RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NKongming recommended her as empress, calling her most virtuousCh. 85 §34
Empress Jing'ai (Houzhu) 後主敬哀皇后
| Occupation | RNConsort · Empress | Faction | Shu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Shu |
| Born | R? Unverified | Native place | Zhuo Commandery Unverified |
| Died | R237 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R6 |
| Notes | 정사 참고: 이름(諱) 미기록 — 정사 표제(시호·배우자 호칭)로 표기. 장씨(張飛의 장녀) — 동성 후비가 있어 약칭(張皇后)은 구분 불가 — 매칭 제외 (Records) | ||
Profile
Empress Jing'ai was the empress of the Later Sovereign and the eldest daughter of Zhang Fei, General of Chariots and Cavalry. In the 1st year of Zhangwu (221) she was taken in as consort of the Crown Prince, and in the 1st year of Jianxing (223) she was installed as Empress. She passed away in the 15th year of Jianxing (237) and was buried at Nanling. Records, Shu 4 §13
Chen Shou's main text does not record her name, courtesy name, age or any other deeds. In the 15th year of Jianxing her younger sister entered the palace as an Honored Lady and became Empress in the 1st year of Yanxi (238), and Honored Lady Wang, the mother of the Crown Prince Liu Xuan, had originally been a maid of Empress Jing'ai. Records, Shu 4 §13 · 15 · 24
The assessment of the Biographies of the Consorts and Sons of the Two Rulers (Records of Shu 4) cites the words of the Book of Changes that there are husband and wife before there are father and son, and says only that these lives are recorded in order to examine the structure of a state; it does not assess her separately. In the Romance she appears, without being named, in only one of the 120 chapters, Chapter 85, and no chapter title refers to her. In Chapter 85, the Later Sovereign having not yet installed an empress, Zhuge Liang and the other officials submit that the daughter of the late General of Chariots and Cavalry Zhang Fei is most virtuous and seventeen years old and could be taken as principal empress, and the Later Sovereign promptly takes her in. Records, Shu 4 §27Romance, Ch. 85 §34
In the Records
Empress Jing'ai was the eldest daughter of Zhang Fei, General of Chariots and Cavalry. In the 1st year of Zhangwu (221) she was taken in as consort of the Crown Prince. In the 5th month of that year the First Sovereign made his son, the Later Sovereign, Crown Prince, and in the 6th month Zhang Fei, General of Chariots and Cavalry, was killed by his own attendants. Records, Shu 4 §13Records, Shu 2 §68
In the 1st year of Jianxing (223) she was installed as Empress. The Biography of the Later Sovereign also records that in this year a lady of the Zhang clan was made Empress. Records, Shu 4 §13Records, Shu 3 §4
She passed away in the 15th year of Jianxing (237) and was buried at Nanling. The Biography of the Later Sovereign records that in the 6th month of summer in the 15th year the Empress, of the Zhang clan, passed away. Records, Shu 4 §13Records, Shu 3 §18
Empress Zhang, whose biography appears in the same volume, was the younger sister of the former empress, Empress Jing'ai. The sister entered the palace as an Honored Lady in the 15th year of Jianxing, and in the 1st month of spring in the 1st year of Yanxi (238) the Later Sovereign issued a decree of appointment, sending Xiang Lang, General of the Left acting as Chancellor, bearing the tally of authority, to confer the imperial seal and ribbon, and made her Empress. Records, Shu 4 §15
The biography of the Crown Prince Liu Xuan records that his mother, Honored Lady Wang, had originally been a maid of Empress Jing'ai of the Zhang clan. Liu Xuan became Crown Prince in the 1st month of the 1st year of Yanxi. Records, Shu 4 §24
Chen Shou's main text does not record Empress Jing'ai's name, courtesy name, age or any other deeds. The assessment of Records of Shu 4 cites the Book of Changes, which says that there are husband and wife before there are father and son, calls this the beginning of human relations, and says that these lives are therefore recorded in order to examine the structure of a state. Records, Shu 4 §12–13 · 27
In the Romance
In Chapter 85 of the Romance, Crown Prince Liu Shan ascends the imperial throne and changes the era name to Jianxing, and the First Sovereign is buried at Huiling. After his accession the Later Sovereign leaves all matters of the court, such as the selection of officials, money and grain, and lawsuits, to the decision of Chancellor Zhuge. At this time the Later Sovereign has not yet installed an empress, and when Kongming, together with the other officials, submits, 'The daughter of the late General of Chariots and Cavalry Zhang Fei is most virtuous and is seventeen years old; she may be taken in as principal empress,' the Later Sovereign promptly takes her in. The Romance does not give her name, and does not bring her on stage again after this. Romance, Ch. 85 §29 · 34
Where the Romance differs
How she became empress: Chapter 85 of the Romance depicts her being taken in as principal empress after the Later Sovereign's accession, when he had not yet installed an empress, and it does not mention that she had earlier been consort of the Crown Prince. Chen Shou's main text records that she was taken in as consort of the Crown Prince in the 1st year of Zhangwu (221) and installed as Empress in the 1st year of Jianxing (223). Romance, Ch. 85 §34Romance, Ch. 80 §42Records, Shu 4 §13
Recommendation and age: In Chapter 85 of the Romance, Kongming and the other officials submit that she is most virtuous and seventeen years old and propose that she be taken in as empress. Chen Shou's main text does not record who proposed taking her in, nor does it record her age or character. Romance, Ch. 85 §34Records, Shu 4 §13
Zhang Fei's daughter: The Romance calls her only 'the daughter of the late General of Chariots and Cavalry Zhang Fei'. Chen Shou's main text records that she was the eldest daughter of Zhang Fei, General of Chariots and Cavalry. Romance, Ch. 85 §34Records, Shu 4 §13
Death and younger sister: The Romance does not bring her on stage again after Chapter 85, and so does not depict her death or her younger sister becoming empress. Chen Shou's main text records that she passed away in the 15th year of Jianxing (237) and was buried at Nanling, and that her younger sister entered the palace that year as an Honored Lady and became Empress in the 1st year of Yanxi (238). Romance, Ch. 85 §34Records, Shu 4 §13 · 15
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total354 / 1000Rank 879 of 996 · Top 89%Romance total372 / 1000Rank 725 of 1,113 · Top 66%
Romance adaptation index+18Romance total − Records total
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT3538+3
- POL3333±0
- CHA4042+2
- VIR4558+13
- ADP3838±0
- SCH3535±0
- DIP3333±0
- DIS3333±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
9 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from her being Zhang Fei's eldest daughter, who became consort of the Crown Prince and then EmpressShu 4 §13
NNo direct record — estimated from her becoming empress as Zhang Fei's daughterCh. 85 §34
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Shu · Records · Records vol. 34 「章武元年，納為太子妃」