Chen Jiao
Empress Chen of Wu 孝武陳皇后 | |
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Brothers: Chen Xu, Chen Yu (陈蟜)
Empress Chen of Wu (孝武陳皇后), was
(mother), also making her Liu Che's older cousin. Her given name Jiao (嬌 / 娇) means talented and beautiful and features in various Chinese poems and idioms.Princess Guantao Liu Piao once held a young Liu Che in her arms and asked him whether he wanted to marry her daughter Chen Jiao. The young prince boasted that he would "build a golden house for her" if they were married. Thus, there was an
The poet Sima Xiangru wrote a song The Ode of Long Gate (長門賦 Changmenfu) describing the love between Empress Chen Jiao and Emperor Liu Che.
Life
Early life and marriage
Empress Chen was the daughter of Chen Wu (
Princess Guantao initially proposed to marry her teenage daughter to
However, according to the
Liu Che was later created crown prince at the age of 7, and formally married Chen as the empress-designate some years later. When Emperor Jing died in early 141 BC, the 16-year-old heir apparent Liu Che ascended to the throne as Emperor Wu, and formally made his newly-wed wife Empress not long after.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
As Empress
The Han Dynasty up to this point was run according to a
Unlike the emperors before him, the young Emperor Wu was unwilling to put up with the status quo. Less than a year after his ascension, based on advice from
At this point, Empress Chen had already married Emperor Wu for years but did not achieve any pregnancies. In an attempt to remain the centre of his attention, she also prohibited him from keeping other concubines. The fact that the young and energetic Emperor Wu was still childless had been used by his political enemies as an excuse to consider deposing him (the inability to propagate the royal bloodline was a serious matter) and replace him with his distant uncle
While attending an annual spring ceremonial ritual at Bashang (灞上) in 139 BC, during the second year of his reign, Emperor Wu decided to pay a casual visit to his older sister's household on the way back. His sister,
The sudden rise of a love rival enraged Empress Chen, but she could do little as Wei Zifu was now under the Emperor Wu's direct protection. Princess Guantao then tried to seek vengeance for her daughter, and after finding out that Wei Zifu had a
Empress Chen, now having openly fallen out with Emperor Wu, was largely neglected. Frustrated and jealous, she tried in vain to regain her husband's attention by threatening suicide multiple times, which only made Emperor Wu more angry at her. Helpless and despairing, she again turned to her mother to vent her anger. Her mother then confronted and accused Princess Pingyang of sabotaging her daughter's marriage, but was simply brushed off with the statement that Empress Chen lost favour purely because of her own infertility. Baffled by the argument, Empress Chen then spent over 90 million coins seeking treatment, to no avail. However, because Emperor Wu no longer visited her palace since the Wei Qing incident, it was already impossible for her to achieve a pregnancy.[8][9][10][11][12]
Witchcraft
Now having completely lost her husband's love, Empress Chen bore great jealousy and hatred towards Consort Wei. She eventually resorted to the occult as a last-ditch attempt to salvage the situation, and was approached by a witch named Chu Fu (楚服), who claimed she had magical tricks that could help to restore the Emperor's love, as well as curse any concubines Empress Chen disliked. Completely convinced by the witch, Empress Chen conducted rituals with Chu Fu day and night, drank potions, created nailed voodoo dolls of Consort Wei, and slept together "like husband and wife" with Chu Fu dressed in men's garment.[13]
Witchcraft was a
Two years later in 128 BC, Consort Wei gave birth to Emperor Wu's first son, Liu Ju, and was created empress for her contribution to the royal bloodline. Her brother Wei Qing and her nephew Huo Qubing would go on to become two of the most esteemed military generals in Han history, further consolidating her position. In 122 BC, Liu Ju was also created crown prince. With the secure establishment of Empress Wei, any chance of Empress Chen's reinstatement was all but gone.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
As a result, she sometimes goes by the nickname Chen Feihou (陳廢后), with 'Fei' meaning "deposed".
