*** Welcome to piglix ***

Empress Dowager Zheng

Empress Dowager Zheng
Died 26 December 865
Spouse Li Qi
Emperor Xianzong
Issue Emperor Xuānzong
Posthumous name
Empress Xiaoming 孝明皇后
Posthumous name
Empress Xiaoming 孝明皇后

Empress Dowager Zheng (鄭太后, personal name unknown) (died December 26, 865), formally Empress Xiaoming (孝明皇后, "the filial and understanding empress"), was an empress dowager of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was a concubine to Emperor Xianzong and, after her son Emperor Xuānzong became emperor, she became empress dowager and continued to serve in that role until her death, during the reign of her grandson Emperor Yizong (when she was grand empress dowager).

It is not known when the future Empress Dowager Zheng was born, and little is known about her family. According to the Old Book of Tang, at the time that that history was compiled, the old records were missing as to her family origins or how she entered the palace. However, according to the New Book of Tang, she was from Danyang (丹楊, in modern Nanjing, Jiangsu), and her surname might have been originally Erzhu (爾朱). Further according to the New Book of Tang, early in the Yuanhe era (806–820) of Emperor Xianzong, when her home region was ruled by the military governor (Jiedushi) Li Qi, a fortuneteller prophesied that she would give birth to an emperor. Hearing this, Li Qi decided to take her as a concubine. After Li Qi was defeated and executed in 807, she was confiscated and taken into the imperial palace, where she became a servant girl of Emperor Xianzong's wife Consort Guo.

At some point, Emperor Xianzong had sexual relations with Lady Zheng, and she gave birth to the 13th of his 20 sons, Li Yi. It was implied by the Old Book of Tang that she was then made an imperial consort with the relatively low rank of Yunü (御女).


...
Wikipedia

...