Princess Pingyang (平陽公主) was a

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring in ...

princess. She was the eldest daughter of

Emperor Jing of Han Emperor Jing of Han (188 BC – 9 March 141 BC), born Liu Qi, was the sixth Emperor of China, emperor of the Han dynasty from 157 to 141 BC. His reign saw the limiting of the power of the feudal kings and princes which resulted in the Rebellion ...

and his second empress

Empress Wang Zhi Empress Xiaojing (孝景皇后, 180s? BC – 25 June 126 BC), of the Wang clan, also known by her birth name Wang Zhi (王娡) and by the title Madame Wang (), was an empress during the Han dynasty. She was the second wife of Emperor Jing ...

, the most famous sister of Emperor Wu, and the former master and later wife of renowned military general

Wei Qing Wei Qing (died Jun 106 BC?In Emperor Wu's biography in ''Book of Han'' and volume 21 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'', the record of Wei Qing's death appeared after the 4th month of the 5th year of the ''Yuan'feng'' era. Thus, it is likely (but not certai ...

. Her official title was actually Grand Princess Yangxin (陽信長公主), but because she married Cao Shi (曹时, also known as Cao Shou 曹寿), the Marquess of Pingyang (平陽侯), she was generally referred to as Princess Pingyang after her first husband's

enfeoffment In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of t ...

Life

After her marriage to Cao Shi, Princess Pingyang had a son named Cao Xiang (曹襄). Some suspect that Cao Xiang was an adopted ''shu'' son rather than her biological son. Nonetheless, Cao Xiang inherited his father's title in 131 BC. Princess Pingyang maintained a close relationship with her brother Emperor Wu, and he often visited her at her estate. She was instrumental in the union between Emperor Wu and

Wei Zifu Wei Zifu (; died 9 September 91 BC), posthumous name, posthumously known as Empress Si of the filial piety, Filial Wu () or Wei Si Hou (衛思后, "Wei the Thoughtful Empress"), was an empress consort during ancient China's Han dynasty. She was ...

, who would eventually become his second empress.

was working as a singer/dancer at the princess' estate, when Emperor Wu took a liking to her and brought her back to his palace as a concubine.

's half-brother

, who was also working in Princess Pingyang's estate as a stableboy, was sent along to serve the palace as a royal guard horsekeeper. He would later be promoted by Emperor Wu and achieve great military success in the war effort against Xiongnu. After Cao Shi died in 131 BC, widowed Princess Pingyang remarried to Xiahou Po, the Marquis of Ruyin. After Xiahou Po committed suicide in 115 BC for

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

with his father's maid, she considered remarrying again, and her advisors suggested

as a suitor. She initially hesitated because

was her former servant, but agreed after being reminded that

had already become a high-ranking marquis.{{Cite book , last=WEILIE , first=GU , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N8NxEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Pingyang%22+%22Emperor+wu%22&pg=PA88 , title=A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE CULTURE , date=2022-05-23 , publisher=American Academic Press , isbn=978-1-63181-537-9 , language=en After expressing her wishes through Empress Wei, Princess Pingyang married

with the blessing from Emperor Wu, and remained his spouse for the remainder of their lives.

References

People from Xi'an Han dynasty imperial princesses 2nd-century BC Chinese women 2nd-century BC Chinese people Daughters of emperors