Later life
Empress Chen spent the rest of her life in Long Gate Palace. Still refusing to give up, she hired the famous poet Sima Xiangru to compose a song later known as The Ode of Long Gate (長門賦), hoping it would draw Emperor Wu's sympathy. Emperor Wu was so touched by the song that he revisited and loved her again. Historical records indicate that Emperor Wu rewarded Sima Xiangru for his work.
One year after Empress Chen's deposition, her father Chen Wu died.
A few years later, the ex-Empress Chen died, about 20 years after deposition, and was buried east of the Langguan Pavilion (郎官亭) in Baling County (霸陵縣), about 30 li northeast of Chang'an, outside of her ancestral cemeteries.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Royal ancestry
Ancestors of Chen Jiao | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Romance with Emperor Wu
Jiao in Golden House
When Liu Che was five years old he said that he said he would build a golden house for Chen Jiao, which would lead to the Chinese idiom: putting Jiao in a golden house (金屋藏娇).[3] As Chen Jiao was also Liu Che's cousin and daughter of Chen Wu and Liu Piao, the relationship between the two families was close and would remain so for the ensuing centuries.
Empress Chen was Liu Che's first wife, and
For her role as the first empress during this golden era, Empress Chen would become the subject of much writing, poetry, odes, and idioms in historical texts written on the Han dynasty, including Ode of Long Gate, Hanwu Stories, etc.[22]
Age difference
As there are no reliable historical records of Empress Chen's birth year, it is almost impossible to accurately calculate her age difference to Emperor Wu. However, Chen Jiao was originally intended to marry Liu Rong, Emperor Wu's eldest brother. Though Liu Rong's birth year was also omitted in historical records, it was possible to estimate his age by looking at historical records.
One of Emperor Wu's older brothers, Liu Fei (劉非, Emperor Jing's fifth son), was recorded to be 12 years older than Emperor Wu; he was about 15 years old during the
Poetry
The Ode of Long Gate (長門賦 Changmenfu) is part of the Fu (poetry) genre and was written by Sima Xiangru on the love between Empress Chen and Emperor Liu.[26]
The original text is:[27]
夫何一佳人兮,步逍遥以自虞。魂逾佚而不反兮,形枯槁而独居。言我朝往而暮来兮,饮食乐而忘人。心慊移而不省故兮,交得意而相亲。 伊予志之慢愚兮,怀真悫之欢心。愿赐问而自进兮,得尚君之玉音。奉虚言而望诚兮,期城南之离宫。修薄具而自设兮,君曾不肯乎幸临。
A rough English translation is:
What a beautiful woman, free, unfettered, and full of joy. The soul is lost without turning back, and it is withered and living alone. I'm happy to eat and forget people. Move your heart without losing your mind, make a proud and blind date. Her goal may take time and be foolish, but she is full of good will and happiness. Willing to ask questions and enter, you will hear the beautiful voice of the monarch. Looking at honesty and sincerity in vain, it is expected to leave the palace in the south of the city. Healing the thin body and building up oneself, for the monarch it is not just etiquette.
Notes: 兮 xi is an ancient exclamation particle similar to 啊 a or 呀 ya.
Popular culture
- 1990 TV series Han Wudi, portrayed by Yu Hui (actress)
- 2000 BMN TV series The Prince of Han Dynasty, portrayed by He Jiayi
- 2005 CCTV TV series The Emperor in Han Dynasty, portrayed by Xu Hongna
- 2014 Zhejiang Huace Film and Now TV series The Virtuous Queen of Han, portrayed by Zheng Yuanyuan (郑媛元)
- 2014 HT TV series Sound of the Desert
See also
- Emperor Wu of Han
- Sima Xiangru, wrote love song on Chen Jiao and Liu Che
Note there is another Han dynasty person named Chen Jiao (陳矯), who was male and a politician. He was also Empress Chen's brother.
References
- ^ yisi day of the 7th month of the 5th year of the Yuan'guang era, per Emperor Wu's biography in Book of Han
- ISBN 978-7-203-05971-4. Archived from the originalon 22 June 2017.
