Pure Consort Xiao
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Consort Xiao, Pure Consort Xiao or Xiao Shufei (蕭淑妃, personal name unknown) (died November 655), was a
concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...
of
Emperor Gaozong of Tang Emperor Gaozong of Tang (21 July 628 – 27 December 683), personal name Li Zhi, was the third Emperor of China, emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty, ruling from 649 to 683; after January 665, he handed power over the empire to his second wife ...
(Li Zhi). She was initially favored by him and bore him a son and two daughters— Li Sujie and the Princesses Yiyang and Gao'an—but later, after her romantic rival Empress Wang introduced another concubine, Consort Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), to Emperor Gaozong, Emperor Gaozong became enamored with Consort Wu. Empress Wang and Consort Xiao instead joined forces to try to counter Consort Wu, but in 655, Emperor Gaozong deposed both of them on accusations of witchcraft and replaced Empress Wang with Consort Wu. Soon, they were executed on the new Empress Wu's orders.


Background

Little is known about Consort Xiao's background. What is known is that she was already a concubine of Li Zhi when he was
crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
under his father Emperor Taizong, as her son Li Sujie was born in 646, before his ascension in 649. While she was a concubine to the crown prince, she carried the title of ''Liangdi'' (良娣). In addition to Li Sujie, she bore two daughters, who were probably older than Li Sujie. It was also said that she was favored by him, more so than his wife Crown Princess Wang.


As imperial consort

In 649, after Emperor Taizong died, Li Zhi took the throne (as Emperor Gaozong). He created Crown Princess Wang
empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
, and he created Consort Xiao the rank of ''Shufei'', the second highest rank for imperial concubines. She continued to be favored, which drew jealousy from Empress Wang, and Empress Wang's jealousy soon caused both of them to face a different romantic rival. When Emperor Gaozong was crown prince, he had been attracted by the beauty of one of Emperor Taizong's concubines, Consort Wu. After Emperor Taizong's death, all of his concubines who did not bear sons were housed at Ganye Temple (感業寺) to be
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
nuns. In either 650 or 651, when Emperor Gaozong was visiting Ganye Temple to offer incense to Buddha, when he saw Consort Wu. Both of them wept. When Empress Wang heard this, she, wanting to divert Emperor Gaozong's favor from Consort Xiao, secretly instructed Consort Wu to grow her hair back, while suggesting to Emperor Gaozong that he take her as a concubine. Consort Wu was intelligent and full of machinations, and therefore, when she first returned to the palace, she acted humbly and flattered Empress Wang, who trusted her greatly and recommended her to Emperor Gaozong. Soon, Emperor Gaozong became enamored with Consort Wu. Both Empress Wang and Consort Xiao lost favor, and soon, they realized the seriousness of the situation and joined forces to try to alienate Consort Wu from Emperor Gaozong, but were unsuccessful. In 654, Consort Wu framed Empress Wang for the death of her daughter, and in 655 further accused Empress Wang and her mother Lady Liu of using witchcraft. Emperor Gaozong deposed both Empress Wang and Consort Xiao, reducing them to commoner rank and imprisoning them inside the palace.


