Lady Liu 劉夫人
| Occupation | RConsort NConsort · Lady | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R3 |
Profile
Lady Liu was the wife of Yuan Shao. She has no biography of her own in the Records, and in Chen Shou's main text she appears once, in the Annals of Emperor Wu, without surname or given name, as 'Yuan Shao's wife'. In the 8th month of the 9th year of Jian'an (204), after pacifying Ye and offering sacrifice at Yuan Shao's tomb, Cao Cao consoled Yuan Shao's wife, returned the family's treasures to them, granted them silk and floss, and had the government supply them with grain. Records, Wei 1 §81 · 84
Chen Shou's main text does not record her surname or given name, her origins or her death, nor does he assess her. In the Romance she first appears in Chapter 31 as Yuan Shao's wife Lady Liu, who urges him to establish an heir, and appears in 3 of its 120 chapters, with no chapter title bearing her name. When Yuan Shao dies she kills the five concubines he had favored, and when Ye falls she offers Lady Zhen, the wife of Yuan Shao's second son Yuan Xi, to Cao Pi. Records, Wei 1 §84Romance, Ch. 31 §7Romance, Ch. 32 §5Romance, Ch. 33 §4
In the Records
According to the Biography of Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao fell ill after the defeat of his army and died of grief and anxiety in the 7th year of Jian'an (202). The Annals of Emperor Wu record that he died vomiting blood in the 5th month, in summer, and that his youngest son Yuan Shang succeeded him. Yuan Shao loved his youngest son Yuan Shang, who was handsome, and wished to make him his heir but had not made this known; Shen Pei and others, citing Yuan Shao's usual intentions as a pretext, set up Yuan Shang to take Yuan Shao's place. Records, Wei 6 §58 · 60Records, Wei 1 §76
In the 9th year of Jian'an (204) Cao Cao attacked Ye. In the 8th month, when Shen Rong, the son of Shen Pei's elder brother, opened the east gate of the city he was guarding at night and let the troops in, Cao Cao captured Shen Pei alive, beheaded him and pacified Ye. Cao Cao went to Yuan Shao's tomb to offer sacrifice and wept for him with tears flowing; he consoled Yuan Shao's wife, returned the family's treasures to them, granted them various silks and floss, and had the government supply them with grain. Records, Wei 1 §81 · 84
The passage on Empress Zhen (Wenzhao) in the Biographies of the Empresses and Consorts records that during the Jian'an era Yuan Shao took Empress Zhen as wife for his second son Yuan Xi; that when Yuan Xi went out to You Province she stayed behind to care for her mother-in-law; and that when Ji Province was pacified, Emperor Wen (Cao Pi) took her as his wife at Ye. It does not say who this mother-in-law was. Records, Wei 5 §19
Chen Shou's main text does not record the surname or given name, origins or death of Yuan Shao's wife, and there is no assessment of her. Records, Wei 1 §84
In the Romance
In Chapter 31 of the Romance, when Yuan Shao, back in Ji Province, is so troubled in mind that he neglects the affairs of government, his wife Lady Liu urges him to establish an heir. The Romance says that his third son Yuan Shang was born to Lady Liu, Yuan Shao's second wife, and that because he was handsome and imposing Yuan Shao loved him dearly and kept him at his side. When, after the defeat at Guandu, Lady Liu urges him to make Yuan Shang his heir, Yuan Shao consults four men: Shen Pei, Feng Ji, Xin Ping and Guo Tu. Romance, Ch. 31 §7
In Chapter 32, when Yuan Shao hears that Yuan Shang has been defeated at Liyang and has come back, he vomits blood and collapses; Lady Liu hastily rescues him and has him carried into the bedchamber, and invites Shen Pei and Feng Ji to his bedside to discuss what is to follow. When Lady Liu asks Yuan Shao, who can only point with his finger and cannot speak, 'May Shang succeed you?', Yuan Shao nods, and Shen Pei writes out his testament at the bedside. Yuan Shao vomits more than a dou of blood again and dies. Romance, Ch. 32 §1–3
When Yuan Shao dies, Lady Liu kills all five of the concubines he had favored, and, fearing that their spirits might meet Yuan Shao again in the underworld, shaves off their hair, slashes their faces and mutilates their bodies. The Romance comments, 'So vicious was her jealousy.' Yuan Shang, fearing that the concubines' families might do harm, has them all seized and killed as well. Romance, Ch. 32 §5
