Lady Liu 劉氏
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Lady Liu was a consort of Cao Cao, Emperor Wu of Wei, and Chen Shou's main text calls her Lady Liu (Liu furen). She has no biography of her own in the Records and appears only in a single line in the Biographies of the Princes and Dukes of Emperors Wu and Wen, which lists Cao Cao's twenty-five sons by mother, saying that she bore Cao Ang, Prince Min of Feng, and Cao Shuo, Prince Shang of Xiang. Chen Shou's main text does not record her origin or the year of her death. Records, Wei 20 §2
Her eldest son Cao Ang was killed in the 2nd year of Jian'an (197) when Zhang Xiu rebelled again at Wan, and Cao Shuo also died young and was posthumously enfeoffed in the 3rd year of Taihe (229). Records, Wei 1 §43Records, Wei 20 §4 · 7
Of the 120 chapters of the Romance she appears in two, Chapters 68 and 78, and no chapter has her name in its title. She does not appear in any scene herself, but is mentioned once in each as the mother of Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang. Chapter 68 calls her 'the concubine Lady Liu', and in Chapter 78 Cao Cao, gravely ill, says, 'My eldest son Cao Ang was born of Lady Liu.' Romance, Ch. 68 §29Romance, Ch. 78 §29
In the Records
The Biographies of the Princes and Dukes of Emperors Wu and Wen in Records of Wei 20 say that Emperor Wu had twenty-five sons and list them by mother. Empress Bian bore Emperor Wen, Cao Zhang, Prince Wei of Rencheng, Cao Zhi, Prince Si of Chen, and Cao Xiong, Prince Huai of Xiao, and Lady Liu (Liu furen) bore Cao Ang, Prince Min of Feng, and Cao Shuo, Prince Shang of Xiang. At the end of the same passage there appears separately Concubine Liu (劉姬), who bore Cao Ji, the Lord of Guangzong who died young, and the Biographies of the Princes and Dukes of Emperors Wu and Wen record the two women distinctly as Lady Liu and Concubine Liu. Records, Wei 20 §2
Cao Ang, Prince Min of Feng, had the courtesy name Zixiu, and at the age of twenty he was nominated as Filial and Incorrupt. He followed Taizu on the southern campaign and was killed by Zhang Xiu, and he had no son. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that in the 1st month, in spring, of the 2nd year of Jian'an (197), when Cao Cao reached Wan, Zhang Xiu surrendered but soon regretted it and rebelled again, and that Cao Cao, defeated in battle, was hit by a stray arrow, and his eldest son Cao Ang and his nephew Cao Anmin were killed. Records, Wei 20 §4Records, Wei 1 §43
In the 2nd year of Huangchu (221) Cao Ang was posthumously enfeoffed and given the posthumous name Duke Dao of Feng. The following year Cao Wan, son of Cao Jun, Duke An of Fan, was made Cao Ang's heir; in the 5th year of Huangchu (224) Cao Ang's title was raised to Prince Dao of Feng, and in the 3rd year of Taihe (229) his posthumous name was changed to Prince Min. In the 6th year of Jiaping (254) Cao Wan succeeded to Cao Ang's rank as Prince of Feng. Records, Wei 20 §4
Cao Shuo, Prince Shang of Xiang, died young and was posthumously enfeoffed and given a posthumous name in the 3rd year of Taihe (229). In the 1st year of Qinglong (233) his son Cao Qian, Prince Min, succeeded him but died that same year, and the following year Cao Qian's son Cao Yan, Prince Huai, succeeded but died in the 4th year of Qinglong (236). As he had no son the fief was abolished, and in the 2nd year of Zhengyuan (255) Cao Song, son of Cao Mao, Prince of Leling, was made Cao Shuo's heir. Records, Wei 20 §7
The only place in Chen Shou's main text where Lady Liu appears is this one passage of the Biographies of the Princes and Dukes of Emperors Wu and Wen. The Biographies of Empresses and Consorts record that in the early years of Jian'an, when Lady Ding was deposed, Lady Bian was made principal wife, and that Taizu had her raise all of his sons who had no mother, but they say nothing of Lady Liu in particular. When and how she died is not recorded. Records, Wei 20 §2Records, Wei 5 §9
In the Romance
In Chapter 16 of the Romance, when Cao Cao, pursued by the troops of Zhang Xiu, has just crossed the Qingshui River and his horse is hit in the eye by an arrow and falls, Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang gives Cao Cao the horse he himself is riding and is killed by a hail of arrows. In this scene the Romance does not say who Cao Ang's mother was. Romance, Ch. 16 §53–54
In Chapter 68, when Cao Cao becomes King of Wei in the 5th month, in summer, of the 21st year of Jian'an (216), builds the palace of the King of Wei in Ye Commandery and deliberates on naming an heir, the Romance states that Cao Cao's principal wife Lady Ding had no children, and that the concubine Lady Liu bore a son, Cao Ang, who died at the city of Wan during the campaign against Zhang Xiu. It then names the four sons borne by Lady Bian, Pi, Zhang, Zhi and Xiong, and says that Cao Cao put away Lady Ding and made Lady Bian Queen of Wei. Romance, Ch. 68 §28–29
