Guo Nüwang
| Guo Nüwang | |
|---|---|
| Empress of Cao Wei | |
| Born | 184 |
| Died | 235 (aged 51) |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 郭女王 |
| Simplified Chinese | 郭女王 |
| Pinyin | Guō Nǚwáng |
| Wade–Giles | Kuo Nü-wang |
| Posthumous name | Empress Wende (Chinese: 文德皇后; pinyin: Wéndé Huánghòu; Wade–Giles: Wen-te Huang-hou) |
Guo Nüwang (184–235), formally known as Empress Wende, was an empress of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. She was married to Cao Pi, the first ruler of Wei.
Her father Guo Yong (郭永) came from a line of minor local officials. When she was young, she was known for her intelligence, and her father, impressed by her talent, gave her the unusual name Nüwang ("queen regnant"). Her parents died when she was five, however, and she became a servant at the household of one Marquess of Tongdi. It is not known how it came about, but she eventually became a concubine of Cao Pi when he was the crown prince of the Principality of Wei, under his father Cao Cao. She quickly became a favorite—so much so that he began to neglect his wife Lady Zhen, who was also known for her beauty. She gave Cao Pi shrewd political advice during the succession controversy that pitted Cao Pi against his brothers. Her biography goes further to state that when Cao Pi was finally designated heir, Guo Nuwang had a hand in planning it. She also further created tension between Cao Pi and Lady Zhen by planting seeds of suspicion in Cao Pi's mind that Lady Zhen's son Cao Rui was not biologically Cao Pi's son, but rather the son of Lady Zhen's former husband Yuan Xi, citing the fact that Cao Rui was apparently born only eight months after Cao Pi married Lady Zhen. Lady Zhen eventually lost Cao Pi's favor altogether by complaining that he favored other women over her, and after he became emperor of Cao Wei in 220 (after forcing Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate to him), he forced Lady Zhen to commit suicide in 221. In 222, he made Lady Guo empress.
After Guo Nüwang became empress, she was said to have been a good leader of the imperial consorts, treating them well and disciplining them appropriately when they acted improperly, while hiding their faults from Cao Pi. She also appeared to have lived thriftly. Also, in 226, at the urging of her mother-in-law Empress Dowager Bian, she interceded on Cao Hong's behalf, allowing Cao Hong to be spared his life even though Cao Pi had previous grudges against him.
Empress Guo had no sons or recorded children. Cao Pi's oldest son Cao Rui, by Lady Zhen, was therefore considered the presumptive heir, but because of his mother's fate was not created crown prince, but only Prince of Pingyuan. (He was inconsistently described as having been raised by Empress Guo or by Cao Pi's concubine Consort Li.) While she was empress, she apparently had a cordial relationship with Prince Rui. There was no evidence that she opposed his candidacy when Cao Pi, seriously ill in 226, created him crown prince. Cao Pi died soon after, and Cao Rui ascended the throne (as Emperor Ming).
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