Empress Li

Empress Li (李皇后, personal name unknown; died October 7, 950 ) was a princess of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Later Tang (as a daughter of its emperor Li Siyuan) and an empress of the succeeding Later Jin (as the wife of its founding emperor Shi Jingtang).

During Jin and Later Tang It is not known when the future Empress Li was born. It is known that she was Li Siyuan's third daughter. Her mother was Li Siyuan's wife Lady Cao, who would later be empress during Li Siyuan's reign. It is not known exactly when she married Shi Jingtang, but as of 919, at which time her father Li Siyuan was still a general of Later Tang's predecessor state Jin and Shi was an officer under him, Shi was already referred to as a son-in-law of his, suggesting that they were married by that point. In 928, by which time Li Siyuan was emperor of Later Tang, he created Lady Li the Princess Yonging. In 933 (just before Li Siyuan's death), he created her the Princess of Wei.

In 934, the princess's biological half-brother Li Conghou, then emperor, was facing the rebellion by their adoptive brother (Li Siyuan's adoptive son) Li Congke the Prince of Lu, who was advancing toward the capital Luoyang from his post as military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi). Shi, initially intending to support Li Conghou, launched his own troops from Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) toward Luoyang. By the time he reached Luoyang's vicinity, however, Li Congke's army had already entered Luoyang, and Li Conghou had fled. Instead of supporting Li Conghou when he encountered Li Conghou, Shi slaughtered Li Conghou's guards, leaving him completely vulnerable. Li Congke subsequently had Li Conghou killed and took the throne.

Shi pledged loyalty to Li Congke. However, as they had previously not liked each other while both served under Li Siyuan, Li Congke's close associates advised him to keep Shi at Luoyang and not allow him to return to Hedong. The princess and her mother Empress Dowager Cao, however, pleaded on Shi's behalf, and Li Congke ultimately allowed him to return to Hedong. In 935, Li Congke gave the princess the greater title of Grand Princess of Jin.

Empress Li did have a surviving half-brother, Li Congyi. In 939, Shi Jingtang created Li Congyi the Duke of Xun, and had him be in charge of offering sacrifices to the emperors of the Later Tang and Tang dynasty. As Li Congyi was still young, Empress Li took to raising him herself, and she honored his mother Consort Dowager Wang (Li Siyuan's favorite concubine) as if the Consort Dowager were her own mother.

In 942, Shi fell ill. By that point, his only surviving son (of the seven known to history) was Shi Chongrui (石重睿). He entrusted Shi Chongrui to the senior chancellor Feng Dao, intending to have Feng support Shi Chongrui to succeed him. After he died shortly after, however, Feng and the general Jing Yanguang, believing that the state needed an older emperor, supported Shi Jingtang's adoptive son (and biological nephew, as the biological son of his older brother Shi Jingru (石敬儒)) Shi Chonggui the Prince of Qi as emperor. Shi Chonggui honored Empress Li as empress dowager, and his mother Lady An of Qin as consort dowager.

During Shi Chonggui's reign It was said that Shi Chonggui served both Empress Dowager Li and Consort Dowager An diligently, often attending to them at their meals. However, he displeased her by marrying the widow of his uncle/brother Shi Chongyin (石重胤) (Shi Jingtang's biological brother and therefore Shi Chonggui's biological uncle, but whom Shi Jingtang adopted at his own son (as he did Shi Chonggui) and therefore was an adoptive brother), Lady Feng, as his wife and empress.

After Later Jin's fall In spring 947, Emperor Taizong created Shi Chonggui the Marquess of Fuyi (i.e., "the marquess who turned away from righteousness"), and prepared to relocate him and his family deep into Liao territory, to Huanglong (黃龍, in modern Changchun, Jilin). He informed Empress Dowager Li, "I heard that Shi Chonggui did not listen to you, his mother, and therefore fell to this state. You may decide what you wish to do. You need not go with him." She responded, "Shi Chonggui served me, your servant girl, carefully. His fault was that he violated the wishes of the late Emperor and ended the two states' friendliness. Now I have received your great grace that the entire family survives. Where could a mother go but to follow her son?"

Soon, Shi Chonggui, Empress Dowager Li, and the rest of the family were sent on their way, along with the key Later Jin officials Zhao Yin, Feng Yu (Empress Feng's brother), and Li Yantao (李彥韜). On the way, their train was poorly supplied, such that even Shi Chonggui and Empress Dowager Li sometimes lacked food.

Empress Dowager Li fell ill in 950. There was no physician or medication available at Jian Prefecture, and her conditions grew worse. As she fell extremely ill, she held Shi Chonggui's hands and cursed Du Wei and Du's deputy Li Shouzhen, stating, "Even after I die I will not spare you!" She was unaware that both Du and Li Shouzhen had been killed. She died shortly after. Her wishes were that her body be burned and the ashes be delivered to You Prefecture (幽州, in modern Beijing) to be housed at a Buddhist temple — as You, while a Liao possession by that point, traditionally was considered Chinese soil. However, for reasons unknown, although Shi did burn her body, he buried her ashes right at Jian Prefecture and did not try to deliver them to You.

Notes and references

Old History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 86. New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 17. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 278, 279, 280, 282, 283, 285, 286, 288, 289.