Grand Princess Liu Piao was the daughter of Emperor Wen and Empress Dowager Dou Yifang of the Western Han Dynasty. She was also the mother of the deposed Empress Chen Jiao. However, she wielded immense power and influence in the Western Han Dynasty.[1] She helped Emperor Wu ascend to the Western Han throne. Yet, she also enjoyed tremendous freedom in her personal life.[2]
In circa 190 B.C.E., Grand Princess Liu Piao was born. She was the daughter of Emperor Wen of the Western Han Dynasty and Empress Dowager Dou Yifang. She was also the elder sister of the future Emperor Jing. Liu Piao was eventually granted the title of Princess of Guantao.[3] She married Chen Wu, the grandson of Chen Ying (the Marquis of Tangyi). She gave birth to three children.[4] One of them was Chen Jiao, who was born circa 165 B.C.E.[5]
During Emperor Jing’s reign, Princess Liu Piao was given the privilege of freely arriving and leaving the palace whenever she wished.[6] This allowed her daughter, Chen Jiao, to grow up alongside her cousin, Prince Liu Che (the future Emperor Wu of Han).[7] Princess Liu Piao was very ambitious and wanted Chen Jiao to become the next Empress.[8] When Prince Liu Rong was promoted to Crown Prince, Princess Liu Piao hoped that he would marry her daughter.[9] However, his mother, Imperial Concubine Li, refused to marry her son to Chen Jiao.[10] Concubine Li’s refusal deeply hurt Princess Liu Piao.[11] She turned to Imperial Consort Wang Zhi, who agreed to let her son, Prince Liu Che, marry Chen Jiao.[12] Princess Liu Piao began to speak ill of Imperial Concubine Li in front of Emperor Jing and began praising Imperial Consort Wang Zhi’s son, Liu Che.[13]
Gradually, Emperor Jing began to dislike Imperial Concubine Li and became more fond of Prince Liu Che.[14] He began to consider removing Liu Rong from the Crown Prince position.[15] In order to eliminate Imperial Concubine Li, Grand Princess Piao then persuaded the ministers to submit a formal memorial requesting Imperial Concubine Li to be promoted to the Empress position.[16] This petition enraged Emperor Jing.[17] He removed Liu Rong from the Crown Prince position.[18] He made Liu Che the Crown Prince, and Imperial Consort Wang Zhi was invested as Empress.[19] Grand Princess Liu Piao was extremely happy because her daughter, Chen Jiao, would become the next Empress of China.[20]
On 9 March 141 B.C.E., Liu Che ascended the throne as Emperor Wu of Han. He made Chen Jiao his Empress. Their marriage was initially happy, and Emperor Wu loved her deeply.[21] After ten years of marriage, Empress Chen Jiao still remained barren.[22] Her barrenness caused Emperor Wu to stop visiting her, and he turned his attention to other women.[23] This made Empress Chen very jealous and overbearing which caused her to gradually lose Emperor Wu’s love.[24] Emperor Wu’s favourite imperial consort was Wei Zifu.[25]
In 130 B.C.E., Empress Chen Jiao hired a witch named Chu Fu to kill Imperial Consort Wei Zifu.[26] When Emperor Wu learned of what his Empress had done, he executed 300 people who practised sorcery and witchcraft, including Chu Fu.[27] On 20 August 130 B.C.E., Emperor Wu officially deposed Empress Chen Jiao and banished her to Changmen Palace.[28] Princess Liu Piao tried to get her daughter reinstated, but Emperor Wu refused to listen to her.[29] He told her that the deposed Empress was living in comfort.[30] Princess Liu Piao realized that there was nothing more she could do for her daughter and became silent on the issue.[31]
Shortly after Empress Chen Jiao’s deposition, Princess Liu Piao’s husband, Chen Wu, died of illness.[32] When Princess Liu Piao was in her fifties, she had a secret liaison with her servant named Dong Yan.[33] Dong Yan’s close friend, Yuan Shu, warned Dong Yan that he was committing a crime by having a secret liaison with Princess Liu Piao.[34] Yuan Shu then suggested that Princess Liu Piao should offer Emperor Wu the Changmen Gardens as a precaution.[35] Princess Liu Piao decided it was time for Emperor Wu to meet her lover, Dong Yan.[36] She pretended to be ill, and Emperor Wu came to visit her.[37] When she recovered from her fake illness, Emperor Wu hosted a lavish feast for her.[38]
