Empress Mingdao

Empress Mao (fl. 223 – 22 September 237),[lower-alpha 1] personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Mingdao, was an empress of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born to lowly family, she was married to Cao Rui the second emperor of Wei but would lose favor and her life.[2][3]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Mao.
Empress Mao
毛皇后
Empress consort of Cao Wei
Tenure26 December 227 – 22 September 237
PredecessorEmpress Wende
SuccessorEmpress Mingyuan
BornUnknown
Died(237-09-22)22 September 237[lower-alpha 1]
SpouseCao Rui
IssueCao Yin, Prince Ai of Anping
Posthumous name
Empress Mingdao (明悼皇后)
FatherMao Jia (毛嘉)

History

Lady Mao hailed from a poor family from Henei; her father Mao Jia (毛嘉) was a carpenter in the Department of Public Works.[4] She became a concubine of Cao Rui during the reign of his father, Cao Pi when Cao Rui was Prince of Pingyuan and Lady Yu, also from Henei, was the chief wife. However, Cao Rui was noted to show great favor to Mao, often sharing a carriage with her.[5]

When Cao Rui became emperor in 226 following his father's death, Mao was made a Noble Lady, and it wasn't till late 227 that the new Emperor picked who would be Empress, with grain given out to those who had lost their spouse, the childless, orphans and the helpless.[6] Mao was made Empress, to the annoyance of Lady Yu who told Rui's grandmother, the Empress Dowager Bian, that the Cao clan's failure to pick an Empress from a proper background would bring down the state. Lady Yu was promptly sent away.[7] While Rui was known to favor Mao, the selection also fitted the Cao family's controversial policy of chief wife being from the lower classes rather than grant such position to a gentry family like Lady Yu's.[8][9][10] The commentator Sun Sheng used this marriage to criticize the Cao policy of marrying the lower classes and included such marriages as a reason for the dynasty's future fall.[11]

Soon after, Cao Rui ennobled her father Jia and gave her brother Mao Zeng (毛曾) a court position, and would continue to show the family great favor.[12] However, when Cao Rui ordered officials to go to Mao Jia's house for banquets and events, Mao Jia's foolish behavior including calling himself “Lordly Person” made him a mockery at court.[13]

Over time, Consort Guo became Cao Rui's favored concubine and Empress Mao began losing favor. Things came to a head in 237 when Cao Rui hosted a party in the Rear Palace for the senior concubines with music and merriment. Consort Guo requested that Empress Mao be invited to join as well, but Cao Rui refused and further ordered that no news about the feast be given to Empress Mao. However, Empress Mao knew of the party and pointedly asked the next day, “Was yesterday’s party in the northern garden pleasant?”.[14] Cao Rui believed someone had leaked the news to Empress Mao; the usually tolerant Emperor killed over ten of his attendants, then ordered Empress Mao to commit suicide on 22 September 237.[15] She was buried on 25 October 237 with honors befitting an empress, and her family remained honored.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Empress Mingdao is introduced in chapter 105 as the novel sets out Cao Rui's opulence and lack of restraint. Her background is ignored; initially beloved by Cao Rui, she becomes empress as soon as he becomes emperor. Neglected when he became more interested in Consort Guo, when Guo urges Cao Rui to invite the empress, he replied that he would eat or drink nothing if Mao was at the garden feast. With Cao Rui then missing for a month, Empress Mao and her ladies come to the Blue Flower Pavilion to entertain themselves when they hear music in the Fragrant Forest Park. Mao makes inquiries and is saddened to have heard what her husband had been up to. The next day, she spots Cao Rui from her carriage and inquired about the party. Scared by Cao Rui's violent reaction, she returns to her palace. Cao Rui then orders her death and immediately makes Guo empress; the court officials are too frightened to protest.

The next chapter, after the destruction of Gongsun Yuan, Cao Rui is awoken during the middle of the night by a cold wind and in the darkness, he sees Empress Mao and some attendants. They come to his bed and demand his life; the frightened emperor then becomes mortally ill.

See also

Notes
  1. Cao Rui's biography in the Sanguozhi recorded that Empress Mao died on the gengchen day of the 9th month of the 1st year of the Jingchu era of Cao Rui's reign.[1] This date corresponds to 22 September 237 in the Gregorian calendar.

References
  1. ([景初元年九月]庚辰，皇后毛氏卒。) Sanguozhi vol. 3.
  2. Sanguozhi vol.5.
  3. Cutter, Robert Joe; Crowell, William Gordon (1999-01-01). Empresses and Consorts: Selections from Chen Shou's Records of the Three States With Pei Songzhi's Commentary. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 53–54, 111–112. ISBN 978-0-8248-1945-3.
  4. (嘉本典虞车工) Sanguozhi vol.5.
  5. (黄初中，以选入东宫，明帝时为平原王，进御有宠，出入与同舆辇。) Sanguozhi vol.5.
  6. (鳏寡孤独不能自存者赐谷.) Sanguozhi vol. 3.
  7. 虞氏曰：「曹氏自好立賤，未有能以義舉者也。然后職內事，君聽外政，其道相由而成，苟不能以善始，未有能令終者也。殆必由此亡國喪祀矣！」虞氏遂絀還鄴宮。Sanguozhi vol.5.
  8. Cutter, Robert Joe; Crowell, William Gordon (1999-01-01). Empresses and Consorts: Selections from Chen Shou's Records of the Three States With Pei Songzhi's Commentary. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 47, 54–54. ISBN 978-0-8248-1945-3.
  9. De Crespigny, Rafe (18 August 2010). Imperial Warlord: A biography of Cao Cao 155-220 AD. Leiden: Brill. pp. 459–460. ISBN 9789004188303.
  10. De Crespigny, Rafe (2019). E.Dien, Albert; N.Knapp, Keith (eds.). The Cambridge History of China Volume 2 The Six Dynasties. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-107-02077-1.
  11. 孫盛曰：古之王者，必求令淑以對揚至德，恢王化於關雎，致淳風于麟趾。及臻三季，並亂茲緒，義以情溺，位由寵昏，貴賤無章，下陵上替，興衰隆廢，皆是物也。魏自武王，暨于烈祖，三后之升，起自幽賤，本既卑矣，何以長世？詩云：「絺兮綌兮，淒其以風。」其此之謂乎！Sun Sheng commentary in Sanguozhi vol.5.
  12. 進嘉為奉車都尉，曾騎都尉，寵賜隆渥。頃之，封嘉博平鄉侯，遷光祿大夫，曾駙馬都尉。Sanguozhi vol.5.
  13. 嘉本典虞車工，卒暴富貴，明帝令朝臣會其家飲宴，其容止舉動甚蚩騃，語輒自謂「侯身」，時人以為笑。Sanguozhi vol.5.
  14. (明日，帝见后，后曰：“昨日游宴北园，乐乎？”) Sanguozhi vol.5.
  15. (帝以左右泄之，所杀十馀人。赐后死...) Sanguozhi vol.5.
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