Empress Dowager Cao (Li Cunxu's mother)

Empress Dowager Cao (曹太后, personal name unknown) (died August 3, 925), formally Empress Zhenjian (貞簡皇后, "virtuous and humble"), was a concubine to the late Tang Dynasty warlord Li Keyong and the mother to his son Li Cunxu, who later established Later Tang as its Emperor Zhuangzong. After the establishment of Later Tang, she was honored as empress dowager.

It is not known when Lady Cao was born, but it is known that she was from Taiyuan, then the capital of Tang Dynasty's Hedong Circuit (河東), and that she was of commoner but not disrespectable birth. It is not known when she became Li Keyong's concubine, but it was said that she was beautiful, humble, and intelligent, and thus was respected by Li Keyong's wife Lady Liu, who was herself sonless, and who encouraged Li Keyong to treat her well. She gave birth to Li Keyong's oldest son Li Cunxu in 885. It was said that Li Keyong had many concubines, and he particularly favored Lady Zhang, who had previously been the wife of the warlord Li Kuangchou, whom he defeated in 894, such that he no longer favored other women, but Lady Cao remained an exception. Li Keyong was harsh and impatient in his character, and whenever his attendants had faults, they would often be punished. Lady Cao often interceded on their behalf, and it was with her intercession that many were spared. At some point, Lady Cao received the title of Lady of Jin from the Tang imperial government.

In 908, by which time Tang's last emperor Emperor Ai had been forced to yield the throne to Li Keyong's archrival Zhu Quanzhong, who established a new Later Liang as its Emperor Taizu but whose legitimacy Li Keyong refused to recognize, Li Keyong died. Li Cunxu succeeded him as the Prince of Jin. Under Li Keyong's will, Li Keyong's brother Li Kening, the eunuch monitor Zhang Chengye, Li Keyong's adoptive son Li Cunzhang, the officer Wu Gong (吳珙), and the secretary general Lu Zhi (盧質) were to assist Li Cunxu in his rule. Li Cunxu initially offered the Prince of Jin position to Li Kening instead, but Li Kening pointed out that it was Li Keyong's will that he inherit the title, so Li Cunxu accepted it. Lady Cao thereafter was known as the Lady Dowager of Jin.

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