Empress He 何太后
| Occupation | RNConsort · Empress Dowager | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | R? Unverified | Native place | Nanyang Commandery Unverified |
| Died | R189 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Cause of death | RKilled NKilled Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R8 |
Profile
Empress He was the empress dowager who presided over the court when Emperor Ling of the Later Han died and the Crown Prince took the throne. She has no biography of her own in the Records; she appears in the Annals of Emperor Wu and in the biographies of Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao and Chen Lin, and the biography of Yuan Shao records the General-in-Chief He Jin as 'the Empress Dowager's elder brother.' Chen Shou's main text does not record her name or origins. Records, Wei 1 §5Records, Wei 6 §34 · 8Records, Wei 21 §13
He Jin and Yuan Shao wished to kill all the eunuchs, but the Empress Dowager would not go along with it; He Jin then summoned Dong Zhuo to intimidate her, but before Dong Zhuo arrived he was killed by the Regular Palace Attendant Duan Gui and others. Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor, making him Prince of Hongnong, and soon afterwards killed the Prince of Hongnong and Empress He. The Annals of Emperor Wu record this among the events of the 6th year of Zhongping (189). Records, Wei 6 §34–35 · 8Records, Wei 1 §5–6
She does not appear in the assessment Chen Shou appended to the end of Records of Wei 6. In the Romance she first appears in Chapter 2 as He Jin's younger sister and appears in 3 of the 120 chapters (Chapters 2–4), though her name does not appear in any chapter title. The Romance portrays her as poisoning Meiren Wang and shielding the eunuchs, and in Chapter 4 Li Ru, sent by Dong Zhuo, throws her down from a tower to her death. Records, Wei 6 §96Romance, Ch. 2 §37 · 52Romance, Ch. 4 §17
In the Records
There is no biography of Empress He in the Records. Chen Shou's main text mostly calls her simply 'the Empress Dowager' and writes 'Empress Dowager He' in one place in the biography of Dong Zhuo. The biography of Yuan Shao calls the General-in-Chief He Jin 'the Empress Dowager's elder brother,' and Chen Shou's main text does not record her name, her origins or how she became empress. Records, Wei 6 §8 · 34
According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, when Emperor Ling died and the Crown Prince took the throne, the Empress Dowager presided over the court. The General-in-Chief He Jin plotted with Yuan Shao to kill the eunuchs, but the Empress Dowager would not listen. Records, Wei 1 §5
He Jin then summoned Dong Zhuo to lead troops to the capital and had him secretly submit a letter. Dong Zhuo's letter said that the Regular Palace Attendant Zhang Rang and others had stolen favor and were muddying and disordering the whole realm, and that, just as Zhao Yang of old had raised the troops of Jinyang to drive out the wicked men at the ruler's side, he would sound bells and drums, march on Luoyang and attack Zhang Rang and the others. Chen Shou wrote that this was meant to intimidate the Empress Dowager. Records, Wei 6 §5–6
Chen Lin, formerly He Jin's Registrar, remonstrated when He Jin sought to summon brave generals from all quarters to march on the capital and frighten the Empress Dowager. He said that if one cannot achieve one's aim even with a trifling creature by deceit, how could a great affair of state be established by trickery; once a great army gathered, the strongest would become its master, and this was what is called holding a spear by the wrong end and handing the haft to another. He Jin did not accept his advice. Records, Wei 21 §13–14
According to the biography of Yuan Shao, when the Regular Attendants and the eunuchs of the Yellow Gate heard that Dong Zhuo was being summoned, they all came to He Jin to apologize and placed themselves at his disposal. Yuan Shao urged him two or three times to settle the matter then and there, but He Jin did not agree. Afterwards the Regular Palace Attendant Duan Gui and others, falsely using the Empress Dowager's command, called He Jin in as if to confer and killed him, and the palace was thrown into chaos. Records, Wei 6 §34–35
When Yuan Shao's younger brother Yuan Shu led the Rapid as Tigers guards and set fire to the Qingsuo Gate of the Jiade Hall in the Southern Palace, Duan Gui and the others seized the emperor and the emperor's younger brother, the Prince of Chenliu, and fled to Xiaoping Ford. Yuan Shao killed the eunuchs regardless of age, and more than 2,000 died; Duan Gui and the others all threw themselves into the Yellow River and died. Dong Zhuo met the emperor at Beimang and returned him to the palace. He Jin's younger brother, the General of Chariots and Cavalry He Miao, was killed by He Jin's followers. Records, Wei 6 §34–36 · 6
