Empress Dowager Cheng (程太后, personal name unknown) (died December 334) was an

empress dowager Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother; ) is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a monarch, especially in regards to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarchs in the Chines ...

of the Jie-led

Later Zhao dynasty Zhao, briefly known officially as Wei (衛) in 350 AD, known in historiography as the Later Zhao (; 319–351) or Shi Zhao (石趙), was a dynasty of China ruled by the Shi family of Jie ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Among the S ...

of China. She was a concubine of Later Zhao's founding emperor

Shi Le Shi Le (; 274 –17 August 333), courtesy name Shilong, also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Ming of Later Zhao, was the founding emperor of the Jie-led Later Zhao dynasty of China. He was initially sold as a slave by Western Jin ...

and gave birth to his crown prince and successor,

Shi Hong Shi Hong (石弘) (313 – December 334( ��和九年��一月，虎遣郭殷持节入宫，废弘为海阳王。弘安步就车，容色自若，谓群臣曰：“庸昧不堪纂承大统，夫复何言！”群臣莫不流涕，宫人恸哭。群 ...

. Her brother

Cheng Xia Cheng Xia (died 333) was a Chinese minister of Later Zhao during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. His sister, Consort Cheng, was a concubine of Shi Le, founding emperor of Later Zhao and also the mother to the Crown Prince Shi Hong. As Shi Le's ...

was one of Shi Le's key advisors, particularly after Zhang Bin's death. Cheng Xia was once close to an official named Zhang Pi, but after Zhang Bin promoted and recommended Zhang Pi, Cheng Xia became apprehensive that Zhang Pi was alienating him and Zhang Bin was too powerful. As he wanted to establish his authority in the court, he let Consort Cheng frame Zhang Pi as a favorable knight-errant that would harm the society and should be removed. So Shi Le executed Zhang Pi and Zhang Bin dared not to beg his mercy. In 330, Shi Le created Shi Hong his crown prince, which angered his powerful nephew

Shi Hu Shi Hu (; 295 – 26 May 349), courtesy name Jilong (季龍), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wu of Later Zhao (後趙武帝), was an emperor of the Jie-led Chinese Later Zhao dynasty. He was the founding emperor Shi Le (Em ...

, who secretly referred Shi Hong as "son of a maid". After Shi Le died in August 333, Shi Hu quickly seized power in a coup d'état and killed Cheng Xia and another key advisor of Shi Le, Xu Guang (徐光). Shi Le's wife Empress Dowager Liu tried to start rebellions to overthrow Shi Hu, but could not and was herself killed. After her death, Consort Cheng was made empress dowager, but neither she nor her son had any real power. In late 334, Shi Hu seized the throne and imprisoned her, Shi Hong, and Shi Hong's brothers Shi Hong (石宏, note different character) the Prince of Qin and Shi Hui (石恢) the Prince of Nanyang in Chongxun Palace, but soon had all of them executed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheng, Empress Dowager Sixteen Kingdoms empresses dowager Later Zhao people 335 deaths Year of birth unknown