperor Wu was then created the crown prince, but soon soured after Empress Chen was unable to bear him any children after many years. This tension further deteriorated after the young Emperor Wu, whose political survival at the time relied heavily on lobbying from his aunt/mother-in-law after the defeat of his ambitious reform in 140 BC by his grandmother Grand Empress Dowager Dou ,
1710-474: Was born to Lady Zhao, and Emperor Wu was ecstatic in having a child at the advanced age of 62. Lady Zhao herself was introduced to Emperor Wu by some warlock , and was also known as "Consort Fist" (拳夫人) or "Consort Hook" (鉤弋夫人) due to legend that she was born with a contractured clenched fist, which somehow magically opened up when Emperor Wu massaged it, revealing a jade hook in her palm. Because her pregnancy with Liu Fuling purportedly lasted 14 months long –
1755-474: Was forced to flee the capital with two of his sons, and the rest of his family were killed, except a months-old grandson, Liu Bingyi , who was thrown into prison. Shortly after Liu Ju's escape, Emperor Wu sent two officials to Empress Wei's palace to seize her seal (i.e. suspending her rights in preparation to depose her). Wei Zifu committed suicide in response, and was buried with a small coffin in Tongbai (桐柏) on
1800-452: Was forced to submit to the spoilt and abusive behavior of Empress Chen. After conducting an annual ceremonial ritual at Bashang (灞上, between present-day Baqiao District and Lantian County of Xi'an , Shaanxi) in the spring of 139 BC, Emperor Wu took the opportunity to pay a casual visit to his older sister Princess Pingyang, whose household happened to be nearby. Princess Pingyang, intending to gain favour with her royal brother by imitating
1845-402: Was going to kill him. By now enraged and really believing his son was going to overthrow him, Emperor Wu ordered his nephew, Prime Minister Liu Qumao (劉屈犛), to lead the regular Han army and put down the rebellion. The two forces then battled in the streets of Chang'an for five days, but Liu Qumao's forces prevailed after it became clear that Prince Ju did not have his father's authorization. Liu Ju
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1890-476: Was made to stay and fell pregnant very shortly later. Wei Zifu's pregnancy was exciting news for Emperor Wu, who was upset over himself being blamed for Empress Chen's infertility. His throne was previously under threat due to his political clash with conservative factions led by his grandmother during the failed 140 BC reform, and many nobles schemed of deposing him under the excuse of "being incapable of fathering children" (the inability to propagate royal bloodline
1935-430: Was often seen as the backbone of the family. A contemporary folk song sang: Nothing to be happy if you bore a son. Nothing to be angry if you bore a daughter. Don't you see Wei Zifu dominates the world! 生男無喜，生女無怒，獨不見衛子夫霸天下！ Because the great achievements of this Wei family, many later Han emperors considered marrying concubines with the surname Wei as a way of attaining good fortune. During her tenure, Wei Zifu
1980-837: Was recorded as a modest, careful and low-key empress, who tried her best to keep her clan members in line and out of trouble. The legendary historian Sima Qian , despite often displaying a sceptical and condescending attitude towards Emperor Wu's extended families, described Empress Wei as "fine in virtues" (嘉夫德若斯). As the years went by, Emperor Wu's sexual attraction to Empress Wei faded and he began to favour other concubines, including Consort Wang (王夫人), Consort Li (李夫人) and Lady Zhao (趙婕妤, mother of Liu Fuling ). However, he continued to respect Empress Wei's judgment and entrusted her to govern palaces affairs: Palaces of Changshen, Changle and Wayang, especially Shaofu (Emperor Wu's inner court who managed all military and state affairs and kept all war secrets and confidential government information), when he
2025-471: Was then serving as a horseman in Jianzhang Camp (建章營, Emperor Wu's royal guards ), and have him murdered. However, Wei Qing was rescued from the princess' estate by his friends – a group of fellow palace guards led by Gongsun Ao (公孫敖), who reported the entire incident to Emperor Wu. In response and as a sign of annoyance towards Empress Chen and her mother, Emperor Wu publicly made Wei Zifu a consort (夫人,
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