SQ Empress

 

After Emperor Hui ascended the throne, his mother the Empress Lu turned Lady Qi into the “human pig,” and displayed her [H1.269m].  The Empress took revenge on a woman who not only replaced her in Gaozu’s affection but also tried to have her son Ruiyi displace Hui as the heir.  Showing the Emperor her handiwork was a power move, and perhaps a belief in her invincibility.  After all, a long time ago, the old diviner had told her she would “become the most honoured woman in the world,” but perhaps she forgot the second part of the prophecy, in which he also said that it was because of her son that she would obtain that honour [H1.53t].  When she showed the Emperor what she had done, she effectively destroyed her chance of obtaining legitimacy for her family. 

When Emperor Hui saw his mother’s work, he disavowed not only her, but himself [H1.269m]: No human being could be capable of such heinousness, and as he was her son, he was not “fit to rule the empire.”  Not only did he give up ruling, he also did not produce a legitimate heir by his empress [H1.273tm].  After his death, the new child emperor was replaced in short order by other child emperors, none of them with Liu lineage [H1.273b, 283m].  In the meantime, Empress Lu continued advancing the Lu clan, while killing off the legitimate Liu heirs.  Perhaps she was aware that she was responsible for destroying her chance at legitimacy: the king of Zhao cried to Heaven as he was dying, “The Lu clan have overthrown right: I charge Heaven with my revenge!” [H1.275t].  Heaven answered with an eclipse, and the Empress was filled with loathing and uneasiness [H1.275t]. 

Sima Qian lauded Empress Lu for her peaceful reign [H284t].  Yet after her death, her family were exterminated.  The Grand Historian has noted in the past, for example with Chen Ping and his “secret plottings” [H1.128t] that one’s misdeeds are visited on one’s descendants.  Here he also demonstrated the transient nature of honour. 

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