Death and aftermath

The ''New Book of Tang'', meaning the later-edited history of Tang dynasty, was compiled in the North Song dynasty, which is around 400 years after the recorded time of Consort Xiao's death. The ''Old Book of Tang'', meaning the formerly-compiled history of Tang dynasty, was completed around 945 A.D. and contains less inaccurate information than its predecessor. Both of these compilations are several hundred years away from Consort Xiao's and Wu Zetian's active period and contain the shocking and strange story in the following paragraph. Notwithstanding, the ''Old Book of Tang'' also clearly states that Consort Xiao and Empress Wang were strangled to death, other than different tortures human beings could bear under ancient medical conditions. A much earlier history, ''
Tang Huiyao The ''Tang Huiyao'' () is an institutional history of the Tang dynasty compiled by Wang Pu and presented to Emperor Taizu of Song in 961. The book contains 100 volumes and 514 sections; it has an abundant content for the period before 846, and sca ...
'' (唐會要) (begun 8th century) records no such events. Therefore, historians in generations after the Song dynasty conclude that the strange story was adapted by editors of the early Song dynasty from the horrible deeds of Han dynasty's Empress Dowager Lü Zhi, in order to defame and demonize Wu, the only female emperor ever, and to restrain later empress dowagers' power. Empress Liu (劉娥 Liu E), the most powerful empress dowager in the Song dynasty, had similar life experience to Wu and wore imperial robes (emperor's outfit). The editors of the ''New Book of Tang'' coexisted with Liu E for a certain period. Apart from this, there are several discrepancies and inconsistencies in the ''New Book of Tang'' and ''the Old Book of Tang''. In recent years, more inconsistencies and contradictions have appeared when unearthed epitaphs are compared with relevant history compilations. For instance and reference, some of the key content on the Epitaph of Shangguan Wan'er (上官婉兒墓志) go against relevant recordings. Viewer discretion and critical thinking are advised while reading those texts. In conclusion, Consort Xiao and Empress Wang were most likely strangled to death. Six days after Empress Wang's removal, Consort Wu was created empress. By order of the new Empress Wu, Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were put under arrest inside the palace, at a building that had its doors and windows tightly sealed, with only a hole on the wall to deliver food. One day, after the coronation of Empress Wu, Emperor Gaozong thought of them and decided to visit them; when he saw the conditions they were in, he was saddened, calling out, "Empress, ''Shufei'', where are you?" Empress Wang wept and responded, "We have been found guilty and reduced to be maidservants. How can we still be referred to by honored titles?" She also begged, "If Your Imperial Majesty considered our past relationships and will allow us to again see the light of day, please rename this place 'Huixin Courtyard' 回心院, meaning "the courtyard of Repentance")" Emperor Gaozong was initially receptive, responding, "I will do so right away." However, when Empress Wu heard this, she was enraged and issued their death warrants and sent people to cane Empress Wang and Consort Xiao 100 times each and cut off their hands and feet. She then had them put into large wine jars, saying, "Let these two witches be drunk to their bones!"This account is per the ''New Book of Tang'', which the ''Zizhi Tongjian'' accepted, but the ''Old Book of Tang'' indicated that they were strangled. Compare ''New Book of Tang'', vol. 76 and ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 200. (永徽六年十月,废后及萧良娣皆为庶人,囚之别院。武昭仪令人皆缢杀之) ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 51. When Empress Wang was informed of the orders, she bowed and stated, "May His Imperial Majesty live forever, and may ''Zhaoyi'' 昭儀, Empress Wu's title as a concubine, implicitly refusing to acknowledge her as empress)be favored forever. Dying is within my responsibility." However, Consort Xiao cursed Empress Wu by saying, "Wu is a treacherous monster! I will be reincarnated as a cat and she would be reincarnated as a mouse so that I could grab her throat forever and ever!" Empress Wang and Consort Xiao suffered for several days inside the wine jars before dying, and Empress Wu had their bodies taken out of the wine jars and beheaded. When Empress Wu heard of Consort Xiao's curse, she forbade the palace personnel from keeping cats as pets, and even ordered the banning of cats as pets in the capital, Chang'an, but thereafter often dreamed of Empress Wang and Consort Xiao, with scattered hair and bleeding limbs, seeking to kill her. She thereafter initially moved to Penglai Palace (蓬萊宮), but continued to dream of them, and therefore eventually spent most time in the eastern capital
Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
and not in the capital
Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
, where these events occurred. Soon after Empress Wang's and Consort Xiao's deaths, at Empress Wu's urging, Emperor Gaozong had Empress Wang and her clan's surname changed from Wang (王, a typical surname meaning "king" or "monarch") to Mang (蟒, meaning "
python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...
") and Consort Xiao's and her clan's surname changed from Xiao (萧, another typical surname meaning "sad" or "calm") to Xiao (梟, meaning "
owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
"). Only after Empress Wu's own death in 705 were their clans' proper surnames restored. On the orders of Empress Wu, both of Consort Xiao's daughters, who by now carried the titles of Princess Yiyang and Princess Gao'an, were put under house arrest inside the palace, and were not allowed to marry. Not until Empress Wu's oldest son, the crown prince
Li Hong Li Hong ( zh, s=, c=李弘, t=) (652 – 25 May 675), formally Emperor Xiaojing (孝敬皇帝, literally, "the filial and respectful emperor") with the temple name of Yizong (義宗), was a crown prince (not emperor, despite his formal title) of ...
interceded, probably in 671, were they allowed to marry—and even then, Empress Wu simply found two imperial guards, Quan Yi (權毅) (for Princess Yiyang) and Wang Xu (王勗) (for Princess Gao'an) to marry them immediately. Meanwhile, Li Sujie was allowed to be an imperial prince but continuously drew Empress Wu's hatred, causing him to be demoted and put under close watch a number of times. This situation was exacerbated by the unstoppable rise of Empress Wu's influence and power over the throne, especially as Emperor Gaozong's illness grew, and he in 690, was eventually killed on the orders of Empress Wu (who by then was
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 ...
and
regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
) during the Tianshou era of her reign.


Modern depictions

* Portrayed by Chan Choi Yin in the 1984 Hong-Kong TV series '' Empress Wu.'' * Portrayed by Kung Lien Hua in the 1985 Taiwanese TV series '' The Empress of the Dynasty''. * Portrayed by Yu Hui in the 1995 Chinese TV series ''
Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...
.'' * Portrayed by Jessie Chang in the 2003 Chinese TV series '' Lady Wu: The First Empress''. * Portrayed by Xie Jin Tian in the 2006 Chinese TV series '' Wu Zi Bei Ge''. * Portrayed by Ban Min-jung in 2006-2007 SBS TV series ''
Yeon Gaesomun Yeon GaesomunSome Chinese and Korean sources stated that his surname was Yeongae () and personal name was Somun (), but the majority of sources suggest a one-syllable surname and a three-syllable personal name. (; 594–666) was a powerful mili ...
''. * Portrayed by Li Na in the 2011 TV series '' Secret History of Empress Wu.'' * Portrayed by Sui Jun Bo in the 2011 Chinese TV series ''Meng Hui Tang Chao''. * Portrayed by Cao Xiwen in the 2011 Chinese TV series ''Beauty World.'' * Portrayed by Zhang Xinyu in the 2014 Chinese TV series '' The Empress of China''. * Portrayed by Li Wen Wen (though her character is renamed "Consort Xu) in the 2014 Chinese TV series ''Young Sherlock''. * Portrayed by Liu Hai Lan in the 2017 Chinese TV series ''Legendary Di Renjie''.


Notes and references

* ''
Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
'', vol. 5

* ''
New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...
'', vol. 7

* ''
Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...
'', vols.
199 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno ...
, 200. {{DEFAULTSORT:Xiao, Consort Tang dynasty imperial consorts 7th-century births 655 deaths Wu Zetian