Lady Wang (王氏) | 24 Histories

Overview

Lady Wang was a consort.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Nickname	Flowers Hide from Shame	花見羞	Huajianxiu

Life and dates

Death

AD 947 漢高祖起太原
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 66-67

Attested activity

AD 939 天福四年
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 44, 46
AD 926 to AD 933 明宗即位
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 22, 24
AD 947 漢高祖起太原
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 56, 66

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Li Siyuan (李嗣源)
chaste consort 淑妃 · Secondary marriage
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 1, 24
Kin of Congyi (從益)
foster mother 慈母
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 1, 30

Career and standing

Chaste Consort 淑妃
Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passage 24
Imperial Consort Dowager 皇太妃
Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passage 29

Places and affiliations

At Binzhou 邠州
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passage 17

Works and attributed material

Memorial · Author · With Han Gaozu (漢高祖)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passage 65
Speech · Speaker · With Congke (從珂)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 36-37
Speech · Speaker · With Lady Cao (曹氏)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 23, 41
Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passages 59-60, 64, 67-68

Events and relationships

Hid and survived
Escape · Subject · At hospital ward 鞠院
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passage 43

Assessments and attributes

famed beauty; nickname Flowers Hide from Shame
Physical description
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 15, passage 17

References in the histories

Search passages

History

29 passages

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 15Volume 15: Mingzong of Later Tang's Family · 29 passages

Open chapter

明宗三后一妃：和武憲皇后曹氏生晉國公主；昭懿皇后夏氏生秦王從榮、湣帝；宣憲皇后魏氏，潞王從珂母也；淑妃王氏，許王從益之慈母也。 Mingzong had three empresses and one consort: Empress Hewuxian, Lady Cao, bore the Jin State Princess; Empress Zhaoyi, Lady Xia, bore Congrong, Prince of Qin, and the Last Emperor; Empress Xuanxian, Lady Wei, was mother of Congke, Prince of Lu; Chaste Consort Lady Wang was foster mother to Congyi, Xu Wang.

淑妃王氏 Chaste Consort Lady Wang

淑妃王氏，邠州餅家子也，有美色，號「花見羞」。 Chaste Consort Lady Wang came from a cake-selling family in Binzhou; famed for her beauty, she was called “Flowers Hide from Shame.”

少賣梁故將劉鄩為侍兒，鄩卒，王氏無所歸。 Young, she was sold as a maid to Liu Yan, once a Liang general; when Yan died, she was left with nowhere to turn.

是時，明宗夏夫人已卒，方求別室，有言王氏於安重誨者，重誨以告明宗而納之。 Lady Xia had just died and Mingzong sought a new consort; word of Wang reached An Chonghui, who brought her to Mingzong’s notice, and he took her in.

王氏素得鄩金甚多，悉以遣明宗左右及諸子婦，人人皆為王氏稱譽，明宗益愛之。 Wang had amassed a great fortune from Yan and lavished it on Mingzong’s staff and his daughters-in-law; praise for her spread, and Mingzong’s affection deepened.

而夫人曹氏為人簡質，常避事，由是王氏專寵。 Lady Cao was plain-spoken and unassuming and usually kept out of palace business, so Wang held favor alone.

明宗即位，議立皇后，而曹氏當立，曹氏謂王氏曰：「我素多病，而性不耐煩，妹當代我。」 When Mingzong became emperor, the court debated the empress; Cao was the rightful choice. She told Wang: “I have been sick for years and cannot endure the burden—sister, you should take my place.”

王氏曰：「后，帝匹也，至尊之位，誰敢幹之！」 Wang replied: “The empress is the emperor’s match and the highest seat under Heaven—who would dare grasp at it!”

乃立曹氏為皇后，王氏為淑妃。 Cao was enthroned as empress and Wang was made Chaste Consort.

