Lady Zhen
By Unknown author Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37571082
Born 26 January 183 CE, Lady Zhen 甄夫人/甄氏, whose personal name was not recorded during her lifetime, was a member of aristocracy of the Wuju County nobility, with one of her ancestors serving as a Grand Protector in the Western Han dynasty. Her father died when she was around three years. She was one of eight children, three sons and five daughters, with Lady Zhen being the youngest. When she was taken to a fortune teller before her father died, her fortune was '[t]his girl will become very noble in the future'. She did not enjoy playing or frivolous activities, turning to scholarly pursuits when she was nine years old, which her brothers reprimanded her for saying, '[y]ou should be learning what women traditionally do (such as weaving). When you picked up reading, were you thinking of becoming a female academician?' to which she replied 'I heard that virtuous women in history learnt from the successes and failures of those who lived before them. If they don't read, how did they learn all that?'
As the Eastern Han dynasty was falling, China entered a chaotic period as various warlords and regional officials sought to fill the power vacuum created by the death of Emperor Ling on 13 May 189. During this time, there was also a major food shortage affecting the nobles and the commoners. While Lady Zhen's family was planning to use their stockpile of grains to gather a lot of valuable items, the 10 year old Lady Zhen reportedly countered by saying '[i]t's not wrong to own expensive items, but in this chaotic era, owning such items has become a wrongdoing. Our neighbours are suffering from hunger, so why don't we distribute our surplus grain to our fellow townsfolk? This is an act of graciousness and kindness', which her family heeded.
When her second brother died, Lady Zhen pitched in to help her sister-in-law though her mother was strict to her daughters-in-law. In response, the 14 year old Lady Zhen told her mother '[i]t's unfortunate that Second Brother died early. Second Sister-in-Law became widowed at such a young age and she's now left with only her son. You should treat your daughters-in-law better and love them as you would love your own daughters', which touched her mother and caused her to improve her behavior.
By Hua Xu (active c. 1799) - Consort Zhen at her Morning Toilette. Telling Images of China (2010 exhibit). Dublin: Chester Beatty Library. Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65003124
Sometime between 196-220, during the reign of Emperor Xian, she married Yuan Xi, a warlord's second son who was later put in charge of You Province. Lady Zhen did not follow her husband to You Province but remained to care for her mother-in-law in Ye province. In 200 CE, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Xi's father, who was able to flee to him, and his brothers took to fighting over their father's territory. Cao Cao allowed them to exhaust themselves and then was able to defeat them easily. Cao Cao took control of the women of the household, many of whom were raped. Cao Pi went to where Lady Zhen was with her mother-in-law, Madam Liu, hiding her head in her mother-in-law's lap, Cao Pi asked 'What's going on, Madam Liu? Ask that lady to lift up her head!' When he saw her, he was entranced by Lady Zhen's beauty and petitioned to his father to marry her, which Cao Cao allowed even though Yuan Xi was alive at the time. It wasn't until 207 that Cao Cao was able to defeat Yuan Xi and his father, when they were then summarily executed by another warlord who lured them into a trap.
Cao Pi and Lady Zhen had two children, a son, Cao Rui, and a daughter, whose personal name was also not recorded in history, known only as Princess Dongxiang (東鄉公主; 'Princess of the East District'). Lady Zhen reportedly remained humbled, taking care the other wives and concubines, even encouraging Cao Pi to take more concubines as the Yellow Emperor did, as well as encouraging him to think of her reputation before sending any concubines away, lest people think it was because of her jealousy and ridicule her. She held her mother-in-law in great respect, as well.
In March of 220, Cao Cao died and Cao Pi became the vassal King of Wei and forced Emperor Xian to abdicate for him, ending the Han Dynasty, and rising to the rank of emperor himself, beginning the Three Kingdoms period. The former emperor presented his two daughters to Cao Pi as concubines. Cao Pi began to favor his concubines, especially Guo Nüwang 郭女王, over Lady Zhen. Lady Zhen began to complain, but Cao Pi became furious at her and sent an emissary to her to force her suicide. After her death, her corpse was desecrated.
An alternative account exists that says that Cao Pi had ordered Lady Zhen multiple times to move to the newly constructed capital in Louyang, but she declined, not feeling capable of managing the imperial harem, possibly because she was ill. Cao Pi sent multiple edicts for her to move, which she refused. He then intended to bring her there in the autumn, but she died of her illness before this could happen. After her death, she was raised to the status of empress.
Either way, she died on 4 August 221 and her children were then raised by Guo Nüwang after her death. Her son, when he took the throne on 25 July 226, gave her the posthumous title Empress Wenzhao, which means 'cultured and diligent empress' and her family was elevated to nobility.
