Royals › Empress / Consort
Wei Zifu
Empress of Emperor Wu of Han, once a singer in Princess Pingyang's household, who took her own life when the witchcraft affair turned against her son Liu Ju
In a spring palace garden, a pavilion with round windows stands over a pond of goldfish; a peony-painted round fan, a zither and a lacquer box of pearl hairpins lie in the foreground, and one small figure in a long-sleeved gown stands at the far end of a covered walkway.
- Roles
- Empress / Consort
Wei Zifu came from a humble family on the estate of the Marquis of Pingyang and was a singer in the household of his wife, Princess Pingyang. Emperor Wu noticed her on a visit in 139 BCE and took her into the palace, though more than a year passed before he sent for her again; she then bore him three daughters. In 128 BCE she gave birth to his eldest son, Liu Ju, and was made empress the same year, while her brother Wei Qing and her nephew Huo Qubing won marquisates for their campaigns against the Xiongnu. In 91 BCE the official Jiang Chong accused the crown prince of witchcraft; Liu Ju killed Jiang and rose in arms, but was defeated and fled. The emperor sent two senior officials to take back her seal, and she killed herself and was buried south of Chang'an. When her great-grandson took the throne as Emperor Xuan, he reburied her and gave her the posthumous title Empress Si.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–91 BCE