妃事皇后亦甚謹，每帝晨起，盥櫛服御，皆妃執事左右，及罷朝，帝與皇后食，妃侍，食徹乃退，未嘗少懈，皇后心亦益愛之。 The consort served the empress with equal devotion: each dawn she attended Mingzong’s washing, combing, and dressing; after court she waited at their meals and withdrew only when they finished—never once slackening—and the empress came to love her in return.

然宮中之事，皆主於妃。 Yet within the palace, the consort held every thread of power.

明宗病，妃與宦者孟漢瓊出納左右，遂專用事，殺安重誨、秦王從榮，皆與焉。 When Mingzong sickened, the consort and the eunuch Meng Hanqiong controlled who saw him; she ruled alone thereafter, and had a hand in the deaths of An Chonghui and Congrong, Prince of Qin.

劉鄩諸子，皆以妃故封拜官爵。 Liu Yan’s sons all received titles and posts through the consort’s favor.

湣帝即位，冊尊皇后為皇太后，妃為皇太妃。 When the Last Emperor succeeded, the empress became empress dowager and the consort imperial consort dowager.

初，明宗後宮有生子者，命妃母之，是為許王從益。 When a consort in Mingzong’s harem bore a son, he entrusted the boy to the consort to raise—this was Congyi, Xu Wang.

湣帝聞之，大怒，賜司衣王氏死，而事連太妃，由是心不悅，欲遷之至德宮，以太后素善妃，懼傷其意而止，然待之甚薄。 The Last Emperor heard, flew into a rage, and ordered the wardrobe attendant’s death; the affair implicated the consort dowager, and he turned against her. He meant to banish her to Zhide Palace, but held back lest he wound the dowager, who had always favored the consort—still, his treatment grew harsh.

廢帝入立，嘗置酒妃院，妃舉酒曰：「願辭皇帝為比丘尼。」 When the Deposed Emperor seized the throne, he once feasted in the consort’s quarters; she lifted her cup and said: “I beg to leave the emperor’s household and take the tonsure.”

妃謂太后曰：「事急矣，宜少回避，以俟姑夫。」 The consort told the dowager: “All is lost—withdraw for now and wait for our uncle-by-marriage.”

太后乃與帝俱燔死，而妃與許王從益及其妹匿於鞠院以免。 The dowager burned with the emperor, while the consort hid with Congyi, Xu Wang, and his sister in the hospital ward and survived.

晉高祖立，妃自請為尼，不可，乃遷於至德宮。 When Jin Gaozu rose, the consort begged to become a nun but was denied and sent to Zhide Palace.

晉遷都汴，以妃子母俱東，置於宮中，高祖皇后事妃如母。 When Jin shifted the capital to Bian, the consort and the boy’s mother went east and were lodged in the palace; Gaozu’s empress honored the consort as a mother.

出帝即位，妃母子俱還洛陽。 When the Deposing Emperor succeeded, the consort and her son returned to Luoyang.

公主不知其母為誰，素亦養於妃，妃至京師主婚禮。 The princess never knew her mother; the consort had raised her from childhood, and when the consort reached the capital she oversaw the wedding.

德光見明宗畫像，焚香再拜，顧妃曰：「明宗與我約為弟兄，爾吾嫂也。」 Deguang saw Mingzong’s portrait, burned incense, and bowed twice; turning to the consort he said: “Mingzong and I swore brotherhood—you are my sister-in-law.”

乃拜從益為彰信軍節度使，從益辭，不之官，與妃俱還洛陽。 He then named Congyi military governor of Zhangxin Circuit; Congyi refused the post and returned to Luoyang with the consort.

群臣入謁太妃，妃曰：「吾家子母孤弱，為翰所迫，此豈福邪？ The ministers came to pay court to the consort dowager; she said: “Our house—mother and son, weak and alone—forced by Han: is this fortune?

妃曰：「吾家亡國之余，安敢與人爭天下！」 The consort said: “We are what remains of a ruined house—how dare we fight others for the realm!”

妃臨死呼曰：「吾家母子何罪？ Facing death, the consort cried: “What crime have we mother and son committed?