- ^ a b c 汉·班固《汉武故事》Ban Gu, Story of Han Wudi (汉武故事)
- ISBN 978-1-317-51562-3.
An emperor's [...] sister or a favorite daughter was called a grand princess (zhang gongzhu); and his aunt or grand-aunt was called a princess supreme (dazhang gongzhu).
- 史記.“立荣为太子。长公主嫖有女,欲予为妃。”
- ^ 數歲,長公主嫖抱置膝上,問曰:"兒欲得婦不?"膠東王曰:"欲得婦。"長主指左右長御百餘人,皆雲不用。末指其女問曰:"阿嬌好不?"於是乃笑對曰:"好!若得阿嬌作婦,當作金屋貯之也。"長主大悅,乃苦要上,遂成婚焉。
- ^ Shiji《史记 淮南衡山列传第五十八》及建元二年,淮南王入朝。素善武安侯,武安侯时为太尉,乃逆王霸上,与王语曰:“方今上无太子,大王亲高皇帝孙,行仁义,天下莫不闻。即宫车一日晏驾,非大王当谁立者!”
- ^ 史記.建元二年春,青姊子夫得入宫幸上。
- ^ a b c d Book of Han《汉书 卷九十七》原文:后数年,废-{后}-乃薨,葬霸陵郎官亭东。这里的霸陵指霸陵县。霸陵县郎官亭在长安东南三十里,霸陵则位于汉长安城未央宫前殿遗址东南57公里处。
- ^ a b c d 周鹏飞、施丁编著《汉书新注 卷九十七 外戚传》:葬霸陵郎官亭东:《水经注》云,在长安东南三十里。
- ^ ISBN 978-7-224-02490-6. :词条目录十三 交通 2馆驿传亭:郎官亭:汉代霸陵县亭舍。位于汉长安城东南三十里。汉武帝陈皇后葬此亭这东。
- ^ a b c d Book of Han《汉书·百官公卿表》则谓十里一亭。设亭长一职。
- ^ 然皇后寵送衰,驕妒滋甚。女巫楚服,自言有術能令上意回。晝夜祭祀,合藥服之。巫著男子衣冠幀帶,素與皇后寢居,相愛若夫婦。
- ^ yisi day of the 7th month of the 5th year of the Yuan'guang era, per vol.18 of Zizhi Tongjian
- ^ 明年,堂邑侯午薨,主男須嗣侯。
- ^ 主寡居,私近董偃。
- ^ 午死,主寡居,年五十餘矣,近幸董偃。始偃與母以賣珠為事,偃年十三,隨母出入主家。左右言其姣好,主召見,曰:「吾為母養之。」因留第中,教書計相馬御射,頗讀傳記。至年十八而冠,出則執轡,入則侍內。
- ^ 董君之寵由是日衰,至年三十而終。
- ^ 後數歲,竇太主卒,與董君會葬於霸陵。
- ^ 元鼎元年,侯須坐母長公主卒,未除服奸,兄弟爭財,當死,自殺,國除。
- ^ a b 元鼎元年,侯蟜坐母長公主薨未除服,奸,禽獸行,當死,自殺,國除。
- ^ Hanwu Stories (汉武故事)
- ^ (吳、楚反時,非年十五,有材氣,上書自請擊吳。) Book of Han, vol.53
- ^ 汉景帝(前188年-前141年)共有十四子。刘荣为景帝长子,生年不详。汉武帝刘彻生于公元前157年,为景帝中子,具体排行不详。两人的异母兄弟江都易王刘非生于公元前169年或前168年。刘非还有一个同母兄长劉余,即使刘荣与刘余同年出生,亦比刘彻大十二岁。
- Book of Han《汉书 卷五十三 景十三王传第二十三》“吴、楚反(即七国之乱,发生于公元前154年)时,非年十五,有材气,上书自请击吴。”
- ^ 《汉书 卷二 惠帝纪第二》
- ^ 长门赋,Original text
- ^ 长门赋 (Wikisource)
Further reading
- Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E – 618 C.E., p. 114–
- Shiji, Sima Qian
- Book of Han, Ban Gu