Consort Dowager Wang

Consort Dowager Wang (王太妃) (d. June 23, 947), known commonly by her imperial consort title Shufei (王淑妃), nickname Huajianxiu (花見羞, "flowers would be ashamed to see her"), was an imperial consort to Li Siyuan (Emperor Mingzong), the second emperor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Later Tang. During Li Siyuan's reign, she, as his favorite concubine, exerted substantial influence within his administration. After the destruction of both Later Tang and its successor state Later Jin (by the Khitan Liao Dynasty), her adoptive son Li Congyi was forced to claim imperial title by the evacuating Liao forces, and both she and he were subsequently killed by the succeeding Later Han's founding emperor Liu Zhiyuan.

It is not known when Lady Wang was born. She was a daughter in a household from Bin Prefecture (邠州, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) that made cakes. Because of her great beauty, she gained the nickname of "Huajianxiu" (花見羞, "flowers would be ashamed to see her"). She was, in her youth, sold as a servant girl to the Later Liang general Liu Xun. Liu apparently favored her greatly, as he gave her a large amount of money. After Liu's death in 921, she did not marry, and was apparently living off savings that Liu left her.

Sometime during the reign of Li Cunxu, the founding emperor of Later Liang's successor state Later Tang, Li Cunxu's adoptive brother and major general Li Siyuan was looking for an additional concubine after his concubine or co-wife Lady Xia died. Someone informed Li Siyuan's close associate An Chonghui about Lady Wang, and An in turn suggested Li Siyuan to take her as a concubine, and Li Siyuan did. As she still had a large amount of money left from what Liu Xun left her, she awarded much of it to Li Siyuan's associates and daughters-in-law, such that throughout the household, everyone praised her. Li Siyuan's wife Lady Cao favored the simple life and did not contend for his favor, and therefore Lady Wang became his favorite.

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