Xiahou Hui (211 – May or June 234?),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Yuanrong, formally known as Empress Jinghuai, was a noble lady of the state of

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period of China. She was a clever adviser to Sima Shi; it is said that she was poisoned by her husband due to conflicting loyalties.

Life

Xiahou Hui was a daughter of

Xiahou Shang Xiahou Shang (died May or June 226),According to the ''Book of Jin'', Xiahou Shang died in the 4th month of the 7th year of the ''Huangchu'' era of Cao Pi's reign. This corresponds to 14 May to 12 June 226 in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. ( ...

, a military general of the

state in the Three Kingdoms period. Her mother was the Lady of Deyang District (德陽鄉主), a sister of the Wei general

Cao Zhen Cao Zhen (died April or May 231), courtesy name Zidan, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was an adopted son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and l ...

; her full brother was

Xiahou Xuan Xiahou Xuan (209 – 27 March 254), courtesy name Taichu, was a Chinese essayist, historian, military general, philosopher, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Family background Xiahou Xuan was a s ...

. At some point, she married

Sima Shi Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In February 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao S ...

, who would eventually become the regent of the Cao Wei state from 251 to 255. She bore Sima Shi five daughters but no sons. She was an elegant and intelligent woman who helped Sima Shi with his scholarship and his strategies. However, she eventually realised that her husband was not loyal to Wei; Sima Shi too became wary of her, due to her familial ties with the royal Cao clan of Wei. In 234, Xiahou Hui died after being poisoned.In his ''Zizhi Tongjian Kaoyi'' (资治通鉴考异),

Sima Guang Sima Guang (17 November 1019 – 11 October 1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer. He was a high-ranking Song dynasty scholar-official who authored the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', a monumental work of history. B ...

expressed his skepticism of this account. He argued that at this point, Sima Yi had just earned Cao Rui's trust, and showed no signs of disloyalty; his sons had no reasons to be disloyal as well. Thus, he didn't include this account in ''Zizhi Tongjian''. (是时司马懿方信任于明帝，未有不臣之迹，况其诸子乎！徒以魏甥之故猥鸩其妻，俱非事实，盖甚之之辞，不然师自以他故鸠之也，今不取。) ''Zizhi Tongjian Kaoyi'', vol.03 After the

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

replaced the Cao Wei state, the first Jin ruler Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), a nephew of Sima Shi, honoured Xiahou Hui with the

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments ...

"Empress Jinghuai" to match Sima Shi's posthumous title of "Emperor Jing".

References

* Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), 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, ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Xiahou, Hui 211 births 234 deaths People of Cao Wei Jin dynasty (266–420) posthumous empresses 3rd-century Chinese women

Life

See also

References