A few days after the banquet, Emperor Wu visited her residence again.[39] Princess Liu Piao dressed as a commoner when Emperor Wu asked to see her lover, Dong Yan.[40] She took off all her fine jewellery, shoes, and ornaments for her hair and begged for forgiveness for taking a lover.[41] After Emperor Wu pardoned her, she quickly put on all her jewellery, shoes, and ornaments.[42] Then, she fetched Dong Yan.[43] Dong Yan knelt and begged the Emperor for forgiveness.[44] Emperor Wu made Dong Yan a government official.[45] Princess Liu Piao then said that she and Dong Yan would send the generals and marquises who were present at the banquet to be rewarded with gifts and money.[46] Her statement earned Dong Yan Emperor Wu’s favour.[47] Dong Yan often accompanied Emperor Wu on his pleasure outings.[48] Emperor Wu hosted another banquet for Princess Liu Piao and permitted Dong Yan to attend.[49]
One day, the Grand Master of the Palace, Dongfang Shuo, stopped Emperor Wu and persuaded him to stop seeing Dong Yan because of his illicit relations with Princess Liu Piao.[50] He said that by associating with Dong Yan, Emperor Wu would be encouraged to lead a debauched life.[51] Dongfang Shuo’s words led Emperor Wu to lose interest in Dong Yan.[52] Dong Yan died shortly afterwards of illness at the age of thirty.[53] Emperor Wu made Liu Piao the Grand Princess.[54] In 116 B.C.E., Grand Princess Liu Piao died. Grand Princess Liu Piao chose not to be buried beside her husband, Chen Wu.[55] Instead, she chose to be buried next to her lover, Dong Yan, in Baling.[56]
During Emperor Jing’s reign, Grand Princess Liu Piao was a major political player.[57] Through her manipulation, she deposed one Crown Prince and installed a new one that suited her ambitions.[58] Her only failure was that her dream of her daughter, Chen Jiao, becoming Empress had come to a tragic end.[59] However, she did have the freedom to flaunt her lover openly and chose to be buried beside him.[60]It is no wonder why she enjoyed the tremendous power and influence that few princesses in Chinese history ever wielded.[61]
Sources:
Bao S. (2015). “Liu Piao, the Grand Princess”. 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.). NY: Routledge. pp. 165-168.
iMedia. (n.d.) “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”. Retrieved on 24 October 2024 from https://min.news/en/history/a082126c832abddc16748e0a0b9b4b1e.html.
Wang, L. (2015). “Chen Jiao, Empress of Emperor Wu”. 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.). NY: Routledge. pp. 114-115.
iNews. (n.d.). “Chen Ajiao is so proud of being pampered she can’t buy a gift for her daughter to exchange it for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.”. Retrieved on 9 October 2023 from https://inf.news/en/history/cba283a29807b89785ba52f2ab87309a.html.
[1] Bao, 2015
[2] Bao, 2015
[3] Bao, 2015
[4] iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[5] Bao, 2015
[6] Bao, 2015
[7] Bao, 2015
[8] iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[9] Bao, 2015
[10] iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[11] Bao, 2015
[12] Bao, 2015
[13] Bao, 2015
[14] Bao, 2015
[15] Bao, 2015
[16] Bao, 2015
[17] Bao, 2015
[18] Bao, 2015
[19] Bao, 2015
[20] Bao, 2015
[21] Wang, 2015
[22] Wang, 2015
[23] Wang, 2015; iNews, n.d., “Chen Ajiao is so proud of being pampered, she can’t buy a gift for her daughter to exchange it for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.”
[24] Wang, 2015
[25] Bao, 2015
[26] Wang, 2015
[27] Wang, 2015; iNews, n.d., “Chen Ajiao is so proud of being pampered, she can’t buy a gift for her daughter to exchange it for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.”
[28] Wang, 2015; iNews, n.d., “Chen Ajiao is so proud of being pampered, she can’t buy a gift for her daughter to exchange it for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.”
[29] Bao, 2015
[30] Bao, 2015
[31] Bao, 2015; iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[32] iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[33] Bao, 2015
[34] Bao, 2015
[35] Bao, 2015
[36] Bao, 2015
[37] Bao, 2015
[38] Bao, 2015
[39] Bao, 2015
[40] Bao, 2015
[41] Bao, 2015
[42] Bao, 2015
[43] Bao, 2015
[44] Bao, 2015
[45] Bao, 2015
[46] Bao, 2015
[47] Bao, 2015
[48] Bao, 2015
[49] Bao, 2015
[50] Bao, 2015
[51] Bao, 2015
[52] Bao, 2015
[53] iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[54] Bao, 2015
[55] iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[56] Bao, 2015; iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[57] Bao, 2015
[58] Bao, 2015
[59] iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[60] Bao, 2015; iMedia, n.d., “The first eldest princess of the Han Dynasty did not want to have the same cave with her husband after death, and requested to be buried with her lover”
[61] Bao, 2015
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