At the end of the same chapter, when Cao Cao takes Ji Province, Cao Pi goes ahead into Yuan Shao's house, and seeing two women in the rear hall weeping in each other's arms, he means to kill them. In Chapter 33, when a red light suddenly fills his eyes and Cao Pi stays his sword, Lady Liu tells him that she is the wife of General Yuan and that the woman beside her is Lady Zhen, wife of the second son Yuan Xi, who stayed here because she was unwilling to travel far when Yuan Xi went out to You Province. Seeing Lady Zhen's beauty, Cao Pi tells Lady Liu that he will protect her household and that she need not worry. Romance, Ch. 32 §55–56Romance, Ch. 33 §1–2
When Cao Cao reaches Yuan Shao's residence, calls Cao Pi out and rebukes him, Lady Liu comes out, bows, and says that but for the heir her household could not have been kept safe, and that she wishes to offer Lady Zhen to the heir to wait on him. Cao Cao looks at Lady Zhen, says, 'Truly my daughter-in-law!', and has Cao Pi take her as his wife. After offering sacrifice at Yuan Shao's tomb, Cao Cao grants gold and silk, provisions and rice to Yuan Shao's wife Lady Liu. Romance, Ch. 33 §3–4 · 6
Where the Romance differs
Who urged the succession: In Chapters 31–32 of the Romance, Lady Liu urges Yuan Shao to make Yuan Shang his heir, and when Yuan Shao nods on his deathbed, Shen Pei writes out his testament. In the Biography of Yuan Shao in the Records, Yuan Shao wished to make Yuan Shang his heir but had not made it known, and Shen Pei and others, citing Yuan Shao's usual intentions as a pretext, set Yuan Shang up. There is no mention of his wife urging it, nor of a testament. Romance, Ch. 31 §7Romance, Ch. 32 §2Records, Wei 6 §60
Yuan Shang's mother: Chapter 31 of the Romance says that Yuan Shang was the son born to Lady Liu, Yuan Shao's second wife. The Biography of Yuan Shao in the Records merely lists Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang as Yuan Shao's sons and does not name Yuan Shang's mother. Romance, Ch. 31 §7Records, Wei 6 §59–60
Yuan Shao's deathbed: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, when Yuan Shao vomits blood and collapses at the news of Yuan Shang's defeat, Lady Liu has him carried into the bedchamber and summons Shen Pei and Feng Ji to discuss what is to follow. In the Records, Yuan Shao fell ill after his army's defeat and died of grief and anxiety in the 7th year of Jian'an (202), and the Annals of Emperor Wu record that he died vomiting blood in the 5th month, in summer. There is no mention of his wife being present. Romance, Ch. 32 §2–3Records, Wei 6 §58Records, Wei 1 §76
Killing the five concubines: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, when Yuan Shao dies, Lady Liu kills the five favored concubines and mutilates their bodies, and Yuan Shang kills their families as well. The Biography of Yuan Shao in Chen Shou's main text of the Records contains no such incident. Romance, Ch. 32 §5Records, Wei 6 §32–70
Offering Lady Zhen: In Chapters 32–33 of the Romance, Lady Liu introduces Lady Zhen to Cao Pi, who has entered Yuan Shao's house sword in hand, and before Cao Cao says she will offer Lady Zhen to the heir. The Biographies of the Empresses and Consorts in the Records say only that when Ji Province was pacified Emperor Wen took Empress Zhen as his wife at Ye, with no mention of Yuan Shao's wife offering her. Romance, Ch. 33 §1 · 4Records, Wei 5 §19
What Cao Cao gave: In Chapter 33 of the Romance, Cao Cao grants gold and silk, provisions and rice to Yuan Shao's wife Lady Liu. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Cao Cao consoled Yuan Shao's wife, returned the family's treasures to them, granted them various silks and floss, and had the government supply them with grain. Romance, Ch. 33 §6Records, Wei 1 §84
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 total345 / 1000Rank 921 of 996 · Top 93%Romance total354 / 1000Rank 865 of 1,113 · Top 78%
Romance adaptation index+9Romance total − Records total
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT3538+3
- POL3335+2
- CHA3835−3
- VIR4010−30
- ADP4058+18
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3352+19
- DIS3333±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
7 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 | Yuan Shao(袁紹) Romance |
|---|---|
| Children | Yuan Shang Romance |
| Relatives | Yuan Tan Romance |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.