In Chapter 78, Cao Cao, now gravely ill, summons Cao Hong, Chen Qun, Jia Xu, Sima Yi and others to his bedside to entrust his family affairs to them, and says, 'My eldest son Cao Ang was born of Lady Liu, but unhappily he died early at the city of Wan.' He then says that of the four sons borne by Lady Bian he will not name the third, Cao Zhi, because he is showy and lacking in sincerity, that Cao Zhang is brave but without strategy and Cao Xiong is often sick, and that only his eldest, Cao Pi, is fit to carry on his work; he charges them to assist him. Romance, Ch. 78 §28–30
These two passages are the only places where the Romance speaks of Lady Liu, and neither her other son Cao Shuo nor when and how she died appears in it. Romance, Ch. 68 §29Romance, Ch. 78 §29
Where the Romance differs
How she is called: Chapter 68 of the Romance calls her 'the concubine Lady Liu'. The Biographies of the Princes and Dukes of Emperors Wu and Wen in Chen Shou's main text call her 'Lady Liu' (Liu furen), distinguishing her from the women recorded in the same passage as ji (姬, concubine). Romance, Ch. 68 §29Records, Wei 20 §2
The sons she bore: Chapters 68 and 78 of the Romance name only Cao Ang as the son borne by Lady Liu. In the Biographies of the Princes and Dukes of Emperors Wu and Wen in the Records, Lady Liu bore two sons, Cao Ang, Prince Min of Feng, and Cao Shuo, Prince Shang of Xiang. Cao Shuo does not appear in the Romance. Romance, Ch. 68 §29Romance, Ch. 78 §29Records, Wei 20 §2 · 7
Cao Ang's death: In Chapter 16 of the Romance, Cao Ang gives his own horse in place of Cao Cao's, which has been hit by an arrow, and is killed by a hail of arrows. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records only say that in the 1st month, in spring, of the 2nd year of Jian'an (197), Zhang Xiu rebelled again at Wan and Cao Cao's army was defeated, that Cao Cao was hit by a stray arrow, and that his eldest son Cao Ang and his nephew Cao Anmin were killed. There is no giving of a horse. Romance, Ch. 16 §53–54Records, Wei 1 §43
When the principal wife changed: Chapter 68 of the Romance says that Cao Cao put away Lady Ding and made Lady Bian Queen of Wei in the 21st year of Jian'an (216), when he became King of Wei, and mentions Lady Liu in that passage. In the Biographies of Empresses and Consorts in the Records, when Lady Ding was deposed in the early years of Jian'an, Lady Bian was made principal wife, and Taizu had her raise all of his sons who had no mother. Romance, Ch. 68 §28–29Records, Wei 5 §9
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
- INT3533−2
- POL3331−2
- CHA4040±0
- VIR4240−2
- ADP3836−2
- SCH3331−2
- DIP3131±0
- DIS3333±0
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
RNo direct record — appears only in one line as the mother of Cao Ang and Cao ShuoWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — mentioned only as the concubine who bore Cao AngCh. 68 §29Ch. 78 §29
RNo direct record — appears only in one line as the mother of Cao Ang and Cao ShuoWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — mentioned only as the concubine who bore Cao AngCh. 68 §29Ch. 78 §29
RNo direct record — estimated from the record that she was Cao Cao's consortWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — estimated from the record that she was Cao Cao's concubineCh. 68 §29
RNo direct record — estimated from the record that she was Cao Cao's consortWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — estimated from the record that she was Cao Cao's concubineCh. 68 §29
RNo direct record — estimated from the record that she was Cao Cao's consort and bore two sonsWei 20 §2Wei 20 §4
NNo direct record — Cao Cao names her in his last words as the mother of his eldest sonCh. 78 §29
RNo direct record — estimated, as her origin and deeds are not recordedWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — estimated from a single mention as the concubine Lady LiuCh. 68 §29
RNo direct record — estimated, as when and how she died is not recordedWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — mentioned only as the concubine who bore Cao AngCh. 68 §29Ch. 78 §29
RNo direct record — appears only in one line as the mother of Cao Ang and Cao ShuoWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — mentioned only as the concubine who bore Cao AngCh. 68 §29Ch. 78 §29
RNo direct record — appears only in one line as the mother of Cao Ang and Cao ShuoWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — mentioned only as the concubine who bore Cao AngCh. 68 §29Ch. 78 §29
RNo direct record — estimated from the record that she was Cao Cao's consortWei 20 §2
NNo direct record — estimated from the record that she was Cao Cao's concubineCh. 68 §29
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 (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Family
| Spouse | Cao Cao Romance |
|---|---|
| Children | Cao Ang Romance |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.