On the grounds that there had long been no rain, the Minister of Works Liu Hong was dismissed by written decree and Dong Zhuo took his place, soon moving to Grand Commandant. Dong Zhuo at last deposed the emperor, making him Prince of Hongnong, and soon afterwards killed the Prince of Hongnong and Empress He. He set up Emperor Ling's young son, the Prince of Chenliu; this was Emperor Xian. Chen Shou's main text does not record how or where she was killed. Records, Wei 6 §8
The Annals of Emperor Wu record Dong Zhuo's killing of the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Hongnong before Cao Cao, having fled from Dong Zhuo, reached Chenliu and gathered loyal troops. Cao Cao first raised troops at Jiwu in the winter, in the 12th month of that year, and the Annals of Emperor Wu state that this year was the 6th year of Zhongping (189). Records, Wei 1 §6
In his assessment at the end of Records of Wei 6, Chen Shou said that Dong Zhuo was savage as a wolf, cruel, tyrannical and inhumane. Empress He does not appear in the assessment. Records, Wei 6 §96
In the Romance
Chapter 2 of the Romance introduces her as He Jin's younger sister, who entered the palace as an Honored Lady, bore the imperial prince Bian and at last became empress. When Emperor Ling favored Meiren Wang, who bore the imperial prince Xie, Empress He in her jealousy poisoned Meiren Wang. When Emperor Ling dies, He Jin leads the high ministers in and sets up the Crown Prince Bian as emperor before Emperor Ling's coffin. Romance, Ch. 2 §37 · 41
When Yuan Shao proposes killing all the eunuchs, Zhang Rang and the others run to Empress He and plead that Jian Shuo alone had plotted to harm the General-in-Chief. Empress He says, 'I will protect you,' and summons He Jin to restrain him, saying, 'You and I came from a humble family; had it not been for Zhang Rang and the others, how could we enjoy such wealth and rank?' He Jin decides to exterminate only Jian Shuo's family, and the next day the Empress Dowager has He Jin take charge of the affairs of the Masters of Writing. Romance, Ch. 2 §42–44
When Empress Dong enfeoffs the imperial prince Xie as Prince of Chenliu and Dong Chong as General of Agile Cavalry and seizes power, Empress He holds a banquet and, citing how the whole clan of Empress Lü had been put to death, urges that the great affairs of the court be left to the ministers and elder statesmen. Empress Dong rebukes her as a jealous woman who poisoned Meiren Wang and reviles her family as 'a pack of butchers and wine-sellers.' Empress He summons He Jin that very night and tells him of this, and He Jin has Empress Dong moved to Hejian. Romance, Ch. 2 §45–48
Zhang Rang and Duan Gui send bribes to He Jin's younger brother He Miao and to their mother Wuyangjun so that they will speak up for them before Empress He. Accepting He Miao's words, Empress He tells He Jin, who means to kill the eunuchs, that eunuchs managing the palace is an old custom of the Han house, and that to kill the old servants when the late emperor has only just passed away is not to honor the ancestral temple. Romance, Ch. 2 §49 · 51–52
In Chapter 3, learning that outside troops are coming, Zhang Rang and the others hide fifty assassins inside the Jiade Gate of the Changle Palace and plead with Empress He. The Empress Dowager first tells them to go to the General-in-Chief's headquarters and apologize, but when Zhang Rang asks her to summon the General-in-Chief and admonish him, she issues an edict summoning He Jin, and He Jin dies in the palace. When the palace falls into chaos, Duan Gui drags Empress He away by force, but when Lu Zhi cries out, 'Duan Gui, you traitor, how dare you seize the Empress Dowager!', Duan Gui flees, and the Empress Dowager jumps out of a window and escapes harm with Lu Zhi's help. Romance, Ch. 3 §6–7 · 11 · 15
In Chapter 4 Dong Zhuo assembles the civil and military officials in the Jiade Hall on the first day of the 9th month and has Li Ru read out a proclamation. The proclamation states that the Empress Dowager lacked the guidance proper to a mother and threw the government into disorder; it deposes the emperor as Prince of Hongnong and has the Empress Dowager return the government. When Dong Zhuo calls on the Empress Dowager to take off her ceremonial robes and await his command, the emperor and the Empress Dowager weep aloud. Empress He is confined in the Yong'an Palace together with the Prince of Hongnong and Concubine Tang. Romance, Ch. 4 §4–6 · 9 · 12
Obtaining a poem written by the Young Emperor, Dong Zhuo declares that he has written a resentful poem and sends Li Ru in with ten armed men. When Li Ru presents wine laced with zhen poison as wine wishing long life, the Empress Dowager says, 'If it is wine for long life, you drink it first,' and curses He Jin for recklessly bringing the traitor into the capital. When she then loudly curses, 'The traitor Dong Zhuo oppresses us, mother and son, and even Heaven does not help us,' Li Ru seizes the Empress Dowager with both hands and throws her down from the tower, has Concubine Tang strangled, and kills the Young Emperor by pouring the poisoned wine down his throat. Romance, Ch. 4 §13–17
