Empress Deng Sui

Deng Sui (鄧綏) (AD 81–121), formally Empress Hexi (和熹皇后, literally "the moderate and pacifying empress") was an empress during the Han dynasty of Chinese history. She was Emperor He's second wife. She later, as empress dowager, served as regent for his son Emperor Shang and nephew Emperor An, and was regarded as an able and diligent administrator. She was perhaps the last effective ruler of the Eastern Han Dynasty, as the subsequent emperors and empresses dowager were largely incompetent rulers. During her regency, there were natural disasters and wars with Xiongnu and Qiang, but she was able to remedy the disasters and largely quell the wars. She was also praised for her attention to criminal justice.

Deng Sui was born in 81. Her father Deng Xun (鄧訓) was a son of Emperor Guangwu's prime minister Deng Yu. Her mother, Lady Yin, was a daughter of a cousin of Emperor Guangwu's wife Empress Yin Lihua. She had a noted interest in studying, being able to read historical texts at age six and being able to recite the shujing and lunyu when she was twelve.

She was selected to be in the palace in 95. She became a consort to Emperor He in 96, when she was 15, and he was 17.

When Deng Sui became an imperial consort, Emperor He had already created Empress Yin empress. Empress Yin was described as beautiful but short and clumsy, and she was also known for jealousy. Consort Deng tried to foster a proper relationship with her by being humble, and was described as constantly trying to cover Empress Yin's mistakes. This, however, only drew Empress Yin's jealousy, as Emperor He became impressed with her and considered her one of his favorites. Empress Yin was also not pleased that Consort Deng, concerned that Emperor He was constantly losing sons in childhood, often recommended other consorts for him to have sexual relations with. Once, when Emperor He was ill, Empress Yin made the remark that if she became empress dowager, the Dengs would be slaughtered—and upon hearing that remark, Consort Deng considered committing suicide, and one of her ladies in waiting saved her by falsely telling her that the emperor had recovered. However, the emperor did soon recover, so Consort Deng and her family escaped a terrible fate.

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