Royals › Empress / Consort
Zheng Xiu
Favored consort of King Huai of Chu during Warring States period
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.
Also known as Lady Zheng · Consort Zheng
- Roles
- Empress / Consort
Zheng Xiu was a favoured consort of King Huai of Chu in the Warring States period; the Zhanguo Ce names a Queen Nan alongside her, and whether they were one person is disputed. The Zhanguo Ce says that when the king of Wei sent the king of Chu a beauty, Zheng Xiu told the newcomer to cover her nose before the king and then told the king she disliked his smell, so he had her nose cut off. The Records of the Grand Historian says that when Zhang Yi was held in Chu he bribed the minister Jin Shang and worked on Zheng Xiu, and the king released him at her plea.
Life and times
Dates c. 340 BCE - c. 296 BCE