Where the Romance differs
Origins: Chapter 2 of the Romance says He Jin came from a family of butchers and introduces his younger sister as having entered the palace as an Honored Lady, borne the imperial prince Bian and become empress. Chen Shou's main text only calls He Jin 'the Empress Dowager's elder brother' and does not record her origins or how she became empress. Romance, Ch. 2 §37Records, Wei 6 §34
Meiren Wang: In Chapter 2 of the Romance, Empress He in her jealousy poisons Meiren Wang, who had borne the imperial prince Xie, and Empress Dong also rebukes her for this. Meiren Wang does not appear in the records of Chen Shou's main text in which the Empress Dowager appears. Romance, Ch. 2 §37 · 47Records, Wei 1 §5–6Records, Wei 6 §5–8 · 34–35
Presiding over the court: The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records state that when the Crown Prince took the throne, the Empress Dowager presided over the court. In Chapter 2 of the Romance, it is Zhang Rang who urges Empress Dong to lower the screen and hear state affairs, while Empress He on the contrary says, 'We are all women; it is not fitting for us to take part in the government of the court.' Records, Wei 1 §5Romance, Ch. 2 §45–46
The quarrel with Empress Dong: In Chapter 2 of the Romance, Empress He quarrels with Empress Dong, and after He Jin has Empress Dong moved to Hejian he has her poisoned in the 6th month. Empress Dong does not appear in the records of Chen Shou's main text in which the Empress Dowager appears. Romance, Ch. 2 §46–48 · 50Records, Wei 1 §5–6Records, Wei 6 §5–8 · 34–35
Why she shielded the eunuchs: In Chapter 2 of the Romance, Empress He restrains He Jin, saying, 'Had it not been for Zhang Rang and the others, how could we enjoy such wealth and rank?', and later, accepting the words of the bribed He Miao, says that eunuchs managing the palace is an old custom of the Han house. The Annals of Emperor Wu and the biography of Yuan Shao in the Records state only that the Empress Dowager would not listen or would not go along, without giving her reasons. Romance, Ch. 2 §43 · 51–52Records, Wei 1 §5Records, Wei 6 §34
The summons of He Jin: In Chapter 3 of the Romance, the Empress Dowager, at Zhang Rang's request, herself issues an edict summoning He Jin. In the biography of Yuan Shao in the Records, it was the Regular Palace Attendant Duan Gui and others who called He Jin in by falsely using the Empress Dowager's command. Romance, Ch. 3 §6–7Records, Wei 6 §35
The turmoil in the palace: In Chapter 3 of the Romance, Duan Gui drags the Empress Dowager away by force but flees at Lu Zhi's shout, and the Empress Dowager escapes harm by jumping out of a window. In the biography of Yuan Shao in the Records, those whom Duan Gui and the others seized and took to Xiaoping Ford were the emperor and the Prince of Chenliu; the dragging away of the Empress Dowager and Lu Zhi do not appear. Romance, Ch. 3 §15Records, Wei 6 §35
The proclamation of deposition: In Chapter 4 of the Romance, the proclamation read by Li Ru condemns the Empress Dowager for lacking the guidance proper to a mother and throwing the government into disorder. The biography of Dong Zhuo in the Records says only that after becoming Grand Commandant Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor and made him Prince of Hongnong, and does not include a proclamation. Romance, Ch. 4 §4–5Records, Wei 6 §8
Death: In Chapter 4 of the Romance, Empress He is confined in the Yong'an Palace and dies when Li Ru, sent by Dong Zhuo, throws her down from a tower. The biography of Dong Zhuo in the Records states only that Dong Zhuo soon afterwards killed the Prince of Hongnong and Empress He; it does not record where she was confined or how she was killed, and a figure named Li Ru does not appear. Romance, Ch. 4 §12 · 17Records, Wei 6 §8Records, Wei 1 §6
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.
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT3025−5
- POL3530−5
- CHA4038−2
- VIR4035−5
- ADP2835+7
- SCH3533−2
- DIP3340+7
- DIS3328−5
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
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 (3)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Family
| Spouse | Lingdi Romance |
|---|---|
| Siblings | He Jin Novel & History |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Related events (2)
- The Han Emperor Deposed, the Prince of Chenliu Enthroned 189 · Appears (Romance scene)
- He Jin Plots to Purge the Eunuchs 189 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).