Honoured Lady Zhang (367? - after 396) was a
concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive.
Concubi ...
of the
Jin dynasty emperor,
Xiaowu Xiaowu is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Emperor Xiaowu of Jin (362–396), an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (266–420) in China
* Emperor Xiaowu of Liu Song (430–464), an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song
* Emp ...
, whom she murdered in 396.
[Fang (648), volume 9]
Biography
Honoured Lady Zhang was
Emperor Xiaowu of Jin's favourite concubine. She had no children and the emperor's devotion to her (as well as Honoured Lady Zhang's jealous nature) has been blamed for his failure to appoint another empress after the death of
Empress Wang, as well as his lack of children by other concubines. The emperor spent so much time with Honoured Lady Zhang that it reportedly became difficult for outsiders to gain an audience with him.
[Wei (554), volume 96]
Murder of Emperor Xiaowu
The ''
Book of Jin
The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang X ...
'' records that in 396, Honoured Lady Zhang was approximately 30 years old (by East Asian reckoning). Whilst she was drinking with
the emperor one evening, he told her that he should discard her based on her age.
[Fang (648), volume 9: 汝以年当废矣。] Incensed, Honoured Lady Zhang went to bed with the emperor and killed him whilst he slept.
[ Other written sources record that the emperor's comment was made in jest.][Sima (1084), volume 108] After the murder, Honoured Lady Zhang bribed various people to declare that the emperor died in his sleep.[
]
Media
*She is portrayed by Deng Sha in the 2017 television series ''General and I
''General and I'' () is a 2017 Chinese television series based on Feng Nong's novel ''A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated''. Directed by Ju Jueliang and written by Zhang Yongchen, the series stars Wallace Chung, Angelababy, Sun Yizhou a ...
''
References
Notes
Works cited
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Honoured Lady
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
Jin dynasty (266–420) imperial consorts
4th-century Chinese women
4th-century Chinese people
Chinese regicides
Chinese female murderers