Consort Shen
Empress Ruizhen (睿真皇后) | |
---|---|
Born | Unknown[1] |
Died | Disappeared 759, Declared officially dead 805 |
Spouse | Emperor Daizong of Tang (Li Chu) |
Issue | Emperor Dezong (Li Kuo) |
Father | Shen Yizhi |
Consort Shen (personal name unknown
Before the Anshi Rebellion
It is not known when the future Consort Shen was born, but it is known that her family was from Wuxing (吳興, in modern Huzhou, Zhejiang) and that her clan was a prominent clan in the area. Her father Shen Yizhi (沈易直) had, at one point, served in the imperial government as Dali Zheng(大理正), second-in-command of the Emperial Court, and later was honored by Emperor Daizong as Mishu Jian (秘書監), the director of the Palace Library. Towards the end of Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan era (713–741), she, as the daughter of a reputable household, was selected for the palace of Emperor Xuanzong's son and crown prince Li Heng, but was from there further given to Li Heng's oldest son, Li Chu the Prince of Guangping. She was not designated Li Chu's wife—and neither was any other consort of his, including the most prominent one, a Consort Cui whose mother was the Lady of Han, a highly honored woman at court due to her status as the sister of Emperor Xuanzong's favorite concubine Yang Guifei.[4] She gave birth to Li Chu's oldest son, Li Kuo, in May 742.
During the Anshi Rebellion and disappearance
In 755, the general
Post-Anshi Rebellion efforts to locate her
Emperor Daizong designated Li Kuo as crown prince, and he repeatedly sent imperial messengers throughout the realm to try to locate Consort Shen, but was unable to do so. In 765, a
Emperor Daizong died in 779, and Li Kuo became emperor (as Emperor Dezong). In 780, although Consort Shen had not been located, he honored her in absentia as
In 781, there was an incident where it was thought that Empress Dowager Shen was in fact located. The
In his mother's absence, Emperor Dezong honored her household greatly, including bestowing great honors posthumously on her father Shen Yizhi, grandfather Shen Jiefu (沈介福), uncle Shen Yiliang (沈易良), and brother Shen Zhen (沈震). It was said that more than 100 members of the Shen household were given titles. In 805, Emperor Dezong died and was succeeded by his severely ill son Emperor Shunzong, who in turn yielded the throne to his son Emperor Xianzong later in the year. At the suggestion of officials who pointed out that there was no further hope at that point of locating Empress Dowager Shen, Emperor Xianzong declared her deceased and had her formally enshrined in the temple of Emperor Dezong.[3]
Modern representations
Starting in January 2017, The Glory of Tang Dynasty (大唐荣耀) aired on Beijing Satellite TV. Jing Tian (The Great Wall (film)) starred as Shen Zhenzhu with Ren Jialun playing her husband.[7][8]
Notes and references
- ^ While Lady Shen's birth year was not recorded, her son Emperor Dezong was born in May 742. This, her birth year should be in or before 730.
- ^ The Chinese Wikipedia article on her cited a purported source -- a Shen clan family tree -- that indicated that her name was Shen Yuan (沈媛) and that her nickname was Zhenzhu (珍珠), but did not provide a published citation. A popular 1989 Taiwanese dramatic adaptation of her story, the Legends of Zhenzhu (珍珠傳奇) used Zhenzhu as her name (see, e.g., Synopsis of the Episodes of Legends of Zhenzhu[permanent dead link]), but also cited no historical sources.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 236.
- ^ Old Book of Tang, vol. 52 Archived 2008-09-21 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 223.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 226.
- ^ Xu Fan, "TV Series ‘The Glory of Tang Dynasty’ on Chinese Queen Big Hit"[permanent dead link], All China Women’s Federation, February 22, 2017.
- ^ "The Glory of Tang Dynasty". IMDB. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- Old Book of Tang, vol. 52.
- New Book of Tang, vol. 77.
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 223, 226, 236.