Empress Xiaosu
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| Empress Xiaosu Hiếu túc hoàng hậu | |||||
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| Grand empress dowager of the Ming dynasty | |||||
| Tenure | 22 September 1487 – 17 March 1504 | ||||
| Predecessor | Grand Empress Dowager Zhang | ||||
| Successor | Grand Empress Dowager Cisheng | ||||
| Empress dowager of the Ming dynasty | |||||
| Tenure | 9 December 1447 – 22 September 1487 | ||||
| Predecessor | Empress Dowager Xiaoyi | ||||
| Successor | Empress Dowager Wang | ||||
| Born | 1430 Changping County | ||||
| Died | 17 March 1504(aged 73–74) | ||||
| Burial | 1504 Yuling | ||||
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| Issue |
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| Clan | Zhou ( chu ) | ||||
| Father | Zhou Neng, Duke of Ning ( ninh quốc công chu năng ) | ||||
| Mother | Lady Zhen ( chân thị ) | ||||
Empress Xiaosu(1430 – 17 March 1504), of the Zhou clan, was the concubine ofEmperor Yingzong of Mingand the mother of theChenghua Emperor.
Biography[edit]
Zhou was the daughter of Zhou Neng ( chu năng ),[1]a poor farmer in Changping County. When Emperor Yingzong went hunting, he accidentally entered her home by mistake. The whole family was shocked and scared, but Zhou was the only one who acted comfortably. Because of this, she caught the eye of the emperor and entered the palace with the high rank of consort. In 1446, she gave birth to Zhu Qizhen's eldest daughter the Princess Chongqing and his eldest son, Zhu Jianshen (the futureChenghua Emperor). When Emperor Yingzong was captured by the Mongols in 1449, theEmpress Dowager Sunordered that Consort Zhou's eldest son would be named Crown Prince. But when Emperor Yingzong's younger brotherZhu Qiyubecame emperor, he deposed Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen. In 1455, she gave birth to Zhu Qizhen's sixth son, Zhu Jianze.
In 1457 when Zhu Qizhen was restored to the throne, she was given the rank of Noble consort.
When her son the Chenghua Emperor ascended the throne, both she andEmpress Qianreceived the rank of empress dowager. However, there was conflict on who to give the empress dowager's emblem since there were two empress dowagers. The eunuch Xia Shi, in an effort to please Noble Consort Zhou, sent an order to honor Zhou with the emblem of the empress dowager. Both the scholars Li Xian and Peng Shi fought hard on which empress dowager would be given an emblem while both Empress Qian and Zhou treated each other with respect. On April 23 of Chenghua, Zhou was given the embelem and title of 'Empress Dowager Shengcirenshou' ( thánh từ nhân thọ hoàng thái hậu ).
It was said that during the Chenghua Emperor's reign, Zhou was known to be extremely kind and treated everyone around her with respect. The Chenghua Emperor held his mother in high regard, and never dared to disobey her orders.
In the Ming dynasty (before Yingzong) only the empress could be buried with the emperor. The name of the emperor and the empress were fixed before and could not be changed in any circumstance. When Empress Qian died, Zhou wanted to prevent Empress Qian from being buried together with Emperor Yingzong in Yuling. Zhou secretly changed the design of Emperor Yingzong's mausoleum so that she can be buried with him in the future. Although Empress Qian and Emperor Yingzong had the same tomb, they were entered through different tunnels.
When the Hongzhi Emperor came to the throne, he honored Empress Dowager Zhou as Grand empress dowager and namedEmpress Wangas empress dowager. The Hongzhi Emperor was said to have been respectful and filial to Zhou.
During winter in the eleventh year of Hongzhi, Qingning Palace was destroyed and Zhou moved to Renshou Palace.
Titles[edit]
- During the reign of theXuande Emperor(r. 1425–1435):
- Lady Zhou ( chu thị; from 1430)
- During the reign of theZhengtong Emperor(r. 1435 – 1449):
- Palace Lady (from 1437)
- Consort ( phi; from unknown date)
- During the reign of theJingtai Emperor(r. 1449 – 1457):
- Consort Emerita ( thái thượng phi; from 1449)
- During the reign of theTianshun Emperor(r. 1457–1464):
- Noble Consort ( quý phi; from February 1457)
- During the reign of theChenghua Emperor(r. 1464–1487)
- Empress Dowager ( hoàng thái hậu; from 28 February 1464 )
- Empress Dowager Shengcirenshou ( thánh từ nhân thọ hoàng thái hậu; from 1487)
- During the reign of theHongzhi Emperor(r. 1487–1505)
- Grand Empress Dowager ( thái hoàng thái hậu; from 1487)
- Grand Empress Dowager Xiàosù Zhēnshùn Kāngyì Guāngliè Fǔtiān Chéngshèng( hiếu túc trinh thuận khang ý quang liệt phụ thiên thừa thánh hoàng hậu; from 1504)
- During the reign of theJiajing Emperor(r. 1521–1567)
- Empress Xiaosu Zhēnshùn Kāngyì Guāngliè Fǔtiān Chéngshèng( hiếu túc trinh thuận khang ý quang liệt phụ thiên thừa thánh hoàng hậu; from 1536)
Issue[edit]
- As a consort:
- Princess Chongqing ( trọng khánh công chủ; 1446–1499), Emperor Yingzong's first daughter
- Zhu Jianshen, theChenghua Emperor( hiến tông chu kiến thâm; 9 December 1447 – 9 September 1487), Emperor Yingzong's first son
- Zhu Jianze, Prince Jian of Chong ( sùng giản vương chu kiến trạch; 2 May 1455 – 27 August 1505), Emperor Yingzong's sixth son
Death[edit]
In Ming, only the emperor and empress were allowed to be worshipped in ancestral temples. So when Empress Zhou died in 1504, courtiers were fighting if Empress Zhou should be worshipped in the Ancestral temples. Scholars Liu Juan, Xie Qian and Li Dongyang objected mentioning that Zhou was never an empress in her lifetime and therefore does not deserve to be worshipped in the ancestral temples and to be buried with the emperor. However, Zhou was still given a posthumous title for an empress and was buried together with Emperor Yingzong, as she wished. After Zhou had been buried, it was discovered that the tunnel to the tomb of Empress Qian was separated from Emperor Yingzong. Empress Qian was never reburied together with Emperor Yingzong. After Zhou's death, the birth mothers of future Ming emperors (even if they never held the rank of empress) were buried together with their husbands.
The Hongzhi Emperor gave Zhou the posthumous title of: Grand Empress Dowager Xiàosùzhēnshùnkāngyìguānglièfǔtiānchéngshèng ( hiếu túc trinh thuận khang ý quang liệt phụ thiên thừa thánh thái hoàng thái hậu )
During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor, he granted Zhou a different posthumous title. Her final posthumous title was: Empress Xiàosùzhēnshùnkāngyìguānglièfǔtiānchéngshèng ( hiếu túc trinh thuận khang ý quang liệt phụ thiên thừa thánh hoàng hậu )
In popular culture[edit]
- He Saifeias Empress Dowager Zhou in 2011 dramaThe Emperor's Harem.
- Sheng Langxi as Noble Consort Zhou in the 2016 dramaThe Imperial Doctress.
- Qu Ni Tsering as Zhou Guifei in the 2019 dramaMing Dynasty.
- Fang Xiaoli as Empress Dowager Zhou in the 2020 dramaThe Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty.