Grand Princess of Jing (荊國大長公主)

Overview

Grand Princess of Jing was a princess, Poet, and Royal Family Member.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Xianmu	獻穆	Xianmu

Life and dates

Death

AD 1051 皇祐三年
Age Value: 64 · Reckoning: Sui
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 273

Age

Value: 64 · Reckoning: Sui
AD 1051 皇祐三年
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 273

Attested activity

AD 976 to AD 997 太宗
Dated from the passage context · History of Song 248, passages 263-264
AD 1051 皇祐三年
Dated from the passage context · History of Song 248, passage 273
AD 997 真宗即位
Dated from the passage context · History of Song 248, passage 265

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Emperor Taizong (太宗)
daughters 諸女
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 264
Sibling of Emperor Zhenzong (真宗)
brothers and sisters 伯仲 · Uncertain siblings
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 26
Spouse of Li Zunxu (李遵勖)
husband 夫 · Widowed
married down to 下嫁 · Marriage
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passages 19, 265

Kinship Role sons-and-grandsons · Quantity unspecified
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 27
Kinship Role sons · Quantity unspecified
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passages 24, 31
Kinship Role stepsons · Quantity unspecified
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 24

Career and standing

Xianmu 獻穆
AD 1051 皇祐三年 · Posthumous epithet granted
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 275
Princess of Yue, Su, E, and Ji 越、宿、鄂、冀四國
Enfeoffed in succession
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 271
Princess Wanshou 萬壽長公主
AD 997 真宗即位 · Enfeoffed
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 265
Grand Princess of Qi 齊國大長公主
AD 1051 皇祐三年 · Posthumously enfeoffed
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 275
Princess of Jing 荊國
AD 1100 to AD 1126 徽宗 · Posthumously redesignated
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 276
Grand Imperial Princess Xianmu 獻穆大長帝姬
AD 1111 to AD 1118 政和 · Posthumously retitled
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 277

Show 3 more source-backed claims

Princess of Wei 魏國
Promoted
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 272
Princess of Sui 隨國
AD 997 真宗即位 · Redesignated
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 265
petition to redeem the thief from death 請貰之
Petitioned
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 270

Places and affiliations

Polity Song 宋 · Relation Associated with
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 263

Learning and skills

Skill verse 歌詩 · Level able
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 23
Skill correspondence / writing 筆劄 · Level accomplished
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 23
Skill needlework and women's crafts 女工 · Level especially adept
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 23

Works and attributed material

histories and annals 圖史
Relation Reader
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 23
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · Extent s0031, s0032
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passages 31-32
Admonition · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 24
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passages 20-21, 27

Events and relationships

Fell while bathing and injured her right arm
Medical · Injured
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 21
Never removed hemp mourning garments; after mourning refused finery
Ritual · Widow
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 19
Personally supervised the kitchen at Zunxu's banquets
Domestic · Hostess
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 268
Refused three thousand taels of silver
Personal · Refuser
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 28
Rushed to Xu Prefecture without waiting for imperial permission, with five or six attendants
Travel · Traveler
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 17
Secured release of detainees, privately funded a reward, caught the real thief, and petitioned to spare him from death
Legal · Petitioner
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 270

Show 4 more source-backed claims

Thief entered her mansion
Legal · Victim
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 269
Took nothing when Taizong let his daughters choose treasures
Personal · Participant · With Emperor Taizong (太宗)
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 264
Visited Jichang on his birthday with maternal uncle rites
Ritual · Visitor · With Jichang (繼昌)
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 266
Relation Visited with uncle rites · Person Jichang (繼昌)
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 266

Assessments and attributes

Assessment though blind, sat calmly at her couch, serene · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 30
Assessment took nothing from the treasures · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 264
Assessment treated stepsons the same as her own children · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 24
disliked childish amusements from youth and never left the women's apartments
Character
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 263
eye disease culminating in blindness
Illness
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passages 25, 30
Item three thousand taels of silver 白金三千兩 · Relation Refused
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 28

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · History of Song 248, passage 263

References in the histories

Search passages

History

20 passages

History of Song, Chapter 248Volume 248 Biographies 7: Princesses, Dachang Princess of the State of Qin, Six Daughters of Taizu, Two Daughters of Zhenzong, Thirteen Daughters of Renzong, Four Daughters of Yingzong, Ten Daughters of Shenzong, Four Daughters of Zhezong, Thirty Three Daughters of Huizong, Two Daughters of Xiaozong, Three Daughters of Guangzong, Daughter of Weihui Xianwang, Daughter of Ningzong, Daughter of Lizong · 20 passages

Open chapter

荊國大長公主，幼不好弄，未嘗出房闥。 The Grand Princess of Jing disliked childish amusements from youth and never left the women's apartments.

太宗嘗發寶藏，令諸女擇取之，欲以觀其志，主獨無所取。 Taizong once opened the imperial treasure vaults and let his daughters choose what they wished, to test their character; the princess alone took nothing.

真宗即位，封萬壽長公主，改隨國，下嫁駙馬都尉李遵勖。 When Emperor Zhenzong took the throne, she was made Princess Wanshou, then Princess of Sui, and married Li Zunxu, imperial son-in-law.

舊制選尚者降其父為兄弟行，時遵勖父繼昌亡恙，主因繼昌生日以舅禮謁之。 By old custom a chosen consort's father-in-law was treated as a brother in rank; since Li Zunxu's father Jichang was still alive, the princess visited him on his birthday with the courtesy due a maternal uncle.

遵勖賓客皆一時賢士，每燕集，主必親視饔饎。 Zunxu's guests were all men of talent; at every feast the princess personally supervised the kitchen.

嘗有盜入主第，帝命有司訊捕。 Once a thief broke into her mansion; the emperor ordered officials to investigate and apprehend him.

主請出所逮系人，以私錢募告者，果得真盜，法當死，復請貰之。 She asked that the detainees be released, posted a private reward for information, and thereby caught the real thief; though he deserved death by law, she again petitioned to redeem his life.

曆封越、宿、鄂、冀四國。， Her fiefs were successively Yue, Su, E, and Ji.

進魏國。 She was promoted to Princess of Wei.

初，遵勖出守許州，暴得疾，主亟欲馳視之，左右白：須奏得報乃可行，主不待報而往，從者裁五六人。 Once, when Li Zunxu was posted to Xu Prefecture and fell suddenly ill, the princess was desperate to rush to his side. Her attendants said she must petition the throne and await approval before leaving; she set out without waiting, accompanied by only five or six people.

帝聞，遽命內侍督諸縣邏兵以衛主車。 On hearing of this, the emperor at once dispatched palace eunuchs to mobilize county patrol forces along her route to escort her carriage.