Empress Zhangsun (長孫皇后, personal name unknown, presumably Wugou (無垢)) (15 March 601 – 28 July 636), formally Empress Wendeshunsheng (文德順聖皇后, literally "the civil, virtuous, serene, and holy empress") or, in short, Empress Wende (文德皇后), was a Chinese essayist and an empress of the Chinese Tang dynasty. She was the wife of Emperor Taizong and the mother of Emperor Gaozong. She was well educated, and her ancestors were of Xianbei ethnicity. Their original surname was Tuoba, later changed to Zhangsun. During her tenure as empress, she served as a loyal assistant and honest advisor to her husband, Emperor Taizong.
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Background
The future Empress Zhangsun was born on 15 March 601. Her father was the Sui dynasty general Zhangsun Sheng (長孫晟), and her mother was Zhangsun Sheng's wife Lady Gao, the daughter of the official Gao Jingde (高敬德). She had at least four older brothers—Zhangsun Sheng's oldest son Zhangsun Xingbu (長孫行布, who was killed in 604 while resisting the rebellion of Emperor Yang of Sui's brother Yang Liang the Prince of Han), Zhangsun Heng'an (長孫恆安), Zhangsun Anye (長孫安業), and Zhangsun Wuji. Zhangsun Sheng died in 609, and Zhangsun Anye, instead of raising his younger brother and sister, expelled them, as well as his stepmother Lady Gao, from the Zhangsun household and sent them back to Lady Gao's brother Gao Shilian, and Gao Shilian raised them. The future Empress Zhangsun was said to be studious and proper in her actions. In 613, she married Li Shimin, the second son of the general Li Yuan the Duke of Tang. Li Shimin was 15, and she was 13 (both ages are by East Asian reckoning).
It was written that the ancestors of Zhangsun family traced their origin to the Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei's founding emperor Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei's 17th generation ancestor Tuoba Kuaili (拓跋儈立) — that their ancestor was Tuoba Kuali's third son, who took the surname Baba (拔拔), eventually changed to Zhangsun when Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei changed Xianbei surnames to Han surnames in 496.
As Princess of Qin and crown princess
In 617, Li Yuan, aided by Li Shimin and his older brother Li Jiancheng, among others, rebelled at Taiyuan (太原, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), and later that year captured the capital Chang'an, declaring Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You the Prince of Dai emperor (as Emperor Gong). In 618, after news arrived that Emperor Yang had been killed in a coup at Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) led by the general Yuwen Huaji, Li Yuan had Yang You yield the throne to him, thus establishing the Tang dynasty. Li Yuan became the first Tang ruler, Emperor Gaozu. He appointed his son, Li Shimin, as the Prince of Qin, his wife as the Princess of Qin. The couple would eventually have three sons – Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi – and at least three daughters, who were later named the Princesses Changle, Jinyang, and Xincheng.
Li Shimin was Tang's most capable general in its campaigns to reunite China following Sui's collapse, defeating the major enemies Xue Rengao the Emperor of Qin, Liu Wuzhou the Dingyang Khan, Wang Shichong the Emperor of Zheng, and Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia. In doing so, he overshadowed his older brother Li Jiancheng, the crown prince. The brothers developed an intense rivalry. Princess Zhangsun was said to serve her father-in-law Emperor Gaozu carefully, forming friendships with his concubines which she would use to cover up the mistakes of her husband and his faction.
Sources state that in 626, the crown prince Li Jiancheng and another brother, Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi, who supported Li Jiancheng, set out to ambush the rising Li Shimin. But Li Shimin heard about this trap, and organized a counter-coup, walking into the trap with several of his own most trusted and skilled soldiers. When Li Shimin mobilized his personal troops within his mansion, and as he did so, Princess Zhangsun was said to have personally made an appearance before the troops to encourage them. Her brother Zhangsun Wuji was one of Li Shimin's major strategists in this matter. Li Shimin was able to counter Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji at Xuanwu Gate and kill them, and then essentially forced Emperor Gaozu to appoint him crown prince. Princess Zhangsun was accordingly named crown princess. Two months later, on 4 September, Emperor Gaozu yielded the throne to Li Shimin, who took the throne as Emperor Taizong. Princess Zhangsun, consequently, became empress, and their oldest son, Li Chengqian, became crown prince.
As empress
As empress, Empress Zhangsun was said to be frugal and not wasteful, taking only the supplies that she needed without living luxuriously. When Li Chengqian's wet nurse the Lady Sui'an stated that his palace lacked sufficient goods and requested more, she replied, "All a crown prince should worry about is not having enough virtues or enough fame. Why worry about not having enough goods?" It was also said that she rarely got angry with the ladies in waiting and eunuchs who served her. She often gave Emperor Taizong examples from history to inspire him to rule better, and if there was a problem with the decision of Emperor Taizong about the administration, or for the officials and officers, she respectfully asked him to change the decision. Her influence over him was such that she interceded on behalf of condemned criminals and changed his harmful decisions with gentle counsel. One time, when Emperor Taizong got angry at a servant, she pretended to be angry as well and asked to personally interrogate them and hold them in custody; she then waited until his anger had subsided, and then begin to plead on their behalf, thus reducing improper punishments within the palace. It was said that whenever Emperor Taizong's concubines would be ill, she would personally visit them and reduce her own expenditures to treat them. When one of Emperor Taizong's concubines died giving birth to a daughter, Empress Zhangsun raised the daughter, Princess Yuzhang, as her own.
Emperor Taizong always loved Empress Zhangsun. After ascending the throne, he often showed more favor to the Empress family than allowed. Because of Empress Zhangsun, he granted extrajudicial favors to Zhangsun Anye, Zhangsun Shunde, and Zhangsun Chang for their illegal acts, and he lavishly gave gifts, grants and wealth to all empress relatives and friends to such an extent that many courtiers even the empress herself and some of her relatives objected to it. Emperor Taizong would at times try to discuss with empress matters of award and punishment and the suggestions of the officials on important matters and even confidential government information to see what she opined, but each time she refused to do so, stating that it was not her place to do so. She replied to him, "The crowing of hens in the morning is a sign of family trouble. As a woman, how dare I be informed of government affairs and give an opinion about it?"; However, Taizong's insistence forced her to tell him what she thought. As her brother Zhangsun Wuji was a major strategist who contributed much to his victory over Li Jiancheng, he wanted to make Zhangsun Wuji a chancellor, and Empress Zhangsun declined on Zhangsun Wuji's behalf, stating:
I have the opportunity to be here in the palace, reaching the highest of honors. I do not wish to see my brothers and nephews wield power. What happened to the households of Han dynasty's Empress Lü Zhi, Huo Guang and Shangguan Jie are cruel examples of what might happen. I pray that Your Imperial Majesty will not make my brother chancellor.
Issue
Empress Zhangsun produced seven children with Emperor Taizong:
Sons
Li Chengqian (619-5 January 645), Crown Prince (created 627, deposed 643), posthumously Prince Min of Hengshan
Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of Tang (21 July 628,– 27 December 683), formerly Crown Prince (created 643), formerly Prince of Jin (created 631)
Li Tai (618-15 December 652), Prince Gong of Pu
Daughters
Li Lizhi, the Princess Changle
Princess Chengyang
Li Mingda, the Princess Jinyang
Princess Xincheng
In popular culture
Consort Chen is portrayed by Hong Kong actress Margie Tsang in TVB's 1987 series The Grand Canal (大運河)
