Consort Fu
| Consort Fu | |
|---|---|
| Grand Empress Dowager of China | |
| Reign | 7 BC - 2 BC |
| Predecessor | Empress Wang Zhengjun |
| Successor | Empress Dowager Bian |
| Died | 2 BC |
| Spouse | Emperor Yuan of Han |
| Issue | |
Consort Fu (傅昭儀, personal name unknown) (died 3 BC) was an imperial consort during Han Dynasty. She was a consort and a favorite of Emperor Yuan. She was known to be a domineering woman who wanted her son on the throne, and, failing that, wanted (and eventually was able to see) her grandson on the throne as Emperor Ai. During Emperor Ai's reign, she exerted heavy influence on his reign and forcibly extracted empress dowager titles that she should not have properly possessed (since she was never an empress -- and Emperor Cheng's wife, Grand Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun was still alive) -- which would bring her hatred from the Wang clan and eventually the desecration of her tomb after her death.
Consort Fu's father was from the Commandery of Henei (roughly modern Handan, Hebei) and died early. Her mother remarried a man named Zheng (鄭) after her father's death. When Consort Fu was young, she was a lady-in-waiting for Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan.
It is not known when exactly Consort Fu became a consort to Emperor Yuan, but it is known that it happened during his years as crown prince -- but after his eventual wife Empress Wang became a consort of his. She and Consort Feng Yuan became his favorite concubines, and each of them bore him a son. Consort Fu's son was Liu Kang (劉康), who later was created the Prince of Jiyang, then Prince of Shanyang, then Prince of Dingtao. As Consort Fu's position was inferior to that of Empress Wang, and her son younger than Empress Wang's son Liu Ao (later Emperor Cheng), Prince Ao was created crown prince. However, Consort Fu was not content for her son merely to be an imperial prince, and a succession struggle would erupt.
As Crown Prince Ao grew older, Emperor Yuan became increasingly unhappy with his fitness as imperial heir and impressed with Consort Fu's son, Prince Kang. Several incidents led to this situation. One happened in 35 BC, when Emperor Yuan's youngest brother Prince Liu Jing of Zhongshan (中山王劉竟) died, Emperor Yuan became angry when he felt that the teenage Crown Prince Ao was insufficiently grieving -- particularly because Princes Ao and Jing were of similar age and grew up together as playmates -- and showing insufficient respect to Prince Jing. Prince Ao's head of household Shi Dan (史丹), a relative of Emperor Yuan's grandmother and a senior official respected by Emperor Yuan, managed to convince Emperor Yuan that Crown Prince Ao was trying to stop Emperor Yuan himself from overgrieving, but the seed of dissatisfaction was sown.
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