| Consort Li | |||||
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 An illustration from an 1814 print of the novelSequel to Great Song's Generals of the Yang Family: The First Tale of the Literary and Martial Stars Lord Bao and Di Qing (後續大宋楊家將文武曲星包公狄青初傳) | |||||
| Born | 987 Hangzhou,Song Empire (modern Hangzhou,Zhejiang, China) | ||||
| Died | 1032(1032-00-00) (aged 44–45) Kaifeng, Song Empire (modern Kaifeng,Henan, China) | ||||
| Burial | Yongding Mausoleum (永定陵) | ||||
| Spouse | Emperor Zhenzong of Song | ||||
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| Father | Li Rende (李仁德) | ||||
Consort Li, imperial consort rankChenfei (Chinese:李宸妃;lit. 'Consort Li of the Palace') (987 – 1032), was an imperial consort of theSong dynasty ofChina. She was aconcubine ofEmperor Zhenzong and the mother ofEmperor Renzong. She was posthumously honored asEmpress Dowager Zhangyi (章懿皇太后), afterEmperor Renzong discovered that she was his real mother.
Born inHangzhou, the future Consort Li first became an imperial maid forConsort Liu. She caught the eye ofEmperor Zhenzong and bore him a boy and a daughter (who died). The boy was claimed byConsort Liu who successfully became theempress. Even after the boy becameEmperor Renzong, the real mother still kept her silence. In the 11th year of her son's reign (also overseen byEmpress Liu), she became ill and was given the consort rankChenfei shortly before she died.
A year later, afterEmpress Liu also died, PrinceZhao Yuanyan told the emperor the truth, and also suggested that Consort Li had been murdered. Shocked with grief,Emperor Renzong visited the coffin with tears, ordered the construction of Jingling Palace for her memorial and gave her the posthumous titleEmpress Zhangyi. However, asEmpress Liu had treated Consort Li's corpse with great respect,Emperor Renzong refused to believe that she would murder his biological mother.
AYuan Dynastyplay (in the form ofzaju) calledChen Lin Carrying the Box at Gold Water Bridge (金水橋陳琳抱妝盒) told the story of how Consort Li and her baby son were victimized by a jealousConsort Liu. This story, which probably borrowed elements from the playThe Orphan of Zhao that is more historically plausible, became incredibly popular and saw many different versions in later periods, including theQing Dynasty novelThe Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, where it is referred to asThe Wild Cat for Crown Prince.
In this later version, Consort Li was an equal ofConsort Liu when she gave birth toEmperor Renzong.Consort Liu plotted witheunuch Guo Huai to secretly swap the infant with askinnedChinese wild cat. Outraged by the "monster baby" and believing hercursed,Emperor Zhenzong demoted Consort Li to the forbidden palace. Meanwhile,Consort Liu ordered her maid Kou Zhu to murder the infant and dump the body, but Kou Zhu gave the infant toeunuch Chen Lin, who hid him in a box and carried him to emperor's brotherEighth Prince, who took his infant nephew in as one of his sons. Later,Consort Liu persuadedEmperor Zhenzong to have Consort Li killed.Eunuch Yu Zhong volunteered to die in her place, and with the help of anothereunuch Qin Feng, Consort Li finally escaped from the palace. Several years later, as an old blind woman in a poor village, she found the opportunity to tell the story to the good officialBao Zheng. Finally the hidden secret was unearthed and thecrown prince, nowEmperor Renzong, eventually accepted his birth mother.
As a servant:
As a Talented Lady: