Empress Yin – Emperor Guangwu’s beloved

Empress Yin has gone down in history as a virtuous empress. She was the second empress of Emperor Guangwu and was his beloved. Her love story with Emperor Guangwu has become legendary. A popular television show called Singing All Along (starring the famous Ruby Lin as Empress Yin) reimagines their unbreakable romance. Empress Yin’s character shows why she captured the Emperor’s heart.

In 5 C.E., Empress Yin was born in Xinyie (modern-day Henan province).^[1] She was from a wealthy household. Yin Mu was her father, and her mother’s surname was Deng.^[2] Empress Yin’s original name was Yin Lihua.^[3] She had many brothers.

Yin Lihua was well-known for her beauty and had many admirers. One of her admirers was Liu Xiu, a member of the Han royal family.^[4] He saw her from afar and was immediately smitten.^[5] When he came back to Chang’an (the capital of the Western Han Dynasty), he made the famous comment, “One should aim at chamberlain for the imperial insignia as one’s official career and at having Yin Lihua as one’s wife.” ^[6]

In 22 C.E., Liu Xiu and his older brother, Liu Yan, started a rebellion against the usurper, Wang Mang.^[7] They declared that the Han throne should belong to the rightful Liu family.^[8] In 23 C.E., Liu Xiu fulfilled his dream of making Yin Lihua his wife.^[9] He married her at Dangchengli in Yuan District (modern-day Nanyang in Henan Province). She was nineteen years old.^[10] Together, they travelled to Luoyang but came back to Xinye. Yin Lihua went to stay with her older brother, Yin Shi, while Liu Xiu led his rebel forces to Hebei.^[11]

In 24 C.E., Liu Xiu took a second wife. Unlike his first marriage, this was not a love match. It was a marriage of convenience.^[12] His second wife was Guo Shengtong, who was the niece of his relative, Liu Yang.^[13] Liu Xiu won his rebellion and was made Emperor Guangwu in Hao (modern-day Baixing District in Hebei Province).^[14] He made his capital Luoyang instead of Chang’an.^[15] He started a new dynasty called the Eastern Han.

Emperor Guangwu sent for Yin Lihua. Upon her arrival, he bestowed on her the title of “Worthy Lady”.^[16] He wanted to make her an empress, but she refused. This was because Guo Shengtong had a son, and she did not.^[17] Guo Shengtong was made empress, and her son, Liu Qiang, was made Crown Prince. Even though she was a consort, Lady Yin was not jealous.^[18] She was still the Emperor’s beloved.^[19] She followed him on his military expeditions. During one of these expeditions in 28 C.E., she gave birth to a son named Liu Zhuang (the future Emperor Ming). The birth of their son established an unbreakable bond between the imperial couple.^[20] Empress Guo grew jealous of Lady Yin and resented her husband’s love for his consort.^[21] She complained to her husband about his relationship with Lady Yin.^[22] This did not help matters and only managed to distance him from her.^[23]

In 41 C.E., Emperor Guangwu found that Empress Guo was no longer a suitable empress. He demoted her and made Lady Yin empress instead.^[24] He made Liu Zhuang the Crown Prince. It was said that as empress, she was “modest, uncontentious, demure, and serious”.^[25] Empress Yin also maintained good relations with the generals that brought her husband to the throne. Thus, she was seen as an ideal empress by her contemporaries.^[26]

In 57 C.E., Emperor Guangwu died. Liu Zhuang ascended the throne as Emperor Ming. Lin Yinhua was made Empress Dowager. As Empress Dowager, she maintained a good relationship with her late husband’s concubines, including the deposed Empress Guo and the former Crown Prince.^[27] At the age of fifty-nine, Empress Yin died in 64 C.E. ^[28]She outlived her husband by seven years.^[29] She was buried beside her husband. She was given the posthumous title of Empress Guanglie.^[30] Empress Yin is still respected and loved for being an exemplary empress. It is no wonder why Emperor Guangwu remarked that an official should have Yin Lihua as a wife.^[31]

Sources:

Fanzhong, F. (2015). Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century. (B. B. Peterson, Ed.; Z. Jianfeng, Trans.). London: Routledge.

Pao-Tao, C. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.; L. Huichi, Trans.). NY: Routledge.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.