Guo Nüwang (8 April 184[3] – 14 March 235), formally known as Empress Wende, was an empress of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was married to Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei.
| Guo Nüwang 郭女王 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empress dowager of Cao Wei | |||||
| Tenure | 29 June 226 – 14 March 235 | ||||
| Predecessor | Empress Wuxuan | ||||
| Successor | Empress Mingyuan | ||||
| Empress consort of Cao Wei | |||||
| Tenure | 31 October 222[1] – 29 June 226 | ||||
| Successor | Empress Mingdao | ||||
| Born | 8 April 184 | ||||
| Died | 14 March 235 (aged 50–51) [a] | ||||
| Spouse | Cao Pi | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Guo Yong | ||||
| Mother | Lady Dong | ||||
Family background and marriage to Cao Pi
editHer father Guo Yong (郭永) came from a line of minor local officials. When she was young, she was known for her intelligence, and her father, impressed by her talent, gave her the unusual style name "Nüwang" (literally "queen regnant"). Her parents died when she was five, however, and she became a maid or courtesan at the household of one Marquis of Tongdi.[4]She has high musical skills and good at playing the pipa.[5]It is not known how it came about, but she eventually became a concubine of Cao Pi when he was the heir apparent of the vassal kingdom of Wei under his father Cao Cao. She quickly became a favourite – so much so that he began to neglect his wife Lady Zhen, who was also known for her beauty. She gave Cao Pi shrewd political advice during the succession controversy that pitted Cao Pi against his brothers. Her biography goes further to state that when Cao Pi was finally designated heir, Guo Nuwang had a hand in planning it. Lady Zhen eventually lost Cao Pi's favour altogether by complaining that he favoured other women over her, and after he became emperor of Cao Wei in late 220 (after forcing Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate to him), he forced Lady Zhen to commit suicide in August 221. In October 222, he made Lady Guo empress.
As empress consort
editAfter Guo Nüwang became empress, she was said to have been a good leader of the imperial consorts, treating them well and disciplining them appropriately when they acted improperly, while hiding their faults from Cao Pi. She also appeared to have lived thriftily. Also, in 226, at the urging of her mother-in-law Empress Dowager Bian, she interceded on Cao Hong's behalf, allowing Cao Hong to be spared his life even though Cao Pi had previous grudges against him.
Empress Guo had no sons or recorded children. Cao Pi's eldest son Cao Rui, by Lady Zhen, was therefore considered the presumptive heir, but because of his mother's fate was not created crown prince, but only Prince of Pingyuan. (He was inconsistently described as having been raised by Empress Guo or by Cao Pi's concubine Consort Li.) While she was empress, she apparently had a cordial relationship with Cao Rui. There was no evidence that she opposed his candidacy when Cao Pi, seriously ill in 226, created him crown prince. Cao Pi died soon after, and Cao Rui ascended the throne.
As empress dowager
editThe new emperor, although he posthumously honoured his mother as an empress, honoured his stepmother as empress dowager, and he bestowed members of her family with wealth and titles. She died on 14 March 235[a] and was buried on 16 April 235 with honours befitting an empress alongside her husband Cao Pi. Her family remained honoured by her stepson.
How Empress Dowager Guo came to die, however, is a matter of historical controversy. The Weilüe and Han Jin Chunqiu stated that at some point during Cao Rui's reign, Consort Li told him Empress Dowager Guo's role in Lady Zhen's death – and further told him that after Lady Zhen died, it was at Empress Dowager Guo's suggestion that she was buried with her hair covering her face and her mouth filled with rice grain shells – so that even after her death she would be unable to complain. Cao Rui became enraged and confronted Empress Dowager Guo – who could not deny her involvement directly. He then forced her to commit suicide, and, while he buried her with the honours befitting an empress, he had her face covered with her hair (so that she would never see sunlight ever again), and her mouth filled with rice grain shells (so that she could never say anything in the afterlife).[6]
However, even after her death, her family continued to be favoured by Cao Rui especially her cousin Guo Biao, who was granted succession to Guo Nuwang's father's posthumous fief and promoted to a general.
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ gengzi day of the 9th month of the 3rd year of the Huang'chu era, per Cao Pi's biography in Sanguozhi
- ^ ([青龍三年二月]丁巳，皇太后崩。) Sanguozhi vol. 3.
- ^ According to the Book of Wei by Wang Chen et al., Lady Guo was born on the yimao day of the 3rd month of the 1st year of the Zhongping era during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han. This corresponds to 8 April 184 on the proleptic Gregorian calendar. (后以汉中平元年三月乙卯生.) Wei Shu annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.05
- ^ "How did Queen Guo, who was in "Nothing But Thirty", defeat Queen Zhen?". Archived from the original on 14 September 2024.
- ^ 南朝·王僧虔《技录》:魏文德皇后雅善琵琶。明帝尝引后衣乞为音乐，时杨阜在侧，问帝曰：“太后，陛下嫡母，君礼岂在邪？”帝愧然缩手，后乃出。倾之，帝谓阜曰：“吾知卿敬节，然诚因吾心虑不平，今从卿言，不得茫茫湘水，见伊人焉？”此言后之音律高妙。
- ^ (《魏略》曰：明帝既嗣立，追痛甄后之薨，故太后以忧暴崩。甄后临没，以帝属李夫人。及太后崩，夫人乃说甄后见谮之祸，不获大敛，被发覆面，帝哀恨流涕，命殡葬太后，皆如甄后故事。<<汉晋春秋>>曰：初，甄后之诛，由郭后之宠，及殡，令被发覆面，以糠塞口，遂立郭后，使养明帝。帝知之，心常怀忿，数泣问甄后死状。郭后曰：“先帝自杀，何以责问我？且汝为人子，可追仇死父，为前母枉杀后母邪？”明帝怒，遂逼杀之，敕殡者使如甄后故事。) Weilǜe and Han Jin Chunqiu annotations in Sanguozhi, vol.05
- Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Chen, Shou; Pei, Songzhi (March 1999). Empresses and Consorts: Selections from Chen Shou's Records of the Three States with Pei Songzhi's Commentary. Translated by Crowell, William Gordon; Cutter, Robert Joe (annotated ed.). University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824819454.
- de Crespigny, Rafe (2007). A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms 23-220 AD. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9789004156050.