Empress Xiaohui (; –25 January 958 CE), formally known as Lady He (賀氏), was the first wife of Emperor Taizu of the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. She was the daughter of He Jingsi (贺怀浦) and sister of the general He Lingtu (賀令圖).

Life

Lady He was the eldest daughter of He Jingsi. She was born in Bianjing, present-day

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the No ...

Henan Province Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

.In Kaifeng, she met her future husband,

Zhao Kuangyin Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founder and first emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguish ...

. She had two older brothers: He Huaipu (賀懷浦) and He Lingtu (賀令圖). Zhao's family moved from

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang ...

to Kaifeng. Lady He and her future husband grew up together. He Jingsi and Zhao Kuangyin's father's were colleagues and worked together as palace guards during the

Later Tang dynasty Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four e ...

. They married when she was 16. The two were deeply in love and their marriage was happy. Lady He was born with a weak body although she gave birth to 3 sons and 2 daughters.Sadly, Lady He died before his ascension, of unknown causes at age thirty. When Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne, she was posthumously honoured as Empress Xiaohui. She was buried in the An Mausoleum.

Title

*During the reign of

Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang Li Siyuan (李嗣源, later changed to Li Dan (李亶)) (10 October 867 – 15 December 933), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (後唐明宗), was the second emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, reigni ...

(3 June 926– 15 December 933): **Lady He (賀氏; from 929) *During the reign of

Emperor Gaozu of Later Jin Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name Gaozu (), was the founding emperor of imperial China's short-lived Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms p ...

(28 November 936 – 28 July 942): **Wife of Zhao Kuangyin (为妻; from 944) *During the reign of

Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou Chai Rong () (27 October 921 – 27 July 959), later known as Guo Rong (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, was the second emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ...

(26 February 954 – 27 July 959): **Lady of Kuaiji County (會稽郡夫人; from 956) *During the reign of

Emperor Taizu of Song Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founder and first emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguish ...

(4 February 960– 14 November 976): **''Empress Xiàohui (孝惠皇后賀氏, from 960)''

Descendants

* ''Zhao Dexiu, Prince Teng'' (滕王趙德秀), Taizu Emperor's first son *

Zhao Dezhao Zhao Dezhao (趙德昭) (951 – 26 August 979) was an imperial prince of the Chinese Song Dynasty. Officially the Prince Yi of Yan (燕懿王), he was the second son of Emperor Taizu and the crown prince since his elder brother died young. ...

, Prince Yanyi (燕懿王趙德昭; 951–979), Taizu Emperor's second son * ''Zhao Delin, Prince Shu'' (舒王趙德林), Taizu Emperor's third son * Princess Xiansu (賢肅帝姬; d. 1008), Taizu Emperor 's first daughter * Princess Xianjing (賢靖帝姬; d. 1009), Taizu Emperor's second daughter

References

Bibliography

* * 939 births 958 deaths Song dynasty posthumous empresses 10th-century Chinese women {{China-bio-stub