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Taizu had one empress and three imperial consorts. Empress Shengmu of the Chai clan came from Yaoshan in Xing Prefecture. She and Taizu were neighbors, and he married her. In his early days Taizu loved wine, dice, and swaggering heroics, caring little for small proprieties; his wife often urged him to stop. Taizu's stature was striking and grand; his wife sensed in her heart that he was destined for greatness and treated him with scrupulous respect. By the time Taizu ascended the throne, she had already died. He then decreed: "The late Lady Chai is posthumously installed as empress, with the posthumous title Shengmu."
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Imperial Consort Shu of the Yang clan was from Zhending in Zhen Prefecture. Her father Hongyu served as vice prefect of Zhending. As a girl she was selected for her looks and sent into the Zhao princely household to serve Wang Rong. When Rong was killed by Zhang Wenli and Zhen Prefecture was thrown into chaos, she too was cast adrift among the people and later married a local man, Shi Guangfu. Several years later Guangfu died. After Taizu's wife from the Chai clan died, he heard that this consort was both lovely and worthy and took her as his next wife. Taizu was then in Gaozu of Later Han's service at Taiyuan. She died during the Tianfu reign period and was buried in the outskirts near the city. After Taizu became emperor, in the ninth month of Guangshun 1 she was posthumously installed as Imperial Consort Shu. He appointed the consort's younger brother Tingzhang as Right Commissioner of the Soaring Dragon. Tingzhang declined: "My father is elderly; I would rather the appointment go to him." Taizu replied, "I was just thinking of that—how could I forget your father!" He immediately summoned Hongyu. Too frail to travel, Hongyu received at home the titles Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon and vice prefect of Zhending. When Taizu died he was interred at Song Mausoleum. The empress and three consorts were all to be buried with him, but Taiyuan had not yet fallen, so Shizong ordered officials to prepare vacant tombs beside the mausoleum until the time came. In Xiande 1, after Shizong had defeated Liu Chong at Gaoping, he marched on Taiyuan. With the city shut up under siege, he had the consort's remains brought forward and buried.
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Imperial Consort Gui of the Zhang clan was from Zhending in Zhen Prefecture. Her grandfather Ji had been adjutant of the Chengde military commission and acting Minister of War. Her father Tongzhi had served Wang Rong of Zhao as memorial presenter and reached the post of acting Minister of Works. After Rong's death threw Zhen Prefecture into chaos, Zhuangzong sent Fu Cunjian from Youzhou against Zhang Wenli. The subordinate commander Wu Congjian was quartered at her family's house, took pity on the girl still in her youth, and—his own family being in Taiyuan—brought her home as a daughter-in-law. Years later, while Taizu was in Gaozu of Later Han's service at Taiyuan, Lady Yang died and Wu's son died as well; Taizu then took the consort as his next wife. As Taizu rose in stature she was repeatedly promoted, eventually to Lady of Wu. When Taizu marched into the capital with his army, Later Han sent Liu Zhu to massacre his household; the consort and all his sons were killed. After Taizu became emperor he posthumously installed her as Imperial Consort Gui.
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Imperial Consort De of the Dong clan was from Lingshou in Zhen Prefecture. Her grandfather Wenguang had been recording secretary of Shen Prefecture under Tang. Her father Guangsi served as magistrate of Zhaoqing in Zhao Prefecture. From childhood she was exceptionally bright: as soon as she could talk, she could tell pitch and mode whenever she heard music. At seven, during the chaos in Zhen Prefecture, her family lost track of her. A Luzhou garrison officer seized her, tucked her into a sack, and took her away. The commander's wife had borne daughters who never lived; when she got the girl she cherished her and raised her as a daughter, loving her even more than her own children. Five or six years passed. Her family mourned and missed her; her elder brother Yu searched the world for her, but no one knew where she was. The Luzhou commander was on duty in the capital when he met Yu and gladly gave her back; she was thirteen by then. Yu married her to a local man, Liu Jinchao, who also held an inner-court post under Jin. When the Khitans stormed the capital Jinchao died in their hands, and she lived as a widow in Luoyang. When Gaozu of Later Han entered the capital from Taiyuan, Taizu went with him. Passing through Luoyang he heard of her virtue and took her as his wife. When Taizu founded Later Zhou the empress's seat stood empty, and he installed her as Imperial Consort De. She died in Guangshun 3, at the age of thirty-nine.
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初，帝舉兵於魏，漢以兵圍帝第，時張貴妃與諸子青哥、意哥，侄守筠、奉超、定哥，皆被誅。 青哥、意哥，不知其母誰氏。 太祖即位，詔故第二子青哥贈太尉，賜名侗； 第三子意哥贈司空，賜名信； 皇侄守筠贈左領軍衛將軍，以筠聲近榮，為世宗避，更名守願； 奉超贈左監門衛將軍； 定哥贈左千年衛將軍，賜名遜。 世宗顯德四年夏四月癸未，詔曰：「禮以緣情，恩以悼往，矧在友於之列，尤鐘惻愴之情。 故皇弟贈太保侗、贈司空信，景邊初啟，大年不登，俾予終鮮，實勤予懷。 侗可贈太傅，追封郯王； 信司徒，𣏌王。」 又詔曰：「故皇從弟贈左領軍衞將軍守愿、贈左監門衞將軍奉超、贈左千牛衞將軍遜等，頃因季世，不享遐齡，每念非辜，難忘有慟。 守愿可贈左衞大將軍，奉超右衞大將軍，遜右武衞大將軍。」
Earlier, when the emperor raised his army in Wei, Later Han besieged his residence. Imperial Consort Zhang, the sons Qingge and Yige, and the nephews Shoujun, Fengchao, and Dingge were all executed. Who bore Qingge and Yige is not recorded. When Taizu became emperor he decreed that his late second son Qingge be posthumously made Grand Commandant and given the name Tong; that the third son Yige be posthumously made Minister of Works and given the name Xin; that the imperial nephew Shoujun be posthumously made general of the Left Army Guard—because jun sounded like "glory," it was changed for Shizong's taboo to Shouyuan; that Fengchao be posthumously made general of the Left Gate Guard; and that Dingge be posthumously made general of the Left Thousand-Ox Guard and given the name Xun. On guiwei day in the fourth month of summer, Xiande 4, Shizong issued an edict: "Rites arise from affection, and grace mourns the dead; how much more among brothers, where grief cuts especially deep. My late brothers, posthumously Grand Guardian Tong and posthumously Minister of Works Xin, when the border war had barely begun did not live out their full span, leaving me brotherless to the end—a sorrow that truly weighs on my heart. Tong shall be posthumously made Grand Tutor and enfeoffed as Prince of Tan; Xin shall be posthumously made Minister over the Masses and enfeoffed as Prince of Qi." He issued another edict: "My late cousins, posthumously General of the Left Army Guard Shouyuan, posthumously General of the Left Gate Guard Fengchao, and posthumously General of the Left Thousand-Ox Guard Xun, perished in these troubled times without reaching a full span of years. Whenever I recall their innocence, my grief will not be stilled. Shouyuan shall be posthumously made Grand General of the Left Guard; Fengchao, Grand General of the Right Guard; and Xun, Grand General of the Right Martial Guard."