Empress Dowager

Biodata

Background and History

When she was nine, mounted bandits attacked her village during the Ghost Festival. She and her younger sister survived by hiding in a haystack; nearly everyone else in the village, most of whom belonged to their clan, was killed. Each Ghost Festival, her sister visits her in the palace to pay respects to their clan 46.

She later entered the palace through the lesser selection to support her sister. After bearing the late emperor’s only son, she rose from palace attendant to consort. The favored noble consort took her son away to raise, and the Empress Dowager continued to suffer at the hands of the noble consort and her daughter. When the boy reached three and the late emperor sought to name a crown prince, his mother was elevated to empress 8 46 48.

The bullying continued until the late emperor’s death. Grand Elder Princess Huiying helped protect mother and son and later helped secure Emperor Jing'an’s succession 8 42.

Palace Role

• Audiences: She customarily summons newly selected women on the day after they enter the palace, encourages them and promises to promote the first to bear an imperial son. Otherwise, the consorts pay their respects on the first day of each month 5 25.
• Palace administration: With no empress appointed under Emperor Jing'an, she oversees palace affairs with the help of senior matrons. After she is injured, the emperor divides those duties among several consorts 41.
• Imperial offspring: She warns the harem that anyone who harms the emperor’s offspring will face her punishment. After Hua Meng’s pregnancy is confirmed, she orders Nanny Ming to repeat the warning to the consorts 8 28.
• Etiquette instruction: She sends eight nannies to the Wei Residence and the Zhang family to instruct the Elder Princess and Commandery Lady Ningyan, publicly embarrassing them 31.

Personality

Qiu Die describes the Empress Dowager as kind, but she can be forceful when protecting her family. She stands firm against the Elder Princess over attendants for Wei Ningyan and threatens severe punishment against anyone who harms Hua Meng’s pregnancy 5 26 28.

She recognizes her own youthful boldness in Hua Meng. Years of mistreatment forced her to restrain that side of herself, and she comes to value Hua Meng’s forthright manner and apparent sincerity 48.

Story Role

Hua Meng’s selection and the emperor’s health

Madam Lin persuades the Empress Dowager to favor Hua Meng’s entry into the palace. At the new women’s audience, the Empress Dowager welcomes Hua Meng after she answers the Elder Princess’s insults 4 8.

When Emperor Jing'an grows suspicious of Imperial Physician Cen Yongning, he asks his mother to find outside physicians discreetly. She proposes using Hua Meng’s homesickness as a pretext for a visit to the Hua residence, where the physicians can examine him without attracting as much attention 13.

Pregnancy and confrontation

The Elder Princess mocks the Empress Dowager for having no grandson, angering her into collapse. After Hua Meng’s pregnancy is confirmed, the Empress Dowager wakes, calls for her and urges her to care for herself and give birth safely. Hua Meng secretly adds Spirit Spring to her medicine 26 27 28.

Injury and recovery

After an assassination attempt at an orchid banquet, the Empress Dowager hurries out to check on Emperor Jing'an and Hua Meng. An old eunuch takes her hostage and wounds her across the waist and abdomen; she is treated at White Egret Palace. Hua Meng later adds another drop of Spirit Spring to her medicine 38 39.

During her recovery, the Empress Dowager lends Nanny Ming to Hua Meng as a teacher of palace management. When rumors claim Hua Meng’s unborn child has caused her illness, she rejects them and gives Hua Meng a conspicuously large collection of gifts, discrediting the rumors 43 44 48.

Relationships

• Emperor Jing'an — Her son and close confidant. She helps him seek a discreet medical examination and continues to worry about his future 13 44.
• Hua Meng (Consort Jing) — A favored consort carrying her unborn grandchild. The Empress Dowager protects and teaches her, while Hua Meng helps care for her during illness and injury 28 39 44 48.
• Lady Lin — Her younger sister and surviving relative from the village attack. She visits each Ghost Festival so they can honor their clan 13 46.
• Lin Ming — Her brother-in-law. His efforts at court helped secure Emperor Jing'an’s position, and she trusts him to arrange physicians discreetly 13 48.
• Elder Princess Yue Shu — The late emperor’s daughter by his favored noble consort. She and her mother bullied the Empress Dowager for years; their hostility continues into Jing'an’s reign 8 26.
• Nanny Ming — Her longtime attendant, described as being as close to her as a sister. The Empress Dowager lends her to Hua Meng as a teacher 28 44.
• Grand Elder Princess Huiying — An imperial relative who helped protect her and Emperor Jing'an during his childhood 42.

Notable Quotes

“The most pressing matter in the harem now is to bear His Majesty offspring.” 8

“As long as I live, I will not be able to stop myself from worrying about you.” 44

“Never mind that this was a rumor spread by others—even if it were true, I would be willing to trade my life for my grandson’s.” 48